My Views My Country

Udaan

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Mon, 31 May 2010 10:21:00 +0000

With hard effort and single-minded devotion, you can make possible what seems impossible. That is what an 18-year-old has shown in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh. With not enough to eat, and no money even to burn the midnight oil, in a village with hardly nine hours daily power supply, the boy managed to secure 453rd rank in the IIT entrance exam. However, he has won only half the battle yet. If you want to help this boy please contact NDTV at + 91 11 26446666

Here is another story of Kanpur boy Abhishek Prasad, who cracked IIT inspite of so many challenges and wants to become an astronaut. His father is a cobbler and earn few thousands. He doesn't know how he will be able to pay his fees but his dreams are big and his decision is firm. If you want to help Abhishek then you can call him at +91-9208671404.
To see his full story with video click here.

"Winners never quit and quitters never win"

*Videos and information collected from NDTV.

Aarakshan

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Sun, 30 May 2010 09:27:00 +0000

Aarakshan aka Reservation is a word which is not just limited to quotas that is being provided on the name of non-existent word Minority but there are many forms of aarakshan that has made its way in our mind. We feel proud of our holy books like Gita, Bible, Kuran and Guru granth sahib having "love one love all" message and we call ourselves a diverse but united nation, then why there is an aarakshan in our minds regarding caste, religion, region, language, color, ethnicity and creed? If you don't understand what communalism is then let me explain it to you that "communalism means a person practicing politics for self interest by linking it with religion."

Why there are communal riots like of gujrat, punjab, meerut, belgaum, varanasi, hapur, seelampur etc in this country? Since 1954 till date there have been more than 15,000 communal riots in our country. Does the significance of Gandhi's principle got limited to books and now a part of mere history? I know i am putting lots of questions but don't you think we are living a life which has more question marks than answers!

This reservation is not just limited to one part of society rather its roots have taken its place and ruling our minds. From common people to bureaucrats, from Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh and form rich to poor everyone is becoming its prey. Why is it so that people feel safe and comfortable being in their own region and with their own community? People have forgot that they are human beings first and religion comes later. Why we cannot see the kind of secularism throughout which we show for our cricket team and Bollywood? Pakistan was a result of some communal brains and demands of Khalistan and Mumbai exclusively for Marathis is taking society one step forward towards suicidal.

Our freedom fighters got independence after paying a huge price but today we are keen to divide our country further into Telangana, Gorkhaland, Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Sonanchal, Vidharba and more. Politicians have their selfish interests for chair, power and money and integrity of nation lies somewhere at last for them. Mayawati, Mulayam singh, Ajit singh, Raj Thakre, Chandrashekhar rao and more selfcentered inefficient politicians are in abundance in this country who are keen to divide and rule on name of caste and religion. Isn't this whole country ours?

Aarakshan came into existence during British period when casteism was on its high and society was divided into high class and low class people. To uplift the low caste people the system of aarakshan aka reservation was introduced and they were given jobs and place in educational system. Slowly and gradually untouchability was loosing its ground and those who were deprived were getting their basic rights. Today after 63 years of our independence we are still following reservation system. Is there a need to change reservation system? Is this reservation system solving the real purpose? Our government discourages caste system but it is the same government which gives reservation on basis of caste and religion...ironical but it is a game, a game for chair, power and money. Isn't there any poor in General category (As categorized by Indian government) or all the people belonging to minority, SC/ST, OBC are poor? Does poverty differentiate between caste and religion? I do not believe in words like minority, general, SC/ST, OBC...we all are human beings and that's it. Within human beings some people can be financially strong and other can be financially weak and require support.

We need to remove the current reservation system and provide financial support to such financially weak families by providing free education, health facilities, better living standards and train them in specific skills so they can become self dependent. We need to show them a way and should shape their capabilities so they can lead a respectable and healthy life. You might say that i criticize a lot but we will have to accept and realize our mistakes and we will have to learn from our mistakes. I am not saying that it's only politicians or bureaucrats who are at the wrong end, we the common people are neither on the right side. If 120 crore people set their priorities and values/ethics right is it hard to set things in right direction?

We have become selfish and money has occupied the highest priority in our life. Power and status is what we are aiming at. Why we are so keen to settle in a foreign country, why everyone wants to speak fluent english, why imported items serves a sense of contentment, why status is more important than values?

