Udaan Welfare Foundation Souvenir - 2019 -20 by Udaanwelfare Foundation

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS From the desk of the Editor

Editorial Team : Dr. Prabodh Halde Mr. Nandu Aiyer

Cover page Design : Sandeep Ramakrishnan & Team Consumer Links Inspired by Interning Students of SIMC Pune

Visit us at : www.udaanwelfare.org Email : info@udaanwelfare.org facebook.com - udaanwelfarefoundation

Printer : VSTS Corporation 601, Manek Apartment, Off M. G. Road, Dahanukar Wadi, Kandivali (W), Mumbai 400 067. Tel. : 022 6580 1224 E-mail: vstscorporation@gmail.com

Issue : 10 Date of Publication: 28th December 2019

Copyright : Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Udaan Welfare Foundation. It reserves the right to use the information published herein any manner whatsoever. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information in this edition; neither editor nor Udaan Welfare Foundation accept any responsibility for loss or damage incurred or suffered by any. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

efvejHes#ees efveefJe&keÀejes efveYe&jë MeerleueeMe³eë DeieeOeyegef×j#egyOees YeJe ef®evcee$eJeemeveë

Udaan welfare foundation List of Trustees Name Dr. Anil K Luniya Mr. Sandeep Ramakrishnan Mr. B. S. Kumar Mr. J. C. Agrawal Mrs. Rama Chandrasekhar Dr. Prabodh Halde Mr. B. Ganesh Mr. Sachin Joshi Mr. Nandu Aiyer

Designation President Secretary Treasurer Member Member Member Member Member Member

Inside Udaan’s Awards & Recognition - 2007 to 2018......... 5 Messages................................................................ 6 Annual Report of Udaan Welfare Foundation Year 2018-2019....................................................... 14 Udaan Edufest - 2019 - “Udaan Hauslon Ki”............. 21 Udaan Edufests - 12 Years of empowering Lives....... 22 Udaan Welfare Foundation – the happy journey continues…................................. 26 4 Years of Saksham Community Centre.................... 38 Saksham Poshan..................................................... 39 Saksham Medical Centre.......................................... 40 The Technology Centres........................................... 42 Project Saksham Tejaswini....................................... 44 Saksham Gyan Ganga.............................................. 47 Saksham Kilkari....................................................... 49 Our Saksham Team.................................................. 50 Our Donors & Volunteers Experience......................... 53 Flood Relief.............................................................. 56 Mini-Edufests........................................................... 58 List of patrons 2018-19............................................ 59 Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai !............................................. 61 “Gaurav Gaatha”...................................................... 62 Have the courage to Dream...................................... 63 My journey from darkness to light - My Udaan.......... 64 Sea of Courage........................................................ 65

This Sanskrit subhashita has described the importance of confidence & courage. It says that you are unconditioned and changeless, formless and immovable, of unfathomable awareness and imperturbable, so hold on to nothing but consciousness; don’t hold any fear and focus on your work. This year, the Udaan Edufest is celebrating its 12th anniversary and the theme is Udaan Hauslon Ki (Flight Of Courage) Udaan has propagated many novel ideas and programs through its flagship program ‘Edufest’ in the last 12 years. This year the focal theme is courage which is so important for development and progress of any society or country. It is rightly said that if the upbringing of children is in an open and fearless environment during the developmental and forming years, the future products i.e. this young population, becomes more courageous and their risk-taking ability increases manifold. For any progressive country, a courageous population is the backbone of society. A confident and sound mind can innovate, create, think differently and help take society or the country to newer heights. It is thus very important to make our young minds confident and responsible. Traditionally, perhaps due to the influence of the British rule, our education system has focused on theoretical subject knowledge and not enough on ethos or values such as discipline, integrity, courage, creativity and innovation. In a modern India, we must ensure all-round development of children, apart from the lessons received in school. Courage and patriotism are the backbone of any strong nation. The late President of India and a great scientist, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, said that courage and confidence are two jewels and one should possess the same rather than materialistic things. Even the great freedom fighter Rani Laxmi Bai formed an army of women in the Peshwa court of Bithoor at the age of 18 and fought against the British. The entire world salutes these great souls. Our beloved President of Udaan, Dr. Anil Luniya ji has always expressed his thoughts many a time about the need of values, courage, sports, innovation and creativity as part of modern education. The new generation can definitely rise to the next level by improving basic values. We should provide access to more practical and innovative teaching methods so that children develop their own interest in education and become more confident. Our two-day program is full of outdoor activities and has very few theoretical sessions on the chosen theme. We are confident that our team would be celebrating this program again in a unique way. We are thankful to each one of you for your personal contribution and support.

“Kegoer keÀes keÀj yeguebo Flevee kesÀ nj lekeÀoerj mes Henues Kegoe yevos mes Kego Hetís kesÀ yelee lesjer jpee keÌ³ee nw”

Make yourself so determined that before writing your destiny, God asks YOU, “tell me what you want”. Happy reading,

Prabodh Halde Chief Editor (9820278746)

From the President’s Desk Dear Friends, It is my pleasure and honour to share with you all the highlights of an eventful year that has gone by. The Udaan Welfare Foundation, now in its 13th year, has stepped up its efforts to support more needy people around us. Years of selfless service has equipped us with immense experience, community reach and solid infrastructure. In 2018 - 2019, we have effectively used these qualities to the best possible with our Saksham Community Centre becoming the main source of our widespread activities. Several activities which were launched last year have continued at Saksham (a Hindi word that means ‘capable’) this year. Saksham Tejaswini, Saksham GyanGanga, Saksham Kilkari and Saksham Poshan have continued to be successful and see widespread participation. Our belief in the beneficial impact these projects can have has been validated in the past year. Saksham Tejaswini is a two to three-month learning and skill-building programme for underprivileged women. Tejaswini is aimed at enabling participants to improve their health, realize their potential, learn new skills and cope with the demands of family and work. Saksham Gyanganga aims to help less-privileged schoolchildren from the TMC and other schools to understand the importance of a good education. We supplement their school learning with free daily classes in Science, Math and English. We also provide stationery and travel passes for their TMC school commute and back. The task of enriching children’s minds with good values and behaviour is being done through Saksham Kilkari. Young students (up to 4th std.) from the slums and older students (7th and 8th std.) of TMC School are benefitting from Kilkari. Our efforts have been appreciated by their parents and teachers both. Most of the TMC schoolchildren attending Saksham lack access to adequate and regular nutritious meals. Saksham Poshan provides nutritious food daily to the children attending Saksham GyanGanga, to ensure their proper physical and mental development.

Here are some other projects, events and news from 2018 and 2019: - Our Medical services continued to serve more number of patients and we are happy that all our Medical Doctors are giving their selfless service to their best. - Health Checkup Camps were conducted in different places including Capgemini, Holy Trinity School, Rodas Enclave and Saksham Community Centre. - Computer classes continued to take place at Saksham, with increased participation over the past year. Various applications like MS Office, Corel Draw, Photoshop and Tally are taught to the children. - Our tailoring classes had yet another successful year. Many women have continued to sign up for the course and specialize in the skill. This has helped them gain confidence to live a self-sustainable life and created an avenue for earning their livelihood. - The 2018 Edufest, titled ‘Udaan Kala Ki’, was a grand event. Over 135 girl students from Ma Niketan studying in classes 10-12 participated in a range of educational and fun activities focused on the theme of art. - Our children got the unique opportunity to meet up with cricket legends Zaheer Khan and Eoin Morgan (English World Cup winning team captain) in Mumbai. They were able to ask them questions on the sport and it was a great experience for them. - We also had a distinguished guest - The IG of Indian Coast Guards visited Saksham Community Centre along with his family. - We supported wholeheartedly in helping the flood affected in Kerala and Maharashtra. - The Summer Camps, Mini Edufests, Festival celebrations with the children from the community as well as nearby schools continued with sustained participation. - Our Technology centre at Ma Niketan continues to educate the children daily. - Udaan was recently recognized with the ‘NGO’s in Healthcare Leadership Award’ by ABP News.

So it was again an activity-packed year with lots of sustainable achievements to reflect on with pride. There are challenges as well. Maximizing awareness about Udaan’s work and services among the local community is one. We have got several participants and beneficiaries on board through word-of-mouth, reflecting the faith and trust amongst the beneficiaries. Having said that, I would like to thank everyone who has been associated with Udaan, Saksham and the Souvenir that you hold in your hands. My sincere thanks to the Editors - Dr. Prabodh Halde, Mr. Nandu Aiyer for bringing out this colourful Souvenir. My heartfelt thanks also to all the members, donors and advertisers, faculty and volunteers for their generous contributions. I also thank Mr. Sandeep Ramakrishnan and his team from Consumer Links for designing the art work, organizing Audio Visuals and providing other logistical support; and Mr. Anand Chhatre and his team from VSTS Corporation for printing this Souvenir well in time. We wish to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari - Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra and Shri Nitin Gadkari - Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport, Highways & Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises; Shri Pawan Agarwal, lAS, Secretary to Government of India & Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for their inspiring words of support and encouragement. Our sincere gratitude to all the children and Rev. Sisters of the society of the Helpers of Mary and Ma Niketan Society. Our sincere thanks to all the Mumbai Marathon participants (2019 & 2020) for helping us raise funds through the Tata Mumbai Marathons. We also convey our heartfelt gratitude to the trainers/faculty members of Edufest 2018, Saksham Gyanganga, Saksham Tejaswini, Saksham Kilkari, summer camps and music classes for sharing their time and expertise with the children. We would also like to appreciate and thank all individual donors, our partner NGOs, corporates and institutions – WeKare Society (Capgemini India), Sharda Cropchem, Galaxy Surfactants, Somany Ceramics, The American College of Chest Physicians (Western India Chapter), Neurogen Brain & Spine Institute, Marico Ltd., United Way of Mumbai, Unilever, Saltlabs, Nyasa Enterprises and educational institutions – Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (SIMC), Pune; Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication (SCMC), Pune; and Department of Social Sciences (Mumbai University); SNDT University, Mumbai; ITM Business School, Khargar; and O P Jindal University, Sonepat, Haryana; for their unstinted and committed support. Our dream of establishing the Saksham Community Centre as a model facility providing valuable service to the community and serving as a Centre of Excellence is slowly and steadily becoming reality. It is entirely due to the sincere efforts of all the Doctors, Trainers, Administrative staff, Volunteers and participants, and we gratefully acknowledge their contribution. With this abundance of invigorating support and encouragement, we continue to work steadily towards our mission of Empowering Lives !

Dr. Anil K Luniya Founder President

“Have courage to think differently

Have courage to invent Have courage to travel the unexpected path Have courage to discover the impossible Have courage to conquer the problems and succeed

”

- APJ Kalaam

Chu lenge aasman Bhale ho lamba safar Taaron ka ghar hai jahan par Humko jana hai udhar Dhundhli si yeh hai rah magar Bedhadak tu chal Karta ja re baadalo mein Pankhon ki karval Chu lenge aasman... Rukna nahin tu har ke Har mod pe kismat khadi hain Apni lagan mein daal jaan Akash se unchi bhar le UDAAN Chu lenge aasman

% % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %

ít ueWies Deemeceeb Yeues nes uecyee meHeÀj leejeW keÀe Iej nw peneb Hej nce keÀes peevee nw GOej ~ OegbOeueer meer ³es nw jen ceiej yesOe[keÀ let ®eue keÀjlee pee js yeeoueeW ceW HebKeeW keÀer keÀjJeue ~ ít ueWies Deemeceeb ©keÀvee veneR let nej kesÀ nj cees[ Hes efkeÀmcele Keæ[er nw ~ DeHeveer ueieve ceW [eue ]peeve DeekeÀeMe mes Tb®eer Yej ues Gæ[eve ~ ít ueWies Deemeceeb

Award for Healthcare Excellence 2019

Udaanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Awards & Recognition - 2007 to 2018

RAJ BHAVAN Malabar Hill Mumbai 400 035 Tel. : 022-2363 2660 Fax.: 022-2368 0505

BHAGAT SINGH KOSHYARI GOVERNOR OF MAHARASHTRA

30 November 2019

MESSAGE I am pleased to know that the Udaan Welfare Foundation is celebrating its 12th Anniversary of establishment and is organizing Udaan Edufest in Thane on 28th and 29th December 2019. It is gratifying to note that a group of committed individuals working under the banner of Udaan has been striving to empower the under privileged sections of society, especially the orphan children. I was pleased to note that more than 350 orphan and underprivileged girls from 10 differerent orphanages will be participating in this year’s event ‘Udaan Hauslonki’. I congratulate the Udaan Welfare Foundation for its good work and wish the volunteers success in their endeavours.

(Bhagat Singh Koshyari)

efveefleve ie[keÀjer

ceb$eer meæ[keÀ HeefjJenve SJeb jepeceeie&; meg#ce, ueIeg SJeb ceO³ece GÐece Yeejle mejkeÀej

NITIN GADKARI

Minister

Road Transport and Highways; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Government of India

7/12/2019

Date: .....................................

MESSAGE In today’s world, helping people with support and pouring out love on them is much more important than giving out handouts of money, food or clothes. And that’s what Udaan Welfare Foundation has been doing for more than a decade - helping the less privileged live with dignity so that they are capable enough to stand on their own feet. This year’s Edufest theme is “Courage” and that is exactly what the Udaan Welfare Foundation has given to the community. This foundation has provided them with affordable medical facilities, education and skills in order for them to become contributing members of society and be able to provide for themselves. They have given them the confidence to prove their capabilities. Today, more than anything else, the underprivileged of our country lacks guides, educators, basic medical facilities, and the entire ecosystem that higher-income classes take for granted. A child who cannot afford education, a bread-winner who falls ill regularly, or a housewife whose only skills are cooking and cleaning, are lost prospects for the entire nation. When people have access to better education, a proper nutritious diet and job-relevant skills, they automatically become a contributing member to the society. More importantly, they can live with self-reliance, and consequently, with greater dignity. Over 12 years, Udaan has helped many people take steps towards being self-sufficient. Your work with the community is an inspiration to others. My kudos and best wishes to you all. Yours,

(Nitin Gadkari)

Room No. 501 , Transport Bhawan, 1, Sansad Marg, New Delhl - 110 001 , Tel.: (RTH) 011-23710121, 23711252 (O). 23719023 (F). Room No. 168, Udyog Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi - 110 011, Tel.: (MSME) 011-23061566, 23061739 (O), 23063141 (F), E-mail: nitin.gadkari@nic.in; website-www.morth.nic.in / https://msme.gov.in

Pawan Agarwal, lAS

Secretary to Government of India & Chief Executive Officer

Date: 06/12/2019

MESSAGE Udaan Welfare Foundation is a commendable example of an initiative based on the power of common people to transform and elevate society. Over the last decade, Udaan has touched the lives of several people, and its energy and enthusiasm has only grown over time. Another initiative which makes us proud by serving the community and society is the multi-disciplinary community-centre, Saksham. We can witness the changes this initiative is bringing in the lives of people by providing free medical checkups, affordable treatments, tailoring classes, computer knowledge, language and math education. All these facilities are small contribution which help many people in changing their lives for the better. On the occasion of Udaan’s 12th year, and the launch of Souvenir’s 2019 edition, I congratulate every member of Udaan and the ones associated with it, and offer my best wishes for the unqualified success of this year’s Udaan Edufest. May you scale many more peaks in the years to come!

(Pawan Agarwal)

FDA Bhavan, Kotla Road, New Delhi - 110 002 I Tele.: +91 011 2322 0995 Telefax: +91 11 2322 0996 I E-mail: ceo@fssai .gov.in I www.fssai.gov.in

Date: 05/12/2019

MESSAGE It gives me immense pleasure to congratulate Udaan Welfare Foundation on the occasion of their Twelfth Anniversary. I extend my warm wishes to Dr. Anil K. Luniya and his team who are working selflessly towards the great cause of development of the people. The founder, Dr. Luniya is a great source of inspiration for many who believe in equitable and inclusive development. Udaan Welfare Foundation has touched and enhanced the lives of needy people by working and helping them towards their health, knowledge and skills. The organization has helped people coming from the under-privileged background, to become confident and self-reliant and has set an admirable example in transforming the lives of the people. The zeal and energy of the organization have grown over time. It is a matter of pride that Capgemini is associated with Udaan Welfare Foundation and I wish them all the energy and wishes to continue with their laudable work. Kumar Anurag Pratap Digital Inclusion & Sustainability Leader Capgemini India

Date: 06/12/2019

MESSAGE I am very happy to share my message with you all. Through this message I would like to applaud the initiatives put forth by Udaan Welfare Foundation which makes the prospect of a better future a reality for so many people. I am well aware that Udaan Welfare Foundation has been working determinedly to support the community through various programmes in the fields of health, well-being, education and more, right from its inception. The wide range of Udaan’s programmes and initiatives, and its persistent efforts to upgrade itself, is truly commendable. We need more such efforts like these to build the nation of our dreams. Our endeavour at Marico has always been to try and empower the lives of all our stakeholders. Hence, our CSR outreach also focuses around areas like water, health and education. We have been associated with Udaan too in the past. Our ‘Chote Kadam Pragati ki Aur’ education programme for the girl child by Nihar Shanti Amla was executed in partnership with Udaan Welfare Foundation. On the occasion of the launch of Udaan’s Edufest event on its 12th anniversary, I wish all the participants, speakers, guests and volunteers all the very best and offer my heartiest praise for their persistent commitment to the cause of community-building. Wish you all a very happy and fulfilling new year ahead. Best regards,

Saugata Gupta Managing Director & CEO

CIN: L15140MH1988PLC049208 Email: investor@marico.com

Marico Limited Regd Office: 7th Floor Grande Palladium 175, CST Road, Kalina Santacruz (E) Mumbai 400 098, India Tel: (91-22) 6648 0480 Fax: (91-22) 2650 0159 www.marico.com

Galaxy Surfactants Ltd.

20th December 2019

MESSAGE

Udaan Welfare Foundation C/o Dr. Anil K Luniya Founder President Thane-400607 Dear Dr. Luniya, Sub: Best Wishes ‘Udaan Welfare Foundation is a commendable example of an initiative based on the power of common people to transform and elevate society. Over the last decade, Udaan has touched the lives of several people, and its energy and enthusiasm has only grown over time. Another initiative which makes us proud by serving the community and society is the multidisciplinary community-centre, Saksham. We can witness the changes this initiative is bringing in the lives of people by providing free medical checkups, affordable treatments, tailoring classes, computer knowledge, language, science and math education. All these facilities are small contribution which help many people in changing their lives for the better. On the occasion of the 12th year of Udaan’s Edufest, and the launch of Souvenir’s 2019 edition, I congratulate every member of Udaan and the ones associated with it, and offer my best wishes for the unqualified success of this year’s Udaan Edufest. May you scale many more peaks in the years to come ! Cordially Yours, For Galaxy Surfactants Ltd.

Adarsh Nayyar Vice President (R) & Head- CSR

Regd. Office: C-49/2, TTC lndustrial Area, Pawne, Navi Mumbai-400 703. India. CIN No. U39877MH1986PLC039877 Ph: +91-22-65134444 / 27616666 Fax : +91-12-27615883 / 27615886 E-mail : galaxy@galaxysurfactants.com Website: www.galaxysurfactants.com

Atul Chaturvedi Executive Chairman

02nd December 2019

MESSAGE To, Dr. Prabodh Halde Chief Editor- UDAAN Souvenir The Udaan Welfare Foundation is a perfect, multi-faceted platform which highly contributes to the development of the community. True to its name, Udaan has given wings to the aspirations of many less-privileged individuals by enabling them to soar to greater heights. It is indeed commendable that this noble endeavour is entering its 12th year of selfless service to society. We appreciate the voluntary time and effort put in by the entire Udaan team in such times where everybody is busy creating a space for themselves. They have demonstrated a goal-driven approach towards solving the problems faced by weaker sections, including education, skill development and health deficiencies. As Udaan heads into its 12th year, I am confident that you will keep up the excellent work, and continue to uplift the community through your various welfare initiatives. I extend my warmest wishes and support to you all. Regards

Atul Chaturvedi Shree Renuka Sugars Limited Corporate Office : 7th Floor· Devchand House· Shiv Sagar Estate· Dr. Annie Besant Road· Worli Mumbai 400 018 • Maharashtra ·India P +91 22 2497 7744/4001 1400 F +91 22 2497 7747 E info@renukasugars.com Registered Office: BC 1 OS • Havelock Road • Cantonment • Belgaum 590 001 • Karnataka • India P +91 831 2404000 F +91 831 2404961 W www.renukasugars.com · Corporate Identification No.: L01542KA199SPLC019046

Date: 07/12/2019

MESSAGE I am glad that the theme of 12th Udaan Edufest 2019 is “Courage”. It is a virtue that every one of us admires and desires to acquire. Fearless person is courageous. It takes courage to be successful, it takes courage to be different and it takes courage to win. If we look around and observe we can be aware of all those who are fearful, never can see the steps of achievement. If we take the example of Udaan Team, they had a dream to empower the children, they found means and ways and they did it and continue in the same spirit. Behind their success there are courageous people who dreamt about it and worked hard to realize it. I commend Udaan team for their courageous steps that have taken years ago which helped to bring transformation to thousands of children. Courage is the faith in our convictions that there is more out there, that there’s a better way and that it is within our power to make it happen. Thank you for imparting this great message on courage to the young minds through Udaan Edufest 2019. Congratulations Dr. Anil Luniya (President, Udaan Welfare Foundation), for your courage and achievements you and your team achieved for the past 12 years of service to the children, especially to the children of Ma Niketan and our other homes. You enabled these children to be different, to be focused, to work hard and fly high. The sessions and exercises that will be organized during Edufest 2019 may add waves of courage to children’s lives. I wish 12th Udaan Edufest 2019 to be a great success and remain ever grateful to all the friends and well-wishers for their generosity to make this event a meaningful, colourful and remarkable one. May the Divine bless each and every one during the year 2020 and years to come. Sister Amrita Jose Provincial Superior St. Anne’s Province Society of the Helpers of Mary

Annual Report of Udaan Welfare Foundation Year 2018-2019 “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” - Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Four years after its launch, the Saksham Community Centre continues to empower the members of the community with better health, knowledge, skills and guides them towards building confidence to achieve their goals. We are happy to state that this well-equipped community centre offers multi-speciality medical care, educational facilities including computer training, and skills training. Currently, Udaan’s multidimensional setup is witnessing increasing footfalls of around 100-150 daily across the multiple facilities. Saksham is a grass-roots revolution that is constantly improving lives without losing sight of commercial viability and self-sustainability. Saksham’s success is purely due to the committed support of our sponsors, donors, doctors, staff, volunteers and wellwishers, plus the time, effort and resources put in by the Udaan team. We remain committed to keep improvising to help the community in all possible ways in the years to come.

received from The American College of Chest Physicians (WIC). u

MEDICAL SERVICES u Saksham has grown into a hub for quality medical care, with its team of specialist doctors in the fields of Dentistry, General Practice, Internal Medicine (including Cardiology and Diabetes), Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Paediatrics, ENT, Homeopathy and Ayurveda. u u

We have fully equipped dental and eye clinics. We also have a tie-up with a pathology lab for routine blood tests at subsidized rates, ECG machine, BMI machine, foetal monitor and nebulization facility. We have treated more than 8500 patients at Saksham over the past four years. Free general medical consultations have been provided every day. Multiple medical camps were conducted during the year to spread awareness about general, cardiac and chest ailments. Both of these were possible due to a grant

Our Health camps (Dental, General Child Health, Ophthalmological, Diabetes, Cardiac, Respiratory and Gynaecological) have benefitted thousands of children, women, and senior citizens in the last four years.

EDUCATION/AWARENESS u Bi-weekly tabla sessions have been conducted with 5-10 children participating in each session under the tutelage of Mr. Niranjan Bade until February 2019. u

Here are the highlights of Udaan’s activities between April 2018 and November 2019. SAKSHAM COMMUNITY CENTRE:

Free, regular eye and dental checkup camps were periodically conducted at Saksham, local schools and residential complexes.

