Blood Donation Camp by Somaiya Social Cell

Unavailability of blood still costs many lives. It is thus safe to say that donating blood is our Social Duty, and its only fair that if we are healthy, we should help some one who isn’t!

To enable SIMSRites to do their bit towards this cause, the Somaiya Social Cell in association with the Somaiya Hospital, Sion organized a Blood Donation Camp on Tuesday, 8th of September 2009. Students came in large numbers for over 5 hours from 11 am to 4 pm to donate blood and those who could not donate themselves gathered to motivate their friends.

At the end of the camp, the camp had managed over 50 donations. Although there was a turnout of near about 90 students, around 35 of them were rejected on account of low haemoglobin levels or low blood pressure.

The camp was held in the TT room of the Management Hostel. A team of 11 from the hospital, including a social worker, 2 doctors, 4 technicians, 2 nurses and 2 ward boys had come to help organize the camp. They had brought with them a total of 5 beds and all necessary equipments. The donors were first asked to fill a form to verify whether they were fit to donate or not. Weight measurement and haemoglobin tests followed next. This was done to ensure that only healthy and able students should donate. After the donating, each donor was given refreshments as recommended by the doctors.

All donors would be issued a donor card form the Somaiya Hospital, blood bank which will have a lifetime validity.
The Somaiya Social Cell would like thank all the donors for coming for the camp despite it being a working day.
Also, the event would not have been a success without the enthusiastic support of the Social Cell volunteers for their co-ordination with the medical team, their concern towards the well being of the donors and thus for making the purpose a grand success!

Old Stuff Collection Drive @ SIMSR

We all have a lot of old stuff; old College bags, stationary sets, books, clothes, footwear etc. all accumulated over time, with which we don’t know what to do!
Little do we realize that these items which we want to just get rid of could still be invaluable to many people who are not as privileged as we are. Stuff like old clothes and book and shoes which are no more of use to us could bring cheer to lives of those who never had these to begin with!!

It is with this thought of helping those in need that GOONJ in collaboration with DHL (Deliver To Help) has started VASTRA SAMMAN the aim of which is to collect old stuff from students and give them to the needy. To contribute our bit to the cause, SIMSR’s Social Cell coordinated with the NGO GOONJ and DHL (Deliver To Help) and Joined VASTRA SAMMAN as a part of Joy Of Giving Week which was celebrated nationwide from 27th September to October 3rd 2009.
Students were asked to donate anything from old uniforms, books, clothes of all sizes, toys, footwear, lunch boxes, water bottles, geometry boxes, story books, blankets, woollens, raincoats newspapers magazines, monetary contributions etc. The enthusiastic response was ascertained from the filled donation boxes kept near the hostel entrance. All the donations collected were given to GOONJ which would go to its ‘SCHOOL to SCHOOL’ initiative.

It is through the success of these programmes small and big that we at Somaiya Social Cell feel we are Touching hearts... Challenging Destinies....

SIFE Somaiya does it once again!!

On July 1st 2009, SIFE Somaiya belonging to the Somaiya Social Cell was declared the Western Region Finalist in the Regional round of SIFE competition for the second time.

SIFE, Students in Free Enterprise, is an international network of students, academia and business leaders committed to the cause of bringing betterment to the society. Its mission is to bring together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business. SIFE works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.

SIFE Somaiya, the SIFE team of K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, came into being in 2004. It works on the similar lines as SIFE international trying to make the much needed difference in the lives of the underprivileged. It works with the following motto in mind ‘Touching hearts…Challenging destinies…’ The guiding principles of both SIFE and SIFE Somaiya address the same issues thereby making Somaiya work on similar lines as required by the SIFE criteria (A set of criteria required to be satisfied for qualifying the various rounds in the competition among the universities).

Participating students form teams of their university campuses and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need. An annual series of Regional and National competitions provides a forum for teams to present the results of their projects, and to be evaluated by business leaders serving as judges.
The SIFE Somaiya team has been participating in the SIFE competition every year. The team has been on a winning spree since past three years. The latest feather that was added to its cap was the Regional Winners title. The team presented the work accomplished by them over the past year under Project Warli and Sahas. The team was greatly appreciated by the jury for the commendable work done. On the jury were some important and prominent faces such as Mr Anil Agrawal: DGM-Head-Finance at Syntel Ltd, Mr. Amit Arora: National Head at Reliance Money, Mr. Ujjwal Banerjee: Executive Director of Anupam Kher Foundation and many more dignitaries from KPMG, Syntel, Reliance Money, PWC, HSBC and the likes.
The team had a tough contest against well established and competent teams from around the western region. At the nationals there was a close contest between Alpha College and SIFE Somaiya. Somaiya finished second in the league just a few points behind Alpha College.
Other achievements under the SIFE umbrella have been the HSBC Financial Literacy Grant for consecutive years from 2006 to 2009, the KPMG grant in 2008 & 2009 for ethical business practices and the Syntel Seed Grant for 2009.
The SIFE competition is thus a medium for teams to show the world the revolution that is taking place.

