Awareness of Pollution by LEADer Rathnakar

LEADer Rathnakar from GSCET is a student who is passionate about saving our environment from pollution. It is for this reason that he used the LEAD platform to create his project, "Awareness of Pollution".

Rathnakar knew he wanted to create awareness within his community about pollution by showing people videos, images, and information about the state of our environment today because of pollution. After speaking with his uncle about his project, he suggested that he direct his message to the young people, as they will better be able to understand the message and are still young enough to change their ways and make a big difference over their lifetimes. 

Rathnakar took this as a challenge, and conducted his "Awareness of Pollution" project at Vasudha High School in Nizamabad. While this was a challenge, Rathnkar felt very proud to gain compliments and thanks from the teachers and students of the school after his project. 

During this project, Rathnakar learned to speak in front of strangers and has learned a to about communication skills all throughout his LEAD journey. He also notes that this project helped him improve his confidence when speaking to elders, such as the school principals and teachers. The motivation Rathnaker got from the LEAD is what he says encouraged him to do this project and ultimately gain these skills for the long term. 

My Story: Sharon Blessing

Sharon Blessing, SRCW College

Before joining LEAD, I was quite a reserved person. However, I had lots of energy (but didn't know where to channel it), and I had dreams of becoming an independent woman with her own company and a large network. 

When I was in my 2nd year of college, I attended a LEAD orientation. I watched the LEAD employees, and saw they had a confidence and patience I admired… I wanted to gain the skills they had and be like them. I also saw LEAD as a platform for channelling all my energy I had towards reaching my goals of entrepreneurship and independence.

Since joining LEAD, I have completed 18 projects in total, including working on 13 projects in one month during my first year of LEAD. I therefore won the Most Active Leader award during my local Valedictory in my first year, and this encouraged me to keep going. Since then, I have also won the Best Leader award in the local Valedictory in 2013. 

One of my major projects was a driving license check. I had read many sad stories about accidents and death due to unlicensed drivers, and knew I wanted to do something. After speaking to my parents about my concern, I realized I didn't want to just make people aware… I wanted to do something that would actually make a concrete difference. By completing a survey of driving licenses and giving these statistics to the police, I was able to help the local police to determine some of the drivers in my community without a license who were a possible danger. Through this project, many of the local police and the High District Officer now know my name and who I am, and I feel very proud of my recognition in my community.

Although I feel very good about my accomplishments in LEAD, there have also been challenges. It is difficult when you are taking a leadership position, trying to be innovative, but people oppose you or don't believe in you. However, through LEAD I have become more confident and better understand my true potential, so I know it's important not to let those people discourage me. 

Finally, one of my LEAD accomplishments I feel the most proud of is how many students I have encouraged to join LEAD. Since I became the first student from my college to join LEAD, I have convinced 153 students to join LEAD with my testimonial. My hope is that all of them have a better understanding of their potential through LEAD, just like I have. 

My Story: Satya Phanindra

My Story: LEAD Alumnus Satya Phanindra Saibewar

I'm Satya Phanindra Saibewar, and currently I'm working as an associate at Amazon Development Center, India for Amazon.com in the role of assisting the customers and business partners of the amazon from North America and Canada via emails.

First of all let me thank the Deshpande foundation, LEAD, Kakatiya Sandbox and all my mentors like Mr. Amrut patil, Mr. Raju Reddy, Mr. Phanindra Sama and many others, who helped me to reach the pinnacles in LEAD.

When I was asked to submit a My Story for LEAD, I really felt immense happiness for bringing me into the mainstream and for giving the opportunity to thank the Deshpande Foundation, LEAD, Kakatiya Sandbox, and all my mentors. 

My childhood was comprised of lots of hurdles and learnings, including the loss of my late father, much loved and a courageous policeman, when I was 5 years old.  Then my mother was everything for me and I was everything for her. From that day until now, she did everything for me.

It was in primary school that I realized the joy of learning, and became interested in understanding the world and listening to current event through the news under the mentoring of my mother. This love of learning and the support from my mother never weakened, and in my SSC, I was one of the toppers in my district, and was offered a free college education.

