Royal Experiences at The Royal City of Mysore

Well what a city I would say a perfect blend of the rich culture, rich in its culture which is witnessed not only in the culture and tradition the city possess but also the culture shines bright up in the residents who whole heartedly contribute to maitain the peace, cleanliness and prosperity of the city. Before peeping into the experience would like to make some google search for the historical information about the city and then study the same and get back to the personal experience.

To begin with, I owe this moments to one of my Best Buddy "Swetamari" who infact dragged me to her beautiful home at Mysore and a special at the time of Dasara, tank full of Thanks :-)

The journey began on 19th Oct 12 with some difficulties as we were not in state to take risk travelling at night.Late with lot of discussions still in confusion :-) but then at a moment we together said 'Let's make it', this is one statement which drove us and immediately staretd our Journey from the busy city Bengaluru to the calm city Mysore at 8:00 pm in the night and we had to travel around 140kms by road and which would take.

I don't think I can write up the history it's so very vast but I suggest you people to atleast read if not visit as there is so much to learn which will make you proud for having such a wonderful city around you.Bu then my interests is food and place so would like to share few things which the city is known for. Mysore Pak is a sweet dish which is made up of pure ghee and yum to taste, Mysore Palace how come one can afford to mention this beautiful monument built, the eyes will get tired by the view it's so damn beautiful that you get lost into the world of royalty followed by the Mysore silk sarees, Mysore Peta (Silk turban) and not to forget the very reason for me to visit this place the Dasara festival wherein the entire city actively participate in the festivals and their participation is very much visible as every street you step in you see the lights glooming at each sqaurefoot which gives a delight to watch the grand scene, sweet dishes is prepared and exchanged at every home, there are so many visitors who come from different cities and nations to just experience this grand festival.

The reason I call it as grand, royal and great is due to the trend which is been observed which has been changing every hour, now a days we hardly witness people celebrating all the festivals marked on the calendar, further no exchange of communication with the neighbour next to you to celebrate on ocassions as everyone prefer having communication virtually, so all these factors have tremendously affected the way and also the number of people celebrating the festivals in the Kalyug. In line with this I must say this is one sucj city wherein the people, government organisations, businessmen, children, outsiders everyone who comes to be a part of this festival has something to contribute to the celebration of the Dasara festival which has been derived from Sanskrit carrying the meaning "removal of bad fate", known to one of the prominent festival celebrated in India in different forms across the States.

I was lucky to experience this grand festival.

Post by Priyanka Bhille.

Ganesh Chaturthi with Family and Friends at Namma Hubballi

My favorite festival Ganesha, celebrated on the occasion of rebirth of Lord Ganesha. He is considered to be the Lord of wisdom and prosperity. This has been my favorite festival since my childhood. There are many reasons why I like this festival. It's so much fun and adventurous as the rituals that take place during the festival is amazing. Festival symbolizes celebrating together, sharing the happiness and goodness along with exchange of some good wishes and not to forget the delicious varieties of snacks. I love Ganesh Visarjan as there's music all over, crackers bursting with lighting's, people dancing in front of the Lord who is pulled over on the vehicle with all that grand decor. Feels like a royal celebration. Arielle and Yana accompanied me this time to my home for the celebration.

The first day we visited to Mundagod, a Tibetian colony where the refugees live. With the help of government of India in the early 1960's thousands of acres of land was allocated. This place is a repository of the Tibetian life and culture. It depicts the life of refugees at the same time the transformation of the society into modern. Beautiful monasteries built in the city. It has some spectacular architecture. All 3 had many things that went into our kitty after shopping.



Back home ready for some grand celebrations. I must say I celebrated this festival experiencing lot of new things. Especially I was taken back to my childhood. Went around the city to have a sight at the various shows(short stories) which are mythological stories, majority of which surrounds the life of Lord Ganesha. This was an awesome experience as went around the city in the morning 12.00 am to see all the colorful and entertaining shows.

Next day we headed to Gokarna to spend some relaxing and fun filled time at the Om beach. Began with some lovely breakfast on the way to Gokarna. It was really exciting to see the beach from the top in the shape of Om. I loved the moments and happiest was when the waves hit the rock and then water splashed all over me. Then played for a while in water and relaxed on the beach lying down for the first time in my life. It's so strange small things like tasting some new variety of food, lying on the beach, playing in the sea and other small things give so much of joy. Cool lunch at the beach side restaurant was an add on. Had lunch like for 3 hours, enjoying every bite, loving the sight at the beach, cool breeze adding to our joy.

It's always wonderful and worth to experience new things in life. You never know if you are there tomorrow to enjoy the infinite opportunities available in this world. My love for travelling is getting stronger. I'm in love with experiencing new places, people and whatever the place offer for making it a wonderful and memorable experience in life.