Warli Exhibition at R-city Mall

SIFE Somaiya Social Cell organised an exhibition cum sale of Warli paintings by Warli artists from Dahanu at R-City Mall in Ghatkopar from June 6 to July 5, 2009.

Warli is an ancient folk art of Maharashtra, which is slowly dying. Project Warli is an attempt is to revive this art. The Cell acts as a catalyst in bringing forth the talent of Warli painters and facilitates marketing and sales by finding a right place and right price for their products. The purpose is not only to help the underprivileged artists to earn a livelihood but also to instill a spirit of entrepreneurship in their lives.

One such initiative towards this purpose of project Warli was this exhibition where the painters got the opportunity to get first hand information of the market demand.




Ethnicity shop owners provided with the free space for marketing the Warli products. Realizing the importance of adapting to changing tastes and requirements of modern day urban families, the Warli artistes came up with innovative Warli designs on products like pillow covers, bed sheets, pen stands, flower vases and so on.

Jayesh Dhanap, Raghunath Vangad and Kamlesh Dulcha were the three artistes who had come from Nareshwadi in Dahanu to showcase their talent. They were housed in the Somaiya campus during the duration of the exhibition.

In this exhibition, the artists also experimented with different colours like red and blue. They attempted to depict simple village scenes like a wedding celebration or a village life with hills and animals on dress materials, sarees and even pillow covers.

Jayesh the 16 year old young artist stated, “I learnt Warli art from my family members. This is the first time I have come to a big city like Mumbai.” Kamlesh on the other hand is an experienced artist who knows the pulse of the urban market. “Originally, Warli paintings were done with rice flour but now we have shifted to modern mediums like Fevicol and white fabric colours”, he remarked.



The feedback given by the Warli painters about the ‘Exhibition experience’ thus speaks it all about the success of this initiative in meeting its desired purpose.

Cleanliness Drive at Juhu Beach

Beach pollution is a persistent problem today in every coastal state. Besides being hazardous to the environment, it also degrades the aesthetic appeal of the location, discourages swimming and impacts local economies which rely on beach-goers.

Juhu Beach – a prime tourist spot of Mumbai is frequented by over 3000 visitors at a time in the evenings. Known as much for its mesmerizing sunsets as also for being the hawker’s paradise, Juhu beach also happens to be one of the most polluted beaches of India!

The team

The sea water here is being subjected to the worst form of pollution with the constant influx of domestic and industrial effluents from areas like Juhu Koliwada, Irla and Malad. An equal contributor is the plastic waste brought in by the visitors as also the particle pollution created with Ganpati immersions every year. The wanton degradation of the beach water is inexcusable in these times when domestic and foreign tourism is being promoted.

As an attempt to contribute towards this cause and to spread awareness about beach pollution, The Somaiya Social Cell in collaboration with CII and The Juhu Senior Citizen’s Welfare Association organized a Cleanliness/Awareness Drive on Wednesday i.e. 18^th March 2009 at Juhu beach from 4 p.m.

The event kicked off by performing a well-rehearsed skit explaining how a cynical family finally understands that it is each citizen’s responsibility to keep the beach clean. The commonly used Hindi dialogues of the skit appealed to all onlookers. Till the end of the day, the skit was performed at three different locations across the length of the beach attracting new spectators at each place.

Social cell members spreading the message

The skit performances were punctuated by actually undertaking cleaning activities in between. Over 50 volunteers all geared with protection gloves and huge sacks started picking up garbage in small groups and filling up sacks of it; thus cleaning various stretches of the beach.

The purpose of the initiative was served from the applause and encouragement received by the spectators after each skit performance. It also was served from the fact that bystanders started helping the volunteers in the cleaning activities and were hesitant to throw any new garbage on the beach. The event concluded with a feeling of satisfaction among all volunteers that they could contribute their bit and more importantly inspire people to continue doing so in future!

