My Grandfather #MyRoleModel

This post is dedicated to the most handsome person in the world - Mr.Marutirao Gangaram Bhille

#MyGrandpa #MyRoleModel

More than 3 years ago, I interviewed my grandpa and I told him that I will write about him on my blog. We spoke all day and he narrated some wonderful stories from his rich experience in life. He, in fact, took out all the newspaper cuttings and all other documents that spoke about his work, achievements, contributions, etc. His excitement appeared so cute to me and I was not willing to believe that he was opening up so much details before me. A very humble, simple and soft spoken person, he began to share his life story with me just after me telling him one word "I'll interview you today". Those moments still echo in my life. Today, I am writing about #MyRoleModel as a part of the activity by Gillette India in association with BlogAdda.com. This had been in my drafts for such a long time. I want to share my grandpa's story on a big platform as he has a strong message to deliver to every common man. He has been my greatest inspiration and the biggest reason for me taking up a career in the social development sector. And yeah, my grandpa kept asking me what is a blog and what I am doing. Though I explained, the idea wasn't very clear to him. I guess, this will be a great way to tell him what it is.

Everyone has a role model, from who we try to learn, who we try to emulate, who we love. The word itself carries a lot of weight and has the power of influencing an individual to take up responsibility with will and not by force. Why do we need role models? For me, role models are required so that one has someone to look up to learn and follow the path walked by and experienced. While we learn how to successful from successful people, it also helps us to understand failure. Examples of leaders essential to keep up that momentum and willingness to do goodness in the society. Role model is very much essential when an individual is clueless of where one is heading in life. After all that matters in life is what legacy we leave behind and how many faces wear a smile on their face on hearing onto our name.

Well, for me my role model is my lovely grandfather. He is a man of values, discipline and more of a social animal I would say. I come from a middle-class family and a business background and more importantly from a joint family. I look up to my grandfather in all aspects of life. As I had the advantage of staying in a joint family I had the opportunity to learn from all the members of the family. My grandfather is the head of the family. He struggled hard and now set up a business which is so famous that every single day there is a queue from customers to buy the sweets. He believes in hard work and consistency. I usually go to him and ask him the experiences of various aspects of life. In this journey I have not only got inspired but it kind of built confidence in me to do whatever bit I can to the society.

I remember he narrating to me showing this photo "People from neighboring cities used to come to watch me play 'Kabaddi' because they loved to watch me because of my performance.

My grandfather is the head of the family and the way he has bought his children is just amazing. We are 12 members staying at home, a joint family and he has built a commendable value system for us. He considers even the smallest needs when takes decisions and more importantly, he ensures that his decisions are for the benefit of all the family members and no one feels dissatisfied or unhappy. Each member has his/her own set of rights and responsibilities. Each member is treated equally in terms of everything. Each member has the space to live their life in the way they like it. Not a single day have I seen my grandfather interfering or arguing with any of the members. Such a gentle and patient person!!

Everyone in the society speaks about our family as an example mainly because of my grandfather. He is the face of our family. He is the bond who connects everyone. He is the one because of whom everyone feels motivated and comfortable to stay together. When the world is trending towards a nuclear family, I feel proud that there are still individuals like my grandfather who have ensured family binds together and lives happily. He respects every member of the family and that is something I love the most about him. A world where the people are getting self-centered and all the energies are focused on how to amass wealth for oneself, my grandfather always keeps telling all the members in the family, "We earn together which definitely means we have to share together. Never complaint on who has contributed more or less, at the end, it is your own family that is going to be the beneficiary."

The first car, after which he built a fleet of vehicles.

Family is important because its not the money that comes to your rescue when you need something in life but remember it's only the family members with whom who shared the laughter, happiness, sorrow, success, failure and every emotions one can define come to your rescue. There is love and happiness within you do not go in search of it just start spreading it and you see the ray of hope at every corner of life" At every stage of life from my childhood I have looked up to my grandfather. I kept observing his actions and the way he responded to each of the situation. At the end always whatever my grandfather would stand up for was fair and just for all. That's how I started learning and inculcating the values from him and I never felt the need to hunt for any role model beyond my house. Why do we look up to a role model? so that we are inspired or motivated to follow the footstep but I would say I was very lucky enough to say that it didn't require any extra effort of hunting on google for the names on "inspiring personalities", "role model" etc., I lived and could practice the lessons in my daily life as I lived with the role model. Even after ages when my grandfather has turned 80 years we see the same momentum at home which makes me feel more proud and happy that the values around which my grandfather has built the family is still valid and I can say it will continue to be with lifetime warranty.

