Didi versus Madam [261/365]

No more Mr Nice Guy

Okay, I must admit. I had that feeling.

Do you have the feeling that someone important is actually reading your blog? Ten days after I wrote about how Mr PM needs to get his act together, he actually does it. Having announced FDI in multi-brand retail and airlines, he has in one masterstroke done what the country needed from him for several years.

While the skeptics ask 'Who are you and what have you done to the PM?', no one will privately deny that this has actually added shimmer to the Indian Dream.

Critics and armchair protesters will tell you how this is the end of Indian independence and how millions of people will be unemployed and yada yada yada...
Didi, the chairwoman of Indians Against Progress has already given a 72 hour deadline to the UPA government. Rollback or Else.
Or else what, Didi? You dont have the gallbladder to do shit.

I can't understand how allowing people who are interested in investing in you can be bad for you. Seeing how Kingfisher (not the drink) and Air India are barely breathing, I wonder how FDI can hurt them. If anything, something like this can actually open up employment to millions. NGOs like Unnati, who've trained thousands of people who would've otherwise added to social poverty statistics can actually be the change that we need today. The only reason why the government won't shut down sick airlines like KF and AI is because shutting them down can mean serious trouble for the economy. Reviving them with bailouts are simply not sufficient.

I'd like to see critics of progress do a reality check. Not take a protest march.
Our country can no longer afford to have politicians like Mamata. By the time we wake up tomorrow, Didi would have withdrawn her ministers from the government. While she has helpfully added that she will still support the UPA from outside, this is the UPA's chance to 'go down fighting'.

Advice to Didi: 'Take a hike'.
Advice to Mr PM: 'Dont stop and dont look back. Didi's taken a hike'.

Rise! [49/365]

Recently, an Indian actor sang a song that went viral online.
The song, made up of a bunch of lyrics that can only be termed as utter nonsense, is a testimony to how technology combined with good marketing can make anything a raging trend (pun intended). It proved how anything can be marketed as long as it is packaged well and promoted by deep purses.

Large Corporates have, in the last decade or so have gradually become more aware of their social responsibilities and that's a good thing. Nobodys complaining. Having been a part of one such corporate responsibility, I've realized that it is a win-win situation.

A few days ago, an NGO that I am proud to be associated with - Unnati (read about my experiences here), raised a pitch for sponsorship and support through Mahindra Rise - an CSR initiaitive by Indian auto major Mahindra. (Read about the program here).

Unnati does some incredible work in transforming people.  Their goal to transform a million youngsters is admirable.
Difficult but not impossible. Formidable but just what our country needs. An entire generation of productive, educated and committed workforce.

And true to its words, I've seen the confidence and the growth in individuals, both young and old go through in just 70 days. That's right, it takes less than a quarter for an entire family to Rise. From poverty, from degradation, from isolation.
I've been a part of the selection process where hundreds of young boys and girls, many who have traveled from as far away as Sikkim and Nepal to attend the 70 day vocational training that Unnati gives free of cost. Many of the interviewers are dedicated volunteers who spend hours on a weekend screening candidates. Once selected, the candidates are on the right path to change. While Unnati does insist on punctuality and discipline, it never forces itself on any of its students.
This I believe is because many in Unnati treat its students as responsible adults who are capable of making their own decisions. Wise move, I think.

Towards the end of 70 day training session, I begin to see how it's students undergo a transformation into mature adults who are intelligent, accountable and extremely productive. In the process, I've seen timid semi literate girls and boys who are intimidated by English become strong individuals with character and poise, conquering their fear of the stage and the world.

Unnati has not lost any of the steam since its first batch. If any of the accolades and the praise they receive is any indication, I can say they are on a roll. But accolades alone cannot fund a project this size.
Surely Unnati needs a lot of support. In the form of dedicated volunteers who want to make a difference and in the form of money. I've seen many former students return to their Alma- mater to return a little of what they got and I've seen professionals render their expertise, knowledge and time for free.
Seeing as the NGO does not take anything from their students while giving them a lot in return, it is imperative that the able among us strive to do whatever it takes to support Unnati.