To all the questions which i have put the answer lies with everyone, just close your eyes and ask to your conscience. We all are living a meaningless life with wrong priorities and absence of values. Why we find it hard to accept the reality, we should be proud of our nations history but we have ruined our present and to make our future golden we need to understand our mistakes, accept them and bring a change. Things will not change by closing eyes, Its us who can together bring a change. We need to strengthen our value system, our political system and our priorities....Being Humane is the mantra.

A new journey....

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:46:00 +0000

"Change is the only constant thing in life" and yet another change has knocked at my door. I always believe that every life has a meaning associated to it, hidden or known but there is one. It depends on person to person, when they figure it out. It may take several years to realize or may be never. See how ironical it is, we tend to interfere in others life and in that we forget ourselves.

It is the time when i should start with my story, though i am not self obsessed :) but i like to put forward something realistic. Childhood is more of a dream world where everything is right and beautiful. I dreamt to be either a singer, actor, millionaire, magician and politician. Some options faded with time and few other were dumped to dustbin realizing the reality. A thought that never left me was working for people and society. After my graduation i got a job in a Indian IT firm and my meaning of life was going in a wrong direction. Hence the charge of my fate was taken over by God and he did right things at right time to put me on the right track. I was off from the wrong boat but still i was taking time to know "what is next and how?" Sometimes self-realization is not enough, one need to choose a right path towards the right direction too.Things may seem to get changed with time, though the outcome remains same but its meaning varies.

I always had a feeling to do something for society and for humanity but i never looked for the path which serves this purpose. With time i realized that neither i am good engineer nor i cannot separate myself from my dream...my passion...my life, so i chose the latter. I worked in the direction in which i am good and i know i will do great. It was not easy for me though, sometimes mind said something else and heart said the other but everytime heart won the battle. I cleared TISS MSW exam and prepared for interview. I wanted to get on a path which takes me till my destination. I got final admission call from TISS,Mumbai. Don't know how but i had an intuition a month before results that i will get selected.

I want to fly high, i want to bring a change, i want to see my dream getting true and i want to say to myself that "Yes you did it!!".

It took me long to realize my meaning, "Better late than never"..... know yourself, know the unexplored and endless possibilities within yourself, fight to succeed and do what your heart says. My new journey is about to start in few days and a crystal clear image of my destination is there in my mind. I will move on and on towards it. Past cannot be changed but future can be and when the decision is sincere and firm nothing can stop you. Life will throw challenges and time will test one's endurance, self belief and true passion will lead to success. Life is a journey, a beautiful one.....live it.

Ciao!!

Important message

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:07:00 +0000

If you have come across any bright students coming from poor financial

background who have finished their 10th standard this year and scored more

than 80%, please ask them to contact the NGO-Prerana (supported by Infosys

foundation). The NGO is conducting a written test and those who clear the

test will be eligible for financial help for their further studies.

Please ask the students to contact the people mentioned below to get the

form:

#580, Shubhakar, 44th cross,

1st A main road, jayanagar 7th block,

Bangalore

Contact numbers:

1. Saraswati - 9900906338

2. Shivkumar - 9986630301

3. Bindu - 9964534667

Even if you don't know anyone, please pass on this info... someone might be

in need of this help desperately.

India in 1835

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:28:00 +0000

Lord Macaulay wrote this letter to the British parliament in 1835. I don't know the authenticity of this letter but we all know that once our country was known as "The Golden Bird" and this reason is enough for me to post this letter of Lord Macaulay.

Things got changed within a timeperiod of 175 years, time has come that we start the Second Freedom Movement, freedom fight from the shackles of evils. A fight for humanity, prosperity and peace.

Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan!!

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:43:00 +0000

"Needs can be fulfilled but Greed can't".Our own people are eating this country like termites.Greed has taken over humanity. Politicians,Police,Bureaucrats are higly infected with money,power and chair mania.
We the common people who are the sufferers need to bring a change in system.We will have to unite to unroot such anti social and corrupt people from our country.The first step towards it is to vote for a right candidate.We should not vote on basis of caste and creed rather we should check the background of a politician and should vote for the right candidate.
The video below is compiled by me and shows a glimpse of such corrupt people.This video consists some of politicians,politician's kins,advocate,policemen,actor,spritual guru.

