Green, Clean Messages

Just next to a fuming, cluttered road, SI is building a cool, ornamental oasis. A small plot of land has been generously given by Karunashraya – the abode of compassion for cancer patients.

SI has planted beautiful pink, yellow and riotous shrubs on the small plot. Saunter near Karunashraya to feast your eyes on blooms that hit and soothe the eye and freshen up the air.

SI also plans to take up a plot at another part of the town and grow some medicinal herbs to create awareness about primary health care. Those who would like to learn more can wait for SI’s living, growing, herbal library.

SIB Turns A Trippy 13

On April 1, SIB celebrated its 13th Charter Night. Becoming an ‘official’ teenager brought its own package of pulsing excitement. Looking back at 13 years of achievements [Read more about them in Past Projects] made members emotional and nostalgic. Recent year-long successes too have been creditable in the main thrust areas: Education,
Economic empowerment, Environment, Healthcare and Food Security, Violence and conflict resolution.

A special panel discussion by luminaries Shukla Bose (founder of Parikrma Schools), Shoma Bakre (Founder of Bangalore Effective Education Task Force), Rani Shetty (Vanita Sahaya Vani) and Ian Faria (‎Leadership Coach, Corporate Trainer and Counsellor) was moderated by Kavita Iyer (CEO of Minglebox Communications). The debate on ‘NGOs, the way forward’ was electrifying. The speakers arrived at the consensus that Sustainability, Scalability and Impact of NGOs are inter-related. When an NGO is sustainable, it can scale its work and make maximum impact, they explained.

 Female Front

Self-defence Workshops: What happens when you’re attacked? Do you scream? Run? Faint? Bad idea. Don’t do any of these, but just … defend yourself. Maybe offend and attack.

A recent self-defence workshop for the female staff of CSC Technologies was all about putting up hands and responding when attacked.

Women’s Day Programmes: March 8 was the day of fists and voices raised in protest as well as support. SIB joined the chorus of female sloganeers all over the city. Students in support of SI voiced their protest through silence as well as loud placards at some busy centres. 

Meanwhile, in another area, an SI member addressed 40 rural women on empowerment, positivity and self-sufficiency. Having trained a number of village immigrants on tassel making and beauty tips, she enabled employment for myriad women. She held one of her regular workshops or counselling centres on Women’s Day. Some strengthening speeches were given at other parts of the city by the President, Anuradha Pradeep.

EVERGREEN PROJECTS

Theatre of the Oppressed: Live action and expressions through fluid movements…Theatre is creating some revolutionary communication in various parts of the city. Read about it in Recent Achievements, and in the Newspapers.

Fistful of Grains: Bags bursting with rice and lentils and branded with SIB’s logo….These are rich collections of rice and lentils at many elite schools. They are the distributed to needy children by SI. Read more about it in Recent Achievements and in Deccan Herald.

Scholarships for needy children: SI locates meritorious but underprivileged students who need a generous supporting hand in order to complete their education.

Recordings for the visually challenged: SI members enable recordings of books for inmates of Mithra Jyothi.