Monday, February 2, 2009

I could see a potential opportunity with each encounter of a situation

Last two days I was working with an NGO which is doing phenomenal work for poor children, orphans and destitute children. They have AIDS rehabilitation and many other self-help activities in the rural areas with social workers. The organization is a famous one by name CCCYC.

Do you know how I got to know them, you’ll wonder if I tell you how. Six months ago, in one casual conversation with a friend I was remembered of one of our juniors who was with us in the hostel. Later, he left for another course in agricultural studies. But every one knew him because he was pretty handsome and a good cricket player and so…so…soft-spoken. His cat eyes made him very special in the hostel.

I immediately called him to know what he is and how he is doing. This is after 15 long years from the college days. We spoke to each other for a long while. After which there was no talk we got busy and forgot about each other.

Suddenly in the month of Jan he gave me a call in the night saying he is now well-placed in an MNC and has been promoted as a manager. He asked me to meet his good uncle in Bangalore who is heading a NGO and he might be of some help finding some work and get some good clients too.

Meeting a man of dynamism and compassion – Arun Kumar Bunyan, Director, CCYC

At last after dodging for a while I went to meet my friend’s uncle. It was as usual a long drive to his office and I was damn tired. When I saw him he said he would find some people who can help me to work with. Then I asked him if he had some work at the moment which I can do for him, for I was free that day with no work. And I came trudging all the way and didn’t want to go doing nothing.

He’s lost in a deep thought… (Must be thinking what this advertising guy can do for him)
He later said that he’s disappointed with several copywriters who promised him that they would work but couldn’t avail their services as they demanded quite a sum. And he said that the organization is celebrating its 50th year golden jubilee celebration and wants to felicitate all ex-foster children who studied in their orphanage homes and later settled in life.

He had about 50 odd people’s reports that came in from different parts of India, who wrote to him their experiences and wants me to write some punch lines and edit them, as he is too busy overseeing the formalities of the celebration.
‘But the time is very short because there are hardly three days left for us to travel to another place where the celebrations would kick start’, he said. He himself is a great speaker and orator and I was bit nervous to start off.

As I started reading each case study, I realized how important the homes were for the orphans and how they’ve been instrumental in transforming each life. As they narrate their experiences and reminisce their moments with great love and emotion… I just couldn’t stop thinking of them and deeply moved.

I could finish about 25 of them giving a punch lines and summarise the story into a small paragraph, the first day. I never did such sort of a rush job. I finished at least 35 case studies in the span of one and half day and felt a sort of relieved and also very exhausted.

All of them are children of lepers, children who lost their mom and dad as they were toddlers, children of poor widows, children abandoned in bus station and railway stations etc. The writing assignment came to me at a situation when I’m writing reviews of the book “Secret Door to Success”. And it gave me a feeling how lucky I’m, though, my parents were with me for a long time. They died very recently and their memories are so fresh in my memory. You can check out their website and do some help if you want to …http://www.cccyc.org/partners.asp

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm sure you have helped many less fortunate people in the course of work.