Card making @Vriddhi ( www.vriddhi.org )

These cards have been created by the students of Vriddhi. We arranged a card making competition for the students and not surprisingly they were full of ideas and thoughts. There was no particular theme. So students had the liberty of putting colors to their thoughts. They came up with some wonderful creations. This picture represents just a few of them.As you can see from the picture the prizes have also been donated by well wishers.
People keep asking me ... how can they create such nice things ? I say... they do everything from their heart and that's why everything our children creates is beautiful........
So what does Vriddhi do with with these wonderful creations ? Does Vriddhi give these cards prolonged shelf-lives... ? .......Never......

We Vriddhites use these drawings to make greeting-cards. We produce each drawing on glossy cards in huge numbers.Anyone can take these cards from us and donate a sum which goes to meet the children's educational costs ( like buying books, other materials etc). This is a part of our fund raising program. If you want to have some of these wonderful creations and contribute to a child's education, please contact Vriddhi ( you can contact me also ). For more information visit www.vriddhi.org .

I would also thank all of us ( the members of Vriddhi ) who make programs like this successful.

Tech Bridge at Vriddhi

To tell about the tech-bridge program at Vriddhi, first let me tell about Vriddhi.
To describe in one line, Vriddhi is the journey for all who want to help society and in turn help himself/herself live in a better 'place'. We founded Vriddhi to explore the ways in which we can help others and to explore those ways which most people like to 'talk' about only.

Tech Bridge is one of the most important programs of Vriddhi, our NGO . Tech-bridge is a consulting program where Vriddhi's members render their service to boost another NGO or non-profit technologically. As the name suggests, through tech-bridge we try to bridge the technological gap that exists between the non-profit and a modern-day technologically sound organization. For example most of the old organizations continue using age old methods of accounting, auditing ... let alone the use of huge number of paper files
often leading to loss of data and important information. We help them move to modern technologies. Like using softwares like MSAccess, Excel to maintain 'data'. Besides this, we build websites ( free of cost ) for the non-profits and NGOs who do not have one.

You may think how can website building help ? ... Actually website is the first point of contact between an organization and an outsider. Website for NGOs helps attract donors. It contains several 'audit' related information to maintain transparency.Besides these, a non-profit can let the entire world know about it's activities through the website only. So we feel like other components in today's world a website in an integral part of any organization.

We have commenced our Website building program through Tech-bridge for DKS ( Dakshin Kalikata Sevasram - www.dksevasram.org ). The website has been developed from scratch by the members of Vriddhi.

So the next question is how we do it ?

We have meetings with the governing body of the non-profits and decide on the content and layout .Updation of the websites are also done on a monthly/fortnightly basis ( as needed ). We also teach some members or inmates of the non-profit about updation and maintaining the website , so that they can do the activity themselves in future though we are always there for any kind of help.

Our tech-bridge program of Dakshin kalikata Sevasram was a great success and the website and our efforts were appreciated by all.
It was the best 'Diwali gift' as told by one of the members of the governing body of the Sevasram. Moreover the website was inaugurated by hon. Maharaj from Ramakrishna Mission Sevapratisthan in the presence of eminent people like Ms. Swagwatalakshmi ( an eminent singer ), Ms. Pronoti Thakur ( an eminent reciter ) and others. We could fill our hearts with their wishes. Thanks to all the members of Vriddhi !!

For more information log on to www.vriddhi.org
and if you are from an NGO or a non-profit and you need a website or any of our services ..........please do not hesitate to contact us.

But if you are a for-profit organization you should take the help of some 'for-profit' people :)



Besides this

VOTE - Change INDIA and OUR future

I am writing this blog just after I have voted.I feel happy that I have encouraged two of my friends to vote who were non-voters till date.

To other non-voters : If you feel that your voices and issues are never paid attention to, this is the time to make an impact,a minute's decision of yours can change the surroundings around you.But , if you are not voting just as to spend a holiday, then you are making a fool of yourself.No impact so large can be done within such a short span of time.So please vote.Even if you think everyone is non-deserving, vote for the least non-deserving.Whoever you want to vote for, just vote........Because only people like you and me can change things around us... vote and make us the cause of that change.

To the voters : keep it up !! people like us are trying their best to change ourselves and change socio-economic-political condition of our county....vote and change India and our future.........

Thanks for reading.........

Sankalp Foundation – Kolkata Chapter ..... It is a small start with a big goal

Please do not stop if you are interested enough by reading the title to go through this excerpt .

    I would say Sankalp foundation is a journey for a lot of people like me. Everybody has some core humanitarian values which they nurture since childhood.But most of them fail to implement these values in real life. Sankalp foundation is such an organization that provides these people a 'foundation' where they can apply their skills  for the betterment of the society. For details on the philosophy and activities of Sankalp Foundation visit http://www.sankalpfoundation.org. 

