Madhuram Narayanan Centre
We reproduce here excerpts of a conversation between Anuradha Mundkur, N Kumar, Vice Chairman, Sanmar group, Air Vice Marshal V Krishnaswamy (Retd.) and Mrs Jaya Krishnaswamy on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Madhuram Narayanan Centre published in the Jan-Mar, 2000 issue of Changes.
Mother Teresa releasing the Upanayan Early
Intervention Programme.
Sanmar group’s role in social development
As far as community development work is concerned, we see Sanmar as a catalyst not as a forerunner. The programme should run on its own. Our main objective is to run the company, make profit and find good credible social development programmes to support.
Since you do not have a written policy on corporate social responsibility do you earmark a budget for these kinds of activities?
While we do not have an earmarked budget, this has not stopped us from supporting good credible projects. We look at a specific issue – ask for a budget – if its in line with what we have in mind then we support it. Its a no strings attached support – we do not expect anything in return and that is true for most corporate houses.
Your views on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India.
There are three issues here.
First, unless the country and the community grow your company is not going to do too well either. That’s one of the reasons why we ensure that the area around where we have our factories become better and better.
Second, CSR is in a sense nation building. However small your effort, you are still contributing towards the growth of the nation.
And finally, even corporates have a conscience and the corporate conscience needs to be at peace with itself and it keeps asking you if you are doing enough. Its no longer a question of “are you doing something”... its “are you as a company doing enough”. We need to find a way to do more in primary areas like education, and health. CSR is a continuing process not a one time ad hoc donation be it in cash or kind. And that’s the kind of commitment to social development that the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is working on.
What is missing or lacking in CSR in India?
What is lacking is corporate networking. Many companies are doing many different things but we
are unable to share among ourselves in an organizational manner what each of us is doing so that we can learn from our shared experiences and work in a better manner. To some extent CII is trying to act as a network but they need to do it much more so that we corporates do not duplicate work... we add value to each others efforts... that is what is important.
We need to increase awareness on CSR among young management students. We should target business schools.
What prompted you to set up the Madhuram Narayanan Centre?
Setting up Madhuram Narayanan Centre was the culmination of an effort that began in 1987. At that time, Indchem R & D Labs, a subsidiary of Sanmar group was exploring how we could use our expertise in computers to benefit the less privileged. One suggestion that came up was to computerize an existing training programme for people working with children who have mental retardation. Another was to develop an indigenous programme suited to the country’s needs – and this is what we did. During the course of the project we found that there was also a lack of structured testing in the country.
The Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children (MNC) was conceived as one that would test the programme. MNC was established in 1989 as a model centre to provide services to children with mental retardation (in the age group of 0 to 6 years) through the systematic training programme developed.
There are so many centres in the country that are providing services to children with mental retardation. What makes the Madhuram Narayanan Centre’s effort unique?
The centre uses a training programme that has been indigenously developed by an interdisciplinary team of paediatricians, development psychologists, special educators, occupational therapists and computer professionals. Called the Upanayan Early Intervention Programme, it has been conceived keeping in mind Indian socio-economic needs and the cultural milieu. The entire programme is in the form of training modules both in printed form as well as software, which can be used, independent of each other. The first of its kind in the country the programme was written originally in English and has now been translated into a number of Indian languages.
One of the cornerstones of the programme is parental involvement. The Centre aims at developing parents’ as co-teachers. Selected parents are given systematic orientation course on early intervention so that they can train not only their children but also others at the centre.
What are the other activities that MNC is involved in?
As part of disseminating our learning from the approach to the rehabilitation of children with mental retardation, we conduct teacher training programmes and workshops. We also train teachers from other institutions working with similar children.
We have also helped setting up similar centres in Tamil Nadu notably:
The Southern Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation, Chennai
The Air Force Wives Welfare Association, Tambaram
The Women’s Welfare Association of Atomic Energy Establishment, Kalpakkam
Women’s Association of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tiruchi
Avvai Kappagam, Chennai
Future Plans...
The Centre is located just above the Bala Mandir Primary School, in T Nagar, Chennai. We hope to increase interaction between the two institutions so that children with mental retardation have better chance of being accepted by mainstream society. Another dream is setting up Madhuban – chain of early intervention centres in the country to be connected by a computer network. This is a long-term plan. The first step, which we have already set in motion, is setting up similar centres in Tamil Nadu. We now want to take it to other cities as well – we will provide all the necessary inputs but whoever is interested will have to take care of the management and take the programme forward.
Any Takers?...
You can contact:
Air Vice Marshal V Krishnaswamy (Retd.), Director, Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children, 126, G.N. Chetty Road, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600 017. Tel: 044-8281042, 8267568. E-mail: nkoff@sanmargroup.com
Reproduced with permission from Changes, a magazine brought out by Action Aid India.