Somaiya Social Cell, SIMSR

Warli Painting Workshop at Kalaghoda

2010-02-02T04:33:00.000-08:00

Kalaghoda mini festival scheduled from 30th October to 2nd November is a smaller version of the actual event that takes place in the month of February every year.

Presented by the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA), the cultural had close to 80 stalls for arts and crafts, performances by renowned artists like Jagjit Singh, Gary Lawyer, Shilpa Rao and Niladri Kumar.
The festival also had a children's section. From magic workshops to Origami workshops (CRY) and Puppet making to Witchcraft, several activities have been incorporated for the little ones. Once again Kala Ghoda spread art and culture with full enthusiasm.

Keeping in mind the popularity of the festival among mumbaikars it was great news indeed that SOMAIYA SOCIAL CELL had successfully organised a Warli workshop at the Kala Ghoda mini festival on 1st November '09.

The warli team had with the assistance of Mrs. Brinda Miller set up a warli painting workshop for children. Social cell members present there were Ritica Bhardwaj, Gunjan Bhutani, Rishabh, Gauraav Singh Pardhi and Sumit Loya. They arranged for all the art works and supplies and also arranged for the painters to come from warli.

Ritica bharadwaj who was there at the festival shares her experience:

“Painters handled the kids very well making the workshop a success.The response we got there was really great. There were only 25 seats, but the children as well as their parents were very enthusiastic about the workshop, that we had no other option but to accomodate more students ( around 35-40).The kids were really happy and content with the workshop and many of them even enquired about the enrollment in regular Warli classes !! Holding a workshop in the midst of other workshops being held by big names like CRY really gave us a boost. We were really lucky to get this opportunity. The happy faces and the eagerness of the children gave us all a very satisfying experience.”

MYNTRA-----Another feather in Warli’s cap

2010-02-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

Warli---the flag ship project of Somaiya Social Cell has taken yet another step forward in helping out the artists who practice this art form.

Myntra.com a website that offers customers a variety of goods online is our new partner for marketing Warli products. Myntra offers a variety of products like personalized T-shirts, mugs, pens, wallets etc. It attracts a lot of people especially youngsters who like to make their statement. It is through this website myntra.com that we at Somaiya Social Cell are trying to bring more business and exposure to the Warli painters.

In response to the application sent in by our Warli team, the team at myntra.com, did their own research and found our products feasible, following which the deal to allow us set up an account in myntra.com was finalized in September 2009 and the Warli account in myntra.com became operational in October 2009.The shop on myntra.com called SIFE somaiya now offers T-shirts with warli designs on them.

The Warli team is now the design partner for myntra.com and through its account on the website, T-shirts with Warli paintings are sold . For every T-shirt each costing RS 350/- sold we receive commission which will go to the Warli painters.

The dedicated efforts of our Warli team has enabled us grab this opportunity and has opened a new avenue to showcase the forgotten art form. This platform will not only bring in more business for Warli products but more importantly it will give the art form and its painters much needed exposure and well deserved attention.

It is a number of small but firm steps like this that contribute towards the success of our projects and give us the boost to take forward our motto….Touching Hearts…Challenging Destinies.

Blood Donation Camp by Somaiya Social Cell

2009-10-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-10-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

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….

2008-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

“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

2008-12-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

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!!

2008-10-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

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 !

Eco-Friendly Ganesh Utsav

2008-10-22T11:10:00.001-07:00

Mumbai is known for the magnanimity and grandeur with which Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated. A significant aspect of this festival is the ‘Ganesh Visarjan’ (immersion) which concludes it. Besides the sense of devotion and enthusiasm which signifies these immersions a different viewpoint to look at it would be the environmental damage which it causes. Plaster of Paris, a primary component used in making the Ganesh idols takes months to dissolve in water as also the chemical paints used is reported to increase the heavy metal content in water. The society needs to look for a relatively less polluting way of celebrating Ganesh Utsav.
It is in this backdrop that Somaiya Social Cell came up with the idea of marketing eco friendly Ganpati idols!!

The flyer

The ceramics department of National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped, India (NASEOH) makes such environment friendly idols of Lord Ganesh. These idols are made of clay and are decorated with glitter, lace and decorative stones. No chemical paint is used either. They can be immersed in the house itself as they dissolve within 5-10 min in half a bucket of water. Moreover, most importantly these idols are made by physically and mentally challenged people at NASEOH. The proceeds of the sales are utilized by NASEOH for children welfare.
For this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi, the Somaiya Social Cell offered to take orders to deliver Ganesh idols from NASEOH. Priced at about Rs200 and about 9-10 inches tall, these brick colored idols could also be made customized as per customers requirements.

One of the Ganesh idol made at NASEOH

The response which the NASEOH idols obtained from SIMSR campus was overwhelming. These were purchased by many among the faculty and students alike.
This is how the Somaiya Social Cell attempted to spread awareness about water pollution during Ganesh Utsav and also encourage the differently abled people at NASEOH by finding them customers and appreciation. In the future the Somaiya Social Cell aims to come up with a more widespread reach to market the idols.

Green Initiatives: The tree plantation drive

2008-10-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

The poet asked us to stand and stare at the beauty of nature. Today even if we have the time, we don’t have anything to stare at. So,

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no woods, to stand and stare!

Yes it’s true; we don’t need any statistics to prove the reducing amount of trees; Pollution and increase in Population have taken care of that. With the concrete jungle expanding, the number of trees is falling at an alarming rate.
Somaiya Social Cell took the initiative of Tree Plantation. On 5th October 2008, the event took place at two venues. The Tree plantation drive was organized by the monthly activity team.

The Initiative

In association with Lion’s Club, Tree Plantation was done at Pantnagar Police Station. About 30 saplings were planted nearby the Police Station. The Lions Club Team was of great help in the whole process.

The team involved

The second venue was SIMSR Hostel. As many as 40 saplings were planted. Prof. Radha Iyer and Prof Reena Mehta participated in the plantation drive held at the hostel. The volunteers were full of life and took up the job with zeal and enthusiasm, contributing to the success of the event in a big way.

Prof. Radha Iyer watering the plants

If not the whole planet, at least we will make our city green again.

You may say that we are dreamers,
But we are not the only one.
I hope someday you will join us,
And the world will be green again…

Somaiya Social Cell making its presence felt at SPJIMR

2008-09-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Social Impact Awards Ceremony at S.P.Jain Institute of Management and Research was a memorable and great learning experience for the 8-member team from the Somaiya Social Cell of SIMSR. Neither did the event showcase pragmatic speakers from an elite section of the society nor did it talk about million dollar B-plans, but it provided a platform for modest groups of women (Self Help Groups) to discuss their work.

This event was organised by DOCC centre of SPJIMR in association with NABARD to award these Self Help Groups that work towards empowering women. There were three winners and two consolation prize winners out of a total of 250 applicants. SHGs like "Mahila Bachat Gats” presented their work before the audience and also shared their future course of action.

The Chief Guests for the event were Mr. Ramanathan, Chief General Manager, NABARD and Mr. Chandrashekhar Bhosale, Executive Vice President, Entrepreneurship Development MITCON. Both the guests delivered very informative speeches on Micro Credits and SHGs. Since the SHGs largely belonged to the remote areas of Maharashtra, the presentations by them were mostly in Marathi. Few of the SIMSR students turned out to be effective translators for the team.

The Dignitaries

Thanks to the efforts of the first year students of the Social Cell, the organizers at SPJIMR allowed them to showcase the projects (which was not pre-planned), despite the tight schedule of the day. The presenters vividly touched upon the work that the Social Cell has been doing for the various communities. The work was appreciated by one and all. Faculty members of SPJIMR as well as the audience were curious to know more about the Somaiya Social Cell activities.

Sumit and Harshit making the presentation

Overall, it was a good platform to spread awareness about the Somaiya Social Cell and bring back a lot of learning and new insights.

DONATE BLOOD...SAVES LIVES

2008-08-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

The importance of blood donation can be gauged by the fact that “every 3.75 seconds someone needs a blood transfusion”.

“Donate Blood...Save Lives” was the essence of the blood donation camp organized by the monthly activity team of the Somaiya Social Cell on 28^th August in the SIMSR premises from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Somaiya Medical Hospital was also involved in the event. It was a great success with the expected number of 70 donors met by 2 pm itself.

Organizing Team

A team comprising of a doctor and 10 paramedics, and headed by Prof. Nalini Kumthekar, had come from the Somaiya Medical Hospital (Chunnabatti). The arrangement was such that six simultaneous blood donations could take place. Each donor contributed 350 ml of blood. Not just the students from SIMSR, but students from the Arts and Commerce College and Engineering College also turned up to donate blood. Even our very own teachers donated blood and supported the noble cause.

Faculty donating blood

On being asked, Prof. Kumthekar, with over 30 years of experience in coordinating blood donation camps, said that she was very happy and also surprised by the overwhelming response received by this event. She also added that, it was easier to organise a blood donation camp in SIMSR because the coordination by the Social Cell volunteers was very good and the students seemed to be better informed about blood donation camps. A student who was a first time donor, said that the event was well organised and it made him feel good that he had contributed in his own way to help someone unknown. The slide show running all through the event describing DOs and DON’Ts of blood transfusion was very informative and appreciated by all.