We are a business family. We own a small little sweet shop in Hubli with no name board even now i.e, after 70 years of it's establishment but still the best shop in the city which operates only 4 hours a day and yes each day customers wait in the queue to buy the products. To get the business at this level along with handling a joint family of more than a dozen one can imagine the leading and managing capability of an individual. And such is the potential of my grandfather who started so small from selling it on the street to a level where customers stand in queue to but the products that too in the era where there are n number of competitors and new entrants every day. He is the best entrepreneur I have ever seen. More importantly my grandfather treated each employee equal. In fact he was more in favour of them when others used to argue telling why did you pay him that Rs.10/- extra if this continues it will become a habit. And my grandfather used to always calmly reply "A person seek for help when he is in need, and he is working with us he will not become helpless that I can guarantee. I'm just lending a helping hand when he is in need. And that Rs.10/- I don't need it right now if that can help someone and mean a lot to him then give him, he will definitely return, if doesn't then at least he will return back to the job" Such noble gestures of my grandfather has really a lot of meaning and value. And that's how I learnt "to share" and help others when they're in need.

What one would get in return may not be the same but definitely much more because you gain trust and respect which will take an individual a long way in life. I remember chatting with my grandfather about the fleet of cars he owned as a taxi business that why did he chose to do multiple business when one was sufficient. He replied "Sometimes being selfish is also very important. Being selfish creates that confidence in you and pushes you to that extra level to take risk and challenges and make you realise of your potential" To explore or push oneself beyond one's capacity is when one can realise one's potential". Years of handwork and commitment in the professional life, I would say I could not visualise indeed see the practical implications of all the entrepreneurial qualities that these premier Institute define.

This is something which has actually touched me more than anything. And I must say that I'm very lucky enough to have lived with this inspiring person all time. The biggest investment that my grandfather has made till date is not the personal nor the professional but definitely in social life. Any person irrespective of the caste, creed or the strata who has knocked on our doors trust me I haven't seen anyone going back disappointed. My grandfather always had something to offer to each one may be monetary or non monetary. And I must my family is known for more for the good deed and the support my grandfather has given to all those in need and because of the business being famous. Neighbours, relatives and everyone who knows us recognise us as a family who believes in giving back to society. I keep listening to the conversations of the people they say though they make sufficient money they lend a helping hand more than what they earn and that's the best part of it. In nearby villages my grandfather is looked up as a man of worship as he has helped many of them and never said no. And all this he has done it with good heart and never he had that pride and never bombarded on the same. When the society recognises you as a family who does good deeds then trust me you have achieved it all, I mean the meaning of life. My grandfather is a very simple man, you will always find him in a white pajama and white shirt with a pigeon with its wing open on the pocket as a logo which he gets it tailor made. He has around 80 pigeons as he is fond of them and even now we have them. I remember when I got my first salary I bought trendy gifts to each of my family members but I had no clue what to buy for him so I directly went and asked him and all that he asked for was a cap. When I questioned him why, he replied"I think I'm growing old and I cannot bear the sun anymore when I look to the pigeons to come down to their nest" A man so simple without having any crave for any materialistic thing just randomly answered with the simplest thing. And I bought him one and he wears that even at parties. I love him for that.

Wow!!! Awesome to see some of the online possessions of my grandfather, here you go:

I'm definitely going to show this to him when I go back home the next time. Probably I won't be surprised he not knowing anything about internet.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/11/stories/2006091104850400.htm

Role Model is not about how much one has the potential to do by oneself. It's all about how a role model can transfer those values in a natural process say by practice and by adhering to those values at all times. The role model should be a person who not only influence one's good work which benefited oneself but the society as a whole. The reason being, good things are to spread naturally on it's own and not to be kept for oneself. Seeing my grandfather for 25 years of life, I started realizing the meaning of life and soon started analyzing each of his actions and behavior and how did that have an impact on him and others life. In this journey my life transformed. From being a selfish and self centered person I started looking things from others point of view. I started responding to situations and life in a manner that my grandfather does eventually that helped me build my focus on being more of a social animal. I began to be considerate of others feelings, respect others opinion, lend a helping hand not only to humans but all the living beings. And now this man has led me to quit my corporate career and take up a career which gives you a sense of inner satisfaction and that's how I started volunteering for many causes and chose a career path in the field of social development which sort of gives you the opportunity to build a ray of hope and happiness to many in life.

