Unison: #EnactusAtRaahgiri

On a cold November morning, Enactus teams from Delhi and beyond stood shoulder to shoulder for the first time not to compete but to connect with each other.

2nd November 2014, Raahgiri Day witnessed an Enactus marathon, in the heart of Delhi, Connaught Place for all the teams. This initiative by Enactus SRCC, sought to provide a platform for different teams to bond, to kindle new friendships and to bring more smiles by spreading the Enactus spirit.

The teams arrived at the venue at 6:30 a.m. A Zumba session was conducted for the teams preceding the marathon. After the teams had warmed up, they lined up for the marathon which was flagged off by Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi (Member of Parliament, New Delhi), the esteemed chief guest for the event. Along the marathon track, Enactus SRCC members stood holding colorful placards with motivational quotes on them to keep the runners pumped up. Messages like “Run like you stole something” and “Only 200m to go”, added vibrance to the inner circle of the Connaught Place.

As the teams sweat it out, the puppeteers of Project Kayakalp performed a show on Road Safety for everyone else present.

After the marathon, the teams made their way to the amphitheatre inside Central Park, where they were divided into teams of ten, in a rather innovative way. Each Enactus team member was handed a chit, with the name of a country on it as they entered the amphitheatre. Each member had to locate the volunteer holding the placard with the name of the country they had on their chit and hence form a team.

Once the teams were formed, they were given a short activity to get them going. Each team had to come up with a fun and quirky team name and a justification for it, after which one member from each team came forth and announced the team name to everyone. The teams bonded well, during this activity, with many similarities coming forth in the process. One team with Pink Floyd fans even gave a rendition of “We don’t need no education!”

After this initial ice-breaking activity, the teams were told about the main activity wherein each team received five cards, with five tasks written on them. The tasks- ranging from creating a synchronized dance step to saying a tongue twister- had to be performed with the general public inside Central Park. Once a team had performed a task with a certain group of people, they had to pin Enactus badges onto them and then take a group selfie.

The teams were highly enthused and soon set off to perform this fun activity with great gusto. Soon, Central Park witnessed cross-college Enactus teams interacting with the general public and pinning the yellow Enactus badges onto them. After the activity was done, the Enactus teams got photographed with the giant Enactus logo at the photo booth.

In the end, the Enactus teams got photographed under the National Flag with the Enactus Flag being passed from member to member as Wavin’ Flag played in the background. The smiles of the team members, happy and content as the sun shone on their faces, brought forth one message: No matter which team we belong to, no matter which college we represent or what our projects are, if we seek to help and empower people, we are connected by something deep and unbreakable! A bond that supersedes competition and rivalry; A bond that we as Enactus team members share; And it is because of this bond, that in the end, we are able to proclaim: We All Win.

- Rai Sengupta & Anurag Sarawgi

Lighting up Lives

“Find out where the joy resides and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss joy is to miss all.” With the onset of Diwali, the memories of previous years’ celebrations bloom afresh. Bringing joy to people, helping them and cheering them up, is what we as members of Enactus believe in.

Some team members share their most cherished experiences!

Two years back I, along with my friends visited an orphanage and took a few crackers with us to help the young children celebrate Diwali. To our amazement they refused to burst crackers. Even such young children knew the true essence of Diwali. The next year we went to the same orphanage and this time, took new clothes and food for them. We went and celebrated a prosperous and pollution free Diwali with the children. The smile on their faces was enough to make my Diwali a prosperous one.

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   -  Mridul Bansal

Fresh winds marking the end of summer, marketplaces enclosed in bright hues, the streets buzzing with life and light! Every year the essence of Diwali makes this time for me, the best part of the year.

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     -  Twinkle Malhan

Following the Nepalese Culture of asking for food, money and blessings on the eve of Diwali, one such group of children who had no home or anyone to look after them came. We fed them and gifted them new colourful dresses. The happiness on their faces defined Diwali in its true spirit – The Festival Of Happiness.

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 - -  Abhishek Naulakha
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An old couple stays in my neighbourhood, and their children are settled abroad. They rarely move out of their home and do not interact with anyone. Last year on Diwali, I went to them with some sweets and chatted for an hour. The smiles on their faces sweetened up my Diwali like never before!

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    -  Sarthak Agarwal
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“If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.” A festival of lights with no light - such was Diwali for the visually challenged students of The Blind School in Delhi. A simple donation in the form of books in Braille and a conversation with them lit up their world. Diwali last year, was indeed special.

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     -  Parth Luthra
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Diwali for me is the festival to make time for everyone I adore. Last year on Diwali, my entire extended family, from all parts of the country and the world came down to Bhubaneshwar to celebrate together. We met each other after years. It’s always going to be the most special Diwali.

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     - Vishal Sahoo
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With Buildings illuminated with diyas, candle-sticks and electric bulbs, let’s light up the lives of other people too, since true happiness lies in giving joy to others. Let’s hope that this Diwali is an occasion of joy, thrill and excitement for everyone. Enactus SRCC wishes everyone a Happy Diwali.

-          Compiled by Rai Sengupta and Parth Luthra                                                                                         

Kathputli Colony: The First Time

 “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Our journey with Enactus has just begun and we look forward to a sea of opportunities, wrought with challenges and abound with new experiences and learning. The first step we took to begin our promising new journey was visiting Project Kayakalp's community of puppeteers in Kathputli Colony, Shadipur Depot. Guiding us into the world of social entrepreneurship was the most fun loving senior, Kanupriya, which definitely added to our excitement. 

