Dignity Foundation

Head Office: BMC School Building Topiwala Lane, Off Lamington Road, Mumbai 400 007 Phone: (022) 61381100 Email: [email protected]

Pune Chapter: Savio Villa, 78/4, Divya Nagar, Wanawadi. Pune - 411 040 Phone: (020) 30458092 Email: [email protected]

Kolkata Chapter: 20 L, Dhakuria Station Road, P. O. Dhakuria, - 700 031 Phone: (033) 24187937 Email: [email protected]

Chennai Chapter: Plot 43/44, Flat 8, Sri Kamakshi Apartments, MM Ramasamy Street, Ashok Nagar, Chennai- 600 083. Phone: (044) 24717232 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Bengaluru Chapter: 383, 33rd Cross, 17th Main, Jayanagar 4th T Block, (Opp: BES ladies Hostel). Bengaluru - 560 041 Phone: (080) 4151 1307; 4166 1122 Email: [email protected] ANNUAL REPORT Website: www.dignityfoundation.com www.dignitysecondcareers.org April 2011 - September 2012 Founder President's Message It is my proud privilege to present the Seventeenth Annual Report of Dignity Foundation.

Founder President’s Message 2...4 The year under reference starts with the financial year commencement in April 2011 and ending with not just March 2012, but I also give coverage to activities we undertook in the remaining 6 months till Mumbai Activities and Services 5...14 last month – September 2012. Since World Elders Day falls on October 1, a day we have chosen to be our annual day of thanksgiving to the staff and volunteers who have tirelessly toiled the past 18 months. Pune Chapter 15...18 Our annual report narrative covers a span of 18 months. This year also sees the separation of reports of our two Trusts – Dignity Foundation and Dignity Lifestyle Trust – the latter becoming a stand alone Report presented on the Foundation Day of our Township at Neral on April 4 of each year. Chennai Chapter 19...24 At Dignity Foundation my colleagues will bear with me my description of the year gone by as one of intense trial and tribulation. In an endless stream of difficulties – some financial, some social, some Kolkata Chapter 25...27 partnership related – we have seen very difficult days in the entire 17 year span of work Dignity Foundation has undertaken. It is almost like what Henry Kissinger always said: "There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” Bengaluru Chapter 28...30 Starting with the termination notice of a deeply funded long term programme and shocking betrayals of trusted partners and assistants, we have seen it all in just a year and a half. We learnt painfully that it Photo Gallery 31...32 was not enough to have striven in unchartered territories, breaking records in the mission to serve, and coming up with socially innovative schemes. One had also to provide quantitative values to qualititative change one brought about. The infinite fascination of the corporate sector with monetary successes Dignity Foundation Trustees & Management 33...34 and bottom line emphasis of management has also come to dominate the development sector -- a sector that once used to engage itself wholesomely and entirely, to improving lives, out of charity that was given to it. When the number of NGOs increased making the charity portion inadequate to be shared between all, each NGO had to find its own funds to deal with their mission. The concept of social entrepreneurship gained ground and we evolved our own model of self-sustenance. However in a reverse osmosis as it were, such mission-driven enterprises proved attractive to the profit- driven corporate sector, which has made ‘CSR’ its legitimate field of application. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement calls upon corporations to act as good corporate citizens and put the welfare of society as a whole over their need to make individual profit. There are calls for a shift from the 2 “Shareholder Model” to the “Stakeholder Model,” a shift away from focusing solely on the return only the same guru, Peter Drucker. In this composition I have been lucky enough to retain dedicated staff, for shareholders to a wider picture that focuses on the needs of all stakeholders: employees, customers, who ran along with me all the mile to realise life cannot sink deeper. These are tough times, but from suppliers, and society at large. So the corporate sector and the NGO sector are today inter-locked in tough times come tough people -- people who know how to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, how influencing each other in an infinitely nebulous situation of trial and error. to disregard an endless stream of negative news and negative projections, and make good things For sheer survival, hybrids like ourselves, are now compelled to likewise generate revenues more happen out of the ashes of adversity! vehemently than generate social change. I am out of depths really in my search for a wherewithal to One of those perennial wisdoms is that life is composed of dual opposites. For every ‘up’ there must be a attribute monetary value to emotional positives such as loneliness mitigation, self-actualisation and a ‘down’, for black there is white. We see it everywhere, left brain thinking paired with right brain person’s happiness quotient, which senior citizens come to enjoy due to our intervention at the thinking, logic balanced with emotion, imagination in opposition to facts, and form juxtaposed against grassroots. If our services are pointed at delivering such intangible benefits how are we to measure spirit. Just like the head and tail of the coin, complementary and balancing forces create the life we their impact in monetary terms? When life itself has changed for the better, the mere lack of experience. Our lives are created out of these forces and are reflections of their cause and effect. concomitant economic indicators has rendered my mission futile. In our balance sheet projections, we Without opposites, life itself would not exist. For example, without science, we would be living in a world at Dignity Foundation ache for mechanisms to balance emotional and economic wellbeing of the of confusion and chaos. Without spirit, we would be soul-less machines, lacking art, beauty, and the organisation as of individuals whose life we seek to enhance. creative energy needed to manifest life and the results we desire. Up-down, black-white, good-bad, Along the paths of even NGOs, whose prime raison d'être for existence is living for others, science-spirit brings about the balancing of opposites that creates the wholeness of life, like the head characteristics of the commercial sector such as rivalry and one-upmanship have penetrated and and the tail create the coin. raised their ugly heads. Marring the sanctity of working as a Trust in the true sense of Trusteeship, we For the past 17 years I have been at the helm of affairs at Dignity Foundation. The time has come for my find we are short-changed and proven ineffective in the face of cheating and malpractice. The successors to take charge and they will during the coming year 2013. In the same spirit in which Google Retirement Expo 2011 that was the brainchild of Dignity Foundation, successfully showcased in 5 cities co-founder Sergey Brin observed, obviously everyone wants to be successful, but I want to be looked in 2011 today stands stolen as a concept in the retirement space by fellowmen in Ageing whose back on as being innovative, very trusted and ethical and ultimately making a difference in senior ungentlemanly action comes to us as a shock! citizens’ lives. I would like to be remembered as having left an organisation which is not a soulless "God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry it's weight " consoled a senior citizen who was machine of activity but a vibrant, creative, living organisation operating from a deep sense of purpose familiar with the battalion of woes besetting us in 2012. "Whenever you see darkness”, he said “there is and healthy relationships. extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter." True to this dictim, we have indeed become In the pursuit of this mission, to a small number of large companies who extended steadfast financial leaner and have shut down activities that proved unviable in terms of goal fulfillment. Dignity Second support during the year and a large number of smaller companies, Trusts and individuals who gave us Careers has been one such unfortunate casualty, where neither the employee nor the employer found donations in cash and kind we owe our grateful thanks. Without them it is unthinkable how we could attraction and commonality of purpose. Resulting in frustration for all concerned, our mission of have advanced in delivering our mission. On page 11 and 12 we proudly present the list of supporters. wanting to find jobs for senior citizens proved futile and ineffective. Fourteen years of trial and error did At the national level I had the opportunity to share the responsibility of preparing the draft for the not result in commendable placements. It was closed as of this year. National Policy of Senior Citizens 2012 yet to be announced by the Ministry of Social Justice and The Accounts department was yet another area of darkness which we identified for the light to burn Empowerment (MSJE). Several other advocacy efforts were undertaken by Dignity Foundation through brighter from now on. Social workers like myself had to learn it the very hard way to accord highest representations submitted to the Finance Ministry, to MSJE, and by serving on the Advisory Board for priority to the management of this department within the overall canvas of NGO’s mission Research and Monitoring of projects and schemes of the Govt of in the field of Ageing, Disability implementation. Lack of knowledge and poor quality of staff resulted in many a milestone being and Drug Abuse. delayed, rendering the top management ineffectively equipped with MIS, analyses and concomitant corrective action. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things," said the social ecologist and management consultant Peter Drucker. Striking a balance between the two, we have finally arrived at a newer arrangement of hiring highly qualified number crunchers (a CA firm) who will Sheilu Sreenivasan feed the management with analyses on a regular basis from now on. With two new professional Founder President advisors – Mr Sameer Bhakri and Mr Rajeev Singhal – who have volunteered their inputs to raise the bar as it were in key areas, we commence another year of more effective services to senior citizens. "No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organised in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings," said 3 4 Suraksha Bandhan On the need for children to be sensitised to elder care, we in Mumbai have revived our old Event called Suraksha Bandhan, launched in 2001 by the then President of India Dr A P J Kalam, whereby children buy wrist bands of Dignity Foundation Mumbai from their teachers, bands that have words printed Activities at the Head Office, Mumbai, have been majorly masterminded and implemented under the guidance of on them: “I protect your security with dignity” . General Manager, Social Support Services, Neha Shah, with Children take home these bands to tie to their Loneliness Mitigation Centres being championed and ably grandparents on their wrist. managed by Manager Anarkali Velkar. In Mumbai alone in the course of a month we will reach out to 200 to 300 schools and distribute more Dignity Helpline than a lakh of such bands. All-India there is another Dignity Dementia Day Care 2 lakhs bands our chapters will be sending to In the year 2011-2012 almost 4,000 elderly called us seeking various types of assistance – ranging from help for schools in 4 cities. We are very grateful to BLUE Centre getting admission in old age homes in and around Mumbai, to a desperate cry for protection for a mother of DART for sponsoring all courier-related activities in three children who on her own had brought them up, but now in their adulthood, they have started physically Alzheimer's is a barren disease, as empty and Suraksha Bandhan. abusing her and mentally torturing her for giving away a small part of her assets! Distress calls, crisis cries, lifeless as a desert. It is a thief of hearts, souls seeking information and assistance on a variety of subjects have been the calls received from senior citizens on and memories. Helpline 61381111 -- a free service to all who call. At our day care centre in Dadar we deal with 19 dementia afflicted persons coming from all Says Neha Shah: “Despite having a family around, our elderly are facing loneliness in their twilight years. I think localities far and near to Dadar. For some of them it loneliness is a more distressing condition than being abused by one's own. In loneliness either you have a family like going on a daily picnic, for some it's like going to around but no one has the time for you, or you live alone and left to fend for yourself, with no one by your side a club, for some it's a temple they come to everyday. even to have dinner with. Through our extraordinary volunteer network we have managed to render assistance Each one of them carries their pet world with them to all such lonely elders”. We encourage more and more senior citizens to take the help of Helpline. when they come to the centre. The seven caregivers From June 2011 to January 2013 this project has been fully supported in all the 5 cities through grants and the coordinators are the main pillars of this day worth Rs. 73 lakhs from Infrastructure and Financial Leasing Services Ltd. Our heartfelt gratitude for this care centre. Come rain or Sun , they are there financial assistance. always smiling and caring for the dementia members of the centre. At Chembur our second centre was functional till August 2012, taking care Senior Citizen Counseling Centre Dignity On Wheels (DOW) of three patients. When the rental space had to be given up due to unaffordable hike in rent, the centre Iit is paradoxical that our legal counseling cell , which is Our mini Foundation, the DOW, was on the move also had to be closed. voluntarily serviced free of cost by dedicated lawyers, who from March to Sept 2011, completing one round of otherwise have their own private practice, is chocablocked visits to all the 24 wards of Mumbai. Our mission is In Chennai at Palavakam, at the Dignity Dementia with senior citizens wanting legal advice! In a country which to reach out to seniors who cannot came to HO, to Day Care Centre some 8 members are taken care, takes pride in elevating parents to the status of God (Matru provide all the services of Dignity Foundation at the followed by Kolkata of some three. There is much devo bhava and pitru devo bhava), the parents have to seek doorstep of nearly 5000 older population who took scope for strengthening these 2 city centres, and legal help in getting the monthly maintenance from their advantage of this service. Thereafter the bus went starting a new centre in Mumbai in the northern own children! Working for senior citizens also means we for repairs, followed by three monsoon months suburbs. have to work with children to influence their value system when it was grounded. We were very fortunate to An Endowment Fund of Rs. 9 lakhs in the name of which has today deteriorated into a don't-care-attitude. have in Trustee Gopal Srinivasan, a donor for K G Benevolent Fund was established in 2007 by We need to invest in today's youth by creating awareness undertaking major repairs of the vehicle and a fresh Trustee Nagesh Alia in memory of his mother, for that they are the ones who will have to take care of their coat of painting costing Rs. 95,000. The spanking expenses to be defrayed from interest accruing in parents and parents-in-law. new DOW will start to roll in October 2012. this Fund. 5 6 Dignity Ration Project Dignity Dialogue We had come out with a Hindi edition in 2010, accepted with open hands by our Hindi-oriented In the service for the poor old, who have no other support to depend on, A Report from its Editor Shobha Nair readers, who opine it is difficult to find a high quality monthly rations are supplied worth Rs.1,000. Faced with the threat of One of India's foremost national magazines magazine from its first issue. Kudos to our Hindi closure, due to poor donations to the project, the general manager exclusively for the 50+, 'Dignity Dialogue' was the Editors Dr Usha Mantri and Menu Jain! It is an scrambled at the last minute to successfully spot a donor in the Estate of frontrunner of Dignity Foundation, making its first honour for me to point out that Dr Usha Mantri, a appearance in 1995. Despite turbulances retired professor from Meerut University, became a Late Smt. Bhadra Ranjitlal Sukhadwala, executed by Shri Deepak Golwala. throughout these 16 years, it has been steadfast in tech-savvy editor, overcoming her hesitation on A donation of Rs.2.5 lakhs has been earmarked for this project from the its despatch to subscribers on the 29th of every computer technology in a matter of weeks, to ably above estate. A special note of gratitude to volunteer Usha Thanawala month, thanks to our subscription department ably steer the Hindi edition to greater heights. A feat whose untiring efforts for Dignity Foundation is highly commendable. headed by Hemang Desai and assisted by Shreya worth emulating for all senior retirees… The fact Sawant and Neeta Joshi. It has seen many avatars on that the Sar-La Trust under the stewardship of the way, strating with a four coloured magazine on Trustee Shri Vinaya Mehrotra came forward to art paper to a tabloid format each alternate month, support our Hindi edition speaks volumes for its to black and white versions, now finally onto a endearment to the readers. colourful modern layout from 2010. Unfortunately, we could not penetrate the Hindi What has been consistent over these years is the belt with proper marketing and lack of Chapter quality of its 'contents', which has been receiving presence, which prevented it from spreading its creditable reviews from its readers, who have wings further. This stagnancy made us rethink its become 'passionate collectors', carefully storing position, and we had to stop the edition with a away copies of every issue over the years for an heavy heart from April 2012. But what little impact encore reading! The magazine comes with an it had on the market is purely due to the huge ecclectic mix of health, wellness, spiritual support from the Sar-La Trust and the able awareness, environment, modern technology, captaincy of our Hindi editors! I would like to reveal personal finance, travel options, personalities to be that we still get requests to re-start our Hindi emulated, senior cuisine, books for you, brain edition… games like crossword and sudoku, and Let me present you with some gems from the huge contributions from readers on poetry, humour, fan mail we receive every month: nostalgic reflections as well as snippets of information from around the globe. “I would like to congratulate you on the quality of DD, which has improved beyond recognition since I last subscribed to it. The company from which I – Avid reader Nergaze Unwala (86) retired pays my subscription to Harmony since its Retirement Planning Workshops for Retirees in the inception. But I sincerely believe the quality of DD in Corporate Sector One would think retiring was the simplest thing in the world. With a little its improved form is much better than any other thought and planning, 'retire in peace' can become a reality and not just a line on some board. While some magazine of the same genre.” writes Suresh M only dream of a blissful life after 60, some actually get down to achieving it. The dream can be a reality for Mody from Mumbai. everyone as well, only that one just need to outline a plan and be disciplined and patient. Retirement is a “It is the best!” says Advocate Sandeep Jalan, Janhit major milestone in anyone's life. Proper Planning for retirement is a lot more important. Companies have Manch, Mumbai. “As a matter of fact, I read Dignity realised this reality, and have been inviting Dignity Foundation for holding such workshops in their premises. Dialogue after a gap, and I have to say the editorials The aim of this workshop is to help people plan for their retirement and lead a healthy and a meaningful life chosen are gracely bundled, perhaps the best post retirement. We normally invite spouses of employees too for such workshops. Many of the spouses magazine I have come across.” might be housewives having very little or no formal education. A small panel of Dignity volunteers who are professionals in diverse fields normally join hands to make this journey to retirement, blissful and enjoyable In our endeavours to re-invent the magazine every for retirees and their spouse. year and make it more attractive for our readers, we have been adding professional columns on various Dignity Foundation has reached out to following companies and conducted the retirement planning workshops lifestyle issues, consumer problems, photo during year 2011-12: In IDBI Bank we held two workshops on January 27th and 28th and again in May 22nd and features, and highlighting on current issues, 23rd; in Nuclear Power Corporation of India one workshop on March 30, 2011; in NRB Bearings one workshop technology to keep you updated with the times, and on April 5, 2011; at Tata Motors on March 27 and 28, 2011; at Bharat Petroleum on March 29 and 30 2011; and awareness on the environment around you. A again April 20, 2011 and two workshops were held in Coromondel Fertilizers Ltd on Sept 5 to 8, 2012 at Kakinada special section focusing on the younger generation for Managers and Supervisors and their spouse. helps in strengthening intergenerational bonding. 7 8 Letter from the daughter of one of our members: All religious festivals were celebrated with sincerity Conventionally, I don't fall under the category of of purpose in all the centres. Chembur Centre Senior citizen, since I'm only 40. Still I read with deserves a special mention for even organising tremendous interest your valuable publication Cheti Chand -- the Sindhi New Year's day as per the Dignity Dialogue. My father, N K Dhar, is a member Hindu calendar falling on the first day of the Chaitra of Dignity Foundation (Kolkata). This letter is to month, known as Chet in Sindhi. It is also celebrated express my sincere thanks and gratefulness to you as the birth anniversary of Ishtadeva Uderolal, for publishing such an attractive magazine. The popularly known as Jhulelal - the patron saint of language is exceptionally smart and of good Sindhis. "The occasion is considered to be very standard. auspicious. On this day, people worship water, the elixir of life," said Mr Khilnani who gave a small Talk The articles are very enriching. And I get lots of on the significance of this event. Mr Rajpal, our Versova Chai Masti members visited Dhobi Ghat, valuable information from your magazine. The member, was the main pujari. Sindhi as well as non- Mahalaxmi and thereafter went on a sightseeing articles inspire me tremendously and help me as a Sindhi members participated in the puja. tour of South Mumbai on July 25, 2012, followed by friend to deal with life's problems more easily. a sumptuous thali at Chetana Similarly, Dignitarians Dignity Dialogue is indeed a magazine for Members of Versova Centre attended a half day from the Grant Road Centre greatly enjoyed 'productive living' for people of all ages. My sincere camp at the Yoga Institute, Santacruz (East), the Heritage Walk organised by Dignitarian wishes that your valuable contribution to our Mumbai on the June 20, 2012. An Interactive Dileep Wagle. society receives the Blessings of the Almighty. session with Smt. Hansaji, Director of the Institute was also held. The subject was 'how to take care of Enthusiastic Dignitarians from the Grant Road Ranu Dhar, Kolkata our self'. The day ended with Sattvic lunch. Centre participated in a solo record Dance We would like to present our bouquet of thanks competition on March 14, 2012. The competition to the huge author bank we have been blessed with The third anniversary celebrations of Dadar Centre was organised by their Dance choreographer, consisting of professionals such as Dr Manu brought many talents to the forefront. Neeta Mane. Kulkarni, Dr Jamuna Pai, Gopal Srinivasan, Tarla Dalal, Advocate Anju Aggarwal, Advocate Sandeep Loneliness Mitigation Centres With the Ganesha festival nearing, members of Dignity Versova centre participated in a hobby class Velkar, K R K Moorthy, Anil Mulchandani and Dinesh These centres have been growing in popularity and to make their own Ganeshas. One of the members, Shukla who never refuse an SOS to fill in last minute strength during the year under review. Picnics Jayalakshmi, guided them to make Lord Ganesha gaps, Anoop Verma, B K Trehan, Nina Kapasi of continued to be the all time favourite sport, with from clay. The Grant Road centre held a mini show BCAS, Advocate Sumedha Rao, Vasanthi Rao, and each centre taking its members several times a year and display of Lord Ganesha pictures . our numerous authors who help us make it on an outing. colourfully informative and inspiring month after On January 18, 2012 we added a new centre at month. A part of the credit also goes to our Thane. The inauguration was by Dignity Brand designer Jayesh Kamat and printer Neha Vaghani Ambassador, Tanuja. Mrs. Medha Joshi, Chief who help us keep up our deadline each month. General Manager, Personal Banking(West Zone), of Dignity Dialogue has been blessed with a dedicated IDBI bank was the chief Guest. Tanuja enthralled the readership over the years, many of whom are not audience by delivering a spirited exposition of how interested in the social services on offer. It has also liberating life can be after retirement. Medha Joshi found a place in the 'retirement benefits' of encouraged the people to build a positive attitude corporates such as RBI, ITC, BPCL, MICA and many towards ageing. Enthusiastic members from Grant more… Our readers enjoy sharing their pleasure by R o a d , M i r a R o a d , C h e m b u r s t o l e gifting the magazine to their near and dear ones. the show by their amazing dance performances and We conclude with Sultan Fazelbhoy's songs during the inaugural. They helped us to summation….. “It is a pleasure to send this gift to establish a tradition of inaugurating each people as I thoroughly enjoy reading the well- centre by members' performances on the stage! presented material every month and would like my They danced to the latest Bollywood tunes and friends and family also to share in that joy..” sang hindi film songs. 9 10 Govt of Maharashtra ID Card Centres Rupawala 7,000.00 Chandersen D. Jatwani 5,000.00 The ID Card centres issuing Govt of Maharashtra Senior Citizens Association for Service and Amit V. Karkhanis 5,000.00 Healing of Animals (ASHA) Ravinuthala Kalyan C. Rao 5,000.00 card increased in number both in Mumbai and in the state of Brinda Upadya 6,000.00 Maharashtra. Mumbai centres now total 24 and state centres Ajay Services 5,000.00 Sundaresan Shastry 6,000.00 total 110. Dhirendra S. Parikh 5,000.00 Parsi Anjuman Jabalpur 6,000.00 Sukanta Styamurti 5,000.00 Google Inc. 5,147.32 Meenakshi Ramaswami 5,000.00 Indravadan V. Bhagat 5,001.00 Ramesh Krishnamurthy Iyer 5,000.00 V. P. Chadda 5,001.00 Grants and Donations Shankar Subramanian Iyer 5,000.00 Brijmohan Maroo Charitable Trust 5,000.00 Our grateful thanks are due to the enormous Earthstone Energy & K. D. Vasudeva 5,000.00 Natural Resources Ltd. 5,000.00 financial support we have received during Dewandas B Karamchandani 5,000.00 Nita Tanna 5,000.00 Fy 2011-2012 from a number of donors. Donors Keshoe Chandra Rai 5,000.00 Susy Thomas 5,000.00 Hymavathi B Reddy 5,000.00 Vimal C. Kamath 5,000.00 Infrastructure Leasing and Nergish Olia 20,000.00 Adhuaatmam-Bhamini 5,000.00 Amal Kumar Ghosh 5,000.00 Financial Services Ltd 2,816,666.00 Prashant Shetty 15,000.00 Mangesh Shashikant Hadkar 5,000.00 Adhyaatmam-Bhamini 5,000.00 Charities Aid Foundation India 2,134,208.00 Thakkar KM Bhatia Niwas & VMC Trust 15,000.00 Tewari Charitable Trust 5,000.00 Sanjeevani Trust 5,000.00 Sar-La Educational Trust 12,00,000.00 Varsha Rani Kapadia 12,500.00 Sunil Jagtiani 5,000.00 Dewandas B Karamchandani 5,000.00 Kotak Mahindra Payroll Giving 980,040.00 D.M. Chitnis 12,000.00 Saaol Heart Centre Mumbai 5,000.00 Sandhya Nagesh Kini 5,000.00 United Way Mumbai - SCMM 2012 788,300.00 Baaqer Shirazi Managing Director 12,000.00 Satyendranath N. Bhat 5,000.00 Kakad Udyog Unit Bhavan Garware Charitable Trust 300,000.00 Shantikumar Dalal 12,000.00 Thomas Menezes 5,000.00 Co-op Society Ltd. 5,000.00 Estate of Late Smt. Bhadra Ranjitlal Neela V. Patki 12,000.00 Miditech Pvt Ltd. Ganesh Kunju 5,000.00 Sunil Jagtiani 5,000.00 Sukhadwala 250,000.00 Reddy Hymavathi 12,000.00 Pankaj P. Shah 5,000.00 Josephine Dsilva-Coutinho 5,000.00 ONGC 247,000.00 Lakshmi Srinivasan 12,000.00 Josphine Coutinho 5,000.00 Satish Rao 5,000.00 Shree Mahalakshmi Temple Charities 105,000.00 Uma Srinivasan 12,000.00 Shastry Sudaresan 5,000.00 Shamala Baliga 5,000.00 N.H. Israni H.U.F. 100,000.00 Amit Kumar Singh 12,000.00 Gomathinayagam N 5,000.00 Madhukar H. Narurkar 5,000.00 Siddharth Hariharan 100,000.00 Nexus HR Consultants Pvt. Ltd. Aspi Davierwala 5,000.00 Surendra Shetty 5,000.00 Ramgopal Kundurthi 100,000.00 Sonal Jain - Director 12,000.00 Chandersen D. Jatwani 5,000.00 Lovejee Nadirshah Wankadia 5,000.00 Somasekhar Sundaresan 75,000.00 Memmara S. Chidambaram

Gopal Srinivasan 95,000.00 Charitable Trust 12,000.00 Bhuvan Garodia 51,000.00 Gitanjali Balani 11,037.50 Nagesh Ganesh Alai 50,000.00 New India Coop Bank Ltd. 10,000.00 Ajay Garg 50,000.00 Shantha Kikkeri 10,000.00 Ajit Thomas Stephen 50,000.00 Nalin Thakor 10,000.00 Tewari Bros Mithaiwala 35,000.00 Ramal Charities 10,000.00 Events Anand R. Dalal 26,000.00 Prabhakar S. Gurjar 10,000.00 Dignity Open Bridge Tournment 2012 Anuradha Prabhu KP 25,001.00 Kanchan Singh 10,000.00 Dignity Open Bridge Tournament (under the auspices of the Maharashtra Bridge Association) took place on Urmi Bhagwandas Sampat 25,000.00 Ramprakash Podar Charitable Trust 10,000.00 February 12, 2012, at the Swastik League Hall, South Mumbai, as a one day tournament(Pairs Progressive) Sunil Ghanekar 25,000.00 Shobha Govind Shanbhag 10,000.00 conducted in two sessions. Sindhu Charitable Society 25,000.00 Vidya Shenoy 10,000.00 The game of Bridge, said to be a brain booster, has Ramesh Narayan 25,000.00 Sadashiv S. Rao 10,000.00 become popular among the Dignity members, with Ramal Charities 25,000.00 Nirmala George Mathews 10,000.00 a lot more catching up with it. Every passing year, the Sapana charitable Trust 24,000.00 Zahid Husain 10,000.00 tournament has grown in popularity. This year we Vasant J. Patki 22,000.00 Meenakshi Doraiswami 9,000.00 had an overwhelming response with 23 pairs Alcon Electronics Pvt. Ltd. 21,000.00 Nina Prabhu 9,000.00 participating from all over Mumbai. Our members Hardcastle Restaurant 20,000.00 Kantilal C. Mehta 7,500.00 competed with professional and national level NKGSB Co-op Bank Ltd. 20,000.00 Estate of Saroj P. Shah 7,000.00 Bridge players from all over Mumbai. Kumud S. Shah 20,000.00 Ajanth Bolar 7,000.00 As in the earlier years, the tournament was Susheil Ahluwalia 20,000.00 Kantilal C. Mehta 7,000.00 sponsored by Shri Anand Dalal (R L Dalal & Co Pvt Magma Fincorp Ltd. 20,000.00 Shyamala Rajagopalan 7,000.00 Ltd, one of India's reputed engineering and contracting firms) 11 12 17th Anniversary of Dignity Dialogue Dignity Film Festival 2012 The 17th Anniversary of Dignity Dialogue was celebrated on March 15, 2012, at The five -day Film Festival organised by Dignity Shree Manav Seva Sangh, Savani Hall, Sion to a full audience of 400 senior citizens. Foundation, between June & July 2012, in the cities of Mumbai (in 2 venues), Bengaluru, Chennai and It started with the enactment of the 29th April 1995 Pune, stood out for its splendid reception from the inauguration of India's first magazine for senior citizens -- members. It gave a great sense of satisfaction to the Dignity Dialogue -- followed by a skit by the Dignitarians Foundation for having been responsive to the of Chembur Centre, on “Sashtiabdapoorthi” or the members' interests by putting together a selection second wedding celebrating life@60. of films in five different languages, each one To understand the beginning and growth of Dignity celebrated, discussed and reminisced for the Dialogue there was a presentation by our Founder content, message and above all the entertainment President Dr. Sheilu Sreenivasan. She stressed upon how provided. The 'old box office' brought back Inspiration, Motivation and Information were the three nostalgia to the members who enjoyed the bouquet functional pillars of the magazine exclusively designed of films reflecting essence of life in various for senior citizens. perspectives of drama, comedy and simple entertainment, and got immersed in the flow, as To play LIVE the importance of knowing celebrities who witnessed in Chennai. A quiz contest on every film have featured on the covers of various issues over the 17 New Member Induction and kept them absolutely engrossed. In Mumbai, they years, nine gracious leaders of the thinking world were invited walked the ramp attired as their favourite actor to Welcome to stage – Gerson da Cunha, Vithal C Nadkarni,, Jayasinh Mariwala, Anil Kilachand, make the grand finale of the festival highly Deepak V. Bhimani, Dr. Jamuna Pai, Katy and Adi Merchant and Gopal Srinivasan. On July 30, 2012 for the benefit our new members memorable. and renewals, Dignity Foundation/Mumbai They gave all the readers a chance to meet them in person and talk to them. This was Adding colour to the nostalgic festivities was the organised a Member Induction program to a great experience for all and the hall went abuzz with informal chit chats. presence of well-known film personalities such as Welcome New Dignity Foundation members at the We also celebrated our authors who were called and gifted with a small memento. Tanuja, Bhagyashree (Hindi) and Nagabharana, Dadar Chai Masti today 4.00 pm. The Dignity staff Sundar Raj, and Tara Venu (Kannada), who have put up a Pyscho Drama to introduce the Dignity The evening's highlight was a spiritual discourse on “Prayer – Why, What, How, supported this venture over the years. That, with Foundation services to them. Psycho drama Where and When does one Pray” by the 24 year old graduate of BITS Pilani , Shri the ready support of Sathaye College, Vile Parle, involves enacting real life situations to understand Dushyanth Sridhar, who took the hall by storm and enthralled the audience with his Mumbai, as well as Suchitra Film Society and problems. A very unique way to present Dignity mesmerising exposition laced with songs in a mellifluous voice. NMRKV College, Bengaluru, in extending their Foundation. We want to make our members to feel The same event was replicated in all our chapters and was a great success and very auditoriums for screening, underlined the goodwill very special and a very warm Welcome to our new welcome opportunity to meet the authors and VIP's of our magazine. for Dignity Foundation. members to the Dignity Family!