For a noble cause

The monthly activity team and all the Social Cell volunteers surely deserve lauding for organising the event with so much dedication and enthusiasm. This event turned out to be another feather in the cap of the Social cell.

STRENGHTENING TIES AT THE OLD AGE HOME

2008-08-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Since times immemorial, Raksha-bandhan has been celebrated in India as a day when brothers take a vow to protect their sisters from all evils till their last breath; and rakhi is a symbol of that eternal vow. The history behind this ritual dates back to the Mughal era when famous Mughal emperor Humayun got a Rakhi from Rani Karnawatee of Chittor.
On this holy occasion, happiness is writ on the face of every brother and sister. To share this happiness, our team planned to spend a day with the inmates at the Old Age Home called Matoshree Vriddhashram locate at Khadavli in Thane district. The Vriddhashram is situated 1.5 km to the east of the railway station. The sylvan retreat for the 80 old people was really a treat to the eyes for all of us. But this charming-looking place had a sad story to tell. As the students’ team went in, they found out that the old people staying there were mostly those who were left and forgotten by their children. So when they saw us, their expressionless faces beamed up. They could feel that amidst the revelry going on outside, there was someone who remembered them.
We, the team of 11 students, visited the place on 16th August 2008. When we reached there, the chief caretaker of the home made a brief opening about the importance of the day and why we were there. Hearing that we wanted to spend the whole day with them, the old people were really happy. We had rakhis and fruits for all of them. The old women tied rakhis to all the men present there. After that, all those who were present there had their lunch which we served them. They tried to remember all our names and places we belonged to while we served them food. There were some elderly people who were either sick or very weak to come to the dining hall for their lunch so food had to be taken to their bedsides. Post-lunch we all sat down for some fun and entertainment. Few of the old people sang songs for us, cracked jokes and had some funny skits to share. It continued with quoted verses by one among them followed by sher-o-shayari and even qawalis. Then, we visited the dormitories where they were housed. We chatted with them and in their feeble voices they shared their feelings. They talked about their pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi and for many it was their first flight ever. There were some who are interested in writing and some who spent time knitting and some enjoyed gardening. This is how they spend their lonely moments.
Every day is the same for them but they told us “Don’t think we are sad here. We are much happier here than we would have been had we stayed with our children”. They have toiled all their lives to see their children happy and finally at the dusk of their lives, they are estranged by them. How hard it is to live such a neglected life when one needs to be supported and cared for! It was surely a day in our lives that we all will never forget.

PEHEL CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE DAY

2008-08-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

The 61st Independence Day of India was celebrated with great pomp and show by the Pehel team and the young kids on the Somaiya campus. The kids turned out in good numbers with a lot of enthusiasm.

The event began at around 7:30 am with the kids being taken to the Arts and Science College in the campus. They witnessed the hoisting of the National Flag and the Guard of Honour. On special request of the Pehel team members, the kids were allowed to sing the National anthem before everyone present and this was really appreciated by one and all. Singing before such a huge crowd boosted their confidence and the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Once the event was over, the kids were taken back to the SIMSR hostel for some more fun and frolic with the students.
The events lined up were three-legged race, marble-and-spoon race and a balloon inflating competition. The kids and the hostelites alike participated with a lot of competitive spirit and enthusiasm.

The events were eventually won by Nalesh, Arif, Safik, Manisha, and Jannat. The kids also exhibited their dancing and singing skills by performing with the Pehel team. Next followed relaxation and chilling out with some sweets, fruits and soft drinks.
The eventful, fulfilling and exciting day concluded by once again saluting the spirit of freedom and singing the national anthem. They also invoked the blessings of the Almighty by singing a prayer.

This was just a small gesture on the part of the Somaiya Social Cell to spread smiles to some of the young saplings of this great nation. Could there have been a better way to celebrate?

PROJECTING THE SOCIAL CAUSE AT SPRIHA 2008

2008-08-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

The much awaited summer project competition of SIMSR, popularly known as SPRIHA was held on 9th August’08. The Somaiya Social cell had set up a kiosk in the ground floor lobby of the college building to showcase the products of the various projects supported by the cell. The kiosk was managed by the first year students and the marketing team in different time slots throughout the event.

The preparation for the kiosk started well in advance with the different project teams coordinating with the respective communities for the products, keeping a record of the beginning inventory and preparing the posters for display during the kiosk. The kiosk was up and running by 9 am with products from projects like Warli, Sahas, Andhra toys, Old age Home, Sankalp and Paraphlegic on display. The entire purpose for this kiosk was to showcase the talent of different communities and facilitate the sale of the products like Warli paintings, earrings made by the women of project Sahas, cloth folders, envelopes and bags from project Sankalp, table clothes and purses from people of the Old Age Home, gel candles from Paraphlegic etc.

The Warli paintings were the highlight of the kiosk with almost every second person enquiring about them and appreciating the art. Quite a number of these paintings of different sizes were sold. There was also a lot of demand for the cloth folders and envelopes from Sankalp resulting in stock-out much before the end of the event. Leads were obtained for possible bulk orders in future. In terms of quantity of products, earrings from the project Sahas were sold in maximum numbers.

What was really encouraging was the overwhelming appreciation received by the Social Cell for this initiative from corporate guests, faculty and students alike. A small effort to touch hearts and challenge destinies was indeed a success.

Somaiya Social Cell - Contact Details

2008-07-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Somaiya Social Cell is the student body which is responsible for all social activities of Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research. The organisation chart which Social cell follows is given below:
The contact details of the important members and for the various projects are given below:

SIFE SOMAIYA @ SIFE National Competition 2008

2008-06-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

SIFE unit of K J Somaiya Institute of Management were the regional winners of SIFE 2008 conducted on June 19 th, 2008. At the National Competition 2008, they were appreciated a lot by the jury though they were not the winner. The media report is as follows:

SIFE to bring out leaders and entrepreneurs
Alpha Arts and Science College emerged winner at SIFE India National Competition while JIS College, Kolkata were the winner-up
Alpha Arts and Science College emerged winner at SIFE India National Competition
Making a difference in the society at a tender age of 20 is definitely not an easy task. Tsunami waves completely ravaged Pannayarkuppam village of Tamilnadu and the government funds ceased and the fisherman community was badly affected. Alpha Arts and Science College representing SIFE India undertook the seaweed cultivation project and successfully made it an alternative occupation for the fisherman community. The fishermen were in a need of an alternative occupation. As their expertise lay in sea related activities, these children of the sea were unable to adapt to any other occupation. The SIFE team ensured the profitability of the project and analyzed the global market statistics to establish it among the fisherman community. They identified buyers and suppliers of seaweed across India and made Pepsico a major buyer of this community. Alpha Arts and Science College emerged as the winner of SIFE National Competition. More than 100 students from 35 colleges all across India participated in the SIFE National Competition. Four Regional competitions were held this year in Chennai on June 4, in Delhi on June 12 and in Mumbai on June 19. This year the Alpha Arts and Science College (The winner team will represent India at the World Cup at Singapore on Oct 1-3 2008.)

The runner-up team was JIS College from Kolkata. Jesus and Mary college from Delhi received Rookie award of the year. K.J. Somaiya from Mumbai was also appreciated a lot by the jury for their service to the society.

Some of the projects represented at SIFE National Competition are: JIS College, Kolkata: Established a medical information system has been set up in the Sunderbans, West Bengal making information on hospitals, doctors available, just a call away. Jesus and Mary College, Delhi: Migrant women from the Bhatti mines of Mehrauli, Delhi were rendered jobless after the earthquake in 1990. Jesus and Mary College students established a business model under which this women community were taught to make handmade products like bags and baskets. They identified the end buyers and suppliers, which could give them the raw material at subsidized rates. This project completely uplifted the status of this women community and the project is running successfully in the Mehrauli area of Delhi.

K.J. Somaiya from Mumbai: (Though not winner but was appreciate a lot) K.J.Somaiya College students realized the problem of a large community of immigrant workers in Dhokali Gaon, Thane, who could hardly earn anything because of the lack of any professional skill. Project Initiative: Imparting professional skills like embroidery and tailoring to women in order to help them attain economic stability. Providing tailoring kits and sewing machines (including industrial machines). Building a suitable business model for income generation. Improving the exposure and awareness of women, thereby increasing their self-confidence. Assisting the children of the family with their academics. Inviting industry experts/persons to oversee and evaluate the skills of the women of this community.

All these projects were judged by dignitaries like: * Keshav R. Murugesh – Chairman, SIFE India, President & Chief Operating Officer, Syntel Inc. * Rupendra Singh – Vice Chairman SIFE India, Non Executive Chairman KPMG India * Malini Thadani – Director SIFE India, Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility, HSBC India * Sudip Bandyopadhyay – Director SIFE India, Director & CEO, Reliance Capital Ltd.

