Soul Times

A Newsletter from SVP India (Kolkata Chapter) - Durga Pujo Issue (July-Aug-Sept 2022)

Sep 30, 2022

‘Pujo’ Edition - In this Issue…

Foreword by Chapter Chairperson | Chapter Highlights | Beneficiary Stories | Interview with Dr. Meenu Sareen | Youth For Philanthropy - Cohort 5

Foreword by Chapter Chairperson

Dear All,

We are getting into a glorious time, of festivities and joy, when we will spend a lot of time with people we love, with nothing in mind except to enjoy every moment we are in. This possibly would also be a good time to look back and think of all the small and big things which we have been able to do.

There is a lot of worth in micro-actions. The other day I stumbled upon the comedian Tim Minchin's 2013 address to the University of Western Australia. In it he admitted that he never had a "big dream" and instead advocated a passionate dedication to the pursuit of small and short-term goals. He said "be micro ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you - you never know where you might end up." It’s about taking small steps, rather than getting overwhelmed by a big audacious goal. This does not mean that we should not dream big - it only means that we understand how small things add up ultimately to become massive.

This is how we can guide the non-profits we work with. To celebrate the small so that we all realise - that is the root to big achievement. Wishing you a brilliant festive season.

Warmly,

Sunil

Chapter Highlights

Active since April 2018 | 30 Partner Units | Over 200 hours invested by partners during the quarter | Working with 8 NGOs | Supporting livelihoods, inclusive workforce, women empowerment, education

In this section we are are highlighting a woman beneficiary from each project who has shown great resilience.

Anahat For Change Foundation - Sujata Adhikary

Sujata comes lives with her family of four in a cramped room inside the slum. Under project Unnati we were looking for women who we can train in sustainable menstruation to make sustainable menstrual care products. Sujata looked at this as an opportunity to change her future. She joined with minimum skill but is now working as an assistant coordinator at our vocational training centre.
‘Sujata saved enough money to fund her own wedding. She got married in 2021 and all of us at Anahat were invited. Sujata married a long term friend of hers but only on one condition that she would keep working towards changing the mindsets of her community regarding sustainable menstruation at Anahat. Sujata also looks after our e-commerce logistics side of the business and takes care of packaging & labelling of products ordered from our website.’

Calcutta Foundation - Salma

Salma is from a conservative family. At 16 she topped her class 10 boards and wanted to study further. Her aspirations were shattered when her father arranged for her to marry someone twice her age. Her mother (also learning tailoring at the Kutir) encouraged her to continue her education but was not able to financially support her. In an effort to gain skills, Salma found Calcutta Foundation's Apni Kutir at Tiljala. After much convincing, she was able to enrol into the Kutir's Digital Literacy and Spoken English courses.
‘Salma excelled in all courses she availed. Meanwhile, the team at Apni Kutir saw Salma's perseverance and approached her to be the supervisor for a new project with a partner organization that required the basics of computers and English. This job offer was a turning point in Salma's life which allowed her to become self reliant and financially independent. She is using this income to support her college education so she can one day fulfil her dreams to become a teacher.’

Vihaan - Purnima

Purnima lived with her parents. The youngest of four, her father is a rickshaw puller and her mother a domestic helper, the family barely met everyday requirements. A neighbour took advantage of this situation, offered to place Purnima as a domestic helper. Fast forward, she was taken to a far away place and was forced into the trade along with 7 other girls. Vihaan assisted the CDI - West Bengal to rescue her in 2017. Post rescue, she was in safe custody in the state shelter home. She then got married. Her in-laws were not supportive. She has a 2-year-old daughter and her husband was the only earning member in the family who lost his job during the pandemic.
‘With the help of Vihaan and support from SVP Kolkata, she was enrolled in the tailoring course. Post training, based on her plans and commitment to earning, she was also provided with a sewing machine. She is now busy setting up her small business unit and ready to lead an independent life.’

Kadam - Nirupama

Unique, Incomparable, Fearless is our Nirupama. She is true to her name. Daughter of artisans from the village of Baliapal, Odisha, she strove to do her post-graduation in Political Science from Balasore. Being a village girl, she could not avoid her fate and was married off to a small shop owner. And again, like thousands of girls in our sub-continent she was cast away by her husband with the birth of her second daughter. Though her parents had the foresight to stand by her, Nirupama had to make a living for her daughters and her aged parents, who are now dependent on her. Instead of bowing down, she learnt her craft and now has over180 artisans working for her.
‘Nirupama is our Durga. Yes, her story is not too uncommon but she, like the goddess, overcame all the hurdles and now living a life of dignity inspiring millions of girls in and around her. An ordinary girl living an extraordinary life, our Nirupama, our Durga.’

Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation - Lakshmi

Lakshmi is a single mother, the only earning member of her family - she cannot hear or speak. Her childhood was full of struggles since she lost her father when she was very young. She had to give up her the education in the 7th-grade due to her disability & financial situation. Her situation forced her to work with her mother as a domestic helper. She got to know about Mitti Cafe and came to us for work. Through her expressions and actions she wins so many hearts in the cafe. She commutes to work at the cafe everyday using public transport.
‘Started as a trainee, Lakshmi is a Manager today. She works very hard and dreams that her children will one day take her for a world tour! Her children & mother are so proud of her. She is a very dedicated women who loves to learn many new things with lots of eagerness & enthusiasm.’

Future Hope - Anju

Anju has graduated in Knitwear Design from the premier National Institute of Fashion Technology. From the age of 6 she has spent many hours in our art room designing and making artefacts from very simple materials. She came to Future Hope at the age of 7 and with consistent support from Future Hope she completed her education.
‘Her journey is quite remarkable for a girl who was already written off by her community at birth when she was born with deformity called clubfeet. Her collection Unstoppable was presented on the day of her graduation with the score of the song Unstoppable being played in the background. From the age of three, Anju went through a series of surgeries to be able to walk. By breaking stereotypes she’s proved you can be unstoppable. Anju is now working as a trainee with a major fashion house in Kolkata. At present she is a trainee at Weaver's Studio where she enjoys learning about traditional crafts.’

KSWS - Katakhali Swapnopuron Welfare Society - Salma Khatun

Salma lived with her family in Hingalganj, North 24 Parganas. February 2022 became a month of despair as her husband (and the sole bread earner of the family) died, leaving her and their four year-old son to fend themselves on their own. The marketplace was no good to her – she got no work. She was determined to continue her child’s education and fend for the family as a single mother. Her child studies in class nursery at Swapnopuron Shiksha Niketan (SSN).
‘Salma joined SSN. Beyond the basic training, she also spent her time learning about healthy parenting. She started cooking for the staff members and maintained cleanliness of the school premises. Today, she takes care of the students and maintains school hygiene. Counselling sessions and meetings at the school helped her come out of the clutches of depression and soon she became a guide and mentor for her child. Today, the child is more cheerful and performs very well in the class. She has become a role model for single mothers in the society as well as at our school!’

Youth For Philanthropy - Cohort 5
Introducing YFP Cohort 5 @ SVP KOLKATA students from International Management Institute and St. Xavier's University, Kolkata

31 Interns across 9 NGOs led by 9 Mentors

Interview with our Partner - Dr. Meenu Sareen

We spoke to Dr. Meenu Sareen about her incredible journey in philanthropy so far.

Tell us about yourself - I am an Industrial Psychologist and an HR Expert. I have over 30 yrs of work experience – in academics, training , competency management and also as an Executive Coach. I work extensively with ICFAI Business School, IIFT, Indo German Chamber of Commerce and Addecco. Personally – I am super active and love multi-tasking. I am committed to hand-hold people in their times of crisis , this way I put my training as a psychologist to good use. I am well cued into the issues and concerns of our society and always come forward to address them – for eg, sustainability is not a new term to me, I have always aligned my life towards resource conservation.

My motto in life is " Small changes lead to big changes! "

Which person has had the most influence on you and your life?

Primarily, it is my parents, they taught me humility and empathy. But, in this journey of life, I have met many nice people, I picked up life lessons from each one of them. This is what I have enjoyed in my partnership with SVP, each one of you have contributed to my learning. Next time when we meet f2f, I would like to share my learnings from each one of you.

Share with us your memory about the first philanthropic deed that motivated you to be more engaged with the social sector.

I grew up in an environment where I was treasured. My grandmother use to call me ‘Eid ka chaand’. Suppressed and battered women would cause me a lot of pain. I started helping out the maids who worked for me – open bank account, family planning, nutrition, financial planning – basically to make them strong mentally and emotionally. As a result, there have been many instances when their drunk husbands have rung my door bell in protest.

What kind of philanthropist/philanthropic family do you want to become?

Ash and I would like to commit our time. Money, we feel many people can contribute but issues need commitment of time for change to set in.

Are there any issues or causes that you are passionate about?
Two causes close to my heart are women upliftment and animal welfare.

What impact would you like to have with your philanthropic giving? On whom?
I do not believe in charity. My idea of philanthropy is to help people grow and become independent. So that they finally become part of the mainstream society.

How has your journey as a partner with SVP been?
Indeed a heartening journey. We have enjoyed the nudge and push that we get from SVP. We always thought of contributing to society. Thanks to SVP, we are actually making that effort now. Though still baby steps!

At SVP, you are Lead Mentor at Vihaan, a member of the CMC and HR Cell. Your energy has been unparalleled. What inspires you to give your time?
The SVP energy is contagious, hence it rubbed on to me too. I am lucky to be associated with programs that are aligned to my expertise and passion.

Would you recommend others to join SVP as a partner? What would you tell them?

I am proud of my SVP partnership. This has become part of my personal and professional introduction.

This is what I would highlight to other people

“SVP is a culmination of like- minded people. Each one of them is successful in their own life but with a vision of larger good of the society. The commitment beyond financial, leads to increased personal satisfaction. The focus on capability building instead of funding, is aligned to the need of the hour.”