An excusrion to the Land of Temples - Madurai

Madurai, one of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It feels great to visit the city. Well, on an occasion of wedding to attend at Vedasundur in Dindagal district, Arielle and I decided to take a small tour of the oldest city Madurai.

We stayed at the best hotel which gave us a roof top view of the temple which was just splendid. The sunrise, the sunset, the cool breeze and the sprinkling rain all the weather could be experienced at it's best on this roof top hotel and we both enjoyed the beautiful landscape around specially the Meenakhshi temple was such a beauty.

The first day we began our tour with visit to Meenakshi temple which forms the heart of the 2500 year old city. I heard that we need a guide to go around the temple as it's so huge. But then we decided to go on our own. Excited and equally upset because foreigners are not allowed inside the temple and this rule separate Arielle and me throughout the journey. When a person of another religion respects and have no objection to follow the rituals with all the divinity I don't think anything should stop them from visiting the main temple. Well, rules are rules I do not understand on what grounds these are made but yes at the end being respectful to the existing norms we followed and moved ahead.

The temple was such a beauty to see. I could feel that my mode of life is switched to 1000's years back as the architecture around make you feel so. So, happy to experience such splendid things existing around. After getting the blessings from Goddess Meenakshi we moved to Thirumalai Nayakar Palace which was constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style by the King, one of the national monument of India. It always amazes me to witness the royal architecture which was built ages ago without any technology or design innovation scope. And each of the style and carvings on the walls represents the life of the Kingdom vibrantly which is yet again interesting to learn.

 

Next on our list was Gandhi Museum. Museum actually do not excite me but then this was on the list of must visit at Madurai. It's one of the 5 museums which has the collection of Gandhi. The best part of the museum is the illustrations depicting the freedom struggle. It also includes the dhoti of Mahatma Gandhiji which is blood stained worn by him when he was assassinated by Nathuram. After the visit headed back to the taste some delicious food and then back to our awesome rooftop room.

Next day we went to Vedasundur which is quite a distance from Madurai. Arielle was excited because she was wearing a saree for the first time and me because it was my best friend's wedding. Awesome celebrations with some grand dinner. Back to Madurai, shopping was awaiting for us. Then some good dinner which had one of the best idli's I have ever tasted in my life. I would definitely would like to go back to the place just to taste the food.

Post by Priyanka Bhille.

Bye - bye Madurai : Blessed us with loads of serene and traditional landscape, awesome stay and some delicious food.

INK Live 2013 and an Extended Tour - A Scintillating Experience at Kochi

INK Talks has been on my mind from more than a year now. In fact, I did apply for the INK Fellows program as well this year but my application did not go through. I applied to be an INK fellow as it would open up a world of opportunities for aspiring change-makers. Sharing ideas multiplies them unlike money and resources. INK is a platform to hunt for solutions, seek opinions, develop new ideas, share experiences, get mentor-ship and build dreams. Such programs help a reach a larger set of people, especially the right set of audience, appeal to policymakers, and interact with decision makers on topics of public and national interest. They help in cutting down the gestation period for enterprises significantly and do a great deal in taking life forward.

So, I even created an INK profile in the process. Check out http://www.inktalks.com/people/priyanka2787.

I have been watching a lot of INK Talks. Anu Aga's talk titled 'Investing in the living' is one of my favorite INK talks as I relate to what she speaks for having gone through similar situations in life. Her humble way of life despite all struggles and her efforts in the field of education inspire me.

Inspiration, appreciation, support, encouragement, love - everyone would love to receive. These words have large impact on what one is doing leading to build oneself and place themselves a step higher than existing one. Well in this world of competition where one wants to pull back others and move ahead I strongly feel that people should start appreciating their neighbors and people around with the simplest things. It is essential for the growth of a society as it will enable people to focus on what they intend to do and in turn motivate others to take a new step towards developing oneself. From childhood we tend to learn through observation as to what others are doing. There's a pinch inside which lit up the fire in you and motivate you to take up things which are challenging and that's how each one begin to make use of their unique talent and contribute in their own to make the world a better place to live in.

On similar lines, I appreciate INK for taking an initiative to dig out such gems and presenting before the world which motivates others to take a step ahead. I happened to visit INK Live 2013 and I must say it was an awesome experience. It was so interesting to learn that people across the world have their efforts kept going in spite of the hardships they face. One thing that keeps them going is the passion they own to create certain change. There exists problems at every phase in life. There exists problems at every corner of the world. It's amazing to learn as to how individuals get associated and inclined to focus on an issue and work on the resolution. Personally, I believe it's the circumstances and difficulties that one faces tends to get closer, frustrates in the initial stage motivating one to take up the challenge and fight for the community as a whole. The experience holds good for me. The purpose was to do some networking which got together people of the social sphere at one platform. Helped them explore and know about the interests of others and connect with them to work on the solutions in a larger community.

