IISJ students learn new lessons of service at Mina

It was not math and science that mattered during these Haj holidays for a team of Jeddah’s International Indian School students. They learned new lessons of service on the planes of Mina, the spiritual heart of the Haj congregation.
While the talbiya reverberated in the tent city of Mina, 47 students from IISJ and a seven-member team of teachers were on high spirits of volunteer service there. It was for the first time an Indian school became part of Haj service.
About 35 students from Jeddah and 12 from Makkah participated in the volunteer service at the invitation of the Indian Consulate in Jeddah and became part of a 150 strong team for the Indian Haj Mission.
The students mainly concentrated their service in 13 tents where Indian pilgrims stayed, said P. Noufal, headmaster of the Boys Section. Twelve students were at service in Arafat metro station where they received pilgrims and led them to the camps.
Students also helped elderly and ailing pilgrims to find their tents and sometimes led them to the Jamrat for the stoning ritual.
“New lessons we learned, lessons of service and helping others,” said one student who spent four days in Mina as part of the volunteer team. “It is a new world. We found true brotherhood, love for others and commitment from each pilgrim. It is an unforgettable experience.”
Noufal said the school plans to expand its volunteer service in the coming years.
“We want to send at least 600 students next year with training,” said a team member. “We will send them in four groups each of them contain 150 students. We will come again next year, Inshallah. Serving these pilgrims gave us satisfaction that cannot be described in words.”