New Bridges for the Digital Divide

The first meeting of the newly elected Nasscom Executive Council for 2005-07

was held in Hyderabad and, once again, revealed what a truly representative

association it is. Apart from the new Executive Council and the CEOs gathering

that preceded it, what was even more memorable was a visit to the Byrraju

Foundation, a significant initiative of Ramalinga Raju. It is really worth

writing about as a role model for many larger and smaller companies in the

industry.

What differentiates the Byrraju foundation is its twin focus on the rural and

urban segments of society, with significant involvement of many associates of

the Satyam organization in all its endeavors. Over a hundred and fifty villages

are being provided with a better future through education, healthcare and

hygienic facilities. On the other hand, the work being done to improve medical

support and infrastructure in the city of Hyderabad provides the balance that

enables all sections of society to benefit from the wealth being generated by

one of India's software success stories.

Ganesh Natarajan What differentiates the Byrraju foundation is its twin focus on the rural and urban segments of society, with significant involvement of many Satyam associates

There has been a lot of criticism about the tax holidays being enjoyed by the

software sector and the huge profits it generates. Initiatives like the Byrraju

Foundation and many similar projects undertaken by large and small companies

demonstrate that the industry is conscious of its responsibilities to the

community and the society-and will do whatever is possible to bridge the

digital divide. In our own context, over two thousand Zensarians have pledged to

improve the lot of the community where we live and work, through a whole range

of initiatives-ranging from education centers for children, health camps for

the underprivileged, computer education for the support staff and their families

to providing instant relief to suffering communities, including the Tsunami

affected villages.

The interesting revelation that comes up whenever one attempts to implement

community initiatives in this amazing industry is the overwhelming support that

is forthcoming from employees or associate communities. Seeing young people

teaching slum children, participating in medical camps, spending an afternoon by

the bedside of a terminally ill child, training office boys the nuances of email

and PowerPoint, and staging street plays for the inmates of a women's jail-one

feels that beneath the visible competitiveness and ambition in the software

brain lies a caring and sympathetic heart.

There are many models available for the companies to study and emulate, some

successful and others still in their testing stage. From the large initiatives

like the Azim Premji Foundation and the Byrraju Foundation to association-led

initiatives by Nasscom and the CII to the employee-intensive community

enhancement activities practiced by Zensar, there are virtues in all of these

approaches. The active involvement of social workers and NGOs in these

activities helps. And, there is a rub off as well. Our own experiment in

partnering with NGOs like CRY, Akanksha and the "Grant a Wish

Foundation", and employing an enthusiastic social worker to coordinate and

streamline these efforts has not only rewarded us enormously but also enabled

our young social worker to transform her own outlook through her interactions

with bright youngsters and see her social consciousness rub off on the hundreds

of volunteers whose lives she touches every month-truly, a new caring India in

the making!

The author is deputy chairman & MD of Zensar and a member of NASSCOM's

Executive Council for 2005-07 Ganesh

Natarajan