Hope. Dream. Change. Empower.

Each of us has an entrepreneurial spirit. A passion that—if unleashed—can inspire others to act. A talent that—if developed—can create opportunity for ourselves, our families and our communities. An idea that—if cultivated—can build a healthier, more prosperous and peaceful world. Together, we are “Enactus”.

At the Enactus National  Competition organized by Enactus India in association with partners KPMG, Syntel, Unilever, Walmart, Cargill, Mahindra, Tata Chemicals, First Rand Bank, Regus, Hershey’s and BNY Mellon, all present experienced a deluge of ideas, a tremendous display of talent and a sense of pride. It was a phenomenally huge competition with 52 teams from all over India vying for recognition at the national level.

“Hope. Dream. Change. Empower”, was Enactus Somaiya Social Cell’s war cry for the competition. Among the five inspiring projects undertaken by Enactus SSC, we showcased two projects namely, Project Mogra and Project Kruti. 

Project Mogra is a social entrepreneurship project that was started with the purpose of stopping migration of the farmers, who were all paddy cultivators for 4 months of the year and working as construction site workers for the remaining part of the year. Project Mogra trained these farmers to do Mogra Cultivation. This project had a tremendous impact on the village, creating healthier family life and better standard of living for these farmers.

Project Kruti trained rural women in the art of bag-making. They were trained to stitch bags using Banhatti cotton and Kasuti Embroidery which are both indigenous to this region. This not only helped promote a local art form but also impacted the power loom industry and local vendors in this region.

“Word hard in silence, Let success make the noise” is something Enactus Somaiya Social Cell has always believed in. And lot of noise we did make.  

Following are the awards we received:

• We stood third in our league sponsored by Syntel

• Prof. Asha Bhatia received the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award for guiding the Enactus SSC team successfully throughout the year

• The highlight achievement of the evening was when Enactus SSC won the prestigious Enactus Special Unilever Competition for Leadership and Sustainability

But does it end with competition for us. The answer all Enactus SSC members give is an emphatic “NO”. The competition was an excellent opportunity to appreciate others and be appreciated, leading to us being more motivated than ever. Because we at Enactus Somaiya Social Cell are Still Hoping, Still Dreaming, Still Changing, Still Empowering - Our journey continues - Many more lives to touch, many more smiles to spread.

Contributors:

Binjal Salil Shah

Urvi Dharamshi

Education As A Way Of Life

Education is for life, not merely earning a living and Team FinLit at Enactus Somaiya Social Cell strives to contribute to the cause of providing education to the underprivileged and giving India a chance to speak, read and write for a fresh, literate and visionary Bharat.

As a part of this, on 5th March 2014, Finlit organised a prize distribution ceremony for the 9^th standard students of Adrash Vidyalaya (which is one of our associate schools) coupled with an interaction with the guest of honor, Mr. and Mrs. Raikar from IIFL Ltd.

The event started at 10:00 AM with an auspicious lamp lightening ceremony as a tribute to Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and art followed by the ceremonial Somaiya Prayer. This was followed by a welcome speech by the faculty co-ordinator of Enactus SSC Prof. Asha Bhatia. 

The guest of honour, Mr. Sudhir Raikar, interacted with the students and discussed the importance of financial literacy and savings with the students. This was followed by the prize distribution ceremony for the meritorious students of Adarsh Vidyalaya and felicitation of the teachers of Adarsh Vidyalaya for their continuous support towards the cause.

The event ended on an extremely positive note with the senior faculty members of SIMSR Prof. Asha Bhatia and Prof. Pankaj Trivedi giving a token of appreciation to the guest of honours Mr. and Mrs. Raikar followed by a formal vote of thanks to Adarsh Vidyalaya, volunteers of Enactus SSC, Mr. and Mrs. Raikar and the faculty of SIMSR.


This event was not only a great learning experience for the students of Adarsh Vidyalaya but also a great platform for team Finlit to increase collaboration with IIFL and work in unison to ensure greater financial inclusion in India. 