Even though the next years would be difficult as I went to college and my mother's health was struggling, my involvement with the Divine Swadhayaay transformed my life. 

These all Divine thoughts impacted a lot on me, builded the utmost faith in me for God and helped me to stand strong in any tough situations. I feel very happy to say that the Swadhyaay Parivar has impacted millions of the lives irrespective of caste, creed and religion and among those millions, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also one.

I started pursuing my engineering graduation in the year of 2011 and passed out successfully in 2015.While engineering was never my thought, as from my childhood I was very interested towards the society and it's sufferings, I didn't know before that even I could solve the problems of society through technology. 

Initially my enthusiasm and attentiveness was observed and recognized by one of our mathematics faculty at college, who was the mentor of my class and he promoted me as a class representative. 

This enhanced the interpersonal skills and strengthened the roots of confidence in myself. It also helped me to start enhancing my leadership skills. 

On a fine day, when I was in the second year of my engineering college, the HOD entered into our class and said there is a session in the seminar hall and we have to attend it. Most of us rather being excited, felt that this is also might be some kind of session where any of the private institute might visit to promote their business.

But It was completely different. There were the people from Deshpande Foundation LEAD after this session I felt like this is something which can help me to put forward the zeal in me to do something for the society.

From the first time I went there to LEAD I felt very inspired, but my energy and enthusiasm got boosted each time I met another LEAD staff or team member, and even more so when I visited Hubballi. I gained tons of positive energy and unleash my leadership potential to take the social initiatives and solving the problems of the people around. 

My batch mates at LEAD were not only just my fellow students but today they all are my divine brothers and sisters, who look in to my personal life when I'm facing any problem and says that they are with me. Even they call me frequently for seeking assistance in some cases and I love to guide them, with whatever the knowledge I'm blessed with.

After volunteering for a Valedictory in 2013, I was inspired by the work of my friends and the recognition they received. 

From then, I never looked back, and capitalized my weekends and the nonproductive time at my college where mass bunks by the students were very common and unfortunate. I would travel on the local bus to Nizamabad and build up my teammates from various colleges with my support and guidance. 

My projects and leadership which I displayed helped me to evolve at the Best Leader 2015 which was never expected by them, till the moment my name was uttered from Ajay sir who was on the dais of the YUVA summit. Touching the foot of the HUMANITARIAN PERSON OF THE NATION and Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi Ji was an unforgettable moment of my life. A response email from Kailash Satyarthi Ji from my email one month after Yuva Summit, appreciating me, is a life time achievement for me for now.

Taking part in Lead talk 2015 and getting tremendous applauses for my efforts helped me to boost my self-motivation abilities to 100 more times, and being a part of Lead Prayana 2015 for a few days was an unforgettable time in my life. 

Thanks a lot to God, my parents (especially my mother), my divine brothers of Swadhyaay, Dadaji, my beloved friends at college, and all those who helped me throughout my journey.

I'm thankful to God for blessing me with all these, especially the relation which I had with LEAD.

THE FUTURE IS OURS.

KRISHNAM VANDE JAGADDHGURUM.

Fundraising for Flood Victims by LEADer Gazala Muskan

When the Chennai flood disaster hit in November 2015, LEADer Gazala Muskan from Nishita Degree College felt compelled to help her fellow Indians who were facing extreme struggles. After discussing with her mother and father about this problem, she came up with the idea to ask the successful and people-in-charge in her community for donations to the victims Chennai Flood.

Gazala gathered a team and promoted her project in the media, and then by making personal visits, raised 10,000 Rs for disaster relief. While it was a challenge to get the people to trust they would be responsible with the money, the media coverage and support from the mayor helped to ease their minds that the project was legitimate.

However, after raising the funds, it was announced that the government would not be accepting donations to the disaster relief fund. Gazala and her team tried to find ways to circumvent these regulations to get the funds to a program that was supporting the victims, but had no luck. Eventually, they decided to put the funds to use in the immediate community instead, giving the 10,000 Rs to both education initiatives and to train a seamstress in teaching her skills to unemployed women who could then become seamstresses as well.

While conducting this project, Gazala both improved her communication skills and gained experience in talking to the people of power in her community and the media.