13 14 Highlights

October 2011: Retirement India Expo 2011 Pune November, 2011: Ballroom Dance and Warli painting class December 2011: Outing to Pu La Deshpande Park; Computer Class January, 2012: Picnic to Hidden Oasis ; Computer Class February, 2012: Visit to Chinmaya Vibhuti, a spiritual retreat in Kolvan Computer Class March 2012: Visit to Dignity Lifestyle, Neral, Computer Class Dear Dignitarians, April, 2012: Celebrated the 17th Anniversary of DD, visit to Darshan exhibition, Computer Class The year 2011-2012 has been one of challenge and change for the Pune chapter. While our May 2012: Visit to Connecting NGO for volunteering opportunities; Computer Class enrichment centers became even more vibrant and warm we faced significant challenges June, 2012: Visit to Astha, an assisted living facility; Computer Class; Film Festival on the fundraising and sustainability front. Our team has had some changes and this year July, 2012: Outing to Holistic Health Centre in Bibvewadi to understand the various alternative will also see me handover my charge as Head of the Pune chapter. However my connection to Dignity will continue as I volunteer my services to the Helpline in Pune. therapies available; Computer Class I am happy to welcome Ms. Disha Barve who takes over as Head of the Pune chapter from September 2012 August, 2012: Visit to Phulgaon SHG called Ishwari Cooperative; Computer Class onwards. I am sure she will build on the work that has already been done and pave new paths to self sustenance. September, 2012: Visit to NavKshitij, a home for mentally challenged adults- to explore volunteering I am happy to present the Annual report for the Pune chapter for the year October 2011-September 2012. This is opportunities; Computer Class a culmination of the effort and spirit of my colleagues Jackson Abnis, Neha Pawar, Payal Iyer, Margaret Pereira and Abdul Kalyani under the positive leadership of Dr. Sheilu Sreenivasan. 40 volunteers for Expo and events 7000 footfalls at our Enrichment Centers 66 cases were handled on the Helpline. The callers Very sincerely, benefited from Professional Counseling and Companionship. The Pune chapter now has 173 tie ups that offer discounts to members.

Lakshmi Ramamurthy General Manager, Dignity Foundation, Pune chapter Year 2011-2012 in Review Handing over charge to Disha Barve (October 2011 – September 2012) Dear Dignitarians, Being challenged in life is inevitable, being It gives me immense pleasure in representing the defeated is optional. - Roger Crawford Retirement workshops Pune Chapter. I know what a rock Lakshmi and her The third year at Dignity Pune was marked by some team have been and I hope to continue her legacy. triumphs and lots of learning. The loneliness After the successful Retirement Workshops for My special focus in the next year will be to make the mitigation programme has evolved over the year Kirloskar Pneumatic Co Ltd, for its employees and and member interactions and camaraderie bring us their spouses, we have seen that the corporate Pune chapter financially sustainable which will the satisfaction of a job well done. On the other sector has acknowledged the need and the value go on to support our other hand, we have struggled to get the Pune chapter on for these sessions. The two day workshop covers initiatives in the area of elder the road to self sustenance. The learning in this year very interesting and useful topics like psychological care and engagement. will form the basis for our focus areas next year. preparation for retirement, health, nutrition and We however continue to steer our ship with fitness after 60, Financial planning, Second Career Sincerely, purpose and confidence, reaching out to more opportunities, Redefining relationships, Spiritual Disha Barve elders in Pune. wellness and Yoga. 15 16 “I have completed one year of my membership in Dignity Foundation. I am pleased to see Dignity Helpline and Dignity Health Camps the staff working with zeal, honesty and dedication to cater the needs, health and welfare Professional Counseling for Among others, a Bone Density Camp, Basic Life of the senior citizens. In my life I have found a new beginning, an opportunity to interact Support (first aid) workshop, Dementia workshop, with loving, friendly members of this foundation. Pray the lord almighty bless the staff of the elderly Diabetes Awareness camp (including free Sugar this Dignity Foundation in their future plans. The enrichment time has proved so fruitful and blessed as I gain knowledge in respect to health issues. We meet as a family, sharing our Our helpline service has been attending calls of test) and Magneto therapy workshop was views. This has made me active and I feel dignified.” distress from the seniors. Attending these calls conducted at Pune. brings into sharp focus the problems the elderly - Mr. Albano Alvares (66) face in urban India. From loneliness, depression and disease to abuse and harassment issues, the diversity of issues brings out the complete lack of social support for the elderly. Events of Dignity Pune It is encouraging to see the difference that the This year the Pune chapter hosted several events. helpline makes to elders and their families in times We started with the Retirement India Expo in of stress and difficulty. September 2011 which saw over 5000 footfalls. The 17th anniversary of Dignity Dialogue “Our best comments are reserved for the legal was celebrated in April 2012 and saw a counseling that we have received from Advocate wonderful turnout of Dignitarians. Ms. Anu Aga (ex Vrushali. I am not aware of any other NGO who is Dignity Computer classes Chairperson, Thermax India) graced the occasion providing this type of service. We have benefited and spoke about her life journey. Dr Vasanta immensely and have got tremendous peace of Our Computer Classes continue to be a big hit Ramaswamy, Mrs. Arnavaz Damania, Mr. S. Joglekar mind after discussing and among our members. The trainers have found the and Mrs. Vinita Deshmukh were the other special implementing advice to solve perfect balance between patience, knowledge, celebrities. some very tricky and sticky legal humor and friendship thus leading to an extremely We also organised the annual Film festival at Nehru problems that we had got into.” well attended class. Sessions on using Internet, Memorial hall which saw a very poor turnout. - Kaushik and Manju Shah, opening and operating a Facebook account, adding who utilised the services friends, having a conversation on Skype etc have opened new and exciting doors for the elders. “Actually, it is a blessing in disguise for me. Apart from giving me opportunities to go out and making new acquaintances, I have benefited a lot. Firstly, I took computer class conducted by Mr. Bal Gurjal. I had some knowledge of computers before but it made me more confident. Now I am able to operate the computer confidently and stay well connected with my family and friends…..” - Mrs. Raj Arora, Member Significant donors The Year Ahead Every little drop counts and we are grateful to In the year ahead, I look forward to continuing the several smaller contributions we have received this existing mix of activities and services. Some of the Dignity Enrichment Centers year. As always our efforts are to make the best areas I would like to focus on are use of the donations to increase the facilities 1. Getting Pune chapter on the way to financial Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing. for the elderly. self sustenance. - Oliver Wendell Holmes 2. Building a pool of volunteers to commit The Enrichment Centers are the mainstay of the Pune chapter. The year saw 7000 footfalls and the warmth, love themselves to fund raising, helpline and and camaraderie at the centres is palpable. Members bookmark activities and make it a point to attend and companionship. participate. The programming is balanced with activities meant to stimulate, engage and entertain. 3. Open one more Enrichment Centre in Pune We have seen cases of complete transformation in members from being hesitant and withdrawn to taking on leadership roles at the centre! The seed of kalyana mitrta – friendship for everyone's wellbeing- has taken root at I look forward to the help and support of the Pune centers with so many elders finding closeness, companionship, solutions and anchors amongst corporates, members, donors and well wishers to themselves. come forward and help 17 18 Resolution of significant problem situations Mr. C had filed under provisions of Senior Citizens Maintenance Act in 2007, a complaint against children's abandonment, at the collector's office, Chennai. An Enquiry was held at the Collector's office, at Singaravelan Malligai where the respondents were present, and the case heard. After the case was heard for more than 8 months even after repeated reminders by Mr C, the judgment was not declared. On behalf of Mr C who lived in Mumbai, our Founder President submitted a request letter to the Chennai Collector for early disposal of the Chennai judgment. In 15 days time, the Collector had arranged for the Judgment to be posted to Mr C. The client was naturally very relieved and thanked our President and the chapter offices who delivered the request letter in person and appealed for assistance.