We conducted Summer Vacation activities at Saksham from 15th April to 31st May, 2018. We invested 1026 student-hours in conducting various activities for the 86 participating children such as games, environmental visits, drawing and theatre sessions, etc. The activities culminated in a closing ceremony where the children showcased their learnings. This activity was partsponsored by United Way of Mumbai. Self-defense classes were organized at Saksham for children and women in the summer. The classes were conducted by Mr. Kankar Singh from Beed, and 16 girls and 25 boys participated in them in 2018. This activity was sponsored by United Way of Mumbai. The Plastindia Foundation shared around 550 T-shirts recycled from plastic bottles to be distributed among young children from the locality. We were happy to host the programme and distribute the T-shirts which also feature Udaan and Saksham logos among children from TMC School no. 55 and Azadnagar on 23rd June, 2018. Several children wear these T-shirts daily when they attend classes at the TMC School. Patient Statistics for the last four + years: Sept. 2015 to Mar. 2016 (Total) Apr. 2016 to Mar. 2017 (Total) Apr. 2017 to Mar. 2018 (Total) Apr. 2018 to March 2019 (Total) Apr. 2019 to Nov. 2019 (Total)

253 1038 2033 3069 2443

HEALTH CHECK-UP CAMPS IN 2018 - 2019 Health Camp

Venue

Date/Duration

Dental, Eye & Medical (Children) Pediatric, Eye, Dental

Capgemini, Airoli

2nd May, 2018

Eye, Medical, & Dental Eye, Cardiac, Respiratory, Medical, Dental, Paediatric, (Including BI. Sugar, Lipid Profile, ECG, PFT) Medical, Eye, Dental & BMI (TMC School Children) Eye & Dental Check-up Camp Medical, Eye, Dental & BMI (Children) Diabetes, Heart, Lungs, Eye & Dental Check-up Total Beneficiaries u

20th May, Saksham 2018 Community Centre Rodas Enclave, 21st July, 2018 Hiranandani Estate, Thane(W) 15th August, Saksham 2018 Community Centre

Number of attendees 77 60

150

Saksham Community Centre

6th September, 2018

106

Saksham Community Centre Holy Trinity School

29th December, 2018 14th Jan 2019 to 18th Jan 2019 26th Jan 2019

Saksham Community Centre

403

135 u

1068

Rakshabandhan was celebrated with the children and staff of TMC School 55. Beautiful handmade Rakhis made out of recycled paper were donated by RNisarg Foundation in 2018. Daan Utsav: Daan Utsav was celebrated from 2nd October to 8th October 2018 with many events for hundreds of beneficiaries. After Mumbai Darshan for 35 children, T Shirts (200), Sarees (195) and Tiffin boxes (100) were distributed. A musical fun-filled program conducted by the Senior Citizen’s Club of Hiranandani Estate and distribution of snacks brought cheers and smiles to about a hundred children.

Daan Utsav was again celebrated from 2nd October to 8th October 2019. The event included programs like Kandeel making, Saree distribution (90), Ek Muthi Anaj and Rangoli competition for the children and women in the community. Upgrading of eye examination facilities - We purchased one of the best and latest equipment - Slit Lamp for our Eye Department on 1st Nov. 2018. This will help patients get better examination, interpretation and advice on their eye problems. This was procured by the funds received from H L Somany Foundation. Udaan Welfare Foundation was the official NGO Partner for SwarOm Entertainments Musical Evening - Ek Anokhi Shaam, on 23rd November, 2018. A packed audience of 800 enjoyed this musical extravaganza. We thank Mr. & Mrs. Radhika Mohan Iyer for the support and for raising funds for Udaan through the show. We celebrated Christmas 2018 with students of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) School 55 and the Bombay Scottish Boys School, Thane. All the children enjoyed themselves with games, skits and carol singing. As usual Santa Claus was there to give chocolates and blessings. This event was planned and organized by the interns from OP Jindal Law College, Haryana. In January 2019, Interns from OP Jindal Law College, Haryana conducted a workshop on Stress and Time Management for 60 10th Std. students of Navbal Vidyalaya, Thane. We gave an exposure of theatre to our computer class students by sending them to watch the play ‘YTC’ hosted and supported by the Manorang Theatre Group. Women’s Day Celebrations - More than 40 ladies participated. Mrs. Manjushree Patil, a Psychologist, Motivational speaker and Founder Director of Aatman Academy shared with the audience some moments of her journey and motivated women to recognize their inner strengths and potential to lead a more happy and fruitful life. This was followed by the introduction of Ms Preeti Jain, owner of ‘Toile Fashion’ the only highend fashion house dealing with organic, eco-friendly clothing. She evinced interest to associate with Udaan Welfare Foundation to teach fashion designing to the ladies attending the tailoring classes and build their lives. The celebration ended with games and recognition of the women for the best dressed, best participants, etc.

and thereafter Udaan Welfare Foundation gave away new bedsheets (donated by Ek Muthi Anaaj) to all the attendees. u

Once again, we conducted Summer Vacation activities at Saksham from 11th April to 11th May, 2019. We invested 1026 student-hours in conducting various activities for the 50 participating children from TMC School no. 55. Activities such as cursive writing, Warli painting, block painting, clay modelling, Madhubani Painting, Zen Tangling Art, Drawing classes, Spoken English and dance performances (Zumba), Maths Basics, General Knowledge, games, drawing and theatre sessions etc. were conducted for the kids. The activities culminated in a closing ceremony where the children showcased their learnings. This activity was part-sponsored by United Way of Mumbai. We were the NGO partner for Madan Mohan’s Musical Marathon Program on 27th April, 2019. This was an excellent musical program for the whole day (3 shows) with nearly 120 singers participating from across the country and melodious songs composed by the late Madan Mohan were performed. We were privileged to have Mr. Madan Mohan’s son grace the occasion. We thank Mr. Raj Iyer for the perfect organization of this event. Manorang, a theatre group based in Thane, Maharashtra, set up a 3-day workshop for children at Saksham, from 30th April to 2nd May 2018. This workshop, which spanned 145 student-hours, prompted many kids to consider acting as a career.

Mini-Edufests: Mini Edufest “UDAAN AKANKSHA KI” was held on 21st July, 2019 for the students of Sanket School and about 35 students participated. This year’s theme was focused at the importance of continuing education beyond 10th and 12th grade and the host of career opportunities available for children to pursue. An Interactive session, conducted by panelists from various walks of life from their own community, helped convey the importance of thinking big and dreaming big. From triggering their entrepreneurial abilities to encouraging teamwork, we aimed at providing a glimpse of the bright future that lay ahead of them.

Independence Day was celebrated by sending 80 students to watch the movie ‘Mission Mangal’ on 18th August 2019. This show was sponsored by the Inner Wheel Club of Hiranandani Estate, Thane through the efforts of Mr. Pradeep Nair. On 19th August, several books were donated to the kids, collected and donated by Mrs. Archana Pradhan from Dubai. Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated with the children of TMC School 55 at Saksham in 2019 by making Ganesh idols from clay. This session was conducted by Mr. A. N. Rao.

Daan Utsav, the occasion of giving, was celebrated from 2nd of October to 8th of October, 2019. It began with a program for 55-60 ladies on the first day. A four-hour session was held by Subconscious Synergies which focused on how to deal with stress on a daily basis. This session was conducted by Mr. Naresh Rangwani and Ms. Hema Ahuja.

On the 2nd day, the community centre held a Rangoli making competition for the ladies who are a part of their Tejaswini program. The winners were rewarded with prizes. We also held a letter-writing, kandil and origami making session for the TMC children. The Kandil making workshop was taken by Mrs. Rachna Sharma and Mrs. Shreya Shanbaug and over 25 students participated in the workshop.

The 3rd day involved distributing sarees to the ladies. These were hand-me-downs in good condition that were distributed among the ladies living in the community. 92 ladies were benefited by this program. The children associated with Saksham were taught about giving by being encouraged to bring in a fistful of grains – rice or pulses to be put into a bag which was donated to another community.

On the 4th day, the staff and ladies who came in for tailoring classes and the ones belonging to the Tejaswini program participated in a potluck held at the centre, along with dandiya celebrations.

A talk on Oral Health Awareness was held by Dr. Sonali Das on 18th June, 2019. International Yoga Day was celebrated by conducting a yoga session for kids on 21st June.

On the occasion of Independence Day, 15th August, 2019, kids were given flags and snacks. Kids presented a patriotic skit and played a quiz on the topic - India’s Independence. Students from Sanket and Gunjana School had joined in for the celebrations and they were also encouraged to try Scrabble-making.

The 5th day saw a workshop held on Mind and Memory by Mr. Naresh Rangwani and Ms. Hema Ahuja for the children aged 12 to 18 of Sanket School. It focused on teaching them how to cope with pressure and stress while studying. Thirty children attended the session. On the last day of the Daan Utsav, teachers from Daffodils Preschool, Thane visited the centre to give gifts and sweets to the kids aged 4 and 5 of the TMC School. They organized games, put up a puppet show and distributed food. Children’s Day - Udaan Welfare Foundation celebrated Children’s Day 2019 with a lot of vigour by taking children from TMC School 55 and Jeevan Foundation on a trip to the Yeoor hills. A fun-filled program was organized by ‘Fauji Ki Paathshala’ that included adventure activities and lots of fun games. The celebration continued in the evening at Udaan’s Saksham Community Centre where volunteers from SIMC and SCMC, Pune engaged with the excited children from Saksham’s Gyaan Ganga Program. Many innovative games were played and at the end, gifts graciously donated by Daffodils PreSchool were distributed which left the kids happy and grinning! Computer Education

Capgemini India, through WeKare Society, and Sharda Cropchem International helped educate less-privileged students and women at Saksham. Qualified teachers and trainers are conducting regular classes, with great results. All participating students of Tally scored A Grade (80 86.7% marks) on online assessment through our partner Tally Academy.

Around 30 TMC school children studying in 7th and 8th standards also learnt the basics of computers once a week. The ladies attending the Saksham Tejaswini program are taught to how to use digital technology on a weekly basis. We thank Capgemini India through WeKare Society and Sharda Cropchem International for supporting these projects.

Saksham GyanGanga Under Saksham Gyanganga, a project launched in July 2018, we are currently coaching around thirty 5th to 8th standard students from Azadnagar and TMC school no. 55, daily for 2 hours, free of cost. These students are taught English, Math and Science by a team of experienced teachers. We have also introduced Science classes over weekends with the use of our

Science Lab equipment. Over time, there have been positive changes in the children’s focus, discipline and regularity. This project is partly funded by United Way of Mumbai. In addition we distributed free notebooks and other stationery to more than 150 children of TMC school no. 55 in July 2018 and 2019. This activity was part-sponsored by United Way of Mumbai and other donors. Udaan has also sponsored monthly bus passes for 62 children of construction workers living in Rodas Enclave in 2018 for one full academic year. The children were able to commute to and from their homes to the TMC School. The fallout of this project was that the Thane Municipal Corporation has made bus services free for all the students of TMC across Thane. We thank all the individual donors for supporting us. Total No. of Students in Computer Course Courses MS Office Adv. Tally Corel Draw Photoshop Typing Digital Technology for women Total

Apr 2018 to Mar 2019 282 15 8 8 1 68 314

Apr 2019 to Nov. 2019 193 1 27 25 1 57 247

We also introduced a programme for thirty 7th and 8th standard students to enhance their behaviour and attention span through the Playway method. The programme was conducted six days a week at the TMC school premises, from August 2018 until Feb. 2019. This free project is funded by Udaan. We also now intend to extend the classes for 9th & 10th Std. children of other TMC Schools nearby daily. Saksham Poshan (Nutrition) We provide hygienic and nutritious evening snacks, milk or fruits to nearly 30+ TMC school students, who attend the Saksham Gyanganga classes at Saksham daily. This activity was part-sponsored by United Way of Mumbai, T. Punamchand Charitable Trust and other donors. Saksham Kilkari Saksham Kilkari, a programme designed for very young minds, is a game-changing project led by Mrs. Babita Khanna since July 2018. Under her guidance, thirty-five naughty children have channelized their energies and have become disciplined,

observant, creative and respectful. The feedback from some of these kids’ mothers is also positive. Since August 2019 our volunteers Ms. Nikita Tolani and Mrs. Smita Anikhindi are going to Balwadi of TMC School 55 to teach 10 to 30 children. We are proud to have excellent teachers, who are making such a big difference to the children’s lives and over the period more committed volunteers have joined to provide quality education. Woman Empowerment: Saksham Tejaswini: Project Saksham Tejaswini aims to empower women from the slums. This two to three month programme includes daily sessions to build the women’s self-confidence, personality, nutrition and health through yoga, medical checkups, digital literacy, skills development, etc. The programme commenced on 16th April 2018, and we have already trained four batches of nearly 125 ladies till date and the new batch of nearly 20 ladies is in session from 18th Nov. 2019. All facilities and material have been provided to the women free of cost. We are witnessing positive changes in the participants, and their attendance and enthusiasm are testimony to the success of Tejaswini. We have had an excellent group of faculty/teachers to take various sessions and activities and we feel proud to provide the best for these women. We thank all the faculty members for their effort and time.

Skill development through Tailoring/Paper Bags Saksham began offering tailoring classes in 2016. These classes have benefitted 156 women in 2016-17, 370+ women in 2017-18, and 274 women in 2018- 2019 and 174 until November 2019. The class has flourished under the able guidance of our tailoring teacher Mrs. Seema Chaube. We also had an opportunity to extend the tailoring classes for one more batch of 23 ladies under the able guidance of Mrs. Sangeeta Agarkar for a period of two months. Paper bag-making: During the year we taught several women the art of making bags out of paper and cloth. These included both simple bags for regular use and designer bags with high quality paper/cloth. Staff from Paryavaran Dakshata Manch helped these women learn the art. From the second batch we have also introduced a basic Beautician Course and trained 16 ladies. Capgemini donated 6 sewing machines for our tailoring department. We thank Capgemini for the same. No. of student hours invested in different projects Apr. 2018 to Mar. 2019

Apr. to Nov. 2019

Students

Hours

Student Hours

Students

Hours

Student Hours

It was a great moment for Udaan to share the success story of our successful program “Saksham Tejaswini” for empowering women.

Saksham Kilkari

140

4900

720

Saksham GyanGanga

180

7740

4459

The ladies who were once shy and timid, nervous to even speak in front of a small crowd, completely dominated the stage of Kashinath Ghanekar Auditorium, Thane (W) on 25th October 2018 for the celebration of the 5th successful year of Forever Young Anandees. Every dance step of theirs emanated confidence. They took up the challenge to show everyone how much they have changed from what they were to what they are now. They say art is a language of its own and the ladies showed the positive change in them over the span of 3 months through their performance.

Saksham Tejaswini

158

3768

3249

Tailoring

274

624

10796

174

434

45822

Total

420

1102

27204

300

618

54250

We are utmost thankful to all our teachers for bringing about this change in them and especially Dr. Roopali Deshpande for presenting these women with such a big opportunity to perform and showcase themselves in front of a huge crowd.

We thank Sharda Cropchem International and The International Board of Medicine and Surgery (IBMS), USA, for sponsoring this initiative.

We are extremely proud of our Tejaswinis and will continue to empower more ladies to transform into a Tejaswini.

WELFARE / COMMUNITY WORK u We continue to collect used clothes, grains and other materials at our Saksham Community Centre and share with individuals, Goonj and other NGOs around Thane. u

We have distributed Sanitary Napkins to several women and students attending our Saksham Tejaswini, Tailoring as well computer classes in the last one year. Kerala Floods relief support: We shared the sufferings of the flood affected population in Kerala and raised around Rs. 3.5 lakh donations for providing medical relief material to the flood-hit state of Kerala. The Government

Taluka Hospital in Chalakudy, Thrissur was the recipient in December 2018. Once a model hospital, it was severely damaged by the floods. We provided two latest-model Oxygen Concentrators, two Crash/Emergency Carts and a Floor Scrubber with the funds raised. We hope these will benefit the hospital’s patients over a long period of time. u

Sangli Dist. Floods relief support: In 2019, Maharashtra suffered with severe floods especially in the Konkan and Gadchiroli regions. An appeal for donations was circulated and we collected about Rupees 20 Lakhs jointly with Association of Food Technologists, Solvent Extractors Association and Suraj Foundation and distributed the same to nearly 150 flood-affected families of Bimana village directly into their bank accounts in three instalments. We also distributed 3000 school bags to the school children in the affected areas.

Miscellaneous: Udaan was invited by Sahayadri channel, Doordarshan Mumbai, to participate in a panel discussion on 12th April, 2018. Mr. Niranjan Bade represented us and was well appreciated.

On 3rd July 2018, Udaan was invited again by national channel Doordarshan to participate in a talk show with Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot, Minister of Social & Welfare Department, Govt. of India. Mr. Niranjan Bade, along with our students Ms. Khushi Singh and Master Aniket Singh, participated in the show and shared their experiences with Saksham. Tata Mumbai Marathon 2019 - Udaan Welfare Foundation has been associated with the United Way of Mumbai since last several years and have been helped for raising funds through the Standard Chartered/Tata Mumbai Marathon. We are grateful to all the runners for supporting us. We had a distinguished guest - Inspector General Mr. A. P Badola, Chief of Staff, from the Indian Coast Guard, and his family visit our Saksham Community Centre. They were highly impressed with our work and happy to see the children performing and learning. England’s World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan and former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan interacted with 30 children of Success Academy and Azadnagar slums, through our NGO, Udaan Welfare Foundation on 22nd September, 2019. They were accompanied by our President Dr Anil K Luniya, Secretary - Mr. Sandeep

Ramakrishnan, and Udaan Member Mr. Sunil Patil.

The children got to interact with the two players and ask them a variety of questions, including those on cricket tips and techniques. Children were thrilled and excited and left with memories which couldn’t be described in words. We thank Sony Sports Ten Team for giving us this golden opportunity to meet and interact with these two great players.

Internships: Once again, we had four MSW students of Mumbai University and ten MSW students from the SNDT University, Mumbai intern with us for a year. We thank Mr. Ameya Mahajan from the Social Welfare Department of Mumbai University and the SNDT University for the opportunity to train these students. We also had interns from Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication (SIMC), Pune, OP Jindal University, Sonepat, Haryana, ITM University, Navi Mumbai and Swami Vivekananda College of Engineering, Mumbai. We thank all the participating institutions for continuing to repose faith and trust in our work and giving their students an exposure to serve the community. OTHER ONGOING FLAGSHIP PROJECTS OF UDAAN: u Technology Centre: The Technology Centre at Ma Niketan Children’s Home, Thane has completed its seventh year. The training centre, which imparts skills in computer/web technology and MS Office, has turned many students into employable adults. The students attending the centre range from 4 to 18 years of age. We are grateful to the teachers and the Administrator, Mrs. Shaila Kamdar, for nurturing these children and helping shape their future. So far we have helped over 700+ girls with 26,000 teaching hours being invested over the 7+ year duration. This project is supported by a grant from Sharda Cropchem International. We have also revamped the hardware and software at the centre in 2018 with support from Orbit Info Systems. u

Udaan Edufest 2018: The Edufest themed - Udaan Kala Ki was held for two days on November 17 & 18 at our Saksham Community Centre, where various art-themed activities were conducted with the 135+ children of Ma Niketan. The event was an overwhelming success as the children participated with enthusiasm and energy. It was inspired by the thought that everyone has talent within themselves, they just need to focus and polish it in order to shine brighter. The event focused on how girls can work

on their skills and abilities to create something innovative. Various facilitators were invited who executed programs related to cooking, clay, thread, paper and colours. All the participants invested their time in this event and gained a lot of knowledge out of it. The event was an overwhelming success as the children participated whole-heartedly. This event was part funded by Sharda Cropchem International. We thank all the Faculty for sharing their expertise. u

Expenditure

Income 239980.00, 5%

140000.00, 3%

3939540.00, 79%

194635.00, 4% 425852.00, 9%

1619707.28, 32%

Income & Expenditure (FY 2018 -2019)

667871.00, 13%

150509.54, 3% 336792.00, 7%

140000.00, 3%

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS: The Udaan Welfare Foundation was conferred a NGOs Leadership in Healthcare Excellence award on 20th Nov. 2019 by the World CSR Congress and ABP News. We thank the selectors for this award and dedicate it to all the doctors, staff, patients and donors for helping us provide excellent healthcare services.

Total Income: 49,87,391.00

By Interest (On FD, HDFC, Savings Bank A/c) By Donations and Collections Membership Fees Grants

21830.00, 0%

51207.00, 1%

Establishment Expenses Professional fees Amount Transferred to Corpus fund Medical Relief To Surplus

2046858.18, 41%

Total Expenditure: 49,87,391.00 Audit Fees Depreciation Educational Expenses Other Charitable Objects

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to sincerely thank everyone - donors, beneficiaries, members, staff, faculty, volunteers, and well-wishers - for their constant and selfless support and encouragement. The Udaan family have always aimed for excellence in all endeavours. Everyone has contributed towards making these initiatives successful and resolved to make a difference in response to the changing needs of our society. We tremendously value the painstaking efforts and investment of time more than just the financial contributions of each of our stakeholders. We have always experienced that as our relationships deepen, we are able to collectively handle all challenges – funds, efforts, technology, resources or any other. We consider it a great privilege and honour to be part of such a committed team as Udaan readies itself to scale new heights of service towards society.

Gæ[eve SkeÀ mees®e

- ÒeyeesOe (24/1/2019)

yeveeles efHeÀjles nQ efjMles peceeves Yej mes DekeÌmej ceiej peye Iej ceW nes peªjle lees efjMles Yetue peeles nQ~ keÌ³ee HeÀe³eoe DeeHekesÀ Heesmì keÀe, Deiej keÀece vee Dee³eW peceeveskeÀes keÌ³ee HeÀe³eoe oerHekeÀ keÀe Deiej DebOesjeW ceW vee peues ceeve efue³ee DeeHekeÀes mece³e veneR neslee

mece³e mes Yeer J³emle nes ie³es nes DeeHe Leesæ[e mees®ees nce Fbmeeve keÌ³etB yeves ³ener keÀjvee Lee lees peeveJej þerkeÀ nQ DeYeer Yeer JekeÌle nw megOej peeDees DeeHe meceepe kesÀ efueS keÀjes kegÀ]í Keeme veneR ueielee Hewmee ³ee yeæ[e mece³e yeme ueieleer nw SkeÀ mees®e Gæ[eve keÀer

UDAAN EDUFEST - 2019 - “UDAAN HAUSLON KI” “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela Courage is considered the foundational virtue of every other virtue. Aristotle referred to courage as “the first human virtue”. Fear is a secret everyone shares that people seldom talk about. Even the people we view as brave or strong in our lives have been fearful. However, it is imperative to turn fear into an asset rather than a hindrance. The first step to conquer fear is to face it. Courage helps not only in standing up against those who threaten us or act in a bad way but also helps in accomplishing things for ourselves which enable us to work and achieve our goals. It is a sense of behaving appropriately and the motivator that helps us act despite our fears. ‘Udaan Hauslon Ki’ is a two day programme designed to instill courage in underprivileged girls by guiding them to overcome

their fears and making them feel confident to take on the world without any inhibitions. The activities for the 2 days are designed around the theme of courage to make them feel self-assured, optimistic and empowered. It will allow them to face the uncertainties of growing up and making decisions that are healthy. Udaan Welfare Foundation has invited diverse facilitators to equip children with various skills and values to help them act courageously in situations on a daily basis. A blend of both indoor and outdoor activities will ensure that these young girls from the 9th to 12th Std. from various children’s homes are able to overcome their fears and can act freely. This will help them shape their characters as courage is a virtue that stays with a person for a lifetime. Come and share with us the joy and marvel of young minds who will overcome their fears and work towards selfassurance, confidence and empowerment on December 28th and 29th 2019.

