To the winners and the winners!

29 September, 2011.- The D-Day for all C2P participants. After days of hardwork, late night researching and field visits, the day finally arrived.
  The event kickstarted with sweaty, shivering hands and frequent visits to the loo, progressed with the 13 teams coming up with a myriad of ideas, from agriculture to art, to alternative energy sources and drug addiction, we saw it all, and it all ended with a bunch of smiling faces.
  Kudos to all participants! And our heartiest congratulations to all the three winning teams..you guys deserved every bit of it! One message for Arushi, Shreyasi and Shruti, 3 of our SIFE freshers who were adjudged one of the winning teams...SUPER PROUD OF U GUYS!
 C2P proved to be a great learning experience for all us freshers, being more than a mere competition, it left us enriched  with lessons valued by all budding entrepreneurs.
  They say you win some and you lose some...but C2P has been all about winning..hearts, friends, experience and of course the grants...:)

Time to Rise and Shine!

    We have lows too...In SIFE while we work on a project, we put in all our heart and soul in that, (...having a first-hand experience of that while working for C2P), but there are those occasions when something or the other doesn't work out, we have a mental block when the faculties of the mind just refuse to suggest something, compelling us to doubt our presence in SIFE. But our SIFE team is such that the shortcomings of one is made up for by the virtues of another and vice-versa. SIFE is a melting pot of ideas and the latest
development in Aahaar proves me right...
    Aahaar is ready for trials on Monday for a factory and we have our fingers crossed. After a bleak period, Aahaar, the baby of all our second years is finally getting its dues...
    It is a great motivation for all us freshers reminding us of what Churchill once said.."Kites rise highest against the wind-not with it."
"GO AAHAAR! GO AAHAAR! GO AAHAAR!"

Are we in or are we not?

 

  Well...the probation period has finally ended...and the one question that is troubling each of the freshers is..."Dude...I hope they haven't chucked me out!"
   Talking of probation...following were the changes that freshers underwent when they awoke to the idea that.."Dude...I COULD...AFTER ALL.. be chucked out!"
1) Firstly those freshers who were...not a long while back looked upon as epitomes of tardiness, alarmingly started reaching before time on all SIFE meetings!
2) Another alarming activity was noticed. Seniors were almost pestered to assign work to the freshers and Surabhi was often heard pacifying people with the line.."Dont worry! We are not going to chuck you out just because WE didnt give you a chance to work!"
3) Then, all those who, earlier, conveniently made up for their lack of response to the mails sent to them by innocently stating, "Actually...my net crashed," were found checking their mails as much as five times a day! Phew!

4) Even the quitest of freshers were found grabbing one senior or another and outpouring all that they gathered from the research they did..sometimes even making imaginary problems to prove they had been working!

    This is the quality of SIFE. It keeps us on our toes. It teaches us to value time. It instillls in us what is called professionalism...But all said and done...the question still remains..."Are we in or are we not?"

...And this is what SIFE does to you!.

                                             

  SIFE- An international organization that promotes social entrepreneurship amongst students..Mark my words!..SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP!..And not mere charity is what we stand for..

  Just about two months ago, I was a commoner, a good Samaritan, a god-fearing citizen...but at the end of the day.."a commoner.” Whenever I would pass by a beggar on the road, I would...like any ordinary person does, promptly reach for my wallet and toss a penny or two in the beggar’s hat. Hat? A correction there.. In India we do not have hats..vintage aluminium bowls is what you will toss your penny in! The person would smile at me and I would gladly go my way thinking I have done a great job. Oh! There would be no other person on this planet Earth as righteous as me!

   Two months later…I still come across the same limping men whining on the pavement, abandoned old women still catch my eye…But I am a changed person now! Now, the first thing that strikes my mind is..Can this be our next community? I stand there contemplating…how can we employ them? How can we help them so that we do not find them again on this pavement? Once on my way back home I encountered a blind man on the road…I almost roped him in an interview…but realizing after the first couple of questions that a world without light was no fun for him…the way it intrigued me…I let him go…but that was not it!
  On my way I kept pondering how can I bring light to worlds of people like him…whether we could add a meaning to their lives…and the quest is still on…

    So THIS is what SIFE does to you…or at least has done to me. We start where other people stop. And I hope this spirit never dies…

...And the racking of brains begins!

       

  "I think we should go for this community, we can really come up with a path-breaking model!"
  "No, but what if...?"
  "Did you speak to this NGO?"
  "What is their group doing?"
  "GOOGLE IT!"
 
   Above is just an excerpt from what you will overhear students saying nowadays to one another if u happen to sit in the library, canteen and many other nooks and corners of the campus.
  The groundwork for C2P has begun and the campus is abuzz with discussions, counter discussions, field-visits..and the very air is breathing enthusiasm. As posted earlier, C2P Case Grant Competition is an amazing
opportunity for students to test their entrepreneurial skills. Talking about entrepreneurial skills..(clears throat)
I would really like to appreciate the efforts put in by our seniors over these years, as now that we have got cracking with research, new ideas..we are realising what an uphill task it is to come up with a business model addressing a social cause. But, as Kahlil Gibran has very beautifully put- "The lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul.", we are not going to get daunted by the apparent enormity of the task!
  We are communicating with people we have never communicated with before, in the process of researching, we are also finding ourselves more and more enlightened with the problems being faced by the deprived sections of the society, we are fostering new friendships and having pure fun!
  Amidst all this, we met Shruti ma'am, the Chief Co-ordinator of Sife in North India. The vivacious lady that she is and the way she encouraged us, we are extremely happy to have her as our mentor.
  So, fuelling ourselves with chocolates and momos..we are all set to push the envelope further and hope we come off with flying colours.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Amen.