Post by Priyanka Bhille.

Post by Priyanka Bhille.

All that I can say is that I had the opportunity to live with my role model which paved for constant motivation that helped me to evolve as a human being considering every being equally important.

A Chat - Featured on the Milaap Blog

Originally published at http://www.milaap.org/blog/meet-our-new-idex-fellow-priyanka-bhille

Meet our new IDEX Fellow: Priyanka Bhille!

After our previous IDEX Fellows, Thomas and Mary completed their internship successfully with us, it was time to get a new fellow who was equally enthusiastic and passionate about making a difference. Priyanka is our new IDEX fellow who is working on various important projects like loan management, deployment and closely associated with our vocational training/school project field partners. We had a small chat with her to know more about herself and this is what she had to say:

Q) Tell us about yourself and your prior experience before joining Milaap

Working as a socially responsible person reaching people to enhance and enrich their lives has been on the top of my to-do lists ever since my childhood. I have always been passionate of education. It has transformed my life in several ways. I am also passionate of working to promote the other basic needs of life, namely access to affordable healthcare, good environment, integrity and harmony, and general well being in life. In the little time that I have spent on these areas, I have taken little steps to support these dreams.

During my college days, I was actively involved in the volunteering activities including community engagement programs, social awareness programs, cleanliness drives, role plays on social causes, etc. For all the initiatives and efforts in these directions, I was awarded as the best “NSS Volunteer”. I joined the corporate world with a clear objective of working for a couple of years, get to know more about how the world functions, get to know people and processes, get to understand education’s impact in practice, and then move on to work at social enterprises. The decision to move on from the new found happiness in investment banking to pursuing a dream that was dreamt long back was tough. 

However, as I continued to participate in several CSR activities during my working life, the motivation remained. I spent almost all my weekends at NGOs, especially helping children learn, recording classes for them, making their small wishes come true and other similar activities. I kick started my social entrepreneurship journey with the Jagriti Yatra 2012, the train journey of 15 days that takes select youth across the nation to inspire them to build enterprises that make a difference.After the Yatra, I volunteered at Youth for Seva (YFS) and then, joined them as an Intern to work on a NGO Connect Project.

Q)What was your motivation for joining Milaap?

My social entrepreneurship journey began with the Jagriti Yatra 2012. I wanted to know the ground realities of the social sector as well as get a brief understanding of lives of people across the nation. Jagriti Yatra gave me move than brief understanding as I interacted with numerous change makers who had so much to tell. Microfinance is one such field that has caught my attention. It has the power to create an impact on families instantly by helping them create a revenue stream. With this passion I happened to be a part of Milaap who is impacting millions of life by helping them fulfill their dreams and to live a life with dignity.

Q)And how did you hear about our organization?

Very recently, my application for the IDEX Fellowship in Social Enterprise was accepted. I wanted to work in the field of Micro finance and accordingly, IDEX placed me with Milaap, India’s first online micro-lending platform. With Milaap, I’m working on several areas including deployment, loan management, new delivery channels, etc. with a focus on upbringing people to attain a better living through education, sanitation, small business financing, etc. There are several plans underway and I’m certain to make the best of them in the coming days.

Q)What is your expectation from Milaap?

I want to be a part of an organization that will work towards making life a better experience. I want to see a world with happy minds and humble hearts. Milaap is one such serious opportunity for me as I look forward on a journey to create positive impact, an exposure with a platform like Milaap will cut down my gestation period significantly and help me focus on doing things more effectively and efficiently leading to better results. A launch pad like this will do a great deal in taking life forward in the longer run as well as help me run longer.

Introducing Milaap - Loan a Little, Change a Lot. Get Involved

Originally written for IDEX and published at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/introducing-my-placement-enterprise-milaap-loan-a-little-change-a?context=category-My+SocEnt+Placement+Profile

Micro-finance is one domain that has caught my attention off late and this
has a great potential for social entrepreneurs. It has the power to create an impact on families instantly by helping them create a revenue stream. With this passion I happened to be placed at Milaap. Let me briefly run you all through the journey of Milaap.

