The Spirit of Great Lakes!

Are heroes born? Or do they take form when they are most needed? History seems to prove its the latter. There are times when adversities bring out the best in people, times when personal priorities take a back seat and people come together for a cause they feel is important to them. 13th February was one such life changing day for the 162 students and the 20 odd staff at Great Lakes.

The present campus of Great lakes is located at the upmarket Saidapet Colony in Chennai. Serving the needs of the colony are a group of 10 families living in 1 roomed thatched shacks adjacent to the main colony. The men folk of the slum either work in construction sites or are auto drivers and the women folk work as housemaids in the upscale houses of the colony. These are people who live from one day to the next with little or no savings except their personal belongings and the support of their families. Some of these women also worked as maids in some of our houses.

On the night of 12th February, 2009 tragedy struck in the form of an inferno which engulfed these fragile lives. What started the fire is still being speculated. Some say it was a cigarette butt. Some say it was an electric spark. Some say it was a politically motivated arson move them out of the area. Whatever be the reason, by the end of it 6 houses were razed to the ground and 6 whole families (about 30 people) were left homeless…

I woke up to the news of the fire, but didn’t think the extent of the damage would be much. What I witnessed on my way to college at 7:30 AM for the first of my classes, sent a chill down my spine. Until then, I had never seen the look of total loss in anyone’s eyes. But the vacant look and flowing tear in the eyes of the women there gave me a glimpse of their horror. The fact that one of them was my maid, somehow gave it a feeling of personal loss.

By the time I reached college a task force had already been put in place to try and help the affected. People were abandoning classes to try and do their part. Here was no dearth of volunteers who wanted to pitch in to do their part. In half hour a committee was formed to oversee the donation drive that was put into force. We asked people to contribute whatever they could – money, clothing, food. Anything. And donations came pouring in. We needed 3 people fulltime to just keep track of the money and to keep accounts. We setup a collection box for people to drop all other things. By the end of the day we reached about 40% of the class and stall and managed to collect close to Rs. 19,000/- We contacted the alumni, who also assured assistance. The college, thanks to Prof. Sriram, also pledged to equalise the contribution that we were putting together.

Among the victims was a small time trader who used to trade in scrap paper, metals and glass. This person had close to Rs. 80,000/- in inventory in his shop and lost it all. The remains of the bundles of newspaper were still smouldering till late in the evening. Allen and Vidya took over the task of going from house to house of all Great Lakers living in the area and collected old newspapers, plastic and glass bottles etc that we will be handing over to the person so that his loss may be minimised. The humour in this was that they went about with the collection in a Toyota Corolla!!

The college staff helped out too. Ms Uma, Deputy manager, pulled all the strings that she could and got the ladies of the colony to donate old saris towards the cause. Mr. Balasubhramaniam, Placement Cordinator, literally emptied his pockets when we went to him for donations. All the other staff helped out to the best of their ability.

Parallel to this, we also went over to the affected and asked them what they wanted (In management parlance – Requirements Gathering). Once we had a broad idea of their requirements, we discussed on it and filled the gaps of the bare basic that the families would want (Requirements Analysis phase). Our final list consisted of Cooking vessels and utensils, straw mats and sheets, rice and dal, basic clothes for children and towels. By about 2 PM, 4 of us rushed to Saravana Stores and procured the list of items that we had finalised, taking care to pick up 6 numbers of each item (Operations). By 5:30 PM we were back at college with the items. By that time the others had collected clothes, food items, mattresses etc.

Without further delay, we called the womenfolk of the families and distributed all the items in equal measure and also handed over Rs 500 per house for the other needs that they might have (Delivery). The rest of the money will be used judiciously to by way of helping the children in the families further studies or will be put to such progressive work (Maintenance).

What stood out during this entire exercise was the solidarity and compassion shown by Great Lakers on the whole. There were many people who were out of town, but many of them contacted us and assured help as soon as they were back in town. The way a few of the Great Lakers unselfishly, at the cost of their classes, ran around the entire day, tirelessly working towards a solution was highly commendable. Of special note was Kavitha, Sijo, Rahul Prakash, Sheeba, Vidya, Allen and a few others. The passion shown by each of the Great Lakers was unparalleled.

