A few weeks ago Shabana Azmi called me and asked me to help her with a charity fashion event. This conversation led to me discovering a whole new world, of the small village of Mijwan in Uttar Pradesh. Kaifi Azmi (her father) was born in Mijwan and it was wonderful to stay at his simple elegant rustic home in the village. Would recommend a short village stay to every city dweller to appreciate all that we enjoy and our born with.

A two and a half hour drive from Varanasi airport, we drove straight to the centre started by him to encourage women to learn craft and use their few hours to make a small living. Shabana wanted me to meet them and understand how I could provide them sustained employment. We were greeted so warmly by fifty vociferous ladies and their selfless centre head Samyukta. Coupled with Shabana’s enthusiastic cries and motivating the girls to raise their hands and say, ‘We can achieve it’, totally made up a charged evening. Such love and genuine warmth you only find with simple village folks.

Next morning was a beautiful 6am walk through the village and its fields and I was looking forward to meeting the girls from the Kaifi Azmi School.

Here they put up an impromptu fashion show for us. It was heartening to see young girls who had the courage and the confidence to walk to music in front of us. The wonderful principal Samina Sheikh Azmi deserves full credit of running the school efficiently and wanting her girls to achieve and strive higher, just like Kaifi Azmi had once said in a poem written years ago which one of the girls recited for us.

Truly there has to be equal opportunity available to every girl child in our country for India to really shine. We who live in cities today enjoy the same education and opportunities and have made the most of it. Its time for rural India to now get the same opportunities.

Namrata Goyal motivated by her trip to Mijwan together with Shabana is putting up a show. ‘Mijwan- Sonnets in Fabric – A Fashion show with a Difference’ has been conceived as an Inter-collegiate fashion contest for Best Student Designer 2009, thereby giving an opportunity to GEN NEXT from 5 leading Fashion and Design Institutes to be mentored by Manish Malhotra and myself. The best 50 creations will be showcased on the ramp by leading Filmstars and professional models at The Leela Kempinski in Mumbai on 15th Dec 2009. It is an incredible opportunity for the students to build their portfolios.

The filmstars are Youth Icons and by agreeing to walk the ramp for ‘MIJWAN- SONNETS IN FABRIC- a fashion show with a difference ‘ they give a huge boost to the students plus help raise funds and increase visibility for MWS for its future programs…

The Mijwan Welfare Society

Just read about Nandan Nilekani’s appointment as cabinet minister to head the ID project. Just yesterday I felt despondent on my return from Dubai. Our dismal infrastructure hits you when you return from any foreign city. My admiration for Narayan Murthy and Nandan Nilekani grows more. Also the prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh needs special kudos – its a step late but better than never. Its so simple-if just another ten to twelve more such, Intelligent individuals from the private sector took on a role of partnering with the government and improving the country it could truly transform India. Mr Nilekani’s share in Infosys is estimated as Rs.3500 crore. I am sure his exit will be missed but he has created the right atmosphere in the company for competent professionals to now take over from another perspective , After a point how much more money does an individual really need ? Why can’t our other industrialists think in the same way. How much personal fortune can one really amass? Why do they continue perusing that fortune relentlessly? Today Nandan Nilekani has clearly paved the way for others to follow. It is imperative for every successful industrialist to move beyond his or her company after setting up a succession plan in place and give back to society. It need not only be in terms of donating money or being a philanthropist. Expertise and vision is also needed in governing this country which the industrialist can impart. Nandan’s example and decision and the prime ministers gives me hope.