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Visitors’ Remarks Prof. Shekhar Choudhary,
Director,
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta The Director IIM Calcutta Prof. Shekhar Choudhary in his 30 minute speech on Annual Convocation on 1st April, 2006 spoke for 5 minutes on Parivaar to the audience comprising students, faculty, researchers, Industry captains, and other illustrious guests. The Director had visited Parivaar along with Deputy Dean of MIT Sloan School of Management in March, a couple of weeks before the Convocation. What impact the visit to Parivaar Ashram had on him can be seen from the following excerpt of the Parivaar portion from his speech. **********************************************************
Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to inform you that there is a very important social sector initiative taken by one of our recent graduates. ‘Parivaar’, a social service organization, was started by Shri Vinayak Lohani, an IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta alumnus of the 2001-03 batch. Shri Lohani did not seek final placement through the Institute’s Career Development and Placement office. Inspired by the spiritual and humanistic ideals of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Swami Vivekananda, he decided to devote his life to the upliftment of homeless children. It started with just 3 children in a small rented building with almost no financial resources, and today there are currently 162 children who have found a new Home, Family and Future at Parivaar. Parivaar Ashram at Bakhrahat, about 30 km from Kolkata in 24 Parganas (South) district, is spread over 2 acres of land. Currently Parivaar runs two (2) Bal Ashrams. A facility with a capacity of 400 hundred children is now under construction. The children admitted into Parivaar Ashram can be broadly classified as homeless and family less and are from categories like orphans, abandoned children, street and pavement children, railway platform children, children from red light areas and other such highly vulnerable children. The children are admitted at a very young age (generally 3 to 8 years) and have no exposure to any kind of education. It is a great challenge to train them initially to enable them to get admission into a class that corresponds to his/her age in a quality formal education school. To achieve this the child admitted in Parivaar undergoes an in-house Rapid Learning Course for a period of one year. The admission into quality formal schools is not easy as the children have to go through rigorous competitive entrance examinations conducted by various schools. Thus the child has to compete on his/her merit. Since the category of children Parivaar works with needs total rehabilitation, which includes meeting all living costs like food, clothing, education, recreation, etc., the average cost per child is very high compared to education and other day-care initiatives. Parivaar works with the idea of providing support to each child with a minimum commitment of 12 to 15 years, right from his/her kindergarten stage till he/she grows up and makes good in life. Parivaar has been successful in this by attracting funds through financial contributions from individuals. A point to note is that 300 IIM alumni have enrolled as regular Parivaar donors and more than 200 IIM Calcutta alumni have donated to Parivaar. For one who is so well qualified, having graduated from two of the most acclaimed institutions in the country getting jobs in top MNCs would have been a cake walk. However, Vinayak chose a life of sacrifice for a larger cause. For one so young such sacrifice is even more poignant. A visit to the Parivaar Ashram where the hitherto uncared for children are laughing, playing and living happily in gay abandon is a most humbling experience. The Institute community is extremely proud of the achievements of our alumnus Shri Vinayak Lohani. Shri Lalit Kumar and Ms. Sreedevi Menon (Lalit and Sreedevi are based in Austin, Texas and work in Dell Corporation. They, along with their mother, stayed for 4 days at Parivaar in January.) We have been working with Parivaar very closely for the past 2 years but had not got a chance to visit the site till the beginning of this year. One of the most memorable moments of our life; is how best we can describe it. Etched on our minds is the experience of being greeted by all the kids in their traditional bangla sarees, then one hug leading to being surrounded by the kids; all of them hugging, inching to get close to us, touch us and talk to us breathlessly. The next 4 days were in a haze, we spent time watching the children's routine, eating with them, going to their evening classes, chatting with the house brothers & sisters, getting to know all the workers - cooks, teachers, housebrothers / house-sisters, their motivations; cooking with them. Playing chess with the kids, flying kites, skip rope jumping, and simply wallowing in the endless & unconditional love and affection they showered on us. Vinayak has done an excellent job in instilling the best ‘sanskara’ into the kids and it shows. The best thing was talking with the kids and trying to understand their dreams - some of them wanted to be doctors, other engineers, some wanted to be like ‘Vinayakda’ etc. They all have dreams now - and that was the best thing we could ask for. There are no frills like TV etc there - and living with them one wonders if there is a need for anything beyond what they have. They are so full of love; the moment we arrived there, we were hugged and surrounded from the word go and they wouldn't let us alone the whole time. Language was not a barrier and looking at them now, one is amazed at the psychological recovery and progress they have made from just a few months back It was quite an