I have always loved Monsoon season, even more after relocating myself to Bangalore to work at SAP Labs India. When the rest of the country is trying to figure out ways to escape from the brutal heat, like any other Bangalorean, I am busy enjoying a walk in the drizzle and the cool weather in the night. Everything becomes just a tad better with this season. Or does it?
This year left us on the horn of a dilemma. In June 2019, millions of Indians were desperately awaiting overdue monsoon rains due to dried up reservoirs and to get relief from the temperatures soaring across the country. The monsoon rains are crucial to replenish water supplies in drought-stricken India and for agricultural production. Fast-forward to August 2019, over 13 states of India, were deluged by heavy rains forcing about a million people to flee their homes and be displaced.
What followed for the next several weeks were news channels and social media, filled with the details of the aftermath of the rain-triggered flood. These were the places that my friends, family and I had once been to and immensely experienced them at their very best. Even worse was to see the continuous piled agony of the people who lost their loved ones and their homes.
So how does one extend help? It's inevitable for one to think that the impact of such disasters is so huge that our help might not suffice. On our own, we cannot end the sufferings of all the lives affected, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine. One of the best things about SAP is its CSR initiative called SAP Together which supports the distressed citizens in disaster-affected areas by providing immediate relief and rehabilitation. This year we mobilized our support through partners - Rise Against Hunger and HOPE Foundation.
The first step was to provide immediate support by raising funds for relief. Followed by rehabilitation by contributing items individually and on a team level, then segregating these items region-wise into different categories like meals, family kits/shelter kits, health, and hygiene kits, medical assistance, blankets, and other essential relief support as per the needs. We along with the NGO packed these items into boxes which helped around 250 - 275 families and kids. It was surreal to watch all the volunteers come together to support this initiative and proactively help in restoring and rebuilding life back to normalcy in these areas. I would also like to take a moment to thank gunjan.patel, Sushma Shivaraj and the CSR team for organizing the relief drive, Clarissa Fernandes, bismitadas for providing a team level support and all the volunteers who spent their Friday evening for such a noble cause. We are extremely grateful for the support that poured in.
Let's make the world a better place where we look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand. Let's do our bit.
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