Svayam India – Page 3

September 19, 2014

Pursuit Of Happiness
Seeking Incredible And Accessible India
How Jindal SAW managing director Sminu Jindal is championing the cause of accessibility for the disabled

Himanshu Kakkar
SEP 19 , 2014

While her company helps people and businesses gain access to oil and gas through the pipes it creates, for Sminu Jindal, MD, Jindal Saw, access has a completely different meaning. Left wheelchair bound ever since an accident at the age of 11, for 41-year-old Jindal, access means having to navigate offices, homes, bus stops, railway stations, hospitals and schools with limited mobility. She recounts an ordeal during a journey from Delhi to Allahabad by train. “I was wheeled through railway tracks to reach the other platform. Once inside the train, we realised that there was no space for the wheelchair to turn. I had to be lifted and placed on my seat,” she recalls. Add to this the frequent, insensitive enquiries by airline or hospital staff — “Aap kya zara sa bhi nahi uth sakte? (Can you not move even a little bit?)” — as they try to help her to her seat.

After years of dealing with such issues, Jindal decided to take control of the situation by launching Svayam in 2001 with the support of the Jindal Group in order to create awareness about accessibility issues. Once she realised that mere dissemination of information was not enough, though, Svayam started getting actively involved in grassroots work. “India has perhaps the best policies and disabled-friendly infrastructure, but all on paper,” Jindal says. So, she decided to work with the government and in 2007 appealed to the ministry of tourism to release annual funds to state governments and agencies only if they ensure that historical and tourist sites are fully accessible. “The proposal was accepted and Delhi’s Qutub Minar is our biggest success story,” she beams.

Thereafter, Jindal worked with the Archaeological Survey of India to make World Heritage Sites in Delhi, Agra and Goa barrier-free. “In the world of tourism, we need to project India as ‘Incredible, Accessible India’,” she says. Besides helping introduce a query relating to differently abled persons in the Census, Svayam functions as a one-stop shop for anything to do with accessibility, having been invited by government agencies, such as the NDMC and the ministry of education, government of Delhi, to make public conveniences and schools accessible and barrier-free.

Jindal feels that much can be done with respect to attitudinal changes and sensitisation, when it comes to accessibility issues. “The government wants to take steps towards increasing access but nobody sensitises civil engineers or contractors about such things. They sometimes don’t even know why ramps are installed. And most schools don’t even accept handicapped children.”

Thankfully, there is no lack of success stories for her to feel good about the future of accessibility in the country. With a glint in her eyes, she recounts the day she felt great pride at the work done by Svayam: seeing an old man in a wheelchair getting into one of the state transport buses using a ramp installed with the help of the organisation.

For most people, it is quite hard to balance work with their passions and ensure that they don’t neglect either of these. But, for Jindal, there is no distinction between the two as the issue concerns her deeply and personally. “In terms of involvement and dedication, this is very different from setting up a hospital or launching 10 schools. I am giving others a hope for a better life,” she sums up.

Source: Outlook Business

September 19, 2014

Outbook Business Features Ms. Sminu Jindal : 19 Sep 2014

Pursuit of Happiness

Seeking incredible and accessible India

How Jindal SAW managing director Sminu Jindal is championing the cause of accessibility for the disabled

Himanshu Kakkar| Outlook Business | SEP 19 , 2014

: Ms. Sminu Jindal (photo credit: Vishal Koul)

While her company helps people and businesses gain access to oil and gas through the pipes it creates, for Sminu Jindal, MD, Jindal SAW, access has a completely different meaning. Left wheelchair bound ever since an accident at the age of 11, for 41-year-old Jindal, access means having to navigate offices, homes, bus stops, railway stations, hospitals and schools with limited mobility. She recounts an ordeal during a journey from Delhi to Allahabad by train. “I was wheeled through railway tracks to reach the other platform. Once inside the train, we realised that there was no space for the wheelchair to turn. I had to be lifted and placed on my seat,” she recalls. Add to this the frequent, insensitive enquiries by airline or hospital staff – “आप क्या जरा से भी नहीं उठ सकते? (Can you not move even a little bit?)” — as they try to help her to her seat.