A Mumbai trip for the Nareshwadi kids!

On 7th March 2009, SIFE Somaiya arranged a small trip to Mumbai’s Art Circles for the young artists of Warli Painting from Nareshwadi and Dahanu in Thane District. This event was planned as an initiative under the Warli project to give the community members a glimpse of today’s market for art. The kids who had come for the Mumbai visit were Neelam, Pramila, Jitesh, Prashant, Dinesh, Sachin, Ravindra, Pramila.

The kids made an early start to the day, by beginning their journey around 6am and travelling for almost 3-4 hours to reach Mumbai from Nareshwadi, Dahanu. They were accompanied by Rita Kulkarni and Kadu Sir. The team from SIFE Somaiya joined the group when they reached Mumbai CST.

After such a long journey, it was time to relish a sumptuous breakfast at the nearby McDonald’s.

After the breakfast, the next activity planned was to visit the Jehangir Art Gallery, where the kids got to see various kinds of paintings from different artists. The display paintings and the guidance of Rita Ma’am gave them ideas about various styles of paintings, as also an insight of how they can extend their art form. The curiosity of the kids was evident from the questions they asked all along.

The group also visited the neighbouring art galleries, the pavement galleries and a store selling various art-pieces. The kids took notes of the different styles as explained by Rita Ma’am and Kadu sir.

Next visit in line was to the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangralahaya (formerly known as Prince of Wales Museum). The kids were excited as the glorious Art History of India unfolded in front of them, as they saw various forms of ancient art like designs on ceramic pots, paintings and metal-art. Apart from the artworks, they were particularly interested in the Natural History section which had life-size models of different types of animals and fishes on display. The time spent at the museum was thoroughly enjoyed by the kids.

The museum visits were followed by lunch. Due to paucity of time and also considering the fact that kids had to make a long trip back to Dahanu further visits were cancelled for the day. Along the course of the trip; the kids, Rita Ma’am and Kadu Sir were given gifts, as a souvenir remarking this memorable day.

The trip concluded with a sense of fun, frolic and great learning for these young kids. While they enjoyed the day, they also took back a learning of various art forms and thus a direction to channelize their artistic skills. We hope the interaction will enrich their understanding for a long time.

HSBC Financial Literacy Grant

For the fourth year in succession The Somaiya Social Cell has got the HSBC Financial Literacy Grant. The Proposal on behalf of Social Cell submitted to SIFE has been approved, and our application was one among 360 applications on ideas to provide financial literacy. It really is a matter of pride for the Financial Literacy team, the SIFE team, and the entire Social Cell for making this happen.

Financial Literacy has been conducted by the Social Cell for the past few years. In the proposal submitted for the grant, the Financial Literacy team had given an outline on conducting classes for 300 people in the Vocational Training Center (VTI) in Somaiya campus.

The total grant provided for the Financial Literacy programme is $500. The Social Cell apart from using the funds for training at VTI will also engage in activities in NASEOH. A feasibility study will be conducted regarding a financial literacy programme in NAB and SAHAS.

The Financial Literacy programme basically instructs and informs people on the basics of microfinance. It includes topics under savings, spending and budgeting and also on basic aspects of the banking system. The programme is meant to educate people to be equipped with relevant knowledge in the current scenario to enable best utilization of their financial resources.

Health Check-up for the Pehel community

The Pehel classes are an integral part of the SIMSR hostel building. The social cell continuously strives to enhance the quality of life of the community of construction workers; teaching their kids through Pehel is one such means. After the overwhelming turnout observed last year, the initiative of eye and general health check-up was re-conducted this year on 3rd February.
The workforce of the Pehel community are busy throughout the day in the construction activities, hence the health checkup was scheduled between 1 – 4 pm to match with their lunch hours. Yet the total turnout of over 40 individuals which includes the kids & adults reveals how interested the community was in this initiative.
A team of 5 doctors and a helper from K.J. Somaiya Hospital & Research centre had volunteered to conduct the checkup. The checkup included examination of height, weight, blood pressure, eyesight and addressing other health problems which each individual faced.
It was distressing to see the extent to which malnutrition prevailed among the community specially the small children. The doctors and social cell members explained to their parents how adequate food is important to build a sound immune system for their children. They suggested them foodstuff which are affordable. Other specific issues about mineral deficiency and skin problems were also addressed.

