I once knew a man who talked about ideals, values, principles and kept telling me not to compromise with them. Integrity is everything. No matter what the situation you are in, do not bow down to the circumstances. They test you and you should not lose to them.

I believe time has come a full circle. The man once I knew is a transformed man now. He talks about making money, and believes ideals are bullshit. For a moment I agreed to him. But then my conscience would not let me fall prey to such thoughts. I always believed Money is a valuable entity only if it's doing good for the humanity. Otherwise its just a piece of paper.

Last year when we started Teach & Learn in association with Project ReachOut, we were very sure that it will work and we would make difference in the lives of the students of two schools. To some extent, it did. Last week we got results of SSLC and they were pretty good. Our work didn't reflect on the marks they scored but in the confidence that they want to study told us a very different story.

As promised in the beginning of our program we wanted to make sure that those kids do not dropout and get quality education to fulfill their dreams. So we made two teams to visit the homes of those children and interact with the parents.

On Saturday, 16th May, it was around 5 PM when I reached Pruthvik's home near Terressian College, Mysuru and I was drenched in rain. I was warmly welcomed by his mother and a plate full of sweet. Then I interacted with her for 20 mins. Pruthvik's father is an auto driver and he is in Bengaluru. His mom takes care of his education and his father is least bothered about it.  Then after counselling his interests they decided he would join for Diploma in Mechanical or Electronics.

Later that day , I visited five more students and interacted with their parents. The parents were very happy that we are investing our time in doing good for their children. The affection with which they talk to us gives a proud feeling to all of us.

On Sunday, our team members, Sandeep and Akash, visited three students and met their parents.

Here is what Sandeep says,

  "It was a very good experience when we meet the students and their parents. I just felt their thankfulness in their words and the way they talked and greeted us. Some parents don't have any idea about higher education and they have left to their children wish regarding the higher studies. Some have big dreams that they wanted to see them in a good position. And they have full hopes on our decision regarding their children's higher education and they were seeking our suggestions and they have full hopes in our decision or suggestions. Totally it was a nice experience"

Here is Akash's words

"It was a new experience to me. It felt really good when we get positive response from the parents. And more than the proud feeling that we got, it encouraged us to not to stop doing good work. And It was a great feeling to see the children and parents happy"

We are on a journey now. Chasing our dreams and helping the children chase theirs. In the next post, we will be sharing about 14 children we are supporting.

We need you support in supporting these children. If you wish to make a donation, Please click HERE

Follow our facebook page for updates

Santhosh S V
Spoorthi Foundation
www.spoorthifoundation.org

BIMBA – is the reflection of our “Spoorthi Foundation”.

It was the first ever thought of fund raising Photography Exhibition by our team through which we can reach the public, tell them about our cause, enlighten the thought in them about how important is right to education for each and every child in this society, spend every single rupee in doing our bit in providing education to children, encouraging them to get educated by supporting them financially and morally.

It was three wonderful days with beautiful photographs, with the Spoorthi team who were working day and night to make the event a success, with friends and family who came to support us, with the press and the public who came to encourage us and help us to reach more people.

I was literally overwhelmed and very thankful by the response and support that we received by ALL for Bimba.

When we say, this is a fund raising event, the first thought that will hit the public is, are they raising the fund for their wellness or is it really for the good cause. This is the actual scenario in the present society. People around us will have concern about what we are doing but when it comes to involvement the response is very minimal. It is both the concern and involvement is all it takes to build every child’s dream that they may have in life. In all its fullness!

I believe that every child has the right to shine and has the right to live life in all its fullness that respects and develops their personality and abilities. Don’t you think so?

Let us all join hands together in caring for others children as well than always caring our own family; Let us show our love to them and we will be thrilled by the unconditional love that we get in return from those little children; Let’s share our knowledge, teach them, guide them, spend some time with them; Let’s support and encourage them to join the mainstream of society as educated and productive citizens.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”

                                                                                                 -Nelson Mandela

Let’s do it!

Anvitha Anand

President,

Spoorthi Foundation

She completed her engineering degree in Computer Science from Maharaja Institute of Technology, Mysore.

Currently she works for Cerner Corporation as Software Engineer in Bengaluru.