MEETINGS

Meeting, a term which is looked upon with utmost seriousness. A platform where people interact, exchange ideas and take important decisions. Our SIFE meetings are no different. We have a very intellectual hour (hours) of discussion. That doesn’t mean they are boring, of course not. We have our bit of fun. Let me elucidate.


Our meetings start on a very positive note. We have people running and coming from all parts of the college. SIFE is very particular when it comes to punctuality. So the first aim while attending a meeting is to make it on time. There is nothing exciting about standing outside the room when the meeting is going on. Then we move on to the attendance. For some reason attendance is always a very funny part of the meetings. Like a typical classroom attendance we have some people forgetting to respond when it’s their turn and others who respond in a hilarious way (every single person including the writer of this article falls in either of the two categories). What follows the attendance is as I had mentioned earlier, serious and important discussions.

Every week all of us wait for the gathering of our little family. A time when we laugh, a time when we work. We crack jokes and we take notes. Nowhere is it said that meetings should be all about business, it’s about social life as well. After all in SIFE your colleagues are your close friends and comrades

What's happening @ SRCC

SRCC is buzzing with the election campaigns going on in full swing. Posters, placards and pamphlets are the only things that are visible. (Imagine some supporters were also distributing bookmarks in the library!!) On the other hand some people are just enjoying the days off on Wednesday and Friday. Everyone please come to vote and exercise your right. REMEMBER bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.


Also just a reminder for everyone, the deadline for applying to the C2P Case Grant Competition is 9th September. So all of you hurry up and register! And spread the word around too! Encourage your friends to take part in this amazing opportunity. We want as many applications as possible. All of us at SIFE are working hard to make it a success.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,

People will forget what you did,

But people will never forget how you made them feel.

(Source unknown)

So go ahead and come up with an idea to help the society

SIFE is presenting all its freshers with an opportunity to discover our potential and realize what all we are capable of. All of us are truly enjoying the time we spend with SIFE in its meetings, discussions.........etc Bye to all :)

CAMPUS COMMUNITY PROGRAM

SIFE SRCC has taken part in an initiative called Campus Community Program which gives all the students a chance to come up with their own social entrepreneurship projects. It gives us an opportunity to employ our creative and analytical minds and come up with a project to benefit a community. SIFE held an orientation for the same on the 2nd of September. And guess what? If the project is too good, it could be the next SIFE project!! Isn’t that a really big incentive? Everyone at SIFE go pass the word around and encourage more and more people to take part. We all hope this program is a huge success and an enriching experience for many of us. The essence of this programme is captured in this quote by Barack Obama-“Find somebody to be successful for. Raise their hopes. Think of their needs. That is true success in life.”


Meanwhile, the first years are getting a first-hand experience of the functioning of SIFE and its organised methods. Doing something productive for the society gives all of us great pleasure and we enjoy work a lot. With the support and guidance of the second years we soon hope to make valuable contributions.

Before you begin a thing, remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead. If you could see them clearly, naturally you could do a great deal to get rid of them but you can't. You can only see one thing clearly and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin.

Leaders

       Leaders form an integral part of any organization, whether it be formal or informal. Leadership is an all pervasive process. They bring an order to the group and inspires their followers. It is only through their guidance and efforts with which the taste of success becomes more sweet. Thus it is quite evident that leaders are necessary to overcome the hurdles that obstruct the path to glory.

     There is one thing about leadership, the torch has to be passed on. One of the most important duties of a leader is to train their followers to become future leaders and that is exactly what has happened in SIFE, the process of succession. The newly declared leaders, I am sure owe  their growth to their seniors. This is what we expect too and this is what we will be taught.

      I hope that by next year we will be worthy of being leaders and manage the phenomenon that SIFE is. The year ahead is definitely going to be a tough and a challenging one. Why worry? After all we are blessed with talented leaders. All I got to say is ‘BRING IT ON’!!!!

    

A NEW ERA AT SIFE

Today was a very important day for everyone at SIFE. The third year members along with Abhay Sir, our faculty advisor announced the posts of responsibility to be held by the second years which are

President-Surabhi Seth                                                                        

Co-President- Twinkle Uppal

Director Of Finance-Pujya Priyadarshini

Director of Aahaar- Ankit Sawhney

Director of Life On Wheels-Puja Verma
Director of Public Relations-Harshini Shanker
Director of Creative – Jishnu Gandhi
Director of Campus Community Program -Sameer Sheikh


Very big congratulations to all of you!! As the saying goes- with great powers great responsibilities come themselves. We hope you enjoy your new positions.


The first years had a very enjoyable time today listening to the experiences of our seniors, the impact SIFE has on their lives and how it can really evolve us as a professional. We realized that what one gives to SIFE is just a small fraction what one gets back from it. We would definitely value their advice and try to incorporate all the good values in our characters. This has motivated us a lot to contribute as much as each of us can.


Work at SIFE has started in full swing and we are learning new things every day and having new experiences. We have a lot to learn from our seniors. We do look forward to more SIFE experiences to come our way.

Signing off for today