Chairman of SIFE India, Keshav Murugesh says, "SIFE offers these students the opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise, thereby improving the standard of living for millions in the process. We endeavor to teach important concepts to college students through educational outreach projects, including market economics, entrepreneurship, personal and financial success, and business ethics to better themselves, their communities and their countries."

The link for media report is : http://www.ciol.com/EC/News-Reports/SIFE-to-bring-out-leaders-and-entrepreneurs/23608107344/1/

A Visit to Nareshwadi (Project Warli)

2008-06-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Two Somaiya Social Cell members – Vikram and Shruti- made a visit to Nareshwadi – the community under Project Warli. The visit was part of the exchange visit for the students from NOVA university (based in US), who are currently pursuing MBA. Rather than me telling the narration of the visit, it is better to hear form the horse’s mouth. Vikram writes about his experience and the experience of the foreign students who visited the Nareshwadi school.

“There is only one word...in fact two....for the trip to Nareshwadi..."Simply" amazing....an the emphasis on the word simple is because that is what Nareshwadi is all about and the experience was yet out of the world. Shruti and I accompanied the foreign students. The travel from Mumbai to Nareshwadi was endless. The bus took us four long hours as we got stuck up in a traffic jam on the highway. When we reached Nareshwadi, we were quite exhausted but the welcome by the students of Nareshwadi school was too overwhelming for us to remain tired. We had breakfast and we immediately set off for the market at Nareshwadi.The market was about 6 kilometers from the school. En route we caught a glimpse of tribal life - Huts, dry paddy fields, cows and tribal villagers. But the fact was that – that is the real India.

The market was more like a ‘Mela’. Everything was laid out on the ground on newspapers the product range varied from pirated CDs to locally made Jalebis, from Bindis to plastic toys. The foreign students were overwhelmed. They had seen the malls in their home land but never a rural market. But that never prevented them from shopping.We returned, had lunch and were off for a site visit. Inka Pibilova, a Czech who has been working extensively with the NGO along with Patricia madam, showed us around with the enthusiasm of a child. We went to the classes where the students were studying. The classrooms were open without any windows or doors - a system which Inka said was about fresh air, sunlight and improved learning. The students, as young as 8 years old, were overjoyed and were eagerly showcasing their talent by reciting poems and singing songs for us. We had tears in our eyes literally because of the startling fact that one of the largest growing economies of the world had such a poor side to it too. We then went to their hostels where the children stayed. Each hall accommodates around 30 students and all sleep on the floor on a clad mattress with just a trunk to hold their clothes and yet they strive for a better life and better education. I was reminded of my hostel and the cribbing I had about it and my cribbing was reduced to nothing. Nareshwadi school has 500 children, mostly from the tribes and a few from HIV affected parents - the harsh truth.

We saw the vocational training institute of Nareshwadi, which trains students in carpentry, building and painting. These were taught so that the same skills can be used inside the nareshwadi school and it was being implemented there. The vocational students have built their own water tanks and small houses inside the school.We had a cup of tea after which we visited the vegetable and fruit fields inside the premises. The most unbelievable part of the whole visit!!! Spread over a huge land, the fields hold all kinds of vegetables and fruits. You name it and they are there. These vegetables are grown and the same are used to cook food for the students. There is also a dairy which provides milk and also safeguards certain rare species of cows and buffaloes. Fermi compost is used for better growth of vegetables. Drip Irrigation is used for water supply across all fields. The foreigners were really startled and so were we. We then saw the biggest banyan tree ever inside the campus. It was a truly amazing experience.We then came back for another cup of tea and interacted with the school children. We had a chat with them for a long time and had real childlike fun. The joy in their eyes, in seeing and talking with us, moved us all.I can go on writing about Nareshwadi because it was an amazing experience for both me and Shruti. But the thought that really struck our minds was that the biggest joy in life is to make others feel they are cared for and I am really glad that I had an opportunity to experience that.

I personally suggest a visit to Nareshwadi with all the social cell members as a group. There are certain things in life which when we experience makes us think that Life is truly a gift and that experiences in life must be shared with.
- Vikram

Seminar on "Managing NGOs Effectively"

2008-06-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Seminar on Managing NGOs Effectively was held on 19th February 2008 at the auditorium of KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai. The event took off with the traditional Prayer of Somaiya. Mr. Ernest Fernandes, Chairman Management Week Committee, from BMA welcomed the Guests & Speakers & mentioned the intent of Celebrations of Management Week in his introductory speech. Mr. Inderpal Singh, Ex-President, BMA & Ex-Head of Production at Godrej Industries was the Chief Guest of the seminar. Mr. Singh emphasised on the importance & relevance of Non Government Organisations in today’s changing corporate landscape. He also expressed his gratitude that the youngsters are also coming up for social cause & helping in building a just & happy society. Mr. R.Subramanian, a renowned Management Consultant & a Guest faculty at SIES, Nerul was the next Keynote Speaker. He laid emphasis on the spiritual relevance of doing the Social work & also thrown some light on the various social developmental activities taken up by various religious institutions & how they are managing their resources in the greater cause of the nation.

Mr. Ramesh Khanna, who has served on the board of various PSUs in the past & is currently practicing financial consultancy spoke on the importance of maintaining transparent accounts. He emphasised on the criticality of effective reporting of finances to all its stakeholders for a public entity, especially NGOs. More transparent an organisation is, more is its credibility & in a way that also increases the efficiency of the NGO. It was Prof. Isaac Jacob, Marketing faculty at KJ SIMSR, Mumbai & Ex-Marketing Head of various MNCs, who spoke about the Marketing dimension of NGOs. He focussed his speech around an AIDS campaign by some NGOs with a Protagonist named BALBIR PASHA & showed some print & TV advertisements. Mr. Savio Vegas presented some crisp facts about the NGO Sector in India & emphasised the need of institutionalizing the NGO Sector. He also apprised the audience about the presence of a framework which certifies the NGOs & also gives them rating before making the forum open to audience for Questions & Answers. Representatives from various NGOs had some doubts in their minds relating to the legal framework which were answered by Mr. Vegas.
Mr. Gladwyn Pinto, Executive president, BMA who also was amongst the distinguished guests expressed his gratitude. Prof (Dr.) Suresh Ghai, Director of KJ SIMSR & Secretary of BMA, concluded the seminar & gave vote of thanks to all the distinguished guests & representatives of NGOs & expressed his gratitude as a host of the event. The Seminar ended with the National Anthem.

Somaiya Social Cell project gets highlighted in DNA News

2008-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Haath mein Sehat, one of the projects in Somaiya Social Cell, gets media coverage in CoastWatch column of DNA newspaper dated March 2008. The news article is given below:

Volunteers from Berkeley university to visit Bandra

They will be in the city for the Health in Hand project

About forty percent of the nation’s wealth is generated from Bandra, which is a city of 14 million, where the world’s rich and famous people rub shoulders with some of the poorest people on earth. With real estate at a premium, nearly fifty percent of the city’s residents live in quasi legal slums like Behrampada, a crowded community that spills from across the street and into the train station itself. It is here that Yu and a small group of volunteers from University of California (UC), Berkeley called Haath Mein Sehat, or Health in Hand, have been spending school breaks since 2004 working to improve access to safe drinking water. They are also putting efforts to ending an epidemic of diarrhea for the estimated 1,75,000 residents of this slum.“There is a bunch of students from the university who come down to India every year to work in the slum of Behrampada in Bandra (E). They make efforts to make improvements in to point of access to water,” says Arvind Sadasiv, volunteer from Mumbai of Haath Mein Sehat. He also adds, “They also make an effort to educate the people about hygiene and make them aware of the effects of using contaminated water.” Emily Kumpel, student of UC Berkeley, says, “We are an entirely volunteerrun organisation (I myself am a volunteer while I am full-time student) that works in several small slums in Mumbai. We have tie ups with the microbiology department of some colleges in Mumbai. The students of these colleges also participate in our drives. We usually conduct workshops to part hygiene education and also try to create some awareness, among the people living in these slums about the point of use of water. All the workshops that we conduct are more of interactive sessions which is attended by people of in all the age group,” adds Kumpel.

Mehendi kiosk for Women's Day

2008-03-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Mehendi kiosk for International Women's Day

International Women's Day is marked on March 8 every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Somaiya Social Cell has always tried to help women become financially stable such that they gain confidence and make a mark. Many of our projects are focussed on womens' development. Mehendi project is one such project.

This year, Mehendi team of the Social cell had the oppurtunity to take part in the Women's Day Celebrations of Idea Cellular, Mumbai.

On March 7, the Mehendi project set up a kiosk in Idea Cellular Office, Kalina, Mumbai. Thanks to our alumni Mr.Mukesh Tibrewala who is an employee of Idea, because of whom we got this opportunity.

The kiosk was set up from morning 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Volunteers Akhila Sekhar & Seema Goswami took incharge of the kiosk. The kiosk was a major success. There were six women who worked tirelessly to apply mehendi for 30 hands. The total earnings was Rs. 2165. Adding to that, the women developed good contacts, as many of the employees collected their phone numbers.

Thus, we celebrated the spirit of Women's day by leading them take another step in the path of financial independence.