Let's Empower India

Thanks to ten awesome folks around the world, Annapurna has been able to expand her Self Help Group and increase revenues by 15%. Help Milaap provide sustainable sources of income to ambitious entrepreneurs like her!

Introduction

I'm sure most of us have heard the carpenter, cobbler, driver, gardener, maid & others usually who are at the bottom of the pyramid talk about how difficult it is for them to get loans to support their children's education, getting the groceries every month, getting a toilet built or even to have access to a clean drinking water. May be most of us wouldn't even think of planning to cover such expenses but yes it would matter for most of the others i.e, over 700 million people living at less than 2 dollar wages in the world. Banks having higher interest rates would let them eliminate from this supply chain. This is where Milaap empowers the individuals who can lend to make social investments to better the lives of over 700 million people to get access to the basic facilities while lending on a vary low rate of interest which the people at the BOP can afford.

The Inception

Milaap is an online fund raising platform that encourages people around the world to fund & impact lives who are in need of basic facilities in India. It is the only online platform in the field of microfinance domain which enables people globally to lend to the one's in need through online platform. This has led Milaap to be the first & only platform for NRI's to lend in India. These loans are aimed to facilitate the borrower in getting access to the basic facilities like sanitation, clean water & renewable energy. Vocational training or skill development is a new domain wherein Milaap is trying to lend a helping hand for the Youth which creates a path way to build career. Milaap is based in Bengaluru, India with its headquarters in Singapore started in 2010.

 What's your Cause?

Two investment bankers, Shiva and Vikram cycled across Singapore and raised funds for 50 families in need of clean water. Inspire your friends and family to do more.

The Kick Start

So, how did the Milaap journey begin. Anoj Viswanathan was inspired by the impact of a $10 solarlantern sold on credit to the extremely poor in tribal Orissa. Founded in June 2010 by Sourabh Sharma, Anoj Viswanathan and Mayukh Choudhury. It took Milaap almost a year to gain approval from the Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) to enable lenders outside India to lend to India through their website.

Idea Generation

Microfinance Institutions(MFI's) that lends micro credits to the entrepreneurs usually tend to have high rate of interest rates as these institutions in turn borrow loans from banks at a high rate of interest which places the borrower to bear the higher rate of interest. The borrowers are usually taking the loans form the MFI's as they need in small scale wherein it becomes difficult to get it approved. Further the borrowers wouldn't be willing to pay a high rate of interest as they are taking a loan to pay off the liabilities which makes up their operation cost. With this scenario it would become very difficult for an individual to approach bank or MFI's to get loan in order to cover the cost of basic facilities like water, sanitation, drinking water & vocational training. Thus, Milaap comes up with an idea of sourcing funds from individuals globally who are willing to lend & thereby able to provide loans at a lower rate of interest. This has been possible because the of eliminating the MFI's borrow from banks.

Crux Of The Business Idea

Milaap in their online lending platform display the profile of the borrower who seek to help to get the basic needs like clean drinking water, sanitation, healthcare, electricity, education etc., individuals who have access to internet & can choose the borrower whom they want to lend & thereby fund a part of the loan. The Lender can also track as to how the money lended is used. The best part of such a donation is the lender receives back the money given at the end of the loan term. Now, you might wonder how the people at the BOP get connected to Milaap as they lack internet access. Well, Milaap has collaborated with other organisations(field partners) who are working with the people who are looking out for finance. Thus, the field partners collect the loan from the borrowers creating a transparent place to lend & borrow. By investing in such projects Milaap is looking at solutions at the fundamental level considering the crucial parameters that impact the purpose of the borrowing.The profit model involves a mix of profit & non profit models to enable a sustainable model. Basically aiming at sustainable scaling business model.

The Road Ahead

Milaap on a continuous basis is expanding its business having its impact on millions of people. These impacts are not only solving the financial problems but also aims to focus on increasing the productivity of an individual, income generation & reducing the current expense. Certain initiatives by Milaap like raising funds through campaigns involves youth in majority. This helps indirectly in bringing about an awareness among the youth to think of the social issues around & do their bit to make this place a better world to live in.

You Can Help Make a Difference, visit http://www.milaap.org/

School Chaley Hum - Silver Spoons for the ones not born with it

This blog post 
won 
 the "ISB iDiya for IndiChange"! 
blogging competition.

