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Social

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

In a world where money defines happiness and success of an individual, we often tend to forget there are people who have put a lot of work into bringing a smile on other people’s face and that, for them is their earning of a lifetime. Nothing gives them as much happiness as helping others. India accounts for the largest number of people living below the international poverty line, as suggested by a study in 2013, with 30 percent of its population living under the $1.90-a-day poverty measure. To put this into a better perspective, almost one out of three people in India are living without the basic amenities.

India is known to be home to nearly 3 million NGOs working in different areas like health, education, rural, tribal and social development amongst others. They vary in size and focus and are one of the largest employers of people in India. Udaipur too has many NGOs working for the social and economic development of the weaker sections of the society. It is about time we all get acquainted with some of these and make a valuable contribution.

Narayan Seva Sansthan

Reaching out: NGOs in UdaipurNarayan Seva Sansthan is one of the oldest working NGOs of Udaipur and has left quite an impression through its work globally. Set-up in 1985 with the motto ‘Service of humanity is service of God’, this NGO has now over 480 branches in India and 49 abroad. The organization has till date successfully conducted 3,27,108 ‘free of cost’ surgeries through their state-of-the-art prosthetics and orthotics department for patients suffering from polio and other ‘by birth’ disabilities. It also provides ‘free of cost’ lodging and boarding facilities with free meals twice a day and has helped around 0.8 million differently-abled people by providing them with wheelchairs. Donations can be made for the cause through their website.

Source – www.narayanseva.org

Animal Aid Unlimited

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

No one is unknown to the selfless work done by this organization working for rescuing and treating the un-owned street animals of Udaipur that have been injured or have become ill. Animal Aid was founded in 2002 with this mission has since then worked passionately towards the welfare of animals. It is truly an inspiration to a lot of people who feel for animals and want to protect and defend them. We can all contribute to this organization simply by making a call whenever we see a stray animal in need of any kind of help. Animal Aid has till date rescued over 65,000 injured/ill dogs, cows, donkeys, birds, and cats. Passionate animal lovers can volunteer and donate to this organization. Volunteering is open seven days a week from 9 to 5.

Source – www.animalaidunlimited.org

Robinhood Army

Reaching out: NGOs in UdaipurHunger is more than a missing meal. It is the lack of food available to people who need it. Hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria, and terrorism combined. To combat this problem, Robinhood Army was founded in 2014 with an aim to kill hunger. It now engages over 12,550 Robins and has collectively served over 4.7 million people across 58 cities out if which the Udaipur chapter has served around 1,50,000 people alone. With a dedicated team and efforts of each and every volunteer, this organization reaches each and every such place where there is surplus food and distributes it to the weaker sections of the society. They can often be seen wearing green t-shirts serving food to the homeless and poor with a smile. Anyone with a hunger for eradicating hunger can volunteer. They do not accept monetary contributions.

Source – www.robinhoodarmy.com

Pukaar Org.

Reaching out: NGOs in UdaipurFounded in November 2013, Pukaar: Voice of Earth is a voluntary organization consisting of young students who dreamt of a Pollution free Earth, and work for city’s environmental protection and a greener world. The organization has so far dedicated 190 Sundays until January 2018 and restored life to plants in over 20 public parks. Pukaar, in future, aims at empowering rural India through the promotion of social entrepreneurship and assist farmers in learning Organic Farming techniques and other productivity measures. You can volunteer for the cause by reaching them through their Facebook page.

Source – www.facebook.com/pukaarorg

Seva Mandir

Reaching out: NGOs in UdaipurSeva Mandir aims to transform lives through the democratic and participatory development of communities. It works with 3,60,000 people across 700 villages of southern Rajasthan where most people live on less than ₹20 a day. Seva Mandir has been working closely for over 45 years with these people to improve their well-being in areas such as education, childcare, women empowerment, self-governance, health, sustainable natural resources and youth development offering primary education, maternal and child health services, and providing sustainable watersheds for good quality agricultural yields along with much needed sexual health and gender training. Volunteer for this organization and work closely with interns from different age groups, races, and nationalities.

Source – www.sevamandir.org

Foster Care India

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

Foster Care India focuses on empowerment and capacity building of existing systems. Their vision – ‘Every child’s right to a family’ promotes foster care and kinship care as best practices for children in need of care and protection. They provide family preservation, foster care, adoption, and aftercare services for children in need of care and protection to make them understand what a family means. You can donate to the cause by visiting their website.

Source – www.fostercareindia.org

Development Action Awareness Nationwide: D.A.A.N. Foundation

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

DAAN Foundation works on issues relating to awareness and education. Their focus is on youth aged 4 to 15 on issues related to gender, sexual reproductive health, differences in the body that come with age and other social issues like caste, religion, and gender. The organization works to educate children in such areas and make them independent individuals with a better understanding of such issues. Their aims include positive ambition, positive assertion, and positive alteration. Volunteers with a passion towards changing the lives of such children are welcome.

Source – www.daanfoundation.org

Shikshantar

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

Shikshantar, a Jeevan Andolan was founded in order to challenge the schooling culture and institutions of thought control. It aims to generate meaningful critiques and revive diverse forms of learning and expressions much needed for a harmonious social regeneration. They are committed to reclaiming control over learning ecologies and imagining their own complex visions through the practice of Swaraj and all in the spirit of Vimukt Shiksha. They have many campaigns and programs for individual growth and development. Check them out on their website.

Source – www.shikshantar.org

Impetus

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

Impetus, founded in October 2016, works for the upliftment of the society through regular weekend food distribution and classes and activities conducted for the children of slums. They organize art and craft workshops and various other activities on monthly basis for orphanages and Govt. school kids. Impetus believes in ‘bringing a smile to those faces which wouldn’t have otherwise managed that curve due to their unfortunate circumstances’. You can apply for an internship through their website and also donate to the cause.

Source – www.impetus.ngo

MaitriManthan Sansthan

Reaching out: NGOs in Udaipur

MaitriManthan strives to improve access to healthcare and education, also empowering women and young children. Founded in December 2013, it provides valuable services to deprived rural sections in areas surrounding Udaipur. The organization is all about helping and giving to transform the lives of young rural children and bring about a change in our society. As the name suggests, it is a holistic approach towards planning and executing some life-changing activities with the help of passionate people like them. Passionate people are welcome to volunteer and anyone willing can donate.

Source – www.maitrimannthan.org

Helping Youth Sansthan

Helping Youth Sansthan NGO in Udaipur

Helping Youth Sansthan was founded in 2019 by the college students of Udaipur. They are working for social welfare by organizing plantation drives, placing bird feeders in the whole city during summers, conducting rally against rapists with 1500+ girls, distributing clothes and sweaters to the underprivileged, and the mission of cleaning Udaipur’s lakes under the project “Clean Udaipur, Green Udaipur.” The NGO also worked for collecting and donating funds to areas undergoing flood and natural disasters, conducting free classes in socially backward areas to teach children, distributing stationery, etc. Helping Youth’s volunteers worked very passionately during the Covid-19 pandemic for the arrangements of blood and plasma for patients, traffic volunteering, awareness programs, distribution of food to street animals and ration kits for needy poor families. The Sansthan hosted one of the biggest painting competition and charity show “Jugnoo” highlighting topics such as acid attack, where the chief guests themselves were acid attack survivors.
The NGO believes in “Paying Back to the Society.” Passionate volunteers can reach their Instagram and Facebook channels to join them.

Source: Instagram, Facebook

 

Besides these, many other organizations, no matter big or small, work devotedly towards making the world a better place to live. Some of them are Mercy League, Karma Group, Mahesh Ashram, Asha Dham Ashram, Tara Sansthan, Warm Aid, etc.

Charity begins at home and there’d be a lot more if I went on mentioning but some choose to work behind the curtains and we are equally thankful to them.

Tell us about other organizations you know that work so selflessly, we’d love to know about them!

Categories
Health & Fashion

Train With The Best: Leo Martial Arts Academy

Train with the best: Leo Martial Arts Academy

Martial arts are combat or fighting practices, which are practiced for various reasons such as self-defence, military and law enforcement applications, mental and spiritual development and much more.

Leo Martial Arts Academy

Leo Martial Arts Academy

It is said that to develop spiritual health and to be physically and mentally fit, martial arts must be practiced. It disciplines an individual and inculcates a feeling of self-confidence and helps endure physical strain. There are various institutes which provide training in martial arts. In the City of Lakes, one such academy is Leo Ryu Hon Dojo or Leo Martial Art Academy.

About Leo Martial Art Academy

The Academy is established by (Renshi) Mukesh Sukhwal who acquired his training from Malaysia under his master Sokie Hanshi Grand Master K. Ananthan. He started his journey in this field when he was 8 years old and is pursuing teaching since 2002. His team, under his able guidance, has won several awards and honors in various tournaments across the world in the field of Martial arts. He as well as his team is proficient in Karate, Judo, Taekwondo, Kobudo, Aikedo etc.

Leo Martial Arts Academy

Leo Martial Arts Academy

 

The Objective of the Leo Martial Art Academy

The sole objective of the Leo Martial Art Academy is to train children and adults especially girls who fall under the unprivileged category and cannot afford such training. For such entrant, the academy shall organize free camps for martial arts training all round the year. As this art teaches to be physical, mental and spiritually tough; the academy strives to empower young girls and women so that they can find themselves strong enough to withstand societal pressure.

Leo Martial Arts Academy

What is taught in the Academy?

The Leo Martial Arts Academy teaches various martial art techniques along with Yoga to balance out the aggression of the art. Each candidate is taught to discipline themselves like a cadet.

Karate, power yoga, aerobics, cardio and cross fit training are the main feature of the course.  Apart from these, Judo, Taekwondo, Kobudo, Aikedo are also taught. Kobudo is an art that falls under the weapon training category.

Leo Martial Arts Academy

Leo Martial Arts Academy

Achievements:

  • 14 Medals in Taekwondo Nationals
  • Medals in Malaysia-Asian Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation
  • 156 Medals in international open tournaments
  • 44 medals in 3rd Mt. Everest Shito-Ryu International Karate Competition
  • 115 medals in Open South Asian and World cup of Karate
  • 2 Medals in International Taekwondo Championship
  • Recently 6 Medals in Asian Karate championship in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in 2016
  • 2 Medals in B. K. C. International Karate Championship in Indonesia including Asian, South Asian, & Open world cup Sub-junior Championship

Leo Martial Arts Academy

 

Leo Martial Arts Academy

Facilities at the academy:

  • Olympic level mats
  • 1600 square feet area for training
  • Best weapons for Kobudo Training
  • Camp organized from California and Indonesia for academy students
  • Time to time camp under Sokie Hanshi Grand Master K. Ananthan (last held in 2014)
  • Students are provided with a natural diet chart
  • Free year-round camp for underprivileged girls

Leo Martial Arts Academy

Martial arts teach self-defense and can improve confidence and self-esteem. When used as exercise, martial arts can improve balance, strength, stamina, flexibility, and posture. The art itself may be used as an aid to attaining enlightenment, to get proper training and discipline in the same domain one should always opt for something exhibiting quality and excellence. Leo Ryu Hon Dojo Academy offers excellent training in various forms of martial arts.

For Queries and admissions, you can contact (Renshi) Mukesh Sukhwal on the below-mentioned contact detail.

Phone: +91-9982216011 /9636484019 /8696503409

Email Id: Gmaafcudr@gmail.com / Leomaaudr@gmail.com

Follow on facebook: www.facebook.com/mukeshsukhwal

Follow on Instagram: @leosukhwal

Website: www.LeoKarate.com

Categories
Health & Fashion

Gathan – “Weave a Bond” strengthening the Women

GATHAN – Weave a Bond

 

Gathan - Sharada kerkar & Aayushi Maira

 

Gathan is a social initiative which aims to instill Self Entrepreneurship and Creative experimentation through skill development in women. Currently working with twenty tribal women, the project aims at providing them an alternate source of income from the sale of hand-made products. The women are trained to make hand-woven woolen bands and are encouraged to express their creativity by engaging in self-designed, marketable art and craft.

 

Gathan Udaipur 1

 

Gathan Udaipur 7

The Beginning

Gathan was established in a small, picturesque village called Nayaguda, located amidst the Aravali range in Udaipur. During my one-month stay in the village, as a part of the Village-Immersion program I identified unemployment as one of the main problems in the village. Most of the men and a few women earned their living by working as daily-wage labourers in nearby cities, breaking rocks, plastering homes and pulling carts, unexposed to other means of livelihood. The women on the other hand, forced to take care of the house and children, would spend long idle hours waiting for their husbands to return with a day’s earning. The lack of skilled jobs in the village combined with my enthusiasm and skill-sets in art, slowly led to the formation of our women’s collective, Gathan which coincidently means constitution.

Gathan Udaipur 8

 

 

Impact

Spending hours together with the women, knotting, cutting and untangling the woolen threads, the women learnt the art of weaving bands. The women would meet in the evenings, chit-chat, weave bands and return home before sunset to cook their meals. Starting off as an experiment, it has now led to the production of more than 500 bands. The bands have been sold to 5 organizations in Rajasthan and Goa, and have received tremendous support from friends and well-wishers. Since the initiation of the project, the women have been exposed to several activities and programs to hone their creative skills and widen their perspectives on education and socio-economic empowerment. Band-weaving sessions, Meetings to share work of other SHGs, Group sittings to discuss pricing of the products, field-visits to other organizations (Sadhna), sessions to teach them how to write their name (Literacy program), and a platform to create their own products during the Diwali break was provided to the women. Skilled in weaving 5-different types of patterns, the women earn a monthly income of 1200 Rupees.

