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Conversations Today Your journal about the world of NGOs and Social Enterprises RNI No.TNENG/2013/52428 | Volume 5 | Issue 12 | December 2017 | 12 Pages | For Free Circulation Only | www.msdstrust.org Cover Story - Pg 6 Lost and Found About SATHI, a national-level NGO working towards rehabilitating street children Published by P.N.Subramanian on behalf of Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani, 391/1, Venkatachalapathi Nagar, Alapakkam, ChennaiPublished - 600 by: 116 Mr. and P. N.printed Subramanian by him at Alumni Talk Profile Chit Chat Express Press, Express Gardens, No.29, on behalf of Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani, Pg 3 Pg 9 Pg 12 Second391/1, Main Venkatachalapathi Road, Ambattur Nagar, Industrial Alapakkam, Estate, Abilities and Learning Curves Sanitation and Dignity “Social silence will no more Chennai -600Chennai 116. Phone: - 600 058. 044-42805365. Editor : Marie Banu Kavitha’s efforts to provide About Environmental be acceptable.” Editor: Marie Banu J medical support and free Sanitation Institute in Phone : 044-42805365 An exclusive interview with health care services to the Ahmedabad Lakshmy Ramakrishnan marginalised 2 Focus Conversations Today •December 2017 Continual Choosing From the Editor Dear Reader, We act in ways which are considered respectful, and we also feel respect for some. We can also sense when we are respected or not. This is because the feeling of respect is more important than the behavior itself. It is said: “when the feeling is there, the behavior will naturally follow.” Until a few decades ago, respect played a very important role in our society. People who were not respected were considered to have no worth, no importance, and no values. On the contrary, it seems possible to survive today without being respected. You earn the respect of others by the way you respect and treat them. It seems to be like a boomerang where you must send it out before it comes back to you. Respect cannot be demanded or forced. We have our duty to teach our children while they are young the value of respecting others and should lead by example. The changemakers featured in hat is the meaning we give We witness our construction of create expectations and much of the Conversations Today are all noble to life experiences? We run reality when we realize that we living is “in the mind” and choiceless. people who have gained respect or not run our lives, living habitually assign meaning to nearly Practising continual choosing Win the cocoon of the meanings we everything and then operate as if those enables one let go of the meanings. from the society. Their way of life teaches one how to be respectful have derived. These meanings are meanings were “really real”. Why The choosing takes courage and real and be respected. never the absolute. In other words, a stay trapped in something that isn’t work to give up old, unproductive same situation would be interpreted reality at all? ways of being. When we choose —Marie Banu differently by two people. The What if there were no meanings in courage—it creates possibility. It gets meaning we create is drawn from past our minds? Would we move towards made up as we go along. Choosing experiences, our judgments and our possibilities and optimism? Would it sustaining frameworks that offer assumptions. These meanings unleash the mind’s capacity to create possibility, that prompt for giving up generate feelings and in the process versus comply, protect or control? The what doesn’t work, stops the process keep us driven or immobilized. meanings we carry obstruct acceptance, of past forward. Yours Energetically Editorial Ms. Bhuvaneshwari Ravi is trainer, facilitator and coach of the Positive Energy (PE) program. She is a spiritual seeker with a vision of transforming her own energy state from surviving to being. In this journey she has gathered deep insights and is continuously working towards creating a pathway for more seekers. With years of exposure to spiritual practices like yoga, reiki, and personal development interventions like coaching, she is working in the Organization Development and Leadership Latha Suresh Development space. She can be contacted at [email protected] for arranging Positive Energy training and Marie Banu Coaching sessions. Conversations Today •December 2017 Alumni Talk 3 Abilities and Learning Curves he journey from acquiring knowledge to skill building is a process that is both interesting Tand precarious. “Knowledge and skills result in abilities that allow us to use them in circumstances of our choice. Unless knowledge results in abilities, the choice of application is not in our hands. We then become responsible for the status quo in our society we often question about. Abilities is what can make a difference at an individual level and in an organisation,” says Dr G.Kavitha, Founder of SPOT Healthcare Research and