My Story: B. Anvesh Kumar

My Story: B. Anvesh Kumar, GS College of Engineering and Technology, Nizamabad

Growing up, I received many awards in my schooling, including a scholarship to and eventually “best student award” in my private college after attending a government school. However, my journey with LEAD did not start until my second year of my B.Tech at Gnyana Saraswathi College of Engineering And Technology, Nizamabad. Before I joined LEAD I was interested to do social service, but was I waiting for the opportunity to come to me. When I joined LEAD, I learned that opportunity won’t come to your door... you need to seek it out.   

After my completing some of my early initiatives, I got a chance of be a part of LLP (LEAD Leadership Program) in Hubballi. I learned lots of things like time management, leadership skills, and was lucky enough to visit Akshaya Patra, the world’s biggest kitchen. Soon after these 10 days spent with LEADers from areas outside my own, I saw that transformation inside me after meeting my fellows and college staff when I returned home.

Through my initiatives and active participation I was promoted to a Telangana LEAD Ambassador and also got the chance to work with LEAD as an Intern. I have also participated in LEAD Prayana 2015, attended the “Design Thinking” workshop in Hubballi with Mr. Adithya Pasupuleti, and feel lucky to have had the chance to co-organize and volunteer at many LEAD events.

Of my many projects, I feel the most proud of the Swatch Nizamabad and Safety First projects. However, I have faced resistance, including people suggesting I simply focus on my studies and if there is a problem in the community, leave it for the government to solve. However, I had to tell people, India is my home and therefore I feel compelled to solve the problem of my home. If government is not taking action, I can do my small part to improve my home. After me telling them this, they are much more supportive and appreciative of my work.

Safety First

Safety First: I feel that every kid is an upcoming leader, so I started guiding school students about the traffic rules. I have so far I reached 200+ students of my 2000 student goal.

Swatch Nizamabad

Swatch Nizamabad: Along with 25 of my co-LEADers, we cleaned from the railway station to the bus stand of Nizamabad, and within 3 hours we completed this project. While doing this project, people around us started supporting by joining their hands with us, and our project was telecasted in the local media for 45 minutes.

LEAD has showed me the importance of speaking to everyone, even the poor whom I was hesitant to interact with before. Now I speak to all the members of my society, and have gained the leadership skills to make my community better. I hope to eventually become an entrepreneur with my own software company, and to contribute to making India a cleaner and greener place, starting with my community and my city.

International Women's Day by LEADer Pritha at Nepal

A leader is the initiator who takes risks and succeeds it as his ultimate goal.

Women are that power who extends her support as mother to CEO of a company. Her Perseverance, patience, determination, and her care are those things which cannot be replicated by anyone and in Indian subcontinent with the same perspective all the rivers are named on  women.

There is lot of respect for every women in Indian subcontinent and with this focus LEADer Pritha from BHU, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (Ek Soch Sandbox) took an initiative to honor her maid and their family. 

LEADer Pritha on her visit to her hometown in Nepal celebrated Women's Day there with house maids of her neighborhood. She conducted activities and games for them. Pritha also distributed sweets and gifts on this occasion . This initiative was a part of Recognising and Unrecognized. 

"Recognizing the Unrecognized" is an  event of LEAD where LEADers felicitated 18544 women all over India.  It is an approach where women of our society who are rarely recognized and are responsible for important works such as cleaning railway stations, bus stands, picking household trash, selling vegetables etc. were complimented. LEAD and LEADers believe, without these women the world would come to stand still. 

LEADer Pritha thought was to honor a women who works daily to earn her livelihood. She made them to enjoy the wonderful day dedicated to every women on the earth.  The women were so happy that they actively participated in all the activities  and were enthusiastic. People appreciated LEADer Pritha's initiative. Unlike others who honor people who have reached certain heights, Pritha honored women without whom our life would be harder.

Mr. Samir Kumar Visits Kakatiya Sandbox, Nizamabad

On 29th October 2014, Mr. Samir Kumar (Managing Director of Inventus India, VC of Acer Technology Ventures, and Governing Body of TiE Bangalore) visited Kakatiya Sandbox in Nizamabad. He was received and felicitated by Mr. Ram Reddy and Mr. Amrut Patil (Program Manager, KS). The event was a great opportunity for LEAD students of Nizamabad to interact with, and learn from, such a notable entrepreneur.