experience to see the kids getting ready for school each day - they need to be washed, packed, clothed etc - all things that kids need when they go to school. They all line up at the Parivaar gate every morning and get into the rickshaws - all dressed up in their school uniforms. They come back home to Parivaar and immerse themselves in study - around 16 teachers do an excellent job of making sure all the homework is done, they understand what the concepts are, and that they continuously excel academically etc. The kids get up at around 5 am everyday, do a round of Physical training & morning meditation, have breakfast, get dressed, go to school, come back and have lunch and study. The entire environment at Parivaar has had some great effect on the kids; many kids are so much calmer now and much more relaxed than when they came in. Our last day was very difficult for us, with the kids running after us and bombarding us with Q's - why we were going back, why we could not stay and if our flight would go over their bldg. and if we could wave out to them from the plane ! We came away feeling humbled, energized & touched and knowing that Parivaar was truly our Parivaar too. Thanks to Vinayak for giving us an opportunity to get to know these wonderful human beings & be a part of their lives. Shri Rajiv Vij (Shri Rajiv Vij is the Asia Head of Franklin Templeton Investments and is based in Singapore. He visited Parivaar in February.) I had been interacting with Vinayak through e-mail and finally managed to visit Parivaar in mid-February. I spent half a day with Vinayak at Parivaar and came away thoroughly impressed. The selfless manner in which Vinayak has dedicated his life to providing support to underprivileged children was inspiring. I was particularly struck by the focus in Parivaar on building strong personal values and character in young children. I found the time being spent with children on teaching spiritual values to be rather unique – one I think will ensure Parivaar is contributing some great human beings to the world as these children grow up. It also left me wondering about the ignorance of these simple but key values in today’s urban living – values, which are a heritage of our past but are being lost in the relentless pursuit of material success. Not only did the children seem very happy and comfortably settled in Parivaar, but I was also glad to see the joy in the eyes of the various staff members who felt proud and so content with the meaningful work they were doing. I strongly believe that Parivaar is surely a paradise on earth and everyone connected with the institution is truly blessed. Wish Vinayak, the staff and the lovely children at Parivaar all the very best!!
Shri Rahul Ganjiwale (Shri Rahul Ganjiwale is an IT professional based in Pennsylvania, USA and spent 8 days at Parivaar in December ’05.) It was my second visit to Parivaar for some 8 days in Dec 2005. This time around Parivaar had its own newly built sober infrastructure called Parivaar Ashram, housing some 150 children at this new Ashram. So much has changed from my previous visit, larger number of dedicated workers and double the number of children. What was the same, was the spirit of Parivaar, and my old friend Vinayakda. It was heartening to be back again to a place where love, courage, sacrifice and selfless devotion all reside in plenty. Ashram architecture, which has gradually expanded over a period of one and a half years now, had different Bal Sadans, Prarthana Bhavan, grand Dining Hall (Annapurna Bhavan), guest rooms, Sevak Sadan (accommodation for resident Sevaks) etc. Construction was still going on during the visit; Vinayak mentioned that in near future the Parivaar Ashram would have capacity to house 500 children. During, my quite stay at Parivaar, I learned about the every day operational activities, local difficulties and got to interact with dedicated workers.
Many of these children were familiar faces from my last visit and they all remembered me. We all played cricket together and I have never been cheered more for hitting sixes ever in my life than what I received from the exuberant children. Vinayakda hit shots all over the place and all the children cheered with joy. Glow of happiness on the face of these children is reflection of the selfless dedication and pure love of Vinayak and his team. I also learned that most of these children though have their traumatic past yet have made great progress in their studies. This great cause and equally great service makes all our humanity proud and honoured.
Anjan Das Is an IIM Calcutta alumnus (Class of '97) and currently Program Manager at Microsoft Corp., Redmond. I learnt about Parivaar and the cause for which Vinayak opted out of IIMC placements from my junior batchmates as well as from the IIM egroups a couple of years back.
My wife and I are very fond of children and this sense of affection increased further when we had our baby - we felt pulled even more toward those who aren't as fortunate to have their parents take good care of them.
The idea of visiting Parivaar and meeting the young ones made us prepone our planned trip to India.
We met Vinayak, other workers, Housemothers, Houbrothers and teachers. Vinayak gave us a great overview of how things started at Parivaar, how the admission processes are handled and the future plans.
We knew that Vinayak started all this through humble beginnings with a few children from railway platforms/red light areas in a rented house. He paid the bills through long hours of tutoring CAT hopefuls. Gradually the initiative gained momentum to what Parivaar is today. The hallmark of Parivaar is to detach the children from their strained and deficient environment to a 'total rehabilitation' that aims to fill the parental care void in addition to food/clothing/education/fun.
