Campus Connect: MBA aspirants from Savitribai Phule Pune University stay rooted to reality

Mughda Kale, a student of Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA), Savitribai Phule Pune University, came to know about ‘Sadhana Village’ a city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) in December 2018.

Inspired by the work of the NGO for the persons with disability, Kale, along with the her department head, professor Dattatray Mane, organised a seminar for the students to share the work of the NGO. From January 2019, a group of 10 students from the department have been visiting the NGO every Saturday.

Social responsibility project

“A student from our batch came and told me about the works of Sadhana village. Hence, I went there and experienced the work. I was very impressed with their work and decided to do something about it. So we arranged a seminar for the students and appealed everyone to volunteer and work with the NGO at their campus in Paud gaon, 30 km from Pune,” said Mane.

Mane added, “After receiving a good response, a batch of 10 students visit the NGO, every Saturday and spend 2-3 hours with these special people and help them organise various fun activities. We have now decided to incorporate NGO visits as a part of their social group project from 2019-20 academic year.”

Activities conducted by students

The students visit the NGO in the morning wherein they organise various fun activities that include singing and dancing. The NGO has three in-house productions for candle making, paper bags and designing greeting cards. The students help the inmates in these activities as well.

“Through our management students, we will help the NGO market their products well, in order to generate good revenue,” said Mane.

Mane further added, “From this year, we have added 10 NGOs for the social group project. Our students will go and experience the work of these NGOs and will not do it just for the sake of submitting a report, but also for getting a good learning experience, self development, character realisation and getting a sense of happiness. In future, our students, will work on a financial model for the overall development of the NGOs.”

Amit Rathod, one of the students who regularly visits the NGO said, “All the inmates are very talented and are always happy. Organising activities and spending time with them, gives us a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction, that we could make a small difference the lives of these people.”

Medha Tangshe, founder member of the NGO said, “Since these students from the PUMBA have started coming to our NGO, they have really changed the atmosphere among our inmates. Our children, eagerly wait for Saturdays to come and to spend time with these students, who have made a strong bonding with our people. The students who come to our NGO also understand the process in the orientation, and then they slowly involve with these people. We look forward to work with PUMBA.”

About the NGO

Sadhana village, a rehabilitation home for the persons with disabilities, was started in 1994. The NGO houses people from age group of 18 years to 60 years. Currently, there are 30 inmates at this NGO, out of which 22 are men and 8 are women.