It is such an honor for me to be assigned this role. I am really thankful of the Ekal leadership to believe in me and extend this opportunity to serve at Ekal. Ekal New England Chapter has seen some of the finest leaders over the past 15 years, working to bring not only education but holistic development of villages in rural India. I see this as an opportunity to collaborate with my peers and take this effort forward.

Could you introduce the Ekal - New England team to us?

My interaction with the Ekal-New England team in the past couple of years has put me in total awe at the dedication and commitment of the volunteers. My family and I have been lucky to be part of the ‘Ekal-Pariwar’. Ranjani Saigal  is the Executive Director of Ekal USA. She is a powerhouse! The current Ekal – New England leads include Anil Chawla as Vice President, Pushpa Baskaran  as Secretary, Chetana  Sanghvi is the Treasurer, Anuradha Upneja  as Director of Youth Activities, and Srilakshmi Srinivasan as the Program Coordinator. The team has the support of relentless leaders, Ram Nehra , Puran Dang and past Presidents, Amrit Soni , Subra Dravida. Dr. Adi Guzdar, Neeraj Chandra, Anu Chitrapu and Vandana Sharma are part of our strategy group. The energetic group has been able to bring several new ideas and projects in action, spreading awareness about Ekal mission, and contributing to the goals.

What motivated you to join the Ekal movement? 

Education has been a focus in my family all along. My parents went through the struggle after partition. My father became the first Electrical-Mechanical engineer in his community, starting his early education in a one room school in Pakistan. My sister and brother have been entrepreneurs in education, running schools in India. I truly believe in the power of education and the influence it can have on the life of an individual to solving world problems. Ekal is a grassroots movement, just doing that. This was an opportunity to make a difference, to be part of the change Ekal is bringing in rural India, and giving back to the country we all love so dearly. When Ranjani Saigal ji, asked me to join her team, I readily agreed.

Can you tell us a little about the Ekal Garba that is coming up? 

One of the new programs launched by Ekal New England team is EYL – Ekal Youth Leaders group. This program brings the youth together who are passionate about education and Ekal mission, and want to make a difference. It is really about ‘kids helping kids’. It also gives the youth leadership opportunities while working on a noble cause. Ekal Garba is one such project, brainchild of EYL, Manasi Danke. The NE community is invited to join us on Saturday evening, Nov 7, at Lynnfield Church, for Garba-Dandia, dancing for a cause!
(Details here: http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/cal.php?stage=1&event_id=12015)

What opportunities are you planning to explore for Ekal New England in the upcoming year? 

Ekal has been working tirelessly for over 25 years now, running over 54,000 schools in rural India. There is still a daunting task ahead of us. As Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Laureate says, ‘the world will be a much better place if each one of us did our bit’. I feel there are many opportunities out there which we haven’t explored – both for outreach and funds. Would like work toward creating awareness about Ekal outside the Indian community. Representing Ekal at the Topsfield State Fair recently was one such project. Similarly, would like to find synergies with organizations like WHO, UNESCO, to seek their help. This is on top of Ranjani ji’s list.  Will like to tap into the expertise of engineers and technologists on the NE team. We will continue to focus on involving our youth; they are really the future leaders!

Why should people join the Ekal movement? 

I believe that the Ekal movement is so forceful and their single-teacher model so effective with education for $1/day, that it very easily touches a heart which has experienced the power of education in some way or the other. The reasons to join can be many – one could relate to a personal story, or bring hope to others who have not had the opportunity, build leadership skills through community service, give back to the community, dream of a literate country, world peace, or just for a good karma! Please visit our website, www.ekal.org, talk to us, volunteer.

Can you tell us a little about your work at Oracle?

At Oracle, I lead a team for the Retail Business Unit, building planning platform for retailers. We make use of science and powerful algorithms to make retailers profitable in their business. We provide wide range of services/applications including Merchandising Financial Planning, Demand Forecasting, Category Management, Markdown Optimization, and the like. As leaders in this field, we work with cutting edge technologies.

How do you manage to balance your work with the community activities?

I think if there is a will, there is a way! While my work is very involved, managing both US and India teams, the Ekal mission is very close to my heart. I end up finding time for this passion. I am also fortunate to have the full support of my family and friends.

Any message for our readers?

Get involved for any good cause, donate, volunteer! Every act of kindness makes a difference and does not go unnoticed. This Diwali, let us light another lamp of education, start a new Ekal school, adopt a village.