India
The gift of education
The Times of India has an article about our alumnus Channa Raju. Click here to read it.
COACH
Some of our students at Compassites have taken initiative in their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity, called COACH - Compassites On A Cause for Help. You can read more about it and see their presentation by downloading this zip file which has a slide presentation as images and a PDF document.
Sai Anandam
"We will build an orphanage" - This is what the Sai Students of Orissa at Bhubaneswar decided one fine morning in May 2007. What happened next was purely a manifestation of Bhagavan's Love and Grace which culminated in "Sai Anandam" -- an ashram (that is what they call the orphanage) that aims to provide love and bliss of Sai to the under-privileged brethren of society. Click here to go through the whole experience. (pdf file 146 kB).
Updates of Sai Anandam are available at saianandam.blogspot.com
Sai Seva Solutions (Serve and Inspire Simple Employment for Village Advancement)
Sai Seva Solutions (Serve and Inspire Simple Employment for Village Advancement) is a rural BPO unit started in Puattaparthi, a year ago on a not-for-profit basis, by four professionals -- two of them being our former students, Mr. R. Prashant, the CEO of his own company Trayee Business Solutions in Chennai and Mr. Sai Narain, Vice President in Standard Chartered Bank, Bangalore. They have thus brought well paid jobs right at the doorstep of the semi-skilled village folk, enabling them to earn a decent livelihood and also preventing the undesirable rural urban shift. None of its directors receive salaries. Salaries are paid to employees and other operational costs are met with revenues it generates, while the rest of the money will be spent towards rural education, medical and infrastructure causes.
Sai Seva works closely with a micro finance company called BASIX that promotes rural livelihood. Incidentally, two of our students are working in BASIX which is again an NGO working primarily to provide micro finance to rural folk. HDFC Bank, has now roped in Sai Seva Business Solutions, to conduct a wide range of non-core back office operations.
Click here to download Sai Seva's Newsletter in pdf format.
The Times of India group had reported on this: article available online at
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/HDFC_Bank_taps_rural_BPO_firm/articleshow/2254970.cms
HDFC Bank taps rural BPO firm
Mini Joseph Tejaswi | TNN
Bangalore: The trend of rural BPOs is gathering momentum. One of India's biggest private sector banks, HDFC Bank, has roped in Sai Seva (serve and inspire simple employment for village advancement) Business Solutions, a Puttaparthy-based rural BPO firm, to conduct a wide range of non-core back office operations. The bank's entire core back-office activities are channelled through its captive centre, Atlas Documentary Facilitators Company (ADFC).
A Rajan, country head (operations) of HDFC Bank, said, "This is the first time we are outsourcing to a rural BPO. It's a pilot project, but on successful completion the contract will be expanded. Our aim is to help educate rural youth to find jobs in their own villages instead of them being compelled to relocate to urban areas leaving their families behind. At the moment, the rural BPO initiative is small, but the impact over time could be very significant."
A 50-agent centre of Sai Seva will carry out image-based data capturing activity from August 15. It will include creating electronic records for all kinds of account requisitions, investment products and loans. To start with, the team will convert around 30,000 scanned images into data files a month. "Getting it done in rural areas will give us a vantage point in that market.'' Rajan added.
Sujatha Raju, one of the directors of Sai Seva, said the firm will soon open five more centres in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. "In the next couple of years, we will have over 2,000 rural BPO agents, who will stay in their own villages extending their support to farming, handicraft or any other occupation followed by their families. We will also offer them flexible work timing, sizable income and support for higher studies,"" she said.
Sai Seva was set up by four professionals—who were management students in Satya Sai University, Puttaparthy (Andhra Pradesh)—a year ago on a not-for-profit basis. None of its directors receive salaries. Salaries are paid to employees and other operational costs are met with revenues it generates, while the rest of the money will be spent towards rural education, medical and infrastructure causes.
Sai Seva works closely with a micro finance company, Basix, that promotes rural livelihood. It has been processing over 4,000 insurance claims for Basix. "Our BPO does not advocate grave-yard shifts," said Sai Narain C D K, one of the directors of Sai Seva.
Article in Deccan Herald about SSSU Alumni Medical CampsThe alumni-run medical camps article in Deccan Herald can be accessed online at
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct302007/spectrum2007102933031.asp
Free for all!
Free medical camps conducted by the alumni of Sri Sathya Sai University have benefited lakhs of people, writes Aruna Chandaraju.
At a classroom in Kadugodi Govt Junior College, D Seethalakshmi is receiving a quick lesson in oral hygiene. But no, she is no academic student nor is she being tutored by a college teacher. As part of the monthly medical camp organised at this venue by the alumni of Sri Sathya Sai University, the illiterate Seethalakshmi has not only been given a free consultation from a dentist and a month's supply of toothpaste and medicines, but also advice on oral health.
Quietly but very effectively, this camp is doing substantial work in the provision of good-quality, zero-cost medical care to the underprivileged. At every camp, held first Sunday of each month, about 2,000 patients are given free medical treatment, provided a month's supply of medicine free of cost, and served free lunch before they leave. The diabetics are additionally provided breakfast. Since these camps have been functioning for the past 11 years, lakhs of people have benefited from them.
About 30 doctors (and an equal number of nurses) representing specialties like orthopedics, general medicine, pediatrics, gynaecology, ophthalmology, ENT, dentistry, etc., and 60 alumni members have been working to keep this camp running month after month all these years. The doctors, all volunteers, are either successful private practitioners or faculty members at some of Bangalore's best hospitals.
The Bangalore-based alumni take care of onsite arrangements like setting up clinics with the necessary equipments, organising doctors' transport, purchasing medicines, stocking pharmacies, organising lunch for patients, etc.