Contributor:
Prerna Malhotra
Enactus - Somaiya Social Cell

Enactus SSC organizes 'Click a Story' photography competition

         Click a Story    

Mirror continues to give me hope:

Objects are closer than they appear!

Similar were the thoughts in our mind when we toyed with the idea of expressing our feelings about poverty, unemployment, women harassment and other social evils.
But soon enough we realized that such deep thoughts can not be easily carved out in words.
We need special presentation interface to express them.. 
And Photography came to our rescue.

We, Enactus Somaiya Social Cell organised a special photography competition for all management and computer applications students from 24 march to 31 march keeping Somaiya Social Cell - Facebook as the platform to share the photographs. The event saw a massive response and the amount of depth in the photographs simply perplexed us. 

#Joint third_Shikha Mehta

Holds hope in his hands,He sells smiles, I bet he sells his smiles too
The grip is lose but,His eyes sparkle
His clothes ask questions
You pass him by just as you did before
As he sees your dreams and your life
He whispered, ‘I wish I could live like that.

Entries ranged from themes like hope, animal love, women empowerment, poverty to education. These entries have shaken the inner core of our hearts and we are forced to do something about it..

#Joint third_Tanvi Kamtekar

No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child...The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

#Second Prize_Chayanika Malik

The role of a woman transcends much beyond the role of a housemaker. Today's woman is strong, confident, informed and has a mind of her own and shoulders responsibilities along with men to make this world a better place to live.

#First Prize_Shardul Raut

"Like father, like son" said the world.
"No", he wished silently, not this time !!

All the winners will be given special prizes and certificates while all the participants will be awarded with a honor certificate.

To check out the best entries connect with our Facebook page : Somaiya social cell

    Suraj Kumar Bothra

    PGDM IB 2013-15

    Member- Enactus Somaiya Social Cell

Diwashi Trip – An Encounter with reality

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “To a poor man, god cannot appear except in the form of bread.” The truth in this cannot be completely comprehended unless one has a face off with poverty. That is exactly what this trip was for us, Enactus – Somaiya Social Cell members – a face-off with poverty.

130 kms from Mumbai is Dahanu, a small taluka in coastal Maharashtra. As we trudged along on a Sunday morning to Nareshwadi Learning centre on 23^rd Feb 2014, we never imagined it would take us so long to reach our destination which was still at an hour’s journey from there. Diwashi is a small village further from Nareshwadi, where the farmers, the main beneficiaries of Project Mogra reside.

As we interacted with Mr. Walvi, who represents the Girivanvasi Educational Trust (GVET) and handles the project there, we got a general idea of the farmers. The farmers have families of 5-6 members, lands of less than an acre and a monthly income of around Rs. 500-600 from their meager agricultural produce. Due to their low incomes, the males of the family work as laborers in nearby areas such as Vasai. The women of the family take care of the farms. Children of these families mainly study at the School in Nareshwadi Training Centre.

While we educated the farmers on Financial Literacy, we were faced with just one question. How do we save from our already insufficient income? There is no answer to that question.

The root cause of poverty lies somewhere deeper. And the root cause of most social issues in our country today lies in poverty. There is much work to be done, many people to be educated and many families to be uplifted. Let us all endeavor together to not rest till we empower each and every poor household. It is by each small step that we can fight poverty.

We left from Diwashi praying to the rain gods that the farmers be blessed with a bumper Mogra crop this season. And here’s hoping that our efforts would help them rise out of their current conditions.

Aarohi 2014 : Different...not less!

“You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are abled by the abilities you have” --Oscar Pistorius.

A little 5 year old, with unimaginable energy and enthusiasm, sprints like an athlete to win the race. He has cancer, is hyperactive, mentally disabled, and is one of the cutest kids you will ever meet. His mother’s eyes shine with tears as her little son waves his trophy in the air with a gurgling laugh. Wondering what event is this? Welcome to Aarohi 2014!

Aarohi 2014, was a “special” event organized by the Lions Club and assisting them in this endeavour was the Enactus Somaiya Social Cell. The two daylong event began with a song and dance competition for the special kids. From the heart-warming silent anthem by hearing impaired children to an awe inspiring dance performance by a mentally disabled child, the event packed a punch. By the end of this program, everyone present could not help but agree that there is this wonderful talent in every child!