Gathan Udaipur 9

   

Learning

Working on this project for the last 8-months gave me the opportunity to experience failure, exercise my leadership skills, and broaden my vision and perspectives on social issues and most importantly understand the idea of sharing and coexisting together as human beings.

 

Gathan Udaipur 6

 

Moving Forward

In the coming months, the project seeks to increase its production to a 1000 bands and work on linking the women’s collective to several other livelihood generation programs. The sustainability of the project is one of the biggest challenges but the joy and excitement of the women keeps me hopeful and motivated about its future.  

 

Gathan Udaipur 3

 

A project by Sharada kerkar & Aayushi Maira

Gandhi Fellows, Batch 7, Girwa, Udaipur

Aayushi 7023002350
Sharada 7023002326

Gathan Udaipur 5

Gathan Udaipur 4

You Can Buy or Get these Products at: 

Kiara Clothing, Opp. Khadi Bhandar, Bapu Bazar, Udaipur

Or Call : 9799022227

Photos by: Siddharth Nagar (9460824020)

Categories
People

[Women’s Day Special] Salute to a Legend: Mrs Meera Ranawat

A fine morning at Techno NJR knowledge campus, buses bringing students to the college and you see a tall lady welcoming every student with a sweet smile. The ones who have guessed it, yes they are right. She is none other than the sweet, caring, down-to-earth and ever smiling chairperson of the Techno India NJR Institute of Technology, Mrs. Meera Ranawat.

Meera Ranawat
Mrs. Meera Ranawat

Meera Ranawat was born on 17.4.1952 at Merta city (Home town of Meera Bai). She did her schooling at MGD School, Jaipur. In addition to being a good student she was a good sports person and represented her school and college in Basketball. She did her graduation in Arts (B.A.) from Maharani College, Jaipur.

Her husband, Shri J.S. Ranawat, a management graduate, was a corporate executive and worked for Birla group in India and Indonesia, Sigapore and Malaysia. He was GM of a carpet company in Abu Dhabi when he left for heavenly abode on 5.6.2003.

Navdeep, her son, a bright student completed his schooling from St. Columba’s School, Delhi and international school, Jakarta,Indonesia and  did his undergraduate degree in  Telecommunication Engineering from Polytechnic University, NewYork. He subsequently did his M.S. from the same university. He was working with Reuter when he met an accident and left the world in 2001.

It was in memory of her husband and her son, Meera Ranawat established Navdeep Jitendra  Ranawat (NJR) Foundation on 12.6.2003 along with Shri R.S.Vyas, a very close family friend with an objective of setting up a world class engineering college at Udaipur, her husband’s hometown.

Mrs Meera Ranawat in discussion with Lakshya Raj Singh Mewar
Mrs Meera Ranawat in discussion with Mr. Lakshya Raj Singh Mewar

It is her sheer determination and perseverance that has resulted in establishment of Techno India NJR Institute of Technology. Her dream is to take this Institute to further heights and make it among top engineering colleges of India. She treats every student of the college as her own child and helps them or guides them in any of their doubts or problems. Student welfare is her topmost priority, also, she does not withdraws any salary from the college or the foundation.

She is a living example of how you can put your personal pains behind for a larger purpose in life. She is a role model for Women of India. Team Udaipurblog and the entire Udaipur salutes her on International Women’s day.

Categories
Festivals

Feminine Era: Celebrating the Women’s day

International Women’s Day celebrated each year on March 8 remains as a vibrant day in the women’s calendar. In the words of Late Pt Jawaharlal Nehru: “You can’t tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women“.

As we will be celebrating women’s day on 8th March, I feel that it is my duty to express my gratitude to all women in my life, as a mother, sister, friend, and peer to all known and unknown women.

International Women’s Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, and fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, and fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

Forbes magazine has made a list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Magazine looked for women who run countries, big firms or influential nonprofits organization for compiling the list. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility in press and media and the size of the organization or country these women lead.