What is more heart warming is the fact that it will be this set of 162 individuals who will be holding aloft the beacons of the Indian Industry in a few year’s time. And from what was witnessed, it can be safely said that the beacon will shine high and bright for years to come.

Celebrating the spirit of Great Lakes – Global Mindset Indian Roots. 

George Mathew

Class of 2009

The Karma-Yoga Experience

At Great Lakes, it is part of the course on Intelligently Interacting With Others to do a Karma-Yoga project. In essence, it is social service. Karma – means Action, Yoga – Meditation (well, a crude definition). So it is “Meditation through action”, in raw terms. But is it? Well, that’s what it says…

Every group (consisting of 4-5 members) is required to put in atleast 3 hours of field work every week working with the people from the under privileged section of society. When Prof. Venkat told us about the Karma-Yoga project most of us were unhappy about it. Not that its not important (I’ve been part of CSR activities in the companies I’ve worked in), but, I mean, we don’t have 2 hours to spare from the grind here at Great Lakes, and now we are to put in 3 hours for this? To top it all, no two groups were to be associated with the same target group (same NGO). Bohuth naa insafi Hai Yeh…

Reluctantly all of us searched far and wide (actually as close to the college as possible so as to waste the least time in transportation etc.) to figure out an NGO that we could be associated with. After a few hiccups, my group finally got attached to Puthiyadhor. The NGO works with children of day labourers and launders of the Besant Nagar area of Chennai. They study in classes 1 to 12th.

Its a Govt. run community center where the children come to play, mingle, learn etc during the vacation time and during school time it serves as a tuition center to teach the children. Mind, its a Govt. run community center. So it is a luxury to have a working fan there. But all that does is to circulate the hot and humid air already present what with the ventilation being next to non-existent.

From having interacted with some other NGOs for the Karma-Yoga project, we had built up a mental picture that while NGOs were sincere in their approach to help the needy, they had gotten bogged down from innumerous requests from groups like us who come in for small periods of time. So much so that they viewed us with suspicion and contempt. And they said they would dictate the kind of work we do. But at Puthiyadhor it was very different indeed. It is run by mainly two people – Mr. Balaji and Mr. Vinod. They welcomed us and told us we have complete freedom in what we contribute as long as it benefits the children there. 

The first day we met a few of the children too. They took us around showing us the presentations that they had made using chart paper (They were presenting facts and figures of each state in India each day). The children showed no qualms in interacting with us and after feeling content that we had chosen the right place, we returned after spending close to 2 hours there. It was pretty stressful that day and by the time I got back, I had a splitting headache and was wondering how I would cope for the next 18 weeks of this. (I get these splitting headaches if im out in the heat for a little while)

And then this week happened. As planned, we reached Puthiyadhor at 3 PM after class on sunday. But boy, were we in for a surprise. The children had been practicing some cinematic dance all these days and they decided to put a show for us!!! Ofcourse, all play and no work makes our project a failure. Hence we sat with them and taught them a bit of English, math etc. To interested parties, we taught Hindi and Chinese too!! Well, for me it was kinda like learning with them. 

I was surprised at the grasping power shown by some of them. Some of the children go to English medium schools!! There is a boy called Mahesh who is in 8th standard. He is one of the brightest there and he laps up any new information that we give. He is he most fluent of them in English too. Infact I would go to the extent of saying that he is almost at par with many of the children who go to private schools. Anyway, after about 2 hours or so, we sat down to enjoy the show they had put up for us. And they did put up a very good show. 

Now, why do I find it so important to sit and write this stuff at 3AM on a Monday morning? Well, coz I thoroughly enjoyed myself today. For the record, today saw one of the highest temperatures for the year in Chennai. On top of that I had 4 research papers to read for the Empirical study lecture class and 185 pages of Financial accounting to account for and a Chinese oral test and one a chapter on Binomial and Poisson theorem for statistics and an assignment for Macro Economics apart from the innumerous pdfs to read for my empirical study plus prepare a detailed synopsis of my empirical study which I have to send to my potential guide today, social psychology chapters to read with exams round the corner… The list is endless. 

