“My parents were always generous and led by example. As kids they would bundle us into the car on winter nights and make stops across the city to cover pavement dwellers with blankets. The homeless would sleep in foetal positions and those images remain embedded in my memory. My father also ran an old age home for 20 years! It is said that children replicate what they see more than what they hear. So my sisters and I didn’t have to look far to inherit the spirit of service. A company I was working for required cab drivers to report on duty at 7:00 am and stay till well into the night. So at client dinners, I would discreetly direct the captain attending to us to pack the leftover untouched food, for the drivers. The gratitude in the drivers’ eyes on receiving the food, reminded me that no effort is too small.

It was the death of my mother, due to cancer, that pushed me to start Bring a Smile Foundation. The memories of her making mango ice-cream for us every year traveling together during our annual summer vacation to visit our grandparents in Pondicherry, have stayed with me.My mom’s demise broke me. I needed to channelise my grief into something fruitful. Soon I realised that with technology, social media and support from loved ones, I could attempt to make a difference. It began with a simple text message to the residents of my apartment community to donate anything they were not using. People responded immediately. A friend created the pamphlet, another resident printed hundreds of them and even the newspaper delivery guy said he would distribute them for free in the locality, because it was for charity. Eventually, more than 40 house-holds came together and donated items that took us six months to distribute! That was my first milestone, which really encouraged me to take this forward in full swing. Today, we have supported the education of more than 210 students, built classrooms and infrastructure in government schools and orphanages and have also assisted in the sponsorship of medical assistance. I’ve worked with the Cyberabad Police, government officials, professionals, students, home-makers, patients, homeless and many other groups of people. Everything started with an SMS. That’s how it works today. All it takes is a call or a message to make this world better.”

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