Managing NGOs Effectively

2008-02-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

Bombay Management Association and K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research present a seminar on "MANAGING NGOs EFFECTIVELY " as part of Management Week 2008 celebrations.

Key Note Speakers :

1. Mr. Ujjwal Bannerjee -HR Aspects of NGOs
Lead India Finalist, Manager- HR, Akanksha Foundation.

2. Prof. Isaac Jacob –Marketing & Branding of NGOs
Faculty, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai

3. Mr. Bhagwat Rewati -Accreditation & Credibility of NGOs
Director, Credibility Alliance

4. Mr. Savio Vegas - Legal Dimensions
Legal Consultant

Mr. Inderpal Singh, Ex - President, Bombay Management Association, would preside over the function.

Venue : The Auditorium
K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research
Vidyanagar, Vidyavihar
Mumbai - 400077
Date : 19th February, 2008
Time : 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Somaiya Social Cell wins financial grant from HSBC

2008-02-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

True to its vision of empowering people, the Somaiya Social Cell succeeded in getting financial aid for providing financial literacy to the handicapped people working at NASEOH data entry centre. SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) in conjunction with the HSBC Global Education Trust and HSBC conducted the HSBC Financial Literacy Programme. Under this programme, HSBC funds those projects which aims to provide financial literacy to the needy people. This year, it received around 400 applications from various countries including Australia, Canada, Egypt, South Africa, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Tanvi Shikha and Juhee Prashant submitted the proposal on behalf of K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research. In the proposal they listed a detailed plan as to how they want to provide financial literacy to the handicapped employees working in the data centre established by NASEOH. NASEOH is an NGO established by a group of industrialists, doctors, philanthropists and social workers under the leadership of Late Shri Vijay Merchant, in Bombay in the year 1968. After careful scrutiny, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research was awarded financial grant which will be disbursed in two equal installments.

Deepa Garge and Nirav Shah from PGDM volunteered to help Tanvi and Juhee in the financial literacy programme. As the first step, they conducted a class on personal savings for the employees at the data centre. They have future plans to organize classes by SIMSR faculty in Finance Department. This endeavor has made the Somaiya Social Cell to further deepen the ties with SIFE and HSBC.

Skit on Cancer Survivor's Day ...

2008-02-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

Somaiya Social Cell has always been on the forefront to serve people in all fields. Education, Employment .. you name it and Social Cell has made a significant contribution. The latest initiative by Social Cell was in the field of Art and Dramatics ... unbelievable ?? But friends, its true :)

Vasantha Memorial Trust which works for the cause of cancer conducted a special cultural program for the occasion Cancer Survivors' Day on 9th Feb in Manek Mahasabha, Bandra.

They contacted various colleges to perform for the patients and survivors. Our college was also invited. We, in the Social cell did not wish to miss this oppurtunity.

A funny skit was then made ready.

The Skit team

Following were the 'actors' in the play..

Rahul Manchanda

Meena Sangishetty

Prabal Mittal

Vaishali Dhar

Siddarth Vij

Richa Khetawat

Beno Ewald

Akhila Sekhar

and the real hero of the play Rajat Malhotra. Rajat carried the whole play so smoothly and in an absoulutely professional way. He was like the backbone of the play and the secret of our success.

Om Kumar Jha helped us with the screen play and dialogues and also helped us by being the critic ... :)

The play was received very well with requests for 'Encore' !!

Very special thanks to be mentioned to Satyam Tewari who supported us by being there throughout with us and who captured the memorable moments in the video.

Also thanks to Rishikesh kumar, Azam Ali Khan & Praveen who attended the program and encouraged us.

And finally and most importantly thanks to DG Sir and Radha Ma'am who gave us this oppurtunity to do something for the cancer patients and survivors.

We look forward to working with the Vasantha Trust and fighting against cancer.

Mrs. Jaya, co-ordinator, Vasantha Trust and the Performing artists.. :)

Republic Day - 08

2008-01-31T18:56:00.000-08:00

Tu dhoop hai, chham se bhikhar,

Tu hai nadi o bekhabar ,

Udd chal kahin dil khush jahaan,

Teri to manzil hai wahi ......

This beautiful song appeared more meaningful on our 59th Republic Day ... when kids with overwhelming enthusiasm and vivacity sat down to unleash their imagination and creativity ...

Republic day this year was celebrated with a fervour of patriotism. Kids were taken to witness the flag hoisting at the KJ Somaiya Arts College by the NCC cadets. They were in high spirits after witnessing the March past by the NCC Cadets and marched back after the flag hoisting.

They then munched on some biscuits, and sang aloud a few patriotic songs like Mere Desh ki Dharti to their(and our) heart's content :)

We had a short break .. and at 10:30 am , we began the most awaited event of the day - the PEHEL ART COMPETITION !! .. Pehel art competition was open to all .. including the students of SIMSR...

There were 20 kids who were dressed in their best with their eyes beaming with excitement ... and there were almost equal number of volunteers from SIMSR who did not want to miss the fun ! ...

The competition was organised by Jyoti Gouda, Seema Goswami and Akhila Sekhar.

The Volunteers were Om Kumar Jha, Pranshu Gupta, Soumya Iruvanti, Tanvi Shikha, Avipsha Banerjee, Sangeeta Sengupta, Ashish Maheswari, Rishikesh Kumar, Subhasish Sarkar, Hirak Sarkar, Juhee Prashanth, Richa Khetawat, Ajay Choudhary and Beno Ewald.

To encourage the kids, many of the volunteers sat beside them and tried their hands at art too !!

The kids were given a choice - if they wanted to draw and colour or .. just colour the drawings.. a couple of kids chose to draw and the majority chose to colour .. and the fun began ! ...

Have you ever seen a Blue coloured sun ??? or a pink coloured rocket ?? or multi-coloured stars ??? We have :) !! ... It was the kids' innocence and creativity that reflected upon the paintings... To see them fill colours ... was a great sight indeed... !!

The kids and the members of the team were all given chocolates as a token of appreciation :P .. !! The paintings were then judged by four judges - Subhasish, Hirak, Ashish and Beno and the prizes were declared. The kids received the prizes with wide smiles amidst loud cheers and clapping.

At the end, all of us sang the National Anthem and called an end to the amazing morning !

Eye check up and General health checkup camp for PEHEL students

2008-01-30T03:10:00.000-08:00

As part of PROJECT PEHEL, Somaiya Social Cell members were involved in teaching the children of the construction workers of Somaiya Buildings at the new Somaiya Hostel. After seeing the children and the houses in which they stay, the members felt that there was a need to conduct medical check up and provide medical advices for not only the children, but also the family. Hence a General health and eye checkup for the children of construction workers (PEHEL students) along with their parents and grandparents was conducted on Dec 28, 2007 by the Somaiya Social Cell.

Doctors from K. J. Somaiya Hospital & Research Centre agreed to perform the checkup free of cost. The event started at 8 am with regular classes for the students as art of PEHEL and then the checkup was started. The height and weight of the students were measured followed by eye checkup and other general physical tests were also conducted. It was observed that most of the kids suffer from anemia and deficiency of iron and calcium. Required medication was also provided to them by Somaiya Hospital. The kids were also given fresh fruits and chocolates on this occasion. The doctors advised the parents on the medication to be given and also about nutritious food to be given to their family.

Cmdr. Kailash Girwalker provided great support for this whole event. The hospital staff was impressed by the way the event was organized. They asked the help of the Somaiya Social Cell in organizing such events like vaccination etc in other communities in future. The photos have been given below : -

Doctor conducting full body Checkup of a student

Doctor giving medical advice to parents

Eye checkup for parents of the students

Eye checkup conducted for students and grandparents

Doctors conducting medical checkup for parents

Parents interacting with the doctors

Social Cell members distributing fruits and snacks

Blood Donation Camp organised @ SIMSR

2008-01-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

The Somaiya Social Cell conducted a blood donation camp in the Somaiya Institute of Management campus, for Somaiya Hospital. The Somaiya Hospital was in need of 73 units of blood and it needed a massive drive to get them. The social cell provided the publicity in the institute, to get the volunteers for blood donation from the institute and was responsible for the smooth conducting of the camp and in making the volunteers comfortable while donating blood.

The Event

The blood donation drive started at 9 am in the morning and the room saw volunteers flocking to donate blood. The doctor and the hospital staff collected the blood and made the people comfortable while the process was on. The participation and the enthusiasm of the students who came forward to give blood was amazing and worth applauding. The camp had to be closed earlier at around 2 pm since the target was achieved beforehand. Students came even after 2 pm but were sadly sent back. The doctor and the staff were all praises for the participants and the organizers. Later, donor cards and certificates of appreciation were distributed to all the donors.

Students donating blood

Social Cell members making the donors comfortable

Social Cell members helping the hospital staff

Mehendi @ Utkarsh

2007-12-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

There is something mesmerizing about Mehndi and it’s no wonder that the ancient form of hand and feet painting has captivated the ladies (and now gents also) for years. It’s in the intricate designs that take hours to create, the deep crimson color which shines clearly on the skin, the earthy aroma that fills the air … that creates the magic.

