A group of 20 children defied the morning heat to display their skating skills on the streets of Bhubaneswar for a cause.

The school-going kids glided and twirled on their roller skates as they carried out eye-catching feats in front of the BMC-Bhawani Mall to draw the attention of the passers-by and make them donate for the victims of quake-raved Nepal.

Their impressive spectacle was enough to attract a large number of people, who gladly reached towards the collection box strung around the neck of the little ones and donated whatever they could.

"Skating is something that one does not practice on the roads in our city, so we thought that this would be a unique way to appeal to the people," said Partha Sarathi Jena, founder of the Odisha Roller Skating Academy that organised the collection drive.

Over the next few days, the students will visit several parts of the city to display their skills and collect donations for Nepal. The amount collected will be donated through the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

If the kids have taken the lead, others have also come forward to collect funds for our neighbouring nation in distress following the April 25 earthquake. The students of Utkal University took out a candlelight march yesterday to condole those who have lost their lives in the disaster.

"We also visited various departments and hostels of our varsity gathering money and other essential items. We are in touch with an international aid organisation and will send the entire collection to them in a week," said Rajeshraj Swain, president of the varsity's students' union.

Nepalese students in the city are also collecting funds for people back home. Avishek Prakash, a Nepalese student studying at KIIT University, has left for Nepal but with an assurance that relief will reach his hometown soon.

"I left the city in a hurry because I had to reach home at the earliest but my friends are collecting relief items here. Once I reach home, I will tell them where to send the aid," said Avishek. There are around 100 Nepalese students in the varsity and many of them have joined hands in collecting relief items for the people of their country. Youngsters in various neighbourhoods of the city are also helping the cause.

"My friends in our apartment and I are circulating pictures of the devastation in the Himalayan nation to make people realise the extent of destruction in our neighbourhood. We also visited nearby houses to seek donation. In our own small way, we want to help them in their moment of crisis," said Sini Behera, a resident of Nayapalli.

They have decided to send the relief through Facebook.

"When I opened my Facebook account on Monday I saw a message that one could send donations through them. The idea struck me and we began the drive the very next day," said Sini.

Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee