hindustan times october 25, 2009
TRANSCRIPT
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It’s yourSunday. Youcould sleep through it. Or, you could goout andgifthelp. Thankfully now, volunteer-work is nomore just about students, orself-serious ‘jholas’ trying to change theworld. Increasingly,Mumbai’sprofessionals havebegun toput in a fewof their after-workhours tocontribute their little bit. Checkhowyoucanaswell >> P 2
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If it takes effort, it’s not socialwork, iswhat our fellowMumbaikars feelwhile doing their bit forthe various causes they support
02Mumbai, Sunday, October 25, 2009
cover-up htcafé
Sneha Mahale■ [email protected]
Generation Y has beenreferred to as themost generousgeneration. For thepast few years, volun-teering among stu-
dents, young professionals and eventhose who consider themselves‘young at heart’ has increased.And now, with the drop in job
openings, youngsters are looking atother ways of spending their timeand make a difference in theircommunities, city, state andcountry… And even help the globalcommunity. We take a look at a fewof our city’s ‘do-gooders’ and thecauses they support.
THE STORY:We started HamaraFootpath with the intention of teach-ing street children based in andaround Churchgate and NarimanPoint. Now we have expanded ourinitiative to include vocational train-ing, handing out medicines and evencovering hospital costs.Most of the kids we meet don’t
have families. And the ones who do,their parents are not bothered aboutthem. The kids don’t deserve thislife. It’s extremely tough. We aim toeducate them so that they can re-enter society and become‘respectable’ citizens again.Also, giving a bit of love helps. It
isn’t very common for these kids toget attention and love. And yes,math goes a long way. We teachthem basic math at our centres(Churchgate and Fashion Street) sothat they don’t get ripped off whilebuying stuff. Today, some of ourolder kids have gone on to becomesalesmen or have taken up similarvocations. It gives the volunteersimmense joy.Volunteering is tough. We are
barely able to hold on to our volun-teers. Even the person who startedthe organisation has gone abroad. I
think of it this way. Mostly, we areall religious. But what’s the point ofpraying all the time and asking forforgiveness for your sins? I’d ratheruse that time to give something toneedy people.
THE STORY: In 2008, our group,Sanman Hikers, took up the missionto create awareness about all thesea forts in Maharashtra. We cov-ered around 27 forts around thestate that lie in a state of ruin.Through our organisation, we want-ed to create awareness about theexistence of such forts and makesure that it gets all the assistancerequired for its reconstruction.This apart, rehabilitation of the
disabled kids via the NGO JeevanRekha Foundation, in Kalyan, isanother cause I support. Most ofthese kids are abandoned by theirfamilies and the organisation takesthem in. We plan events on specialoccasions like Raksha Bandhan andDiwali. The joy of giving to thesekids is immense and the satisfactionis incomparable.
THE STORY: I joined the organisationSanskar in a bid to secure goodmarks in my NSS. However, volun-teering became an obsession after Ifinished college. The feel-good factoralways remains and influences allthe decisions one makes.At Sanskar, we mostly deal with
environmental issues. Most of thevolunteers and consultants areinvolved in creating awarenessabout them. We organise work-shops, fund-raising activities, eco-modelling and visit schools aroundthe city to increase awareness aboutair, water and noise pollution or cli-matic changes.We also help out by providing free
content for NGO Connect, the web-site and bi-monthly magazine.However, the best part is spendingtime with the kids. I would say thateach one should utilise his or her tal-ent to give back to society in what-ever little way they can. If it takeseffort, it isn’t social work.
THE STORY: It was mainly a love foranimation that made me join ASIFA.Asifa India is a non-profit organisa-tion, devoted to developing film ani-mation, both as an art and also as aneffective tool of communication.We’ve been working towards thecause of sharing knowledge andbuilding a strong sense of communi-ty. In this spirit, throughout the year,ASIFA India is involved with a lot ofactivities - workshops, seminars,case studies, film screenings, com-munity activities and educationalevents which are intended to helpthe Indian artist.We also organise pottery and
other allied services workshops andhold screenings of films made bystudents, the upliftment of Indianartist being our goal.