The Sky Will Tell You Why - Pranav Chaturvedi Ask yourself as how would you live For years & decades but not ages Beneath shadow of unbounded sky That bestowed roof to earth & sages The sky looks down never does it talk Shelters us in levelled or uneven walk Shows you signs of how & why Could see those joyous symbols clear Then why live in the world of fear? The sky inspirit for not less but more Then why one shall live so unsure? It plays & paint with white clouds Some days shows love with sketched heart Sometimes make it very big & large To persuade that ‘This is the Start!’ What you could read in that simple sign That the earth, the sky & all are thine And there lies nothing to be unsure When you given always, give more Like never ending & infinite

All stars that glitter in the sky Plants & trees & creatures & we Dwell on this land without any fee Neither the sky nor this earth Has ever asked anything from us It always gives & gives some more And questions never to settle scores Which is why they always were here Will answer any day to all, be fair So, the life be of love & care Where all be good & all must share Not snatch from all what you cannot be For yourself or for the family You be tall, you be all You be big, you be small What or how you do, novice or sweet Be a better being & thus never retreat Maybe you tumble for years this to find But always be gentle, humble & kind.

UDAAN EDUFESTS - 12 YEARS OF EMPOWERING LIVES The Udaan Edufest has come a long way since its inception in 2007. It has raised the bar every year and now stands as a well-recognized project which empowers young women and children. Through innovative and interactive learning initiatives, it polishes everyone’s skills and abilities. Multiple workshops, activities, games and entertainment programs are held during Edufests which have, till date, encouraged more than 2000 girls to be strong, independent and happy individuals who can craft their own destinies. This annual event is held either at Ma Niketan Children’s Home in Thane or at our every own Saksham Community Centre in Thane’s Azad Nagar. Every year, the Edufest theme is inspired by an objective which would help empower the lives of young girls. The contents / program decided for the event are also aligned with respect to the theme of the year. We make sure that the Edufest is administered and handled by professional trainers, leaders in their particular fields who are willing to contribute their knowledge and time at the Edufest. Udaan Edufest has always been received positively and gained appreciation. It is not only valued and loved by the students but also by parents, teachers, Udaan partners and dignitaries. It is an event with a continuous flow of positive energy and knowledge. We also make sure that the faculties and the trainers who join in for the event go back satisfied and happy. Let’s take a look at the past Edufests and reflect upon each theme on how it has affected us as a society and as individuals. The first Edufest was held in the year 2007 and highlighted the theme of ‘Team Building’. Its aim was to encourage young girls to fulfill their ambitions and provide them with the opportunities they deserved. Starting with just 3 members during the planning stage, the Udaan family grew to 41 volunteers and 15 faculty members. The icing on the cake of this event was the selection of Best Performers called as ‘Miss Udaan’ from over 150 participants which included orphans and less privileged children. The participants had come from 3 different homes in Mumbai and Thane. With the wholehearted support of our volunteers and the staff of Ma Niketan, the first ever Udaan Edufest was ended on a high note with great success. Edufest 2008 welcomed 10 children’s homes for participation and this time the number had increased to 170 children in total. The theme for this year was ‘Communication Skills’. The children highly benefited from focused activities and exercises which boosted their morale and confidence.

For Edufest 2009, the theme was chosen to be ‘Path to

Excellence’. This theme reflected on the importance of ‘internal excellence’ in terms of participants’ inherent qualities, strengths and positivity, as well as factors which cause fear, shyness and anger. The instructors also conducted an experiential learning session on ‘external excellence’. Children were taught how to work towards their dreams, gain inspiration and motivation, set goals and achieve them. Edufest 2010 titled ‘Youngistan ki Udaan’ was unique in many ways. This time, we focused on the idea of helping children recognize their hidden genius and talents and sort themselves into different ‘genius groups’. All the children differentiated themselves into various groups according to their strengths. They attended 3 sessions called “Hum Sab Genius Hai”, “Lakshya” and “Hum Honge Kamiyab”. This event witnessed more turn-out of girls to over 200 from the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The theme for Edufest 2011 was a successor of 2010’s theme. Titled “Youngistan ki Udaan-2”, it focused on channelizing children’s perspective on the genius in themselves and importance of having personal vision. Children should not only be trained to be bold but they should be trained to be so bold that they are prepared to face the world in their adulthood. ‘Parivartan — Kali se Phool’ was one of the programs of this event which dealt with transition of young girls into women. It addressed the issue of physical change, interaction with the opposite gender, prevention of child abuse and child labour, management of personal relations, cultivation of right virtues and working towards their life goals. The session called ‘Rupiyoh ki Samajh’ highlighted the importance of money. ‘Udhyami aur Swatantrata’ dealt with independence and entrepreneurship. ‘Nari Neta’ helped in inculcating leadership qualities within the young girls. Physical and mental fitness was propagated through exercise, yoga and positive visualization. Science was also included in this event through the program called ‘Learning Science Though Fun’. Edufest 2012, with a theme “Udaan Aashaon ki”, saw a huge success with over 240 children in attendance. The focus for this year was on career guidance. Our aim was to channelize their inner interests towards various careers based upon the Multiple Intelligence Theory, the foundation of which had been laid down by Edufests themes of 2010-11. 85 instructors came in from different areas of expertise and shared their knowledge through interactive sessions. This was followed by the entertainment program of Dress Changers from Ukraine and Russia who performed a dramatic international live dance performance. We also facilitated an orchestra of visually impaired artistes to perform for the children. This further emphasized the mental mantra ‘Nothing is Impossible’.

Edufest 2013 was themed as “Udaan, Hari Bhari Zindagi Ki”. It aimed at building sensitivity and responsibility towards the environment and how to conserve it. Experts came in to put light upon various ways in which we can save nature. Padmashree Dr. Sharad Kale showed new plant conservation techniques called Akshaya Vasundhara. Anil Ranglani from Daily Dump gave a presentation about waste management. A ‘Game Changers’ panel discussion was organized to honour the ‘green heroes’. The panel included eminent personalities like Rajendra Bhat, D. S. Banavali, Prof. Walawalkar, Jismon George, Dr. Lata Ghanshamnani, Prof. (Dr.) Neelima Kulkarni from Hariyali, Umesh Rathore from YUPS and Ajay Kale. For the celebration, the children of Ma Niketan performed a skit which showed how to celebrate festivals in an eco-friendly way. They even did a hands-on demonstration of inorganic waste management by means of urban farming. Varieties of dance performances were executed by Dr. Roopali Deshpande and her team. It ended on a high note with a senior citizens’ orchestra. Udaan 2014 had a special theme called ‘Udaan Naari Shakti Ki’. It aimed to increase awareness among the young girls about growing incidents of violence against women. We also wanted to equip them with techniques and training to make them self-confident and capable of dealing with untoward situations. In this very dynamic edition of Edufest, the children were taught the basics of self-defense and martial arts through practical demonstrations and training. Various outdoor activities such as rappelling, tree-climbing and archery were conducted to bring in an orientation towards adventure and to make the children fearless. The children were counseled about how to conduct themselves in society and a panel discussion was held to highlight various issues and aspects of child abuse, and the options available to protect the children. Happiness was chosen as the theme for Edufest 2016 and was titled ‘Udaan Khushiyon Ki’. This event took place at Saksham Community Centre. The children were provided tips for achieving happiness through different techniques — yoga, food, dance, music, games, art and craft, to name a few. The event included a series of vibrant sessions and workshops designed to help participants unlock happiness by training their minds through ‘brain yoga’ and meditation, expressing themselves through dance, exercising their culinary creativity through food and finally soaking in the uplifting power of music. The trainers provided more insights on how to seek happiness with the right perspective. We were also privileged to have guests like Mr. Sanjeev Jaiswal, Commissioner, TMC, Dr. Vinay Rathod, Deputy Commissioner of Police, MLA Mr. Sanjay Kelkar, and Corporator Mr. Manohar Dumbre to grace our event. We are also thankful to Ms. Mitta Rout, Group Chief Quality Officer, Capgemini for inspiring the girls with her speech.

Edufest 2017, ‘Ek Aur Udaan Khushiyon Ki’ was a continuation of the previous year’s theme for different groups of children at Ma Niketan with participation from over 350 girls. The trainers taught the children how small things like renewing our bond with nature, spending time with loved ones, or finding occasions to laugh can all create sensations of happiness within. The girls were also taught how to make such feelings last—by having a healthy sense of self-respect and confidence, exploring the mind-body connection through yoga and exercise, and focusing on others (through service) instead of thinking about happiness in selfish terms. And finally, they were shown how to generate happiness through activities involving creativity and expression: music, dance, art and craft, pottery and food. The 2-day event concluded with a closing session where the girl students showcased the festivals of India, and how celebrations also bring happiness. Edufest 2018 - ‘Udaan Kala Ki’ was an endeavour to give the participants the opportunity to explore beyond the visual and cerebral and to encourage them to create their own space and identity through the use of their hands. The 2 day program was organized at our Saksham Community Centre, Azadnagar, Thane. The 135 odd participants explored the joy of designing and creating unique artefacts, paper craft and paintings along with gaining an insight on the entrepreneurial aspects of the handicrafts. The diverse facilitators, each an expert in his or her own field, introduced the children to the art of Cooking, Madhubani painting, pottery, paper craft and Macrame work. The children were also exposed to creating Art through the digital medium by using Artificial Intelligence. Over the two days the venue was charged with the vibrancy and joyful delight of the girls marvelling at their own latent talent and skills. The objective of Edufest 2019, titled ‘Udaan Hauslon Ki’ is to build confidence, courage and self- esteem among young under-privileged girls to face the world beyond the protected environs of their orphanages/homes. This is crucial given that they would eventually need to move out of their dwellings and learn to be independent in the outside world. The event is being held on December 28 and 29 at Ma Niketan. Training will be imparted through a series of adventurous games conducted by expert facilitators, accompanied by a safety team, ensuring to bring out the key learnings and inferences through an interactive discussion after the game/activity has been experienced by the participants. The participants would be around 300+ girl children from the 9th to the 12th class from various orphanages of “Helpers of Mary” spread across Mumbai, Thane and adjoining states. Udaan’s Edufest has experienced success year after year, witnessing steadily growing participation both in terms of volunteers as well as children.

The vision of empowerment, education and entertainment that drove Edufestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inception 12 years ago is being implemented successfully with every passing year. It has brought about tremendous positive changes in the lives of the children whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a part of the event. It has helped them increase their overall confidence and self-esteem levels, and also inspired some of the children to pursue higher education from some of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-known universities. But this would not have been possible without the support of the best faculty and trainers. These individuals have enthusiastically devoted their valuable time and skills to spend time with the children and guide them towards

living their best lives. We feel proud that the united effort of Udaan family has helped to create a positive difference in the lives of many children; and this motivates us to carry Edufest forward. We also sincerely appreciate the efforts of all the Sisters and Children of Helpers of Mary, especially Ma Niketan for providing us the platform to empower the lives of their children. We trust that future editions of the Edufest will produce even better results and impact the lives of many more children. We also hope you will join in and support us in our effort to spread a little joy in the world around us.

Glimpses of Udaan Edufest 2018

Glimpses of Udaan Edufest 2018 (contd.)

Udaan Welfare Foundation – the happy journey continues… Profile: The Udaan Welfare Foundation is a Thane-based non-profit organisation engaged in addressing the challenges of vulnerable populations in and around the city. With programmes focussed on 4 areas – Education; Health, Nutrition & Wellness; Welfare; and the Environment - the Udaan Welfare Foundation empowers children, women and senior citizens from underprivileged backgrounds to lead more meaningful lives. Mission: To provide timely and meaningful support to needy children, women and senior citizens by effectively implementing projects in the areas of health, education and nutrition that have a sustainable, cost-effective, and positive impact on society and the environment Vision: Giving wing to the hopes and aspirations of the underprivileged and empowering them for a better tomorrow History: The year 2007 saw a small group of like-minded people coming together to ameliorate the condition of orphans, women, and senior citizens. To begin with, this tiny association took up projects at established children’s homes like Ma Niketan (Thane), Naya Jivan (Asangaon), and Anugraha Children’s Home (Ambernath). Over time, having gained vital exposure and experience in organising different programmes and projects, the group’s activities continued to grow, and subsequently, the Udaan Welfare Foundation came into existence. The Udaan Welfare Foundation was registered on October 20, 2008, under the Societies Act 1860. Its Registered Office is located at 4, Savitha, 70 Pestom Sagar, Main Road No. 2, Chembur, Mumbai, 400089, and bears the registration number - Maharashtra Rajya Mumbai 200 G.B.B.S.D 2188. The Trust’s registration number is F-36482 (MUM). Operational Model: The organisation was built with the following operating aims: 1) Commitment to sustainability 2) Respect for all stakeholders involved 3) A transparent and democratic approach to decisionmaking 4) Shared responsibility and credit 5) Respect for gender equality and social diversity

Udaan’s Executive Committee meets regularly. At these meetings, the executive committee members discuss their current and completed projects, financial transactions of the

previous month, and other operational nitty-gritties, with the minutes being recorded and approved in the subsequent meetings. Twelve years into its journey, Udaan has achieved a number of milestones and continues to grow steadily and confidently. Udaan’s projects are achieving better acceptance, and it plans to take up more sustainable projects in the near future. Some of Udaan’s projects in different areas are as follows: HEALTH A. CHILDREN Immunisation: We conducted several immunisation programmes in 20072008; principally the immunisation of 700 children from Ma Niketan (Thane), and Naya Jivan (Asangaon) between December 2007 and July 2008. We administered six vaccines - MMR, DPT, DT, Typhoid, Hepatitis B, and Tetanus. In 2010, we immunised over 220 children from Anugrah Vidya Mandir and Anugrah Children’s Home (Ambernath) for Hepatitis B. Health Check-up Camps: i. A successful Mega Health Check-up camp was organised for 330 children of Ma Niketan in July 2008. Records were compiled and post-camp analysis was done. Suitable remedial advice regarding medicines and investigations was also given. ii. A health check-up camp was organised for 40 villagers, including 24 children, of Phansipada Village (Ambernath) in April 2008. A team of paediatricians, nutritionists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists and physicians examined the villagers, and found that most of the children were malnourished. Appropriate advice, medicines and counselling were given to all the villagers to help them improve their health and quality of life. iii. A health check-up camp was organised at Anugrah Vidya Mandir, a school for poor children, on January 10, 2010. About 100 children were examined, and appropriate diagnoses and remedial counselling were provided. Anaemia Detection Camps: i. Anaemia detection camps were organised at Ma Niketan for 330 girls in April 2009, and corrective measures were undertaken with special emphasis on an iron-enriched diet.

ii. A follow-up camp 2 months later showed satisfactory results in most of the children. iii. An anaemia detection camp was organised at Sri Ram Vidya Mandir (Thane) in March 2013 for school children and their mothers. Overall, 246 children were tested and appropriate iron tablets/syrups were dispensed. This project was supported by Biosense, Serco Intelenet, Dana Pharmaceuticals, and Menghi Alias Kikiben C Lalvani Public Charitable Trust. iv. Another camp was conducted on October 5, 2013 for 97 children and teachers of Harkishan English Public School (Thane). Appropriate medicines were distributed to anaemic women and children. Dental Health Check-up Camps: Dental camp was organised for 250 students of Harkishan English Public School (Thane) from January 21 to February 5, 2014. The camp was conducted by Dr. Karuna Devange of Smiles Dental Clinic, Tulsidham (Thane). Many students completed the follow-up treatment as advised during the check-up Miscellaneous: Yoga sessions for 100 young children (Aged 9–14) of Ma Niketan were conducted for a month by the Cosmic Power Trust in June 2008. The emphasis was on learning good health values and concentrating on studies. B. WOMEN Even as they take care of their families, women often end up neglecting their own health. Keeping this in mind, team Udaan conducts awareness camps for women to explain the need to safeguard their own health, and how their entire family benefits as a result. i. Women’s Health Check-up at Capgemini: The Udaan Welfare Foundation conducted a ‘Wellness Week’ for 467 women employees of Capgemini, in association with their Women’s Council, from September 11 to 19, 2008. Cancer detection & awareness, Thyroid, Diabetes and Osteoporosis detection checks were done and expert lectures were conducted. This project gave us an insight into the problems faced not just by underprivileged women, but also the privileged, due to their unusually hectic lifestyles. ii. An anaemia detection camp was held at Thane’s Kokanipada village, which is home to several daily-wage workers and their families. The camp, conducted in

February 2009, resulted in 100 women being checked for anaemia. Nutritionist and Udaan member Dr.Pranjali Khot delivered a lecture on healthy cooking. Iron and calcium tablets were also distributed free of cost to anaemic women. The project’s success was noted in a follow-up camp held on April 12, 2009 where a notable rise was detected in the women’s haemoglobin levels. iii. A diabetes detection camp was held on April 12, 2009 for over 100 women residing in Kokanipada. The project was part of the initiative to help improve women’s health in the village, where four women were detected with diabetes as a result of the check-up. iv. Forty-six ladies were tested at a Cancer Detection Camp on April 19, 2009. The event was held in association with Vasantha Memorial Cancer Trust, Mumbai. While no cases of breast/cervical/oral cancer were detected, the drive led to a renewed approach towards health among the women of the village. v. Cervical and Breast cancer is a pressing issue worldwide. ‘The Breast and Cervical Cancer Awareness in Women: Myth and Realities’ programme was held on Women’s Day at Sri Ma Hall in association with CPAA. The event was headlined by Dr.Vani Parmar – Associate Professor and Surgeon, Breast Unit, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, and Dr. Prashant Nyati, Consultant Gynecologist Oncosurgeon, Jupiter Hospitals. The event was an eye-opener and helped the 250 attendees realise, that although dangerous, cancers were very easily preventable if some basic precautionary measures were taken. The camp was held on March 7, 2010 – World Women’s Day. vi. By popular demand, Udaan was invited back to conduct a Health Check-up Camp for the members of Capgemini Women’s Council (Winspire) at Vikhroli and Airoli in March 2011. This activity was organised as part of International Women’s Day. 500-plus women and men participated in the 4-day event. Their blood samples were tested for Complete Blood Count, Thyroid levels, and Blood Sugar. A full cancer check-up was conducted for women by 6 gynaecologists led by Dr.Prassana Menon. Dr. Anup Shirsat from Pooja Laboratory (Thane) provided the blood testing and Pap smear testing facilities at subsidised rates. Bone Mineral Density test was conducted for all the participants by Abbott Laboratories. The awareness session saw enthusiastic participation from both genders on the talks given by Dr. Padma Menon on “Thyroid Disorders” and Dr. Bipin Daxini on “Heart Diseases due to lifestyle changes”.

vii. The Times group (Thane Plus) and Korum Mall invited Udaan to organise a Cancer Awareness Programme. Ten reputed doctors specialising in the field of Oncology spoke on various aspects of management of Gynaecologic Cancers on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 12, 2012. viii. ‘Today’s Girls - Tomorrow’s Future’, a talk delivered by Dr. Roopali Deshpande, was organised by the Udaan team for the women villagers of Kokanipada, through the joint association with Ma Niketan. Around 50 ladies participated in the event on March 17, 2012, and were apprised of the importance of girl children, their education and health. ix. An anaemia camp was conducted for 74 mothers and teachers of Sri Ram Vidya Mandir (Thane) in March 2013 and medicines were dispensed to those who needed them. This project was supported by Biosense, Serco Intelenet, Dana Pharmaceuticals and Menghi Alias Kikiben C Lalvani Public Charitable Trust. C. SENIOR CITIZENS i. We conducted free cataract operations on three senior citizens from Phansipada Village (Ambernath). ii. We received 30 bedsheets and towels from Voltas Ltd. and donated the same to the senior citizens at Jan Kalyan Seva Sansthan, Panvel (a senior citizens’ home) in 2009. iii. Senior citizens, one of the most neglected age groups in the city, were in for a treat at ‘Harmony Inside Out’ on April 18, 2010. The programme was designed to help those above 60 rediscover the joys of living and to better utilise their newfound freedom and time. Almost 100 people over the age of 60 from across Thane attended the event. The proceedings began with an interactive segment designed by leadership trainers Mrs. Karuna Chavan and Mr. Sachin Chavan, where participants’ creativity was encouraged. The event wound up with a discussion with senior psychologist, Dr. Shubha Thatte, who has managed to remain an active senior citizen.

(Vehloli). It was an eye-opener for the children as well as the members of Udaan. vi. An informative talk about ‘Preventing Falls in the Elderly’ was delivered by Dr. Anuja Luniya at Hiranandani Estate and Pawar Nagar (Thane) on March 20, 2012. About 225 senior citizens from the Senior Citizen’s Club and Veteran Citizen’s Forum attended and appreciated the seminar. vii. A Diabetes check-up camp for Senior Citizens of Veteran Citizens Forum was held on August 15, 2012. Nearly 150 members availed of the facility, which was provided with the help of Novartis and USV Ltd. Miscellaneous Health projects Blood Donation Camps: i. Udaan has conducted several blood donation camps from 2008 onwards. The drives were done in partnership with Tata Memorial Hospital for the benefit of cancer patients. ii. Blood donation camps held at Capgemini in February 2010, resulted in a collection of 152 units of blood, for Sion Hospital’s Blood Bank. iii. Two blood donation drives were conducted in the Airoli office of Capgemini in November 2010 and February 2011. 157 and 173 units of blood were respectively collected for the Blood Bank at Sion Hospital. iv. Another blood donation camp was organised for Capgemini on May 13, 2011 and 239 units of blood were collected for Sion Hospital. v. A blood donation camp was held at the premises of Marico Ltd. 78 units of blood for Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital. vi. A blood donation camp was organised at Citibank’s Mumbai office on November 26, 2013. 84 units were collected for Tata Memorial Hospital. vii. A blood donation camp was organised at the office of First Data (MNC) on November 30, 2013 and 61 units were donated to Tata Memorial.

iv. We conducted a Pranic Healing Seminar for the Senior Citizens Club members at Hiranandani Estate on April 23, 2011. Mr. Hariharan, a veteran in this field, conducted the seminar and about 70 senior citizens participated.

viii. A blood donation camp was organised at the Standard Chartered Bank (Thane) office on February 23 2013, and 24 units of blood were collected by Tata Memorial.

v. On August 7, 2011, 50 children from Lok Puram Public School got an opportunity to interact with the senior citizens residing at the Mukta Jivan Senior Citizens Home

ix. Another camp was organised on September 28, 2014, by Oxford Society, Hiranandani Estate, Thane and the Udaan Welfare Foundation. 35 units of blood were collected

for the Wamanrao Oak Blood Bank (Thane) under the leadership of Mr. Prabodh Halde. Cancer detection camps i. Several cancer detection camps have been organised by Udaan in association with the Cancer Patients Aid Association (Mumbai) from 2007 onwards. The public response to these camps has been overwhelming. ii. Cancer detection camps were organised for villagers in Kokanipada in 2009, and twice at the Capgemini Health Check-up campaigns (2008 & 2011). Diabetes detection camps Apart from the various diabetes detection camps mentioned in the previous pages, Udaan conducted a Diabetes detection camp for the youth in association with the Somaiya Medical College, on April 7 and 8, 2011. Dr. Reddy’s Labs supported this initiative. NUTRITION i. An assessment of the nutritional status of 330 girls at Ma Niketan was undertaken in 2007 with the help of a team of nutritionists. The children were advised about the necessary dietary inclusions, and the Sisters at Ma Niketan were apprised of the need for dietary modifications. ii. From March 2008 to October 2015, the Udaan Welfare Foundation provided daily breakfast to over 60 children at Anugrah Vidya Mandir (Ambernath).

around 100 children and staff which was sponsored by Yoga Vidya Pranic Healing Foundation of South Mumbai. viii. Udaan supplied food to needy cancer patients coming for treatment to Bharat Seva Sangh (Vashi) for a year, beginning August 2012. Every month, Udaan contributed 200 kg of rice, 50 kg of pulses, 20 kg of sugar and 20 litres of oil. ix. On June 16, 2013, food grain worth Rs.15,000/-, kindly donated by Yoga Pranic Healing Foundation of South Mumbai were fed at Sai Mandir, Pathraj, Karjat Taluka to villagers in Pathraj and nearby villages on 16th June 2013. x. Food grant kindly donated by Yoga Pranic Healing Foundation of South Mumbai was shared with the AIDSaffected children at Mukta Jivan, Vehloli on 15th August, 2013. xi. Thanks to Mr. Pradeep Nair, around 400 kgs of rice were made available for distribution to NGOs in various rural areas at subsidised cost. 100 kgs were each distributed to Pathraj Village, Karjat, Vidya Adhaar Pratishthan, Virar, Dharma Bharati Mission, Chembur and Mukta Jivan, Vehloli on 8th February, 2014 xii. On the occasion of the anniversary of their respected Guruji, the Yoga Vidya Pranic Healing Foundation of South Mumbai, Mumbai donated food grains (1kg Rice, 250 Gms Dal, ½ kg Jaggery) to 200 children of Sri Ram Vidya Mandir, Thane on 19th March, 2014.

iii. Furthermore, from 2010 to 2012, we have provided regular mid-day meals for over 170 children at the institution. We are proud to have been able to bring about a significant improvement in the health of these children.

xiii. On 5th April, 2014, food grains (1 kg Rice, 250 Gms Dal, ½ kg Jaggery) were distributed to around 200 children of Harkishan English Public School, Thane. This was made possible due to the kind contribution of Mr. and Mrs. Sunil Singh

iv. The Udaan Welfare Foundation also provided mid-day meals to 24 children of Phansipada Village from May 2008 to February 2009. Sadly, due to reasons beyond our control, this service had to be discontinued. However, we are proud that our initiative made a difference in the health of the children and many were cured of nutritional deficiency-related skin and gastrointestinal disorders.

xiv. Another 400 kgs of rice was distributed among Pathraj Village, Karjat, Vidya Aadhar Pratishthan, Virar, Dharma Bharati Mission, Chembur, Mukta Jivan, Vehloli and Anugrah Seva Mandal, Ambernath on 8th May, 2014 due to the efforts of Mr. Pradeep Nair and multiple donor support

v. From July 2011 to April 2013, we provided lunch and evening snacks for 85 children at the Udaan Day Care Centre (Ambernath). vi. An awareness seminar on “Childhood Obesity” was conducted by Dr.Pranjali Khot at Sri Ma School (Thane) in February 2010. vii. A nutrition programme was conducted at Harkishan English Public School, Thane on March 19, 2013, for

xv. 150 school children from Harkishan English Public School, Thane and 50 selected residents of Patlipada’s slums received food grain (rice, dal, and jaggery) from the Yoga Vidya Pranic Healing Foundation of South Mumbai on August 15, 2014. xvi. About 15 tonnes of rice were donated to various NGOs, notably the Angel Xpress Foundation, Bharat Seva Sangh, Mukta Jivan, Ma Niketan, Kshamata, (Thane), Bal Snehalaya (Thane), Blind Home (Borivali), Security Guards

at Hiranandani Estate (Thane), Anmol Society (Mumbai), Dharma Bharti Mission, (Mumbai), Environmental Medical Association (Pathraj), Vidya Adhaar Pratisthan (Virar), Jeevan Jyot Trust (Mumbai), Humanity Foundation (Thane), and Anugrah Seva Mandal from March to July, 2015.

ii. Dr. PSR Education Fund:

Another feather in our cap is the Dr. PSR Education Fund, which we instituted in memory of one of Udaan’s seniormost and most accomplished members. An inspiration for one and all, Dr. P S Ramanathan, who passed away at 78, was a passionate advocate for education. He used his vast knowledge to teach many children in his lifetime. Carrying his legacy forward, Udaan provides scholarships in his name for several children at Anugrah Vidya Mandir, Ambernath.

The education of these children is sponsored until they leave the institution, or up to Standard 10. We initially started by supporting the schooling of 5 children in 2008, and increased this number to 56 students in 2009. Since 2009, the PSR Education Fund has supported around 70 children, at a cost of Rs. 4,000 per child per annum. Overwhelming support for this initiative is seen amongst the donors. While a few have sponsored multiple children, others sponsor a single child for multiple years in advance. A proper database is compiled to monitor the children’s performances, attendance and health status and the sponsors are also kept informed about the status of the child being sponsored. This feedback has given a lot of satisfaction and confidence to the donors, and has motivated them to continue their support.

Udaan continued to collect funds under the Dr. PSR Education Fund and supported the children’s Education until September, 2017.

xvii. L iberty Oil Mills donated 252 litres of cooking oil to Udaan. This was distributed to the families of malnourished children at Wada and street children at Koparkhairne (Navi Mumbai). xviii. We also had the opportunity to get 500 kg of Organic Jaggery at highly subsidised rates through Mr. Prabodh Halde which were distributed to the street children and a few NGOs. xix. Independence Day 2015 was celebrated with the distribution of 1.5 tonnes of grain (rice, dal & jaggery) to 700 poor families, all residents of Azad Nagar slums in Thane. The distribution was conducted at the Saksham Community Centre. xx. Food grains were distributed to 68 Adivasi families at Naralwadi and Dhoracha Pada (Shahpur) on September 9, 2015. xxi. More than 7 tonnes of grain were gifted to Goonj - an NGO - for distribution amongst the disaster-affected people of Nepal and other parts of the country in 2015 and 2016. xxii. Grains were distributed free of cost to 75 children of Adivasi families residing in Jambulpada, Wada. xxiii. Food-grains were donated to relatives of patients admitted at the Civil Hospital in Thane and to Sai Mandir, Azadnagar, Thane. EDUCATION A. CHILDREN i. Udaan Edufests:

Over the last eleven years, Udaan has successfully conducted annual ‘Edufests’ that have benefited nearly 2000 children to date. The majority of these children were Std.10 students who attended these Edufests regularly till the completion of their Std.12 exams. Further, the number of participating homes as well as participating children has steadily grown. In recent years, the Edufests boasts attendance from various regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu. More details of this project are described in the next few pages.

iii. Udaan Day Care:

Another flagship project, the Udaan Day Care Centre, was inaugurated on August 15, 2010 at Anugrah Seva Mandir Trust’s premises. The Centre serves children who are academically or economically weak, or who have both working parents. Udaan has analysed their condition and found ways to utilise the time of these children productively and guide them towards a more fruitful life. Funded by the Udaan Welfare Foundation and run by the Anugraha Seva Mandir Trust, the centre grew from serving 60 children to 85 children. Five teachers were appointed, besides a sports teacher twice a week. The children were provided nutritious lunch and evening snacks (including fruits) every day. Remarkable improvements were witnessed in the performance of these children. Many of these children started to converse in English and also access the library set up by Udaan for research projects. They also played games (outdoor as well as indoor) and learnt Taekwondo. The health of these

apart from improving their observation skills and creativity. On February 28, 2014, the children from Harkishan English Public School organised a Science Fair where innovative and educative science models and concepts were presented by children from Std. 6 through Std.10. Seeing their grasp of key scientific concepts, we felt gratified that our Udaan Vigyan Ki project had made a successful impact.

children also improved due to the provision of healthy nutritious breakfast by Udaan. Due to structural changes and other administrative issues, the Day Care Centre had to be put on hold since December 2013. iv. Ma Niketan Technology Centre :

With help from Capgemini India, Udaan was selected by SNS REAAL Bank, Netherlands, to set up a state-of-theart Computer Centre including Internet and interactive digital teaching media, at Ma Niketan. The Udaan team has complete responsibility for this centre which provides technical education to over 330 underprivileged girl children. Started in March 2012, this centre has got children hooked on to computers now and has seen several changes in them. They are more disciplined and focused, and their attention spans and academic scores have increased. Many children have shown talent in using Microsoft Office products. Loaded with the latest original software, including Windows 10 and Microsoft Office 10, this centre boasts a dedicated team of staffers that guides the children. So far, we’ve trained over 850+ girls with an investment of 30,000+ teaching hours over 7+ years. A grant by M/s Sharda Cropchem International Ltd., Udaan Welfare Foundation funds this venture. We gratefully thank M/s Orbit Info Systems & M/s International Infocom Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for providing us consistent and prompt back up support. Another state-of-the-art technology centre at Saksham was set up in September 2015, with 15 terminals, 6 highend servers, high speed internet, and a hub-and-spoke teaching facility. More details in other pages.

v. Udaan Vigyan Ki: vi. This initiative started in August 2012, with the theme ‘Creating toys from trash’. The idea was to make learning science a hands-on and fun-filled experience. Udaan Vigyaan Ki was launched in two Thane schools – Harkishan English Medium School, and Sri Ram Vidya Mandir. About 60 children from each school from standards 5, 6, 7 and 8 participated in this programme on Saturdays. The Udaan Vigyan Ki project was also selected by twin sisters, Ms. Prachiti and Pranali Dalvi from Duke University, US, as their independent project under the University’s ‘Duke Engage Programme’. The two budding scientists visited India for two months in 2012 and enthusiastically prepared the blue print of the entire project. Udaan Vigyan Ki has benefited the participating children tremendously by building up their self-confidence, presentation and communication skills

vii. Library Project:

The Udaan Welfare Foundation firmly believes that books are indispensable companions for developing minds. Knowledge, once imparted, can never be snatched away. Therefore, we have set up libraries and promoted reading in the following ways:

ii. Set up a library at Anugrah Vidya Mandir, where text-books, stationery and library books have been provided regularly since March 2008. On May 24, 2009, a textbook distribution ceremony was held at the institute to provide students with expensive but important textbooks that will help the students excel academically. At the same event, Anugrah’s children’s library was updated with the addition of numerous fiction and non-fiction books.

iii. Since 2008 to date, textbooks and workbooks for Std. 1 through Std.9 have been procured from Trimurti School (Thane) through the efforts of Mrs. Varinder Kaur and Mr. Satwinder Singh Rainu and donated to Anugrah Vidya Mandir, Ambernath until 2018.

iv. Library (Read Me Project): Udaan started the Read Me project to collect good books in Hindi, English and Marathi, and donate them to different schools and children’s homes. Under this project, Udaan donated over 1500 books to the library at the Udaan Day Care Centre. These books were collected in August 2010 from different schools like Lok Puram Public School and Trimurti English School (Thane). Udaan has been consistently donating books to Anugrah Vidya Mandir, Ambernath since then until 2018.

v. Public Library: The Udaan Welfare Foundation donated more than 300 children’s books to Dharam Bharati Mission which runs a public library in Santa Cruz in 2011. This was facilitated through the efforts of Mrs. Rama Chandrasekhar and procured from the library of Lok Puram Public School.

Set up a library at Ma Niketan, with over 1500 books.

vi. Udaan collected several books and toys from the employees of First Data and shared them with Vidya Adhaar Pratisthan (Virar) in October 2012.

vii. On January 18, 2014, Kwench - the Corporate Library donated books from their corporate library to 250 students of Harkishan Public School.

viii. Thanks to Ducon Technologies, toys and books were distributed to 50 children of Harkishan Public School on January 16, 2014

ix. Kwench - the Corporate Library donated 200 children’s books to the Dharma Bharati Mission (Chembur) on February 18, 2014.

x. The Trimurti School (Thane) donated children’s books to 250 students of the Anugrah Vidya Mandir on April 18, 2014

xi. Several books have been received from Kwench Global Technologies Private Ltd.’s Library and have been shared with Dharam Bharati Mission in 2014 and 2015.

xii. Several books and stationery items were donated to around 250 school children of Belavali village (Shahpur) on January 26, 2015.

xiii. Several books kept at Saksham’s library have come from Kwench Global Technologies Private Ltd.’s Library in 2015 and 2016.

Anand Chhatre, the play was performed in the school premises on April 12, 2009, and was received with much enjoyment and laughter by the children and members.

vi. To encourage the use of libraries in educational institutes, Udaan donated a cupboard on April 7, 2010, to Mazi Aai Shikshan Ani Sangopan Sansthan (Thane) so that they could have a place to store their books. This donation was possible through the efforts of Mr. Vinesh Elavana.

vii. Oswal Female Education Society, Ajmer: Responding to an appeal for financial help from this historic educational institution, Udaan’s new partner Serco Intelenet Global made a valuable contribution of Rs. 50,000 towards the salaries of the institute’s teachers in 2012.

viii. Workshop on Genius and Intelligence: On World Literacy Day, a Mini–Edufest programme “Chhote Kadam Pragati Ki Aur” was conducted for the children of Harkishen English Public School and Sri Ram Vidya Mandir. This programme was conducted with the support of Marico Ltd. in June 2012.

ix. Screening of the movie ‘Life of Pi’: 220 children of Harkishan English Public School enjoyed a special screening of this beautiful film at Cinestar theatre, (Thane) in August 2014. The screening was sponsored by Cinestar Group.

x. Several drawing competitions have been conducted at Ma Niketan from 2008 to date and many children have shown admirable skill in the contests.

xi. Udaan donated 9 blackboards to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Adivasi Seva Mandal (Bhiwandi) on January 17, 2010. The institute provides education and hostel facilities to over 300 children at Kharbhav.

xii. Stationery items donated by Serco Intelenet were distributed at Sai Mandir, Pathraj, (Karjat) to nursery school children on June 16, 2013.

xiii. Udaan donated a computer to Sri Ram Vidya Mandir on October 23, 2013. The computer was gifted to us by one of our benefactors.

xiv. Education Sponsorship: The higher education cost for seven girl students from Smt. P. N. Doshi College (Ghatkopar) was funded through a grant received from Mr. Dhiren R Savla in 2014. The grant was part of a commitment by Mr. Savla to support the higher

viii. Miscellaneous Projects:

An awareness and motivation session was conducted for the senior children of Ma Niketan in May 2008, and was well received by the children and Sisters alike. Mrs. Karuna Chavan, an Udaan member, conducted this four-hour session, named ‘Eagle Within’.

ii. A Career Guidance seminar was organised for the children of Ma Niketan in June 2008 with the support of a Professor from SNDT University, Mumbai. iii. A mind-conditioning and training programme was conducted in association with the Cosmic Power Trust (Mulund) for children of the age group 9-14, at Ma Niketan in June 2008. iv. A Disaster Management Workshop was organised for the benefit of the children and Sisters of Ma Niketan Children’s Home in association with the Saritsa Foundation in February 2009 v. Udaan brought to Ma Niketan, a three-part Marathi play, ‘Kaka Kisacha’. Sponsored by a member, Mr.

education of meritorious girls in memory of his late sister Ms. Bharati N Gala, based on recommendations made by Udaan.

xv. A talk on Child Abuse was conducted by Ms. Aileen Marques for the children of Harkishan English Public School. About 100 children participated. xvi. Mini Edufest: A Mini-Edufest, an innovative combination of entertainment and education, was held for 110 children of Harkishan English Public School and Sri Ram Vidya Mandir on March 15, 2014. The event, themed ‘Mere Khwab, Meri Zindagi’, encouraged children to follow their dreams with dedication and gave them useful information on essential aspects such as personality development and life skills. This programme was supported by volunteers from Serco Intelenet. Mr. Satwinder S Rainu led this project to successful conclusion. xvii. ‘My Time; My Fun’ Summer Camps were held at Patlipada and Ma Niketan. Around 65 children attended these camps in May 2014, which focused on personality development and life skills, besides creative activities such as Warli painting, calligraphy, paper quilling , card making , folk dances and jewellery making.

xviii. From May 3 to 31, 2015, a Summer Camp was held at Success Academy (Thane). Around 35 children participated in various sessions focused on education, entertainment and personality development.

xix. Mini Edufest: A Mini-Edufest was conducted for 125 children of the Zila Parishad School in Belavali Village, Dist. Thane on January 26, 2015. This was a firsttime experience for the children, and they enjoyed it thoroughly. Mr Dhiraj Dongare, the school’s HM, was instrumental in organising the affair. The event was followed by a traditional village lunch for all the children and nearly 50 members, guests and volunteers, sponsored by Udaan. This programme was supported by volunteers from Serco Intelenet.

xx. Oswal Female Education Society, Ajmer: Responding to an appeal for technological help from this historic educational institution, Udaan gifted eight desktop computers procured from NCDEX in June 2016.

B. SENIOR CITIZENS Computer Literacy Project: We undertook a Computer Literacy Project for senior citizens in September 2013 to get them better acquainted with computers. Volunteers taught

the senior citizens how to use computers, as well as the basics of Internet, email, social media, etc. The session was well received by the senior citizens. ENVIRONMENT A. WATER MANAGEMENT: i. The Udaan Welfare Foundation took its first step in the field of environmental preservation by setting up a Rainwater Harvesting System at Ma Niketan in 2008. The System has freed the institution from reliance on water tanker supplies and also has saved millions of litres of water. The project was executed with financial help from Ma Niketan, and technical advice from Natural Solutions. This project continues to run successfully to date. ii. Creating awareness about the environment is a passion for all Udaanians. We conducted a seminar on Rainwater Harvesting at Hiranandani Estate (Thane) on June 27, 2010. About 70 people participated and interacted with faculty member, Dr. Ajit Gokhale of Natural Solutions. iii. Waste-water recycling: Dr. Ajit Gokhale again designed and implemented another big project at Ma Niketan. Termed as the largest waste-water recycling project in Thane District, the system recycles 80,000 – 1,00,000 litres of water every day. The recycling process is done by natural means, with the help of plants and fish: no chemicals are added to purify the water. The project was funded by Ma Niketan, and Udaan was instrumental in coordinating and supporting the project from inception to completion. This project was inaugurated on November 14, 2010, and given to the children as a Children’s Day gift. This project was nominated for a national award by Green Globe Foundation, and continued to serve the institution until mid-2015. Thereafter, it had to be dismantled due to reorganisation of land structure. iv. Rainwater Harvesting – Another major project accomplished with the technical support of Udaan was completed at Mukta Jivan on March 15, 2011. Udaan brought in Dr. Ajit Gokhale again to create a reservoir of water in the hilly terrain of the Trust’s property. This project was funded by the parent institution, and has helped conserve about 200-250 million litres of water per season. It has enhanced the greenery in the hills around and is providing livelihoods to several local villagers, with more water being available for farming. The reservoir has also become a fishing source for the locals. This project was nominated for a national award by Green Globe Foundation.

B. TREE PLANTATIONS: v. We developed a 1.5 acre botanical garden and vegetable garden to grow organic vegetables with the help of Voltas Ltd. in 2008 and 2009 at Ma Niketan. vi. Udaan planted 225 saplings on August 7, 2011, at Mukta Jivan, Vehloli. The participants included 50 enthusiastic children from Lok Puram Public School. The Forest Department and Mrs Seema Indulkar donated the saplings. vii. Tree Plantation Drives on August 15, 2012: Children from Lok Puram High School planted various types of saplings at Mukta Jivan, Vehloli. Overall, 225 saplings were planted. viii. A tree plantation drive was again conducted by the same group of children from Lok Puram School on August 15, 2013. They enthusiastically took part in the activity of planting various types of saplings at Mukta Jivan, Vehloli, and were happy to see the earlier plants taking firm roots. Overall, 125 saplings were planted. ix. The tradition of planting trees at Mukta Jivan continued in 2014. Around 40 children from Lok Puram Public School planted about 150 saplings on August 15, 2014. They were supported by volunteers from Serco Intelenet. C. ECO TOURS: x. An educational trip to Elephanta Caves was organised for 20 children of Anugrah Children’s Home (Ambernath) on August 15, 2008. This programme was sponsored by Mr. Narasimhan Narayanan. xi. Under the leadership of Mrs. Rama Chandrasekhar, an Eco study tour was conducted for 30 children of Anugraha Vidya Mandir on January 26, 2011. The whole programme was sponsored by Mr. Narsimhan Narayanan. The children were taken to Nisargayan, Murbad, and were shown the different flora and fauna of the area. They were given a lot of information on the various plants and trees, their characteristics and their uses. Upon reaching the river, they were informed about the process of weathering and soil erosion. The children enjoyed gathering shells and stones from the river bed. Lunch was followed by a session of origami and paper-bag making taught by Mr. Amol. Then the children were taken around the camp and introduced to the variety of medicinal and other plants, as well as bio-composting and a chart exhibition on the safe way to celebrate the festival of Holi. On returning home, new clothes donated by FABINDIA were distributed and new books were handed over.

xii. On April 1, 2012, we took 30 children, all AIDS patients,

to Mamnoli, Murbad for an Eco Educational tour hosted by Mrs. Rama Chandrasekhar. They had a fun-filled day and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. xiii. Sixty school children from Harkishan Public English School went for an Eco study tour at the Bio Research Centre, Mamnoli, Murbad, on February 23, 2013. They were shown the different fauna and flora in that area and were also given information about rivers, mountains and plantations. Miscellaneous Welfare Projects i. We approached individual donors to donate refrigerators, fans, VCRs, toiletries, new umbrellas and shoes for the children at Anugraha Children’s Home in 2008. ii. Bihar Flood relief: We provided flood aid for people affected by the Bihar floods, in the form of 2.5 tonnes of clothes, grains, and medicines (worth Rs.1,00,000), besides Rs.23,000 as cash donation, in September 2008. iii. Ma Niketan was provided technical assistance for power backup in February 2009, so that students were not affected by power failures in the night. iv. Accident Insurance: 1,000 children from Ma Niketan, Anugrah Children’s Home, Vivekananda Balakashram (Thane), Anugrah Vidya Mandir, and Sarva Shikshan Sansthan Sanchalit schools (Wada) were insured for Rs. 20,000 each against personal accident. The accident insurance policy was issued by M/s Future Generali Insurance Co. in March 2009. v. In April 2010, we donated a water cooler with an Aquaguard purifier to Mazi Aai Sangopan Shikshan Sansthan (Thane), where about 1000 underprivileged children study. This will help children get clean drinking water regularly and protect them from waterborne diseases. vi. Clothes Distribution:

a. New clothes for children: New clothes were provided for children at Anugrah Children Home and school, AIDS-affected children at Ish Kripa Society (Shahpur), Vivekananda Balakashram Boys’ Home (Thane), and Ish Prem Children’s Home (Kanjur Marg) in January 2009.

b. Udaan provided several necessary amenities to the Mumbai Mobile Creche, a play school for labourers’ children at Hiranandani Estate. New school uniforms were distributed to 62 children at the institute on April 16, 2009. A ceiling fan and a cupboard were also provided to the institution. Old clothes were

distributed subsequently to the Mumbai Mobile Creche in Thane in May 2009.

c. We got a big consignment of new clothes from FABINDIA. This gave us an opportunity to reach out to different children’s and senior citizens’ Homes. We donated the clothes to the following Homes by September, 2011: 1. Mukta Jivan, Vehloli (AIDS-affected children, senior citizens, rehabilitated leprosy patients) 2. Ma Niketan Children’s Home, Thane 3. Anugrah Children’s Home, Ambernath 4. Anugrah Vidya Mandir, Ambernath 5. After Care Home, Chembur 6. MHM Home for girls, Chembur 7. Vidya Aadhar Pratishthan, Virar Gaon 8. NASRUGI Day Care Centre for the poor 9. Sindhi Society, Chembur 10. ACY Day Care Centre for the underprivileged 11. Dharam Bharathi Mission, Mumbai & Lucknow

The team led by Mrs. Suseela Joish organised the whole distribution with support from Prof. R S S Mani.

d. Clothes donated by FABINDIA were distributed in June, July and August 2013 to students from Smt. P. N. Doshi Girls College (Ghatkopar), children from Vidya Adhaar Pratisthan (Virar), Villagers in Pathraj (Karjat), and street children through the Akzo Nobel & Jan Vikas Society (Navi Mumbai). e. Nearly 5000 old clothes and white bedsheets were collected and shared with Goonj, an NGO, in May 2012.

vii. We celebrated Friendship Day with the AIDS-affected children of Mukta Jivan on August 7, 2011. Fifty students from Lok Puram Public School tied ‘friendship bands’ on the children’s wrists. viii. Thirteen bicycles were donated by the Bloomingdale CHS Ltd., Hiranandani Estate (Thane), in the month of August 2011 to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Adivasi Seva Mandal in Bhiwandi. ix. Rebuilding of dormitory: The boy’s dormitory at Anugrah Children’s Home was gutted in an unfortunate fire accident in 2012. The Udaan team helped to re-construct the flooring at the dorm with support from Intelenet Global Serco Ltd. with a total contribution of Rs. 25,000.

x. Forty new blankets were donated to Bharat Seva Sangh (Vashi) on January 11, 2013, after receiving an SOS from them on account of Mumbai’s harsh winter that year. xi. Independence Day 2013 was celebrated with the AIDSaffected children of Mukta Jivan. Sixty students from Lok Puram Public School also interacted with senior citizens and tied rakhis for Raksha Bandhan. xii. More than 50 toys were donated to Vidya Adhaar Pratisthan in July 2013 to children from Barafpada, thanks to Mrs. Meena Sukumaran. xiii. We donated two fans to Harkishan English Public School on October 22, 2013. The fans were gifted to us by the State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, Ghodbunder Branch, Thane. xiv. Star Bazar’s Tour for Children: On March 8, 2014, 24 children from Sri Ram Vidya Mandir (Thane) were taken to the Star Bazar supermarket in Korum Mall. The children were explained the various activities of the store such as stocking, accounting, packing, etc. They also played games, and had a sumptuous lunch. The trip ended with gift hampers for each child from Star Bazar. xv. Movie Show: Around 300 children from Ma Niketan and Harkishan Public School were treated to a special screening of the movie ‘Krrish 3’ at Cinema Star, Thane on November 25, 2014. This special show was hosted by Cinema Star, Thane. xvi. A large quantity of new clothes, grains, toys and sports goods was gifted to nearly 250 children of Zila Parishad School and nearby schools at Belavali Village (Shahpur) on January 26, 2015. xvii. Large quantities of Linen, mattresses and wooden beds were donated by Capgemini to Udaan, which were in turn gifted to Anugrah Vidya Mandir, Ambernath and Bal Snehalaya of Rainbow Foundation, Thane on 31st March, 2015. xviii. Hindustan Unilever gifted 350 ice creams for the children of Anugrah Vidya Mandir, Ambernath on 3rd August, 2015. xix. More than 7 tonnes of grain were gifted to Goonj - an NGO - for distribution amongst the disaster-affected people of Nepal and other parts of the country in 2015 and 2016. xx. Blankets, Linen and Beds: We received about 300 new blankets from Capgemini. About 100 were distributed to the needy cancer and TB patients at Bharat Seva Ashram,

Vashi and 30 at Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College & Hospital (Nerul) on February 24, 2016. xxi. 140 new blankets were donated to Goonj in February 2016. xxii. A large quantity of Linen, Bedsheets, Mattresses, and Wooden Beds were received from Capgemini India and were shared with Anugrah Children’s Home, Ambernath and Bal Snehalaya, Thane. xxiii. Grains were distributed free of cost to 75 children of Adivasi families residing in Jambulpada, Wada in 2017. xxiv. Food-grains were donated to relatives of patients admitted at the Civil Hospital in Thane and to Sai Mandir, Azadnagar, Thane in 2017. xxv. Distributed 600 brand new Raincoats to Adivasis at Dahanu in July 2017. SAKSHAM COMMUNITY CENTRE: We are pleased to announce that our efforts to achieve an extremely important milestone have finally borne fruit. We have successfully launched one of our dream projects – the Saksham Community Centre - at Azad Nagar, Thane in September 2015. This 2,700 sq.ft. Facility is now the hub of our activities and has helped us reach out to the surrounding community and provide much-required support at the grassroots level. A multifaceted and multifunctional facility, Saksham has the potential to be a role model for how a community centre should operate, and has already achieved significant success in catering to the physical health, nutrition, education, and skill training needs of the underprivileged. Our initial target was to reach out to nearly 10000 persons in five years. We have already crossed the milestone in less than 4 years and are proud about our effort and commitment to serve and build the community. NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS: i. Udaan has received XII A and 80G registration from the Indian Income Tax Department. ii. Udaan has also been granted the FCRA registration by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in September 2017 and is now eligible to receive foreign funds for its projects.

iii. We were privileged to get an invite from IIT Kharagpur to participate in their annual Techfest “Kshitij” event “INNOVISION – 2013” in February 2013. They selected our Edufest as one of the projects for a national competition to give us deeper insights into further refining

our project and develop newer formats for the same. Twelve teams from different IIT’s and Engineering colleges participated in the event. Four members of Udaan team were invited guests at the IIT to guide and judge the event. Udaan also gave certificates of participation to each of the team members from various engineering colleges across the country at the Techfest. iv. We also had the honours to participate in a similar event “Cognizance 2013” at IIT Roorkee where Woman Empowerment was the theme. We were invited to be on the Panel of judges. v. Udaan was invited by Sahayadri channel, Doordarshan Mumbai, to participate in a panel discussion on 12th April 2018. Mr. Niranjan Bade represented us and was well appreciated. vi. On 3rd July 2018, Udaan was invited again by national channel Doordarshan to participate in a talk show with Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Minister of Social& Welfare Department, Govt. of India. Mr. Niranjan Bade, along with our students Ms. Khushi Singh and Master Aniket Singh, participated in the show and shared their experiences with Saksham. AWARDS & RECOGNITION: i. Udaan was nominated twice for the ‘Green Globe Awards’ for its environmental projects. ii. Udaan was honoured with the prestigious ‘Samaj Shakti Award 2014 for Medicine’. Dr. Luniya received this award at a glittering function organised by the Hariharputra Bhajan Samaj on May 24, 2014 at Shanamukhananda Hall, Mumbai, in the presence of more than 1500 distinguished guests. iii. Udaan was feted with the prestigious ‘NGO Leadership & Excellence Award’ by the World Federation of CSR. Dr. Anil K Luniya, President, and Mr. Sandeep Ramakrishnan, Secretary jointly received this award at a function held on February 17, 2015 at Taj Land’s End, Mumbai, in the presence of more than 500 distinguished guests. iv. The Udaan Welfare Foundation was also recognised and honoured by the Smt. P N Doshi Women’s College of Arts on their 58th Foundation Day, for the former’s contributions in the field of girls’ education. Dr. Anil K Luniya received the honours from the trustees on August 29, 2016. v. We were privileged and honoured to be the first recipient of the “Galaxy Social Award” instituted for the first time

by M/s Galaxy Surfactants Ltd. in 2017. This award carried a cash prize of Rs. Two Lakhs, which is being utilized for the welfare of the communities at Saksham Community Centre. vi. The President was felicitated by the Rashtriya Sainik Sansthan, JJT University, Jhunjhunu and Rajasthan Seva Sangh on 4th May, 2017 for the active social work being pursued by him. vii. The Udaan Welfare Foundation was conferred a Certificate of Merit by the World CSR Congress on 18th February 2018. viii. Udaan was recognised by the International Board Medicine & Surgery, USA (IBMS) for its contribution to social causes on 20th March 2018. Later, Udaan was registered as a Professional Association and Life Member of the IBMS and was also gifted US $1000 for the Saksham Tejaswini project. We thank Dr. Vijay Sharma, Dr. David Kalin and Mrs. Hyon Kalin for this recognition and kind gesture. ix. The Udaan Welfare Foundation was conferred the ‘NGO’S in Healthcare Leadership Award’ by the ABP News & World CSR Congress on 20th November, 2019.

Our Flagship Projects (2019): Today, Udaan boasts of a number of Flagship Projects, which have become self-sustaining and are growing in scale and stature every year: 1. Udaan Edufests, Thane 2. Ma Niketan Technology Centre, Thane 3. Saksham Community Centre has now become the hub of all our activities on a daily basis wherein, various Dental, Health, Education, Digital Literacy and skills training projects being conducted simultaneously. Relevant projects and activities are detailed in the Souvenir. We hope that the zeal and motivation that imbues each member of Udaan’s team, our sponsors, volunteers, and well-wishers continues unabated in the years to come. With your support, we will keep outperforming all our previous milestones in community service and community-building, and eye greater heights of success. The Udaan Welfare Foundation seeks to achieve excellence across every area of operation. winning the confidence and hearts of people being served, and we will continue to work towards this goal with selflessness, dedication, and humility.

SAKSHAM COMMUNITY CENTRE offers the following:

Quality and Professional services at highly subsidised rates Dental Clinic • Consultant Physician, Cardiologist & Diabetologist Consultant Opthalmologist • Consultant Gynaecologist • Consultant Orthopedician Consultant Dermatologist • Consultant Paediatrician • Consultant ENT Surgeon Consultant Homeopath • Senior Family Practitioner (Other services offered - Pathology Lab, ECG, Nebuliser, Tailoring, Computer Education [MS Office Advanced, Tally, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw courses], Maths, Science & English Mentoring) Address: Gala No. 1, Behind Regency Heights, Near Indofil Industries, Azadnagar, Brahmand, Thane West 400607

Timings: 10 am to 8 pm (With prior appointments) Contact No.: 9969162761/9372800485, Website : https://www.udaanwelfare.org/ Email id: saksham@udaanwelfare.org (Volunteers solicited)

4 Years of Saksham Community Centre Udaan Welfare Foundation’s project ‘Saksham’, a community centre based in Thane began its operations in September 2015. The motive behind the initiative is to serve the economically weaker section of the society in nearly 8-9 slums in and around the centre and work towards empowering them holistically. Over time, Saksham has become the highlight of Udaan’s mission to better the lives of the community around us. Currently, Udaan’s multi-dimensional set-up is witnessing increasing footfalls of around 100 - 150 daily, across the multiple facilities it provides. Saksham is a grass-root revolution that is constantly improving lives without losing sight of commercial viability and self-sustainability. Launch Udaan conceptualized the idea of a community centre in 2013 while participating in an international competition for the welfare of girls and women called ‘Project Inspire’. At the time various options like a girls college, a mobile van, and brick and a mortar community centre were considered but the latter seemed the most convenient and logical option. Within a short space of time, the centre became the operational base for Udaan Welfare Foundation in Thane’s Azad Nagar and is a 2700 sq. feet venue which is ideal for hosting large scale and socially relevant programmes throughout the day and the year. Our Philosophy The core mission and vision of our project Saksham is to work towards all round empowerment of communities in the neighbourhood. We strive towards providing qualitative healthcare at affordable costs and to give sustainable education to children and women with all round development of human minds. Further, we are constantly encouraging the community to participate in various skill development programmes in order to ensure that they can work and earn for themselves. Ultimately, we focus on the holistic development of every individual to give them a better life. Activities at Saksham Community Centre The Saksham Community Centre is a multipurpose area which is equipped with healthcare, education, skill development facilities which are provided for free or for a minimal fee.

Medical facilities include fully functional dental and eye clinics. We have a top quality medical team which consists of 12 consultants: Family Practitioner, Consulting Physician (Cardiology and Diabetology), three Dental Surgeons, Ophthalmologist, Gynaecologist, Paediatrician, Dermatologist, ENT and Orthopaedic Surgeon, Homeopathy Practitioner, and Ayurvedic Practitioner. All of them have treated more than 8500 patients at Saksham over the past four years and the

number is growing by word of mouth. We also have a tie-up with a pathology lab for routine blood tests at subsidized rates and the number of patients availing the Lab services is also growing. ECG machine, BMI machine, foetal Doppler machine and nebulization facility are also provided. Health Camps Several Health camps (Dental, General Child Health, Eye, Diabetes, Cardiac, Respiratory, and Gynaecological) have benefitted 1000’s of children, women, and senior citizens since inception. Our projects Saksham has launched various projects in order to help people. Saksham Kilkari and Saksham Gyaan Ganga are two such initiatives which are taken to aid in the education of children. Saksham Kilkari is for children from class 1st to 4th for one hour every day from Monday to Friday at either Saksham or TMC School 55. Not only do these sessions make students more knowledgeable but also assist in personal grooming and value education. On the other hand, Saksham Gyaan Ganga has set its focus on children from class 5th to 8th. Sadly, we have found that students have a problem understanding basic concepts which leads to underperformance and is a core reason for students dropping out of school. We have a team of experienced teachers for Saksham Gyaan Ganga whose primary role is to consolidate on a student’s basic knowledge and once that is achieved, they are allowed to dive into advanced topics. These classes are mainly attended by students of TMC School 55, Azadnagar and children of local residents. About 25-40 children participate in each session. In addition, we have given equal importance to the nutritional requirements of every child through our project Saksham Poshan. Every day healthy snacks are given to the children after the Saksham Gyan Ganga sessions. Saksham Tejaswini is another initiative which works for the empowerment of women. It is a programme that looks at all possible needs from health to skill development. Regular checkups and awareness camps are held to ensure the physical well-being of women. Upto 25 ladies participate in this two/ three month program daily. Presently, the fifth batch is in progress and we are seeing a lot of enthusiasm and motivation to learn. Under Saksham Tejaswini, tailoring classes are also hosted for women to ensure they can earn for themselves and support their family. We ensure they are given hands-on experience to empower themselves in the field. Our computer centre teaches MS Office, Corel Draw, Adobe

Photoshop and Tally to the children, women and senior citizens. Under the Saksham Tejaswini project we also teach ladies how to use mobile technology. Other projects Several projects and events have been regularly conducted right from the start of the project which include Edufests, Mini Edufests, Storytelling sessions, Chess and Tabla classes, Drawing & Painting competitions, Warli Painting classes, Summer Camps (with multiple themes and activities), Self defence classes, Pottery classes, introduction to Theatre, Musical events, Educational tours, Field visits, Daan Utsav, grain & clothes donation and many more. Role of Volunteers We have a large number of Volunteers who keep joining us over the course of the year to help us improvise our methods with the help of their skills and talents. Working at Saksham and with our children gives the volunteers a huge sense of fulfilment. The future Saksham remains committed to our ideals and values of making the lives of the community around us better. We will keep working hard and strive to empower, enrich, and enhance women and children in our neighbourhood. Saksham will be the centre of Udaanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities presently and continue to work towards holistic development of our neighbourhood.

Saksham Poshan We have introduced the Saksham Poshan program in 2017, serving evening snacks to the children of Saksham Gyan Ganga every day after their classes have ended. Majority of the children attending are unable to attain basic education due to living in extreme poverty, forcing them to live a life deprived of any proper healthcare and a balanced diet.

Hence, Saksham Poshan was introduced to make sure that the students feel more motivated to study. Every day, different items like homemade laddoos, khakra, other snacks, milk and even fruits are provided to the children to ensure a healthy food intake. We have seen significant improvements in the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health status.

Saksham Medical Centre Healthy body is the greatest gift to the mankind. Good health and well-being are essential to human existence. And so Saksham as a multipurpose community center, apart from education, skill and personality development lays equal emphasis on health. The center is equipped with various health care facilities which are offered either free, or at a nominal rate. A significant portion of the lesser privileged community in and around Saksham Community Centre does not have access to affordable, quality medical and dental care and Saksham seeks to provide just that ! Today we can proudly say that the medical unit at Saksham is no less than a multi-specialty health care center providing medical assistance to patients across different disciplines, its outreach gradually extending beyond the boundaries with quite a few patients having visited beyond the 10 -15 kms perimeter As a quick overview facilities provided at the Centre include: General checkup: Our General Practitioners examine and advise the patients for acute diseases along with providing 2 days basic medicines free of cost. Dental Care: Dental services manned by three Dental surgeons are provided at highly subsidized cost with a first consultation charge of only Rs. 25/- and all procedural costs being 40 -60% less than the prevailing market rates. All basic equipmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s required for these services are available and plans are afoot to upgrade them. Eye Checkup: Our Ophthalmology Department has all the

latest equipments (Auto Refractometer and Slit Lamp) to help the Eye Surgeons examine and diagnose different eye problems. We have also been providing Eye Glasses at much subsidised rates and also try to support patients for Cataract Surgeries wherever possible. Dermatology: We have Skin specialist to look after common skin ailments. With no specialist around in the vicinity we have had several patients coming in for skin treatments. Apart from the above mentioned services we have our team of specialist doctors in the field of Cardiology, Diabetes, Internal Medicine, Gynecology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Homeopathy and Ayurveda dedicatedly providing their services on need basis. Medical Camps Along with the in-house medical facilities provided at Saksham, multiple medical camps and health awareness sessions have been conducted periodically since 2015 to improve the health status of the community. Dental Care being one of the most neglected areas of health, we are now trying to reach out to individual houses for dental check-ups as well as creating awareness about dental hygiene. It has been a constant endeavor to find ways and means to keep upgrading the medical equipment at the center so as to provide better facilities to its visiting patients and we have had the good fortune of being assisted by worthy donors like M/s Galaxy Surfactants, M/s H L Somany Foundation, M/s Neurogen Brain & Spine Hospital, The American College of Chest Physicians (WIC) and many others. We thank them for their support.

Saksham is dedicated to assist the needy strata of society with its advanced medical unit and it makes us happy to know that more and more people have been taking advantage of the facilities as evident from the statistics below. Year April 2015March 2016 April 2016March 2017 April 2017March 2018 April 2018March 19 April 2019December 2019 Total

Consultant Physician 47

Dental

Ophthalmologist

Skin

Homeopath

ENT

Ortho

ECG

Total

615

117

761

1038

150

1195

250

183

1953

157

1752

402

361

155

2967

113

1479

506

237

131

169

2672

584

5707

1270

833

375

325

9245

520

Gen. Gynecologist Practitioner 26 6

Glimpses of Different Medical Camps

THE TECHNOLOGY CENTRES (Our Ongoing Projects)

(1) The Technology Centre at Ma Niketan: Now in its eighth year, this centre continues to engage and inspire the resident girl children. The training has helped many children become employable by imparting computer / web technology and Microsoft Office skills. Young children aged 4+ to 18+ attend regular classes with enthusiasm. Presently 200+ girl children are availing the benefits. We are grateful to Mrs. Shaila Kamdar, the Teacher and Administrator for guiding these children and helping shape their future. So far, we have trained over 850+ girls with an investment of 30,000+ teaching hours over 7+ years. A grant by M/s Sharda Cropchem International Ltd. helps Udaan Welfare Foundation fund this venture. We gratefully thank M/s Orbit Info Systems & M/s International Infocom Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for providing us consistent and prompt backup support. Shaila Kamdar I am working since 2013 on behalf of NGO Udaan Welfare Foundation at the Technology Centre in Ma Niketan. I thank the President of Udaan Welfare Foundation Dr. Anil K. Luniya and all Udaan members for all their generosity and starting the computer lab in Ma Niketan to impart knowledge to the lesser privileged girls through technology. Also, I would like to thank (Late) Superior of Ma Niketan Sr. Indumati, Superior Sr. Vanita and other sisters for cooperating. A word THANKS is not enough to express my gratitude to all. I have received good co-operation and respect from all. “It’s not happiness that brings gratitude, it is gratitude that brings happiness”. The girls at Ma Niketan are well-behaved and have an understanding nature. These girls have all the good qualities such as respect, love, and confidence. They learn MS Office and HTML in the computer lab and also follow school curriculum and complete their projects in the Technology Centre. I would also like to thank International Infocom Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Orbit Info Systems for continuous and sustained services whenever there is any technical difficulty.

Once again I thank everyone from bottom of my heart to everyone and all the children.

(2) Saksham Computer Centre: The centre has state of the art, high-quality computer facilities as recommended by IT professionals. The courses offered here are MS Office, Typing, Basic and Advanced Tally with GST, Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw. All these courses are designed to give hands-on experience and are focused on making the children employable in future. So far, in the last 4 years, more than 750 students have benefitted from these courses. These courses are available to the students six days a week for eight hours every day and are made to suit every child’s dream of working on a computer. Majority of the courses are provided free of cost. The teaching facilitators have several years of experience and the students have received great reviews. The teachers set the test papers for the students to assess their progress, after which the students receive a completion certificate. The Tally tests are conducted online, assessed and certified through our partner - Tally Academy. Nearly 7000 teaching hours have been spent on computer classes alone which ensures that access to computer education is available to everyone, regardless of age. These numbers include students from TMC schools and slums, marginalized women and senior citizens who enjoy the course and any students who are ready to learn and eager to know more. The classes start from 11 am and go on till 8 pm on a daily basis on working days. We believe that knowledge and skills go hand in hand and learning should begin as early as possible because “Skills maketh a man”. COURSES

MS - OFFICE TALLY COREL DRAW PHOTOSHOP TYPING TOTAL

APRIL APRIL 2019 TO GRAND TOTAL 2018 TO NOVEMBER MARCH 2019 2019 282 193 475 15 1 16 8 27 35 8 25 33 1 1 2 314 247 561

We gratefully thank WeKare Society (CSR arm of M/s Capgemini India Ltd.) for the grants to effectively manage this centre. Here’s an excerpt from the teachers who teach at the centres:

Mrs. Vanita Magade Mrs. Magade was introduced to Udaan when she first visited the Saksham Community Centre to get her daughter’s eye checkup done. She learnt more about Udaan, the facilities and the various services that Saksham provided. Impressed by their work Mrs. Magade who has a post graduate in M.A. (History) and 10 years of teaching experience in the field of computers, decided to take up the post of teacher at Saksham’s Technology Centre. Since April, 2018 she has been at Saksham, teaching Corel Draw, Photoshop and Tally. She really enjoys working here and receives great responses from her students. The consistent improvement in their learning reinforces her confidence in the children’s abilities and her own capabilities to do better.

Ma Niketan Technology Centre

Shradha Babu Kadam Shradha joined the Udaan family in June 2019. She teaches MS Office to students from 8th std. onwards, while simultaneously pursuing her M.Com from N.K.T College. It is her first job, her first time teaching experience and she is truly enjoying it. On her experience so far, Shradha says, “Some of the kids, when they join, don’t even know how to use the mouse and most have to start learning from the very basics, but their keenness to learn makes up for everything”. It is all worth the effort when at the end of each session review, she sees how happy and proud the students are on being able to present all that has been taught. Shradha appreciates all the work Udaan does and hopes to continue to work here for as long as she can, asserting that she likes the faculty and staff and is thankful to Dr. Luniya for giving her this job.

Saksham Computer Centre

Student’s project (Adobe Photoshop & Corel Draw)

Project Saksham Tejaswini “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. “- Diane Marie-child Empowerment of women is a necessity for the development of a society. It is to encourage women to feel strong, confident and self-assured by telling them that they are capable of doing everything on their own. It is not just enough to talk about women empowerment, but necessary actions need to be taken to ensure the same. Knowledge is what empowers women, gives them a sense of strength and power and makes them confident to take on the world without the help of others. Women empowerment is to give women the equal right in society to participate economically and politically. Udaan Welfare Foundation’s Project ‘Saksham Tejaswini’ is one such project which aims to help women and girls by making them realize their potential so that they can work towards their goals and fulfil their dreams and ambitions. This program caters to women above the age of 18 years who visit the Saksham Community Centre on a daily basis for an hour to learn several skills to help them feel confident and empowered. It was started in April, 2018 with a batch of 23 ladies. Various accomplished faculty members brought this program to life by emphasizing the importance of women being able to gain knowledge, encouraging personality development and training the women to develop a skillset that would help them economically in this rapidly changing environment. The programme is primarily spread across 4 verticals with multiple sub-verticals which are: 1. Health Awareness: • Hand Hygiene

• Personal Hygiene

• Nutrition • Low cost nutritive cooking

Health Checkups: • Dental • Eye • Gynaecological • Anaemia • General

...with provision to provide basic medicines where indicated

Personality Development: • Different aspects of personality development • Entrepreneurial skills including finance and loans • Domestic challenges management • Yoga, meditation, self-defense

4. Skills development: • Basic beautician course

• Paper and cloth bag making

• Digital literacy

Every program is customized according to the needs of the current batch and availability of Faculty. The programme has several sessions conducted by people from different backgrounds and professions. Through this project, the women of Azadnagar and neighbouring localities participants are able to introspect and train themselves in skill-building activities that will encourage them to feel empowered, independent, confident and entrepreneurial so that they can shape their own future as well as to encourage them fight their own battles and come out victorious. For the first batch of Saksham Tejaswini participants, an early motivation session was held to encourage and motivate them to overcome their inhibition, explore and achieve more in life. A health checkup was conducted to determine the status of their health. Blood tests, dental and eye checkups were conducted. After studying the blood report, women with low haemoglobin were given necessary medication for free after consultation with the doctors. Women who were prescribed glasses and/or eye drops were given these materials for free. Dental consultation and the medications were also free. Apart from this, a low-cost nutrition session was conducted to educate women about how to use affordable ingredients to prepare nutritious and healthy food. Several sessions are conducted to encourage women to speak about issues they have suppressed which are affecting them in a negative way. Following which they are counselled with thoughts on positivity, effective decision making, motivation to succeed, fulfilling their dreams by becoming self-reliant, anger management, managing finances and letting go of their past worries by focusing on building a better future. Yoga and meditation sessions have helped the participants relax and reduce their stress which has helped them to cope

with the day to day problems better and has helped them develop self-confidence.

the Ghanekar Auditorium for the first time in their lives which was an unforgettable experience.

