It was the first week of lockdown in India and we were transitioning to working from home. As schools were closed, our existing school-based CSR activities were no longer relevant. But, as a CSR team, we were also very aware of the fact that there were a lot of other needs as a result of the pandemic.
From the news, we could see that many people were struggling to obtain food or daily wages. We approached our charity partner Aksha Patra to see how we could help and, in total, we’ve provided 75,000 meals to the homeless and those living on daily wages across India. We’re also working with our other existing partner, a local deaf and mute school in Gurgaon, this time sponsoring digital editors to create educational content, so that the students can continue to learn during the lockdown.
I grew up in a township about 500km from Gurgaon: I’ve seen how people struggle day to day to get their basic necessities. This made me into someone who wants to give back. Colt gave me an excellent opportunity to do just that five years ago, when I was encouraged to establish a CSR team in India.
Because of what we’re living through at the moment, the combination of mental health and kindness is really powerful. If you have strong mental health, you can contribute to society. Likewise, if you contribute to society, you get personal satisfaction. Personally, it helps me sleep well at night.
Vinay Mishra | Director Portfolio Pricing | Gurgaon
