This October, we decided to start a new column in the newsletter- ‘Friends of Aagaaz Speak’. This space is dedicated to all those people who have invested their trust and money in Aagaaz. Their association is valuable to us and we really wanted to know and share why they have chosen to become a part of our journey.
This month we are featuring Steeve Gupta. This is what he has to say:
“If you’ve met one child from Nizamuddin Basti and managed to understand what their challenges are, then you’ve met one child from Nizamuddin Basti. To think that most children in such spaces will have very similar challenges and require similar solutions is the path to band-aid support.
Living in a delhi slum is an all-out assault on a child. A child who is very aware of the world around and therefore even more sharply aware of the hurt it is receiving.
What I love about Aagaaz is that it provides a space for these children to build their own identity and their own methods of living through this reality. Thriving even (maybe).
The use of drama helps in the children being able to deconstruct events and look at them in a more healthy and non-victim way.
More importantly, the focus of Aagaaz is what I love. There is this group of children and Aagaaz has taken up their emotional & social well being and development needs until the time they can go out there and start making a life of their own. This focus helps me as a friend of Aagaaz know that there will be tangible action and results from any time or funds that go into it. We are seeing the results already.
As a friend of Aagaaz, a rule I follow is to check two things: One, what can I do to make things easier for the Aagaaz team to do their work? Two, what should I do to ensure the Aagaaz team doesn’t have to spend time taking care of me or my needs so that they can focus on the work with children.”
Steeve is the Managing Director of Maynardleigh Associates India. In 2002, Steeve graduated from the University of Central Florida, with an MBA and specialization in International Business. In theatre, Steeve worked closely with Aamir Raza Hussain at Stagedoor productions and Oscar Nominee Victor Banerjee. He is known for his deep insight into people’s behavior, his experience of working with thousands of leaders and his commitment to creating an engaging, experiential & partnership based learning environments that focus on the growth of businesses and individuals.