Let's flip the professional to the personal side of the visit. Now, here you go. Kerala considered to be the most beautiful city because of the serene nature around. On my list from a long time and finally here at Cochin. BTH Sarovaram is the resort where I stayed. I must say it reflected the beauty of the city it's miniature set up. We started exploring the city with the heritage walk and first thing that we visited was the Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica one of the eight Basilica's in India. It was built by Portuguese. Then visited Vasco da Gama the first European to enter India by sea. He was buried in Cochin and after 16 years he was taken back to his home land. We could happen to see his tomb built at Cochin. Later moved on enjoy some cool breeze at the Fort Cochin beach and then some yummy pasta's at the Fort Cochin restaurant.

On the next day was exciting as we took a big ride around the Arabian Sea which overwhelming as it was an hour ride. Then tasted some Kerala style food. Something creative stuff was done by me at the Levis workshop and I could come up with some random art which formed the part of the final art piece. Deepa and Raghav asked me to help them to articulate their ideas into a painting. I being no good at painting could come up with an acceptable one which made them happy and I was glad. Wooo.......then party time. Headed to the disco for the first time in life at Harbor View and enjoyed the music.

Final day also had exploration of lot of new things. Pepper House a restaurant at Fort Kochi was yum. Tasted cheese cake for the first time and I must say it was a bliss to enjoy the taste. Headed to Synagogue - A place of worship of Jews located at Jew town. The architecture inside was nice to see. Was happy to have my footstep marked at places I haven't heard of and have no idea about their presence. It's so nice to learn about existence of such amazing things around. Then what else shopping this completes our journey at Cochin and headed back to the real world of daily wars.

Hyderabad Diaries - An Excursion to the City of Pearls and Nawabs

Travelling, to me once upon a time was a task. It bothered me as it takes time and energy thus I it avoided completely. Now, I must say that I'm in love with travelling. On travelling you meet new people, taste variety of food which your taste buds on the tongue get excited about, go for shopping and fill your kitty with different kinds of stuff which makes it special to experience, get to see the diversified culture which is so interesting to learn about.

Hyderabad, I feel it's a beautiful city with perfect blend of modernization and preservation of the cultural heritage. There was no much traffic, the city was glowing with all it's reserved cultures, strong essence of the city could be felt by the history which reflects it's flavor around the city. Could happen to visit Char Minaar, Golkonda Fort, Ramoji Film City, Nehru Zoo and was happy walking around the tiny, colorful and vibrant market which speaks about the accessories people love to be a part of them.

The Laad bazaar was beautiful walk around with tonnes of bangles made out of glass in majority. Just loved them bought a pair of them. Char Minaar is considered to be the face of the city. Mohammaed Qutub Shah prayed to eradicate the plague and promised to build a mosque at the place of his prayer and thus Chaar Minaar took it birth. The architecture is such a beauty. I wonder at the time of 15th century when such beautiful architecture could be made without any degree or any qualification then why not at present?

The amount of money people invest in buying a flat or a house with just plain four walls cost in crores. Art/architecture has also become history. People travel and are curious to visit to such places just to enjoy that moment of bliss by the sight of the building with amazing architecture which a has a story to tell and that amuse anyone. You could get to see a very nice view of the busy tiny bazaars of various kind from top of the Char Minar by the sight at which you feel happy to know that you have so many options available to shop at an affordable cost and need not worry about affordability. I heard that even now prayers are done at the Char Minar but only the royal families are allowed to pray at this place and this was just above the place where we could see a beautiful view of the bazaar. Its interesting to see that how a place is defined based on the experience one is allowed to experience at the same place. It was just a matter of few stairs and the experience one could get was a different world altogether. 

Another fantastic view my eyes were blessed with was Mecca Masjid, one of the 7 wonders of India according to NDTV, which is considered to be one of the largest mosques in India. It was a beauty and so serene to look at.

Golkonda Fort

What an experience I must say, amazing. For some it might be just like any other building built with stone/rocks etc. But for me it was something interesting to see. How nice it is to see the existence of life before you. It has many stories to speak. The history was so interesting to know. It could tell me as to how and why people belong to a particular community based on the profession they practice on which their livelihood is built. The way it is passed on to the generations to preserve the culture in order to represent themselves as a community. The lazer show made me get back to the history as by the arrangement one could just feel they are at the dynasty in 15th century and could sense how people led their life. It upsets me that we have just left with very few remains of such amazing places. How interesting it would have been that each of my history class would  have a tour to the kingdom/city to visit and learn them in an interesting way.

Ramoji Film City

One of the biggest film cities in the world. Sometimes, it so happens that due to the trapping and exploiting system of the country you live in, you tend to question and doubt the value a country possess.