The transition from the current Ashram which was running with full capacity to a new Bal Ashram and several Bal sadans was already in progress. The second Bal Ashram formally started operating on Dec 29th 2004 - so probably we were one of the first to be able to see it. Parivaar hopes to receive assistance for sponsorship of each Bal sadan.
We were truly amazed at the rapid pace of progress that this group has made within such a short period. The spirit of joy and fulfillment in the hearts of the children were a great reward to share. We were able to get up close and personal with the little 'Family members' thanks to my camera ! Soon we were laughing and posing together followed by everyone viewing the fun filled moment that was captured.
We got into an autorickshaw that took us to the new Bal Ashram further down Bakrahat Road. The area is about 30 Kms from the city center and 12 kms from Thakurpukur and is known as Bibir Hat. The area earmarked for the proposed Bal Sadans are adjacent to the fully functioning new Bal Ashram and is extremely serene and far from the polluting noise and dust of the city. The soothing ambience of the surroundings were ideal for the children staying in the Ashram.
The children introduced themselves as Rajesh, Saita, Kalpana, Firoz, Ruksar, Amirul.and mentioned the class in which they are in school. They were wearing bright school uniforms and looked just like any other normal school going child - which is a tremendous transformation considering the origins from where they were admitted into Parivaar.
The happiness that we found on the faces of the kids gave us one message - Parivaar is so successful in giving them the feeling of being cared for and part of a big family. The children pulled us into several rooms where they had setup a place for daily worship, and recited several prayers for us. They talked about the excursions they went out with IIM students and the fun filled picnics.
They fondly referred to their Vinayak-da, Arindam-da and Pulak-da (who are truly more than god for them - their homeless, familyless lives have been transformed for the better.
I felt sad that I couldn't just roll up my sleeves and jump in to help them, it requires too much commitment and sacrifice to get involved at this level - as this is not an organisation acting as a conduit/means of social improvement but is on the ground actively doing the job. Maybe someday I'll gather enough determination to be an active volunteer/worker for Parivaar. At present, the best I could do is to spread the message for Parivaar and get as much aid as possible externally. I thank Vinayak and everyone else in Parivaar to give us one of the most exciting days in my life and look forward to visiting them every time I happen to be in Kolkata. Pratyush Nag Currently Design Engineer in Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp., Orlando, Florida
My chance encounter with Parivaar came through a fund-raising email. Reading about the effort, visiting the website and finally talking to Vinayak kindled the flame in a corner of my heart which had always wanted to do something like this. Enthused by the work, my wife and I joined hands in the effort - personally and as messengers passing the good word around.
But the grand finale came during our recent visit to Kolkata when we took the time out from our hectic schedule to visit the family. The kids were all very excited to see us and 'pose' for the camera. What touched our hearts were the expressions of joy and satisfaction on their faces. When I asked them if they enjoyed studying - the answer was a resounding 'Yes'. I tried to recall if I had 'enjoyed' studying at this age and the answer was a reverberating 'No'..!! And then it hit me - we do not appreciate all the things that we get easily - we take them for granted. And here they were - yearning for education, for the joys of reading - for the excitement of being someone other than street urchins in their lives.
I have worked with different social service organizations including a couple of Homes. I would have to say that the facilities provided for these kids are excellent. Not only do these kids now have a roof over their heads; they go to a school, have at-home tutoring, have regular medical check-ups, get wholesome meals and sleep on comfortable beds. And most importantly they belong - they belong to the family of "Parivaar". Man is made by his environment and the environment at Parivaar is conducive to the blossoming of these buds into beautiful flowers.