However, the huge amount of finance needed for a philanthropic venture of this kind is met by these Bangaloreans as well as other alumni scattered across India and abroad. The camp is supported solely by Sathya Sai University alumni of the four colleges at Bangalore, Puttaparthi, Allike and Muddanahalli.
Once the consultation is over, patients receive a packet with a month's supply of medicines. As for treatments which can't be done here, like advanced procedures or surgeries, the patient is referred to the nearby Sathya Sai General Hospital or the bigger Sathya Sai super-speciality hospital, since both these institutes function on a zero-cost-to-the-patient policy.
The very few cases which can't be dealt with at either are referred to private hospitals where the alumni and doctors use their contacts to arrange for free-of-cost treatment or at least treatment at a very nominal rate.
By noon, the queues have dwindled as consultations/ treatments are mostly over and lunch is being served. Menu for the lunch is also planned carefully, so that it is nutritious.
Significantly, many of the doctors are not devotees of Guru Sathya Sai Baba. They come here impressed by the concept and inspired by its noble aim to contribute their own bit to society.
Among the patients too, many have never even seen the Guru. And they all belong to different religions, castes and regions. Such is the reputation of the camp that it draws patients not only from the various parts our State, but also from the four neighbouring states.
However, all the patients are full of gratitude for this camp which, they say, has made a great difference to their lives. There are some families whose entire medical needs are being met here for years now. Another remarkable feature of this camp is the readiness of doctors to treat multiple ailments of the same person - and with patience at that.
For details, contact: 944 95 975 77/ 94 482 28101; Email: mail@saistudents.org
As young adults we find ourselves in a state of disconnect with the world we live in, the cauldron of a changing world. Mixed messages, mimicked mindsets, vaulted values, are but a sample of the conflicts that present themselves in our daily lives.
Towards this end, our alumni in Bangalore undertook a unique initiative to bridge this gap. Driven by a deep seated need of wanting to share Bhagawan’s wisdom with their colleagues and acquaintances, who did not know very much about Swami’s message and mission and were keen to learn more, they organised and conducted a program entitled “Eye on I” designed for working professionals – the theme being ‘Be the change you want to see’.
The faculty handling this seminar were people of eminence in their own fields who had a passion for addressing these sensitivities of life beyond livelihood and have created an impact on the people in their organisations and elsewhere too.
Dr K S Ratnakar, a long standing devotee and elder brother of our dear Prof M Anil Kumar, is a gifted speaker in his own right, having received some of the country’s most distinguished awards for his oratory, dwelt upon the methodology required to achieve an equilibrium of one’s knowledge, emotions, skills, feelings and conscience. He spoke on how one should handle the influences of peer pressure, environment, media and such external factors in decision making.
He showed the way to embark on a course correction in our journey of life by directing our goals towards the 'I' within - gyrate towards the nascent reality embedded in each of us and in doing so reach out to the others who can benefit by this reaction. This was the essence of Swami’s transformation process that we experience as his devotees and students he said.
One of our alumnus began his lecture by revisiting the wisdom that asks us to do our work without expecting anything in return. He led the audience in his inimitable manner, showing them how to inculcate the cardinal values: Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa as the touchstone for cohesion in thought, word and deed.
By their innovative improvisations, the more recently graduated alumni - who honed their skills in role play having put up many a skit at Sai Kulwanth Hall at our Lord’s instant bidding, showed the audience that being 'spiritual' and 'having a good time' were not necessarily two mutually exclusive events as considered generally.
It was shown by enactment of various case studies and mimes by this group that spirituality is a means to enrich one’s life here and now.
All in all the program was well received by the 135 participants. This being perhaps their first exposure to Swami’s mission and message, they all seemed visibly moved and unanimously stated that they eagerly awaited the next such program to be conducted by Sri Sathya Sai Students.
More than anything else, the alumni themselves left the venue feeling a sense of togetherness and satisfaction with an overwhelming sense of gratitude to Swami for this opportunity to serve.
The Hyderabad alumni got together for their "Sunday Gramseva". This time around it was arranged at Harijanwada of Toopran village in Medak district. A bus was arranged for transporting the boys and the supplies which started from Sivam and brothers joined at the designated pick up spots.
The days programme started with Bhajans by the school children and our brothers, at the village spot. After the Bhajans, Doctors visited the houses in these villages individually and a general health check up was carried out at each and every house. Our brothers who accompanied doctors have identified few chronic cases in the village for our further follow up. Three such cases were observed and we are taking up the cases for further clinical correction. Narayanaseva was conducted with the boys visiting each house and offering packets of food simultaneously, while the health survey went on in the village.
In order to inculcate the values into young children, alumni also involved children from Abhyasa School. This school was, per its founder’s statement – divinely inspired by Swami, was set up and is run by our alumni. These school children, who joined the alumni during the programme, exhibited great enthusiasm in the activity and have imbibed the joy of sharing through Gramaseva.
It is little wonder that the school was recognized and ranked as being amongst the top ten schools in Hyderabad currently by an independent survey of the Indian Express Newspaper.
Again, in Chennai, another alumnus, who has undertaken a similar journey divinely inspired by Swami, is setting up a gurukula in suburban Chennai. There are plans to integrate this school with a VTI (vocational training institute) as well as a dispensary for Integrated Rural Healthcare to provide value based learning and healing to those in need. His prayers and aspirations are to inculcate the education imbibed at Swami’s lotus feet as a student and emulate the working models that have been successfully set up and run by Swami’s organizations or devotees at places such as Muddenahalli, Alike, Rajamundry or even far off Zambia as a Sai Student’s offering of gratitude at Swami’s divine lotus feet for all that we have been blessed with by Him.