If on the first day, we appreciated these little angels as audience, the second day gave us a little peek into their beautiful minds. Competing in games such as lemon in spoon, match the cards and relay races, these children displayed unbounded enthusiasm and zest for life. The event ended with an award ceremony, with the Enactus volunteers cheering loudest for the kids they had grown so attached to. At the end of these two fun filled, emotional and enjoyable days, we were surely physically tired, but mentally no one could have felt fresher.

Sometimes living in an intensely competitive environment and under huge stress, we forget to count our blessings. The hope, enthusiasm and infectious smiles of these little wonders made us appreciate life as it is, simple and pure.

Nareshwadi Field Trip – An Incredible Experience

Eleven of us from Enactus Somaiya Social Cell set out on a field trip early morning on 31^st Jan 2014. Nareshwadi Learning Centre, Dahanu is an 11-acre campus which boasts of a primary school, a high school and a vocational training institute. The campus is surrounded by a hospital, an organic farm and a goshala which provide better opportunities to the tribals in this area.

The Project Warli of Enactus Somaiya Social Cell was started as an initiative to empower the Warli tribe. The vocational training institute of Nareshwadi today not only trains the tribals to create world class Warli products but also assists in selling those. The Warli Products sold at Enactus Kiosk’s are sourced from here.

The visit to the vocational training institute was a required dose for us new Enactus Members. While working for our projects at the retail end has been enjoyable, we truly got insights into actual production of these artifacts when we saw them made. The tribal art of Warli is a combination artistry and storytelling and it signifies the bountiful culture and art of our country.

Team Warli aims to add a few new products to its catalogue this year. Samples of the new products were created and along with the Warli painters the team members took to brushes to learn the finer nuances of the art. Team Kruti also took initiatives to spread its wings in Nareshwadi. While all current Kruti products come from Sameerwadi, Karnataka, it seems a good idea to expand the project to empower the women of Nareshwadi.

The Enactus Team also interacted with a few kids studying at the Kokilaben Kotak Primary School at Nareshwadi. It was fun revisiting childhood rhymes through these children. The team further took a round of the farm which produces mainly fruits and the goshala which has around 40 cows. At the end of the day, none of us wanted to return to our busy and adulterated metro lives after a day spent in small indian village glory.

 

Leading Media Inc. meets Leading NGO

Leading Media Inc. meets Leading NGO

Indian media: 

• One good thing : Freedom to correspondents
• One bad thing   : Poor transparency  said Mr. Peter Horrocks,Global Head BBC

this extract if from a BBC-ENACTUS interaction held on 10th of January 2014 at Mayfair Banquets, Worli.

BBC, a market leader in Media industry had been toying with the idea of extending their Corporate social activities in rural India. Recently, they decided to come and have a real-time idea of the prevailing situations in some of the most backward areas in Bihar. 

Now, India is way too different than UK,US in many factors, so before starting out something big BBC decided to analyse the already operating NGOs in India and understand their Modus Operandi. Enactus India is a leading NGO that operates through many of their associates from various colleges and institutions.

Around 70 members from various branches of ENACTUS participated in the interaction with BBC top-notches. Also, present was Ms Preet Dhupar, COO,BBC India who also is associated with ENACTUS from a long time.

Event started with the presentations of two of the best ENACTUS teams from Mumbai. First team was from K J Somaiya institute and they presented their projects Kruti and Mogra to the audience followed by team from H.R. College presented on their project Aasha. Mr. Peter was curious enough to listen to both presentations very carefully and generous enough to come on the stage and appreciate us in an openhearted manner. From his experience in media he shared some of the story-telling techniques which were amazing.

This was followed by many questions from the ENACTUS members regarding diverse issues such as Indian media, Cultural differences, best way to reach people etc. 

After answering all the doubts and winding up his talk he discussed a very important thing about CSR.

He said : 

'We are dreaming a long time if we are doing CSR just to earn some media brownie points and think that we are morally correct!'