Source: Outlook Business

May 14, 2014

Delhi’s Railway Stations continue to defy the Disability Act – remains inaccessible to disabled

Dear Friends,

The Indian Railways has been continuously disregarding the access rights of persons with disabilities and the elderly and has not set its house in order even after nearly two decades of the passage of the Disabilities Act.

Svayam has been advocating that the platforms need to be connected by both- the dynamic measures such as lifts and elevators but also non-dynamic features such as ramps. For Eg. the platforms are interconnected by big ramps at Agra railway stations. The stations in the capital — even the New Delhi Railway Station does not have that interconnectivity. One has to travel through the passage used by luggage vans which goes across the railway tracks.

Svayam also raised the issue of non-implementation of basic design. For instance, the tactile blocks that guide the visually impaired run into walls, railings etc. Also, the descent to the platform from the escalator is marked by a step without a warning tactile block. And there is no accessibility for the hearing and visually impaired persons.

During the Railway Budget of 2013, Svayam has shared the issues in detail with the Railway ministry. However, the ministry has been sitting quite in complete defiance of the law of the land. See a related news in TOI dated 27 Feb 2013 titled Rail Budget 2013: Disabled say there are many hurdles in the way.

Here is the media coverage in TOI today.

Delhi’s railway stations test elderly, disabled

Suhas Munshi,TNN | May 14, 2014, 01.32 AM IST

NEW DELHI: For the city’s elderly and the infirm, train journeys begin with pain and humiliation-at the railway station. In the absence of ramps or lifts, those incapable of walking have to be carried up foot overbridges on way to the platform in the arms of their kin or wheeled through routes meant for transportation of goods. Over the years, say the elderly, this debasing experience hasn’t changed.

At the New Delhi railway station, for instance, 60-year-old Tara Devi, who suffers from joint pains, waited on her walker for half-hour in the hot son as her son went hunting for a wheelchair. Sunheri Devi, 73, had a similar agonizing experience, being carried in his arms by her son to the platform.

“My mother lost a leg recently. Besides, she is too old to walk up the stairs. So, I carried her to the platform,” said son Om Prakash. Asked if he knew about wheelchairs or golf carts provided by the station for free, Prakash shook his head. The response was similar in most spot interviews TOI conducted of persons with some sort of disability.

Article in Newspaper image format as it appeared in the Times City

Clearly, while railway authorities say they have made arrangements for wheelchairs and golf carts at some stations, most passengers haven’t heard about it yet. Those who have, find it impractical and use it only as a last resort.

Of the major railway stations in Delhi, only Anand Vihar has been designed with a functional ramp to take the wheelchair-bound across the platforms. At Hazrat Nizamuddin, Old Delhi or New Delhi stations, the disabled have to be ferried to the end of a platform where goods are ferried on hand carts, and stand in queue with cart-loaders waiting for passing trains to give way in order to change platforms.

“The platforms are totally unapproachable by senior citizens and it’s about time someone decided to do something about it. It’s really a shame for the national capital to have an unapproachable platform for boarding important trains,” said senior citizen Sudipta Maitra, IBM’s former manager of business operations, who also has a disability.

Dr Satendra Singh, an assistant professor of physiology at GTB hospital, himself afflicted with polio, says the only way to help is to install lifts and reserve escalators for the disabled.

“Railways goes on installing escalators at stations but for someone like me who uses calipers, escalators don’t work because people like me tend to lose balance, as I have in the past. Lifts, reserved for the disabled, as done in the Delhi Metro, would make life so much simpler for us. That’s what I hope gets done some time in the forseeable future,” said Singh.

Old Delhi station happens to have a pair of lifts leading to waiting halls. But both have been in a state of disrepair for the past three years.

