Enabling the lesser abled

Some things in Life...I always wished and wanted to do, which I'll always do and would want to do!

Let me introduce you to my world of 'community service' through this post. I have never written about my activities with the Community Service Group of the Tech Mahindra I work for. Many of you know it as Tech Mahindra Foundation which was also formerly known as Angel Eyes :).

I have been working for this group from more than 2 years now, while I was in Mumbai and now from Tech Mahindra, Bangalore too. May be I always thought such things are sweeter in memories :) and hence may be I never tried to put my thoughts out anywhere.
But I think NOW is the time I should be sharing my experiences here and should be letting my thoughts out so that people who would read this post can relate to things they have seen/felt/experienced and together we can work on larger things in life...
I work for an organization called 'Kilikili' - this actually is a kind of sound associated with the kids' laughter in Kannada. Kilikili is an NGO in Bangalore which works for making public parks accessible for differently abled kids. The first thing you'd see on its Homepage -
"How come we never see a child with a disability in a public park?"
I'd say, we hardly see 'any' kid play in the public parks. Kids these days are glued more to TV sets, computers or mostly video games, play stations and other gadgets in town!!
When I first heard about Kilikili, I was very impressed with its very objective and ideas. I thought it was amazing.After a training session on different disabilities in kids and a few follow-up meetings, all the volunteers at Kilikili were eagerly waiting for the BIG day on 30th of June coz this day was the official launch for Kilikili with one park in Fraser Town - "Coles Park" going LIVE with the new equipments installed for the special kids to play in the park and also with the old ones repaired too!!Just before the event, I and a fellow volunteer decided to go for an awareness programme in the vicinity of the Coles Park. This also included collecting any donations for the NGO from the people in the area.
27th June
I left office early along with hand-outs and landed at Coles Park , it was good weather in the evening with chill breeze in the park and tiny leaves from the trees dropping gently onto the ground. I thought this evening was a perfect start and so I started off my awareness program for Kilikili!
I had assigned 2 tasks for myself that day.
(1) To educate the people coming to the park about Kilikili and the equipment that was going to be installed for kids with disabilities in the park and to provide them with the handouts about the event.
(2)To educate the people outside the parks along with a fellow volunteer, mostly small shops, hotels in the vicinity and see if donations pour in for Kilikili.
I'll speak about my first task in this post now.
Meeting people in the park was a good learning experience and I'd like to mention few conversations I'd with the people there.
- The first person whom I spoke to was an old woman who was busy reading mantras and shlokas from a book. I apologized to her for disturbing and went ahead to tell her what Kilikili was about and invited her to the event. She smiled, heard what I said and told me If she meets any disabled kid, she'd let the parents know about the new equipment in Coles Park.
Now that was a good start I thought...
- I reached the skating area in the park where these equipments were going to be installed before 30th. What made me happy was, I saw young moms and dads who'd come to drop their kids for the Summer Skating Camp, coz now I got more people to whom I could speak to about Kilikili and educate them on the same :)
- I met many young moms mostly :) which is typical coz "dad's out for work" you see :). But I did meet a middle-aged man who had got both his kids there for their skating classes. I spoke to him about Kilikili and told him the company I work for supports the same. He then said, "I work for Intel and you guys are doing a good job. I'll surely let parents of any disabled kid know about the same".
- Standing at the small gate where you'd enter into the skating area, I was busy waiting for more parents to drop in. Just then, the watchman at the gate came up to me and asked me "Madam, what's this all about?" I told him about Kilikili and instantly he smiled and said "Oh yeah, I know about this. I heard that the equipment will be installed tomorrow. Give me few handouts. I'll distribute them to more people before the event." :)
Sir, I really admired you for that. Thanks for volunteering!
- I also met a sweet young couple who sat there on the bench beside the fence of skating area. They were so patient to listen to me and were really happy with the idea! They said they'd let people know about it too!
- While all the incidents I have mentioned above made me so happy and encouraged/inspired me, there were also few others moments which pissed me off! I met few annoying people too. There was a middle aged mom posing off with her camcorder standing outside the fence, shooting the video of her kid skating. She came and sat down on a bench there, after the video session. Few minutes later, I went to her and spoke..
Me: "Excuse me Madam, I am Swetha. I work for an organization called Kilikili. Can you see the kids play there in the slides and wings? There are these special kids who can't really access the same. And Kilikili will be installing new equipment for the same. In case you know any differently abled kid in your vicinity, please let them know"
Before I could complete this, she interrupted me with an expression "Do I care?" on her face and with a chewing gum in her mouth,
She said: "There's NO disabled kid in my vicinity" and turned her face off.
I couldn't stop myself from giving it back to her. Immediately I added,
Me: "It's great to know that there are no disabled kids in your area. That's exactly what we wish to see and hear from everyone some day."
All in all, it was one amazing learning experience for me because this was the first time I'd ever gone on an awareness programme educating people about this NGO which wants every child to PLAY without any discrimination!
In the next few posts to come...you can read more about the event on 30th June of which 12 volunteers from Tech Mahindra were part of!! And the interesting things that we encountered in our awareness programme outside Coles Park.


Swetha T L

Reaching out to tribal women

Josh & TechM Foundation in association with Sahaj organized a crafts exhibition-cum-sale.

Sahaj is an off shoot of Mafatlal Sadguru Water and Development Foundation and is a fair trade organization providing wages to the Bhil crafts-women on a day to day basis. Sahaj works with over 500 Bhil tribal women, skilled in bamboo, quilting and bead work.
The objective of Sahaj is to:

• support the “bhil” crafts women
• revive and sustain traditional craft of the focused areas
• promote handcrafted products as gifting solutions in both the home and the corporate segment
  

Sahaj has developed a product range covering practically every aspect of our daily living;
from exquisite beaded jewellery and fashion accessories, to home accessories and an exclusive range of stationery and corporate gifting product line.