Doctors At Work

The Somaiya Social Cell members are working towards communicating the follow-up suggested by the doctors to the community. Considering how even a simple medical consulting is still far fetched for the community, the completion of the programme made us realize how ‘much-needed’ this checkup was for them. The initiative would serve its purpose when the Pehel families develop an understanding of the benefits of good health and right food.

Samavesh: The Warli Connection

A Chinese proverb says that a single word with a wise man is better than ten years of study...And this year, we had an opportunity to listen to, to interact with not one but many wise and knowledgeable men and women and gained a lot of learning. We are talking about "SAMAVESH 2008", an annual event at SIMSR conceptualized with a single aim of "making minds meet" i.e. the students and the industry stalwarts.

Warli Painting which was presented

Our social cell also contributed its bit by partnering with the college in making this event a huge success by the way of giving away “Warli Paintings” as felicitation mementoes to the esteemed guests.A “special” tribe in Thane District, about 150 kms north of Mumbai are the originators of a school of painting, commonly known as the Warli paintings. Somaiya Social Cell through the Warli project helps market these paintings and give the artists their due. This initiative of collaboration with the college will make this project even more sustainable and the guests will be happy to get a memento with a social connection.

The esteemed judges

In a nutshell, Samavesh was a combination of academic events for B-School students along with insights into the real world by the "been there, done that" professionals who would share their experiences and add to our learning.

The Road towards Peace….

“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life”
Jane Addams, Noble peace laureate

On 5th December; Mr. Steve Fryburg, the Director of Dayton Peace Museum Inc, Ohio, visited SIMSR campus, as part of his collaborated initiative with the Peace Club of Mumbai. He was accompanied by Ms Padma Ramamurthy an active member of the Lions Club, Chembur who is partnering with Mr. Fryburg in the various programmes conducted under The Peace Club.
Mr. Fryburg met the Director General and then an interaction with some of the members of Social Cell was scheduled. Mr. Fryburg a retired police officer and now a peace veteran, spoke about the philosophy of the Peace Museum and the various activities, exhibits and events which it sponsors.
In the backdrop of the recent terror attack and the striking dearth of peace all over, we found his message very insightful. The world reportedly lost 109 million people in the past century over warfare. This is inspite of the common man from any corner of the world wanting to be at peace with his surroundings. He pointed out that the society today ironically venerates the culture of violence. All the great monuments glorify war in a way and so do all history books. Very few of them speak of peace.

The symbol of peace

What is this Peace Museum after all?
Like art museums around the world, a peace museum can give room for recognition, experimentation, education, training and appreciation of peace. Peace, like art, needs a space to breathe while the world determines whether or not its message is worthwhile. The Dayton International Peace Museum is a place where Daytonians and people across the Miami Valley can find the arsenal of peace. It is a non profit organization which works to encourage, support and supplement the already diverse and unwieldy spirit of peace that is underrated and unheard by many in our community.
This is done through various events like concerts, presentations, fundraiser events etc all over the United States. It also has a mobile exhibit centre called the Peace Mobile which can visit several educational institutes, churches showcasing literature, paintings and other forms of art conveying peace. The Museum has an increasing reach outside US in countries like Kenya, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Congo, Sweden and Uganda. The Museum collaborates with various peace organizations in these countries through intercultural exchange programs. The Peace Club of Mumbai is one such organization inspired by the Dayton Peace Museum.
The interaction helped us realize how the ‘Arsenal of Peace’ needs to be developed and nurtured. It should be incorporated in our daily activities and most importantly its values should be inculcated in young minds through the education process. It is only then that the youth worldwide will be enabled to look at positive alternatives to the conflict and violence that bombard our lives.

The AIDS Awareness Drive

On the occasion of 'WORLD AIDS DAY' on 1st December, the social cell undertook an awareness drive to make people aware about AIDS and the importance of this day. ‘Jaankaari hi bachav hai’ was the concept which this initiative emphasized on.
The Red ribbons being the global symbol of solidarity towards the HIV positive people, the day started with distributing the Red ribbons in the all classes at SIMSR as also to the college staff and faculty.
The highlight of the day was the visit to 'Aditya Birla Centre for Welfare of Children', Chembur by the members of the Social Cell and some volunteers. A prior permission was taken to perform a skit at this place to spread awareness about the disease and how we should treat people afflicted by it.

