htcafé
FAREWELL
KARAN JOHAR
SAYS "BYE" TO
HIS READERS
WITH A HEAVY
HEART >> P 5
M U M BA I , SUN DAY, O CTO B E R 2 5 , 2 0 0 9 , 24 PA G ES w w w. h i n d u s t a n t i m e s . c o m
Sister
act
Rolling Stones’s
Guitarist, Keith
Richards’ daughters
share their bonding
secrets
KARMA POINTS
>> P 16
Online
flirting
Elders at it,
youngsters off it.
Find out why >> P 17
Say It’s your Sunday. You could sleep through it. Or, you could go out and gift
cheers! help. Thankfully now, volunteer-work is no more just about students, or
self-serious ‘jholas’ trying to change the world. Increasingly, Mumbai’s
professionals have begun to put in a few of their after-work hours to
Behind the scenes
at Bombay contribute their little bit. Check how you can as well >> P 2
Toastmaster’s Club
>> P 22

Mumbai, Sunday, October 25, 2009
02 cover-up htcafé
Mumbai’s unsung heroes
If it takes effort, it’s not social work, is what our fellow Mumbaikars feel while doing their bit for
the various causes they support
Sneha Mahale think of it this way. Mostly, we are THE STORY: It was mainly a love for get my email id and telephone num-
■sneha.mahale@hindustantimes.com all religious. But what’s the point of animation that made me join ASIFA. ber. We get 10-15 emails daily on
praying all the time and asking for Asifa India is a non-profit organisa- child abuse. I’m a victim of child
G
eneration Y has been forgiveness for your sins? I’d rather tion, devoted to developing film ani- abuse myself and can connect with
referred to as the use that time to give something to mation, both as an art and also as an other victims’ hurt and pain. Only
most generous needy people. effective tool of communication. those who have been through dark-
generation. For the We’ve been working towards the ness can help others see light.
past few years, volun- cause of sharing knowledge and Another issue that has slowly gained
teering among stu-
dents, young professionals and even
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED: building a strong sense of communi-
ty. In this spirit, throughout the year,
prominence is equal sexuality rights.
Though I don’t campaign for homo-
â– Volunteer your time to teach
those who consider themselves the kids. ASIFA India is involved with a lot of sexuality openly, I do feel that a per-
‘young at heart’ has increased. ■Sundays mean fun events like a trip
activities - workshops, seminars, son’s sexual orientation should be
And now, with the drop in job to the zoo or National Park. Sponsor case studies, film screenings, com- his or her choice.
openings, youngsters are looking at such an event. munity activities and educational This year, our organisation, Desi
other ways of spending their time â– Help out with money or medicines.
events which are intended to help Dilwale, will run the Mumbai
and make a difference in their the Indian artist. Marathon. I’ll do the Dream Run to
communities, city, state and CONTACT DETAILS: We also organise pottery and support the issue of child abuse for
country… And even help the global www.hamarafootpath.org other allied services workshops and the NGO, Arpan. Our group plans to
community. We take a look at a few hold screenings of films made by pick a different cause every year
of our city’s ‘do-gooders’ and the NAME: Celin Thomas, 26. students, the upliftment of Indian after which everyone will pool in
causes they support. FULL-TIME VOCATION: Works at artist being our goal. their resources to support the per-
Times Foundation. son who’s running the marathon.
CAUSES I SUPPORT: Environmental Also, we are creating awareness
issues.
SINCE (YEARS): Fourteen months.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED: about various issues on our blog and
twitter accounts. Also in the offing,
â– Become a volunteer
is a play, which will be staged in
CONTACT DETAILS: Mumbai’s local trains, to highlight
THE STORY: I joined the organisation www.asifaindia.com eve teasing.
Sanskar in a bid to secure good
marks in my NSS. However, volun-
teering became an obsession after I
finished college. The feel-good factor
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:
â– Volunteer your time.
always remains and influences all â– Participate in the play.
the decisions one makes. â– Follow the issues on Twitter.