I've taken up the cudgels to spread the word and to try and spread the word about the great work that they do.
Mahindra Rise is a wonderful platform for Unnati. But for the NGO to win the kind of national recognition and support that this effort offers, Unnati needs 3000 votes.
That's not a high number. I've seen silly videos go viral with these numbers in mere minutes. I've cast my vote. Sure registration does take a minute, but wouldn't you register for a website if it mattered to you?
I ask that you visit the link right now (takes just a click), register for yourself (another minute or so), vote and ask your circle of friends to do the same too. And you're done, all within 5 minutes that you can squeeze in your lunch/dinner break.
It's that simple!

Strike while the iron is hot. Make a difference now by voting. And know that by your vote, Unnati is that much closer to achieving it's goal. While corruption and Anna Hazare might still be a cause worth fighting for, supporting organizations that strengthens our grassroots can never be a lost cause.

Able and Willing.. Part 1

Community Service to many of us is a farce. An event where we get a paid day off.
While many who volunteer their time think they are doing a favor to those who are underprivileged, I think it's the other way round. They are doing us a favor by letting us be a part of their special life.

The ThomsonReuters Foundation, tied up with 25 NGOs, each a pioneer in their field. Unprecedented in scale and involvement, we'll have 2500 employees taking part in 250 projects across 4 months.

In a series of posts, I'll attempt to pen down my experiences with the 19 projects that I will be a part of this year.

Unnati - Employment

Sept 17th, 2011.

'Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day....teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime'

Unnati works on empowering those sections of the society that is underprivileged and undermined in more ways than one.
With 12 enthusiastic volunteers, we were overwhelmed at the sight of over 200 candidates at the Centre on a bright and balmy Saturday morning.
A quick briefing and a short slideshow of the program cleared any doubts that my team had.

But what really impressed many of us was how streamlined the entire process was.
Interview on such a massive scale is always a logistical nightmare. However in Unnati, fully completed applications are screened for authenticity and tagged for any one of the 12 vocations taught at the NGO.

The kind of candidates that we saw impressed us too. Guys and girls who you'd otherwise not bat an eyelid if you passed them on the street were there, wanting to learn, work and be able to stand on their own feet. Nearly all of them reached Unnati because they had friends/relatives who were taught at the NGO.
Most of them were humble and open to instruction, criticism and feedback. Some were hell bent on working in a particular vocation, even though they lacked the skills. We had to persuade them and explain to them why they would not suit a vocation.
But all of them had an amazing attitude about life, smiling even though in abject poverty.
For the 150 odd candidates that did crack the interview, Sept 19th is just the beginning.

The team at Unnati that made a difference!

Towards the end of the day, we all had a wonderful time. Many of us saw ourselves in the candidates we interviewed.
And on our way back, we promised ourselves that we would want to be there when the 70 day course at Unnati finishes on the 3rd of December.

Karunashraya - Hospice
Sept 18th, 2011.

'All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.'

The hospice for patients with cancer in it's advanced stages struck a very personal chord with me.
Having seen what cancer can do with a person and his/her family, the work that Karunashraya made me pause and ponder. Pain is an incredible thing. Something that you need to experience to know how much it pains, cancer is a painful death sentence.

Having seen my dad and his sisters loose their battles of cancer was painful. Scary even.
At Karunashreya, I saw death. Apparently the mortality rate at the hospice is as high as two deaths a day.

The history of the NGO is inspiring. Having gone through a corrupt bureaucracy, the NGO does manage to strike a delicate balance between altruism and sound policies.

We got to learn how the hospice functioned. What I noticed was how almost everything in the hospice was designed and done in such a way that death looses it's sting. 

Each of the 'guest' is allowed to wear their own clothes provided it is comfortable and easy to wear/remove, every guest is allowed to walk freely around the facility, every guest is given their choice of meal three times a day. And when the time comes that the guest has to 'depart', he/she is given a dignified way through doors that open directly into the veranda and wheeled to the 'Prayer room' where the relatives can accept the mortal remains.
All this is done so to make sure that none of the inmates see the bodies going out, even though all of them are quite sure that their turn to leave is not too far away.