As many others I didn't expect much out of the film city trying to judge it's experience based on the standard the country possess. It was splendid and awesome for people who love to experience something new and different. There was so much to do that one day was not enough to have a look at this sprawling 1666 acres of wonderland. The variation of the experience that it gives is just amazing. You get to see the artificial set up to shoot films. It's so wonderful to see that how the different flavors of different states and countries is put together. You can see the small tiny streets with vibrant colors representing the South India. Turn around and you see a Castle and the surrounding which will take you to the land of England.

Every single place needed to shoot for a film is built so close to the real one's that it's amazing. If you are bored looking at the sight you have an option of experiencing live events. The one which I liked were the Stunt show wherein in you can experience the ambiance of the real entertainment industry shooting which was an amazing experience as you could get to feel the essence of the entertainment industry. The other one was Ramoji show which had some entertainment shows lined up like the various types of dance forms and some talent show which was quite entertaining. At the end what else can be better than to experience the rides at the amusement park. It was special to me because of the tough rides like Ranger which flips you upside down on a height which anyone would be sacred of and I was so happy that I faced this fear of mine and got over it.

Nehru Zoological Park

I don't remember looking at any wild animals till the time I visit the zoo at Hyderabad. Well organised, well maintained and a very promising zoo to visit. They had a collection of as many as possible wild animals by the sight at which any visitor would be happy and content to see the animals.

In a Nutshell

This visit I would say, was with a mixed feeling. At one side I was happy to see the animals and birds which are getting extinct but on another side I was more than upset to see that  just  for the sake of an experience human has interfered with the nature and trying to alter it's natural setting. There's another good side of this set up some animals and birds were in a set up that were very close to the nature but the only restriction aspect was the area of movement. It was so wonderful to go on  Safari and see the wild animals around you. I was super happy to see my favorite animal Lion to see in the jungle. It was bliss to see the deers, peacocks, bear and the bison's living with harmony together. Sometimes, such small experiences add up to your life.

For me life is all about what you experience and what you make out of it. The sight of beautiful and colorful birds, the roaring wild animals, the happy birds flying around, the water animals enjoying their random dives in the water under the scorching temperature of the city, the nocturnal animals, the reptiles every creature was so amazing to see. It's very upsetting that we have almost lost them and that the sight of very few left one's can be called as a blessing. I was in a kind of wonder land as at each step I could find a new creature around.

Happy and exciting tour as I could see one of the very few cultural heritage preservation's like Char Minaar, Golkonda fort, Ramoji film city which makes our nation proud to own them. Felt blessed to see the fastest running bird - Ostrich and other huge birds which were so beautiful. Super happy to see the animals which were getting extinct - Rhino, Leopard, Panther, Lion, Hippo, Tiger, special one - White Tiger, Bear and many others which are the beauty of the nature. Tasted certain delicacies like kurbaani ka meetha, pizza's cooked on the wood, the famous karachi biscuit, the famous veg biryani, sweet potaoes cooked in a very delicious way all excited me.

Every city has it's own history and a story to tell. Every city has own set of people who are culturally bonded together. Every city has it's own set of domesticate and street animals which has a story to tell. Every city has it's own mode of transportation made use of based on the geographic dimensions Likewise, the people, the pigeons, the autos, the local trains, the tiny and colorful bazaars, the architecture of the buildings built in Hyderabad represented an old city where the essence of the Nawabs who ruled is witnessed.

A Quick Look at what I intend to do at Milaap

Originally Written for IDEX at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/work-plan-work-in-progress-soon-to-build-with-idex

Milaap has stepped into lending and supporting the Education Sector for the first time. The domains that Milaap has been working on are water, sanitation, health & others. The business model of lending is completely different from the other domains. The entire process of raising and allocating funds, sourcing applications, tying up with educational institutions, candidate verification, collections, repayment schedules, etc. have to be designed from scratch. At present, the market reach is very minimal. The business has just started and the working model is under discussion. My role is to design a system that ensures a smooth flow of the process. It is a pilot project and I am responsible for implementing standard operating procedures and practices to run the business. The following briefly cover my deliverable at Milaap partially over the next 6 months.

Building Milaaps risk management frameworks for wide range of loan products (education loans, green loans, SMEs etc)

The actions which I will take would be to research on the acceptable practices in the industry & verify whether it's feasible to apply for the product which we are building on. As the pilot project is live, I'm already working out & looking out for options which can help reduce the risk & also have suggested on couple of actions on the legal aspect which could help us  overcome the loss which otherwise would be incurred. This will be done on continuous basis throughout 6 months.

Building appraisal and rating systems that aid in field partner selection

As Milaap  has just begun to reach out to the training institutes. The Co founder is working on it as he wants to know the ground reality & I will be trained on the same after 2 months from now.