We all have people that we look up to, people whose life experiences we can learn from. It could be anyone: from a scientist, an athlete, to a social activist. Well, what about a man who prowls through the night fighting crime in a bat costume?

Batman didn't exactly win the superhero lottery, so to speak. He doesn’t have an alien heritage nor does he have mutant or magic powers to rely on. His intellect, will power and other such human qualities are his real superpowers. And as crazy and unrealistic as it may seem Batman/Bruce Wayne can be the best and without doubt the coolest role model anyone can find.

 Here are the top ten things that can be learnt from our favourite caped crusader... 

1. FIND YOUR PURPOSE

Why do you do what you do? Even multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne (AKA Batman), had to look into his past to find his true purpose in life. Bruce’s vow on his parent’s grave:"I will rid the city of the evil that took your lives." became his purpose and that purpose created Batman.  Without purpose, life can seem to be a meaningless existence.

2. SLAY YOUR DRAGONS

Bruce Wayne had many dragons to slay - grief, loss, death, but the only way to move forward with his life was to confront those dragons and fears head on.  He embraced his fears and made his enemies share his dread. His fear became his catalyst. Tip toeing around our fears and limitations gets us nowhere. The only way to get rid of an obstacle is to confront it and defeat it.

3. DO THE DIRTY WORK

Batman went through blood, sweat and tears to protect Gotham. In fact, he was so committed to his mission that he willingly took the fall for others when it was necessary to. We sometimes just have to step up and take charge, even when the going gets tough and it involves working outside of our comfort zone. 

4. UNITY IS STRENGTH  

Gotham City wasn’t saved by Batman alone. In the end it was a group effort, led by Batman that rescued the city from destruction. We can’t do everything on our own, and even when we try to, the end result is nowhere near as big as when you allow others to help you achieve your goals.

5. STAY COOL UNDER PRESSURE

One of Batman’s notable qualities is his ability to stay cool. Even in the face of fear-inducing scarecrows and mad clowns, he is able to exude an aura of calmness. What we can take away from Batman’s cool is how important attitude is, especially when confronted with unexpected and disorienting challenges and when dealing with difficult or even hostile people. 

6. SACRIFICE IS KEY TO SURVIVAL

In order to achieve anything in life, you must be willing to sacrifice. Bruce Wayne sacrificed his wealth and trained several years to fight injustice. He gave up his personal life. He did all this willingly and knowing he would never get recognition for his actions.  

 7. MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING

Bruce Wayne values love and family more than his personal wealth. Nothing of what he does is repaid by money or recognition or even gratitude at times. He loves his city and that love is why he feels indebted to protect it, both publicly as Bruce Wayne and privately as Batman. He is the perfect example of how money can be used as a tool instead of a goal.

8. BE RESOURCEFUL

Bruce Wayne has a lot of resources, thanks to his huge fortune, thus Batman is well equipped for virtually any situation. Even without his trademark suit and gadgets, Batman is still ingenious and calculating, still capable of devising plans to escape pit-prisons and save Gotham from a nuclear explosion. The point is to maximize what’s around you.

9. CONSTANTLY IMPROVE YOURSELF

In order to become Batman, Bruce trained incredibly hard to build his physical and mental strength and was not afraid to put himself in difficult conditions. In fact, he worked himself to the peak of human perfection. So, you may be good at what you do, but always find ways to better your performance.

10. LEAVE A LEGACY

Years, decades and centuries from now the city of Gotham will remember Batman as a hero, a legend who helped save their city. He has left a legacy which will inspire many to go beyond their limitations and rise above well after he is gone.

To me, Batman is something more than a fictional character from graphic novels and movies. He represents the constant struggle we face in our daily lives and the fear we hide deep within. But most of all he represents  HOPE. The quote from the movie ‘Batman Begins’: “It’s not who you are from the inside, but what you do that defines you.” describes all that Batman is about and all that we can strive to be. Think about it, it just takes all these qualities for any of us to be Batman.

Ayesha Iftiqhar is an engineering graduate from Maharaja Institute of Technology and a member of our organization. She is currently pursuing her masters degeree and resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, US

        Always wanting to do little difference in the society and earlier being connected with other foundation,which worked for helping out children in need. My friend Miss. Aditi Dinakar told me she was preparing for a photography exhibition towards a cause with Spoorthi Foundation and BIMBA it was. I got curious and was very keen to know if I could be part of it. That was how I became aware of the foundation, and soon got in touch with Mr. Santhosh. He shared and discussed about foundation and how I could contribute. I was quite overwhelmed by the projects they carry out and their approach of the understanding towards needs of the children at the Government schools.

The event BIMBA , I was present at the venue on the second day. I met the members of the foundation, who were from different walks of life. It was a good initiative taken by the team , very much visible as the place spoke all the heart and soul. It had attracted various kind of audience from college going students to Professionals. who were given neat description about the work displayed by the whole team and Miss Aditi Dinakar, who was present throughout the event. The foundation ensured that it conveyed its goal and the main idea behind the whole event. It gained whole lot of appreciation by the audience present, also some of them were ready to give their support in most possible ways. 

The turning point of the event was when people with little interest gained a lot of interest towards the end. That created a momentum in the event.The enthusiasm and energy level never dropped throughout the event, that showed the determination of each member for the foundation. I am honoured to be part of it and looking forward to do my best.

Sahaja Bhargavi is an engineering graduate from NIE Mysuru. She is our new team member who will write articles related to the activities of Spoorthi Foundation.

She can be reached on her facebook account.

Please follow our page for more updates.

Its been a time we posted anything in our blog. We were busy planning the activities for our next academic year. We really had a purposeful 2014. Hope 2015 remains same for us.

As we wait for the new academic year to start, we are having our first ever fund raising event.

Spoorthi Foundation has collaborated with Ms. Aditi Dinakar to organize photography exhibition and sale. Thus we invite you all to be a part of our efforts and support us.

ENTRY FEE : Rs.50 /-

Funds raised from the event will be used for :

1. Financially supporting at least one student of Maharaja Bifurcated School to continue education after 10th Standard.

2. Samvaad - Interactive session with inspiring personalities using Google Hangouts.

3. Surveying dropped out student details and trying to find the root cause for the dropout and talk to parents of the children to send them back to the schools and providing educational assistance to them.

4. Swachh Vidyalay Abhiyan - 2015-2019

5. Organizing Medical Camps

6. Teach & Learn - Our comprehensive teaching program to improve the basic knowledge of 8th standard students of Maharaja Bifurcated School.
7. Organizing Industrial visits to the high school students.

For tickets : bit.ly/spoorthi

Feel free to get in touch with us if you have any queries

Certainty is an illusion. Confusion sometimes becomes your greatest source of learning. With certainty the desire to learn, desire to explore, and desire to follow instincts die. Human race evolved following its instincts. With two years of journey behind us we were confused, excited as we were when we started Spoorthi Foundation.

Since the beginning we believe in the ideologies of Swami Vivekananda. Education is the manifestation of perfection already present in a man. On Jan 12^th we started our journey of 2014. We were at Chayadevi Trust celebrating the birthday of the great man.

Childhood is a very special and important part of everyone’s life. We are so lucky to have had the best days of our life in our childhood. All thanks to our parents for the invaluable love and care they showered upon us. But some children are so unfortunate that they never had the pleasure of a mother’s lap, father’s hands while they learn how to walk. Being the reason for their happiness was something that made all of us proud as the kids tried to bring their imagination on the white sheets. Thanks to our friends Raviraj and Achyutha who sponsored pencils, crayons etc for the kids.

Deccan Herald covered our Teach & Learn Program

It is here that the most important project of Spoorthi Foundation, TEACH & LEARN, started taking shape. You can read here about the program. From being a bunch of engineering graduates we slowly became a group of passionate teachers. Along with Project ReachOut, currently the program is in its final stage as we assist 30 students of Bifurcated Maharaja School and GovindRao School to prepare for their final exams. Click HERE to read about the program.