At Sanskar, we mostly deal with â– Run the marathon.
environmental issues. Most of the
volunteers and consultants are CONTACT DETAILS:
involved in creating awareness www.desidilwale.in
about them. We organise work-
shops, fund-raising activities, eco-
NAME: Upendra Kshirsagar, 26. modelling and visit schools around
NAME: Taha Jodiawala, 26. FULL-TIME VOCATION: Event manage- the city to increase awareness about
FULL-TIME VOCATION: Businessman ment air, water and noise pollution or cli-
(trading in construction materials). CAUSES I SUPPORT: Rehabilitation of matic changes.
CAUSES I SUPPORT: Street child disabled children and conservation of We also help out by providing free
education and community upliftment. Maharashtra’s cultural and natural content for NGO Connect, the web-
SINCE (YEARS): Four years. history. site and bi-monthly magazine.
SINCE (YEARS): Four years. However, the best part is spending
time with the kids. I would say that
THE STORY: We started Hamara each one should utilise his or her tal- NAME: Harish Iyer, 30.
Footpath with the intention of teach- THE STORY: In 2008, our group, ent to give back to society in what- FULL-TIME VOCATION: Event manage-
ing street children based in and Sanman Hikers, took up the mission ever little way they can. If it takes ment.
around Churchgate and Nariman to create awareness about all the effort, it isn’t social work. CAUSES I SUPPORT: Child abuse,
Point. Now we have expanded our sea forts in Maharashtra. We cov- women’s rights and equal sexuality
initiative to include vocational train- ered around 27 forts around the rights.
ing, handing out medicines and even
covering hospital costs.
state that lie in a state of ruin.
Through our organisation, we want-
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED: SINCE (YEARS): Childhood.
â– Volunteer your time.
Most of the kids we meet don’t ed to create awareness about the NAME: Nitin Wadhwani, 45.
â– Help the website and magazine by
have families. And the ones who do, existence of such forts and make providing free content. THE STORY: I consider myself to be a FULL-TIME VOCATION: Businessman.
their parents are not bothered about sure that it gets all the assistance new media activist and love to come CAUSES I SUPPORT: Child rights and
them. The kids don’t deserve this required for its reconstruction. CONTACT DETAILS:
up with several creative campaigns. education.
life. It’s extremely tough. We aim to This apart, rehabilitation of the Kiran Madan, CEO, Sanskar at Last time, it was the Sita Sena for SINCE (YEARS): Three years.
educate them so that they can re- disabled kids via the NGO Jeevan women’s rights. We got a bunch of
enter society and become Rekha Foundation, in Kalyan, is 22076097 guys and girls together and asked
‘respectable’ citizens again. another cause I support. Most of the girls to whistle at the boys. That THE STORY: It began after I started off
Also, giving a bit of love helps. It these kids are abandoned by their or email was our way of creating awareness as a donor at a local CRY centre.
isn’t very common for these kids to families and the organisation takes sif@sif.org.in about eve teasing. We’ve also started Years later, I anchored a programme,
get attention and love. And yes, them in. We plan events on special a Mumbai terror blog in the hope Mumbai 4 Child Rights (M4CR).
math goes a long way. We teach occasions like Raksha Bandhan and that we’ll be prepared the next Currently, we are operational in four
them basic math at our centres Diwali. The joy of giving to these time round. wards - H (West), H (East), K and M,
(Churchgate and Fashion Street) so kids is immense and the satisfaction If you Google my name, you will and have 10-20 volunteers in each
that they don’t get ripped off while is incomparable. group. We are looking at expanding
buying stuff. Today, some of our as we keep getting volunteers.
older kids have gone on to become NAME: Snehal Kanchan, 26. The programme is meant to get
salesmen or have taken up similar
vocations. It gives the volunteers
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED: FULL-TIME VOCATION: Studio Rhythm
and Hues.
the urban privileged involved in the
system. We try to create awareness
â– Volunteer your time.
immense joy. CAUSES I SUPPORT: The upliftment of about the necessity of children to
â– Help by giving donations.
Volunteering is tough. We are Indian artists and creating awareness attend school regularly and receive
barely able to hold on to our volun- about animation. formal education.
CONTACT DETAILS:
teers. Even the person who started SINCE (YEARS): Four years.
Simon, 98927 73677
the organisation has gone abroad. I continued to page 3