About COACH

In the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore – 8 former students working at Compassites, an IT multinational, have been spearheading a new corporate culture based on Bhagawan’s philosophy of service.

Under an initiative called COACH – (Compassites On A Cause for Help) created in 2006, alumni have been striving to use the corporate vehicle to conduct service activities in and around Bangalore.

Genesis:

While alumni at Compassites focus on delivering high quality services to their global clients just like their colleagues, they felt concerned that closer home in Bangalore they were surrounded by communities that were neglected – and needed attention, care and nurture. An inner voice reasoned it is not just abandoned client calls that needed support, but also abandoned people.

Such reason found expression through alumni, and resonance with the company’s leadership vision for the company. To become a more socially responsible corporate citizen, and with a passion to make a positive difference to society, Compassites launched COACH.

In reality COACH is an extension of the passion for service inculcated in alumni during their stay at  Swami’s educational institutions. These alumni have been trying to build this program around a framework based on Swami’s teachings. It aims at sensitizing employees in the company about ways in which they can make a difference to the lives of destitute communities through service activities. Before COACH, over seventy percent of the employees said they had not spent much time thinking of the hardship in the lives of socially and economically challenged sections of society. (Data collected from an internal company survey)

Impact of COACH:

On the beneficiaries: COACH initiatives have been great successes at the grassroots level, and have brought visible cheer and smiles in the lives of beneficiaries.

On the employees: Many employees were better versed with core IT skills than with providing effective and heartfelt seva before the launch of of this initiative. COACH programs have had a huge impact on them in understanding the universal message of Bhagawan. Touched by the impact they have had through COACH, and the leadership of alumni, many of them are realigning their lives per Bhagawan’s teachings.

On the company: Compassites records on its corporate website “…through its COACH Program, Compassites understands and realizes the importance of creating innovative and proactive solutions to societal and environmental challenges, as well as collaborating with both internal and external stakeholders to improve ESR performance”. With Bhagawan’s blessings, alumni are regarded as the internal torch bearers of this facet of the company’s culture.

Some of the COACH initiatives since 2006:

1. Karuna Mother’s Home Orphanage

The first COACH program was held in an orphanage called “Karuna Mother’s Home”. Located in RT Nagar, Bangalore, this orphanage is home to around eighty children. The idea of the Compassites team was to spend meaningful time with the kids, and provide them with a sense that they are precious – valued enough for many adults to create a wonderful weekend morning for them. An alumnus led the program with prayer hymns and a sloka session for the children. The tiny tots were provided beautiful and colorful Indian dresses to wear; they looked like bright morning flowers in a garden.

After this an origami session was organized for the children where the kids were taught to make beautiful caps out of old waste newspaper. Within fifteen minutes the little ones had a wonderful paper cap in their hands. It took them not a moment more to put their creations on their head! It was a beautiful moment to see each one of them proudly displaying their creations and beaming million dollar smiles. Reflecting back for a moment, it looked as if they were not just shaping an old newspaper but their lives and future, out of nothing. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, or the smallest act of caring – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Later, a sumptuous lunch was arranged for the children and everyone sat together as a big family to partake this feast. Some children could not eat on their own; so many employees fed the children with their own hands. After lunch the animated movie Hanuman was screened, to the delight of the children. The children were then provided with shoes and a pair of socks along with some other stationery. When the fun-filled morning came to an end, it wasn’t just the children that were feeling a sense of shared fun and joy.

For many Compassites employees, the innocence and palpable joy of the children touched an inner cord as they bid their goodbyes.

Later, Compassites returned to the orphanage to celebrate Christmas with the children. The founder of the orphanage, Ms. Roopini Chandra, said that the little children have found role models in all the employees. She further said that the kids have started securing better grades in school as they aspire to grow and become like their role models.