Just have a look at the long List of Corrupt Politicians(Click here).This list shows the complete criminal history of a politician.

As per 2004,below pics shows criminals by parties and criminals by state.

Bhookh aka Hunger

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:42:00 +0000

First have a look at this video.

Hunger Facts

1. Hunger remains the No.1 cause of death in the world. Aids, Cancer etc. follow.

2. There are 820 million chronically hungry people in the world.

3. 1/3rd of the world’s hungry live in India.

4. 836 million Indians survive on less than Rs. 20 (less than half-a-dollar) a day.

5. Over 20 crore Indians will sleep hungry tonight.

6. 10 million people die every year of chronic hunger and hunger-related diseases. Only eight percent are the victims of hunger caused by high-profile earthquakes, floods, droughts and wars.

7. India has 212 million undernourished people – only marginally below the 215 million estimated for 1990–92.

8. 99% of the 1000 Adivasi households from 40 villages in the two states, who comprised the total sample, experienced chronic hunger (unable to get two square meals, or at least one square meal and one poor/partial meal, on even one day in the week prior to the survey). Almost as many (24.1 per cent) had lived in conditions of semi-starvation during the previous month.

9. Over 7000 Indians die of hunger every day.

10. Over 25 lakh Indians die of hunger every year.

11. Despite substantial improvement in health since independence and a growth rate of 8 percent in recent years, under-nutrition remains a silent emergency in India, with almost 50 percent of Indian children underweight and more than 70 percent of the women and children with serious nutritional deficiencies as anemia.

12. The 1998– 99 Indian survey shows 57 percent of the children aged 0– 3 years to be either severely or moderately stunted and/or underweight.

13. During 2006 – 2007, malnutrition contributed to seven million Indian children dying, nearly two million before the age of one.

14. 30% of newborn are of low birth weight, 56% of married women are anaemic and 79% of children age 6-35 months are anaemic.

15. The number of hungry people in India is always more than the number of people below official poverty line (while around 37% of rural households were below the poverty line in 1993-94, 80% of households suffered under nutrition).

Sources :
UN World Food Programme
UN World Health Organization: Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition, 2006
UN Food and Agriculture Organization: SOFI 2006 Report
National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (India)
National Family Health Survey 2005 – 06 (NFHS-3) (India)
Centre for Environment and Food Security (India)
Rural 21 (India)

Happy Republic Day to all

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:46:00 +0000

Time passes so quickly.Its is our 60th Republic day today.We were called the golden bird and were one of the most richest and prosperous country in this world.We were invaded and lateron britishers ruled us.After getting independence we got rid of slavery and invasions.But now we are fighting from our internal enemies like greed,selfishness,inhumanity, superiority etc to quote.

I will not quote facts and long examples today as each one of us knows the ground reality(its a different matter that most of us know everything but don't try to initiate to bring a change in society).If you want to see a progressive change in society then try to change yourself first.

This independence is symbolic and its the duty of the citizens of a country to signify the term independence,prosperity and republic.With this i would like to wish all of you a very Happy Republic day and will hope that its more than a holiday for you.

I am posting a video which was released by ministry of culture,youth and affairs on 50th anniversery of our Republic day.

Its not the end of life!!

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:17:00 +0000

I was going through a site and found few people who were very dejected as they were not able to achieve what they wanted to pursue in life.I read one post where a guy was said that suicide seems the last option to him.I was shocked and worried and i wrote to him.I am requesting and begging to all of you please never think of such extreme and foolish steps in life.I am posting his post and my reply to him.I hope he takes life positively and others too.

Originally Posted by revealer.truth

Well, my story goes back to the year 2002, a grad from IIT CSE. I gave CAT 2002 little realizing its importance. Just gave it casually. Then, I got fooled that it is better to give CAT after 2 years work ex. Got into a company with 2 years bond in 2003. wanted 2 months preparation and i asked for leave, but they didnt provide me. so, i broke the bond and prepared for 2 months and got the calls from iim k,l. but, cudn't convert them.

