Of Kosapet the God Makers
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A Chronicle of Social Currents Volume 3 I Issue 5 I May 2012 I For Free Circulation Only I A CSIM Product Conv e r sationsinside Focus Pg 3 Never Say Die Ujala Begum’s efforts to empower women Profile Pg 9 With Little Help, They Can About Friends for the Needy — a rehabilitation centre for mentally challenged women Cover Story >> Pg 6 Chit Chat Pg 12 The God Makers of Kosapet “If you help an old lady cross the street, that is social work.” About lives of doll makers in Chennai An interview with Dr. Balaram Biswakumar Photo:AK Dear Friend, around you as well—your family, friends, appreciate others. It also aids us to live All of us are alike in many ways. and colleagues. Attitude is truly the life of our dreams and to make a However, one little difference always contagious, and from time to time we positive difference in the lives of others. makes a big difference. The little need to ask ourselves, “Is mine worth I am grateful that I have been given this Printed and published by: difference is ‘attitude’. It has been said catching?” opportunity to share my thoughts with Mr. P. N. Devarajan on that people can alter their lives by altering The first step for us would be to you. Enjoy reading our stories of real behalf of their attitude. This is indeed true! What develop an attitude of gratitude right heroes with a great attitude! Do share Centre for Social Initiative most people fail to realize is that your away. Gratitude is an energizing emotion them with all whom you meet and spread and Management attitude not only impacts your happiness that motivates our thoughts and actions in the goodness! 391/1, Venkatachalapathi Nagar, Alapakkam, Chennai -600 116. and your success, but can also impact the a positive direction. It helps us to P .N. Devarajan Phone: 42805365 From the Editor the From happiness and success of the people appreciate the life we already have and to Website: www.csim.in 2 / News Conv e r sations INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF Traffic News POLICE, CHENNAI FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2012 Loss of lives due No. of accidents to accidents reported 126 823 NUMBER OF CASES BOOKED FOR: n Signal violation - 22,697 n Wrong side driving - Nil n Over speeding - 6,945 n Violation of one way rule - 12,097 /Alumni talk 3 Conv e r sations “CSIM gave me ample exposure to funding agencies and modalities. I found the course really useful in bettering the activities at Paropakar Amaippu.” KCRDS, Mr. Abu Bakker, is Ujala relentless hunt to infuse positivity into girls Begum’s mentor of sorts. “He was the first who come to her centers. “Earlier I used to person who listened patiently to my sink in self-pity, but today I realize that we are worries. He gave me courage and had all born to help each other. Women should immense confidence in me,” says Ujala, help other women. In my tailoring centre or adding that, “The founder of KCRDS, Mr. night schools, I sometimes find girls crying R.S. Mani who has worked with Mahatma silently. I walk up to them and hear them out. Never Gandhi in the olden days, reassured me by Whenever the girls show a sign of saying: “You were born to live.” I have hopelessness, I reassure them with real taken these words as my talisman and have stories, such as mine, and ask them to move ever since remained positive and hopeful at on. It works!” says a passionate Ujala. all times.” Ujala’s association with CSIM goes back SAY DIE! to the early days of Paropakar Amaippu. jala Begum lost her parents during She enrolled in the Social Entrepreneurship her childhood and was raised by her Outlook Programme in 2007. “CSIM gave Ugrandmother. Coming from a me ample exposure to funding agencies conservative family in Vandavasi and modalities. I found the course really (Wandiwash), she may have continued to live useful in bettering the activities at within the confines of her home, following Paropakar Amaippu,” says Ujala. Funds the rigidities put in place by her immediate for Paropakar Amaippu mainly come from surroundings, had it not been for a major corporate donors. She has ever since illness that drastically changed her way of life referred several people to also enlist for and in the process, her world view. training at CSIM. “A few years ago I was diagnosed with a In these last eight years of running the mild form of leprosy that rendered me Paropakar Amaippu, Ujala has added temporarily immobile. I was hospitalized several feathers to her cap. She has been for almost three months,” she says, awarded a fellowship by former President recollecting the days that signaled the of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, and her ending of a rather uncomfortable efforts have been featured in leading Tamil arrangement of living