“We have been trying to ensure that the journey becomes safe and comfortable for everyone. We have one golf cart and 20 wheelchairs at Old Delhi railway station, one golf cart and five wheelchairs at Nizamuddin station, four golf carts and 20 wheelchairs at New Delhi and four wheelchairs at Anand Vihar. Besides, we have other facilities such as separate queues for elderly,” said a Northern railway spokesperson.

Clearly, the railways has to start making these facilities more accessible and user-friendly.

Source: Times of India

April 7, 2014

Loreal Paris Femina Women Achievers Award for Ms. Sminu Jindal soon

Please refer to our earlier post dated 11 March 2014 , titled Ms. Sminu Jindal shortlisted for Loreal Paris Femina Women Awards 2014, requesting the readers to vote for Ms. Jindal online on the FaceBook page created for the purpose. We received an overwhelming response on the page with 17899 votes in the “Favorite Face of the Cause” Category and are so glad to share that Ms. Sminu Jindal has been selected for the award. We thank all our well wishers, supporters, believers in our work for their wholehearted support.

We will coming up with more details at the time of the award ceremony. Thanks again for your positive and constructive engagement.

PS: Blog post after the Award Ceremony was held is available at link here: Loreal Paris Femina Women Award for Ms. Jindal

April 7, 2014

A near-fatal accident couldn’t restrain her

Reeba Zachariah & Vipashana V K, TNN | Apr 7, 2014, 12.35AM IST

Silver spoons need to be nurtured so that they remain silver,” says the heiress of Jindal SAW. The eldest of three sisters, she was aware that if she wasn’t good enough, opportunities would be taken away from her. But proving her mettle wasn’t tough, as business was in her blood. At the tender age of 6, when most children had games on their minds, Sminu Jindal had business on hers.

Her ambition was not undermined even by a near-fatal accident, which left her paralyzed below the waist and turned her world upside down. With her parents standing rock solid behind her, Jindal overcame her disability. “The mishap made my belief in God stronger. If not for my wheelchair, I would have been married off before getting a shot at my career,” says the iron lady, adding, “My parents wanted me to be independent first.”

At 19, soon after her class XII, she started her career as a trainee with one of the companies of Jindal SAW, eventually rising to be the boss of the flagship firm. “People were surprised to see a woman in the male-dominated steel business. Many also thought that I was a guy because of my unusual name (Sminu incidentally means ‘the one who keeps smiling’). Some presumed that I was the ‘fifth’ Jindal brother,” chuckles the 39-year-old managing director of Jindal SAW.

She has battled both personal and professional challenges with resilience. During her early days at the company, she faced opposition from male staff who refused to report to her, with some even quitting. “Many thought I had joined the family business to while away time, but there are other better ways to while away my time,” says Jindal, pointing out how silver spoons can go against you.

The wheelchair-bound Jindal, a mother of two school-going boys, says that she is used to curious looks and questions. “I prefer curious minds to an apology. At least curiosity will encourage people to believe that if I could achieve something, they too can.” When Jindal joined the business, she was the only woman besides the receptionist and, in a way, opened doors for other women to join the organization.

The number of women employees has increased, but it’s nothing to boast about, rues Jindal, who is flummoxed by the skewed gender ratio in the steel industry. “Women have it in them equally, may be they don’t have equal opportunities. Every woman, like every man, can’t be a CEO. But women shouldn’t be scared of pursuing their dreams,” says Jindal, who is also a classical singer and painter.

For her own inspiration, Jindal looks up to at all those women who sacrifice careers without feeling guilty, turning homemakers. “Men are successful because they have well-run households. They (housewives) have the most thankless jobs,” says Jindal, who attributes her success partly to her husband, who is also the managing director at Jindal SAW. “We try hard not to get the boardroom into the bedroom,” she says.

News Paper format of the news from The Times of India dated 07th April 2014

March 11, 2014

Ms. Sminu Jindal shortlisted for Loreal Paris Femina Women Awards 2014

We are glad to share that Ms. Sminu Jindal, Founder, Svayam – National Centre for Inclusive Environments & MD, Jindal SAW Ltd. has been nominated by Loreal Paris Femina Women Awards in the category of “FAVOURITE FACE OF A CAUSE”, which is a Reader’s Choice Award.