Then, i worked for the next 1.5 years for CAT, always scoring more than 95%ile. This year CAT 2005 was the twister, since the focus changed from speed to accuracy. and i got the twist of my life with 33%ile in DI.

Then, all my plans got blank and i had to take up a job in May 2006. Then, again i worked for CAT again. This time again, i didn't secure into IIMs. In the meantime, i screwed up my technical skills and after 1 year of hard work, i was promised of team leader position in product based company. But, i was cheated due to some politics and in 2008, i had to leave my job for better prospects.

Then, came recession, lost my job and got into some contract job that didnt give boost to my technical skills. So, i planned to take once again for 2009 and worked day in and day out.

The competition has gone way beyond my expections and i dont know what my future lies now.

I didn't develop my technical skills, screwed up CAT and i am nowhere since the contract job has also ended. Now, after so many years, you can imagine where i am now. All my friends and my juniors are well settled and in good positions. I ditched plans to go abroad for further studies in 2003( bcoz i was depressed that my childhood sweetheart got married and i lost the meaning of life. and from then onwards as well, i didnt go abroad bcoz i had this sicko ideals of love for motherland which i regret now that i shud have gone abroad)

A grad from iit cse, with no strong technical skills, screwed up life. and suicide seems the only way for me. My life is completely messed up. I have plans to buy potassium cyanide for easy death from a well trusted resource. You can see how i am faring now.

My life is completely ruined.

MyViewsMyCountry
I tell you a real story.There is a family in Mumbai which lives in dharawi slums.This family has 7 people in all.There are 5 children and their parents.Mr. Rehman is a ragpicker and the only earning member.He hardy makes Rs 150-300 in a day.He has 4 daughters and 1 son.His wife met with an accident 3 years ago while working in a glass factory and she lost her vision.
They don't have enough money for her operation.Mr. Rehman's problem were not less and one more came when one of his daughter went missing.She went to buy bread and she didn't came back.He looked for her a lot but din't found her.
You must be thinking what's the use of such a life where each day is like one more day close to death.Some may say that death is much better than such a kind of life.When one even doesn't know that will he get meal twice a day or not.But Mr.Rehman had faith on himself and his family that one day they will see good time when their all needs will be fulfilled easily.He sent his children to nearby government school and he used to work hard all the day.

Now i will take a leap of around 20 years

Mr Rehman owns a house in mumbai,his wife can see now,he owns recycling and garbage business which make him earn handsomely and allow him to fulfill all his needs.His children are well educated and 2 of them are helping in his business and the other 2 daughters are married in a good reputed family.You must be thinking how all this happened?????? I tell you how this happened ....Faith,passion,love for life,never give attitude.There are few things which our destiny or luck desides but its in our hands that we don't giveup and continue fighting.We think that our problem is the biggest problem in this world and we feel that it is the end of world.My friend look around you,open your eyes and see there are many in this world who hardly get 1 time meal a day,who don't have a roof on head.I totally agree that there is a time when one feel dejected but its you who will have to decide that What is bigger- Passion or dejection???? If your passion is bigger then don't even think to giveup and fight till you have got your last breath.If your dejection is getting bigger than passion then you were mistaken and MBA from IIM was not your passion my friend and there is no need to get dejected in that case as you were on a wrong track.
You talk to commit suicide.....It will be just your family who will be the sufferer.Its the most painful thing for parents to do the funeral ceremony of their child.It will be only your family who will be the suffer and no one else in this world will be effected if someone commit suicide.
My friend life is not about to giveup but its about fighting and fighting till you succeed.You may need to change the path but never stop dear.Commiting suicide is the most worst thing one can even think of.God has given this life and noone in this world has a right to ditch this beautiful gift.
When one path closes 1000 new paths open but one needs a sight to find them.Be positive and love yourself to the extreme limits.When you start loving yourself you will take life more and more positively and your focus will get clear.You can take examples from history that the most successful people this world has seen went through lots of faliures.But they never gaveup and they fought continuosly.My friend i hope that you read what i wrote and understand what i really meant.I wish all the deserved success to you and hope that you will be positive towards life.
Bill gates said that "I was never a topper in my university but all the toppers are my employees today"

Let me Live!!