Top ten ladies selected for year 2010 are

1. Michelle Obama (First Lady Michelle Obama,U.S.)

'Operation Gratitude' at Rfk Stadium in Washington, D.C., America - 19 Jan 2009

2. Irene Rosenfeld (Chief Executive, Kraft Foods)

3. Oprah Winfrey (Talk show host and media mogul)

oprah

4. Angela Merkel (Chancellor, Germany)

5. Hillary Rodham Clinton (Secretary of State, U.S.)

6. Indra Nooyi (Chief Executive, Pepsico, India)

7. Lady Gaga (Singer and performance artist)

8. Gail Kelly (Chief Executive, Westpac)

9. Beyoncé Knowles (Singer and fashion designer)

10. Ellen DeGeneres (Talk show host)

The list of dedicated dynamic women personalities of Udaipur are

  • Ms.Girija vyas( Chairperson of National Women Commission)

  • Rajni Dangi (Sabhapati of Muncipal corporation)

  • Mrs.Padmaja Kumari (Jt. Managing Director, HRH Group of Hotels)

  • Mrs. Anshu Kothari (Secretary General of Udaipur Chambers Of Commerce and Indust)

  • Mrs.Shradha Gattani( Managing Director, Oriental Palace Resorts)

  • Dr. Sweety Chhabra(Managing Director, NICC)

  • Mrs. Alka Sharma (Founder, Central Public School (CPS)),

  • Mrs.Meera Ranawat (Chairperson of Techno India NJR Inst. of Technology)
  • DR. Sudha Kothari (Gynecologist)

and many more like them working in their respective field with hats off confidence and grace.

Women are often not thanked or shown gratitude. I doubt if a man can ever do what a woman does and manage both the career and family with the patience and zeal of a woman. A man too takes care of both but there are many aspects that a woman is capable of doing but a man is not. It’s not to put down the men, but we have all witnessed this at our place and elsewhere, so I take the liberty in saying these powerful statements.

Honouring Gratitude from Team UdaipurBlog to all Women across the globe.

You May Also Check : It’s our day – It’s Women’s Day

– By Chetna Purohit

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About the author – Chetna Purohit is a young Udaipurite pursuing her Engineering in Computer Science (2nd Year).

Categories
Featured Reviews

Jazbaa – A move towards better Women life

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere”

Rama Barhat is a 17 year old girl from Udaipur who has decided not to continue her school education just after finishing examination of tenth boards yet she has given an identity to our city for her short movie called Jazbaa selected for the Women’s Voices Now film festival based in New York. She learned this clip making through fifteen days workshop over movie making during her summer vacation two years back ,  when she came in contact with  a social organization called Shikshantar just to spent time as after tenth exam students have long period of holidays near about two three months. From the very first day of her learning process about movie making create an interest in her, she felt it like creative kind of stuff. She was completely inspired with her Colleagues at Shikshantar and found that education can never be an essential aspect for any kind of work like degrees can never be put above all. After fifteen days of workshop she was continue to learning movie making tips from her colleagues at same social group along with movie making Rama had learned so many different kind of creative objects too.

Rama Barhat - An Udaipie selected for WOMEN's VOICE NOW fest at New York

Her learning process was still continue throughout the vacation and now it was the time when vacation was about to finish as her result was declare and he passed it. As result came out her parents ask her to choose her optional subject for having admission for eleventh class but she denied for taking admission her parents tried to make her understand that education is most important tool in today’s world but she didn’t agree. She told her parents “That education and degrees has nothing to do with talent. If my presence is not in any particular task then degrees has no value, nobody knows who Rama is”. After this conversation her father didn’t enforce her to join school somehow her father had belief that she will do something better out of it, but her mother still forcing her to join school but Rama was not interested in school going education. Finally Rama’s mother agreed to send her for movie making course but she ask Rama to continue her further education by correspondence. She rate enthusiasm even above educational skill.”

Rama learned so many different types of movie making tricks ,  she has attended two workshops fifteen days in each session held in Udaipur itself then after she has gone to Goa to attend a workshop. Then she came back to Udaipur and thought to create a movie with Udaipur and its people so Rama has chosen Manju Khatri for her movie, who is not an ordinary woman. She’s taken Stepped ahead over a male dominated society the only way she knows – driving an auto rickshaw in Udaipur. The only female rickshaw driver, she has a faithful following of clientele , especially among children going to school. This movie was named as Jazbaa, which is now selected for the Women’s Voices Now film festival based in New York on fourth November 2010. A

Rama has started her first movie with Manju Khatri, a woman who is a lesson for other women that if you have strong desire to fulfil your aim then definitely you will get success. Rama has achieved not only working with movie making, also developed her writing skills as well and publishes a magazine called Rama Panthi.

Being from Udaipur now it’s time to support and praise Rama’s achievement by voting for her so that she can achieve the first prize in New York fest .

Here is the link to Vote for her:   http://womensvoicesnow.org/watchfilm/jazbaa_a_strong_will/