The students asked him questions about managing his career and being an entrepreneur. To begin with, Satya asked “what are the things that an organisation is aiming for when recruiting a fresher?” Samir replied: “soft skills, communication skills, subject knowledge to a little extent, and discipline.”

Next, Sharon asked “what's the criteria that the investors are bounded up while investing in someone?” Samir replied, "the abilities of the team members, their coordination, innovation and the concept beyond their startup.”

                                          

Leader Nikhitha asked, “what factors should be considered when our organization is collaborating with another organization?” “Make sure that the partner with whom you venture is going to collaborate. Prefer for the person who are familiar with the venture, and get proper information about the partners”, Samir responded.

Archana noted that she want to become a software engineer and to have her own startup like Software Solutions. She asked, “what's your advice for future planning?”, to which Samir answered: “she's on the right path. All she needs to do is go ahead with proper planning and commitment.”

Srujan asked, “how do you make a team for a new start up, and how to move ahead if your startup idea is stolen by someone else?” Mr. Samir answered: “always we need to have a hard working, smart, and like-minded team members. Also, have alternatives to face any sought of situations.”

Saketh said, “I'm a techno-interested guy, pursuing commerce degree. How do I go ahead?” Samir replied to Saketh: “Complete your education first, and then to go for some technical courses from the institutes if you are interested.”

Anvesh asked whether to choose web technologies or networking as a career. Samir replied: “both are the best fields in our current situation. It is better to choose the field which you are most interested in.”

Rajesh asked, A good leader, a good follower. Who is the best among?” "Actually, every person can't be a leader. If so, then who will they lead? So, being a good follower is not bad. So, up to me, both are best”, said Samir.

Then Akhil questioned what Mr. Samir aimed for when he was a graduate. Did he accomplished it? And what else did he want to have? With a smile, Samir replied: “I was a aimless fellow initially, but later with the pioneering of my father, I chose my career and am satisfied with it.” Samir also noted that he has a dream to have a corruption free India, for which he is ready to contribute his services if needed.

Mr. Ram Reddy also shared examples from his life and inspired students before the session came to a close and Samir wished the LEaders all the best for their futures.

International Women's Day 2014

Young Leaders Recognizing Women for Their Work

This year on 8th March, 2014 students of LEAD (LEADers Accelerating Development) of Deshpande Foundation are proud to celebrate the International Women's Day in a very unique way under the theme "Recognizing the unrecognized." They are from various colleges where our LEAD is located namely Dharwad, Hubli, Sirsi, Mundgod, Belgaum, Chikkodi, Nidasoshi, Bijapur, Talikoti, Gulbarga, Chitradurga, Davangere from Karnataka region, Karimanagar and Nizamabad of Andhrapradesh/Telangana region, Coimbatore of Tamilnadu region and Pune, Islampur and Kolhapur from Maharashtra region.

"Recognizing the unrecognized" is an approach where women of our society who does the most important work such as cleaning the public places like railway stations, bus stands, government offices, roads and streets are identified. Most of the time these special women are neglected by the society and are not recognized for their phenomenal work.

 

 

Under this event around 2477+ women were personally visited and appreciated across LEAD locations in the four states. 200+ students have taken this initiative into their respective location.

As such, in each location these student LEADers have divided themselves into teams of 5 to 10 and have visited public places in the past 10 days. During the period, they collected data and met extraordinary women who are working in the line of housekeeping, public hygiene and sanitation from various departments. 

LEADers collected the details of each woman and about their commitment and dedication towards work. They also inquired about their personal appreciation and achievement they received for their work in the past. Many women were an inspiration as they had to balance both work and family life. During the interactions, these women were astonished to know how their work is remarkable. They were informed about the importance of their role in the hygiene sector and they were surprised to know.

The purpose of this event is to instill social consciousness among the youth so that they can respect such women for their hard work. It is to make these women feel dignified for their work and increase their dedication towards their work.