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:27:00 +0000

Every life has a meaning associated with it.We are born to live and earn our portion of respect in this society.The battle started from that day only when we took birth.My dad said to my mom that he wants me to become an engineer and my mom replied no she wants me to become a doctor,my nanny and granny had different ideas and expectations associated with me.When i say "ME" i mean "WE".Like me there are many more in this country and in this world.

Life requires money,money to buy bread,a roof,clothes and to satisfy the growing necessities.Is money more than satisfaction?? Is money more than my love,my passion,my life??? What if i wanted to be a social worker and enter into politics but i am an engineer just because of the peer pressure of this society,the expectations of my family,the money factor or the sigh of fear that drove me to the wrong path!! The reason may be different for every individual but the outcome remains the same and we start doing what we should't and leave our passion behind.

When i completed my higher secondary school i was clueless that what's next.....i was like a kite which could go anywhere... in any direction.My luck was tossed and it was decided that i had to go to engineering college and i opted for Computer Engineering,about which i just din't knew anything...but i had to take a call.

Since childhood every child has a dream about what he/she wants to do in life and it depends that in later years it becomes a passion or not,i also had one dream.....i always dreamt to enter in Politics and wanted to work for society.My dream took the face of passion gradually and it grew day by day but still i was clueless that how i will achieve my passion.I was more in fear that how i will make it and how i will convince my family.I never told my family about my passion just because of this fear.I completed my engineering and got a campus placement in the so called Microsoft of India...."THE INFOSYS".I was in a wrong boat but i was hoping against the hope that may be this is what my fate is,may be this is the platform which will take me close to my passion anyhow.

You know something that i am the blessed child of GOD.....he did every single damn thing to me by which i could realise that i was in the wrong boat since the last 4 years and still i was travelling in it.My journey started in Infosys on a very good node...but what happened in next 5 months were the most major and most important part of my life.I was out of INFOSYS after 5 months.My reality was in front of my eyes and i knew that i was in a wrong boat.My fear was gone now and i self realised that what is right for me.I had realised that what i was doing was wrong and what i have to do in life was crystal clear.

Life is not a game neither it is a race but it is a gift which we should cherish,Our internal satisfaction is the most important factor and the main aim of one's life.The "KARMA" of every individual should be neither to earn a bag full of money nor about fulfilling the everlasting greeds.Life is about achieving the state of "NIRVANA" by achieving the real aim of one's life.

I will say this to every person who is reading this article,that "It's easy to earn money but its hard to earn satisfaction".Satisfaction can only be earned rather achieved once you are on the track and following your passion.Realise and self introspect yourself and know that what you want to do in life.There is nothing in this world which can stop you once you realise your passion and follow it.

To all parents who feel that being a doctor/engineer/CA/IAS and blah blah is the the only way to achieve success i can just tell them that "Har panchi ki apni pehchaan hoti hai,uski ek apni udaan hoti hai....pankh kaatne se lakshaya milta nahi,udne se hi toh manzil bayaan hoti hai"

Let the dreams and passions may fly and let allow every child to achieve his/her dreams .Let them live and and earn the most priceless and precious thing of this world i.e "SATISFACTION".

The Language War

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:28:00 +0000

I found a nice video on you tube which says so many things in just a minute.I hope politicians like Raj Thakrey have an inner soul which is still alive.

"Language is a medium to convey thoughts,may be any language it be"

Interview of Mr Deep Joshi (PRADHAN)

noreply@blogger.com (ashish) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Mr. Deep Joshi is the founder of NGO PRADHAN and Ramon Magsaysay award winner 2009.This is an interview taken by Miss Anamika jain.

Interview : Mr. Deep Joshi

Mr. Deep Joshi - Pradan

What is your focus area for the year 2004 ?

We are a livelihoods' promoting organisation and we have a lot of work in Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. We will continue to work in of all these places.

We are trying to form women self help groups and then we will help them to take up some economic activities. It may be related to agriculture or farming systems, which include livestock or related to forest etc. or even small enterprises like poultry, mushroom cultivation, spinning and wheeling of tusser.

So, basically we will be expanding these activities and will also be increasing our reach to more number of people in each of our existing projects.

In Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, the productivity of paddy is very low, so, we are trying to do variety of things to help people improve the farming practices. We are helping people to diversify from one crop to another.