Mrs. L Helpline Calls Mrs. L (60) had registered her daughter's name with Bharath Matrimony for a period of 3 months in (Oct 2011- Sept 2012) search of a bridegroom. She received responses from many bridegroom's family but was not able to Sr Details No of Calls access any of the them since her registered period No. asked for Received had expired! Her claim was that she had sent the 1 Trusted Information 98 details of her daughter within the registered period, 2 Companionship 6 the response came late, and that she must be allowed to see the responses for those details 3 Dementia 18 which have been sent during the registered period. 4 Coffee with Dignity 90 Dignity Foundation Social Worker intervened on Ms. D 5 Second Career 36 behalf of Mrs. L and spoke to the customer service Ms. D (62) lived alone at Madipakkam. An executive 6 Membership query 54 head and resolved the problem. Mrs. L was given from Aircel came to her home to sell mobile 7 Tie-Up query 28 access to all the responses. Mrs. L thanked the connection. She was convinced about the offer, Foundation for quick action taken. gave the initial amount for the SIM Card. The Aircel 8 17th Anniversary Calls 8 Executive informed her saying the SIM will be 9 Volunteering 23 Mr. R. N. P activated in 24 hrs. She waited for one day and since 10 DD Meeting 43 the SIM card was not activated she called Dignity Mr. R.N.P (65) called us to seek help for a problem 11 Health and Medical 10 Help line for help. She thought the executive might he was facing with the landlord. The Social worker 12 Abuse 2 have been a fraud and that she was cheated. The through the brother of the land lord and came to social worker got all the details from her; spoke to 13 Film Festival 20 know that Mr. R.N.P had not paid the rent for past 2 the Aircel Manager to activate the mobile. Aircel 14 Others 135 months, and hence such a problem had arisen. The executive immediately responded and activated TOTAL 571 social worker spoke to Mr. R.N.P to either pay the the mobile without any delay and Ms. D was happy rent or vacate the place. Mr. R.N.P agreed and said for the timely help provided by Dignity. he would try to vacate the place shortly. Dignity social worker informed the same to the owner and requested her not to trouble Mr. R.N.P till he Mr. N vacates. The problem was soon resolved. Mr. N (76) met with an accident. He called our helpline for companionship. He stayed in Anna Nagar and his wife was a sugar patient. We had sent our volunteer to meet him, who spends time with him frequently. Small problems appear huge and humongous to senior citizens. A timely help or two resolves the situation bringing a happy smile to their face. 19 20 Dignity Film Festival Events & The five day film festival was held from July 18 to 22, 2012. Dignitatrians laughed out loud each time actor Nagesh the protagonist of film Server Sundaram was seen in a comic situation. While watching Adhe Kangal, a murder mystery, some members almost let out a shrieking scream like how children do while watching a horror Social Service film! During the screening of Waqt some of the members were singing along with songs that came on the screen. Such were the reactions of the Dignitarians who attended the film festival conducted at MM Preview Theater at Kodambakkam. The Activities films screened were “Athey Kangal, Pachai Vilakku, Waqt, RajapartRangadurai, Server Sundaram. Our grateful thanks to our members who contributed in cash and kind for the film festival: Mr. M. P Balakrishnan, Mr. Dayakar, Mr. Thiyagarajan, Mr. Vishwanathan and Mr. Daivasigamani. 17th Anniversary of the Dignity Dialogue Magazine On March 29, 2012 the Chennai chapter celebrated Workshops and Special Programmes the 17th anniversary of the magazine Dignity Securities and Exchange Board of India – The regulator for securities market in India Dialogue in a grand manner at Chinmaya Heritage conducted a workshop exclusively for our members on Financial Education on Centre, Harrington Road, Chennai. The theme for January 27, 2012. the evening was “ Celebrating our Celebrities “ Tamil Nadu Police Academy had invited pour members on February 21, 2012 for a The keynote talk was given by Swami Atmajnanadaji special meeting at Vandalur, in their sprawling campus of 235 acres! Mr. Pradeep V. Maharaj on “Being Old and Wanted” – a Spiritual Philips, Inspector General of Police and Mr. Nagarajan, IPS took their chair and spoke about the role of police Discourse. concerning seniors. Mr. Philips also included a few The following celebrities were honoured – the well points mentioned in the National Draft Policy for renowned dance couple the Dhananjanyans, Seniors 2012. In the dialogue that ensued topics Mr. Balakrishnan of Bala Taxi Service , Mr. Nirmal, brought forward by members were jotted down Exnora Chief, Mr. Vidyadhar of Udavum Karangal. for action. Having had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Vijayanthi Mala, Actor/dancer, and Mrs. and discuss with police officers of the upper Savithri Vaithi of Vishranthi Old Age Home. echelons, Dignitarians felt that they can with ease approach the police without fear or distrust. About 25 members of Dignity foundation of Chennai were facilitated for writing articles in the magazine. More than 200 members attended the event. They had an opportunity to chit chat with celebrities, and relive nostalgia.