Managing portfolio risk as well developing and executing policies and practices to limit Milaap lenders; exposure to loss

This is an on going process. Trying to learn & find out more by interacting with the target audience, institutes & all other stakeholders involved. This helps to know on the psychology of the various stakeholders & thereby trying to set up a control point which can defeat the purpose of lag in the process.

Build frameworks and tool to understand the social performance of our field partners and measure the impact of these loans on the poverty level of their clients

This will done once we start expanding. When discussed with the Co founder he wants this work to begin from when we a handful of field partners. Suggested to begin after 4 months from now.

Manage Field Partner relationships and communications. Including traveling to train field partners' staff on Milaap's processes

An on going process as the business is in the introductory stage wherein there is a requirement of a continuos communication.        

Studying the Impact of Women Empowerment Initiatives in Tribal Villages

Originally Written for IDEX at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/women-empowerment-at-tribal-village-impact-evaluation

I guess life's about to take an interesting turn as I plan to take up an Impact Evaluation Study as a part of my IDEX Fellow program. The opportunity has come from Youth for Seva (YFS), which is primarily a platform to provide opportunities for youth who want to take 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.

So, my role is to visit all these places where YFS has taken initiatives to empower women and the society and prepare a Social Impact Evaluation Report on these projects. Basically the project would involve analyzing on the impact that the organisation has made on the lives of the women's coming from the rural background. These women's are trained in Bangalore and then placed on the various projects at tribal villages in Karnataka. The projects are running successfully over a period of time. But then there has been no report which speaks about the work going on and the impact it has made. Thus, I will have to travel to these tribal villages, prepare a report which will portray and give the whole idea about the project. Further define the actions which can help better the impact of the project in terms of employ-ability, build life skills and there by look out for the platforms wherein the organisation can provide them with more opportunities to help them build their lives.I would define these objectives to be achieved in 3 different stages as follows:

Data Collection and Research
At the first stage I would be interested to know about the organisation in detail. The structure, business model, different projects they are involved in and every other detail which would give a whole idea of what is the purpose of it's establishment. Further, would be meeting people who could give me a background about the project which I'll be associated and work in the coming days. Also, I would be conducting research about the tribal villages which I'll be visiting so as to be familiar with the culture and norms which will be help me conduct an interview with ease which in turn will enable to me to get all the questions answered to support the impact report. I will also be working on the questionnaire which will help me ensure all the aspects will be covered in preparation of the report.

Field Visit:

Once done with collection of the data and well versed with the organisation and people, I would be required to visit the tribal village and thereby conduct an interview with the ladies there and get all the required information which in detail explains about the entire process which went into making the impact.

Report Submission

After the visit would be working on the tools and procedures which can help me in preparation of the impact report which will give a clear picture about where the project is heading and what will be needed to take a step ahead to enable in impacting more lives.

I'm sure this is going to be a highly challenging and a definitely interesting project.

Exploring the Unexplored... Unlearning the Learning... Building with IDEX...

Originally Written for IDEX at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/explored-the-unexplored-unlearning-the-learnings-building-one-sel

In midst of a brand new social journey with IDEX, I have been experiencing lot of emotions, situations and challenges, which made me pause for a while and reflect on what has been added to my life, personally and professionally. I joined IDEX with a purpose to apply whatever skills I possess, make use of my strengths, thereby also challenging myself to build a better world around in whatever way I can. Further I wanted to try, experiment, learn, unlearn and relearn my beliefs and assumptions. The biggest learning for me has been of creating an opportunity in-spite of less space to accommodate oneself. The strong opinion that invoked me is to create your own space irrespective of whatever challenges one face. As I could believe by this practice that challenges are temporary and this is the time one needs to put in extra effort to figure out what one wants out of the situation. Being calm and thinking about the solutions with various options has helped me to deliver the best of my capabilities in the job till date. Social Enterprise was completely a new sphere of work for me as I had worked earlier in the MNC's. One major difference I could see in this space is that efforts of the organizations are built to get the basic facilities or accommodate the people at BOP with the facilities that can enhance their living experiences with having fulfilled the basic needs. This becomes very essential as a economy as a whole because in India it is said that until and unless the poverty & unemployment is not eradicated a country cannot progress & around 33% of the population is below poverty line according to the UN report 2013. The companies working out of social sphere are focused on making the experiences better for the one's who already have enough to live life with all comforts. They are attracting and creating a market which enriches the experience of the population who are already self sufficient with everything that is required to lead a normal life. Agree that economic development of the country is very essential but then this development need to drive along all the people irrespective of the financial strata only then we can see the real difference and growth in the economy.