   For me Sankalp Foundation is a 'dream come true'. I have always wanted to  serve the society and do whatever good with my skills however limited they may be. I have started providing free tuitions to needy students helping them get into good engineering institues to the likes of NITs etc quite a long time back.But I wanted to do something more constructive.I wanted to start an NGO where there would be as many as good activities as possible. I joined the 'Teach India Movement' and joined Institute of Psychological and Educational Research where I used to teach underprivileged students of class v - vi .

   After I joined IBM, a friend of mine namely Krishna expressed his wish to serve the needy people. As his philosophy was aligned with that of mine we decided we set up an NGO in Kolkata.Meanwhile our college friends from Jadavpur University set up an NGO in Hyderabad and we decided to form a Kolkata Chapter of the same.

So , after more than two months of groundwork by Krishna Bajaj and me , Avisek Senapati, Sankalp Foundation Kolkata has started its operations in Kolkata in January 2009.It’s philosophy aligns with that of other chapters of Sankalp Foundation. The Kolkata members are dedicated to work towards the betterment of the society. All activities undertaken are done on voluntary basis.

 Our recent activities include :

1) Providing Basic Education

2) Career Counseling

3) Providing Basic Computer Education.

4) Providing guidance on a few professional computer courses like photoshop, pagemaker, MS-Excel etc which will help our students to find earning opportunities in future.

5) Tying up with organizations who believe in our ideology and working with them in Kolkata for the betterment of the society.

 Our volunteers ( most of whom work in different organizations or are students and work for our NGO ) are involved with various activities like teaching , workshops etc. All the courses taught are first conducted for a few weeks on the basis of the feedback the particular school provides and later after analyzing the students’ progress and needs, classes are customized to maximize the benefit for the students.

 

-- For example our members are now teaching ‘basics’ ( Mathematics, English, Spoken English etc ) and providing computer education to a large group of students/children of Dakshin Kolkata Sevasram ( an orphanage near Shishu Mangal, Hazra ).

 

--- Classes on Photoshop will start very recently in Dakshin Kolkata Sevasram .

 

 

We are also in constant talk with other institutions and even foreign nationals.

We are constantly innovating ways and working towards the betterment of our society in every way we can.

 

 If you are interested to join us in our journey  feel free to mail me at avisek.senapati@gmail.com

We need good people to come forward and take responsibility.

Thanks a lot for reading. Also feel free to post your comments and suggestions.

Is politics a profession ? or something more than that ?

    According to Oxford English Dictionary 'professions' involve the application of specialised knowledge of a subject, field, or science. So in that case we can definitely say that there are a handful of politicians who knows what good governance is all about. Even it's difficult to find any election without the involvement of hooligans.

     'Politics' to me is more than mere profession. It is more of a responsibility of the the entire populace who are voting and even not voting for a particular politician. An MP or an MLA etc earn a lot of money and enjoy various perks but do they do justice to their 'profession' ? ..Should there be an annual review on the performance of a particular MP or MLA and should that be published in the newspapers ?? ..Like people in every profession go through a year end review  of his/her performance, the values that he/she has added to his organization and also to himself and he/she is rated accordingly.. the responsible ministers should also have a year end review. People must know how successfully has the candidate performed his duties, which responsibilities he/she has failed to shoulder, what are his future goals and objectives etc.These would also have an effect on the politician's next elections.This may in turn help ( or even force ) him to perform better.

    

     On our part, when we are electing a particular person, we must be sure that he has that requisite 'skills' and knowledge to govern . My views may differ from others' but I must say that I would like to vote for a person who comes into politics not just to enjoy the tax-payer's money but who feels an urge inside him/her to better the society. 

ARE WE INDEPENDENT ...

What does FREEDOM mean to us?
Do we really celebrate it ?
Or pass it like a single day fuss..
Do we know our hero's name
Who has given Indians
A lot of pride and fame...

Even after sixty years
Have we wiped the billion tears ?
Who live with such pain
To make us think of
Our Independence again !

So what does freedom really mean
Is it the celebration of
Every Indian's dream ?
Or just as every day and night
15 August takes an ether's flight ;

Has India really awaken
From the dark patch
Of sixty years?
Do the hymns of the greatest men
Really resound in our ears ?
Have we ever in our life
Chanted the words"VANDE MATARAM"
Do we still stand up when we listen to
"JANA GANA MANN"

Are we the people who have
Taken "Things " for granted ?
Are we them who have
Taken Millions of deaths for granted ?
Because many of us have earned
Our freedom free -
And enjoy it like a spree :

But " freedom is our birth right "
And we must celebrate it
With all our might
But in the deepest core of our hearts
Many a question remains unanswered....

How will we contribute to
India's glory and fame ?
How will we make ourselves worth
Our " Indian " name ?
To make India in the truest sense
INDEPENDENT once again !