Workshop on Leader and Leadership On November 25, 2011 a workshop on Leaders and Leadership was taken by Mr. C. S Sampath Kumaran, a Specialist attached to Technology Management Consultancy. 21 22 Memory Check A day in the life of Chennai Dignity Dementia Centre A camp on Memory check for seniors to improve The members are collected daily from their homes and brought to the centre by 10 a.m. in a bus donated to the quality of life was held by Eisai and Apollo Dignity Foundation two years ago. They are given a refreshing drink, and stimulated to say a small group prayer. Counsellors on March 14, 2012. A brief orientation is done by the social worker where in the clients are reminded about the day, month, year and name of the season. Each member then introduces himself/herself. Armchair exercises, simple yoga, OM chanting and mild breathing exercises are conducted. The members are Coffee with Dignity then given cognitive activities (e.g.: Colouring, Writing, Word search, Calculations, Find out missing letters, Sorting of playing cards, Word/ letter/ number search, Matching the pictures, Find out the difference and Activities of coffee with similarities, Identification of objects/ people/ colour/ shape etc). Lunch is provided at 12.30 p. m. as specified by dignity sessions varied from the dietician, followed by music therapy sessions where familiar songs are played. Some of the members also music to self healing sing along. techniques and learning of During rest of the day group activities and games are conducted such as ball games, cards, caroms etc. Also some computer basics, getting to members show interests in watching movies. There are also interactive sessions among the members where know Facebook and the like. some of them relate their life stories and jokes. Coffee is served at 2.45 pm. By 3.00 pm they get ready to leave. Each one is dropped back home by 5 p.m. Activities are conducted by Social Worker Jijo Varghese and funding support is managed by Mr K Radhakrishnan, Director of Chennai Chapter.

Dignity Dialogues We continued the tradition of holding an evening chat once a month with significant professionals who spoke on the cover feature of that month's Dignity Dialogue - Members and subscribers in Chennai enjoy the intellectually stimulating sessions.

Vision for the year 2012-2013 1. Starting of few Chai Masti centres in few locations. Report Presented by The 2. Focused Tie up in health care services Management Team 3. Strengthening our volunteer network and Aruna Damodaran focusing on helpline calls. Lakshmi Kumar 4. Brining enrichment to members through a variety of programmes and learning sessions V .Shanmugam 23 24 Kolkata

Wednesday - 09/05/2012 - Rabindra Jayanti Celebration Monday - 28/05/2012 - Birthday Celebration of the Year Highlights Friday - 01/06/2012 - Health Camp by All Asia Medical Institute(AAMI) Monday - 04/06/2012 - Nazrul Jayanti Celebration Thursday - 11/08/2011 - Health Camp by Eye Care and Research Centre Wednesday - 06/06/2012 - Geeta Discourse by Mr. Alok Banerjee Tuesday - 13/09/2011 - Vivekananda Yoga Society conducted Yoga Session. Thursday - 28/06/2012 - Health Camp By RG Urology and Laparoscopy Hospital Monday - 9/10/2011 - Bijoya and Deepawali Celebration Wednesday - 30/06/2012 - A talk on “Buddhism” by Our Member, Mrs. Sumita Ghose Thursday - 23/11/2011 - A Presentation of Dignity Services was conducted At South City residential complex on evening from 5 p.m. onwards with the special assistance of our member, Mr. K. S Parasuram. Monday - 02/07/2012 - A special Musical Programme By Ms. Deboshree Bose, A renowned Singer. Wednesday - 30/11/2011 - Birthday Celebration. Wednesday - 18/07/2012 - Shruti Abhinoy by Ms. Sunita Dutta, a famous Stage Artist. Monday - 5/12/2011 - Camp on Universal Tourism Sunday - 22/07/2012 - A day's Out to “Khardah Shyamsundar Mandir” Wednesday - 7/12/2011 - A Special talk on “Understanding Alzheimer disease and its prevention” Wednesday - 25/07/2012 - A tribute to our “Mahanayak Uttam Kumar” on his Birth Anniversary. by Dr. Gautam Bhaduri. Monday - 30/07/2012 - Birthday Celebration Thursday - 15/12/2011 - Launch Picnic on the Ganges Monday - 06/08/2012 - Celebrating Janmaashtami Monday - 26/12/2011 - Christmas Celebration Wednesday - 08/08/2012 - Death Anniversary of on “ Baishe Srabon”. Wednesday - 11/01/2012 - Vivekananda Sardho Sataborsho Celebration Tuesday - 21/08/2012 - Programme on Reverse Mortgage in Collaboration with Help Age India. Friday - 27/01/2012 - Birthday Celebration Monday - 10/09/2012 - Special Songs By TV Artist, Mr. Saikat Sekhareshwar Roy. Thursday - 02/02/2012 - Annual Picnic at Falta Wednesday - 12/09/2012 - A talk on “ Enjoy Sunrise in your Sunset period” by Mr. Dilip Kumar Ghose. Tuesday - 14/02/2012 - Health Camp By Bengal Speech and Hearing Pvt. Ltd. Friday - 14/09/2012 - Uday Shankar Culture Centre Performed a special dance programme, directed by Wednesday - 15/02/2012 - A session on “the Art of Living” By Mr. Arnab Acharjee Mrs. Amala Shankar, Our brand Ambassador, in Mahajati Sadan from 6:30 p.m. onwards.. Monday - 12/03/2012 - Celebrating Holi as “Basanto Utsav” In Bengal Total Queries in the Helpline: 383 Wednesday - 14/03/2012 - Bhagawad Geeta Session by Sri Amitava Sen and songs by Mr. Ashim Pyne. and Total Marketing Alliances: 216 Friday - 30/03/2012 - Birthday Celebration In the next 12 Months, we want to work hard for more memberships, more events, and more donations so Thursday -05/04/2012 - 17th DD Anniversary Celebration that our Dignity Foundation Kolkata Chapter will have a unique position among all the NGO s that are serving Monday - 16/04/2012 - Barsho Baran Utsav i.e. Welcoming the Bengali New Year the Senior Citizens in Kolkata. Wednesday - 02/05/2012 - Greeting Mrs. Sanjukta Sengupta, a dignitarian and a famous writer of modern All of us will try our best to execute our job responsibilities so that we will not let our Dignity Foundation times for winning the Academy Award for her Book “Ashamikoron”. down at any Cost. 25 26 Bengaluru

Dear Dignitarians, I have immense pleasure in presenting the Fourth Annual Report of the Bengaluru Chapter of Dignity Foundation for the year 2011-2012. Since its Inception in May 2008, the Bengaluru Chapter has seen a a good amount of growth in memberships Report presented by the and establishment of Coffee Chavadis. There was a Management Team in Kolkata change in stewardship from November 2011 and the new team is trying its best to rise to the Moitrayee Chatterjee challenges of meeting the mission of Dignity Foundation. Lina Das Sincerely, Narendranath Mukherjee SANDHYA S. N. Shibshankar Banerjee Senior Manager and Head, Bengaluru Chapter

Kolkata Dignity Dementia Day Care Centre has a very small clientele numbering three. It would appear that stereotypical issues and prejudice against the Our Ambassadors disease itself might be factors behind families preferring home care over professional care at the Film personalities Mr. Ramesh Aravind and Mrs. Tara Anooradha have been our Ambassadors for the past three centre. By 2012 December end this centre will be years and have been advocating the need to care for senior citizens. Mrs. Tara Anooradha is the Chairperson of closed. Funding for the centre has been managed Karnataka Chitrakala Academy and was nominated as MLC in 2012. Both the ambassadors have done a great deal by a small group of core committee headed by of good by spreading the cause of senior citizen in Karnataka. Preeti Roy, as Director of Kolkata chapter of Dignity Foundation.