Joy Of Teaching Week (JOTW) second edition which aims at spreading the joy of teaching to the public was conducted from November 3 – November 8. More than fifty volunteers from various colleges participated and made it a success. Take away from JOTW, Spoorthi Foundation family grew in numbers and inspired many more to take up social activities. Click HERE to read about the program

Aashiyana featured in Prajavani, a kannada daily

Vijay Prakash Sir with the kids of Ashadayaka Seva Trust

As a part of JOTW, we organized a cultural fest for the kids of Ashadayaka Seva Trust, AASHIYANA 2014, an orphanage located in Metagalli.  Kids had a great time dancing and singing. It was a perfect evening as the kids were happy and our parents were proud. Through Aashiyana, we also got associated with Spandhana Trust, Audiology India & Fun + Learn. Our relation with Project ReachOut became stronger through JOTW and Aashiyana 2014.

On 9th of November, Acclaimed singer Vijay Prakash of Jai Ho fame visited Ashadayaka Seva Trust and spent time with the children. 

He adviced kids to believe in themselves and their dreams. Kids had a great time with him as they showcased their their talent by singing some of his songs.

Spoorthi Team along with the students at Infosys Mysuru Campus

Towards the end of the year we organized a educational visit to Infosys Mysuru campus for the kids of Banumaiah's Girls High School.

Here we are at the end of a purposeful year which gave us some amazing memories and happiness. We thank everyone who came together for a common purpose, make our society a better place to live. We thank everyone who believed in us and our efforts. 

Cheers to 2014 for being kind to us.

We will be sharing our plans for 2015 where we are thinking to focus on taking government plans to the doors of public. Let’s hope for a great year. Wish you all a happy 2015 J

You can visit www.spoorthifoundation.org to know more about us. Alternatively you can follow us on facebook by clicking here

Someone truly said Learning never ends. May be that’s the reason why Goddess Saraswathi still has a book in her hand. But we always confuse education with degrees. We need to understand that getting a degree is not equal to getting educated. Remember professionals built Titanic while amateurs created Microsoft and Apple.

We humans evolved learning from our mistakes. And the knowledge that we have now is because of our ancestors who passed on their knowledge by sharing with their next generation.  Ideally in order to grow and prosper as a community, we have to share the little knowledge we have with our fellow human beings.

With this motive of sharing the knowledge with the students of government schools, we conducted a unique event called JOY OF TEACHING WEEK from Nov 6 – Nov 12, 2013. You can read the report here

We just wanted people to come to the government schools, interact with the kids and make them feel that society cares for them. And we succeeded in inspiring some people to take up social cause. We will bring you these people in front of you soon.

Enough said. We will be having second edition of Joy of Teaching week from Nov 3 – Nov 8, 2014.  We proudly invite you to be a part of it and discover the teacher in you. If you have a heart that beats for the nation, make use of this opportunity. Let this be the beginning of a great journey that you always wanted to take and never took because of various reasons.

Goal: 

1. Inspire kids

2. To make people realize the lives of students in govt. schools and Spoorthi’s efforts in working for a cause to give better education and encouraging people to contribute in terms of funds, time, sponsoring etc.

How it works:

• Have you ever dreamt of becoming a teacher? Or given a chance, would you want to teach the kids? Here is your chance. Irrespective of your age and career, spend time with kids in schools and share what you know.
• Are you a sportsman willing to spend some time with kids? Visit us, explain how that game is played, what is meant by team player, share your experience, good and hard times, inspire kids.
• Are you a science enthusiast? Come and share with kids a few interesting experiments. 
• Are you a doctor? Share few health tips.
• Are you a Musician? Teach them a song, see the vibrancy in them.
• Are you a craft maker? Teach kids the art of cutting and pasting paper. You know kids will love that.
• Are you a traveler? Share your experience about places you have visited.
• Mysore/Bangalore is a place where people from different parts of the world come and live. Share with kids the importance of your place/city/village, culture, festivals and what you learnt.

Have no clue on what to share? We are there to help you. Spend some time with kids, play with them. They are a bundle of love. They make you laugh, jump and run.

Who can be part of it: Anyone! Everyone! We feel anyone is not worth missing the joy of seeing the spark in the kid’s eye as they learn how to draw a perfect circle for the first time or when they learnt a new game.

COME, SHARE, ENJOY, INSPIRE and BE A PART OF THE JOY OF TEACHING WEEK!

Ways to contact us for enrollment,queries or

You can email us: spoorthifoundationmysore@gmail.com

Message us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/spoorthi.ngo  or RSVP here