It is this magic that we in our Social Cell wish to tap and use for a social cause. Mehndi project is a very successful project among our projects which has never failed to bring smile to the people whom we wish to help.

As an initiative of this project, a kiosk was set up in Utkarsh, fete of SK Arts & Science college in Somaiya Campus on Dec 22nd 2007. The kiosk was set up at around 3:30pm and went on till 8pm. Many eager students, staff and their kids applied Mehendi.

The conveynor of Utkarsh, Ms.Charlette Madam was highly co-operative and very helpful. She readily gave us the permission to conduct the kiosk and apart from that, she instructed the volunteers to arrange for a table etc and also encouraged us to make announcements on the stage to pull more crowd.

The mehendi ladies made good earnings and were very happy at the end of the day. They wished to be invited for more such occassions.

Let us look out for more such occassions: Let us Challenge destinies, touch hearts and bring more smiles :)

Kiosk at CitiGroup Services

2007-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Conducting Events/kiosks in Corporate offices have been a very important reason behind the success of Somaiya Social Cell. One such kiosk was conducted in CitiGroup Services, Malad, Mumbai on 25/10/07 and 26/10/07.

It was a two day event. The event was highly supported by the HR of the company who was our primary contact. The stall was publised under the name ‘Diwali Bazar’ and rightly so as the kiosk was set up shortly before Diwali.

Four volunteers Satyam, Meena, Vinnu Priya and Akhila were in charge of the stalls. SAHAS Cell pouches, Andhra Toys, Paper bags, Candles and Folders from NAB were sold in the kiosks apart from Mehendi.
We had good sales and the employees received the products very well.

We hope to keep up this contact and build many more such Corporate Contacts and add more to our Success Stories.

Nostalgia 2007

2007-12-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

NOSTALGIA – The event which brings together the alumni and the present batches and help foster a long lasting relationship between the two. Nostalgia 2007 was no different and it provided the Somaiya Social Cell a platform to keep the alumni informed of the activities and projects that the cell had undertaken the past year.

The Preparation

The preparation took off the previous night itself with all banners, charts, posters of each and every project and activity being worked out by the members. The basic aim was to provide an insight into each and every initiative that the students had taken up and the progress made in recent years. A mehendi stall was also planned, the intention being to highlight the SAHAS initiative to the public. The transition of the student body from a Somaiya SIFE chapter to an entirely social venture was presented through the new logo and banners.

The Exhibition

Founder, Dr S.K Somaiya was one among those who visited the stall and had jotted down in the log book, “Congratulations for imbibing the spirit of the founder and SIMSR. Keep it up”.

Most of the alumni who came over were very much eager to contribute to various projects and indeed most of them spoke about the cell during their interaction with the college students in the Audi. Many of them also evinced interest in joining the Business Advisory Board and also interacting with the members in future.

Feedback

Some of the comments and messages received on Nostalgia :-

“Brilliant work. Extremely committed batch. Makes me feel very proud. Keep the momentum going guys.” - Swati

“Glad to learn about the difference SIMSR is creating to the larger society around.”- Prasad (1992MMS )

“Excellent work. It has moved me! May you move mountains.” – Sheetal (1999 batch)

“Hope you create a legacy of such fabulous work. We pray you guys shine and excel in your life and careers and everywhere. All the best.” – Minoo (1999 batch)

“Great, wonderful, excellent .. are some of the words, that have crammed the feedback … Its just that words are falling short for the great work done by you all.” – Nikita (1999 batch)

“If not now, later you will come appreciate the value of your contribution.” – Mohit C.

“An excellent initiative taken guyz! Proud of you!!!” – Aastha (2007 batch)

“Brilliant initiatives- Please involve the alumni too” – Saikat (2007 batch)

This event provided a platform for the students to interact with the Alumni and also highlight the work being done by the present batch. The commitment provided by the alumni has definitely paved the way for a long term relationship, the evolution of the BAB – a platform for student-alumni-faculty a step in this regard.

SOMAIYA SOCIAL CELL MAKES ITS PRESENCE FELT IN PUNE

2007-11-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

Right from the time it was formed, the Somaiya Social Cell has been engaged in social activities based mostly in and around Mumbai. This time the Social Cell got an opportunity to venture out of the city. As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, Tech Mahindra invited the Social Cell for setting up a stall in the Social Fair which they were organizing in their premises at Pune.

Somaiya Social Cell @ Tech Mahindra

The Event

The Social Fair was held on October 22nd and 23rd where around 10 NGOs were displaying their products and highlighting awareness on their activities. The Somaiya social cell was the only student social organization in the Fair. Juhee, Nitesh, Seema, Astha, Tanvi and Beno represented the somaiya cell. The products on display stall included Andhra Toys, Warli paintings, NAB Paper bags, SAHAS mobile pouches and NAB candles. Some of the other products on display in the NGO stalls were jute bags, paper bags, envelopes, diyas, clay models and CDs. The students were able to interact with the other NGO members and garner much information about their working. We made a whopping sale of around 17K in spite of the immense options available to select from.

The team recieved good response from the employees

Few of the products on display

Feedback

We had received various feedbacks about the products, display, project explanation and about the Social Cell from the Tech Mahindra employees. Some of them are given below:-

“The collection is really wonderful. We wish to have more of such collection at least for 3 days ”

“Good products – beyond imagination that they can do it.”

“Great effort to make people feel good for what they are.”

“Nice items. Good quality and very good interaction. Keep up the good work.”

“You should publicize where this can be purchased within the city. Very nice products.”

“Beautiful crafts and nice work of K.J. Somaiya students.”

Benefits

Section of the hall packed with various NGOs

Apart from the sales, we got very good feedback and ways to improve the social cell and its products. We had people asking for more of products to be couriered to them. The biggest benefit we got was in the form of NGO contacts, who became aware of the social cell and promised to call us for any assistance or tie-ups in Pune. The volunteers got a feel of the CSR activity in companies and how to market their products. More than this, the volunteers got to know about the various NGOs and their products and how they can implement changes to their existing product portfolio to build a better product.

Somaiya Social Cell organizes Great Future Cup - Underarm cricket for Discovery Channel

2007-10-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

The Discovery/Fox channel crew had set up camp in Mumbai and were on the lookout for a partner to help document Gully cricket and Underarm cricket in India. This program called 'An Aussie Goes Bolly' (AAGB II) is a sequence to a very famous soap on cricket, AAGB. The protagonist, Mr.Gus Worland is a cricket fanatic from Australia who has become a celebrity of sorts after the runaway success of 'An Aussie Goes Balmy' (AAGB) series back home. AAGB I covered the cricket fever in England. The Fox team finally contacted the Somaiya Social Cell to help do a documentary on Underarm cricket and organize a cricket match for them in the Somaiya grounds.

Our Role

The Somaiya social cell members arranged the venue, facilitated the video shoot in the neighboring underserved community and organized the cricket match on 16th October 2007. The team involved the cell members, people from the community and the fox team. The teams were formed to reflect the best teams in the World cricket, namely Australia and India. All in all, we formed the interface between the Fox team and the community. The idea was to bring out the passion for the game that thrives even at the lowest levels. The prizes were sponsored by the TV crew.

The Match

The match was played for 10 Overs. Mr.Gus Worland was the captain of the 'Australian' team and Mr.Kaushik (from Discovery) was the captain of 'Indian' team. The Social Cell members who participated in the match were Aravind VS, Aarti Bhandari, Akhila Sekhar and Satyam. Anand Ramachandran from the Social cell was the umpire. The toss was won by the Australian team and they chose to bat. The opening batsmen Deepak and Gus sent the Indian fielders running on their toes and the bowlers were finding it hard to get the batsmen out. Eventually Gus got out. Deepak showed a good performance at the crease and at the end of 10 overs, Australia managed 93 runs. India started losing early wickets with the captain Kaushik getting out. Slowly wickets started falling and India was all out for 60 runs. It seems even in under arm cricket India has to go a long way to reach the standards of Australia.

The match evoked a lot of interest from the community

The awarding ceremony of the Somaiya Social Cell 'Future Cup' was presided by Social Cell mentor, Mrs. Radha Iyer, who congratulated both the teams for their enthusiastic participation. Deepak from the Australian team was declared 'Man of the Match'. Akhila Sekhar from the Indian team was declared 'Woman of the Match'. Both of them were awarded with a VIP- Lounge ticket to view the Future Cup cricket between Australia and India to be held on 17th October in Mumbai. The match ended with a big round of applause from the audience for the Social cell team and the Fox team.

The fox team, just before the shoot...

The Publicity

The match was a huge crowd puller, with lot of spectators ranging from school children to the local workers. All the people who passed by had a look and enquired about the whereabouts and did not budge until they had seen at least some part of the match. The people from the community, the volunteers from the Social Cell as well as the Discovery/Fox team actively took part in the initiative and were able to enjoy each and every moment of the game. After the match, the Media team interviewed Mrs.Radha Iyer and Anand Ramachandran about the activities of the Social Cell and about the Indian element which the Australians should carry home after their assignment in India.

