Aarati Savur, An Influential Leader, Spearheading Parisar Asha to Drive Social Change
Aarati Savur, CEO of Parisar Asha, thrives at the vibrant intersection of creativity and innovation. She is dedicated to bringing about a positive change in society through education. Currently leading Parisar Asha, she excels in developing strategies and introducing innovative practices, shaping the future of education, the environment, and the emotional wellbeing of people.
With over two and a half decades of experience, Aarati has significantly contributed to the corporate and social sector. For her notable achievements, she has been honoured with the Amity University Women’s Excellence Award, the Femina World Women Achievers Award, the Jamanalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies Leadership Award, and the Top 100 Global Women Awards by GCPIT.
Besides, she has been selected by the Times of India as one of the prominent ‘Woman Achiever’ for their Coffee Table book. Aarati’s journey from beginning to current leadership roles reflects her unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of students and communities. She remains dedicated to inspiring others to embark on their journeys of personal and professional growth.
Parisar Asha: Revolutionising the Traditional Learning System
Parisar Asha is a dream of the late founder and director, Gloria de Souza. Established in 1982 by visionary educationist Gloria to revolutionise the education system.
The Genesis of Parisar Asha
The late Gloria de Souza, founder and director of Parisar Asha, believed that education should be a gift and a way of life. In 1982, she laid the foundation for Parisar Asha to revolutionise the existing system of formal and non-formal learning.
With a commitment to serve society through a unique learning approach, Gloria introduced the revolutionary concept of ‘ESAL’—’ Environmental Studies Approach to Learning’. This approach provides students and teachers a means of growth in knowledge, learning skills, attitudes, and values rather than focusing on the rote memorisation of meaningless facts.
Distinctive Programs
Parisar Asha rolled out its programs based on three significant thematic areas: education, environmental sustainability, and mental health.
Eco-tech World School Program:
It was devised with a mission to provide ‘quality education’ to all. The program aims to concentrate on the holistic development of a child by not only emphasising literary and numeracy skills but also providing opportunities to enhance attitudes, inculcate values, and develop 21st-century life skills. The program is rolled out for Pre-Primary to Std VIII aligned with the State Board Curriculum and NEP 2020 and touched 4000+ schools, lacs of students, and thousands of teachers.
Million Caring Citizens Programme:
It is a school outreach program supported by Mahindra Lifespaces. This program focuses on
teaching sustainable and conservational practices among school children. These children are trained through this program to become green ambassadors. The program aims to create 1 million caring citizens who will carry the baton of sustainable living in the future.
The Million Caring Citizens Program, aka Green Army Program, initiated under Mahindra Lifespaces’ CSR initiative, has been implemented by Parisar Asha for 9 years. This program focuses on teaching sustainable and conservational practices among school children. These children are trained through this program to become green ambassadors. The program aims to create 1 million caring citizens who will carry the baton of sustainable living in the future.
Green School Program:
This program is an extension of the above; it is a children-led program where the children decide to take up the area of work based on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program aims to convert school operations based on Aarati Savur | CEO sustainable and conservational practices and to imbibe the same philosophy in the daily school operations to transform the schools into eco-spaces.
Eco-friendly Ganpati Workshops: Parisar Asha has been conducting unique Green Ganesha Workshops for a decade to address the environmental contamination caused by the immersion of POP idols, train the common man to create their own using shade clay’, an eco-friendly material, and embrace eco-friendly festivities.
Emotional Well-Being Helpline: They have reached out to over 6 lakh lives with the initial CSR support of Capgemini and now D’Decor Exports Pvt Ltd. Parisar Asha launched this unique helpline with a toll-free number (1800- 5322244/9594466461/9326939686) for individuals seeking support for mental health issues, child-related problems, and relationship issues. This helpline is managed by a team of psychologists and a psychiatrist. Since its 7 years of inception, this initiative has impacted more than 6 lac beneficiaries.
What Sets them Apart?
Parisar Asha stands out distinctly due to its mission to provide quality education to all. All the programs are curated here to keep this aspect in mind. Hence, the aspect of social welfare is always kept at the forefront rather than churning the profits from their initiatives.
Another factor that distinguishes Parisar Asha is that it is self-reliant. The organisation is a classic example of social entrepreneurship. Parisar Asha charges small fees for its school transformation program, which is adapted by schools. It also implements its programs with the support of CSR partners in government and private underprivileged schools. This balanced approach has sustained their self-independence for almost 42 years.
Nurturing a Culture of Innovation and Collaboration
Parisar Asha fosters a family-like culture where everyone has the freedom to express, innovate, create, and collaborate. The organisation’s value system is based on empathy, courage, and wisdom. Empathy enables the team to understand social issues and develop solutions to help individuals. Courage empowers the team to overcome the impediments to resolving social issues.
The impediments can be in any form: social, bureaucratic, financial, or organisational. Lastly, wisdom provides insight for making the right decision for the greater good. “We share a strong bond among the team, and in a unified way, we are driven by one vision: “Be the change you want to be,”, mentions Aarati.
Giving Back to the Community
Parisar Asha is dedicated to giving back to the community through sustainability and corporate social responsibility projects. The organisation aligns its mission with the corporation’s CSR vision and business goals. These programs are designed to benefit all stakeholders and address the real problem. Projects implemented under CSR initiatives always have a sustainability aspect, enabling beneficiaries to become self-reliant and capable of running the program on their own. This maximizes the impact and provides long-term benefits.
Triumphs and Milestones
Parisar Asha has come a long way. It has been globally acknowledged and recognized for its notable impact. However, getting associated with esteemed organizations like Capgemini, Mahindra Life Spaces, National Oilwell Varco, D’Decor Exports Pvt Ltd, Rotostat Pvt. Ltd., D-Mart, Optech Engineering Pvt Ltd, Voltas, Manpower Group Services, NPCI, Larsen & Toubro, Metropolitan Clearing Corporation Ltd., Udaan Foundation, CRISIL, TCS, Lions Club, and Naandi Foundation has been some of their biggest collaborators and ardent supporters.
The next milestone for Parisar Asha was receiving a Certificate of Merit from the CSR Congress in 2018, a Certificate of Merit from the Indian Sustainability Leader Ship Award in 2018, the Global NGO CSR Award for 2016 for Outstanding Contribution in Education for Sustainability and Reimagine Learning Challenge Pacesetter’ title from the Lego Foundation, and the Ashoka Changemaker Award for 2014–15 in recognition for their contribution in the field of education.
Future Outlook: Driving Growth with Empowerment and Collaboration
Parisar Asha aims to create its impact based on a three-prong approach, including Partnerships and Collaborations: The organisation plans to reach out to more partners and collaborators to scale its reach. This involves fostering strategic associations with government bodies, corporations under CSR initiatives, educational institutions, and other NGOs to leverage resources, expertise, and reach.
Community Empowerment: Parisar Asha aims to strengthen community involvement by training local leaders, students, youths, school authorities, teachers, parents, and volunteers to implement and sustain programs.
Policy Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns: It also plans to influence policies regarding education, environment, and emotional well-being at the local, state, and national levels by working with policymakers and creating various awareness campaigns.
A Piece of Advice from the Visionary Leader As a piece of advice for a happy, healthy, successful, and meaningful life, Aarati shares her mantra, ABCDE of life.
• A stand for acceptance: Accept whatever comes your way.
• B stands for: Be passionate about whatever you are pursuing. Be positive.
• Be sensitive towards your surroundings, nature, people, plants, and animals.
• C stands for 21st-century life skills: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and compassion.
• D is for discipline. Set a goal in front of you.
• E is for emotional well-being: Live in the present and enjoy every moment of life.