Keep up the Good Work..!! Dr. Lieven Boedt Dr. Lieven Boedt
A Doctor of Indian origin, born and brought up in Belgium I got in touch with Vinayak through Martin Graham and Arup and Swarup Gosh. The latter are running Tomorrow's Foundation in Kolkata. As I am planning to run my own NGO (Wellness Foundation for CHILDREN), I am travelling through India to learn from other organizations. Parivaar impressed me on several things. First of all, Vinayak Lohani impressed me because his belief and sacrifice for the poor rural children. Sacrificing one's life take a lot of courage. But it brings happiness within. And that happiness is projected in the faces of the children of Parivaar. Every child on this earth deserves to live and grow up in dignity towards adulthood. The concept of the campus inspired me on what the needs of those children are: they lack a safe and cosy "family" atmosphere, where they feel "at home" and can experience Love and Caring. Parivaar provides this to a great extent. I wish the Parivaar "family" a safe and good journey towards more humanity in this world. Dr. Rajesh Chakrabarti Alumnus, IIM Ahmedabad (Class of ’93)
Currently Assistant Professor of Finance at Georgia Tech, Atlanta (USA)
I came to know of Parivaar from an IIM Ahmedabad alumni e-group. The idea appealed to me as the best way I could think of making a difference to at least one person in real need and I immediately became a sponsor together with a colleague of mine. I visited Parivaar in the summer of 2004 and it was one of the most touching experiences of my life. I had lunch with about
50 happy, lively and eager children, who, I know, would have to struggle for bare existence had it not been for Parivaar. The affection they showered on the teachers, staff and even a new visitor like me made it the happiest "Parivaar" I have ever been to. My camera proved to be a great ice-breaker. They milled around me jostling to pose. It was afternoon and time for their homework and, I guess, storytelling from their teachers. The younger kids pretty much smothered the teachers with their hugs and affection. How I wished I could stay longer and decided to visit Parivaar frequently. Running a place like this requires highest personal integrity and competence. I can think of no one more suited for the challenge than Vinayak. Parivaar combines the best human values with the highest level of organizational and managerial efficiency. It is without doubt my vehicle of choice for acknowledging my irredeemable debt to India and humanity.
Anindya Sarkar
Alumnus IIM Calcutta (Class of ‘97)
Currently Business Development Consultant (South East Asia), Murex, Singapore
I came to know of Parivaar from my IIM Calcutta egroup. I felt that the effort is commendable; the least I could do is contribute to help the cause. The atmosphere at Parivaar that I found during my visit is exactly what the name suggests - a family. The children and the team at Parivaar have created their own happy family. There happened to be a short cultural programme when I was there. The performances were spontaneous and joyful. It was a pleasure watching these children happy. I hope that the family grows in size and touches many more children and hearts.
Anand Parameswaran
Alumnus, IIM Calcutta (Class of ’95)
Currently Station Head, Radio Mirchi, Kolkata
I heard about Parivaar through my IIMC e-group. And after my visit to Parivaar, couldn’t help but contribute - my own small contribution to help continue the brilliant work being done here. Being at Parivaar has been a very humbling experience. Humbling to see the effort, belief and sacrifice that has been put into this. Its a very non-descript kind of building, with 60-70 kids all full of life and cheer that transforms the place into a proper home, full of life, joy and one-ness... an eye-opener to the fact that one person can actually make a difference to the lives of so many kids.
I have sponsored one child's expenses for a year - quite stunning that 12k can actually go such a long way.
Sayontan Sinha
(Alumnus IIT Delhi, class of 2000)
Currently working as Asst. manager, Consulting, Deloitte Consulting, Hyderabad
Visiting Parivaar was a very unique experience - something that has touched me very deeply. I had heard about Parivaar through an email sent out to an IIM-C mailing list. Though I am not an IIM-C alumnus one of my friends forwarded the email to me.
Traveling all over India by trains, I often came across children begging or singing or polishing shoes or selling trinkets for a livelihood. Having entered a professional life, I felt that if I could make a difference to the life of even one such child, I would be happy. Parivaar presented an opportunity for me to do so and I decided to contribute rightaway.
Being at Parivaar was special. It was particularly great to have all the children flocking around me, telling me their names, offering to show me around the place and asking me to write my name and phone number for each of them. But what warmed me most was the smile on each of their faces - that is what made the whole trip worthwhile.
I feel honoured to be of any kind of service to this cause.
Alok Manchanda
Alumnus IIM Calcutta, Class of ’03.
Currently Consultant, Wipro Technologies
The founder of Parivaar was my batchmate at IIM-Cal and I got a strong hint of his intentions during our second year in college, which was confirmed a few months after we graduated, through IIMC forums and our common circle of friends. One thing that used to trouble me the most in life is saying "Nahi, Jao yehan se" to the numerous kids begging on the traffic lights of Delhi and Kolkata. On a business trip to Kolkata in summers I happened to visit Parivaar twice. And what I felt there? Immense happiness. Children, full of their characteristic energy and enthusiasm, running around. Some shy to come close, some crowding around you, one of them boldly takes your hand and leads you to a tour of the entire building, A girl of about 8-10 (she was picked from the Howrah station) wants a closer look at your cellphone. You want to take a photograph, chaos! Immense is a mild word. One day, Vinayak, I am gonna join you in this work. Till then, I am sure, my dream is safe in your hands.
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