Dear Friends,

When our Mumbai team met with Mr. Keshub Mahindra a few months ago, we were delighted to hear that he wanted to have a personal interaction with some of our SMART students. And so, a few of our team members and a group of students trooped along to the Gateway Building for a meeting of their lifetimes. While we ourselves had a rough idea of the kind of experiences the students would share, one student, Fauzia Sayeed stood out for the remarkable story she shared with Keshub and the group.

Fauzia fell seriously ill when she was in her 12th standard. So ill, that she could not continue her studies and her father had to take out a loan of more than 3 lakhs for her treatment. Her family struggled to put food on the table and Fauzia herself was burdened by the guilt of the strain her illness had placed on the family. As Fauzia recovered from her illness, and as she met others suffering from even worse problems in the hospital, she developed a new perspective. “Talking to others made my problems seem smaller, pettier and theirs bigger. I started to wonder about how I could help, and then I came across the NGO Sneha that runs a SMART center” said Fauzia. 

The rest, as they say, is history. Fauzia trained as a General Duty Assistant and got a job in a hospital. She is now helping her father pay back his loans. She has a new drive to succeed and in fact, hopes to reappear for her 12th standard exams and clear the medical entrance exam to become a doctor. It is girls like Fauzia who are going to be the change we want to see in society, and from the Foundation, we promise that we will try to support Fauzia to pursue her dreams.

Click here to watch Fauzia tell Keshub Mahindra her story!

Warm Regards,
Tech Mahindra Foundation