And yet, the whole time I was there with the children I never thought of all this. I was… Free… Not worries, no hassles… And wonder of wonders, no headache either!!! Karma-Yoga seems to be achieving just that for me. Mediation through Action. And that’s not all. Each of us is learning something new from them too. As I mentioned before, I learned Hindi and Chinese with them and I’m learning Tamil from them. My teammates have had similar experiences too. 

So to sum up the experience I, who was initially reluctant at doing the Karma-Yoga project, am a changed man. So much so that I’m actually looking forward to going there, being with the kids and spending time with them.

George Mathew

Class of 2009

A few pictures

Great Lakes Awarded by CII-Young Indians

It gives the community at Great Lakes immense pleasure to inform you that we are closing this year’s account with CII-Young Indians(YI) on an extraordinarily positive note. Here is what happened a few hours before:

1. Great Lakes awarded the “Best college” in Chennai chapter. Achieving this feat right in the first year(this is the first year of our association with CII) was just remarkable…

2. R. Athmanathan  was awarded “Best Student” in Chennai chapter.

SoHere are details of Great Lakes’s contribution towards organising the following events in conjunction with CII-Young Indians

SUMMARY OF YI/CSR EVENTS

1	Blood Donation @ Great Lakes	May 26, 2007	This camp was organised in association with the Lions club of chennai. More than 60 people turned up for the event and 52 of them were able to donate their blood. The event was organised in the campus only by arranging for a fully equipped van for blood donation.
2	EcoMagination contest – Young Indians Event	August 6, 2007	This was the first event to kick off the association with CII and hence was very vital for the relationship with CII. We rose up to the occasion and did a splendid job and hence were able to become one of the most active colleges in chennai region. The objective of Ecomagination competition for school students was to create awareness and encourage students to think about conservation and sustainability measures that can be incorporated within their school/community for a better tomorrow. Competition Topic “How to make your school campus environment friendly and energy efficient?” Students were  required to come up with effective and innovative ideas that can be easily implemented within their own school campus to make it green. The winning school received a grant for Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees Five Lakhs) towards the implementation of the various green ideas suggested by them in their own school campus. YI members promoted the event across a hundred schools in chennai. The effort did pay off. It helped Great Lakes establish a strong relationship with CII.
3	Citizen’s run	September 30, 2007	Great Lakers were a part of a marathon which was for a special cause. This marathon called the ‘Citizens’ run’ was organised collectively by NGOs in chennai. The funds generated from this event were distributed amongst the participating NGOs. CII was the organising partner and Great Lakes is proud to have been associated with such an event. DETAILS: Young Indians (Yi) for the 2nd year joined hands with Citizens Run Trust to conduct the 10th Citizens Run’ on Sunday, 30th September, 2007. The Citizens” Run Trust has consciously sought to empower those organizations and individuals engaged in social welfare work, who lack the resources for a significant presentation of their work to a larger society. Many dedicated groups are unable to tap into the charitable impulses of ordinary people and donors merely because they cannot articulate their achievements in appropriate method. Such groups are in dire need of support in the form of both, resources and recognition as encouragement of their work. Little known NGOs and initiatives working to better the lives of people in various ways are sought out and supported through the Citizens Run Trust. This Citizens Run Trust has so far helped 38 NGOs and has distributed Rs.52,65,928/- till date. The idea of the Citizens’ Run was born with the hope of getting both young and old, the expensively shod and the barefoot runner to put their energy and money into a meaningful contribution to society at large. The Citizens’ Run Trust has been organizing a cross city run every year since 1996 in which people from different milieus in Chennai participate. The clearly expressed aim of the Run is to gain awareness and support for small voluntary non-government organizations actively engaged in quality work for the welfare of the socially, economically and physically disadvantaged. Great Lakes, with its participation in the event, has proved that it is always ready for any contribution towards the society.