Our project was to provide succor to the staff and nurses and relief even if it was just a day, from the gory reality of death around them.
Ranging from ages 18 to 25, you'd hardly notice anything different about the staff here and any other hospital. Dig deeper and you'll find that they all have a passion for selflessness. Polite yet steely resolved, working with terminally ill people require nerves of steel.
Would I want to work with Karunashraya again? Definitely Yes.

Margadarshi - Differently Abled

Sept 21st, 2011.

"For me, inclusion is about a community where everyone is recognized for their differences and everyone is recognized as belonging – not only in our schools, but in our communities."

As part of my third project, we had to plan and execute a gathering of 25 different NGOs that work for differently abled individuals. 
The first picture that comes to our minds when we talk about social service are images of individuals who are anemic, unintelligible and unscrupulous.
Having met 25 different NGOs involved in healthcare, employment and among specially abled individuals, my perception has improved. 
With over 2000 registered NGOs in the city of Bangalore alone, it is anybody's guess on why we need to pool in our collective resources. The need is certainly there. Being 'challenged' (or the more politically incorrect term 'disabled') does no longer mean that you should be begging for your living. With the wealth of resources that many of these NGOs have, getting a good job/living a respectable life is only a matter of connecting to the right organization.


With the NGOs promising to network and connect in a better way in the future, I believe we were able to hit all the right notes with our project.

Next Stop:
The Freedom Foundation

Learn, Earn, Stand tall

As part of the ThomsonReuters Community Service team, I have been fortunate to be a part of several projects.

The first project for this year that I'll be a part of is organized by an well-networked NGO called Unnati (An SGBS trust initiative).
First of it's kind that I'm being a part of, Unnati enables and empowers underprivileged students in a competitive world.

Meeting the director of the NGO was a wonderful experience. Unnati identifies between 100 and 200 students who are socially and economically underprivileged. Nearly all of the students that are selected to study here are from family below the poverty level. Apart from having no knowledge of English and very limited chances of a gainful employment in a fast paced job market, these students aren't much different from you and me. 
They are ambitious (one student graduating out of the seventy day course aspired to be a Managing Director of a Hotel one day), they have the same fear of the stage, and will face the same challenges that you and I will face. But just because they live in a shanty house or in a village or slum, we are biased against them. 


The eight year old not for profit NGO, depends on 90 other NGOs and many of it's alumni for its students - from 18 to 40 year olds. Costs are met by generous donors like Google et al.


Once at the Centre, they go through a thorough screening process that separates the truly deserving from the 'just lazy'. 
There after they go through a seventy day vocational training and personality development course that is structured and tutored by professionals who volunteer their time and effort. Students are taught vocational training (like guest care, tailoring, industrial painting, security, paramedics, and retail sales and marketing) in state of the art class rooms that are donated by companies like Philips, and the Infosys Foundation..
Of course like any other organisation, Unnati goes through the pangs of attrition too.
But what surprised me is how attrition tapered off after just 10 days of class. The students apparently are convinced about the effect that Unnati has on them in a week! 
At the seventieth day we see how such a structured environment, that places emphasis on underprivileged individuals getting the right kind of vocational training that  equips them for the modern workforce, achieves when nearly all the students graduate, with a job. Many of the students earn between Rs 3000 to Rs 9000 as their first salaries!


Today, sitting among the students at their valediction ceremony, I could feel the excitement, the enthusiasm and the confidence that all of these students possess. The students performed skits on money management, etiquette and life skills. 


It's hard to imagine how any organization can transform a person from being underprivileged to being part of a highly trained modern workforce. But watching the students graduate with pride and honor, I know Unnati has done the impossible. 
From a lump of clay to a beautiful piece of art.


Amidst all the anarchy and chaos in our society, Unnati comes out as a beacon of hope. The hope that not all is wrong in the world today.


Their motto: Learn, Earn and Stand tall, rings through all their students. 
Unnati: A wonderful example to emulate