Digital literacy is another important aspect that has been focused on. It is important that the participants of the Tejaswini programme utilize technology in the best possible way. Owning a phone is not enough as it is important to learn how to use it. The Tejaswinis were taught by Mr Dhruv Shukla, a programmer by profession who educated the women on the various uses of their mobile phones which can not only be used to communicate with people but also to book train tickets, manage their financial accounts and update their personal details. They were taught how to make a Google account and how to use YouTube, Play store and the use of the Google translate feature, etc.

The batches have shown a positive participation and they look forward to attending the sessions at the community centre which encourages us to enroll more women with the hope and the zeal to continue empowering them.

Public speaking sessions were held which made the women more confident and taught them to speak for themselves which in turn enhanced and improved their communication skills. Various vocational skills such as basic beautician courses, paper and cloth bag making were taught to the Tejaswinis to encourage them to get employed or start their own business ventures in the long run to help the community at large. The first batch got an opportunity to perform on the stage at

We are now in the 5th batch and are seeing a visible difference in the way the ladies are participating. So far 125 ladies have participated and more than 7000 student hours have been invested in them. We thank Dr. Roopali Deshpande, Dr. Lata Ghanshamnani, Dr. Leena Kelshikar, Dr. Supriya Chincholkar, Dr. Lucky Kasat, Dr. Prasanna Menon, Dr. Sonali Das, Mrs. Sangeeta Limaye, Mr. Niranjan Bade, Mrs. Netra Bade, Mr. Dhruv Shukla, Mrs. Roli Shukla, Mr. J C Agarwal, Mr. Jayesh Pathare, Celebrity Chef Mr. Varun Inamdar, Mr. Aditya Save, Mrs. Gayathri Srivastava, Mrs. Shreelata Menon, the team from Paryavaran Dakshata Manch, Mrs. Sujatha Jadhav, Mrs. Anuja Gulati, Ms. Sonika Sharma, Ms. Pramila Surve, Ms. Nilam Ghadge, Mrs. Vasanthi Mirkar, Mr. Surendra Kamble, Mrs. Madhura Joshi, Ms. Ritobrota Sanyal, Mrs. Divya Dave and several volunteers for making this project successful and sustainable.

Activities in Project Saksham Tejaswini

Activities in Project Saksham Tejaswini (contd.)

Saksham Gyan Ganga â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one was ever really taught by another; each of us has to teach himself. The external teacher offers only the suggestion which rouses the internal teacher to work to understand things.â&#x20AC;? -Swami Vivekananda Health and education are the two most important assets a human being can use to work towards prosperity. A nation only progresses when its society possesses the power of education. To work towards this, the Saksham Gyan Ganga program was initiated for the children. Classes are covered from standard 5th to 8th. The aim of Saksham Gyan Ganga is solely to strengthen the basic knowledge of the children, especially in English, Mathematics and Science. Improving their communication skills along with their cognitive thinking is of utmost importance. Saksham Community Centre has partnered up with TMC School No.55, Thane as well as the slum children from Std. 5th to 8th to provide them quality education. There are students who face difficulty in grasping what is taught in schools and the confusion takes up their head space. To remove such confusions and doubts, the Saksham Gyan Ganga initiative provides these students with evening classes where they are taught subjects with clarity and simplicity. Not just this, but they are also given extra knowledge which improves their intellectual understanding. Our objective with Saksham Gyan Ganga is to make sure that the children attending the classes are able to overcome preordained notions of differentiation based on various aspects of society. A total of upto 38 students attend the classes. It is indeed a beautiful sight to witness the children who were inattentive and mischievous; sitting together now and attending the classes with focused attention. Continuous evaluation of the children is done through various tests that they are given to make sure they understand what is being taught to them. This also helps the teachers to divide their attention. The TMC school teachers and parents have also observed positive changes in the children. We also have provided stationery, notebooks, T-shirts, tiffin boxes and other items to the children of TMC School No. 55. Udaan has also sponsored monthly bus passes for 62 children of construction labourers living near Rodas Enclave where there was no educational facility available. The children were able to commute to and fro from their homes to the TMC School 55 for the academic year 2018-19. As a fallout of this

endeavour, the TMC has made bus service free of cost for all the children attending TMC schools in Thane. We also introduced a program for 30 children of 7th and 8th to improve their behaviour and attention span by the play-way method, which was being conducted by Mrs. Babita Khanna, at the TMC school premises 6 days a week from August 2018 to May 2019. Mrs. Babita became a celebrity in the school and the children would come forward asking for homework showing the desire rekindled in the children to study well. SAKSHAM GYANGANGA TEAM Mrs. Gayathri Srivastava I have doctorate degree in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and post-doctoral work experience from Canada. After years of working in industrial sectors, as I was looking for more worthwhile and fulfilling work, I switched to the field of education. This included Teaching, Tutoring, providing study material [content provider] online, preparing questions, validating answers etc., until a common friend introduced me to Dr Luniya. I have been associated with Saksham for the last 2 years now and teaching TMC School children - Science, Maths and English. My experience here has been amazing and a great learning process as well. The very first challenge was to communicate with children of Marathi medium school when my Hindi itself was pretty bad. As the days went by, not only I discovered that my Hindi was not bad after all but, I also managed to pick the much needed Marathi technical words. The basic understanding of Science and Math had to be improved before getting into their curriculum, which is really was a Herculean task. Motivating the children to learn, and encourage them to try harder, bringing some discipline, maintaining their attention throughout are all ongoing challenges which requires a great deal of patience, perseverance, and self-motivation. These children on the other hand do their part by coming to the classes after school which is commendable. They are very affectionate by nature, touch your heart with their love and simplicity. Bonding with children comes to me easily which helps a great deal.

And also, I have learnt not to expect any fruits of labour, instead enjoy the work/process, which in itself is a reward The great message of GITA. Mrs. Rachana Vaidya I have been with Saksham for over 3 years now. It has been an enriching life experience for me. Working with children has always been my forte. After completing M.Sc. in Genetics I went on to become a trained teacher by completing Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.). This has allowed me to do proper justice to my real passion of working towards ameliorating the under privileged children’s lives. To my pleasant surprise

I found most of these children much more enthusiastic and passionate about learning than their counterparts from more privileged background. It was a challenge to try teaching these children English – a language often referred to as “the passport to upward mobility”. However we found the solution in Phonetics ! We realised that a Phonetics based teaching finds many eager learners. The children at Saksham have been showing tremendous enthusiasm and excitement in picking up this not-so-scientific language simply by understanding the basics of Phonetics. It makes me feel happy and proud to work towards contributing in Saksham’s efforts in making a difference in these children’s lives. I will feel specially privileged if I can play even a small role in making Dr Luniya’s vision a reality.

Saksham Kilkari Saksham Kilkari was started in July 2018 as an educational programme for students up to the 4th standard. The children were taught by Mrs. Babita Khanna, a retired school principal, who conducted these classes every day from Monday to Friday for an hour. Research shows that children from pre-primary and primary cannot be taught in the same way as older students. Young kids have shorter attention spans and cannot concentrate on one subject for an hour. Hence, one needs to take a different approach when teaching them. Mrs. Khanna used visual representation to teach the children as teaching them with the help of images and videos held their attention for much longer than the conventional methods. The range of activities that were picked by her encouraged the children to let out their creativity and imagination. It brought out their productivity naturally. The aim of this project was not only to help the children academically, but also instil foundational values. Each class would start with prayers and words of gratitude taught by the teacher. They are taught the need and importance for discipline. The children who were a part of this programme have shown an increase in confidence and knowledge of their subjects. Children who were naughty, stubborn and destructive have calmed

down significantly because they are productively engaged and have channelized their energies positively. They have become fond of their teacher and diligently follow every instruction. A programme that started with 5 students grew to have 35+ children regularly attending classes. Kilkari took great pleasure in extending its loving care to the increasing number of students with each passing day. Saksham Kilkariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission was to guide these young children through the maze they often find themselves stuck in. Our aim was to ensure that these children are equipped with the knowledge, behaviour and attitude that will enable them to become responsible citizens of the country. This program is presently being conducted at the Balwadi of TMC School 55 for about 30 -50 children by Ms. Nikita Tolani and Mrs. Smita Anikhindi. Ms. Nikita Tolani After joining Saksham Kilkari, I got very good experience to teach the little Angels. The kids are very innocent and they mix with us very well. They enjoy the rhymes and songs and are also eager to learn English. I will definitely give my 100% to teach these children whatever I can. Mrs. Smita Anikhindi I was introduced to Dr. Luniya and Saksham Community Centre by Dr. Sonali Das. I have always been wanting to use my time for the betterment of society. I joined Saksham in September 2019 and I got associated with the project Saksham Kilkari. The aim of this project is to equip the young children with knowledge, to improve their behaviour and attitude to make them responsible citizens in the future. This project has appealed to me though it is challenging as the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s group is very, very young. It is very satisfying to nurture these young children and I am happy and proud to be associated with Saksham.

OUR SAKSHAM TEAM MEDICAL TEAM Dr. Mitu Hora Mallick I am an MBBS doctor, and have done my MBBS from Volvograd State Medical University, Russia. I joined Saksham in June 2016 as a Family Physician. I like working here and helping the people of the community in whichever way I can. Saksham no longer seems like a workplace to me; it’s like my own place, where all the staff members are cordial and hardworking. We all work in a friendly atmosphere. I feel very happy when patients come back to me and say “We trust you only”. Their smiles and trust fill me with gratitude. Earlier there were 3 to 4 patients, now there are days when we have 10 patients a day and I feel blessed. I am happy to help people with minimum medicines and just guide them to make simple lifestyle changes under the guidance of respected sir, Dr. Luniya. Dr. Deepak Patil I have been working at Saksham as a Consultant Opthalmologist since 4 years. I am very thankful to Udaan Welfare Foundation for setting up a basic Eye OPD at this centre with all the new and latest equipments because of which 90% or more ophthalmic cases get benefitted. One thing I like about this centre is that whatever work it does is at the grassroots level so that the real needy persons get the benefit. Last but not the least, all the staff members are from good family background and very cooperative and helping.They will not take a foot back to do any work which comes in their way. I would also like to thank on behalf of the patients who are happy with the medical facilities being provided at Saksham. Dr. Vrushali Sarode

I am Dr. Vrushali Sarode, I practice as a Dermatologist in Udaan Welfare Foundation’s - Saksham Community Centre, since the last 3 years. It has been a wonderful experience till date. The whole Udaan team is like a family!

Special thanks to all the wonderful people working for the Foundation and helping needy children and families! I am proud to be part of such team and also feel lucky to be one of the doctors of the team. All the very best and wish for great success. Dr. Bhumika Betharia I am a Dental Surgeon having graduated from Nagpur University. I have done a certification course in Implantology in the UK. I am also a Pranic Healer and Trainer. I have been practicing in Thane for the last 28 years and have two clinics at Louiswadi and Hiranandani Meadows. My Yoga teacher, Yogacharya Avinash Deshpande, introduced me to Saksham and Udaan, and influenced me to join this wonderful organisation which is doing tremendous work towards helping the less-fortunate. I joined Saksham in early May 2018. A week or two after my joining, there was a function to celebrate the completion of a project. I was moved to see the dramatic progress which the young children and ladies had made in a short span under the inspiring and dedicated guidance of the instructors. That day, I decided that I would be a part of this wonderful organisation till the last day of my life. Dr. Niharika Singh I am a dental surgeon and have been working at the Saksham Community Centre since August 2018. I can proudly say that I am part of Udaan Welfare Foundation which is helping people at a large scale with the medical benefits and facilities. At Saksham, we believe in rendering better quality and necessary treatment. Hence the treatment charges are secondary and are set with the beneficiaries budget. To address the problem of rising and often expensive health care costs, Saksham provides highly subsidised services which are affordable for underprivileged people. There are many learning activities available such as computer courses, education, music, tailoring classes, which creates a sense of purpose and a positive ambience. Here emphasis is to educate and motivate women and children by improving their personality and to be independent.

I have seen remarkable change in attitude of people towards their health concerns. As a Dental Surgeon, I work everyday to hone my skills and update my knowledge; to win the trust of my patients and it feels so satisfying with the treatment we do to bring smile on patients. My work and satisfied patients brings me happiness and contentment. Dr Aditi Ravlekar I am a Dentist by profession and graduated from Yashwantrao Chavan Dental College. I have two years of clinical experience and have been working with Udaan since March 2019 at the Saksham Community Centre. Dr. Bhumika introduced me to Saksham and influenced me to join this organization. I have had a wonderful experience working here. I have seen variety of clinical cases at Saksham. It has given me a different level of confidence to deal with the patients independently. I thank Dr. Luniya for giving me the chance to work in this wonderful organization. Dr. Jaya Gude I, Dr. (Mrs) Jaya R. Gude, a Homeopathic Physician has been associated with the Saksham Community Centre for more than 2 years. The contribution towards the children from low economic background by the team is really praiseworthy. I would specially mention that Dr. Luniya and his team have organised the festivals and camps for the children which they enjoy very much, giving them much happiness. I have noticed the change in the children’s behaviour and the personalities of the ladies who have become much confident in their routine work. In these last 2 years, I have seen an increase in the patients who have been asking for homeopathic treatment. I have treated several patients with sinusitis, headache (migraine), skin patients and also other chronic illness. I’m very happy to be associated with Saksham and contribute to the health of the people making them healthier and free from sickness!

this institution works for poor and needy people in the field of Education, Health, Nutrition & Wellness along with Welfare. These services are very low cost as compared with other institutions. All the activities conducted here are providing a meaningful life to the nearby residents. As an Ayurvedic Physician, I try to educate the patient for their ‘Perfect Health’ and not to depend on the medicines. I suggest them to follow the discipline with do and don’ts for their particular problems. It helps to avoid the expenses on medicine. This is a good platform to serve the society under Udaan Welfare Foundation and I feel very proud to be associated with. skill development Mrs. Seema Chaube Mrs. Chaube comes from an underprivileged background and hence, could not complete her education beyond high school. Due to challenges at home, she had to take care of her family by herself. She did not have any financial support, nor was she educated enough to look for a decently-paying job. In fact, she needed to borrow money in order to learn tailoring. After completing her tailoring course, she has been teaching other women for over 20 years and has taught over 1500+ students. While her conditions improved to a point where she was able to run her household with her earnings, she was still just teaching from home. Working at Saksham was her first real assignment, which is why she was incredibly excited to work. She has been a part of the organisation for four years now, and has taught over 300 students. She says that she is extremely proud to work in a place like Saksham because of what it stands for and the opportunities that it provides to the needy. She feels more reassured working here as she can see the difference she brings to the lives of those who were just like her when she was younger. Working here, she has developed great relationships with the staff and her students. She feels like a well-respected member of the Saksham Community Centre. SAKSHAM ADMIN TEAM

Dr. Suresh Bhandarkar

Madhura Joshi

I joined the ‘SAKSHAM Community Centre’ at Azad Nagar, Thane as an Ayurvedic Physician in Feb. 2019 on the recommendation of Dr. Prabodh Halde.

Mrs. Joshi joined the Udaan Family in Feb, 2018 on being introduced to Udaan by its energetic member Dr. Prabodh Halde. Today she is a very integral part of Udaan as she manages all the daily proceedings

SAKSHAM (me#ece) means capable. Really

at the Saksham Community Centre which is buzzing with activities all day. She is very passionate about her work and there are no complaints, only a broad smile when she says, “I love managing the centre and everyday here is special to me”. On her experience so far, she says that what she loves most about Udaan is that it is constantly striving to do new things like organising innovative events and programmes and finding better ways to serve the needy. Her favourite is the Saksham Tejaswini project, which she been handling since April 2018. “Here we teach the ladies from less-privileged households to stand on their own feet, i.e. to make them ‘Saksham’. There are 20 - 25 women in each batch. After attending this programme, these TEJASWINIS have become more confident, much smarter and techno savvy. There is a lot of difference in their behaviour, speech, temperament and grooming”, she says proudly. Mamta Prajapati Mamta joined Udaan in July, 2019 and works as a Receptionist cum Accounts Assistant at the Saksham Community Centre. She has done her B.Com and joined here on a friend’s recommendation. She loves it so far and finds all the work done by Udaan especially at Saksham very inspiring. Ask her what’s her favourite memory? Definitely the Dandiya Celebration that took place this year at Saksham, we had a lot of fun, she explains excitedly.

Mrs. Divya Manoj Dave Mrs. Dave joined the Udaan family on 3rd Jan, 2019 and soon became an integral part of it. She does the crucial job of actually going out in the community of the nearby Azadnagar area, spreading awareness about the work Udaan does at its Saksham Community Centre and thus encouraging the people to come and take maximum benefit of all the services provided at the Centre. Mrs. Dave is a person full of zest, always enthusiastic about her work and getting to know her own life story of coming out from a depressive phase and finding herself back is truly inspiring. Ramesh Jadhav Ramesh Jadhav, our ‘Kaka’, is the first employee of Saksham Community Centre. He has been with us right from day one. He is responsible for housekeeping and takes care of everyone who enters the space. He is one person who has closely seen Saksham growing in all dimensions. Kaka is a sincere, humble and dedicated person who thoroughly enjoys his work. Before Saksham, he worked at Hiranandani Estate for 10 years where he was responsible for cleaning the premises. He says, “Unlike my previous job, I don’t have many people managing me! I have autonomy for the jobs I am responsible for. Even though I am not educated, I want my children to learn and I am looking forward to seeing my children and nephews learn the computer courses and other activities offered here at Saksham.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

”

- Steve Jobs

Our Donors & Volunteers Experience Mrs Nutan Bandekar

G[eve JesueHesÀ³ej HeÀeGb[sMeve keÀe me#ece meecegoeef³ekeÀ kesÀvê mener cee³eves ceW DeePeeo veiej Je Dev³e yeefmle³eeW kesÀ efveJeeefme³eeW keÀes me#ece yeveeves Jeeuee SJeb mJe³ebÒesefjle keÀjves Jeeuee keWÀê nw~ ³eneB Hej íesìs ye®®eeW kesÀ efueS me#ece efkeÀuekeÀejer mes ueskeÀj ceefnueeDeeW kesÀ efueS ®eueves Jeeues me#ece lespeeqmJeveer lekeÀ DeveskeÀ GHe¬eÀce yeæ[s GlmeenJeOe&keÀ Deewj ÒesjCeeoe³eer nQ~ nceejer mketÀue kesÀ ye®®eeW kesÀ efueS me#ece %eeveiebiee Deewj kebÀH³etìj keÌueemesme yeerles leerve meeueeW mes ®euee³eW peeles nQ~ pees 28 ye®®es FmekeÀe ueeYe uesles nQ, GveceW keÀeHeÀer yeoueeJe vepej Deelee nw~ GvekesÀ J³eJenej SJeb %eeve ceW yengle De®íer Òeieefle nes jner nw Deewj GvekeÀer Deeies Heæ{eF& keÀjves keÀer F®íe peeie=le nes jner nw~ GvekeÀe DeelceefJeéeeme yeæ{ jne nw~ cegPes efJeéeeme nes jne nw efkeÀ Deeies peekeÀj ³es ye®®es mener cee³eves ceW De®ís veeieefjkeÀ yeveWies Deewj DeHeveer lejkeÌkeÀer Kego keÀjWies~ cegPes Fme yeele Hej yengle Deevebo nes jne nw efkeÀ, Gæ[eve keÀer keÀesefMeMe ³ener nw efkeÀ ³es ye®®es Yeejle keÀe GppJeue YeefJe<³e yeves~ nce meye efceuekeÀj meceepe kesÀ efvecvelece IeìkeÀ keÀes me#ece yeveeves keÀe Òe³eeme, yeæ[er veskeÀer mes keÀj jns nQ~ meceepe keÀer mesJee, ye®®eeW keÀer mesJee, ³ener ceeveJelee nw~ ³ener cenlJeHetCe& keÀe³e& keÀjves Jeeues [e@. uegefve³eepeer Deewj GvekesÀ men³eesieer³eeW keÀes Oev³eJeeo! Deeies ³ener melkeÀe³e& Deewj ]p³eeoe ieefleceeve neskeÀj ®euelee jns ³es MegYekeÀeceveeSB~ Mrs Archana Pradhan Wanting to contribute for social causes in our home country was something that me and my like minded friends wanted to do. Of many NGOs we contacted for donation of educational aids, we found Dr Luniya’s Udaan Welfare Foundation the most professional. Visit to Saksham Community Centre reinforced our trust that this was an NGO who was really making a difference in the lives of less privileged children and women. It was inspiring to see highly qualified professionals like Dr Luniya and their team dedicate their time everyday enthusiastically and untiringly towards various educational and empowerment initiatives. Hearty Congratulation and best wishes! Archana Pradhan, Dubai Mrs. Shreelata Menon I was introduced to the Udaan team by Mrs. Rama Chandrashekhar who along with being an Udaan member was also a senior social science teacher in Lok Puram Public School. We had teamed up interesting environment education

activities for the children and Rama madam was keen to de-sensitize the edufest participants to love and protect the environment. I got an opportunity to work closely with the Udaan team for the first time and I would describe this team as a set of highly motivated enthusiastic amazing professionals who have come together to work for the betterment of the society. There has been no looking back for me since then, the sheer enthusiasm of each member and volunteer under the able leadership of Dr Anil Luniya drove me closer and closer to the family. Fortunately for me, their community centre Saksham came up very close to my house in 2015. Right from attending the pooja of the centre, to being involved in each and every program at Saksham has been a refreshing and rejuvenating activity for me. Udaan has introduced me to some wonderful professionals who in spite of their busy schedule are always available for community service. The health facilities at the centre are second to none. I take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of this wonderful experienced team, who have always showered their blessings on me and provided me with all the support to do different environmental activities with them, be it a summer camp or Tejaswini lecture, a bird trail guided by my son, adventure trips or even providing letter of recognition for my various needs. Udaan has helped me blossom into a good environment educator along with providing me with opportunities to serve the community. Editorial: We heartily and proudly congratulate Mrs. Shreelata Menon for being conferred the “Women of the Future Awards - 2019” for her contribution to environment education and conservation activities. She was one out of the 40 winners selected from over 455 international nominations. Keep up the good work. Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt. Mr. Dhruv Shukla Every batch at Saksham Tejaswini brings new eager participants who identify themselves with various roles. Some are mothers, some house wives, some bread winners and some eager students. Over the course of the many classes and sessions they participate in and through an atmosphere that teaches the importance of self empowerment they are given a chance to view themselves as just - themselves. The community of volunteers at Saksham creates a space where the participants can think and care for themselves. Everyone at the Saksham Community Centre puts

in a lot of effort to encourage each other out of their comfort zones and convey the virtues of being more proactive and resourceful individuals and contributors to society at large. Over the past year I have been helping the participants of the Saksham Tejaswini project with Digital Literacy and teaching them how Mobile and Internet services can help them in their daily lives. It has been a privilege to be part of such a progressive endeavour. Mrs. Roli Shukla I have been involved in the field of education for a very long time as an Educator, Teacher Trainer, Author, School Reviewer. During my course of work, I have experienced defence and private school environments, e-learning companies, corporate environment and teacher training environment. At present I am on a break from full time work, at the same time I wanted to contribute continuously towards society and share my skills and experience with people all the time. Dr. Luniya introduced me to Udaan Welfare Foundation and its multidisciplinary community centre ‘Saksham’. The various initiatives this community centre has taken in the areas of health and education impressed me. In an increasingly chaotic world where there is no dearth of issues and problems, I felt that there is something for everyone, provided one is driven with a sense of purpose to change the world and lives of people! There are several issues we strongly feel about, and we often share and express our frustration on topics ranging from unemployment, education, violence against women, crime rate and other issues by various modern means of communication but not often we get an opportunity to be a part to solve these issues and to personally get involved leaving behind the passive commentary and going out there to see beyond the statistics of newspapers and research papers.