Somaiya Social Cell members with Gus Worland and team

The posters portraying the Somaiya social cell were put up in places which ensured high visibility. The banners as well as the labels(which were stuck to the t-shirts of the players) were explicit and they added to the publicity. We have also established good contacts with the Media team which can be leveraged to cover any social events in future. Almost all the people who passed along the place or who were living there came to know of our effort in organizing the match and more than that, the name of Somaiya Social Cell had become the common name of the neighboring areas of the Somaiya College.
More on Gus Worland and the Barmy Army:

http://www.granadaproductions.com.au/auba.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/11/23/scbrig23.xml

Project Warli

2007-10-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

WARLI

The Art

Warli paintings, have originated out of the life and rituals of the Warli tribe. This simple yet vivid painting style is believed to have originated sometime around the tenth century A.D. However, considering its simplicity in form and figure, it can be assumed to be dating back to the Neolithic period between 2,500 BC and 3,000 BC. Warli paintings express everyday life using extremely basic object forms and just one color - white - on a sober mud base. The appeal of these unicolor compositions with elementary object forms lies in their lack of pretentiousness in conveying the profound. Each painting is usually an entire scene that contains various elements of nature including people, animals, trees, hills etc. Decorative patterns inspired by nature are also used. The themes are often repetitive and symbolic in nature. Warli Unlike any other school of painting does not use mythical or religious iconography. Rather it rejoices in the celebration of simple folk life and its mundane customs.

The tribe

Dahanu, (Maharashtra) happens to be one of the very few remaining habitats of the Warli tribe. The Warlis who number about 300,000 in populations in Dahanu taluka own only 45,000 acres of land of the total acreage. They are mostly marginal and landless laborers and work in the commercial fruit orchards of the prosperous farmers in the region, or in brick kilns in nearby towns. The Warlis remain quite unassimilated from the rest of India; they maintain their own dress style, customs, religion and ceremonies. They have gained recognition only for their unique work of art, known the world over as Warli Painting.

The artist
Jayesh, a 16 year old boy, is very shy and speaks through his paintings. He keeps on drawing paintings for hours and hours. He got introduced to Warli art through his family. He has developed his skills because of encouragement from school and professional training provided from them. He is an aspiring candidate for Elementary examination of Drawing and wants to be a renowned Warli artist.

Jayesh displaying the painting, alongside SIMSR students

The Nareshwadi Residential School

The GVPM School is located on a 270-acre campus. It provides free schooling and residential facilities for the tribal children who come from villages as far as 25 kms. It runs from class 1 through 10 (secondary school) and has 13 trained teachers. The GVPM has introduced several initiatives towards child-centered learning and ensures an integrated approach incorporating classroom curriculum with exposure to agriculture, horticulture, dairy and promotion of the indigenous Warli Art through daily activities embedded in the time-table.

Somaiya Social Cell (SIMSR)

The initiative by the Social cell of SIMSR (Somaiya) is playing the role of a catalyst. It has exposed the skills of Jayesh - the painter to the outside world. The money collected from this painting will be used for further education of Jayesh and to fulfill his dreams of being a Warli artist by providing him the best available training and exposure.

One of the paintings sold by the students

Girivanavasi Pragati Mandal

Girivanavasi Pragati Mandal (GVPM) was established on September 20 1974 by Padmabhushan Shri Karamshibhai J. Somaiya (May 16 1902-May 09 1999) with the objective of setting up an integrated rural development model of education, health, agricultural development and economic self-reliance for the tribal community in the Dundhalwadi area (about 120 kms. from Mumbai) of Dahanu Taluka, Thane District in Maharashtra. The area where the project operates is called Nareshwadi. It is recognized as a voluntary organization by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and is a registered Public Charitable Trust; registered with the Sub-Registrar of New Delhi, (Registration No. 4431 dated 27th September 1974).

Pehel

2007-10-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Pehel is an initiative started by students of SIMSR(2007-2009 batch) in the New Hostel as an interaction between the SIMSR students and the children of construction workers in the campus to aid them in their studies and teach them basic civic values. The objectives of Project Pehel are to -

• Teach basic civic values to the children, like hygiene, way of greeting etc.
• An introduction to basic primary education including games and crafts
• Creating general awareness about discipline, nation, famous personalities etc.

Attending classes at Sunrise!

The Children:

There are around 10 children of age group 4- 10 yrs. Around 30% of them have attended schools but have discontinued now because of the nature of job of their parents. The remaining (esp girls) were never sent to school.

Class in Progress.

What we do ??

We are a team of around 20 people. A batch of three has a duty on a day of a week and we teach the scheduled subject on the timetable. So we have 6 batches teaching the children. We teach them the basics of English, Hindi and Maths and apart from them we also teach arts and crafts. On Sundays, we arrange for some children's movie or games. Apart from regular studies, we try to conduct events for the kids.

For Independence Day, the children were encouraged to colour and make flags. The children held these flags and were all witness to the Flag Hoisting ceremony held on campus. While the ceremony was held with all fanfare, a small group of the public moved over to talk to the children curious to know why they had come over. The children sang the National Anthem to the small crowd that had gathered by; it was quite easy to see the pride on the gleaming small faces.......

Many people turned up to listen to the children.

Vande Mataram ...

Paper Bag Project- Continuum

2007-03-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

SIFE Somaiya has been working with the employment cell of NAB (National Association for Blind) for more than one year with special emphasis on the paper bag project. The employment cell of NAB helps capable blind youngsters to get a suitable job in the industry. The time and effort required for this purpose is phenomenal. This can be judged as only about 20-30 youngsters get placed every year. Self sufficiency in this period becomes an important task. Teaching them the craft of making paper bags, candles, envelopes etc enables an earning opportunity and a skill for lifetime. The project was taken up by the batch of year 2005. The initial efforts were put in to develop the paper bags and work out a cost structure. Efforts were put in to market the paper bags which were not successful during the initial stages.

At present, improved quality paper bags have been developed and new range of products have been made available like carry bags, gift envelopes, wine bottle bags, jewelers bags etc. The bags can be customized as per requirement. Efforts are put in to market these and also to integrate these with the products of other SIFE communities. Some success at this juncture is expected. The students provide insight to these youngsters on how to market their products and together they have been able to garner a few business deals in and around Ghatkopar area.

Picture shows person from NAB handing over the first batch of Paper Envelopes to Naina's Gift Shop Owner,Ghatkopar(E)

As far as the students are concerned, the onus lies in handing over the reins to the community and making them self sufficient. This is done by involving the community after the initial marketing contact has been made. This process which needs to be more organized is being looked into and will be taught comprehensively to the members so that SIFE Somaiya works only as a support system , a system which helps these people to prosper.

PROJECT UNNATI – giving talent a chance

2007-03-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

Basic Issue

The current income levels for the families are just about sufficient for their survival. The future of their children remains uncertain. They need to find alternative sources of income in order to realize their dream of a better life.

Target Community

Dhokali – Thane

Objectives

• Economic empowerment of the women from the lower strata of society.
• To create entrepreneurs out of these women.
• To build a sustainable business model for income generation in the community.

Methodology

Current Status• Kits containing a tailoring book, pair of scissors, thread, measure tape, drawing book, pencil, eraser, chalk & needles have been provided.• Training in tailoring has commenced for both the batches.• 8 Sessions have been held.

No of hours put into project -450

Team Members - Snigdha Tripathi, Nimsha Bhardwaj, Srikanth Reddy B, Pramod Boga,Aravind VS,Saikat Ghosh ,Sujeeth Shetty, Premlakshmi,Ela Johri,Neha Gupta,Ruchika Wadhwa,Raghav Grover,Suveni Tameri.

Project Shiksha

2007-01-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

Project Shiksha

" For some education is a right...

For many, it’s a privilege. "

Project Shiksha aims to mentor and tutor students in the age group 12-16 years in order to reduce the current drop out rate in schools in the target community, i.e., Behrampada. This will be done through educational workshops held over weekends. The objective is to make children realize the importance of education and opportunities it provides for a sound future.

We also aim to set up a library in the community to supplement the education project, encourage the reading habit among children and give them exposure to quality educational material.

The project team has surveyed the community to identify the feasibility of setting up a children’s library. We sensed an acute problem with respect to huge rates of dropout in schools after standard seven. This is owing to the poor teaching standards in municipality schools at lower levels. Thereafter, these students are unable to cope up with middle and high-school curricula when they join secondary (private) schools at the next level.
Moreover parents were more than willing for any effort to help their kids study and grow. This made the group think of starting tutorials/ workshops for the kids who are dropping out of education system due to unavailability of proper guidance.

We are in the process of collecting old/ second-hand books for starting up the library and aim to have it up and running by end of February. The main sources of books are colleges across SIMSR campus and private schools in Mumbai.

Meanwhile we will conduct workshops in the community over weekends. One workshop has already been conducted, which comprised the mixed age -group of 7-13 year olds. The workshop comprised a memory game and story telling by children through pictures. This workshop was enjoyed by the kids, and has paved the way for and encouraged Shiksha team to carry on with the workshops in future with fervor. The aim of the workshops would be to mentor students, tutor them and encourage them to develop the habit of reading.