27 28 Health Camps and Health Significant Donors Related Talks We are most grateful to donors for their contributions: There were 15 Health Camps and Health Related Highlights Talks conducted in chavadis. Significant among Point cross – Rs. 1, 50,000 them were check ups for diabetes, Orthopedic VMWare – Rs.40,000 problems, urological illnesses, bone density issues. Tata Nano cars -- Rs. 10,000 Damask – Rs.15,000 Govt ID Cards Retirement India Expo 2011 IDBI Bank – Rs. 2000 Total number of cards issued were 1257 Mr. Sampath Kumar – Rs. 5000 The Expo which was held on Sept 17 to 19, 2011 received an over whelming response from the Mr. Chandra Mouli – Rs. 5000 Bengaluru public and 4000 senior citizens took part Humour Talk Mr. Girish – Rs. 5000 in various activities such as music, dance, talks and Nutrition Support exercises, apart from getting to know of products Dr. Hirannaiah, a renowned theatre artist in British Biologicals, Nestle India, ITC Confectionaries Under this programme 40 beneficiaries were and services showcased by exhibitors. Karnataka visited the Bengaluru Chapter and gave donations in kind during events. Mrs supported during the year with monthly rations regaled the Dignitarians with his Humour Talk. Kanakavalli Pandu gifted us with a camera and microphone systems. Kannada Rajyotsava Dignity Film Festival Dignity HelpLine For the first time the Bengaluru Chapter celebrated Looking Ahead The annual Film Festival was held in June 2012 by Total calls received and attended were 1453. These the Kannada Rajyotsava 8th in December, greatly We look forward to a challenging, productive and screening movies of five different languages include psychological, emotional, legal and appreciated by the Dignitarians. meaningful year ahead. Some of our plans are: –English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. Each financial counseling, trusted information and day saw the presence of a celebrity such as Mr companionship. A tie-up with Akshaya Patra as avenue for members Nagabharana, renowned film director, Dr Sunder to engage in voluntary social work Raj actor, Mr Sabhapathy of Suchitra Film Society Outdoor Sports Meet for Elders Increasing the number of Coffee Chavadis. and Mrs Thara Anooradha. Dignity Coffee Chavadis For the first time an Outdoor Sports Meet was Strengthening our volunteer base. organised in Bengaluru Chapter in 2012 along with Dignity Coffee Chavadis are the backbone of our Lioness- Anjanadri. Some 30 members attended the chapter. We have at present 5 centres working Soliciting Govt. support towards setting up a day Meet and played 5 different games. Prizes were Tie-Up With Radio One towards providing daily enrichment to members. care centre. sponsored by Lions Club. The “Music Healing” Programme with Radio One was conducted in July 2012 with the main aim of bringing younger singing talents together with Award Received Senior citizens. As Chief Guest former Chief Justice Santosh Hegde did the honours and noteworthy Dignity Foundation Bengaluru was recognised, mention must also be made of Singer Rajesh felicitated and nominated for Namma Bengaluru Krishnan. The Music Healers Facebook page is Awards in April 2012. This award is given every year popular even among Dignitarians. to individuals and NGOs for their contribution to society. Some 15,000 applicants are reported to have sent in their applications, out of which 5 NGOS were selected for the Award, and Dignity Aliance Partnerships Foundation is one of them. Tie up with 150 service providers in Bengaluru, of relevance to senior citizens were accomplished this year. Significant among them are – the Mallya Hospital, Apollo Hospital , Fortis Hospital, and Manipal Hospital.

29 30 Photo Gallery

Dignity Dementia Daycare residents dance Dignity Open Bridge Tournament Pune DD Event - Celebrities from R to L - Launch of “Music Healers,” a joint initiative by at their picnic to Maharashtra Natur Park Mr S. A. Joglekar, Ms. Arnavaz Damania, Dignity Foundation and 94.3 Radio One, D. Vasantha Ramaswamy, Ms Anu Aga, by Justice Santosh Hegde (seated in red shirt) and Ms Vinita Deshmukh

Dignitarians become puppets for Introduction to Facebook in Chembur Bengaluru Dignitarians flaunt their fashion Bengaluru Dignitarians flaunt their fashion Thane Chai Masti inauguration by Aon Hewitt staff

Celebrities and awardees at DD Event in Chennai DD Event in Chennai Rama Dutta with classical songs Kolkata Members performing inaugural song 31 32 Chennai Chapter Core Committee

Trustees - Dignity Foundation V Radhakrishnan, Indu Phadke, Director Member

Arun Saha, Gopal Srinivasan, Yamuna Nair, Geetha Kumar, Executive Director IL&FS Executive Director, GKW Ujwal Thakar Member Member

Kolkata Chapter Core Committee

Nagesh Alai, Dr Sheilu Sreenivasan, C.A and Advocate, Vinaya Mehrotra, Social Worker President, FCB Ulka, Mumbai Philanthropist Dignity Foundation

Preeti Roy, V K Krishnamurthy, Management Staff - Dignity Foundation Director Member

Anarkali Velkar, Manager, Uddalak Chatterjea, Dipak Nag, Enrichment Centres Hemang Desai, Member Member M.Com., Manager, Sonali Sinha, Dip. in Computer Mgmt. Database B.Com. Chief Operating Officer

Neha Shah, General Manager, Social Support Systems Shashikant Shah, M.Com. Shobha Nair, CA and Finance Certificate Social Work; Editor, Dignity Dialogue magazine Manager Counselling M.A., PGCTE, M. Phil.

HEAD OFFICE KOLKATA CHAPTER M Subramnaiam, Manager, Dignity Foundation, BMC School bldg, 20 L, Dhakuria station road P.o.-Dhakuria, Statutory Compliances Perviz Menon, Topiwala Lane, Mumbai 400007 Kolkata-700 031 Tel: 033 24187937 M.A., Dip. in Advt., Manager Events Public Relations & Mktg. and Funds, B.A Tel: 61381100 (100 lines) Email: [email protected] email: [email protected] www.dignityfoundation.com BENGALURU CHAPTER www.dignitylifestyle.org 383, 33rd Cross, 17th Main, Jayanagar, www.digntysecondcareers.org 4th T Block (Opp: BES Ladies Hostel) Bengaluru - 560 041 Kranti Gangan, Anil Achrekar, CHEMBUR OFFICE Tel: 080-4151 1307; 4166 1122 ID Card Mumbai. ID Card State Sion-TrombayRoad, at ADAPT, Behind St.Gregorias High School. Mumbai 400071. PUNE CHAPTER Savio Villa, 78/4, Divya Nagar, Wanawadi, Tel: 022-25203872, 3873. Pune - 411040. Tel: 020 30458092 Senior Managers - Dignity Foundation Chapters Email:[email protected] CHENNAI CHAPTER Plot 43/44 Flat 8 Sri Kamakshi Apts M M Ramaswamy Street, Ashok Nagar, Chennai 600083. CHENNAI PUNE BENGALURU Tel: 044 24717232 Aruna Damodaran Disha Barve Sandhya S N Email: dignityfoundation.chennai @gmail.com 33 34