That is why the project ‘Saksham Tejaswini’, especially formed to help girls and women of the society and empower them towards self-sustenance, at the ‘Saksham’ Community Centre, compelled me to step out of my comfort zone and be a part of the program where I have tried in the limited way to provide them with basic spoken English phrases. To design the curriculum for the mixed age and mixed ability group has been a challenge but I kept the subject matter to basic functional phrases such as introduction of self, asking for directions, talking with shopkeepers, talking with teachers of children, being familiar with the kitchen and cooking terms, familiarizing with basic prepositions and verbs etc. Over the course, I met

women who were semi-literate and also few college going students – each struggling with a set of problems that you would not fathom, from the lack of financial independence to lack of social freedom, from lack of exposure to formal education to excessive burden of work. But what I discovered during the interaction with women that they did not lack the enthusiasm to learn English and to be able to speak in English. During the course, I made their life and mine easier with few sing song sessions and fun activities. All in all, being involved with ‘Saksham Tejaswini’ project has made me realise that though life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier. I do not know how much English the participants have learnt from me, but I definitely learnt gratitude and empathy! Mr. A N Rao I have been associated with Udaan Welfare Foundation (UWF) for the past one year. Though I had known Dr. Anil Luniya as doctor and thru our children, I got to know about UWF through Ma Niketan Children’s Home, Thane (W), where I used to teach the children Sketching and Painting and just about anything the children should know. When I met Dr. Luniya, he was glad to have me on board, especially to help UWF in marketing activities. I got exposed to the real issues faced by the underprivileged people of the society. I also realized to my surprise that they are reticent, lack enthusiasm and suspect when help is offered which is understandable. The challenge is to win their confidence and help them to help themselves. Dr. Luniya and his team match up to the task and give excellent guidance and show perseverance in achieving the result. Therefore, I ended up in getting involved in different things at UWF. The unique thing about Udaan is the freedom, encouragement & support that is ubiquitous in the organization. This gives me the confidence that together we can bring change in the lives of the underprivileged people. Mr. Ritesh Singh Took up teaching, ended up learning many things myself. Thought of spreading fun, ended up gathering joy & peace in heart. Thought of being a giver… ended up being a seeker & healed at Udaan’s Saksham Community Centre.

Dr. Sonali Das

Aishwarya Shetty

I am a part time dentist and full time public health enthusiast. The health of the population has been one of the most important driving forces of my life. And Udaan’s work in healthcare along with the overall welfare of individuals and communities had motivated me to become part of this wonderful organisation. I have conducted oral health talks for women and children in an attempt to improve their awareness about the importance of good oral hygiene. I also had the opportunity to teach kids of various ages, throughout my time at university, until now, which has been a different experience in itself. There would not be a single most beautiful moment according to me, but a cumulation of multiple heartfelt moments. Seeing the neighbouring communities utilising the facilities offered by Saksham and leaving the centre every time with a smile on their faces makes all the efforts by the staff and volunteers worthwhile. The time I spent in Saksham and my interaction with the staff and fellow volunteers has helped me build relations which will last a lifetime. Udaan has helped me grow as a person, to forgive, to let go, to try again, and most importantly be grateful for all that I have been gifted in life with. I hope wherever life takes me, I am always able to give back to society through Udaan Welfare Foundation. Palak Dudhani I am postgraduate in International Marketing. Udaan is a place where you can explore yourself and be free to use your creative space. I have loved working with Udaan, it has given me a space to find myself. We did put a stall to raise fund for Udaan and helped in organising children’s day celebrations. We even organised a mini Edufest independently and was a great experience. On Guru Purnima day kids started wishing us, it gave a very deep feeling of gratitude which was definitely one of the best moment. I think working with Udaan has made me more thankful and grateful for what I have. It makes you more satisfied about your life.

I am currently a student at Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communications, Pune. As a part of my course, I was asked to pick an NGO wherein I could volunteer for a period of one month, and due to great reviews from my peers, I chose Udaan Welfare Foundation. It has been a good experience working here. One of the best experience was that I’ve been pushed to work with Photoshop which has always been a weak point for me and I’ve finally gotten the hang of it. I would like to thank everyone at the Saksham Community Centre for being so kind and helpful. Being a part of Saksham has been a wonderful journey and I look forward to still be associated with them in the future. Team SIMC We t h e s t u d e n t s o f Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune interned with Udaan Welfare Foundation for a period of 15 days in November, 2019. Our experience of working here was extremely enriching for each one of us. Seeing the empowering work that is being carried out at Saksham Community Centre was extremely enlightening and showed us there are no limits if one wants to help those around. Seeing the enthusiastic children and determined women working hard despite their struggles in life has motivated us to strive towards our dreams. We were warmly treated by everyone at Udaan from Anil Sir, all faculties, and all other volunteers present. All throughout our stay here, we were made to feel at home and given a comfortable environment to work. Helping those in need is always a special feeling and hence we are extremely proud to have served the community through Udaan. Ultimately, it has been a privilege to have got the opportunity to work here and we hope our services were helpful to the organisation Aayush Kataria, Ipshita Bhattacharya, Jainam Shah, Rajat Sheth, Rujuta Thete and Shourya Rawool

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

- T. S. Eliot

Flood Relief Kerala Flood Relief On 16 August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state of Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season. It was the worst flood in Kerala in nearly a century. Most of the Districts were ravaged. The members of Udaan felt that we could and should contribute in a small way to alleviate the sufferings of our countrymen. After many deliberations and ground level surveys, we decided to support the Government Taluka Hospital at Chalakudy. Once a flourishing hospital providing excellent health care

to the poor, it was now submerged in 12+ feet of water. All OPD departments and many wards were completely damaged. Udaan collected nearly Rs. 3.5 lakhs in donations and contributed equipment such as Oxygenators, Crash Carts and a Heavy Duty Floor Scrubber. A team from Udaan flew to Kerala to hand over the donation as well as visit the affected hospital. We were happy to see the repair work getting completed within a short span of 2 months with the help of innovative ideas, helping the hospital to be operational again.

Sangli District Flood Relief It all started with small idea - after hearing about the Sangli floods in Maharashtra, Dr Prabodh Halde (one of our founder member) initiated the relief support by AFST, but this time he wanted to do something different. Every time we donate to the CM or PM Relief Fund for a general cause, but this time we felt why not give to the needy directly? He met the Commissioner of Pune region, understood the requirements, constituted a small team and also decided to take help of other associations like Solvent Extractors Association (he is on their board) and Suraj Foundation. He geared up and decided to support the affected families directly, but was not sure how much we could do! Udaan Welfare Foundation gave a commitment to do their best. Local team surveyed and identified 150 families who were hugely affected in the village Bamani, Miraj Taluka, Sangli District. Dr Halde convinced Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) members and started collecting money with an aim to deposit money directly to the affected familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bank accounts. All pertinent details were collated and submitted to various

banks for the funds transfer every month for three months. A total of Rs.13,000/- was distributed to each family. Shri Pravin Bhai Lunkad of Suraj Foundation, Sangli and ex President of SEA came forward, Dr B V Mehta gave full support, Mr Nilesh Lele of AFST was on ground along with Udaan. After 30 days over 17 lakhs was collected and distributed to all selected families and good part is Dr. Prabodh got confirmation of 14 lakhs from different members of SEA team in just 2 days. Concerned government officers were kept informed periodically about the status. We also distributed over 3000 school bags as per the District Administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s request to the children of Govt. schools. All this took place just in 30 days, and was a miracle with excellent team work. No PR, No photo, No news in newspapers - just direct help. We would like to gratefully thank all those who supported. Every one helped as per their ability and belief. We are happy that we could do some thing more than planned. List of the beneficiaries with their mobile numbers and account details are available with us.

MINI-EDUFESTS Mini-Edufests are organized on a smaller scale but with the same amount of passion and enthusiasm as for our Edufests. On World Literacy day, a Mini-Edufest was organized in June 2012. It was called “Chhote Kadam Pragati ki Aur”. About 50 children from Harkishen School and Sri Ram Vidya Mandir, Thane were invited. The aim was to help these children realize their individual strength and intelligence. The program was conducted with the support of Marico Ltd. On March 15, 2014, Mini-Edufest was organized for 110 children of Harkishen English Public school and Sri Ram Vidya Mandir, Thane. The event themed as ‘Mere Khwab, Meri Zindagi’, encouraged children and motivated them to follow the path of fulfilling their dreams. This event was supported by the volunteers of Serco Intelenet. Mr. Satwinder S Rainu led this project and gained positive response. In January 2015, Mini-Edufest was conducted for 125 children of the Zila Parishad School in Belavali Village, Dist. Thane. This event was thoroughly enjoyed by the kids as it was new for them. They were thrilled to present their talents through poems and dance. Mr. Dhiraj Dongare, the school’s headmaster, was instrumental in organizing the affair. The event was followed by a traditional village lunch for all the children and nearly 50 members, guests and volunteers, sponsored by Udaan. This programme was supported by volunteers from Serco Intelenet who collected several items which were shared with the children. In February 2017, Udaan conducted a one-day Mini Edufest at Saksham Community Centre, titled “Youngistan ki Digital Udaan”. The aim was to introduce children to the role of digitization in different walks of life such as education, health

care, financial transactions, communication, travel, sports, conservation, etc. The experts who were invited imparted their knowledge to the children about how digital technology is instrumental in everything from delivering essential government services (such as Aadhar, subsidies and processing of applications) to enabling transactions (booking tickets, buying products online, paying for services), bringing highresolution entertainment and sports events into our homes, and enabling us to invest and transfer funds securely and effectively. At the end of the session, the children performed a skit on how digitization will change their world and how they will be prepared for it. Over 70 children from Harkishen English Public School, Thane attended the event. Mini Edufest “UDAAN AKANKSHA KI” was held on 21st July 2019 for the students of Sanket School, Thane and about 35 students participated. The theme focused at the importance of continuing education beyond 10th and 12th grade and the host of career opportunities available for children to pursue. An Interactive session, conducted by panelists from various walks of life from their own community, helped convey the importance of thinking big and dreaming big. From triggering their entrepreneurial abilities to encouraging teamwork, we aimed at providing a glimpse of the bright future that lies ahead of them. It was also an experiential learning opportunity for all the volunteers participating at Saksham to plan and organize the event independently for the first time. Conducting such events helps keeping the children motivated and also works as a source of entertainment. We try our best to inculcate knowledge into them through each program with innovative and interesting ways.

List of patrons 2018-19 Individual

Mr Deven S Tichkule

Mr Narsimhan Narayanan

Mr Sunil Patil

Capt. A. Satish Pillai

Mr Dharm Prakash Tripathi

Mr Niranjan P Bade

Mr Suresh Kumar C

Dr. Akshay Ranade

Mr Dhaval Doshi

Mr Nitin Pandit

Mr Suryanarayan Krishnan

Dr. Ajit S. Gokhale

Mr Dinesh Ochani

Mr P Rajasekheran

Mr T S Subramanian

Dr. Anil K Luniya

Mr G D Rastogi

Mr Panamgodan David

Mr Uday S Naniwadekar

Dr. B. R. Das

Mr Ganesh Kamath

Mr Pradeep K Menon

Mr V Ravishankar

Dr. Bhumika Betharia

Mr Gunjan Deshmukh

Mr Pradeep Nair

Mr Vansh Gupta

Dr. Deepak Patil

Mr Harpal Singh Sokhi

Mr Pranav P Rane

Mr Yatin Sheth

Dr. K. D. Yadav

Mr Haripal Singh Mann

Mr R Venkataraman

Mrs Ahalya Samtaney

Dr. Kusum Joshi

Mr J C Agrawal

Mr Raghavan Iyer

Mrs Atreyi Ashish Ghosh

Dr. Padampriya Vinod Kumar

Mr J C Bhatia

Mr Rajiv Malhan

Mrs Avi Gupta

Dr. Poonam Singh

Mr Prof. Jayant Bandekar

Mr Rajesh Ramadurai

Mrs Babita Khanna

Dr. Prabodh Halde

Mr Jayanth K

Mr Ramesh Padmanabhan

Mrs Cecilia Assumption

Dr. S. G. Bhat

Mr Jayesh V Pathare

Mr Ramnath Dixit

Mrs Chetna Ipar

Dr. Vidyut K Naram

Mr K B Kale

Mr Rishikesh S Mahajan

Mrs Chinmayee Deulgaonkar

Master Shikhar Baldota

Mr K C Shukla

Mr Ritesh Singh

Mrs Darshan Gupta

Mr Ajay R Pande

Mr K S Parameshwaran

Mr Rohan A Mhatre

Mrs Deepali Anurag Pratap

Mr Anil Modi

Mr Kaushal Dongre

Mr Rupesh Gupta

Mrs Girija Agrawal

Mr Anirudh Choudhari

Mr Kaushik Mazumdar

Mr Sachin Joshi

Mrs Gowri Sridhar

Mr Ajit Singh Verma

Mr Kaustubh Dalvi

Mr Sandeep Ramakrishnan

Mrs Karuna Chavan

Mr Arun Bhat

Mr Kumar Anurag Pratap

Mr Sanjeev Kumar Sharma

Mrs Kavita Iyer

Mr Ashok N Kuppuswamy

Mr Kumar Rudra

Mr Sanjiv Nagar

Mrs Lata Munwani

Mr Ashok Ramnani

Mr L V Khuperkar

Mr Sankara B Warrier

Mrs Madhu Baldota

Mr Ashish Baldota

Mr Maanoj S Harisinghani

Mr Satwinder S Rainu

Mrs Madhura Joshi

Mr Avinash Deshpande

Mr Mahendra S Sheth

Mr Shanker Mandelia

Mrs Manju Agrawal

Mr B Ganesh

Mr Manohar M Chitale

Mr Shashank V Bhalkar

Mr B S Kumar

Mr Mayank Upadhaya

Mr Shrikant

Mrs Mahalaxmi Balasubramanian

Mr B Sembian

Mr Milind T Kokje

Mr Shirish Kumar M Sadekar

Mr Balchand Baldota

Mr Mohan Sundaram

Mr Sohil Shukla

Mr Banaspati Chaudhari

Mr Murali Aiyer

Mr Sudipta K Sanyal

Mr Brij Mohan Jindel

Mr Nandakumar A Aiyer

Mr Sundaram R

Mrs Mahalaxmi Subramanian Mrs Meenakshi Bhalla Mrs Mythili Iyer Mrs Neelima Alhuwalia Nakra

List of patrons 2018-19 Mrs Nilakshi Roy

Ms Jayashree S Kumar

M/s Gangaur Arts

M/s S K Formulations

Mrs P A Radhika

Ms Kalpa Tejura

M/s Holiday Designers

M/s Safe FoodZ Solutions

Mrs Parvathy R

Ms Kosha Baldota

Mrs Pradnya Khutafale

Ms Nutan Yadav

M/s Senior Citizens Club of Hiranandani Estate

Mrs Rajni Venkatraman

Ms Preeti Ramesh Narayan

M/s International Board of Medicine and Surgery (USA)

Mrs Rama Chandrasekhar

Ms Pournima Parkhi

Mrs Roli Saxena

Ms Sapna Agarwal

Mrs Rukmani Vijaykumar

Ms Sharmila Ghosh

Mrs Sharmistha Sanyal

Ms Shruti Surender Pati

Mrs Sreeja S Nair

Ms Shweta Matharu

Mrs Adv. Sujata Patil

Ms Sneha Simon Nair

Mrs Sumedha Khopkar

Mrs Sugandha Paresh Shah

Mrs Surbhi Chakravorty

Ms Suja Kulkarni

Mrs Suseela N Joish

Ms Sujatha Celina Fernandes

Mrs Swapna Sunil K Nair

Ms Yogita Vikrant Salunkhe

Mrs Swati Baldota

Institutional

Mrs Uma Gathani Mrs Urvashi Saxena Mrs Usha Gupta Mrs Varinder Kaur Mrs Vanita Dixit Mrs Vasanti D Mirkar

M/s AAK Kamani Pvt. Ltd. M/s Andhra Bank M/s Ashok Oil Mills M/s Buzz Events M/s Caper Couriers Pvt. Ltd.

M/s Seven Eleven Construction Pvt. Ltd.

M/s Kamaths Ourtimes Ice

M/s Sharda Cropchem Ltd.

M/s Keshavlal R Shah Charitable Trust

M/s Soap Opera

M/s Madan Mohan Fanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club

M/s Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust

M/s Maharaja Food Grains

M/s Swadeshi Grain Crushing Mill

M/s Mangaldeep Superstructures Pvt. Ltd.

M/s Swarom Events Entertainment

M/s Marico Ltd.

M/s Swastik Tiles & Marbles Co.

M/s MAS Marketing M/s Menghi Alias Kikiben C Lalvani Public Charitable Trust M/s N H Motorsports M/s Nagesh Diagnostics M/s Naram Food Products M/s Neurogen Brain & Spine Institute

M/s Swastik Vegetable Oil Products Ltd. M/s T. Punamchand Charitable Trust M/s Team Rustic M/s The Supreme Industries Ltd. M/s Trafitex Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Mrs Vijay Lakshmi Talwar

M/s Consumer Links

M/s New Radharaman Priniting Press

Mrs Vijay Matharu

M/s Pawak Foods

Mrs Vijaylakshmi Suvarna

M/s Daffodils Pre School Pvt. Ltd.

M/s Pelican Rotoflex P. Ltd.

Mrs Vimala Gangar

M/s Durga Engineering Works

M/s Probooks

M/s Ultra Pest Control Pvt. Ltd.

Mrs Vimlesh Sindhu

M/s Envirocare Labs Pvt. Ltd.

M/s Prompt Services

M/s United Way of Mumbai

Ms Aparna Menon

M/s F2F Food & Beverage Consultants

M/s Ramdevbaba Solvent Pvt. Ltd.

M/s VSTS Corporation

M/s FBO Consulting & Technical Services

M/s Ramesh Lukad Charitable Trust

Ms Divya Mamgi

M/s Fructus Consultants P. Ltd.

M/s Redshow Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Ms Geeta Menon

M/s Galaxy Surfactants Ltd.

M/s Renuka Sugars Ltd.

Miss Aradhya Anurag Ms Archana Mohan More Ms Debosmitha Ghoshal

M/s 3F Industries Ltd.

M/s Kaleesuwari Pvt. Ltd.

M/s Trito Foods Pvt. Limited M/s Uchita Graphics Printers Ltd.

M/s WeKare Society (Capgemini) M/s Yantrik Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

DARR KE AAGE JEET HAI ! – Dr. Roopali Deshpande IT IS COURAGE THAT RAISES THE BLOOD OF LIFE TO CRIMSON SPLENDOUR! Courage is an Action Based Virtue. We humans are blessed with the quality of ‘DHRITI’ [Dhairya]. There is a VEER in all of us but out of the element of veerta, DHAIRYA is most of the time in a dormant stage. What brings out the courage in people? How does that dormant quality in them become an active virtue? We have stories right from the epic of Ramayana, when Veer Hanuman flew all alone to Lanka Nagari of the mighty Ravan and depicted the power of his party by burning Lanka. Hanuman’s Love and Devotion to Lord Rama and the knowledge of Truth gave him the power to do so. When you are DOUBTLESS, You are Courageous When you know the PURPOSE, You are Courageous When you know it is LOVE, You are Courageous When You Know it is TRUTH, You are Courageous When you don’t think of RESULTS, You are Courageous. Maqbool was alone and unarmed. He was a 19 year old Kashmiri youth who delayed the march of Kabali and Pakhtoon tribesmen from Pakistan in Baramulla on 7th November 1947 and diverted them thereby buying time for the Indian troops. The Pakistanis brutally tortured him and put 19 bullets in his chest. Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani is the Great Martyr of the Freedom Movement of Kashmir. PATRIOTIC FERVOUR, the love towards his land and his people brought out the courage in Maqbool who did not succumb to the torture – His purpose was strongest! Now here’s the heroic story of Head Purser - Chief flight attendant Neerja Bhanot. The lives of 400 passengers travelling on Pan AM 73 heading to New York was at stake when terrorists belonging to the Abu Nidal Organization hijacked the plane during the stopover at Karachi, Pakistan on 5th September 1986. After 15 hours of negotiations, Neerja strategically opened the emergency exit door and saved 359 passengers by letting them out against the terrorist firing. A young girl in her mid-twenties could have jumped out first through the emergency exit for she had the rest of her life to live.

The story of Assistant sub-inspector - Tukaram Ombale is another inspiring act of courage depicting the principle of DUTY FIRST. He was martyred in action while fighting terrorists during the 2008 Mumbai Attacks at Girgaum Chowpatty. Brave Tukaram was instrumental in apprehending Ajmal Kasab ALIVE - the only terrorist who was caught alive. Tukaram could have saved himself by staying away after seeing the AK 47 Rifle in the monster’s hand, but the courage that he showed made him immortal. Brave hearts Neerja Bhanot and Tukaram Ombale chose COURAGE OVER COWARDICE! Love for their work brought out the courage during the horrendous situations - DO YOUR DUTY COME WHAT MAY. And now this story of the Noble Laureate teenager is highly inspiring. Yes, she is Malala Yousafzai from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Girls were banned from attending school by the Taliban. When Malala was just 11 years old she began writing a blog for BBC, Urdu - detailing the Taliban occupation of the Swat valley in Pakistan. When the New York Times made a documentary about her life and her purpose ’RIGHT TO EDUCATION’, Malala rose to prominence. She was threatened by the terrorists and anti-women education activists. But this did not stop her. On 9th October, 2012 she was shot in her face in an attempt to kill her [12 bullets] when she was travelling in the bus returning home after school. Fortunately, she survived and is known as a prominent activist who co-founded the Malala Fund and authored several books including the Best Seller ’I am Malala’. 12th July has been declared as the ‘Malala Day’. The brave Malala says, “Malala Day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their Rights. I raise up my voice not so that I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard”. THERE IS A PURPOSE BEHIND HER COURAGE. Courage to choose RIGHT over Easy helped Captain Arthur Rostron save 705 lives on the Titanic. These and numerous other stories of courage and bravery throw light upon the fact that FEAR and COURAGE both are inherent attributes of Humans. COURAGE IS A MATTER OF CHOICE. There are few who FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE while others FORGET EVERYTHING AND RUN. The former is a better choice because - ‘DARR KE AAGE JEET HAI !’

“Gaurav Gaatha” - Mrs. Manjushree Patil

Aatman awakens abilities and aspirations! The courageous story of a boy from Aatman Academy who dreamt a dream and is persevering to make it into a reality… against all odds!

kidneys called glomeruli stop working properly and let too much protein enter the kidneys. In most cases, the cause is not known. ... In children, the most common cause is due to minimal change disease.

The whole hospital awaits the entry of a little boy of 9 years who has been in and out of that hospital - more that 5-6 times!

That’s why, by the time he was 12-13 he had been admitted to the hospital multiple times. And the reason why he was the “life” of the ward was, because, with hospital stays extending over a month each time, Gaurav had found an excellent way of keeping himself busy and happy - it was Origami! Origami had also become a way of be-friending all the patients who came and left while little Gaurav continued for long stays in the hospital ward.

Why? Because he brings the hospital to life. That’s the hero of our story. This the story of an ex-student of Aatman Academy, Thane, Gaurav Hindalekar. This is a story of exemplary courage. Alfred Adler has quoted that “There is a courage of happiness as well as a courage of sorrow.” Gaurav epitomizes this quote. Born in a family, where his father had been a sign board painter with a very humble salary and his mother worked as a lab technician in a government hospital, Gaurav’s parents had financial challenges to contend with right from the time when he was born. But this was just the beginning of a string of other issues that Gaurav went on to face as the years rolled on. By the time he was in school for 2-3 years, his teachers had started giving his mother a “not so pleasant feedback “of his behaviour in school. “ Yo u r c h i l d i s c o n s t a n t l y fidgeting.” “Your child can’t sit in one place.” “Your child is day-dreaming in class.” “Your child is talkative, mischievous, forgetful, inattentive.” And the list went on! Just when the little boy was beginning to understand what it means to go to school, despite all these unpleasant voices in the background, he was served with a rude shock that changed the course of his life for the next 7-8 years. Gaurav was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome.

