Note :  Read when you find lot of time and you are really bored or nothing important to do.  

We assure a Tiny smile as a gift.

BrahminsForSociety.com –  Dream story to reality – Project Execution – a Fun Story

Start:

We, Bramins for Society dot com, prepared a master list of our community needs.  We want to give a spicy / interesting reading.  So, based on the need list, we have published dream stories in our website (You can see all the stories in கனவுகள் தேவைகள் menu of our site). 

One of the story is namma koil project.  (later changed to Namma Seva Project).

What is the dream?

We always hear about the poor condition of the temples in remote area.  No visitors to temple; archagar is paid poorly;  We have two choice to make;  One to ignore/Complain about the system etc etc  and another way is to  do something about it.

What is the solution proposed?

Give pooja work to archagar and pay little money so that he can sustain.

We, 120 family’s together join as group (sponsor group) and pay Rs. 1001 yearly (plus admin charges) can support archagar family.  The sponsor member will sponsor for 4 pooja’s in a year.  The archagar will do 4 poojas for the sponsor family, and send prasadam.

Archagar will get Rs. 8000 to Rs. 9000 per month.

The temple will get 480 pooja’s (120 people x 4 poojas)

The trust will administer all the activities.

Response from our community:

Once the story is published, there are 500+ people who said they will join in this sponsorship.  Many do not understand it is just a dream story.   Most of them thought it is a real project.  We polished the story thinking that SOMEONE will execute.  (as usual style, advice to others and not to do any work on our own)

Our team felt little shy now; since many people are asking for action item, we started our work.

(On serious note:  www.BrahminsForSociety.com is started to find people who wants to contribute; not just a chating and discussion forum)

What next?

We need a CEO who can execute this project.  We have given the following advertisement/Post in Face Book:

Wanted !  Wanted !

Part Time Senior Executive:

Highly qualified, Experienced, 50+ aged man who have lot of free time.

Salary: Zero (You will end up spending your own money).

Recognition: Zero (No photos, No identification, No thanks giving, cannot publish your photo or identification  or மாலை  / மரியாதையை / துண்டு போர்த்துவது   etc etc.  As a policy all of them are banned in b4society group.

Work type:  Give you enough head ache.  Your attitude should be take every thing as experience / smile.

What You Get in Return :  HIGHER PURPOSE OF THE LIFE

Response:  We interviewed around 7-8 people and find a CEO, Mr. Ragothaman, who worked in senior position in L&T.  (சிக்கிட்டான்யா!! சிக்கிட்டான்..)

How NOT to execute the project?    Lessons learnt.

(a)    Name confusion

First, we need to register the Trust.  We refused to pay money in the registration office i.e brokers in registration office;  We consider that as a bribe.  Since it is noble cause, we do not want pay bribe.  We want to contact the registration office without brokers.

2 days lost;  (office, loss of pay, time waste etc etc).  We have contacted the brokers to register it.

At last, the trust is registered in the name of “Namma temple” .  Got Pan number; Bank account opened (Icici) with minimum Rs. 10000 as deposit; project is about to launch;  One of the legal person told us, we should not use “Temple” word  for our trust. Now, confusion starts.

Why should we go for the new name; We can face the problem if any (One hand) We go for new name, if so what is the new name (another hand) Lost 90 days in arguments without taking decision.

In the mean time, Bank account not operated,  Bank deducted Rs. 200 as admin charges; it is Rs.9800 now and less than the minimum balance; the bank started deducting Rs. 750 a month.  The Deposit wiped out.  Let us not talk our our arguments with ICICI bank officials; It may be boring  (Wow! What a confidence level about other lines of this article).

Again, registration of new trust (namma Seva trust) and new pan, new account.  This time, new account in a new Bank, HDFC ( iciciயோட கா).

(a)    Temple Selection process Confusion

We planned to support 3 archagars (or temples) as a pilot run.    The situation is more pathetic than what we thought.  The salary of archagr is Rs. 250 – Rs. 500 per month;  No visitors in temple.  The second part of the problem is there is degeneration in the value system / belief system.  After struggle, we have selected 3 temples.

(b)   Technology confusion

One of the volunteer come forward to create a website for the trust.  We bought the financial services to collect money online.  We decided to go for basic website without database.  All transactions will  be in email.    (Sponsors details will come in email and we can store it in local excel).

How to mess the data:  Many emails missed, sponsors sending multiple emails and difficult to  track and do the pooja activities.

Understood we need a good system to manage this.