Training Centre in Chennai. As the eldest among four siblings, Kavitha grew up in an austere atmosphere. She could not even choose her favourite subject in graduation. “My father forced me to choose Chemistry for my under graduation while I loved Mathematics. I could not overpower his decision, but promised to just get through and then look at career options of my choice ,” reminisces Kavitha. Kavitha was inspired by both her grandparents who found new ways of engaging in social services as and when possible. “My maternal grandfather belonged to the Communist party. He was a farmer who strongly felt for the emancipation of women and empowerment of the downtrodden. those who were out of “Being amidst people who have always Although no other family member joined school or school dropouts. thought about the disadvantaged who are this party after his demise, his ideals of Every time I trained a inevitably left out of the social welfare equality and respect for labour are still teacher, I felt like drawing system, I couldn’t help but relate to the being practiced. These principles began to the learning curves of new intellectually challenged children who influence my choices in life and were the groups of children and I lead a life of dependency. I was forced bases on which I questioned the state of felt proud about my to reason out why training programmes affairs in our society. Why people still efforts,” says Kavitha. prepared them to face the outer world lived on platforms? Why were so many Kavitha became more while mainstreaming was the need. sleeping hungry despite welfare passionate about working This called for efforts from both sides,” programmes and other initiatives? What with children and decided to she says. could wipe out poverty and the divide prepare herself completely. Kavitha founded SPOT in September between the haves and the have nots?,” She completed her Post 2017 with a two-fold focus. One was to asks Kavitha. Graduate Diploma in provide medical support and free health Kavitha got an opportunity to engage in Therapeutic Education from care services to the marginalised, and the social service events during her college YMCA in Chennai and soon well connected with colleagues in the other was to train parents of special days, through the NSS. However, she became the Head Mistress of the Special field, she got an opportunity to work with children to help mainstream their children could not continue taking part in such School at YMCA. All her endeavours the Sri Santhana Krishna Healthcare and to lead independent lives. activities as her father disapproved of were appreciated and she was conferred Research Foundation. Kavitha took on Emphasising that mainstreaming them. One of her experiences from NSS the Best Teacher Award in 2008. Kavitha every challenge in her own stride. She special children is a long term and a days encouraged her to pursue B.Ed. in felt a great sense of responsibility in every practiced Acupuncture and holistic process Kavitha believes to have Special Education (Mental Retardation). step forward. She also studied a one year simultaneously managed time to train made the right start with SPOT’s As her interest in working for the course on Learning Disability to be able to parents, teachers in teaching children with activities. Her past pupil’s visit on the intellectually challenged children grew, train parents of special children learning disabilities. “All my knowledge, inauguration day reaffirms her belief. she went on to pursue a Master Degree in effectively. “Learning is a lifelong process skills and the resultant abilities helped me “My old student, an autistic child from the Psychology. While she was gaining which is not restricted to school, nor are sail through the toughest time in my life. I Special School at YMCA is now studying experience by working with different parents devoid of this responsibility once survived and also managed to help in a regular school and has scored 86 organisations in Chennai and Cuddalore, their children get enrolled in special improve the quality of lives of the few percent in his class ten exams. He the Government of India’s District schools. Unless we see teachers and others, I could. It was two distinct fields presented a memento and wished me Primary Education Programme (DPEP) parents complementing each other’s and a wide range of stakeholders to be success when SPOT was inaugurated. He that was introduced in 1998 helped her work, children’s learning curves can never dealt with. I saw my abilities dictate my is now in class 12 and his development grow as a Resource Teacher. progress positively. This is very critical in decisions and was determined to practice reassures my belief in mainstreaming “It was my responsibility to train the case of children with learning the principles that inspired me,” she says. special children,” shares Kavitha, teachers in identifying learning disabilities,” asserts Kavitha.