with her media. Thanks to Paropakar Amaippu, grandmother. “This illness triggered some Vandavasi today offers better exposure to unexpected conflicts with my grandmother, women who would like to work outside who was no longer willing to keep me at their homes. The rigidity and the taboos home. In time though, I did recover from Amaippu, a welfare establishment that At KCRDS Ujala earned Rs. 100, then have been gradually reducing and the proof being completely immobile to being fairly helps women become self-reliant through her income grew upto Rs. 300 as she of it is in the increasing numbers of women independent, and then I moved out to live engaging them in various vocational undertook vocational training and self-help enrolling in college. As Ujala Begum on my own,” says Ujala. training and educational activities. It group training. Immediately after her continues her quest to transform people’s Once Ujala decided to live on her own, presently has a tailoring centre, four night- training, she helped start 7 self-help lives for the better, her family has started she could see that her home town of school centres and one self-help group. groups. From there on, she started her recognizing her for her exemplary Vandavasi was not in the least welcoming Over 450 women have become certified tailoring centre. Growing step-by-step qualities. “Those relatives who shunned of her decision. “I was subjected to tailors through this centre, four girls have through her efforts, she helped mobilize me and shut their doors on me once, are enormous ridicule as I was living on my been sent for nursing training though a funds for the heart operation of two needy now praising me,” says Ujala with a giggle. own without a family. This town is still collaboration with the Ramakrishna individuals, totaling to an amount of Rs. It is often said, that perseverance moves very conservative. Women here have to Mission at Mylapore, several needy 75,000. Today, 100 to 150 students are mountains. Ujala’s perseverance has abide by rules put in by a hardcore patients have been granted free and gifted with uniforms, dictionaries, and indeed proven the saying to be true. chauvinistic society. Until a few years ago, successful surgeries through a books every year. “I want underprivileged it was rather difficult to see a working collaboration with the Maruvathoor children to have the education that I could —Archanaa R. woman here. It used to be considered as a Welfare Hospital, and several more have never have in my time,” says Ujala who has shame to a man if his wife was sent to work. started attending the night schools to helped a disabled student successfully In such a rigid society, I wanted to see some complete their basic schooling. complete B.Com. Right before she started Paropakar changes in the attitudes of the people. And The Paropakar Amaippu has come as a If you wish to support Paropakar unless women realized their own freedom, Amaippu, she used to work with the breath of fresh air to Vandavasi, Kaveripakkam Comprehensive Rural Amaippu, please contact Ujala there was no other way out for them from encouraging women to get out of the four Begum at 9841730877 this oppression,” says a defiant Ujala. Development Society (KCRDS), an NGO walls of their homes and training them to In 2004 she started the Paropakar in Wallajah Block. The secretary of be independent. Ujala Begum is on a This publication could be viewed online at www.csim.in/conversations.php. Please mail your feedback to [email protected] 4 / Trailblazers Conv e r sations RUHSA- An Integrated Model for Health and Development Program he Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA), a community Thealth care and development program of the Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, is serving over 120,000 people of the K.V. Kuppam Block in the Vellore district for more than three decades. Its intervention has changed thousands of lives in 97 villages of the block. Since its inception RUHSA’s intervention is guided by three principles: health and development should not be separated; any program is based on community participation; and voluntary approach. At present RUHSA is focusing on: health care, education, social development, Training, CERT (consultancy, evaluation, research and training), animal husbandry, agriculture, income generation and socio- economic project. It has a community college project, a six- month program; a one-year post graduate diploma course on Health Management at CMC; three-year course on B.Sc. Medical According to RUHSA officials, during population. They maintain a data-base of health aid for 200 families or 1000 Sociology under MGR University, and a the initial stage they used to provide door to their patients and two mobile teams visit the population, and 5 to7 family care volunteers Ph.D.