The Joy of Giving Week MIT E-Cell

The Joy of Giving Week (JGW) is a "festival of philanthropy" that aims to become a part of the Indian ethos, with the Week being celebrated every year covering by engaging people through "acts of giving" - money, time, resources and skills - spanning the corporate, NGO and government sectors, schools, colleges and the general public. Originally called "India Giving Week", the name "Joy of Giving Week" emerged from a set of choices provided by the ad agency, Euro RSCG India, which provided PR, creative and media services for the ‘Joy of Giving Week’

MIT E-Cell feels priviledged having been a part of The JGW in the year 2010. :-)

IDEAS FOR INDIA-2

Almost a century after Christ, a Greek philosopher named Apollonius of Tyana, a disciple of Pythagoras –yes, the same guy who forces young lads to study left-right triangles- travelled to India. He had said with much righteousness-“ in India, I found a race of mortals living upon earth, but not adhering to it, inhabiting cities but not fixed to them, possessing everything but possessing nothing”. Hmm…

Of the many praises I have come across for our incredible India, this is the most endearing one as it rightfully describes our unpredictability, uneasiness as well as our permanent nature. But as an emerging nation, we have got to do our bit. Some of the lesser known national priorities are-

1.     Malnutrition- an ancient land with a yearning for a new status cannot be taken seriously if one in two children under five cannot get enough food. India has more malnourished citizens than all of Africa. Lately, increased attention has resulted in a dip but more attention is needed. As for us, the youth of the nation, we should begin by showing some empathy. That would be good for starters as well as non starters.

2.     Protecting the farmer- the population of farmers is declining but more than seventy percent of India still lives in rural areas. As their new generations join the economy, farmlands give way for factories, highways and cities. The farmer suicide graph is touching new highs. India needs another green revolution and for that the farmer has to be protected. The recent surge in food items’ prices showed the need of agricultural developments in our country. High yielding seeds, state of the art technology, friendly environment are essential. Rather, old and traditional methods can also be followed which have worked for us since ages. A lot has to be done to protect the interests of the ‘kisaan’. An amalgam of technological and agricultural development only can take this nation forward.

3.     Protecting the environment- one more reason for the farm crisis, hunger and growing disease is the poisoning of lands, rivers and other natural resources. India has some of the best environmental laws in the world but most of them have been ignored repeatedly. Lately, a lot of activity has taken place for good. Its not inherent contradiction. At a time of climate change, India has to preserve its natural treasury to sustain its growing economy.

These are some of the lesser touched upon issues. All of these along with others have to be looked upon to make India reach the pinnacle of glory.

Debarpit Chandra 

Ideas for India

Young people in a country express more about a nation’s future than any other demographic and in India, we are clamoring to be heard. The nation’s young population now dominates the demographics and is increasingly remaking the country in its very own image. The youth form the greater chunk of the avant-garde of the country.

India is currently experiencing the biggest demographic dividend in global history. The large number of youngsters has created a situation of potent advantage for the country, helping turbo charge its rise through the higher echelons.  Some of the India’s largest companies are those which had a slow start in the 1980’s and now have been transformed to exuberate grandeur. Most of these drastic transformations took place when young leaders were at helm.

The dividend is, however, testing the resilience of India’s policies. Over the next few years, India will have to equip its huge GEN Y workforce with the skills they need to be productive in, and with social protections to sustain them in the long run. The first one is nothing but division of labour. With such a huge workforce at its service, division of labour has to be implied effectively. For this purpose, more of specialized training institutes should be started and must be equipped with state of the art facilities to be able to sustain competition.the next one refers to protection of every kind, right from protection of business interests to protection from resistance movements like naxal movements et al. If security is not there, problems are bound to arise.

Our success here, and willingness to innovate will determine how we bridge the gap between the present India and the great nation we ought to make it. most of us echo the same sentiments-the idea that we’ll be masters of our own fate. Its high time to do something for our nation. Its time to ROCK N RULE

- Debarpit Chandra