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Nerds’ tryst with
tribesmen
Raghu Menon
EMBROILED
as they are in their world of cutting-edge technology and long stressful
hours, IT professionals in this Madhya Pradesh town still find time to
do their bit for a truly shining India.
Employees at the Indore
facility of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) India Private Ltd.— a
wholly owned arm of the US-based technology giant — believe in
engaging in social activities between and after work hours.
Their "extra
curricular" engagements include working with underprivileged
children, old age homes and spreading literacy. One of CSC’s most
successful projects has been the adoption of three tribal villages on
the outskirts of Indore district.
CSC has invested in
education and other basic needs like drinking water supply in these
villages.
Around 40 km from the
Indore facility and 15 km from the nearest metalled road is a village
called Sagar Paisa that CSC professionals heard about and then went
about deciding what they could to help.
"The village was in a
terrible state when we began working with them four years ago,"
recalls C.P. Abraham, a CSC employee. "Most male villagers had a
drinking problem and almost the entire village was illiterate."
Comprising mostly landless
labourers, Sagar Paisa has a population of nearly 700 persons. Four
years since, half the people in the village are literate and a regular
water supply has been established.
The villagers are
unstinting in their praise and appreciation. "Through our visits to
the city (Indore) and through our interactions with people from CSC, we
realised how important it was to educate our children and also learn
with them," says Dongar Singh Solanki, 35, from the village.
Solanki says most men have given up alcohol and even attend evening
school.
CSC volunteers visit the
village every week to work out solutions for the people. A villager was
trained to teach the children and a small school was constructed.
"This is our way of
returning something to society," says CSC assistant vice president,
Rajesh Therani.
"Professionals here
are increasingly joining up such social programmes. It’s almost like
an emotional necessity being fulfilled."
According to Therani, the
company allows its employees to take up to six-month sabbaticals for
working on social projects during which the firm keeps the pay cheques
flowing. Such breaks don’t affect the growth potential either.
While visiting the
village, volunteers have developed lasting relationships and have
started celebrating their birthdays and other anniversaries with the
villagers.
On one such visit to Sagar
Paisa, a CSC team was stopped by people from nearby village of Nayagaon,
the second village to be adopted. Having learnt about work going on in
the neighbourhood village, they too wanted a similar partnership with
the company.
Thus, Nayagaon also got a
school and other necessary facilities to restart their school.
The schools in both Sagar
Paisa and Nayagaon are till Class IV after which the children join
neighbouring government schools. All infrastructure work is undertaken
in partnership with the villagers with both sides providing half the
requirements. The land for building the schools is provided by the
villagers who also help in paperwork.
"Such partnerships
inculcate an accountability amongst the villagers. Knowing their
resources have been utilised, they feel responsible for the
project," Therani told IANS.
The company has recently
begun work with a third village in the area called Lalgaon.
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