“I’m the product of two worlds that converged at a time when such inter-community connections were rare. My late mother was Sindhi, and my father is a Malayali. They both met in Hyderabad in the late 1970s. Hyderabad is a very special city. It’s been a melting pot of cultures. This city has opened its heart to so many outsiders who have settled here. I studied in St. Ann’s High School, ICSE and St. Francis Degree College and started work in 2002.

To me, my roots were an early lesson in the power of connections. Connections that bind us together, whether through culture, kindness, or community. I’ve always believed in karma, the thread that connects our actions to outcomes. In 2013, when I was at a crossroads, desperately in need of a Corporate job, the Universe sent help through someone I’d once supported. They put in a word for me. I landed the job.

Another belief that anchors me is “Yatha Drishti, Tatha Srishti”—the idea that the world reflects our perception of it. If we see the world as hostile, we find hostility; if we look for kindness, we attract nurturers. This perspective has shaped my professional life, teaching me to trust people at face value. Our thoughts become things. So if we believe that the world is out to get us, chances are, we will attract that variety of people. If on the other hand, we believe that there are many good-natured, nurturers around us, we will attract that tribe of people.

I also believe that one should pay-it-forward. Whether it’s in word, deed or resources. It’s what made me start an NGO called Bring a Smile Foundation in 2012. 550+ volunteers and a couple of crores of rupees spent on humanity, later, I know that we’ve just scratched the surface of doing for humanity.

I personally believe that people are innocent until proven guilty and not the other way round. Being someone who takes people at face value has been at my core. I’ve also learnt that when the Universe puts you in uncomfortable situations, we should learn the lesson. If we don’t, we will continue to find ourselves in similar situations, till we don’t course-correct.

In a Divine turn of events, I also joined the CSR / Corporate Social Responsibility Wing of the Telangana Government (Telangana Social Impact Group / T-SIG) in 2021, that I now lead. Nearly 4 years later, we’ve connected lakhs of people amongst the 40 million population of the State. After all, if we’ve been given a platform and a voice, it’s our duty to make it count for the poor and the voiceless. With great power, comes great responsibility. Some of us take that Marvel maxim seriously.

Here’s to continuing to be a bridge of help to humanity. Because we are in it together. Connected with each other. And are conduits for greater good.”

• Archana Suresh
  Director, Telangana Social Impact Group (T-SIG)