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Purpose
The Nataraja foundation is an “ ideas organization “ with an agenda to bring totally new concepts to the three areas of Employable Skills Development , Mass Education and the Environment in India. Our method is to innovate at the project concept level itself where the maximum savings impact and geographic / strategic spread in terms of population covered can be achieved … the results of this intervention ( first in project design and then in terms of new social marketing ideas ) are seen in conceptually superior social infrastructure projects that maximize coverage for the same number of rupees / dollars spent.
The foundation is active in the following areas :
1. Skills development :
This is a primary focus area for the foundation as immediate support needs to be provided to India’s huge and growing YOUNG population, a large percentage of which does not have any employable skills. The Nataraja foundation’s programmes in skill development however are focused on local employment based on the needs of the local economy. Emphasis will be on the use of green technologies and environmentally sustainable approaches with the objective of decentralization of growth centers and the prevention of mass migration to the cities.
2. Education for the masses :
The foundation has its origins in ideas related to education which is the KEY to equitable growth, environmental stability and empowerment of social groups. The institution was set up in January 2008 to promote India’s largest Social Infrastructure and Environmental Project " The Indian Primary and Secondary Education Megaproject " . This special project which has been submitted to the National Knowledge Commission and the Ministry of HRD, is based on a teacher centric approach to education and it is the most comprehensive and financially efficient scheme ever suggested to Govt. of India. The detailed concept documents and the financial structure for the 30,000 new schools to be set up under the mechanism can be downloaded from our “ Mass Education Project “ page.
3. Sustainable development and the environment :
Promoting sustainable development concepts through actual projects and awareness campaigns is another important activity for our team. Since construction related activity contributes to nearly 40 % of green house gas emissions we are working to promote sustainable architecture and natural building materials . An additional area under our sustainable development initiative is rain water harvesting in rural farmlands with the objective of reversing the serious declines in ground water levels in large parts of rural India.
Positioning
The Nataraja foundation is primarily a “ New Ideas Implementation / Consulting NGO”. We are therefore different from other NGOs that depend totally on donor funds for their work. Some of our workers have designed India’s largest and most complex infrastructure and clean energy projects while others within our network have expertise in the area of social marketing related to NGO work. We will be deploying some of this vast in-house experience to serve other NGOs and Indian government agencies to help ensure maximum impact for their programmes. The earnings from this advisory service will be allocated to our pilot projects . We therefore invite NGOs and government agencies to test our value for money advisory service and benefit from the power of ideas that could potentially alter their project impact ratios towards higher multiples.
Importance of the Nataraja Symbol
In the India of today, the Nataraja symbol has a very special place and it is especially relevant to our multicultural society. The Nataraja is the ultimate symbol of balance and poise achieved after overcoming ignorance in its every form in an increasingly dynamic world. The ancient culture which it represents has been able to endure and assimilate outside influences and make them its own. The dancing figurine is therefore accepted universally as representing all that is Indian right from the Chola period 880 - 1280 AD . We have adopted this symbol for our organization as it represents values which we hold sacred.
The founder trustees are committed to the creation of an institution where leadership will be based on ideas and on principles of harmonious development which we are committed to as an institution. The Nataraja Foundation is a registered Public Charitable Trust.
" Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. " - Theodore Roosevelt
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