The motto of the dedicated and passionate team behind Indicorps is simple but profound: “be the change you wish to see in the world.” This Gandhian ethic informs every aspect of the “non-partisan, non-religious, non-profit” organisation, which “encourages Indians around the world to actively participate in India’s progress.”
Based on the timeless idea of selfless service as being service for your soul, Indicorps is the brainchild of Sonal Shah. Shah, along with her siblings Roopal and Anand, established Indicorps in 2001. Shah already has a proven track record of achievement behind her - she is a vice president of corporate citizenship at Goldman Sachs, and has worked for the US government at the Department of Treasury, the National Security Council, as well as working for the US government in Bosnia and Kosovo. Her considerable experience in economics and development has been put to excellent use.
Indicorps accomplishes its goals through a series of fellowships offered to young people of Indian origin who live outside of India. The bulk of applications come from non-resident Indians based in America, Canada and the UK. Candidates undergo a rigorous and highly competitive selection process - fewer than 20 fellowships are available annually and successful applicants spend one or two years working on community projects in India. In the past, Indicorps fellows have worked on projects ranging from an institution building project for a grassroots sanitation training facility, a tribal adolescent health initiative, entrepreneurship development in at-risk youth, and an effort to empower the children of sex-workers to avoid continuing in the footsteps of the previous generation.
Importantly, Indicorps fellows learn more than just the value of service to one’s community; it is also an important exercise in personal development. As Anand Shah explains: “A year with Indicorps is an investment in our abilities. One builds problem-solving capacity, communication skills, and one learns how to take a vision and turn it into something successful.”
In the UK, the Indicorps concept is spearheaded by Connect India, which caters for the British Asian population. Established just two years ago, it is led by Meenal Sachdev, who already finds the programme to be a hit with the people of Indian origin in the UK, especially those just leaving university.
Sachdev explains that one important idea behind Connect India is to create mechanisms to allow British Indians to positively engage with their local and global communities. She believes that the Indicorps programme provides a platform for the people of Indian origin to reconnect with their roots through a service experience in India.
The cause of India’s development has great potential to unite a diverse global diaspora. Indicorps is an organised attempt to leverage the extraordinary amount of overseas Indian talent and goodwill towards India by channelling these resources to help India maximize its potential.
The work of the highly dedicated team at Indicorps has been greatly applauded and their efforts have received appreciation from all levels in India. They have received numerous awards from the Indian government for their immense contribution, and the organisation also fosters by good wishes of the people whose lives they change at the grass-root levels. Indicorps has also attracted global sponsors like Microsoft and General Motors, and in 2003 Senator Hillary Clinton presented Sonal with the India Abroad Person of the Year Award.
Year on year, Indicorps continues to grow and evolve with the support of individuals who give their time to the community without any expectation of reward or return, individuals who continue to work undeterred, no matter how impossible the task may seem, individual people whose understanding of service permeates each and every one of their actions. Gandhi’s words have inspired a new generation of leaders. The success of Indicorps and its goals of civic participation and collective social responsibility within India have helped to renew faith in the concept that one person really can make a difference.
>>INFO
Indicorps
www.indicorps.org
Meenal Sachdev
meenal@indicorps.org.uk
