ICSJ President Arif Quraishi distributes old books with his team — Vice President Arif Masood Siddiqui, General Secretary Laeeq Siddiqui, Patron Jimmy Fareed Al-Waheedy, and Cultural Secretary Maqbool Pervez, and other members. — Courtesy photo JEDDAH — The Indian Cultural Society Jeddah (ICSJ) and Bazm-e-Osmania distributed 20,000 old textbooks to needy parents and students of the International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ). ICSJ and Bazm are the oldest NRI associations in Jeddah that have been involved in social work for Indian expats for over 38 years. Last year, they distributed over 22,000 old textbooks prior to the commencement of the new academic year of IISJ. This year ICSJ and Bazm collected more than 30,000 old textbooks, of which 16,000 were distributed in Jeddah, 2,000 in Riyadh and 2,000 in Taif. About 5,000 books were discarded because they were in poor condition, while another 5,000 were not reused because they were of schools other than IISJ. Arif Quraishi, ICSJ and Bazm president, said old uniforms, bags, new notebooks, new and old shoes, dictionaries, guidebooks and stationery were also distributed. He said parents and students came from as far as Makkah, Taif, Madinah and Yanbu to collect books and other items distributed free. The distribution took place at a local restaurant Shadab in Azizia district on a first-come-first-serve basis on April 4-5 from 8.30. p.m. to 11.30 p.m. The textbooks collection drive began last month, in which Quraishi and his team urged parents and students through newspaper announcements and posters to donate old textbooks at certain locations in Jeddah, after which they were collected, arranged class-wise in bundles as per the syllabus by the ICSJ and Bazm members and their families. These members include: Dr. Dilshad A. Shamsi, Arif Masood Siddiqui, Laeeq Siddiqui, Jimmy Fareed Al-Waheedy and Maqbool Pervez. Quraishi thanked parents and students for their cooperation in donating and collecting books. He also expressed his appreciation for the mini markets and polyclinics that collected the books, and Shadab restaurant that offered its venue for free for the books' distribution for two nights. He also ICS members for their cooperation in collecting books, sorting and arranging them class-wise and then distributing them.