Children enjoying the skit

Over 150 children aged between 12 to 18, were assembled at the common room all awaiting to know what the visitors have in store for them. After a brief introduction about us and the skit the show began! The skit had used a “Munnabhai and Circuit” theme, keeping in mind the extent of familiarity which young children have towards them. The play had these characters explaining about the cause, testing and prevention of AIDS to a group of young teenagers. It also stressed on the need for fair treatment of HIV infected people by the society. It received an overwhelming response punctuated with lots of cheers and claps.
This was followed by an interactive question and answer round through which the Social Cell members cleared doubts about HIV and AIDS. The audience had many inquisitive questions to ask like “From where has this disease originated?” or “How do I know if I have been infected?” There also were some fun activities like dance performances by few volunteers who were later joined by the children.

SIMSRites answering the Querries

The children were made to reiterate their learning from the show and we rejoiced to know that the skit had served our much desired purpose. The young impressionable minds had indeed been positively influenced, making the AIDS Awareness drive a success!

Children’s Day Celebrations with Pehel community

Childhood is about innocence and playfulness. It is about joy and freedom. November 14th celebrates this spirit of childhood. Yet the fact remains that only a section of the country’s children actually get an opportunity to celebrate their being. This Children’s day, the Somaiya Social Cell decided to take this spirit to our very own Pehel community.

The event kicked off after all the young and the older kids were assembled at their usual classroom area in the evening. The kids were taught to play “Passing the parcel” which they thoroughly enjoyed. After this ‘The Tom and Jerry Show’ was screened on the laptop for them. Though it was a tough job to quiet the kids to watch the cartoons, the essence of the event was ‘naughtiness unperturbed’ after all. Later the kids were given information about Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the importance of this day. By the end of the event, many of the kids could rattle out whatever they were taught about it. Many of them also learnt to ‘drink fruity with a straw’ for the first time that day.

A child reciting

The event concluded with reciting the prayers. Thus here was a day of giving children their right to enjoy and grow into healthy and educated citizens of the country.
It was also about creating pleasant memories for the children about this day, which they could cherish for a long time for now.

Kiosks during Dandiya nights!!

Dandiya is a traditional dance form of Gujarat where men and women dance to the tune of rhythmic beats. The place is filled with the sounds of clattering of sticks and bells, laughter, enjoyment and happiness. Mumbai also has many places where dandiya is celebrated with utmost fervor and enthusiasm as it would be in any other Gujarat town. To add colours to this the Somaiya Social cell had set up a kiosk on the nine days of the Dandiya festival in the Police Hockey Grounds, Ghatkopar. The kiosk added a new dimension to the customary look that the place wears every year.

The SSC kiosk at the dandia grounds

The kiosk displayed a huge variety of products from its various projects like NASEOH, NAB, Warli, Kiran etc for sale. The audience were captivated by the wide range of products which were kept at the display.
Some of the products included artificial jewellery and bags (SAHAS), gel filled aromatic glass candles, chains and ear rings, files, envelopes etc (NAB), paintings (Warli), diyas, cell phone pouches, rangoli mats etc (Kiran).
The kiosk received an overwhelming response from everyone who visited the dandiya festival and the cell recorded bumper sales. The stalls were majorly visited at the start and the end of the dandiya event every night. The cell also got a possible lead for a bulk order on refilling of the gel candles from NASEOH. By and large, people were eager to know more about the products and the projects giving the social cell a wide publicity.

Nostalgia- Recreating the magic

Nostalgia 2008, was an alumni event where around 200 alumni dating back from 1983-85 to 2006-08 batch were present. This years theme was Magic and the entire campus was decorated keeping the theme in mind.

The theme of SSC for nostalgia

In Nostalgia all the committees of SIMSR were given a chance to showcase their activities and endeavours undertaken in the past year . Our very own Somaiya Social Cell had also come up with a stall where we decorated the presentation area keeping the theme-magic in mind. The main idea of our presentation was “An angel holding the earth in her hands”, in this manner we signified the protection and care which Somaiya Social Cell bestows upon its communities. Besides this we had put up a brief description of all our 10 projects currently being undertaken by us and also an update of the major events that happened in the past year. We also showed our website to the alumni, who were very appreciative of the same.

The team with decoration in the background

The whole team of Somaiya Social Cell worked day in and day out for 48 hours non-stop before the event. The Somaiya social cell stall received an overwhelming feedback and the alumni also gave us inputs to improvise on the way we work on our initiatives. Many of them asked us to add them to our alumni group so that they don’t miss out on any communication with regards our events and initiatives.

Thus Nostalgia served the Social Cell its purpose of re-establishing ties with alumni. It also helped to secure the much needed guidance and encouragement to embark the journey ahead !