ANTARDHWANI - Inner voice for a new life!

Its that time of the year again, where fests are all around you! Here, there, everywhere!

One of the most awaited ones, was the cultural fest of Delhi University, Antardhwani from the 22nd to 24th of February. This meant a long extended weekend for most DU students.

For others, it was a chance to present a year's worth of hardwork as part of the DU Innovation Grant projects.

In business terms, creativity is defined as the ability to come up with something different, something unique. Innovation is the ability to do existing things through new means. What we had at the Antardhwani Innovation Projects' hall was a mix of the two, along with a passion, determination and conviction in the hearts and minds of the students who presented their projects.

Representing SRCC was Enactus SRCC's project Aahaar - Reclaiming lives the culinary way!

In 2010, a group of students listened to their 'inner voice', the antardhwani that beckoned them to wake up, and stand up for a cause that has long been 'tabooed' by society. That of, women victims of commercial exploitation. Working with women who have been rescued from this horrendous profession, and helping them give life another chance is a moving experience and an extremely enriching one, and so was presenting it at Antardhwani. With our audience ranging from students to professors to social work groups and business houses, we ensured that the message being conveyed, held relevance for every one, and made everyone believe in the power of social entrepreneurship.

We could proudly say we had helped 4 women from the Nirmal Chhaya home for girls, reclaim their lives! We, as part of Project Aahaar, provided them with culinary training by partnering with the Taj group of hotels, conducted financial and literacy training for them, and most importantly, instilled in them a belief that their life had much more to offer than the past they came from.

Since it was an innovation project, we had to present further areas of research which would make the project more feasible and scalable. Working with other similar organizations such as Rescue Foundation and Indo Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) which rescue and house trafficked women, is great future potential for Project Aahaar.

Positive and encouraging feedback and recognition, is what re-instills our faith in the project. When the first feedback on the board says "This is the best project here. Hard to comprehend how students can understand and come up with such projects, and the fact that it is actually being implemented and is not merely on paper, ensures that this will go a long way!", we know we're on the right path.

We, as students, who have seen this project grow and make a difference, know, that working with a community as sensitive as this, is not easy. But we also believe that, it is worth every bit of the effort we put in. To see the smiles on the face of these women after working with us, lights up our lives.

Antardhwani was not only the best platform, there could have been, for us to present our project and belief in social entrepreneurship at the student level, but it also reaffirmed our faith and conviction in making Project Aahaar transcend boundaries and impact more lives :)

by Ipshita Agarwal