The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : A matter of choice

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Sunday, Mar 15, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

A matter of choice

— Photo: K.Pichumani

Sriram V. Ayer.

In school, he was notorious for having all the fun of his life. His company (which he started in Class X) was selling simple meditative techniques to help one memorise better before examinations. The teenager sold the book-cum-tape, around 20, each priced at Rs.700, making him the richest boy of the class.

For his parents, Sriram has been the rebel. His Rs.1.50 lakh-strong portfolio in the stock market crashed after two years of making money. Later, Sriram discontinued after CA Foundation, much to the disappointment of his father, as he realised that chartered accountancy was not his cup of tea.

Liffy Thomas caught up with Sriram V. Ayer, founder and CEO of NalandaWay, on his journey so far.

A course in advertisement followed by a job in a software firm to leading a social organisation now, Sriram has still a lot of other plans in mind. All through, Sriram is happy that he has done things he has always been excited about.

“It was during my stint with Ibhar Technologies in Chennai that I was moved by the sight of a boy who came to our software development office to sell ‘agarbatis’,” Sriram recalls this incident, and the Gujarat riots left him pondering. In three days, he quit his job to concentrate full-time on his entrepreneurial venture, with due credit to the many mentors who guided him.

In fact, NalandaWay started as a quest for spiritual understanding of peoples’ behaviour. “I am finding answers for myself and in the process finding answers for others,” says Sriram about how he is enjoying life in the process.

The not-for-profit venture was launched in December 2003. It started by offering the marginalised children mentoring.

“The idea was to identify children who have the least number of opportunities. Through art, drama, dance, visual arts, music and film, we improve their verbal literacy, communication skills, help them think and, above all, make them explain their inner feelings,” says the 32-year-old.

Flush with the success of ‘Paati Vada Kaaka Nari,’ a musical play which was recently staged by children belonging to the Department of Social Defence, NalandaWay’s 17-member team is gung-ho about other productions.

‘Chhoti Chhoti Baat,’ a 30-minute programme on AIR, Bihar, produced by 45 children, and another similar programme produced by children and youth of Kashmir are next on their agenda. “The show is about reporting conflict through the eyes of a child,” says Sriram, who is an Ashoka Fellow. Furthermore, a full-length feature film in Tamil about HIV-affected children, post-production work for which is complete, should release soon. “Here again, we have a script penned by children,” he says. “We want to sow the seed of confidence in children,” he adds. NalandaWay is today working in seven States with the help of anchor organisations.

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