Is old age a curse?

Another day of reaching out but now to those who have passed their prime of lives and are shun by their own families in some ways. Parents who are too much of a burden or the older generation that do not have family anymore.
There are others who do not want to continue their lives as dependents so they are not a burden.
The Om Ashram inmates are mostly bed-ridden but each one has a story to tell and love to be heard. A life in bed with 3 meals a day cannnot be a life one wants and the past is all they have to share. They have a clean home with nurses and helpers to take care of their needs. The only thing that seemed to be lacking was love and attention.
A man in the late fifties with an amputated leg and blood sugar that shoots upto 450 who has survived 2 heart attacks asks us to enjoy life. He says "What are you doing in an old age home? You should be out in a club on a Saturday. Live life completely because you cant do it when you are older."

Old age scares me now because I would not want to be bed-ridden in some ashram waiting for some charitable soul to spend some time with me. But for those who are out there now, I would rather spend a few hours by their side than be at club to party.

The Tech Mahindra Foundation reached out again with 15 volunteers spending their Saturday afternoon giving whatever attention they could but sadly we cant replace family.
In response to a request from the caretaker we provided bedsheets, pillow covers, woolen blankets, emergency lamps and a dvd player.

A Tech Mahindra team reaches out

The Tech Mahindra Foundation work has been growing. The volunteers have been active and the support has been amazing. In reply to a mail, asking for help for a home in Nagarbhavi., the Embedded & Mobility team in Bangalore collected Rs. 6000/ to support the cause. They are an example of how teams can deliver in many ways.

TechM Foundation specially thanks:

Jayakumar Balaram & Team (Embedded & Mobility - CSU, Bangalore)

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Y H,Vinay Kumar

R,Jai Krishnan

Murthy,Vikas

Velankar,Shwetha

T,Chaithra Kumar

Kanjingat,Indu R

B.,Remya M.

M,Parvathy

S,Divya

N,Anitha

Kurian Joseph George

Dvita Khandige

Dayanithy M

A Gomathi

Padma Priya U

Neha Joshi

Shashi Kiran

Soibam Anando singh

Walk for a cause

Walk for a cause. The TechMahindra Foundation supports:

The Great Walk-a-thon - 2006

In keeping with the attitude and sentiments , a Walk-a-thon is being organized to commemorate the International Day for Disabled Persons to create awareness. Samarthanam proudly presents the Great Walk- a- thon on 9th December 2006. This is an opportunity to reaffirm your solidarity & show your concern for differently abled. It is a charity walk organized in aid of the physically & economically challenged. Samarthanam cordially invites you to walk with us in this mega event . We expect about 20,000 people and we invite one and all to share our vision.

Purpose :

Ø To Commemorate the International Day of the Disabled

Ø An unique opportunity for the differently abled to walk with Celebrities

Ø Great opportunity for every one of us to show our solidarity by holding hands of the special children and walk

Ø To raise funds for the welfare activities of the organization

Date & Venue :

The event will be held on the 9^th of December, 2006 11:00 AM onwards at Kanteerava stadium , Bangalore. This includes a celebrity walk along with the unique informative and entertainment programme.

Tickets Availability :

There is a registration charge of Rs. 100/- per head and Rs. 50/- for students.

Write to us at TechMFbangalore@techmahindra.com for tickets.

Visit to Balamandir in Nagarbhavi

An experience expressed by Abhilasha Sharma

“My Visit to Balmandir”

It was 1300 hrs on Saturday 2nd December ‘06. We all were waiting for the cab to arrive. Unaware of the innocent faces who were in their White School uniform waiting desperately to meet us. Those little angles welcomed us with all the joys and warmth they could give. Initially I had not thought how I will be communicating with them since being a nonKannadiga its difficult . But then it was the medium of LOVE, CARE and SMILES through with we were communicating.

It was the synchronized chant which the inmates sang before taking meals, by which I felt as tough I am standing in temple for “AARTI” . Through them only I understood how important it is thanks Lord for his uncountable blessings. We being grown up as a sophisticated individuals hardly pray before taking our meals because we never ever realize how lucky we are to get that.

Those cute , shy little girls touched my hand but at same time reached my heart.

A fraction of our time can really bring a curve line on someone who is without smile.

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A dozen volunteers of TechMahindra spent the saturday afternoon on Dec 2nd at a home for girl children in Nagarbhavi. We had the electrical connections checked to provide the geysers. We have offers from 6 employees to purchase the geyser. Providing for the comfort of the children will continue to be our effort but we would give them as much love as we can along with the material comforts.

TechM Foundation thanks all those who gifted the children the following:

Notebooks and other stationary
Games and storybooks
Undergarments
Towels

We need more help to:

Paint their home
Provide bunk beds
Stitch 3 sets of clothes
Set a library
Provide some training material for those who dont go to school

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Children's day

Not every child in India could celebrate Children's day
Cos not every child knows the happiness of childhood...

Tech Mahindra Foundation reached out to 150 children of Makal Jagruthi, a learning centre for poor children. The children visit the centre after school to play and to get additional help in their studies.

On Nov 18th, volunteers of TechM Foundation spent the afternoon with the children, playing games, singing songs and dancing. We were more entertained than the children by their performances.

Each child received a gift. The gifts were donated by employees. TechM F volunteers had stalls with gifts that were purchased and donated to the children.

We thought they may need toys but they yearned to study. They want pencil boxes, pencils, geometry boxes and note books.

Vijay wants to go to school since he was taken away from school so he can work and support his family. Sangeetha wants to be a doctor. Tamilarasan wants his father to stop drinking and beating him.
They need us each in their own way. If you have the time and the resources, reach out to a child.