Managing Money for the Needy

Leadership and desire to excel is not new to her. Whether it's winning the Khan Bahadur Ahmad Alladin gold medal for standing first among girls in graduation in economics at Nizam's College, Osmania University, or bagging the gold medal in post graduation at the same university. Or even becoming the first woman president of the Rotary Club of Hyderabad.

But, fellow Chartered Accountant Annapurna Sastry's immediate goal is to strive even harder, and get set the funds rolling in for the club's social projects.

She doesn't claim that she has been oriented towards voluntary work all her life. She is frank enough to admit that sheer chance and a small desire to socialise in 1993 led her to join as the first woman professional member of the club that was formed in September 1949, with 50 members.

But, having taken over the reins of what has grown to a 90-odd member club, which boasts of charter president in Nawab Zain Yar Jung Bahadur and charter secretary in Dr Ram K Bhandari, Annapurna wants to bring her financial expertise to the organisation and network it with the parent Rotary International Foundation and sister concerns in other countries for development of Andhra Pradesh.

Outlining the action plan, Annapurna says that among the projects relating to hunger, health, environment concerns, literacy and vocational assistance, drug abuse, senior citizens and youth etc, one of the key thrusts would be raising funds for the applied integrated village (model village) development program in Ismailkhanpet, about 40 kms off Hyderabad.

Under a matching contribution scheme, the 90-odd member club is tying up with the Rotary Club of Bronx, US, as a partner fund raiser for 50 per cent of the project cost, with the Rotary International Foundation pitching in the rest 50 per cent, she says.

Annapurna, who's also been the vice president of the club for two consecutive terms in 1999 and 2000, is also looking at tapping the Rotary Foundation, which provides $90 million each year for international scholarships, cultural exchanges, humanitarian projects around the world, for other projects such as mass immunisation against Hepatitis B, educational counselling initiatives that include career guidance on IT in view of the current IT slowdown. The Club's projects in the past include setting up of the cornea preservation centre and other equipment at LV Prasad Eye Institute, housing colonies for slum dwellers, adapting of a school at Jaganguda, houses for Latur earthquake victims, more recently assistance for Gujrat earthquake victims, health camps in rural areas, career guidance seminars, mid-day meals at a school, etc.

The club, like its American founding counterpart, inducts a maximum of two professionals of any particular field for an annual membership fee of Rs 7,000, in order to provide humanitarian service, build goodwill and spread the message of peace in the world, says Annapurna, who after working as financial assistant in Coromandel Fertilisers, staff officer in IDBI, and chief executive at Ductron Castings, joined as a partner in G Satyanarayana and Co, a reputed CA firm in 1990.

"We are often accused of a lot of socialising. But, that's the cornerstone of our basic concept of Rotary. You have to network with people and regularly meet with them to make friends and spread goodwill and peace. Our members take out more than 4-5 hours a week for social service, and contribute resources in terms of time, services and monetary help," says Annapurna, who "also finds time to run her own business" Bhamidi Finance and Consultancy. The club, which has sponsored many a rotary club in Hyderabad (there are about 14 of them), is going all out to woo prospective generous donors, and setting their doubts at rest about accountability, by creating awareness among them on the lengthy procedure of auditing and documentation, she says.

Rotary Foundation, part of the Rotary International, is very particular about documentation nd transparent functioning, she says. The world's first service club Rotary Club was formed in Chicago in US on February 23, 1905, by a young lawyer Paul P Harris and three friends. Today it boasts of 29,700 clubs and 1.2 million members in 162 countries.

Annapurna is also planning to majot international peace seminar in February next year.