“HUMANE EQUITY AND DIGNITY FUND” (H.E.D.F.)
IT’S GENESIS AND IT’S ACTIVITIES
The family members were planning to celebrate my 60th birthday in a big way with some friends and relatives, when I had other plans. I felt that I should use this occasion to introspect in solitude… introspect about my life journey so far and about how it could be made more meaningful in future. So I took off to a remote place for ten days, where I could do so.
The best way to make my future journey more meaningful, I thought was by exploring ways of addressing my life concerns.
So, on returning home, I decided to create a fund called “The humane equity and dignity fund”. This fund, which was created from most of my savings money and from the sale of some ancestral and other properties, helps me to address my following concerns in real life.
I had a genuine concern for the tremendous inequity and injustice in our society… about the wide gap between the rich and the poor, their consumption, their habitats, their food, their amenities and so on. What could I do in my own small way to reduce this gap ? How can my caring and compassion be transformed into action ?
Since its inception, the fund has been helping the poor, have-nots in our society for their education, health (hospitalization), clothing/ blankets etc. This fund also gives sizable donations to various N.G.O.s working for orphans, the destitute, H.I.V. affected, education of the normal poor and specially challenged children.
Another disturbing issue was the state of our environment with its neglect, the rampant exploitation of nature, deforestation, garbage, pollution, neglect and so on. Again, what can I do towards my caring and concern for our environment ?
Thus, the resources from this fund are used for buying thousands of trees, planting and maintaining them in large neglected, barren open spaces (especially around community temples as devrai and around schools) as well as along roadsides in and around Kolhapur. Some neglected spaces have been converted into small public parks. A girls’ toilet was designed and built for a remote village school, which did not have any earlier. Plan is to construct more such toilets in the near future. Garbage containers have been installed at various locations.
Today’s deteriorating architectural education our society’s poor architectural awareness was another concern. I have increased my interaction with architecture students at the individual as well as the institutional level, through various discussions, talks, seminars and juries. To increase the awareness and sensitivity towards space amongst the general public, I have spoken at various non architectural public forums and created a 29 minute documentary film “ URU – the space” in English as well as Marathi, which has been seen and appreciated by thousands of people.
I have also started a fellowship for three graduating students .. one from C.E.P.T. and the other two from the two architecture colleges in Kolhapur. this fellowship money allows these young architects to pause in their lives and question their understanding of life and their values, priorities and attitudes. In the same way, they also rethink about their understanding of architecture and its relationship with their life values.
Thought has been brewing as to how this similar process can happen biannually in residential camps with about 15 nationwide young architects per batch.
Designs for rehabilitating/ housing the flood affected victims have been prepared as well as a new village plan for the wiped away Malin village.
The next concern was for the degrading art and culture scenario in our country. Some donations are given from the fund for the good Kolhapur international film festival, making of good short films by amateur directors, for special classical music concerts etc.
Money to buy good books, sound systems etc is given to poor schools and some N.G.O.s.
Major contributions have been made to Vipasana meditation centres, which help people in understanding their mind’s working and thereby promote good thinking and good action.
The natural calamities, which are happening in greater numbers these days (many triggered by manmade reasons) leave so many people in great distress and have also become an important cause for concern. These calamities could be famine, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and diverse pandemics.
Our Humane equity and dignity fund has helped the suffering people directly or indirectly through some good N.G.O.s. Monetary help was given to compensate their loss of jobs, crops, buildings etc. Help was also given in the form of food rations and clothes too. In many cases amount has been sent by bank transfers.
It has been so rewarding to see ….
smiles on sad faces; clothes on needy bodies; healthy recoveries of sick people; healing wounds of animals; trees on barren lands; interactive green public spaces on dirty, neglected spaces; education for the under privileged and relief for the calamity affected.