When we say industries, we refer to the group of companies who build the products and services which caters to the needs of the industry. These companies usually tend to be organised as they need to ensure output in a timely manner. To manage the process they have core departments specialized in Human Resource, Marketing, Finance, IT, Maintenance, Facility, Security and many more. Each department has its own set of goals apart form the Mission/Vision of the company at the Strategic level. Marketing department caught my attention because this is one branch which drives the entire business as it involves in promoting the products, sell it and thereby earn revenue for the company. It aims in numbers, meaning it aims to increase material wealth. Further if we observe the companies operating in a particular industry try to compete with each other in providing better or an additional service in comparison to its competitors.On the other hand if you observe marketing team in a social sphere they are trying to build human network than building an asset. Trying to earn wealth not to amass wealth for it's company or employees but for the people around who are in real need. Wondered how the same marketing department have complete two dimension of goal. It was amazing to learn in this social space.

Have learnt to deal with the unexpected situations, overcome them by handling it with effective communications. Allot time to research on the work assigned which helps to deepen the knowledge & has helped to implement the solutions effectively. Understanding the various processes & skills that goes into building a team or a project. Developing marketing and fund raising skills which I never explored. The research attributes to a major extent in my work and playing a great role to ensure for the right action at the right time. Awaiting for more learning and exploring the microcredit industry and social enterprise as a whole in the second half in the journey of IDEX.

Make A Wish Foundation - India's Social Genie

Originally written for IDEX at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/make-a-wish-foundation-india-social-genie

With Mr Vijay Ladha. Hon. Program Director,
Bangalore Division, MAWF India

Someone has rightly said, "Life is a struggle between birth and death". Some are definite to know about their struggle well before and for the more fortunate ones, the struggles comes as a surprise. Every individual makes efforts in this journey to achieve their dreams, fulfill their wishes and satisfy their desires. Life is never fair with everyone and that's how it is. Some, are destined to get all they desire without any effort and some, even after all struggle, end up with no returns. While I was talking to Mr Vijay Ladha, Program Director of Make A Wish Bangalore, I was thanking the Almighty for blessing me with all that I need to live a contented life. At the same time, I was pained listen to so many stories of people struggling between life and death. Especially the stories of these little young children who are supposed to laugh all along and live merrily, but the cruel world puts them into adulthood very early. While there are kids laboring to earn a meal, there are many suffering from life threatening illness. Each sunrise is an achievement for these kids.

While on one hand, there are kids planning their future to be a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, etc., there are these kids who can not even dream of such aspirations. Undoubtedly, these kids too have wishes, as small as buying a doll to as big as being a great businessman. Most of these kids, when questioned, revealed very similar wishes that we all have, i.e., to be happy and successful, work in the profession of their choice, have a good family, own things like a doll, a pair of shoes, a bicycle, a toy car, etc. However, destiny plays different games with these kids and they end up focusing all their efforts to make sure they survive, to say the least.

I was extremely delighted to learn about Make A Wish Foundation (MAWF), an organization that toils to fulfill the wishes of these innocent kids to whom, in my view, life has been extremely unfair. After all, what justifies the kind of life these innocent hearts are exposed to, by their birth.

There are numerous social enterprises focusing on providing facilities to make living better. The unique aspect of MAWF is that they are working on providing a platform for the kids to help them satisfy mentally and emotionally. One of the most important determinant of human happiness is their dreams. We all want to be something and when we become what we want, we call it success. Psychologists study about negative emotions and say that negative emotions are necessary for a human to flourish but positive emotions are by nature subtle and fleeting; the secret is not to deny their transience but to find ways to increase their quantity. MAWF believes in giving reasons to children to be positive and thus, help them think and move ahead with a positive frame of mind.

If we are enjoying music, it is not exactly the music that makes us happy. It is the expression of our love for the music that creates our joy.  If we are happy in our job or career, it is not the job that makes us happy but the expression of our love for what we do that creates the experience of happiness. If we are enjoying a beautiful day, it is not the day that is flooding us with emotions. It is our love for the experience of the day that we are flooded with. MAWF is building it efforts day by day to enrich such experiences in the lives of these kids.

MAWF started in the United States and now, it is growing in India. It began way back in 1990s when a couple from Mumbai went to the US to get their son treated on a life threatening illness and they came across MAWF. Seeing the struggle that children were undergoing and how MAWF was trying to support them, the couple decided that this concept should get implemented in India too. They began MAWF in Mumbai and further expanded to 9 cities including Bangalore.

How it works

• MAWF trains volunteers to interact with kids.
• MAWF gets kids' profiles from hospitals.
• Volunteers spend time with the kids and learn about their wishes (without the kid's knowledge)
• MAWF starts working on fulfilling the wish by collating resources, monetary or otherwise
• Wishes are generally from one of these categories
1. To own things
2. To visit a place
3. To meet someone, especially celebrities
4. To become something, especially a career dream
• Donors, Contributors and Volunteers are appraised of the requirements.
• The network works together to make the child's dream come true.