THE STORY: I consider myself to be anew media activist and love to comeup with several creative campaigns.Last time, it was the Sita Sena forwomen’s rights. We got a bunch ofguys and girls together and askedthe girls to whistle at the boys. Thatwas our way of creating awarenessabout eve teasing. We’ve also starteda Mumbai terror blog in the hope
that we’ll be prepared the nexttime round.If you Google my name, you will
get my email id and telephone num-ber. We get 10-15 emails daily onchild abuse. I’m a victim of childabuse myself and can connect withother victims’ hurt and pain. Onlythose who have been through dark-ness can help others see light.Another issue that has slowly gainedprominence is equal sexuality rights.Though I don’t campaign for homo-sexuality openly, I do feel that a per-son’s sexual orientation should behis or her choice.This year, our organisation, Desi
Dilwale, will run the MumbaiMarathon. I’ll do the Dream Run tosupport the issue of child abuse forthe NGO, Arpan. Our group plans topick a different cause every yearafter which everyone will pool intheir resources to support the per-son who’s running the marathon.Also, we are creating awarenessabout various issues on our blog andtwitter accounts. Also in the offing,is a play, which will be staged inMumbai’s local trains, to highlighteve teasing.
THE STORY: It began after I started offas a donor at a local CRY centre.Years later, I anchored a programme,Mumbai 4 Child Rights (M4CR).Currently, we are operational in fourwards - H (West), H (East), K and M,and have 10-20 volunteers in eachgroup. We are looking at expandingas we keep getting volunteers.The programme is meant to get
the urban privileged involved in thesystem. We try to create awarenessabout the necessity of children toattend school regularly and receiveformal education.
Mumbai’sunsungheroes
NAME: Taha Jodiawala, 26.FULL-TIME VOCATION: Businessman(trading in construction materials).CAUSES I SUPPORT: Street childeducation and community upliftment.SINCE (YEARS): Four years.
NAME: Snehal Kanchan, 26.FULL-TIME VOCATION: Studio Rhythmand Hues.CAUSES I SUPPORT: The upliftment ofIndian artists and creating awarenessabout animation.SINCE (YEARS): Four years.
NAME: Celin Thomas, 26.FULL-TIME VOCATION:Works atTimes Foundation.CAUSES I SUPPORT: Environmentalissues.SINCE (YEARS): Fourteen months.
NAME: Harish Iyer, 30.FULL-TIME VOCATION: Event manage-ment.CAUSES I SUPPORT: Child abuse,women’s rights and equal sexualityrights.SINCE (YEARS): Childhood.
NAME:Nitin Wadhwani, 45.FULL-TIME VOCATION: Businessman.CAUSES I SUPPORT: Child rights andeducation.SINCE (YEARS): Three years.
NAME: Upendra Kshirsagar, 26.FULL-TIME VOCATION: Event manage-mentCAUSES I SUPPORT: Rehabilitation ofdisabled children and conservation ofMaharashtra’s cultural and naturalhistory.SINCE (YEARS): Four years.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:■ Volunteer your time to teachthe kids.■ Sundays mean fun events like a tripto the zoo or National Park. Sponsorsuch an event.■ Help out with money or medicines.
CONTACT DETAILS:www.hamarafootpath.org
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:■ Volunteer your time.■ Help by giving donations.
CONTACT DETAILS:Simon,9892773677
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:■ Volunteer your time.■ Help the website and magazine byproviding free content.
CONTACT DETAILS:Kiran Madan, CEO, Sanskar at22076097
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:■ Become a volunteer
CONTACT DETAILS:www.asifaindia.com
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:■ Volunteer your time.■ Participate in the play.■ Follow the issues on Twitter.■ Run the marathon.
CONTACT DETAILS:www.desidilwale.in
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