The team currently consists of 6 members, and we would like to welcome all interested SIMSRites aboard. We would appreciate if you pour in your suggestions/ comments/ feedback about the project through this blog.

Pictures of Children Attending the Workshop

Mehendi Team, SIFE-Somaiya

2007-01-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Scope of Mehendi Project :

This project aims at bringing together a few ladies of Prateeksha nagar & training them in mehendi art, tattoos and other skills like nail art so as to enable them to earn a living and become independent.

Number of students involved-7

A group of 7 women were identified from the area . We have also identified a mehendi art trainer among these ladies, who will be training the other ladies in the required skills. We hold regular workshops with them in the college teaching them how to maintain the accounts, keep diaries, communicate with clients, note down their telephone numbers, address and finally fix appointments besides teaching them other etiquettes and manners needed for interacting with customers.

Achievements:

We have successfully setup Mehendi kiosks in Inorbit Mall, Malad. The kiosks were set for 3 days from morning 10 to evening 8. Many customers were attracted and it was a good deal. These attempts have brought a lot of confidence among the ladies and they are slowly learning & developing marketing skills.

Discrepancies:

The following discrepancies were observed when the kiosk was set up:
1) The ladies could not converse comfortably with the customers.
2) The confidence level of the ladies was quite low.
3) They could not keep the accounts.

Plan of Action:

1) An attempt was made to train the ladies to improve their communication / interpersonal skills.
2) They are being trained to handle accounts, keep diaries, fix appointments.

We plan to setup kiosks in other malls, multiplexes and Vidyavihar campus itself and are looking out for opportunities for the same. Besides this, we are also working towards getting associated with popular matrimony sites inorder to promote our services are reach our target customers soon. We are having talks with Standard Chartered Bank for their association with SIFE and especially Mehendi.

Presenting " The MicroFinance Team "

2007-01-18T08:50:00.000-08:00

The Idea

To use the successful modal of microfinance in the SIFE Somaiya projects to encourage sustainability of projects.

The Objective

· Encouraging the concept of self-reliance.
· Ensure serious involvement of the community in the project.
· Empowerment of weaker sections especially women.
· To self sustain the projects.
· To encourage the concept of microfinance.

Proposed benefactors

Banks which are interested in the process of development.
NGOs which are working for financial self reliance.
Microfinance Institutions

Beneficiaries

The communities associated with SIFE Somaiya projects.
Women of weaker sections.
The women associated with Sahas (Somaiya)

Intended plan of action

Convince the beneficiaries and approach Mr. Qazi of SBI Bank with the plan.
Assist the beneficiaries for the process.
Ensure that there is a timely recovery of loans.
To guide and felicitate them for smooth working progress.

Workshops

We have organized 2 workshops till now for the formation of the SHG. These workshops were attended by some of the eminent members of the society who encouraged these women to form the Self Help Group. Some of these speakers who attended the workshop were Mrs. Kumud Kapadia (Active Social Worker and also assisting in the embroidery project), Mrs. Madhu Panjabi (Bank Manager NABARD), Mrs. Nirmala Shetty (Founder Owner of the Nirmala Beauty Clinic), Mr. Qazi (AGM SBI Microfinance and Credit cell), Mrs. Shobha Javalgekar (Officer and Trainer in Maharashtra Cell for Entrepreneurship Development), Ms. Ranjana Kaushal (Leading Social Worker and Sahas Coordinator).

Mr.Quazi -AGM SBI Microfinance and Credit cell ,talking to the Self Help Group as Ms.Ranjana Kumar,SAHAS coordinator looks on during the Workshop held in Somaiya campus on 13th December,2006

Current Status

The SHG has been initially formed and as of now 19 ladies have formed part of the SHG.

The women are trained by Sahas Somaiya in different fields to start some income generation activities.
Ms. Ranjana Kumar of Sahas Somaiya and Mr. Qazi of SBI are assisting us in the process.

SHG team members

1) Amrupali
2) Meena
3) Mahima
4) Geeta (Embroidery)
5) Anita
6) Roshni
7) Anjali
8) Suvarna
9) Jagriti
10) Monika
11) Pramila 1
12) Maya
13) Suman (Embroidery)
14) Abhinatri
15) Ujjwala
16) Pramila 2 (Embroidery)
17) Shabana (Mehendi)
18) Neelu (Mehendi)
19) Priya (Mehendi)

Future Plans

The primary objective of the group will be ensuring success of the SHG formed by providing adequate assistance. The group is planning to implement the model in the other areas too. We are also planning to develop street plays to educate the women of the lower strata.

Project Asha: Embroidery Training to underpriviledged women

2006-12-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

SIFE and "Women Empowerment"
Thats what Project Asha is all about...

Objective:
"Empower women from deprived sections by providing embroidery design skills and basic infrastructure and ensure a business process to market their products."

Our aim would be to help achieve the following things:
Help develop specific skill sets
Help them understand the business process and how markets work
Eventually, help them gain confidence to earn on their own and face the world with confidence.

Service and Methodology:
High end embroidery training to be given to women. The women will be selected from the SHG which is in the process of being formed through SAHAS(Somaiya Action for HIV/AIDS Support). We have identified the trainer, Mrs Kumud Kapadia who has agreed to train the women for a period of two months. Initially a group of 5 will be trained at the trainers house , 2 days per week.
Depending on the skillset achieved, the trainer herself will provide part of her work to them.On successful completion of the initial work, we plan to rope in bulk orders from the market.Side by side, we plan to provide training classes in financial literacy ,marketing skills and help them understand how markets work.

TimeLine:
Training will commence on January 4th,2007.

PRAGATI: SIFE and Safe Drinking Water...

2006-05-24T01:15:00.001-07:00

Vision:

“Providing underprivileged families, access to clean drinking water by promoting Women based entrepreneurial initiatives”The Problem:The Behrampada, Mumbai community, comprising of approximately 1,70,000 households suffer from the problem of contaminated drinking water. The problem here could mainly be attributed to the fact that the water supply pipes intersect the open sewer lines at many points, which, given the porous condition of the pipes lead to contamination by inward seepage. This is not an isolated incident. The underlying objective is to come up with a customised solution which can be safey and effectivels adapted to other needy areas as well.

The Approach :

Pragati has been implemented in colaboration with Engineers for a sustainable world (ESW), Berkeley chapter. Pragati ollows a two-pronged strategy of solving the core issue of clean drinking water by introducing point of use filter (named “Haath mein Sehad” filters), while at the same time empowering local populace (with an emphasis on women) by continued training and entrepreneurial initiatives.

Current phase:

This program has moved through an awareness creation phase, as the first step to any solution is the realization. Water filters have been designed, prototyped and tested with help from ESW Berkeley. Eight filters have been sold to the community at a subsidised price of Rs 250/- and these filters have been monitored on a monthly baisis. (For latest information check dsd.lbl.gov/BWC/mumbai )

Pragati holds a lot of hope in a world where clean drinking water is fast becoming a luxury. This project is a bold step as it envisions not only an economic solution to a critical problem, but also an equitable world, through self-action. Changing the world, the SIFE way!

PRAGATI: SIFE and Safe Drinking Water...

2006-05-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

Vision:“Providing underprivileged families, access to clean drinking water by promoting Women based entrepreneurial initiatives”The Problem:The Behrampada, Mumbai community, comprising of approximately 1,70,000 households suffer from the problem of contaminated drinking water. The problem here could mainly be attributed to the fact that the water supply pipes intersect the open sewer lines at many points, which, given the porous condition of the pipes lead to contamination by inward seepage. This is not an isolated incident. The underlying objective is to come up with a customised solution which can be safey and effectivels adapted to other needy areas as well.The Approach :Pragati has been implemented in colaboration with Engineers for a sustainable world (ESW), Berkeley chapter. Pragati ollows a two-pronged strategy of solving the core issue of clean drinking water by introducing point of use filter (named “Haath mein Sehad” filters), while at the same time empowering local populace (with an emphasis on women) by continued training and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Current phase:This program has moved through an awareness creation phase, as the first step to any solution is the realization. Water filters have been designed, prototyped and tested with help from ESW Berkeley. Eight filters have been sold to the community at a subsidised price of Rs 250/- and these filters have been monitored on a monthly baisis. (For latest information check dsd.lbl.gov/BWC/mumbai )
Pragati holds a lot of hope in a world where clean drinking water is fast becoming a luxury. This project is a bold step as it envisions not only an economic solution to a critical problem, but also an equitable world, through self-action. Changing the world, the SIFE way!

SIFE & Energy: Project Urja

2005-12-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

“Urja hi jeevan hai, ise aane wali peedhi ke liya bachaaiye”

Vision:

To control and prevent wastage of electrical energy so that the natural resources such as coal, gas, oil etc. which are used for producing power are conserved for our future generations.

“Energy conservation means having the same comfort or performance levels while using less energy & without incurring any additional cost”.

The Problem:

The basic aim of conserving electricity is to save energy cost. You will be surprised to know that, wasteful use of electrical energy costs us 25 to 30% of our energy bill, which could have been avoided had we taken adequate care.