For example in Jharkand the land is undulated and 90% of their cultivation is during Monsoon. The main crop in Jharkhand is paddy even though the upper part of undulated terrain is not suitable for this crop and there is always a problem of monsoon in those areas. We are asking them to cultivate crops that require a less water. So crops like pulses or may be horticulture etc.

The objective is to improve productivity by using better farming practices and also to diversify crops so that they are less vulnerable.

Last year we worked with almost ten thousand families in this project and next year we would like to increase the number to fifteen thousand. Most of the families with whom we have worked last year would need support this year also as things take time before it becomes a part of people's way of doing.

We have almost five thousand self-help groups and would like to introduce livelihood activities in all of them.

We have a project in Madhya Pradesh where we are working with state govt. on " District Poverty Initiatives" Project. In one of the places at Vidisha district, Pradan is implementing this project where in Government gives fund for creating livelihood infrastructure like well, ponds etc. and also gives support for improving livelihood.

One of the things we have done in Vidisha is trying to improve Soya bean cultivation, which is the major crop there, and last year we worked with almost 500-600 families. This number should increase to 1500 to 1600 families as we have done a very interesting work for which Pradan has got an award, so we will continue to do that.

There is also a District poverty initiative's project in Rajasthan for that we are supported by DPIT. Dairy is one of the activities there and we will continue that work also.

We have so many self-help groups but as of today not all of them are assisted with livelihood activities. So, the groups are there and they are lending their own money and sometimes we provide them access to banks. We help them get loans from bank. But for a tribal family it takes much more to grow from where they are to the next level of income, production and consumption. That needs technical help, training and also linkages with market, acquiring new capital assets. This is our livelihood promotion program, where in we build SHGs and help the members of the SHGs to plan as to what they would like to do?

We also then help them get the resources, the know-how and the systems. The objective is to make use of whatever livelihood activity they take.

What are your concerns about Corporate Funding ?

There is a lot of talk about Corporate Social Responsibility. To me CSR at one level is, if the company is running ethically and not doing things that are harmful to the society like pollution or promoting certain values and also if the company thinks itself as a citizen of the society and follow fair trade practices etc.

On one end, CSR will truly mean a grand vision whereby they realize that in the present day structure of society where a person who can, has and the person who cannot does not.

The resources of society are not such that everybody in the society cannot have, what an American has or a rich Indian has.

Those people who have, come to that kind of consciousness and are trying to create a different type of society where companies think that just because I happen to be running a company does not mean that I own everything. I also owe to the society so I should give something back to the society.

The other extreme of CSR is where everything in the society is done with the same goal of maximizing the well being of all people of all kind. If you run the company this way, then this seems to be a Utopian idea and I don't think this is going to happen in my lifetime.

We wish that a company should share some of their wealth with the marginalized people, but if the approach is one whereby you expect some kind of returns like in terms of visibility or fame from your investment for poor people, then it is not good. In that sense a lot of corporate giving is of that nature.

I have great regards for trusts created by TATA's and the institutions like TIFR, National Institute of Sciences, NCPA etc. set up by those trusts. Jamshedji himself used to spend time thinking about the well being of the communities in and around his township. So there are corporate houses those take their CSR very seriously. They believe that they have a role to play in building this country that goes beyond creating wealth.

Companies like TATA, Infosys, Azim Premji Foundation and Godrej etc. are not doing it to get some returns out of it, they truly believe the need of their role in improving standards of marginalized not only by creating quality products or creating wealth but by actually sharing a part of their wealth.

These two trusts of TATAs together have a huge budget of Rs 80 Crore to
Rs 90 Crore today. To me this is Philanthropy and social responsibility wherein you do something which society needs, not what will bring you good name and fame. The kind of commitment Mr. Ratan Tata has is not different from NGO leaders who believe that they are giving their lives in serving the society.

Share examples of Corporate Partnership and in what way Corporates can work with you ?

Currently we don't have that kind of partnership but in few places what we have tried to do is to link-up with companies that are agriculture based.

In Jharkhand, last year we promoted cultivation of Maize as a new crop on a large scale that is something they didn't do earlier.

People don't eat maize there, as it is mainly a rice eating area. So the idea was that they would cultivate maize as a crop for selling.

