For students at a small government school in Kondayampalayam, their classrooms greeted them with alcohol bottles and cigarette butts every morning. In the evenings, this school would find itself occupied by men drinking and smoking.

The reason? A lack of respect for the school within the community and inadequate infrastructure that facilitated easy access for those seeking a secluded space.

“The bottles and matchsticks were ruining the schools’ reputation and the learning mentality,” shares Mohammad, who is heading ‘Aram Seiya Karam Koduppom’ (ASKK), whose intervention transformed the school to help restore its sanctity.

Founded by Prthush and Kaali in 2018, ASKK has made it a mission to ensure every school has the requisite infrastructure deemed necessary for quality learning.

From tragedy to purpose

Prthush’s journey towards social service began with a personal tragedy in 2017. “It was 21 April, the day I turned 18. That same day, I lost my best friend,” he recalls.

To cope up with the grief and void, he turned to social work. “Visiting orphanages and engaging in social work was personally of huge help and relief,” he says.

Kaali was Prthush’s college mate at the Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology in Coimbatore, and had been driven by a similar passion to help those in need.

Originally from Madurai, Kaali would spend his pocket money distributing food to people in and around his locality every weekend.

“When we met and spoke, we liked each other’s mindset, positive attitude and the common agenda to serve the people,” shares Prthush.

This quickly forged a strong bond. Recognising the potential of their collective efforts, they decided to formalise their endeavours.

“When 10 people can do so many, how much can 100 people do?” Prthush says. In 2019, the two friends decided to formally register their organisation.

Lending hands

The initial aim was to

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