Adding a Little “Color” to my life!!!!
It was September of 2012 that I met this old friend of mine, by sheer chance, after a long gap of close to 12 years and boy it did turn out to be the best catch up sessions I have had in years. Before you jump the gun, No – it was not that we were the best of friends or were inseparable when we were in touch in the nineties, but yes – our association was definitely way better than those of preferred acquaintances. So it was not about discussing those lovely summers that we spent playing together, but more about some wonderful things that he has been doing over the past few years. It was about COLORSS, the organization or should I say the institution that he founded in 2008 and the tireless efforts that he and his team have been putting in to get it where it is today. This was the same time when most of us, in the same group as teenagers in the nineties, were busy raking in the moolah for ourselves somewhere out there in the marketplace. Not that I am feeling bad about what I did and achieved over the years, but I am definitely happier and filled with a sense of pride at what Anand Koti, this friend of mine dared to do - give up a corporate career and set up Colorss – the foundation.
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| A rose for Sundar Sarma @ vocational training program #Baroda |
With a central idea that children are indeed the colors in our life and recognizing the fact that not all these colors are as bright and impactful as they need to be, he set out with his dynamic team to ensure that they help rediscover the radiance of the “colors” lost in the cloud of economic and social hopelessness. Their simple idea, as I was able to understand, was to empower these socially underprivileged children by helping build a better self esteem, creating a sense of pride in them and preparing them for greater responsibilities in life. There were no free meals, clothing or shelter on offer, but there was a promise of a better life where one could live with the head held high. Their projects right from “Colors of Life” which talks about developing faculties like writing and expressing through painting or “Urja” which aims at developing a vocational skill or my favorite “Enhance” which uses techniques like martial arts and other creative skills to help develop self esteem in an individual were very different from the ones usually seen or experienced. So along with education, these children are provided with avenues where they could put their evident or latent skills to good use to discover their inner potentials and feel good about themselves. They are guided on the importance of honing these skills with the right kind of focus and discipline which holds them in good stead for whatever they decide to take up in the future. I have always believed, that great individuals achieve greatness in whatever they do, and greatness is a direct function of confidence which in turn is directly proportional to one’s state of happiness. And generally, one is happy when one feels good about oneself i.e. when one has a high self esteem. I am not a psychology expert and I am sure Anand will have a few thoughts about my ramblings considering his psychology background, but I see things in a certain manner and this manner compels me to believe that Colorss has hit the nail right on the head when it comes to understanding the current socio-economic context of our country and has come up with some unique and thought provoking projects to address some of the key issues faced by the socially less privileged.
Why only socially less privileged, helping any child develop his or her self esteem is one of the best service possible in today’s day and times, but I have to say that it is a great start. Another wonderful thing about these projects is the long term vision which makes it all the more challenging. When you see so many projects with a vision and results that are short or sometimes even immediate term in nature, one tends to believe that that they are more effective than some of the others that Colorss has set out to achieve. Why outsiders, even the stakeholders including the benefactors and the beneficiaries question this and it is in the process of answering these questions that the unwavering focus of these strong willed members of team Colorss is called upon. I was privileged to meet up with a few of them and really am in awe of their enthusiasm and dedication and the sheer love for what they have set out to do. While I absolutely mean no disrespect to any effort taken by any other foundation, I have to confess that education, self reliance and a higher sense of self esteem are right up there as far as my personal priorities are concerned. So here I am now, trying to find ways and means to being useful to Anand and his wonderful foundation. As I sit here and contemplate, I am sure Anand and his wonderful force is out there in some community centre of theirs, in a less privileged part of the cities they operate in, trying to empower and create a new society. Thank you Colorss and thank you Anand for letting me be part of your journey. I will keep doing my bit, in whatever way I am able to for I have experienced the ecstasy of “Colorss” in my life.
Sundar Sarma