For that we have tied-up with couple of companies and Godrej Agrovet was one of them. In our arrangement with them, they buy maize from us.

Similarly in one of our other projects, tribal people produce mushrooms and for that we have a tie-up with HLL. We are one of their suppliers. They did a quality check and inspected the premises and our production center. They have also inspected our packaging etc. and then they listed us as one of their quality suppliers. Now, most of the mushrooms would get sold to HLL through their channels.

So, there are relationships of this nature. The firms, those can have gain-gain relationship with the people; we would have linkups with them.

Similarly for credit; apart from working for banks in the fields, we tried to link self-help groups with local banks. Often that link doesn't work out as most of the times the banker is not very happy or excited in working with poor farmers and so on.

So, we have tried to work out an arrangement with ICICI bank whereby they would provide credit to self-help groups recommended by us. ICICI Bank does not have branch network in the countryside so they are trying to work with NGO's like Pradan or some small non-Government, non-corporate micro finance institutions. They would channelise their funds through these entities.

So now in our arrangement with them, we would identify SHG's who want to take up loan for some income generation activities. We will also process these applications and send them to ICICI bank. We can even give advance from our own funds till ICICI send us the money back and then we will recover the money from people and pass it on to the Bank. The borrower is the group and Pradan is playing a role of facilitator. This is also another kind of corporate relationship.

Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Ratan Tata Trust have also supported us. They are our major donors and they are supporting various development projects. They have also provided us corpus funds. They have supported our livelihood promotion programs. We continue to work with them and we see them as one of our major resource partners.

Way back in early eighties, I tried to explore the idea of corporate funding but I found a lot of window dressing there and also no regular seriousness. There is always this idea among the corporates, "What am I getting out of this"?

We are not an organisation, which will take projects just because somebody is giving us funds. We are working in specific geographical parts of the country and we have a vision for all our activities. If some corporate asks us to do a project in our areas of intervention, we would be delighted to do that but if a corporate expects that we go and work in their backyard, it will not be acceptable.

As of today in my experience, there is a lot of PR but if you take a hard view of what a corporate is doing in terms of work on the ground, it is really very small.

Long back I also thought of starting an organisation like Pradan that could partly be supported by some corporate house but even after having discussions with few renowned corporates, nothing came out of it. One or two of them actually asked, "What do we get out of this"?

I believe, if you want to do development work thinking that there is some return for you then it is not a very positive way of looking at what people call Corporate Social Responsibility.

Either, you work on a purely business relationship wherein we'll give a fair deal to the organisation or on a pure Philanthropic idea.

For example, we are producing quality mushrooms and a company needs mushrooms, so instead of buying it from big factory outside Delhi; the company says that it will buy it from us, as in this case, the money will go directly to the poor people. That's a very constructive relationship and I think this is something, which we should be looking on.

Some Corporates can even take up some economic activity to help poor people, for example organic farming has a lot of scope and it has a very good export as well as domestic market. This is also one of the areas where the company can make profits as well as they can be considerate to poor peoples' livelihood.

Corporates can also think of collaborating with some NGO or they can set up a trust, in the same way as TATA's, Infosys, or Azim Premji Foundation has done. They support development activities as a matter of Philanthropy or as a matter of doing good to the society. To manage these kind of organisations, one should hire professional staff. Funding for development work is fairly sophisticated work. There is Knowledge and there are issues involved here, so for a Corporate to think that since we know how to run a company, we can also run Philanthropy, there is an error in this kind of thinking.

If we have no presence in some particular state and we are asked to start a programme as per the company's convenience, then we will not be promoting these factors. There can be chance meetings, for example we are working in Jharkhand and we are also working in areas, where the TATA Group has their steel plants etc. As we were there, TATAs asked us to help them find a project wherein they could support the community. If this kind of incidence happens with some other corporate then we will surely welcome that.

Somehow I had a very bad experience of issues of seriousness among the corporates. The way companies are serious about making money we are serious about promoting livelihood and therefore if there is a relationship that can be worked out on the basis of mutual respect with some substantive interest in development then we can surely have partnerships.

Other wise as of now we are not doing anything of the kind where in one can say the company is supporting development activities. There is not a problem of principles or ideology but till now I have not come across such corporate partners.