Don’t be ashamed
We often hear children conversing in fluent English, but when asked to do that in Hindi, they fumble. People encourage their children to communicate in English more than ever now, probably because it suits their standards. But is neglecting Hindi, the country’s official language, right?
With this thought, Minakkshi Baleraao founded Prutha Foundation. “These days, being modern is associated with talking in English, but that is not the case. Being modern means being progressive in your thoughts; the language you speak has nothing to do with it,” says Baleraao.
She points out that through the foundation, they distribute books, primarily of Hindi literature, among underprivileged students to promote the language so that more and more people, no matter what their mother tongue is, can pick it up. “We look at the Chinese and the Germans and are awestruck when they give their language importance, but here in India, if you see someone conversing in Hindi, the first thing you do is judge them. I want to break this stereotypical approach towards the language,” she says.
Baleraao mentions that other than promoting the language, they also felicitate people for their outstanding contribution to society. “We do so by arranging a programme every year, and we also hold a record in terms of arranging the longest running award function,” she adds.
While she agrees that people who do good for society, don’t really need awards, she says. “The reason we give out awards is because we want to appreciate the things that people do for those who are not even related to them, and what they do is outright amazing. We want to encourage more and more people to get into social work and help those in need.”
Other than her passion for Hindi and working towards encouraging people, she also likes writing poetry and has done so for a very long time. She points out that they are words that she has penned down from her personal experience and her journey in life so far. She has also written commercial songs and has had a small stint in modelling too. “With each passing day, I have realised one thing — that family plays an important role, things are not possible until and unless your family supports and believes in you. They are the first ones to take you under their wing,” she adds.
She credits the person that she is to her husband and daughter who have utmost respect for the work she is doing and motivate her to do more. That is why she has named the foundation after her daughter — Prutha.
Words are powerful
Mohini Karande, founder of Maitri publication, says that words are probably the most powerful tool in the world. “There is nothing more powerful than being able to express yourself through words, and that is exactly what I want to promote through Maitri,” says Karande.
The publisher says that she encourages and helps new and upcoming writers in several languages with their publishing needs. She recalls that while growing up, she was super fond of reading. Be it poems or prose, she would read it all. She was very much convinced that she would get into the world of books. “Being in the publishing industry has its perks. I love talking to people because it opens new perspectives which is something not everyone gets to experience. When it comes to writers, they have a certain way with words and ideas. At the end of a conversation with them, you feel enlightened,” says Karande who publishes Prutha Diwali Visheshank, an annual Diwali magazine.
When asked if she too writes, she responds that she surely does but she likes reading more. Karande is also associated with Prutha Foundation that was founded by Minakkshi Baleraao. She says that her association with Baleraao goes back a long time. “I wanted to be associated with the foundation because of the sheer dedication that they have towards helping people and promoting the language. That’s the reason I joined Baleraao and even adopted the her daughter’s name for my magazine. You can say that Prutha is very close to my heart,” says Karande.
Talking about how literature has changed in the past few years, Karande points out that even if the medium or the platform is changing, literature is growing more than ever because there are many takers who want to escape the real life and lose themselves into the world of words.
Karande wishes to help more and more people with getting their works published and encourage them to write more.
Feeding the hungry
Not everyone develops the feeling to help people in need. But Pooja Agnani happens to be one. She wants to do her bit in helping underprivileged children in Pune. For that, she started God’s Helping Hands, an NGO which has been active in Pune since 2012. They help and donate resources like food, ration, books and toys to orphanages, HIV positive children of sex workers and so on.
Agnani points out that through the organisation, they have formed a food bank in which cooked food is first gathered and then distributed to locals of Hadapsar every Wednesday. When asked how she gets the resources for the food bank, Agnani explains that she has formed Facebook and WhatsApp groups of people who want to contribute in whichever way possible. “Every Monday, we decide on what the menu would be, and then it is assigned to interested people. On Wednesday, we all get the food together and then distribute it to the needy,” says Agnani.
She points out that through distributing the food, people have become aware of how mindless wasting is a big deal. “I really wish that societies from different areas take up the good work, and put up a refrigerator in the society premises where people can place their leftover food so that the needy can have it, instead of going to bed on an empty stomach,” says Agnani.
She says that this awareness of helping people is spreading among more and more people — adults as well as kids, which is a good thing. Her family is extremely supportive of the work that she has undertaken. “My daughter, who is a dentist, even helps us with arranging free dental camps and my younger one, who is in her pre-teens, wants to help me with everything that I do,” she says.
Agnani is also the Trusty of Haribhu Waghmode Patil Pratishthan and an active member of the Robinhood Army. God’s Helping Hands has also received an award from Viman Nagar Women’s Club for its work.
