BEYOND MONEY


Dr Nita Mukherjee describes a dedicated team of educationists in Pune As educators, what frustrated Dr John and Zakiya Kurrien on their return from the US was the sheer paucity of imaginative learning materials for early years of schooling. “There was everything that would make children want to...

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Dr Nita Mukherjee describes Vacha, a unique women’s organisation As its name connotes in several Indian languages, Vacha refers to speech, verbal expression, articulation or reading. In this case, it refers to a library and research centre that had its roots in the women’s movement and...

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Sankalp extends unconditional support to derelict drug-addicts, finds Mitali Patel Behind the fencing of Bombay Central railway station, several ill-looking people are doing the rounds of a humble shelter erected on an open ground. A distance away, a few wretched people are sitting with their...

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Vinita Deshmukh profiles Connecting, which helps in prevention of suicide When a close family member committed suicide, Arnavaz Damania decided to provide a lifeline for youngsters in distress. The renowned hockey player and former president of the Indian Hockey Federation set up Connecting at...

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The Forest Rights Act will push forest-dwellers into impoverishment. Mitali Patel reports Vanashakti’s  fight against it Union tribal affairs minister, PR Kyndiah, announced that the Forest Rights Act, which was notified on 1st January, will be a ‘New Year gift’ to the nation. He also said,...

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Dr Nita Mukherjee looks at a unique meeting point for music aficionados Nearly four decades ago, when I first met Leeladevi Somani, she was a young mother trying to inculcate in her children - and her extended family in Mumbai - an appreciation of the lyricism and aesthetics of the traditional...

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Mitali Patel reports on the efforts of Awaaz, which is campaigning against noise pollution If the police in Mumbai respond to complaints about music blaring after 10pm during traditionally noisy festivals, then all thanks are mainly due to one feisty woman -- Sumaira Abdulali. It has not been...

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Harassed by the police, a businessman launches an NGO to fight back. Mitali Patel reports Indur Kartar Chhugani’s business of publishing Selpages was extremely respectable and high profile, until he lost everything in competition to Tata Yellow Pages in 2004. He had to sell off his listed...

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Dr Nita Mukherjee on Comet Media’s role in conserving rural craftsmanship and inculcating values among children The passion with which Chandita Mukherjee, Director, Comet Media, and one of its founders, speaks about the harm that plastic toys and electronic games are doing to children’s...

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Dr Nita Mukherjee describes the knowledge conservation efforts of a music academy in Mumbai Way back in 1956 when the renowned tabla maestro Pandit Nikhil Ghosh set up Sangit Mahabharati (SMB) most people thought it would be just another “music class” which artistes set up to make ends meet....

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Geeta Seshu describes how Yusuf Meherally Centre has The first time I visited the Yusuf Meherally Centre (YMC), I was in exalted company. At least six top doctors of Mumbai, each a renowned specialist in his or her field, piled into a vehicle on a Sunday morning to make their way to the YMC...

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A cost-effective way to improve mass nutrition levels If Shah Rukh Khan endorses fortification of food with essential vitamins and nutrients, then the public will begin to understand its value and demand it. With this in mind, Dr S.K. Nanda, principal secretary, Gujarat Government (Food, Civil...

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A pedigreed ophthalmologist in Mumbai is doing much more than providing eye-care, reports Shweta Lightwalla Doctor S. Natarajan hails from a fine line of ophthalmologists. His father N.S. Sundaran and grandfather, Nataraja Pillai, were also reputed ophthalmologists in Chennai. If that weren’t...

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An Indore-based NGO keeps hope alive for those whose child has gone missing. Shweta Lightwalla reports What happens to thousands of children who go missing in India every year is anybody’s guess. Unfortunately, there is little awareness as yet about the processes for locating missing...

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How Udavum Karangal, which literally means Helping Hands, is making a difference to many lives reports MoneyLIFE Bureau The story began in 1983 when Vidyaakar, armed with a master’s degree in social work, began to work in the slums of N.S.K. Nagar in Chennai, offering counselling and...

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Matthew Spacie’s Magic Bus allows poor children to play, have fun and learn life-skills If you want to help underprivileged children play, have fun and escape the drudgery of their daily existence, Magic Bus is what you want to support. Unlike most NGOs that are engaged in the vital job of...

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Tanushree Kar finds how a caring doctor is making a dream come true for Pune-ites Paulo Coelho, in his famous book, The Alchemist, writes about the power of dreams - if your dreams are big enough and strong enough, the whole world gets inspired to make them come true. Let us re-wind to the...

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A simple kit for childbirth, given directly to pregnant mothers, reduces rural maternal and child mortality, finds Dr Nita Mukherjee The year was 1980. Indian national data published that year revealed malnutrition as an important cause of avoidable blindness in children, especially due to...

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DreamIndia’s uniqueness lies in its smallness, says Mitali Patel Don’t we all think of ourselves as good human beings, irrespective of who we are, what work we do and how we think? Imagine for a moment that you have achieved your coveted goal; can you figure out how many people have...

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What made an auto driver decide to dedicate his life to helping the destitute? ‘Auto Raja’ is often asked this question. His answer is simple: Mother Teresa’s inspiration! All of us were saddened by the news of her death. But it affected Raja more profoundly. He asked himself: ‘Now that she is...

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