Conclusion

MAWF is working on such a critical field. This is an amazing work and no less than a genie making their wishes come true. This is such a wonderful initiative to create hope and happiness for children facing life threatening illnesses and providing these kids an experience they will remember forever. If life is a race against time, MAWF is helping these kids who find it impossible to fight against time. I hope MAWF continues to contribute more and more value in making lives colorful.

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Here are a couple of stories sourced from Make A Wish Foundation's Bangalore Blog

The Bangalore Division was started in February 2008 and as of March 2013 we have fulfilled more than 1500 cherished wishes of children with life threatening illnesses.

Make-a-Wish has fulfilled more than 30,000 wishes nationally since its inception in India. Everyday the Make-a-Wish Foundation adds many wish sponsors. With their support and encouragement, the Make-a-Wish team works towards fulfilling wishes of hundreds of young children and brings smiles to their faces.

Wish to be a Policeman

With a tube running from his nose, frail six-year-old Anwar Razaak was carried into Sanjaynagar police station at 11.30 am on Thursday. His eyes lit up seeing men in khaki and there was a sudden surge in energy. Then came the small-size khaki uniform along with a toy gun. Soon, he was all dressed up to play the cop, sporting uniform, cap and gun. Anwar’s big wish had come true.

Anwar has dreamt of becoming a policeman ever since he saw police beat up people in his village, Naragund in Gadag district. But the road ahead may not be smooth for this young boy as he is suffering from brain cancer and is being treated in Baptist Hospital. It was the Make a Wish Foundation that brought Anwar's fantasy to life. He was taken to Sanjaynagar police station to make him feel like a policeman for a day.

I wish to read Bengali Poetries

Our volunteers came across with a 13 years old cheery and lively girl suffering from Rheumatic Heart Disease referred from Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital. She lives with her parents and 4 elder brothers in one tiny village of West Bengal.

Make A Wish Volunteers met this kid in the inpatient ward, they gave her a small soft toy to play and started talking with her about her interests and hobbies. She told them that she is having in-depth interest in drawing and learn more Bengali Kavitas. Most of her leisure time, she will spend with her blossom friend Meherun. Both of them will having keen interest in drawing, writing kavitas, learning different types of Rangolis and Mehendi designs. She expressed her aspiration to become a doctor and treat the kids without taking any money. And she is keen on doing social service for the orphans and provide them food, accommodation and educational service with free of cost.In addition to this, she is having habit of reading Bengali Kavitas which her class teacher as taught. She told 4 kavitas to our volunteers though shewas under the pain of dialysis. As our volunteers told “ Her kavitas inspired her to sang those many kavitas in the ward”, all other kids in the ward listen to her kavitas with lots of hope and joyfulness.  Then our volunteers start talking to her about her wishes, she said her only wish to have Bengali poetry books of books of Rabindranath Tagore, Bankhim Chandra Chatarjee and Aurobindo Gosh in Bengali.

They fulfilled her wish in the hospital when she came for her follow up treatment; there are no words for her to express her happiness. She thanked all our volunteers who made effort to got those books and make her wish come true.

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/

Building a Better World - The IDEX Way

Originally written for IDEX and published at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/building-a-better-world-the-idex-way

Excited to be a part of IDEX Cohort 2013. As this is my first step to explore the world of opportunities wherein I can challenge myself and look out for a unprecedented learning experience.Today even after six decades of independence, the challenge for our nation would still remain the rural development as a whole and people of the villages remain unreached. The rural people have been deprived of education, health care, employment and over all welfare. Bridging this gap by making accessible the education and spreading awareness about the importance of education and hygiene among the community which will definitely lead to reduce the gap if not bridge it completely.It is difficult to bring about change. IDEX will help me work on real life projects and also connect to professional experts who are motivated to make the world better. I feel I'm at a right place to explore this world of opportunities which can help me build a better society by impacting the lives of people around who need support.

Day 1

Orientation at Tata Institute of Social Science gave a holistic beginning to the journey. Having entrepreneurs share their experience as to how they are successful to start on their own was really inspiring. Beginning with Ms.Aparajita Agarwal, Director Sankalp Forum could give an useful insight as to how one can create a space for themselves in the industry you desire to work. Shalab Sahai, Co-founder iVolunteer shared his personal experience which come up with a learning that say - "Ideas are just next door, watch your step, step ahead & never look back". Also talk by Mr.Pradeep Sharma, Country Director GMC told us about how to make the best out of this fellowship & gave us some insights on social entrepreneurship. Mr.Krishna Sree Kumar, CEO AgSree with his enormous experience & exposure in the field of social enterprise was boon for the day. The amount of energy & the passion he carried moved the fellows to be more interactive & discuss on issues which can impact business. The corner games which helped us discuss on various issues namely, education affordability, health care system, women empowerment etc., helped us think on the existing scenario across globe as we had fellows from India, US, Egypt, Nigeria. This turned out to be a debate as everyone tried to share their experience based on the demography & it was amazing to see that every single aspect has a different impact on a particular issue.By EOD few things we could reflect on are mentioned below:

