On December 10, 2023, Jendamark India and Odin Education held a special brunch called “Brunch for a Cause” in Pune. This event brought together decision makers from different companies to help children in rural areas get better education and healthcare facilities. People bid on things such as Internet access and sports kits to raise money. The event showed how companies are working together to help children in rural areas have a better future.
India’s manufacturing community is on a roll, especially since the Make in India initiative has taken off. But it is always heartening to see several decision makers from this community come together under one roof to support a social cause. On Sunday, December 10, 2023, Jendamark India Pvt Ltd, a leading provider of world-class automotive assembly systems, in association with their ed-tech partner, Odin Education organized an event named “Brunch for a Cause”. The event was held at the popular Malaka Spice Restaurant in Pune and hosted an enthusiastic mix of people—HR professionals, CSR heads, CEOs, etc.—of different manufacturing companies.
While the event was bejewelled by sumptuous food and a lively stand-up comedy act, the event mainly aimed to raise funds for underprivileged children from rural areas so that their basic educational and medical needs can be catered to. Himanshu Jadhav, the CEO of Jendamark said, “We are all privileged to be born and brought up in urban areas where we have ample access of resources. But these kids, who are born in some remote, not-easily-accessible village, are not as lucky as we are. But the place of someone’s birth should not determine their future.”
The main part of the event was the bidding. The Jendamark and Odin Education teams had compiled a list of five essential items on which the attendees had to bid. These included
- A day in Pune for the kid and his/her family
- Medical camp
- Internet connectivity
- Sports kits
- Stationary and art supplies
The basic bid started from INR 2,000/-, which is a pretty humble sum. But it was really satisfying to see that the bids on all five items were raised to worthwhile amounts, thus affirming how strongly our entrepreneurs feel about nurturing the lives of our future generations. In fact, a lot many of them were also pretty enthusiastic about collaborating on the initiative with Jendamark even in the future and sought to explore avenues where such collaborations would fruitfully work.
Archana Iyer of Odin Education said, “We have already identified a rural school that we would sponsor in the future near our factory. We are very positive of the outcome of our work with these underprivileged children and we fully intend to continue to do this even in the future.” When such events are organised, it is often very easy to dismiss them as a routine CSR activity that all companies do these days. However, the Jendamark event was different. It showed how sensitive our industry leadership is toward cultivating a brighter, more promising future for our country.