(c) – New Technology  – Working with Raw hand – confusion

We decided to go for PHP programming to develop a new system and track it.  The developer have zero experience in PHP;  He did not understand what we are trying to achieve / develop.  30 days of struggling time to get the work done.  But the developer (i.e programmer) become good programmer with this experience.  (Still there are few issues! Yet to be fixed)

(c)    Campaign – How to reach confusion

Sent lot of mails to  the members of Brahmins For Society . com.  After 10 days, there is no response.  We understood all the mails are going to spam folder.  No one is seeing it.  Started sending 10 – 20 individual mails every day.

(d)   Operation – difficult route

The operation flow is :  1. Sponsor transfer the money, 2, archagar will give welcome call, 3. Trust give welcome call (again). 4. Trust send pooja details to archagar 5. Archagar will do pooja 6. Archagar call sponsor and wish him 7. Trust will call sponsor and wish him 8. Archagar wills end prasadam to sponsor 9. Trust will conform whether prasadam received or not . 10. Trust send accounts email every month.

We deliberately taken (or foolishly) difficult process to make multiple touch points for sponsors.  It will be around 28 touch points for sponsor from the trust.  This will establish our integrity credentials and attachment towards the trust.

(e)   Difficult process – Difficult to execute

Sponsor mobile number wrong; switched off; will not pick after few attempts;

Prasadam sent via postage; Sponsor might not receive it;  It will be in his post box (he stay in 3^rd floor – never seen the post box)

Etc etc. etc.

(f)     First accusation on our integrity

One of the sponsor wrote in Face book “what kind of fraud” it is.  (She did not get any notification / receipt – Madam might be reading this email)

After paying the money, she went to tour.  Not reachable.

The mail sent by us in spam folder.

The message to the mobile also failed.

Explained in details and she accepted her mistake and offered more money towards this goal.  We politely said that we do not want more money and we need more people.

 

(g)    Campaign – experience

We want to reach more people; 10000 notices are printed; Planned to use “Sangetha” season for reaching out people; Went to Sangeetha Sabha  ( like Vani Mahal, Music academy etc) to issue notices.

Watchmen/security people  chased us out of the sabha’s (யார் பெத்த பிள்ளையோ !… இப்படி ஓடுதே).  So gave notices from the gate. Most of them come in car, and do not open the car.  Most thought we are issues political notices and refused to receive it.  One woman scared after seeing us giving notice and almost ran into academy.  (அடிப்பாவி!.. கிராதகி !.  நான் அவ்வளவு அசிங்கமாவா இருக்கேன்).

We could manage to issue 1000 notices and 9000 is still with us.

J John Allen Chau is a American; He was born in a good family and born in the country where the whole world trying to go and live;But he comes to Andaman for service.  He went to Tribal area of Andaman;  He wants to spread the God’s message amoung the tribal s.  It is prohibited area; He know it is very dangerous action; He know no one will appreciate him; He went on his own; He is not driven by money or fame;  He just followed his heart; He got killed by tribes.  His body was not even traced.  You may agree with him or not; But his commitment towards his cause.  Some how we are talking about his commitment when we issue the notices.

 

(h)   Experience summery

The team consist of senior project executives, and matured people and young members.   But when it comes to social work, we may not in a position to spend lot of time.  This limitation some time leads to confusion.

We make sure to enjoy this experience.  This is very friendly team; casual chat and it is a fun game;  So no tension when things not work what we want.  We casually doing this as a game, sport and time passing thing.  Everyone got new friends.  It is a good platform to spend time.

 

(i)      Last but not least

20 வருஷமா வருஷமா கோயிலுக்கு கைங்கரியம் பண்றேன்.  நெறைய பேர் ஹெல்ப் பண்றனு சொல்லுவா.  நீங்க நிஜமாகவே பண்ணிட்டீங்க.  3 மாசமா கொஞ்சம் நிம்மதியா இருக்கேன்; ரொம்ப நன்றி   – அர்ச்சகர்

 

என் பொறந்த நாளுக்கு கோயிலிருந்து போன் வந்தது.  இத்தனை வருஷத்திலே இது தான் முதல் தடவ;  சந்தோஷமா இருந்தது – லட்சுமி மாமி

Excellent Model.  You can scale it up – one Sponsor.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If you are reading this line, we really appreciate your patience.

An Appeal:

Dear friend;

The system is working now.  We request you to help us to spread this activity.  Please introduce your friends / family member to our organization.   Thanks for the help.

Project details: https://nammasevatrust.com/story.html

Donation: https://nammasevatrust.com/Donate.html

 

Admin

Brahmins For Society (dot) com.