A ray of Hope

It had been a tough life out there. The only whiff of hope was the care she was receiving from everyone around. She felt indebted to the women of the village for the love they were showering on her team. But still nothing could keep them going in that scorching heat and raising temperature. It was getting intolerable with every passing day with hell breaking loose during noon, when the fan refused to move an inch.

Today, like every other day, the team woke up early to visit one of the colonies for the awareness programme. They took hold of their sun glasses, a thin white scarf to cover themselves, a few bottles of cold water, their promotional kit and set out on foot since there was no other mode of transport to reach there. On the way, she even made a call to one of the schools which they had to visit and scheduled an appointment with a doctor to educate the kids about menstrual hygiene..

As soon as they reached the colony, they waited for a few minutes for the women to settle down. She started with her sermon about women health, moved on to menstrual hygiene, usage of sanitary napkins, etc. As always, the women refused to discuss and ask questions despite repeated requests from her. When she stopped, her friend took over to demonstrate the simplicity of usage and promote the brand. While her friend spoke, she made a quick scan of the audience present there. A young girl caught her attention. The girl’s eyes were fixed on her and refused to stray despite her stare. She gazed at the teenager’s eyes, dull brown with darker orbital rings, yellow streaks radiating from the lens, like the sun rays she would draw when she was a kid. There was something intriguing about her gaze. There was hope of a better tomorrow and all those hopes were pinned against her. She got deeper into those eyes and it seemed like she was looking at her younger self. The image was begging to free her from the discomfort she had to go through during her teen years.

She recollected her days as a teenager where she had to go through a lot of embarrassment and discomfort due to the usage of not just clothes during those days but also the myths and taboos associated with the topic. At that moment she found it so fulfilling to be working towards a cause which can bring smiles to millions of rural women who still follow traditional practices during those days.

“Do you have anything to add partner?”, her friend turned to her. “Y..Y..Yes”, she said recovering. “Let’s vow today to help make every woman’s journey more comfortable. After all it’s a woman who can feel for another woman”. There was silence for a few seconds. Maybe it was too profound to be understood. But then, the women started smiling, nodding and clapping, as though they have got a new lease of life. The young girl had a smile too.

The experiences narrated here is that of my team which worked on providing low cost menstrual hygiene to rural women. It’s a shame that despite all the talks given on women empowerment only 7% of women in India use sanitary napkins and close to 93% of Indian women use unhygienic means for menstrual protection. 14% of Indian women suffer from urinary tract infections and 2% even use ash and sand during menstruation. We can reduce these numbers by just spreading the word. All we have to do is to encourage women to discuss the issue openly. On a lighter note, women should ask for a sanitary napkin as confidently as a guy asks for a shaving razor

-Nagashree Natarajan
PGDM 2008-10

What does Social Responsibility mean for an MBA?

Corporate Social Responsibility has become a buzzword these days. What relevance does ‘social responsibility’ have in the life of a B-School student? Especially in these turbulent times of recession, plummeting Sensex and collapsing i-Banks. Does CSR really matter now? Yes, it does matter! There is one component in MBA education which sadly is missed in most of the Management schools today. That component is developing a social perspective among the students.
Is CSR limited to taking a few English classes or for that matter a few computer classes in an NGO and then preparing a report and submitting to the institute? Does it end there? Or, is there something more to it?
When we heard of this programme called DOCC (Development of Corporate Citizenship) of S.P.Jain Institute of Management and Research we took it like any other assignment in a B-school. When we came to know that it was a 6 weeks program where we have to work with an NGO, we thought what an unnecessary hassle it is, working in a village in this summer!!
But four weeks into DOCC, we believe it has been one of the most fruitful, rewarding and satisfying experience in our lives.
As responsible members of the society, MBAs do have a responsibility to proactively participate in activities of relevance to the society.
The social sector which is still unorganised and unstructured gives the students a unique opportunity to work in such an environment. Compounded by the tough conditions faced here, the challenges become all the more difficult and demanding. Thus it is not only an excellent opportunity to apply and test what the students have learnt but also to make a meaningful impact for the betterment of the society. They say that the taste of fire makes pure steel. What can be a better taste than the taste of ‘Social India’ at the beginning of one’s career?
Working with the social sector for quite a considerable period of time will imbibe a sense of social responsibility in these future managers.
The key for the students is to keep in mind that when they are working with the social sector, they are not merely students complying with the requirements of the curriculum rather a capable consultant investing time and energy in contributing to a social need.
On the other hand, the social sector benefits by getting managerial inputs. NGOs have financial limitations. Hiring external consultants can be a significant strain on their financials. Through programs like DOCC, NGOs are able to overcome this problem.
The inputs provided by the student after intensive study of a particular NGO, benefits not only that particular NGO, but also similar NGOs working in the same field. Such studies can bring forth best practices which can be adopted by other NGOs.
At the end of the 6 weeks the students are sensitized about their role as a contributor towards the society. When these students will join the corporate sector, they will not only be sensitive to the issues of Corporate India but also the issues of under-privileged India. They will have a comprehensive understanding how things can be implemented and they will not be confined to the comforts of their air conditioned rooms.
It’s only two of us working here. All our batchmates are working in various parts of the country with different NGOs. Some helping the shawl weavers at Kullu to develop a marketing plan, some at Ladakh, and some at Andaman and other places. This is 176 of us. Now if 20 more MBA schools with on an average 140 participants work for 6 weeks with 6 hrs per day in the social sector. That is (20*140*6weeks*5days*6hrs/day) which comes out to be 504000 hrs of management expertise going into the social sector! If all the B schools in India can do the same just imagine what a great change we can achieve which will transform the lives of millions of Indians for better.
- Siddhartha / Ritesh

Understanding what life means at 45 Deg C

Well, just to give you a background. The author was an investment banker, and had worked in some of the plushest places on the face of the city, with the best facilities around, and without ever stepping out anywhere which was not under a climate control. Having work for 3 years in such conditions, the author had little know how of what life would FEEL like in a place with no electricity, no air conditioner. A general perception was that of difficulties galore!DOCC - Development of corporate citizenship, goes the formal name. But this one initiative at SPJIMR goes further than just creating corporate citizenship. It goes to the extent of making one realize that things in life are difficult to come by, and that the intensity of your struggle is only a relative measure against the benchmark. You set a benchmark that you see convenient.DOCC changes this benchmark. It takes you to unexplored shades of life itself. And in these shades, when you see how even water and hygiene are a luxury, you first feel disgusted.This is normal, because whatever you may want to feel, you do not like what you see.But then you see, how people still live with something like this. You imagine, have they evolved to become zombies, numb of all pain, and sense of reality? You imagine, who can survive such a thing.As you spend time with them, you begin to understand, that how these simple folk, never complain. Their resilience continues to grow with each passing day. Do not mistake them to be passive about not improving their lot. They do have aspirations, but their aspirations are not at the mercy of their present situation. They don’t give importance to what gets them to think lowly about who they are. There is enough fire in that belly, to beat the heat of the sun.AS they take another stride to silently achieve what they desire, you begin to see, the heat (read difficulties) can only take away their (your) soul, it cannot take away their (your)spirit. Lesson's like these don’t come from the text book or cracking case studies, they only come only when you experience the world at 45 deg C.
- Gunjan Bothra
PGDM 2008-10