2. Cataract EYE and Dental Camp in Doddamarlwadi village

The second COACH event was aimed at addressing a pressing need – lack of accessible eye and dental care for village folk. A free cataract and eye camp was conducted on Sep 24 and 25, at Doddamarlwadi, a village about sixty kilometers from Bangalore. It was a great experience for employees to reach out to people at grass root levels. For about a hundred villagers, who had to walk six kilometers to catch a bus and then travel at least twenty kilometers to see a physician, having a medical camp right where they lived was a blessing. COACH partnered with an NGO that had the expertise to conduct such a camp. Many visually impaired villagers had their eyes screened by a team of dedicated doctors from Bangalore, Mumbai and even from the United  States. Needy patients were then selected for subsequent surgical procedures to restore their eye- sight. Alumni led in this effort through example. From the initial screening to medication prescription and subsequent surgery – alumni assisted the doctors, guided the patients to understand the prescribed intake for their medication, and prepared those selected for surgery. After their operations, patients were housed in a primary healthcare centre in the village for their post- operative care. This is typically a critical stage because post-operative care and medication is very important in order to make the surgery a complete success. The patients needed a lot of attention in this stage as it involved giving them special food and regular medication in the form of tablets and eye drops. Alumni were in the thick of this effort, along with a few other colleagues as well as some Sai devotees. The surgeries were performed on sixty three villagers and had a 100% success rate.

Along with the eye-camp, a free dental camp was undertaken simultaneously for the villagers. The free dental treatment comprised services in the form of teeth cleaning, root canal treatment, filling of cavities etc. Here too there was a wonderful response from the villagers who turned up in large numbers to avail the opportunity. The majority of the patients were young and middle-aged people, unlike the case of the eye operations wherein the patient base comprised predominantly elderly people. Alumni also conducted Bhajans and nagar sankirtan in the village along with their colleagues.

Before departing, the team also distributed blankets, plates and tumblers to the patients. The villagers became very emotional and thanked them, shedding tears of gratitude. This was the defining moment of the camp and everyone was touched by the love they received from the village folk.

3. Madilu Orphanage

COACH held a program in an orphanage called Madilu situated near Ittamadu, Banashankari in Bangalore. Madilu is a home to about sixty orphans and abandoned children in the age group of 3-14 years. Alumni had been visiting the facility regularly, and selected the orphanage for conducting seva activity.

The orphanage lacked cleanliness and hygiene. All the children were emitting a foul odour and had not taken a bath for long. They were bathed by a few volunteers, and soon after started a session of games. Of the games, musical chairs was a big hit. Each child was gifted a trunk box to store their personal belongings. The relationship between the children and the employees became so profound that the children wanted them to visit every weekend. The whole atmosphere was charged with love. The children were served lunch and it was feast for them to relish! The Madilu experience left an indelible impression in the minds of all who participated in the effort.

4. Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences

A COACH event was held at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences at Whitefield, Bangalore on June 6, 2007. Alumni had earlier interacted with the former hospital staff to plan out the event.

The primary attraction was a magic show performed all the patients by one of India’s upcoming magician – Ugesh Sarcar’s team. The show had a thrilling effect on the patients, especially children. Patients were delighted and sported big smiles. Before the show began Compassites employees appeared, dressed in costumes resembling different animals. Most of all, the magic show was a big hit with the children, who filled the hall with thunderous applause.

After this, alumni students divided themselves into teams and toured the different parts of the hospital. They interacted with the patients and comforted them with get-well-soon wishes. The children were given gifts, and this evoked broad smiles all around.

Before leaving, all the employees donated blood in the blood bank of the hospital. The hospital staff thanked the Compassites team for bringing cheer into the patients’ lives.

Like wise there are many more such instances and programs that they have been conducting from the last two years. They are in the journey of ‘Creating more smiles per mile.’

God must look like You An old man and COACH beneficiary from Doddamarlwadi village said with tears brimming in his eyes and folded palms ‘I have never seen God. But He must look like one of you. I have never witnessed such compassion and love from anyone.’