The Background

Very recently, I came across children playing along the road side. While I stood there to grab a lemon juice, these kids were running around merrily. They didn't seem to be localities  I happened to smile at them and they responded. We struck a conversation and it went on for long. I learnt that their parents work at a construction site nearby. When I asked them if they went to school, I was puzzled with their response, "Didi, gaon mein jaathe the. Jab shehar mein aaye, toh chod diya", meaning, "When we were in the village, we went to school. From the time we came to the city, we stopped". It left me with a big question mark. In a world where people move from villages to towns to cities to metros to foreign destinations for education, here's someone saying that they are losing education for having moved up. I smiled, with a confused mind, and left.

I have always been passionate about the education sector as education has worked wonders in my own life. I feel energized when I see education reach the underprivileged as it is one such tool that enables individuals to participate in the growth story of the nation, contribute even more, access opportunities and work towards a better society. It is this passion that made me quit my banking job and volunteer with Youth for Seva (YFS), an NGO that works for a numerous social causes (For a brief description, read towards the end of this post). I have learnt that value education (not mere literacy) is by far, the greatest and the most commonly spoken of solution to almost every problem that the world faces today. I am running with a goal to ensure that kids are not mere English readers, Orators, Number Cruncher. They should be groomed into responsible adults with sensible definitions of all factors that affect their journey on earth.

Today, even after 6 decades of independence, the challenge for our nation still remains the rural development as the people of the villages remain unconnected to what the other side of the nation has been progressing towards. The rural people have been deprived of education, health care, employment and over all welfare. According to the latest World Bank estimates, nearly 40% of the Indian population falls below the poverty line and every third poor in the world is from India. On the contrast, India has as many as 69 billionaires which is fourth largest in the world. These statistics give a clear picture on social imbalance in India which consequently has affected India's over all development. The gap can be bridged by making education accessible and spreading awareness about the importance of education to a large extent. Further, we also need to work on making basic necessities of life like a clean environment, healthcare facilities, safe drinking water and food, etc. available for everyone in the nation.

The Revelation

After the construction site incident that left me dumbstruck, I narrated the incident to my mentor at YFS. Surprisingly, YFS had already been working on this cause along with NGOs like Surabhi Foundation, Shalaya, etc. (For a brief description, read towards the end of this post) and with the support of organizations like the Government's Education Department itself, ISKCON's Akshaya Patra and several other large-hearted people. It felt great to note this. We discussed further to understand how rapid industrialization, most of it unplanned, helps some people and affects some others. Building replace open spaces in no time in cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Namma Bengaluru (our Bangalore). Over the last many years, we have seen huge urbanization as people moved to cities for education, job and a, so called, better life. We also saw a large people moving in to run services for these people - cooks, hoteliers, laundry boys, grocery sellers, vegetable vendors, bakers and construction workers. While there is one category of people who settle in cities, there is another category that hops from place to place in search of work. Construction workers fall under the later. Thus, the children either continue to work along, until somebody in the area is seriously opposed to child labor, or while around till they find something to do. If the parents wish to send them to school, the high costs of education and living in cities as well as regular move from one place to another discourage the children.

For the past two decades Bengaluru has been the fastest growing city of India. Bengaluru’s residential market interests all stakeholders – developers, landowners, double income households and growing migrant population. Many prominent national and international developers have entered Bengaluru's residential market and many more to enter in the coming years. Bengaluru’s residential market is likely to grow annually at 15% for the next 3 years. The economic outlook for the city remains strong in coming years as many large IT/ITeS, Engineering and automobile MNCs have aggressive growth plans for the city which will ensure healthy growth rate.

The aforementioned statistics imply that the construction industry will continue to seek more laborers/ employees. The ambitious metro rail project, road projects towards the international airport, aggressive expansions in Sarjapur, Hennur, Bagalur and in fact, every end of the city calls for many more people to work. These opportunities are definitely going to drive masons from different rural areas to migrate to Bengaluru along with their family in the next few years. The fact that it is not a permanent situation creates the problem for the kids. They lose their connect to school and slowly, the interest in studies dries out. Providing education to these kids at their doorsteps is the need of the hour or else, only after a few years, they will realize/repent on what they missed. We should make efforts to help them learn skills and improve their abilities according to their age so that they continue schooling, irrespective of where they go.