4	Young Indians Summit – GOA	October 31, 2007	This was the first annual conference of CII-YI students Net. We did rule the show there as well. It started off with some sessions on management and ended with an awarenes session on AIDS by an eminent doctor from Mumbai. We managed to get permission to screen our documentary on Right to Information Act in front of an audience which consisted of CII members and students from MDI Gurgaon, MICA Ahmedabad, NMIMS Mumbai, CBS Chennai and many others. The documentary was applauded by all in the audience as they realised the importance of this act called RTI. We met some important people which included vice presidents of some major firms as well as former chiefs of CII. All in all, it was a great branding opportunity for Great Lakes.
5	Sale of RASA products at YALE Conference		The yale conference attracts the best of talent in the research fraternity. CSR club used this platform  to sell the products made by ‘differently abled’ people from an NGO called RASA(Ramana Sunritya aalaya). The even was a huge success with almost 80% of the items sold off. People felt a sense of purpose when they bought these special products made by RASA. Great Lakers,too, contrbuted to this noble cause.
6	Know India Program – In Association with ministry of overseas affairs – Panel Discussion	December 24, 2007	We put up a wonderful show at the panel discussion on ‘India’ organized by CII. The discussion had 35 students from countries across the globe including US, Canada, African countries, Israel, Italy and many more. We(Four of us from Great Lakes) were the only ones who were representing India. CII was impressed with our performance and invited us to a rural tamilnadu tour along with the delegates. This has reinforced our relationship with CII. This was a very valuable experience in the sense that such diversity of cultures would be very difficult to come across. Also, these students, who were all of Indian origin, were very impressed with our role in the whole scheme of things. In fact, some of them are still in touch with us. One more feather to our cap….
7	Rural Induction program for People of Indian Origin – KIP	December 30, 2007	This was an extension of the panel discussion held a week earlier. In fact, we were invited for this session primarily because of our peformance in the panel discussion. It was a great experience and certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity to mingle with such a diverse crowd. Just to give a background, these guys(All from Indian origin, but most of them have never been to India) are here as part of ‘Know India Program’ organized by Ministry of Overseas affairs in association with NYKS and CII-YI. We, at YI, would be working on building a sustainable business model by integrating NYKS n YI for rural development. Here is what we did: – Induction on the Indian political system i.e. the panchayats, MLAs etc – Moderating a group discussion(students, panchayat members n self help group women) on Youth empowerment to narrow the rural urban divide. Got some wonderful solutions. Solutions ranging from agriculture co-op societies, selling value added products(say idli or upma instead of rice), village adoption by urban university students, youth panchayat etc were discussed. Other topics were women empowerment, Democracy. n Field trip to villages near Cheyyur – focus areas being agriculture, education, traditional occupations n why youth is not ready to carry them forward, art, spirituality n religion, healthcare etc. Got some new insights from the way these guys think. Learning Points: –People from outside the system can give some valuable inputs based on their experiences. –What makes a difference is the attitude. Example: All the while during the discussion, the panchayat members were cynical of all the solutions given by the students. The only response used to be ‘cannot be done’. –Whereas the students used to say ‘everything is possible’. –Even though they may not know much about India, the students still relate to the Indian culture. Stick to the basics. –At one point of time they even accepted that they are ABCDs(American born confused desis). Accept reality.
8	Movie – Inconvenient Truth for YI members	January 19, 2008	An Ice Breaker for Young Indians at Four Frames theatre.
9	Tamilnadu Vision 2025 – Conference In association with pricewaterhouse coopers	February 7, 2008	A panel discussion organised by CII but with the help of pricewaterhouse coopers. A good discussion and again we prove a point.
10	Young Indians Summit – Chennai	February 16, 2008	The annual summit of Young Indians was held in Chennai this year. The net(Students) Summit was held in Goa last year. Young Indians contributed towards a presentation and logistics of the event. The event was chaired by Mr. Kamath from ICICI Bank. Our Presentation was one of the best and was appreciated by CII.

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