The action we take today will have a direct impact on the economy and would decide the kind of world our future generation would have to live in Conservation of Electricity

The Approach:

Project Urja follows a strategy of solving the core issue of preventing wasteful use of energy by educating the people about the importance of energy conservation. This will be done with the help of technical experts like PCRA (Petroleum Conservation & Research Association) & mentors from the corporate industry including Tata Power & Reliance energy. The idea is to create awareness among the people who actually will make our project self sustainable by mouth publicity after seeing the tangible benefits of saving huge energy bill.

How we will do it:

Together we will do it and make it possible. The PCRA has already promised it’s technical support by providing the Banners, Handouts & brochures. The target group would be middle class and upper middle class who are educated & will understand the urgency & importance of the project. An area near Chembur has already been identified where this project would be implemented in the first phase. Awareness would be created among the target audience by educating them about the energy saving tips & this would be crosschecked by showing them the difference in their present energy fill & energy bill after implementing the energy saving tips. Plans are to rope in some corporate sponsors who can encourage this people by providing some gift vouchers if they save more than 25% of energy in any particular month by implementing the proposed energy saving tips. This will ensure a win-win situation for corporates as well as the target audience by bringing in a Corporate Social Responsibility factor for corporate & which will indirectly motivate the people to save more & more energy for future generation.

Current phase:

Currently a team is already working on persuading some corporate sponsors to sponsor this activity as a part of their CSR. Other team has already started the implementation of this project by educating the people in the identified area. Efforts for finding a mentor from corporate like Tata Power & Reliance energy are already going on. Again I would like to repeat that together we can ensure a safe future for our coming generations. Come & join us on this “project urja” with a social cause and having a national concern. Your suggestions are always welcomed……..

Project Apricot Oil

2005-12-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

AAROHI-APRICOT OIL AND FACE SCRUB

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of the project is to help the NGO Aaorhi to increase the sales of its apricot oil & face scrub in mumbai. Aarohi’s activities are intensely focused in 54 villages in four blocks of Nainital District, reaching out to an estimated population of 24,000 people.12000 farmers are benefiting from the sale of apricot seeds and processing activities.

METHODOLOGY/APPROACH FOLLOWED:
The first and foremost thing is to develop a communication strategy for the products. Once that is developed then all the premium beauty parlours will be targeted and products sold to them. The reason for targeting the beauty parlours is that once the parlours start patronizing these products then more distributors could be appointed since now not many people are willing to distribute the products because of the low market presence of the products. Also it would give Aaorhi more bargaining power when negotiating with the prospective distributors with regards to the margins.

STATUS OF THE PROJECT:
A communication strategy is being developed. We are in the process of listing out all the benefits of apricot oil and face scrub vis- a- vis the other products available in the market. Each and every benefit is being traced to the respective micro-constituent present in the oil and the feasibility of obtaining a scientific approval from any research center is being worked out. A product brochure has been developed but rework has to be done on it. Once the communication strategy is developed then the team will go to the premium beauty parlours and market the products to them.

Sankalp - Paperbags

2005-12-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

Objective
Develop a self sustainable business for a socially challenged group (Blind/Old women) working (or inclined to work) in making a creative product (paper bags) as a means of livelihood.

Why Paper bags?
After recent deluge in Mumbai, need for an alternative to plastic packaging was aptly demonstrated. We studied the market and found that market has matured to make a shift for paper bags. It also requires a simple process to make a paper bag, which can easily be manufactured by a socially challenged group like blind.

Progress so far:
Started with an article in Mumbai Mirror, about Blind students making creative paper bags.

We visited Victoria Memorial School for blind, Tardeo and found that blind are very efficient in making paper bags. Thus we developed an understanding with them under which we will use their expertise in teaching other blind to manufacture paper bags.

Customer requirement was identified through talks with potential customers like Pantaloon. Revealed the challenges involved in establishing this business.

Methodology
Our project will be phased in two phases
We will proceed by identifying a community which can be benifited with this plan identifying and developing market for paperbags
1) By making people more aware about the use of papaerbags
2) By roping in retail store (crossword, jweallery shops..) to purchase these paperbags
3) By identifying various potential customers that is, retailer or shops where product sold is of higher value and light in weight.

Next Step
Identify a group working or inclined to work in making paper bags.

Vikalp: Sife & Financial literacy

2005-12-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Vision:

To make the young, impressionable population of the country more aware of the financial opportunities that lie ahead of them by getting together the best money managers from among them to teach and guide the others towards a bright, financially viable future.

Plan Of Action:

The youth project will take off with the help of a business plan competition, which will be thrown open to all students between the ages of 18 and 25. Eminent personalities from the world of banking and finance will select the 5 best entries from the proposals received based on effective financial budgeting of the proposed plans. The students so selected will aid us in enabling the underprivileged sections of society (16 to 25 age group, in particular) to understand the importance of financial management. This will be done through periodic lectures and games conducted by us under their guidance
A three-day workshop will be organized for women entrepreneurs women students who come from weaker economic backgrounds as well as young from vocational training institutes in the city.
The workshop will consist of programs on attitude and personality development, business proposal writing, team skills, basic computer literacy for business and simulated business workshops.
Speeches by successful women entrepreneurs in the community, films on business ventures run by women and incentives for the best business proposal will also form a part of the workshop.

Sustainability:

Superior performers will be identified from the youth workshops and encouraged to continue the literacy project in the similar fashion, the following year. Similarly, in the women’s workshop, all participants will be encouraged to write business proposals of their own, which will be given to bank managers to judge and process. The best ones will receive bank loans for their venture and will serve as role models for the following year when another workshop will be conducted.

Mehndi: The SIFE way to a colourful life..

2005-12-09T04:31:00.000-08:00

“Mehndi - The colour of life”

The Opportunity:

Mehndi (Myrtle) leaves are widely used in India for drawing a temporary tattoo on hand and feet. It is quite popular among women during festivals and a must at the time of marriage as per Hindu traditions. People from various religions like Islam, Christian and Sikh et al also use it widely. This highlights the unique cultural integration and Unity in Diversity of India.

The Idea:

We plan to set up Kiosks in five star hotels and malls for providing service for applying Mehndi on the hands and feet. In second stage we plan to start a home service, special service for marriage and perpetuate this to other cities.

This project will provide employment opportunities to women associates of an NGO. This service will give us first a platform to sustain our tradition of applying Mehndi. As part of our business plan, we also see new jobs being created as an outcome of our endeavor. This will further perpetuate the very essence of entrepreneurship across the board.

We are targeting foreigners, working women and upper class income group of Mumbai, India.
We will provide them Mehndi in the ambience of an ethnicity, relinquishing their interest in Mehndi.

The Present Situation:

At present, the subject industry is an unorganized one crowded with a gamut of parallel service providers like beauty parlors, roadside operators but the toughest challenge is from ladies who visit home and apply Mehndi

The Plan:

We shall partner with chain of 5 Star Hotels in Mumbai. We will involve leading fashion designers and page 3 people to create an interest in our product. We will also team up with dermatologist to add reliability to concept.

We will design the kiosk on Mehndi theme with special seating arrangement, lights and an exclusive shelf for displaying designs of Indian relics. A special focus would be laid on experiential marketing wherein each element would be well thought of right from the time a prospect enters our premise till she exits with our receipt. Our workers will be trained to handle each and every nitty gritty of the service that will be extended. Each element to service would project our passion for Mehndi in turn exemplifying a whole new experience for the prospect.

Ø We will use technology to enable quick dry feature for wet Mehndi on hands and feet.

Ø As Mehndi is used at the time of festivals, we will start providing other services like audio CDs of ethnic music, providing service of Pundits, Bengali Alta, Chandan, Tattoo for kids, Mehndi Agarbatti etc.

Ø Organize contests in school and colleges for designing Mehndi.
Sell Mehndi packs and accessories for use at home.

the other dimension

2005-12-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Students in free enterprise!
WE ARE THE SIFE TEAM OF SIMSR,MUMBAI,INDIA.
SIFE philo:

Community service-
Give me a fish, i eat for a day; teach me to fish and i eat for a lifetime.

Teaching-
tell me and i will forget
show me and i might remember
involve me and i will learn.

Leadership-
People support what they help create.

Founded in 1975,SIFE has grown to become one of the largest university based organization in the world. SIFE teams are active in colleges and universities in more than 45 countries througout six continents.

The challenge to SIFE teams is not simply to inform,but also to empower -to help their target audiences reach their full potential through a better understanding of the principles of free enterprise.
Individually,SIFE teams are improving the quality of life and living standards of their communities.
Collectively,the focused effort of hundreds of SIFE teams and the thousands of faculty,students and supporting community leaders driving these teams, has created a positive and sweeping force for change that has an impact upon the lives of millions and is literally changing the world.

SIFE SIMSR team is currently undertaking six community based projects.
Subsequnet posts will put more light on the subject. Flow of ideas is the basic objective of this forum.
vague to vivid
constructive to destructive
analytical to technical
political to social
Lets set the square rolling..........

cheers!
JK

SIFE @ SIMSR goes digital

2005-12-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

This is a freee world.... share your ideas