The Initiative

YFS is working on providing non formal schooling at certain locations where such a need is seen. It is an initiative with a mission to educate children by proper resource channelization. It would be very essential to catch these kids young and start training them lest they enter the trap of child labor and thereby, the viscous circle of poverty. Mumbai Mobile Creches is an example of a similar initiative through which, lives of almost 5000 children are touched.

At present, YFS has started non formal schools at three locations in Bengaluru - AGS Layout, Poornapragnya Layout and Raja Rajeswari Nagar. Each of these schools comprise of 30 - 40 kids whose parents are working at the construction site. They migrate very often as their job demands to do so. In this journey their kids get disconnected to the regular schooling. The very motive to come up with non formal schooling is that the kids can have access to education than losing it completely. Each of these schools, though have a single objective of educating the kids, are made up of varied models. School at Poornapragnya layout is run under the sheds of a temple wherein one paid teacher who is associated with Surabhi teaches. Along with this teacher there are two volunteers who are housewives who teach the kids. The main attraction for the kids to come to school is a meal. YFS has tied up with the government school nearby and have made arrangements for the food. The elder sibling has the freedom to get their younger one's to the school along with them. The parents are happy and content and do not stop the elder kid from going to school. The books and other materials are arranged from various sources. The school at RR Nagar is conducted at a room at the construction site which is sponsored by the builder himself. The teacher at that school is again a YFS volunteer. The school at AGS Layout is conducted at YFS volunteers home and she takes the responsibility of teaching the kids.

The Process

The first step towards getting all children into school would be to get to know them informally and persuade them to join a short non-formal education. The purpose is to serve this as a bridge course through which the children and their parents would become interested in the possibility of going to school. The central focus is to socialize children, provide them with some skills, and facilitate their admission to the government school in that locality.

Parents usually tend to send their kids to the school as they do not have time to take care of the kids. However, it is very essential to take their permission and learn about their interests as it creates a bonding and they feel motivated on being involved. Most parents tend to say that they are going to live in the city for 2-3 years and it doesn't make a big difference. However, the impact of these couple of years is huge. These are crucial years and in many cases, these couple of years push the child out of the education path. It is essential to discuss these points with the parents and help them take a decision keeping the long term impact in mind. These discussions are handled very sensitively, especially when the case is pertaining to a girl child, as education is still seen as an unessential burden by most people.

A strong attempt is made to promote the idea with the builder and in most cases, the builders are happy to consider the proposal. In case the builder doesn't agree, a community place like a community hall, temple premises or any place where classes can be conducted is being located. In case, both options fail, a place could be hired on rent. Identifying the location where the construction work is going on and study the profile of the children in the area, categorize them and find who/how many could be helped by the plan, plays a critical role.

On the financial front, each such project could cost up to Rs 1lac per annum (10 months) considering about 40 children in the class. Approximately Rs 30000 is spent to remunerate the teachers (the amount is only paid as a honorarium, Rs 40000 is spent on food, water and related facilities, Rs 10000 is spent on books, Rs 10000 is spent on helpers and another Rs 10000 could be other miscellaneous expenses.

The Workarounds

Kids or even for that matter adults, in general, are motivated by one or the other factor. Motivation, self or external, is one very important aspect of life as it prepares us to face challenges boldly. As the parents are daily wage earners, its difficult for them to take care of every need of the kids. They struggle to even provide a square meal a day. Many studies indicate, and I have observed it myself on interacting with people, that a square meal a day attracts kids to the school more than the opportunity of learning. Food is being arranged in two ways. One, it can be procured in collaboration with ISKCON directly and two, by connecting with a nearby government school, if any, by requesting the school authorities. Books, study materials and stationary are generally sponsored by the corporate and other organizations around. In most cases, the construction sites will be the prospect venue to accommodate such kids to the non formal schools to ensure they live their childhood with all the laughter, joy and happiness. In some cases, the classes are held in temple premises.

Many factors are taken into account while appointing a teacher. The most important point is that the teacher must be in a nearby location so that the access is easier. It would also make punctuality and continuity, easier tasks. The volunteers are given an opportunity to teach in these locations. Teachers can also be appointed in collaboration with NGOs like Surabhi. Further, in some cases, the educated housewives in the adjoining areas show interest in spending a couple of hours with the kids, which could be utilized for teaching. As the kids usually are the age group between 4-12 years (LKG to Class 5), anyone with education up to 12th and a passion to teach is in a position to take up the task.

