Aarti Verma

When I first entered United Way 's Mumbai office, I was pleasantly surprised. I was told it's a very small, one room office with very few people. I was surprised not because the office being small yet looked aesthetically pleasing, but because of a certain vibe I felt the minute I entered. It felt right. The vibe further got strengthened when I met Shibani Sachdeva who heads the organization. Having no previous information about the organization I was briefed on what it was all about. At that time I was looking for a typical corporate H.R job, which I thought would be the best for me simply because it would make me a part of the great corporate world. As luck would have it I didn't manage to get an H.R job and quickly got on board the United Way .

I was taken on to assist Deepa in the Mumbai Marathon project; as UW was one of the registered charities for the event. I had the best time visiting various corporates and meeting big people. The marathon happened eventually and it was an event to remember. Along with the United Way team, Deepa and I ran the marathon together holding up the brilliant red United Way hand mascot. Besides being euphoric about the event, I was running proud because I was part of an organization which is doing so much good for the country. The gravity of what I was doing didn't quite sink in until the Mastek project happened. Deepa single-handedly managed to run the show and it was done with break-neck speed. We as volunteers were just helping her putting up the posters, co-coordinating with the employees etc. The first time Shibani gave the presentation, it all fell into place. Every little thing we did was finally coming together for one great cause. I remember telling Shibani on our way back that was relived that I was a part of all this in my own little way. The reason I was relived was because I knew I wasn't a Mastek employee who was given such a wonderful opportunity to help the county, and if I couldn't be a part of the Payroll Giving Program, aleast I was a part of making them aware of it. If I felt so much pride and satisfaction at whatever little I did, I could just imagine what Shibani and Deepa must have felt all these years working with United Way .

In the two months I was with UW I had learnt a lot from both Deepa and Shibani. They are two completely different individuals with two completely opposite styles of working and yet they manage to complement each other beautifully. I tried hard to be both!

Working with Shibani taught me everything my father was and still is trying to teach me. I learnt to be assertive without being aggressive. I learnt that no task is complete without having complete information about it, even if it may seem irrelevant at the time and that the work is complete only after follow –up. (twice or trice if necessary). I also learnt not to take no for an answer and to learn to ask ‘why'. I learnt to stretch myself to the limit, to travel in the hot sun, to work late, to go to places I don't really want to, to be on the go throughout the day, to forgetting to even eat at times! But the best feeling in the world is when you realize how satisfying and worth it, it all is in the end. It's satisfying not because you get paid. It's satisfying because it's all for a good cause, knowing that someone in dire need is benefiting from your actions, is the best return you can get. I'm, at a juncture right now where I am always going to compare whatever I do with this feeling. If I get this feeling I'll know I'm doing the right thing. This is the answer to the question I used to want to ask people like Shibani and Deepa. I never understood why they wanted to get into this line, esp. because they didn't need it. Working with them for just two months answered all my questions. The feeling is addictive!

On my first day in UW Shibani told me that along with learning immensely I will have a lot of fun. At the time I seriously doubted that. And now I don't even need to look back at the 2 months I spent there to realize if I had fun, because I had fun living those days, everyday at work I would surprise myself, because I would hear myself say “this is major fun!” Shibani was right! Inspite of all the hard work and long hours and travel, it was fun. Because when people ask me what it was like working with UW, ‘fun' is the first word which comes to my mind and I will never be able to thank UW enough for it!