• What does social enterprise focus on : Social impact, Profit margin
• What domain of social enterprise you are passionate about to work for
• Do you have any idea in place to give it a game plan
• How does BOP community survive with <$2, what do they exactly need, what are the challenges they face etc.,
• How do you define a social enterprise : Sustainable, operate in critical need sector

Checking if blush can pull me, Yana and Troy

More importantly the first day at orientation exposed us to this world of social enterprise by helping the fellows across globe to join hands together to work for the society & wonderful people around. Having an impact even on one life is difficult & we could know what aspect of one's life we are going to touch upon. The day leaves us with a network of professionals.

Day 2

Second day at orientation had in store lot of exciting things for the fellows. An awesome start by ex-fellow Averil Spencer, Co-Founder - Voice4girls. Her personal experience at IDEX & the work she has done was just splendid. It was amazing to know that the number of lives she touches upon in spite of the cultural difference she come across. There was an interesting session my be none of the fellow could think about it & that some awesome tips on blogging by Nelson Moses from Billionbulbs. We could learn that yes, the stronger you convey your message the stronger s the impact. Another ex-fellow Zoe took us through the importance of having a mentor & how this relationship can help you build leadership qualities that can drive your career path. Another interesting session which help us understand the hustle that goes between the head & heart. This could help us know what we are are passionate about & what skills we possess to accomplish the same. Second day was a blend of fun & activity.

Finally, orientation comes to an end with lot of learning & network building. And according to orientation comes into play when an individual is exposed to the new environment. Orientation is aimed at providing all the required information to the beneficiaries, enabling them be in the comfort zone in the new environment. Orientations aim to provide basic information of about the prevailing atmosphere, culture and etiquette that are predominantly followed, possible challenges to be faced, solutions so on. Overall, it aims to ensure that an individual is prepared to take up the challenge and thereby help him sustain by further guidance. Well, I must say the orientation program did do justice and covered all aspects by which one could be familiar before jumping into ground realities.

City Orientation Day 1 was just amazing. Scavenger hunt. I must say this one was just crazy. Explored the city with many different perspectives known & unknown. Kick started with triple ride on a bike. Getting to know how to make a dosa turned out into business talks with complementary coffee in royal silver glass. Headed to the Yana's workplace. The task of getting defined the word "social enterprise" in 8 different languages. Then a drive to Lalbhag to get people crazy & say how much they love Bengaluru with some yummy mangoes tasted. Then drove to Jaaga with all smiles & feeling satisfied for having accomplished all the task on time. Woooo...... That was a lovely day for me just because Yana & Troy were just wonderful. All these task helped us get acquainted to the new place to some extent. Especially the Hindi/Kannada crash course, role play how to choose on the mode of transport, recognizing the food items on the menu was just amazing day.

The Day 2 of city orientation could give us a new world altogether. We could connect to so many people in fact build a network. This was a perfect blend of professional & personal space. Starting with details on EAP the moving on to explore the world of start ups at IIHS & the wonderful evening at Crescent with placement enterprise.

To describe the experience till date was just perfect to get acquainted with the new world of IDEX.

Education matters to me The Most

Originally written and published for IDEX at http://commonthreadx.ning.com/blog/education-is-what-matters-to-me

Today's world is the world of knowledge.There are plenty of resources which if utilized appropriately with proper channelization can the world far more beautiful. I run with a passion to bring about a positive change in whatever possible manner by working along with people who need support. We see a beautiful world when all the stakeholders are happy. Happiness comes with satisfaction from life. I want to concentrate my efforts in bringing satisfied lives to as many people I can.

However, despite best efforts, education doesn't reach a large number of kids. Providing basic literacy to adults who have not been to schools is another thought that keeps drives my mind. Ensuring that people are not denied of the fundamental rights and they also understand their fundamental duties is another factor that drives me. If everyone works on their duties, the world will be a better place. I am passionate to work to enhance people's living experience and add value to as many lives possible. I run with a passion to see a beautiful world and it matters me the most, a beautiful world

I believe that good education can help the nation grow tremendously. Good education is not just about mark sheets and academic records. It is more about moral, ethical and social responsibilities. It is about helping every kid understand life and realize his full potential. It is about building a nation with happy minds and humble hearts. It is about nurturing talent and focusing on long term growth of every individual. I wish to make such education accessible to everyone. Healthcare is another important aspect that I want to work upon considering the ballooning healthcare costs.

Education is one such tool which facilitates an individual to ably lead their life on par with the nation's progress and get access to every opportunity that will pave way for the betterment of the society.