The kids who are deprived of childhood life, the kids who are taking responsibilities more than their age, the kids who have all the innocence to laugh, play and learn are given a platform to help them mold as a better citizens. These kids are being trained on the basic reading and writing skills. In addition, something called as Samskara Shikshana, i.e, life skills on how to behave with various stakeholders in the society, how to lead their life path, the values to be learnt for leading a happy and content life in each aspect, etc. are being taught to enhance their living. All these activities are taught by making use of vachanas (verses), learning from epics like Bhagvadgeeta, patriotic and devotional songs and many other tools so that the kids can experience the holistic learning.

The Result

Once the kids are trained on the above skills they are in a position to be enrolled in the nearby Government school so that they can continue their schooling like any other kid going to school. In case the kid is going to another place, the NGO certifies their eligibility to a certain class/standard. The non formal school acts as a bridge to tap the kids who are not being sent to school due to various difficulties one is facing at home mainly due to the frequent transfer of their parents due to job. One such step will pave way for all these kids to be literate and have a better understanding of life and living.

India is, undoubtedly, the land of resources, resources of every kind, especially knowledge. If we channelize these resources appropriately, we can definitely work miracles. However, despite best efforts, education still doesn't reach a large number of kids. We should be considerate, in fact passionate, to take education to such kids who are left behind. Providing basic literacy to adults who have not been to schools is another mission that can be accomplished from non formal education system. While a value education process ensures that people are not denied of their fundamental rights, the most important contribution it does it that it makes people understand their fundamental duties and thus, evolve them into useful citizens.

Taking this and similar initiatives forward can definitely bring about changes in the lives of many people by helping them write their future, who would otherwise leave it to something called fate, which is yet to prove its existence.

Little drops of water, Little drains of sand. Make the mighty ocean, And the beauteous land.

And the little moments, Humble though they be. Make the mighty ages, Of eternity.

So our little errors, Lead the soul away. From the paths of virtue, Into sin to stray.

Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love. Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above.

Julia A. Carney

The Passionate

Youth For Seva (YFS) began operations in April 2007 to create a platform for volunteerism for the youth who wanted to take an active part in community development. Through this platform, YFS aims to empower youth to become positive change makers who will enable organizations and institutions to work without a vested interest. The goal of YFS is to support schools, NGOs, government hospitals and other organizations in the social sector through volunteers who can help them mitigate some of their shortcomings and challenges. Volunteering is made easy and customized to the individual’s interests and time constraints. Youth for Seva (YFS) is a project under Hindu Seva Pratishthana. (Source: YFS Website)

YFS has engaged more than 6000 volunteers until now. More than 250 volunteers engage themselves actively to teach kids. YFS has around 60 tuition centres, including many of them in slums. YFS volunteers cover more than 80 Government schools where they toil to build the basic blocks of education, communication, computers and other learning.

Surabhi Foundation Trust is an NGO established in August 2005 with an objective of building capacities of the rural population and empower the development of children and women in rural areas. It strives to bring the children to the main stream of education, empower women by creating employment opportunities, create awareness on health issues among rural population through Health Awareness and Rural Health Camps, address environmental issues and promote Self Help Groups constituted by rural women. (Source: Surabhi website)

Surabhi runs a programme called NRBC (Non Residential Bridge Course) under which they aim to provide Food, Shelter, Education and Medical Facilities to under privileged children like, be it single parented kids, orphans, migrated kids, runaway kids, children of masons, rag pickers, beggars or any child who is in need of help.

One of the best ads promoting education in India under the aegis of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Universilisation of Elementary Education) addresses the needs of the children. It completely changed the way people looked at education in those days and perhaps, today, we see a totally different India due to initiatives like this. There is still a long way to go and this video motivates me each day.

This blog post has been written exclusively for iDiya, ISB's National Social Venture Competition that aims to stimulate, enable and develop high-impact, self-sustaining social businesses in India. The competition is being held as a part of IndiBlogger's new initiative of working for social good, IndiChange. You may participate in the competition by writing a blog about any social cause you are passionate about, and its potential solution. If there are any inspiring people or organizations working towards solving it, blog about them as well. For further details, go to http://www.indiblogger.in/topic.php?topic=75.