We got off the metro, crossed the congested road and reached Kathputli Colony. Our excitement grew incredibly as we inched closer to our destination. With its open drains, narrow lanes and shanties, the colony resembled the thousands of slums that India harbors. Initially a bit wary of our surroundings, we trailed on, realizing that there is something unique about this dwelling and its residents. 

As soon as we entered the room where the puppeteers were practising, we were greeted with broad smiles and pleasantries that immediately put us at ease. . We were welcomed with such warmth and happiness that all our initial apprehensions vanished into thin air. The puppeteers enthusiastically introduced themselves and were more than willing to know about us that was the beginning of a bond with our community that we hope will only get stronger with time. 

The grey-walled room seemed unusually bright. It was a treat watching the puppeteers get on with their task. Doing, un-doing and then re-doing each step they worked with boundless patience, keeping in mind every single detail. Their zeal for perfection is truly inspiring. 

We had to sit for two hours, just supervising the happenings but we never came across a dull moment. Such was the energy in that room. The training session for the day soon ended, much to our disappointment. 
Kanupriya then requested one of the puppeteers to take us around the colony. Infused with new excitement, we began our tour. What followed next is difficult to put into words.

The children played around happily, lighting up those dingy lanes with their bright smiles. Grown-ups went about their daily chores busily. We walked through a series of interconnected narrow lanes that permitted only one person at a time.  Dogs, hens, gutters, mud stoves (for cooking rice) over the gutters- all fit perfectly in those metre-wide gullies-we have no idea how!. It was a maze, which only the inhabitants of the colony could crack.  It was a world that we would never have been able to fathom before joining Enactus. 

- Ria and Samhita

Certificate Distribution Ceremony: Shaping The Way Forward

Another great Enactus year has passed and as I met the team over the Certificate Distribution Ceremony , I realized how everything is different but nothing has changed. The team is bigger, the smiles are broader, the voices are louder and the spirits are higher, but still nothing has changed. As an alumnus, I am glad that Enactus gives me these opportunities to come back to college every few months. But this year, it was particularly heartening to see alumni across 5 generations present to cheer the current batch.

As the chief guest mentioned, we have a great set of alumni at enviable positions. I can’t agree more that the job profiles are enviable, but an incident this morning brought everything into perspective and made me ask myself this year’s theme question - ‘What is an identity?’. When I reached college, I met one of our first set of Life On Wheels rickshaw pullers. He greeted me fondly, told me that his rickshaw is still going strong and that he is looking out for newer technologies to upgrade. I was glad that his savings from the micro-finance scheme permitted him to be enthusiastic about affording new technology – even for something as basic as a rickshaw. When the college guard asked me to show my ID, the rickshaw puller shouted out –‘Purane bachee hain, inko nai rok sakte. Jaane do.’ Yes, we may be at enviable positions, but it was his fondness for me and not my current position that was my identity to seamlessly wade me into the place I belong the most.

All batches past and present have worked hard year after year to make Enactus SRCC what it is today. Their success stories and ability to work so hard for the communities, makes us proud and comforts us that what we initiated is in good hands today. To the new members on the team - be sincere, absorb and embrace the experience. Very soon, you shall realize how deeply Enactus shapes your thinking. How every little thing around you presents a latent opportunity that only you seem to comprehend amongst your peers. And how every minute, every day you subconsciously tend to think about improving your projects and the lives of the people they impact. Yes, there are hundreds of things you can gain from the experience but only if you stop looking for them. Give up the selfishness and just go with the flow.

As someone pointed out  –In Enactus, the balance between what you give to the society and what you get from it always weighs heavier towards the latter. Despite passing out a couple of years ago, I feel I get so much through the Enactus experience and its expanding network even today. On my part I make sure I attend events like this in my attempt to inspire as many of you as possible to sincerely be a part of this journey and balance what I owe to it. But I get so much love and respect each time I go back that the balance just seems to sink further away.

-Mehak Nanner 

Enactus Batch of 2009-2012

Enactus: A Journey Through My Recruitment

I remember hearing more of Enactus than any other society when I first joined SRCC. I remember reading and re-reading the words “Seeing possibilities. Taking action. Enabling progress”. Such inspiring words! To be able to harness the potential intrinsic to every human being, appealed to me endlessly, and before long, I wanted to join Enactus SRCC more than anything else.

The recruitment process consisted of three stages.

First, we had to fill a form, wherein we had to elucidate upon our initial ideas for harboring in change through social entrepreneurship. The form also offered options to apply to the creative wing, thereby tapping skills such as photography, media outreach and photo editing among others.

The second phase involved a group discussion where groups of six to seven students were given different topics of socio-economic, political and cultural importance. Applicants were given a minute each to think about the topic and prepare their standpoint. The group discussions witnessed students opposing and supporting a particular viewpoint. At the end, each candidate got about a minute, to sum up the results of the group discussion.

Those who were lucky enough to have made it through the group discussion round waited with trepidation for their Personal Interviews, the third and final step of the Enactus recruitment process. These interviews were conducted by second year members of Enactus SRCC. The interview gauged communication skills, adaptability to different situations, as well as the ability to interact with the communities that we will be working with.

After such a rigorous and mind-churning recruitment process, I feel exhilarated to be a part of Enactus SRCC. It is indeed a beautiful feeling to know that I am part of change, for the betterment of lives. What can be nobler than helping people realize the maximum that they are capable of? What can be more fulfilling than making people smile, because they are empowered, and their own efforts have come to fruition? The journey is long, and this is just the beginning.

 - Rai Sengupta