She, as you know is herself a wheelchair user & has taken up the cause of accessible and barrier free infrastructure for all and particularly the persons with disabilities, the seniors, children and the women.

To vote Please click the link below and vote for Ms. Sminu Jindal:

https://www.facebook.com/feminawoman/app_1410445975881464

Voting closes soon, so please vote ASAP!

Here is the process of voting:

Click on the link and login with your facebook username and paasword.
A window will appear saying Loréal Paris Femina Women Awards will receive the following info: your public profile, friend list and email address, click on okay.
A second window will appear saying Loréal Paris Femina Women Awards would like to post to Facebook for you, click on okay or skip as you desire.
Once again, like the page, and you will be directed to the Reader’s Choice Award.
Click on the category of Favourite Face of a Cause.
Now, click on Vote written below Ms. Sminu Jindal’s name.
Now the screen will appear to say “Thank you for your vote” and one vote will be added.

May we request you to help us garnering votes to bring to fore the issue of accessibility that she has been working to promote tirelessly.

Looking forward to your support. Remember every vote counts!

Team Svayam

February 7, 2014

Join us at Destinations for All 2014, Montreal 19-22 Oct 2014

You are coordially invited for the 1st ever World Summit Destinations for All. The issue of accessible tourism has never been more relevant: 15% of the world’s population faces some degree of limited physical mobility, and with a greater aging demographic, this number will only increase. It is time to think of tourism no longer solely as a luxury, but as a need that is shared by everyone. By making tourism accessible to all, destinations are also:

Responding to the reality of an aging population
Providing a more inclusive focus on all customer requirements
Winning the loyalty of travellers
Distinguishing themselves from the competition
Contributing to their destinations’ civic pride

The World Summit Destinations for All promises to take the current dialogue on accessible tourism to a new and exciting level. By bringing together key players in tourism, culture, and transportation, the Summit aims to identify and implement the necessary measures to establish international tourism that is inclusive and accessible.

Organized by Kéroul, Québec’s leading authority on accessible tourism, and supported by numerous prestigious international organizations, the World Summit Destinations for All promises to chart a new and exciting course towards universal accessible tourism.

Svayam – National Centre for Inclusive Environments, Delhi, India proudly supports this event. We hope you join us on the journey.

Help us spread the word by being an Ambassador Ambassador Kit – Destinations for All 2014.

To keep updated, watch out the Press Release Page of the Conference Website.

See you Montréal October 19-22, 2014!

December 9, 2013

The Woman of Steel

Women at Work: The Woman of Steel

November 12, 2013, 9:00 AM

Sminu Jindal was in a car accident when she was 11-years-old that meant she has had to use a wheelchair ever since. This didn’t stop her continuing her education and graduating from New Delhi’s prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce and going on to do a management program from Fore School of Management, at Delhi University.

In 1993, fresh out of college, Ms. Jindal then 22-years-old convinced her father O.P. Jindal to let her join his steel business. He set her the task of turning around a factory that was on the verge of closure, a mission which she successfully accomplished.

Today, Ms. Jindal, is the managing director of Jindal Saw Ltd., India’s biggest manufacturer of steel pipes, running a company with revenues of about $1 billion annually .

In the latest in our “Woman at Work” series, Ms. Jindal spoke to The Wall Street Journal about having to prove herself repeatedly, feeling dumb, and using her reduced mobility to her advantage.

Edited Excerpts:

The Wall Street Journal: What’s the steel industry like for a woman?

Sminu Jindal: It is a very macho industry. If I just put it in a one line, men are allowed to be macho, women are not given a chance but we can be equally macho. When people talk about steel they think women can’t lift steel, but men [at my level] don’t lift it either. We just manage people who lift it.

I honed by skills in the area I was good at, thankfully my family supported that. I concentrated on stuff that I liked the best.