After Mr. Peter, Ms Preet commented on reforms in Indian media and improvements in governance of media which revived hope in the ambiance.
Now the learning from this session is just that: If we really want to 'help' someone we have to do away with the habit of materializing every thing and sometimes think from the heart.
The meet ended with delicious snacks and coffee.

Visit Enactus Somaiya Social Cell for regular updates

Corporate Social Responsibility- Need or Burden?

What is the business of business? Should businesses attempt to solve societal ills? Or should businesses merely maximize shareholder wealth? The debate on the Corporate Social Responsibility rages on! Today, CSR is entering a new era in India as companies comply with new legislations and respond to the expectations of society.

To give students an enlightened perspective on this hot topic, Enactus Somaiya Social Cell organized a panel discussion on “Impact of CSR in Economic Downturn” in the recently concluded Samavesh, 2013.

Today, in these tough economic times, will companies continue to act in a socially responsible manner? Or will the CSR activities be the first one to face the axe? Can the companies turn CSR expenses into strategic opportunities? These were some of the important questions discussed by the eminent panellists who were Mr. Pradeep Talpade- Ex CEO, L&T charitable trust, Mr. Murali G – CIO of Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance and Mr. Kaushal Mehta- Director, Protoninfosolutions Ltd.

The discussion opened on a lively note with the panellists defining CSR in a radical manner, drawing from their own professional experiences. The students were exposed to a whole new perspective as the panellists discussed CSR from the point of view of corporates. They were refreshingly upfront in saying the companies will always want to gain a strategic advantage through their social investments. This justifies the expenditure of the company and encourages them to take up more initiatives.

The panellists significantly emphasized on CSR simply being a profitable and responsible way of doing business. When looked at from this perspective, then the CSR activities would simply be unaffected by the economic upheavals. The highly debated new Companies bill which makes CSR mandatory for corporates was also discussed with fervour. The panellists were of the opinion that the bill can be an advantage to both the company and the society, if taken in the right spirit.

One of the points that the students lapped up with pleasure was regarding the growing plethora of opportunities in the field of CSR. The idea being that corporate social responsibility will soon be a job market in itself! The enlightening panel discussion ended with the panellists urging all the young and budding managers to be socially responsible entrepreneurs by making social responsibility a part of their daily life and everyday decisions.

Enactus Leadership Training – A day spent well!

In 1962, on the thirtieth anniversary of the first flight of Air India, JRD Tata re-enacted the original Bombay – Karachi flight in a vintage Airplane. He had taken this flight, he said, “… to remind his employees that the great airline we serve today was built from the smallest of beginnings, with little more to sustain it than the Love, the Sweat and the Devotion of those who worked for it.”

Tata’s have always been known in our country for their strong morals and humility. These values are still instilled in the current leadership of this global conglomerate. At the Enactus Leadership Training, we had the fortune to meet Mr. Mukund Rajan, who is in every way an embodiment of the values that Tata’s stand for. He is the Brand Custodian, Group Spokesperson and Chief Ethics officer of Tata Sons Ltd. He is also a great orator and listening to him has empowered us in many ways.

 

Later we did a case study discussion on a visual impairment case, moderated by Ms. Shruti Sharma, GM – Enactus India. She explained the Enactus model and Ideology with the help of this case with admirable ease. The case was in fact a real project implemented by Technical University of Munich, Germany, who were Enactus World Cup 2013 winners. Just a glimpse of the world winners gave us great insights into entrepreneurial possibilities and motivated us to work harder for our own projects. More details of their extraordinary project can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiD42NFXBUQ

Following this was Charulata R K, who enlightened us on Branding and Leadership. It was fun when she handed out books to people who answered her questions on analogies of Brands and Celebrities. Like elsewhere, SIMSR was on the forefront in winning books.

The session ended with an impromptu talk by Dr. Arup Basu who is the president – New Businesses and Innovation at Tata Chemicals Limited. It was interesting to know some facts about products such as Tata Salt which are ingrained in our daily lives in ways that we don’t even realize their existence.

All in all this training was an amazing experience that each of us Enactus members would treasure for life!