Childhood nephrotic syndrome is also called nephrosis. Nephrotic syndrome happens when tiny structures in the

It was probably one of the most painful time of his life, not just physically but also mentally. By the time Gaurav had turned 10 he had also been diagnosed with Learning Disabilities, which made his school journey very challenging. The troubles and travails of hospitalizations and school continued for another 4 years. Gaurav’s health began to stabilize. He had been able to attend the Bhonsla Military School Camp at the end of Std VIII. However, his Grades and his overall interest in school began dwindling. His parents and even Gaurav, had begun to lose hope. But one day they heard about Aatman Academy, a customized learning school that caters to the needs of students with learning disabilities. Gaurav’s parents met the school heads. For Gaurav, it was too good to be true that any school could ever be like Aatman Academy. He joined the academy and the rest like they say , is history! Gaurav was a focused students. Like Adler’s quote, he showed a lot of courage even during his happy times, by persevering and never giving up on himself! His SSC Board score of 86% are a testimony to all his efforts and eye on his life’s goal. Subsequently, Gaurav completed his Grade XII in the Commerce stream, from Kelkar college Mulund, with a distinction score and through a competitive exam bagged a seat in the coveted IHM- Institute of Hotel Management, Dadar. Today, he is all poised to complete his third year and

Gaurav aspires to do his internship at premium properties like Hilton or Starbucks! Ask him what his future plans are and he promptly replies that after working for 6-7 years and gaining the requisite experience “I wish to launch a start-up with my friends! May be something in the food or the fashion industry because both these are “currently booming”! And his dream in life? His aspiration? A simple one and yet such a profound one. “I want to be able to go to a shop to buy whatever I want to and never ever have to look at the price tag before I do!” It takes courage to say that. And even more to achieve it!

Aatman Academy Mrs. Manjushree Patil is an acclaimed education consultant specializing in inclusive education. She is the Founder Director of the Aatman Academy in Thane, a unique institution which empowers children with Learning Disabilities to achieve their fullest potential through an innovative training programme. This singular programme combines customized learning and specialized instruction to educate, while being completely sensitive to the particular needs of each child. Aatman Academy has been recognized as one of the Top Ten schools in India for learners with Special Needs for 3 consecutive years (2017, 2018 and 2019) and has a stellar record of achieving a 100% academic performance every single year.

HAVE THE COURAGE TO DREAM “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston S. Churchill We all have different meanings for the word ‘courage’. For some of us it is facing our fears without hesitation, for some it is winning and for some it is moving ahead in life with no baggage on your back. But whatever it means to one personally, the crux remains the same - courage comes from within. It is something which you can feel in your heart and it pushes you forward to do the impossible. There are times when fear takes over you and you feel your goals would remain unaccomplished, but these are the times when you need to focus on the bigger picture and not lose hope. Courage is not something which has been implanted within you since your birth but it is something which is inculcated and built up slowly and steadily. The more experiences you gather, the more courageous you become. Trying out new things in life often needs courage but the fear within you often stops you here. At such times you need to trust yourself and just go for it. There is an inner power within

your heart which tells you that ‘you can do it!’; trust the voice and move ahead. These positive voices sometimes come from other people, people who are your well-wishers. These people have a very vital role to play in your life. When you can’t pick yourself up, they help you; when you are not ready to face your fears, they motivate you; when you feel low, they inspire you! Try to keep such optimistic energy around you, negative energy only results in negative things. It is said that courage is found in unlikely places, so we should go out and find it. It is true that it takes courage to do anything in your life. Ordering your own food at a counter is as scary for some people as climbing Mount Everest for some others. Here comparison should never come into the picture. We should face our fears and our fears will only slowly disappear when we start facing them. Getting out of your comfort zone and getting that thing done from your to-do list is called being courageous. So, take risks, face your fears, don’t fear judgment or failures, it only makes your journey interesting and sharpens your experience. RUJUTA THETE SIMC, PUNE.

My journey from darkness to light - My Udaan If you ever visit Udaan Welfare Foundation’s Saksham Community Centre at Azadnagar, it is most likely that you will come across a middle-aged woman with a cheerful disposition, who will always greet you with a bright smile! That’s Mrs. Dave for you! Mrs. Divya Manoj Dave joined the Udaan family on 3rd Jan, 2019 and today has become an integral part of it. She does the crucial job of actually going out to the nearby underprivileged communities, spreading awareness about the work Udaan does at its Saksham Community Centre, and encouraging them to come and take maximum benefit of all the facilities provided here. Mrs. Dave is a person full of zest, always enthusiastic about her work, but this is a far cry from what she used to be like a year ago. And thus getting an insight into that dark chapter of her life, of her coming out from a very self-destructive, depressive phase to finding herself back again is truly inspiring! As Mrs. Divya shares, “It’s hard to explain how I started suffering from depression. A personal tragedy I suffered could possibly have triggered the depressive thoughts in my mind. They however only kept growing and before I knew it I was adopting the mask of allrightness that every depressed person learns to wear in order to navigate the world. But very soon even that started to peel off. With every passing day, going out for chores and even normal day-to-day interactions with people became more and more difficult, because whomever I came across, whether they were the people I knew or even random strangers, it just felt like everyone out there was judging me and hating on me. And it made me sad and angry. I somewhere knew that all of this made no sense, but that’s how my mindset had become. I felt isolated in my own pitch-darkness, even when I was in a room full of conversation and light. My daughter started avoiding me. My husband realized something was amiss and tried to reach out but there was only so much he could do to help me because on the surface I was fine, there was as such nothing wrong with me to pinpoint. Also truth be told, depression is both boring and threatening as a subject of conversation. In the end there is no one to intervene on your behalf when you yourself disappear into what feels like a psychological dungeon.

And so my downward spiral to depression continued. There was no motivation, no positivity. I was not living a life, merely existing. I often wondered if I could ever get up in the morning without being held captive by my morose thoughts doing their wild and wily gymnastics of despair. And all of this kept getting incrementally worse with each passing day, until at times suicide seemed like the only exit.

I was almost got convinced that I was never getting out of this but like they say, when you are at your lowest point, the only way left is up! In hindsight, I will say Shri Ajay Pandeji, whom I fondly address as ‘Ajay Bhai’, and his family were the ones instrumental in my journey of getting back to being myself. To distract my cycle of depressive thoughts, Ajay Bhai suggested to me to come and give company to his elderly parents. Ramashankarji and Chandrawatiji Pande were like god-sent angels in my life and I still regard them as so. They were caring, non-judgmental and supportive and treated me like their own daughter. I have always been a good cook and Chandrawatiji entrusted me with the job of handling their entire family kitchen. I however had no trust in myself and refused the offer but she insisted that I should take it up. She would come in at intervals to see how I was doing or just sit there watching in silent support. As I immersed myself in cooking, it not only kept me preoccupied from my depressive thoughts but somewhere also started building my confidence. This routine went on until one day Ajay Bhai asked me to visit Udaan’s Saksham Community Centre. He is a good friend of Udaan’s Founder President Dr. Anil Luniya as well as a member. They had a healthy conversation with me with regards to what I was going through and both of them were of the opinion that I should start working at Saksham. They entrusted me with the job of going to the lower-income community in Azadnagar and making the residents aware of all the facilities provided here at Saksham. I still remember my first day at work. I had developed cold feet but the confidence shown in me encouraged me to just step out into the field and do it. I went to Azadnagar and knocked on the first door. However, soon as I started explaining, the lady at the door made an excuse and shut it on my face. My heart shattered. That was all it took to break me all over again. I couldn’t muster the courage to try the next door and just ran away. I finally stopped and sat at a Shivji’s mandir, wallowing in self-pity and condemning myself for even trying at the first place because ‘You’re a failure’ is all that kept going in my mind. I hadn’t even realized, I had started crying until an elderly man approached me asking what was wrong. I had no answer to give but he just came ahead and blessed me gently touching my head. He told me to not give up and that I was meant to do great things in my life. For a moment, I was in daze and didn’t know how to react, but I realized there was a smile on my face. It was like ‘Shivji’ himself had come to my rescue. That very moment I knew I was going back again and completing what I had set out to do. I was not going to let my depression consume me anymore”.

And so Mrs. Dave had found the courage to stand on her feet again. She had found the hope to cling on to, until her strength returned. Working for Saksham gave her motivation that in a way helped her get back her purpose in life.

on her face, when she says how grateful she is for everything in life and that she can never be thankful enough to Ajay Bhai and his parents and to Dr. Luniya for wholeheartedly accepting her and making her part of this Udaan family.

But that’s how life is, isn’t it? It plays the cruelest of jokes on you, breaks you and then just as casually, lights that little torch in your head. Enough to guide you through the dim shadows of pain and despair!

It was both heartening and inspiring to hear the first-hand account of her story that she so bravely narrated and I am so glad Mrs. Divya was able to take that “Udaan” and realized that her destiny was not to rot in gloom and despair but to fulfill her dreams and be the best version of herself!

Surely it was a slow and gradual process but with every new work assignment she found herself getting stronger, more confident. Today when you talk to her, you find her emanating positivity and hope. She says that entering the Saksham centre is like entering a holy place and she looks forward to coming here every day, of doing something good and getting better at her work. She is full of aspirations as she candidly shares over a hearty laugh that to put her cooking skills on display she would maybe one day like to participate in the Indian version of Master Chef Australia! And why not ? I would surely hope to see that. Mrs. Dave also shares that her husband is her biggest support system today and there is so much genuineness and gratitude

As I pen this down I realize that through her story I took a lesson back home as well ! “Whenever you feel dispirited and forlorn, look within yourself. Search through the depths of your mind and soul. Explore your own self. Take that Udaan! Rediscover your forgotten strengths and lost hopes. Find that spark within you. Rekindle it. And let it burn through the darkness!” SHOURYA RAWOOL (SIMC, Pune) (Based on an interview with Mrs. Divya Dave)

Sea of Courage Captain Sunil Kumar Menon, who was one of the Indians on the ship - ‘Stena Impero’, has been awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Anne at a ceremony held on the 6th November, 2019 at the Trinity House, London (UK). This prestigious medal has been awarded to Captain Sunil Kumar Menon for showing exceptional leadership and professionalism, as well as for his exemplary actions, which resulted in maintaining both the morale of his crew and the integrity of his vessel, and he is the first Indian to receive the award. Stena Impero, a British-flagged oil tanker was seized by the Iranian Forces in the Strait of Hormuz, a geopolitically vital sea route. Iranian authorities claimed that the Stena Impero was violating international maritime rules. But the country’s leaders have also suggested the seizure was retaliation for Britain’s role in detaining an Iranian tanker earlier in July.

conversations and sent signals to the Indian Government for rescue. Capt. Sunil Kumar Menon along with his crew were kept in captivity by the Iranian Government for 70 days and showed utmost patience, resilience and exceptional professionalism and determination during this period. It was due to his courage and composure that the lives of his men were saved and they were brought back safely. It is a proud moment for all of us. We salute his bravery and pass on our best wishes for the future. Dr. Prasanna Menon, associated with Udaan Welfare Foundation is the spouse of Capt. Sunil Kumar Menon.

Captain Sunil Kumar Menon, took charge of the ship, did not surrender and kept spinning the ship in order to create a disturbance so that the Iranian ships could not come closer. The Iranian forces then brought in helicopters for attack and that is when he stopped to surrender. He recorded all the

PIONEERS AND LEADERS IN PLASTICS GOODS MANUFACTURERS OF : (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

PRODUCT GROUPS Plastics Piping System Consumer Products Industrial Products Packaging Products Composite Products

PRODUCTS uPVC pipes, Injection moulded fittings & Handmade fittings, Polypropylene Random Co-polymer pipes & fittings, HDPE pipe systems, CPVC pipe systems, LLDPE Tubes and Inspection chambers and manholes, Bath fittings, Roto moulded Tanks and Fittings. Furniture Industrial products, Material handling systems and Pallets Performance packaging film products, Protective packaging products, Cross Laminated Film Composite LPG Gas Cylinders, Composite Pipes and Composite Pallets.

FACTORIES AT :

(1) Derabassi (Punjab) (2) Durgapur (West Bengal) (3) Gadegaon (Maharashtra) (4) Guwahati (Assam) (5) Halol – Unit I (Gujarat) (6) Halol – Unit II (Gujarat) (7) Halol – Unit III (Gujarat) (8) Halol – Unit IV (Gujarat) (9) Hosur Unit I (Tamilnadu) (10) Hosur Unit II (Tamilnadu) (11) Jalgaon Unit I (Maharashtra) (12) Jalgaon Unit II (Maharashtra) (13) Kanhe (Maharashtra) (14) Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) (15) Khopoli (Maharashta) (16) Khushkhera (Rajashtan) (17) Malanpur 1 (Madhya Pradesh) (18) Malanpur 2 (Madhya Pradesh) (19) Noida (Uttar Pradesh) (20) Puducherry (Union Territory) (21) Silvassa (Union Territory) (22) Sriperumbudur (Tamilnadu) (23) Urse (Maharashtra)

THE SUPREME INDUSTRIES LIMITED REGISTERED OFFICE : 612, RAHEJA CHAMBERS, NARIMAN POINT, MUMBAI 400021. PHONE : (022) - 22851656 / (022) - 22851159 FAX : (022) - 22851657 CORPORATE OFFICE : 1161 & 1162 SOLITAIRE CORPORATE PARK, 167, GURU HARGOVINDJI MARG, ANDHERI-GHATKOPAR LINK ROAD, ANDHERI (EAST), MUMBAI - 400093 PHONE : (022) 67710000 / 40430000 • FAX : (022) 67710099/40430099 E-mail : supreme@supreme.co.in • Website : http://www.supreme.co.in

With Best Compliments from

E New Radharaman Printing Press C C C Adress: 12, Wadala Udyog Bhavan, Wadala, Mumbai 400 031. 67

With Best Compliments from

E CAPER COURIER PVT. LTD. Adress: Unit # 15, Adarsh Industrial Estate, Sahar Cargo Road, Near Cigarette Factory, Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai-400093, Tel: 64573421-30

With Best Compliments from Mr. Suresh Gandhi

Prompt Services Mailing Agent Adress: 66/74, Chandanwadi, Near Marine Line Station, Mumbai 400 002. Phone : 022-22064141 Mobile : 9820282029 68

Farm to Fork Solutions Pvt. Ltd.’s wealth of experience and knowledge improves our clients ability to achieve their business and organizational objectives. Our company focus on the process required to take your project or business from where it is now to where you want it to be or what you want to achieve. we work side by side with our clients, listening and learning about what they want to achieve. We take that information and turn it into a highly practical and sustainable solution. we are open to helping clients large medium and small. We offer following services: Food & Nutraceutical and Agro Industries Services: Supply of Food and Nutraceutical Ingredients across India for all industry type with constant prices, best quality and safe products. Sterilizer - Care biodegradable and non-toxic sanitizer. Helps to sanitize Pharmaceutical, Food and Nutraceutical Industries .Licensing, Registration and Certification i.e., FSSAI, ISO:17025, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 22000:2005, ISO 14001:2004, HACCP, BRC, IFS, Global GAP, Organic certification International Codes and Practices (Codex, SPS, TBT measures of WTO, etc.)Service provider of FSSAI, BIS, FDA, Agmark License ,Package Registration ( Mfg./ Imp),Label Approval ,Nominations Guidance on Registered cases ,Services Related To Weights And Measurements ,Manufacturing and repairing license, model approval etc .Consultancy of Lab Setup, Registration & Process filling which are required for USFDA registration of acidic & Low acidic canned food (LACF) products ,Support in conducting shelf life studies. Improving the shelf life of existing products, Support during plant trials ,Formulations etc .Conduct Training Programs related to Food Safety Management, Product Selection, Site Selection, Project Report ,Bank Loan Proposals ,Guidance for Subsidy & Schemes ,Ideology development and concept were screening ,Techno-economic feasibility of the project ,Technology hunt and Technical collaboration Layout designing , Machinery designing, Contract manufacturing search ,Location feasibility ,Machinery Erection & Commissioning ,Standard operating procedure development,Placement services for Food & Agriculture Industries. Pharma services: Drug License registration services are provided by us with all the enquiries, queries including proper guidance towards documentation for the registration. We are technical and consultancy service provider. Various licenses such as: Grant for Drug Selling License ,Grant for Drug and Cosmetic Manufacturing License ,Grant of additional product permission ,Approval of public testing laboratories and blood storage centre ,Renewal of licenses falling under different categories ,Any other license related to Allopathic, Ayurvedic and Cosmetic units. Cosmetic Services: Formulation Development, Packaging Development, Product Up gradation, On-Site Laboratory, New-Cosmetic Plant, Regulatory Services. Liaisoning & licensing services for : legal matters & adjunction of FSSAI, Drug, food and agriculture project. Health & fire licence, insecticide & agriculture Licence. Laboratory setup & accreditation, weight, measures & legal metrology, MPCB consent & environment, Fostac Training partner. ISI mark and BIS for electrical product. Address: C -3 ,Balrama Building , basement no.3, 12, Nr. Family court, opposite FDA , B.K.C Bandra (east) Mumbai-400051 (india) Email: farmtoforksolution@gmail.com. • Tel: 02249741140 / 49724227 • Office: 91-8655078603-07. • Visit our site: www.farmtoforkindia.com

We bring a unique perspective to food safety by combining extensive, practical hands-on experience, with a clear understanding of the business imperatives that are crucial to your success. We provide these services to processors/manufacturers, food service operators, retailers, distributors & other food business operators. Who are we ? Experts in area of Food & Beverage industry having more than 30 yrs of experience in Food Processing, Food safety & Food Auditing. Our Expertise Area : Licensing Support  Central & State licensing support under FSSAI  Licensing condition requirements preparations. Documentation Documentation and Compliance of Schedule 4 requirements.  Food safety plan and food recall documentation. 

Training Tailor made training programmes



Auditing GMP/GHP Audits of the facilities  Support in implementation of FSMS systems. 

Regulatory Ingredient/additive approval under FSSAI.

 

Import licensing and support under FSSAI. Annual Returns filing under FSSAR.

CONTACT DETAILS : Mr. M. M. Chitale FBO Consulting and Technical Services A7, Shantiniketan Co-op. Hsg. Society, Kopri Road, Thane (E) 400 603, Near Anand Cinema Email: fboconsultingservices@gmail.com

safefoodZ solutions

Navi Mumbai-Pune-Delhi-Bangalore

Our Services:

 FSSAI - FSSR Compliance: FoSTaC Training - Catering, Dairy Sector, Manufacturing; and Licensing & Schedule - 4 guidance

General

 Food Safety Documentation & Training: HACCP, FSSC 22000, BRC-Food, USFDA-FSMA, etc.

 Jain-Food Certification: Guidance & Assistance for compliance  Food Safety training: Special course of “Advanced FSMS - FSTL” & Online Certificate Courses

Contact: M-9588474060, WA No. 7666578715 Email: haccp.sbi@gmail.com, safefoodz@gmail.com

With Best Compliments From :

E ď&#x192;¤ VSTS Corporation VSTS Corporation We help designing..typesetting.. making editable PDF..proof reading.. outdoor printing..offset/web offset printing.. screen printing..

Regd. Office: 1, Mangesh, Near Datta Mandir, Dahanukarwadi, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400 067. Office: 601, Manek Apartment, Off M. G. Road, Dahanukar Wadi, Kandivali (W), Mumbai 400 067. Tel. : 022 6580 1224, 9870128177, 9820326175 E-mail: vstscorporation@gmail.com

With Best Compliments from

Adress: 65, Ideal Industrial Estate, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013. www.uchitha.com 72

With Best Compliments from

E MA NIKETAN

(The Society of The Helpers of Mary)

F2F Food and Beverage Consultants F 2F provides customized product development solutions, technical guidance for the Package Food, beverages, Dairy, Chewing, QSR industry. l Product design and development as per brief/ specific needs/ competition mapping for food and Beverage Product l To design the process flow, setting up parameters (time/ temperature/ pressure/ others), for any unit operation or process in Food industry. l Setting of manufacturing plant. l Conducting scale up trials at third party unit to ensure, we can get consistent product (as lab sample), including necessary changes in operations. l Conducting shelf life testing of product. l Label development as per regulatory compliance (FSSAI). l Documentation for raw materials, finished goods, SoP for manufacturing and others. l Setting up system, process and documentation for any package products and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) l

Andheri (East), Mumbai – 400093 (India) • Cell: +91 9769458055, 8652828057 • email: mathur_ritesh@hotmail.com GST Reg. No.: 27AFUPM5761M1ZI HSN Code: 998311 www.f2f.solutions India mart: https://www.indiamart.com/f2f-food-beverage-consultants/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritesh-mathur-35115a14/

YOUR PARTNER IN CO-DEVELOPMENT AAK Kamani believes in the power of innovation to Co-Develop products with our customers

BAKERY

CONFECTIONERY

To Co-Develop innovative solutions, contact The Co-Development Company

info.in@aakkamani.com l ï&#x20AC;¦ 1800 266 6363

FROZEN DESSERT

CULINARY

E With best compliments from a well wisher C C C C C C C C C

Redshow is a leading event production house with robust experience in the event industry of more than 15 years. With an expansive infrastructure & a pool of talented professionals, Redshow is best equipped to take up production of events and exhibitions of any magnitude, within the country or across the globe. Redshow has always delivered on time and to the satisfaction of its clients. Redshow has been actively involved over a period of 15 years in producing conferences, branch launches, theme events, fashion shows, live shows, award shows, road shows and promotional activities for many top corporate houses and event management companies.

HEATSEAL INSULATION CUM WATERPROOFING COATING

A STEP AHEAD IN PROTECTION…. A A STEP AHEAD STEP AHEADININPROTECTION…. PROTECTION….

FEATURES: FEATURES: FEATURES: Excellent Heat Insulation Excellent HeatHeat Insulation Properties. Excellent Insulation A STEP AHEAD IN PROTECTION…. Properties. Properties. (Temperature Gradient of 8 to 12 Gradient of 8ofto8 12 Gradient to 12 FEATURES: (Temperature °C (Temperature in peak summer.) °C in °C peak summer.) in peak summer.) Guaranteed Water Proofing. Heat Insulation Excellent Guaranteed Water Proofing. Guaranteed Water Proofing. (Porta Cabins ) (Concrete surfaces) Properties. Excellent Corrosion Resistance. (PortaCabins Cabins) ) (Concrete Excellent Corrosion Resistance. (Porta (Concretesurfaces) surfaces) Excellent Corrosion Resistance. (Temperature Gradient of 8 to 12 APPLICATION: APPLICATION: APPLICATION: °C in peak summer.) Exterior Walls Exterior Walls Guaranteed Water Proofing. Exterior Walls Metallic Roofs Metallic Roofs (Porta Cabins ) (Concrete surfaces) Excellent Corrosion Resistance. Metallic Roofs Concrete Slabs Concrete Slabs Concrete Slabs APPLICATION: Porta Cabin Porta Cabin Porta Cabin Exterior Walls (Exterior Walls) (Metal Roofs) (Exterior Walls) (Metal Roofs) Metallic Roofs (Exterior Walls) (Metal Roofs) Concrete SlabsBEST COMPLIMENTS FROM…. WITH Porta Cabin SK FORMULATIONS INDIA PVT LTD SK FORMULATIONS INDIA PVT LTD (An ISO 9001-2015INDIA Certified Company) SK FORMULATIONS PVT LTD (Exterior Walls) (Metal Roofs) (An ISO 9001-2015 Certified Company) R-406 , TTC INDUSTRIAL AREA, (An ISO 9001-2015 Certified Company) R-406 , TTC INDUSTRIAL AREA, M.I.D.C , NEARAREA, KAUSHALYA MILLS R-406 , TTCRABALE INDUSTRIAL M.I.D.C RABALE- 400 , NEAR KAUSHALYA MILLS NAVI MUMBAI 701. M.I.D.C RABALE , NEAR KAUSHALYA MILLS

WITHBEST BESTCOMPLIMENTS COMPLIMENTSFROM…. FROM…. WITH WITH BEST COMPLIMENTS FROM….

NAVI MUMBAI - 400 INDIA 701. PVT LTD SK FORMULATIONS NAVI MUMBAI - 400 701. (An ISO 9001-2015 Certified Company) R-406 , TTC INDUSTRIAL AREA,

(Meet & Greet with Zaheer Khan (Former Indian Cricketer) and Eoin Morgan (England Cricket Captain) with Students of Success Academy, Thane, facilitated by Udaan Welfare Foundation)