I believe passion runs you. If you have a passion then you can learn a thing, but then if you don’t have a passion, or a flair for that thing, you will never learn no matter how many classes you attend. It will still be your weak point.

WSJ: What are the particular strengths you think women bring to your line of work that perhaps men lack?

Ms. Jindal: I feel we are born as mothers, so we are already preprogramed to nurture people beneath us, sometimes to be like a rough bad mom, which people don’t like. They’d rather have an easy going mom; disciplinarian mom and nurturing at the same time. I think that is one quality that a woman definitely brings on the table.

WSJ: When you first entered the industry in 1993 what was the attitude towards you as a woman? Has this changed now?

Ms. Jindal: I wish it would change now. People no longer say women can’t be in this industry, but women have to prove their capabilities again, and again, and again.

I think women also need to go through a change of mindset in about how we bring up our children. I have two boys; I hope I will do a good job.

WSJ: What have been the challenges for you in making it to the top?

Ms. Jindal: It is a macho business; everybody thought I would not be able to lift steel. I wasn’t able to lift steel, but I handle people well. That was my forte. I have my people happy working with me, they look forward to working with me, they draw inspiration when I am for hours in the plant and they feel as able-bodied they should be more diligently working. So in terms of motivation, I guess, I provide them tons.

WSJ: Does the Indian context affect the experience of women in your business?

Ms. Jindal: Indian or not, women are not encouraged to be on the shop floor. You still see women as mid-level managers…rarely as chief executives…but I am yet to come across five women engineers who work in a plant. That’s what I want as a positive change.

There is no job which a woman can’t do.

WSJ: Have you had to employ particular tactics to make it to this position? What would those be?

Ms. Jindal: I use my wheelchair as an opportunity to spread the message of accessibility. We just need to think and dream big…it happens. That’s something I have worked on and lived my life on, dreaming big that you will be there one day.

WSJ: At what stage do Indian women decide to stop working?

Ms. Jindal: Women do that because family pressures sometimes becomes too much. There is too much expectation at home due to which they are unable to concentrate on their careers. They take sabbaticals 10 years just to make sure that their kids are grown up enough for them to go out again and work. But it is not fair on them because they learn how to be a manager completely when they are at home. They are managing so many fronts with not a battery of people like we have at work.

WSJ: What mistakes do women often make at the workplace?

Ms. Jindal: They try to be super at everything. It’s okay to fail; it’s okay not to achieve this super status at work and super human at home; it’s okay. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. That’s the biggest learning at the end of it all. It is more important to get up, dust yourself and move again. All the super human stuff, sometimes is self-imposed but it also comes from a lot of peer pressure. Its peer pressure that actually drives people to do certain things that is against their will.

WSJ: Tell us about your best and worst experience as a woman at work.

Ms. Jindal: The worst time is when, in spite of my successes, I have to prove again that I can do it. Pressure always remains. Trust me, sometimes I feel that I was 90% dumber than other people but as a man I would have still been considered a success. Honest. That is the worst feeling.

I believe my best was when I put up a good team that works towards the same objective, with the same synergy and no politics.

WSJ: What is the one thing would you change in India to make it easier for women to succeed?

Ms. Jindal: I want India to be more accessible. The biggest challenge that I face even today is accessibility. Something as tiny as that…traveling from one place to another. There would be so many like me out there if things were accessible for people to travel to places, catch a public transit, go to a place of recreation or work, and lead a happier life. That’s a challenge that I am currently trying to work, Svayam, [part of Sminu Jindal Charitable Trust a New Delhi-based nonprofit working to promote dignity for people with reduced mobility] being one of them.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Pursuit Of Happiness Seeking Incredible And Accessible India How Jindal SAW managing director Sminu Jindal is championing the cause of accessibility for the disabled

Pursuit of Happiness

Seeking incredible and accessible India

Pursuit Of Happiness
Seeking Incredible And Accessible India
How Jindal SAW managing director Sminu Jindal is championing the cause of accessibility for the disabled