Lack of adequate care for senior citizens is a real issue
in India cuttings across economic and social strata. There is a very high need
to systematically help the elderly enjoy a quality, independent life in Indian
cities while continuing to live in their homes and surroundings that they
cherish. India has more senior citizens than the population of Australia, and
nearly 15,000 senior citizens are joining the population every day. Yet, there
is very little organized effort and attention towards meeting their needs and
expectations.
Samarth (meaning
“capable” in Hindi) is a National initiative launched by a group of
professionals with the singular mission of bringing peace of mind and happiness
to senior citizens in India.
About Samarth
Community
Samarth Community is India’s leading
not-for-profit organisation of senior citizens, with over twenty thousand members across more
than sixty cities.
It helps them
interact and engage
with each other, receive information and expert advice on topics of
health, wellness, home care, money-matters etc., find
post-retirement jobs and voluntary opportunities, receive training and awareness on relevant areas
like computers, internet
and digital transactions, personal finance
and health, and participate in events and engagement opportunities for elderly. Samarth also offers professionally managed services for elderly which
bring family-quality care to them
at home through a network of Samarth’s own care-managers and selected service
partners.
Samarth was
co-founded by Asheesh Gupta, a former Management consultant with McKinsey & Company who served world’s leading
organisations in nearly 20 countries, co-founded 9.9 Media, was Pro Vice
Chancellor of OP Jindal University and is a graduate of IIT Kanpur & IIM
Calcutta; Anuradha Das Mathur, an economist from University of Cambridge UK,
former head of Businessworld magazine,
co-founder of 9.9 Media, founding
Dean of Vedica Scholars’ Program and a Yale world Fellow; Gaurav
Agarwal, former banker at Citi and Stanchart for nearly 20 years and a graduate
of MIT Manipal and FMS Delhi.
The Founders are
joined by an illustrious Advisory Board which includes Mrs. Asha Das, Retd.
Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development; Mr. Probir Sen, Vice Chairman, Helpage India and Ex-Chairman, Air India; Mr. Maxwell Parreira, Retd Jt. Commissioner of Police, Delhi; Mr. Rajendra Prasad, Former
President and CFO, SRF Ltd.; Mr. Anupam Bhasin, Educationist and Consultant,
Former Director, Hero Group; Mr. Vivek Atrey, Ex. Deputy Commissioner,
Panchkula District; Mr. R.M. Agarwal, Retd. General Manager, Indian Railways;
Mr. Manu Raman, Former COO of Mu Sigma and Co-founder of Goodhands, an
eldercare pioneer in Bangalore and Mr. Sriram Narasimhan, former senior
executive at the TVS Group and Founding Trustee of the Samriddhi
Foundation in Chennai
The
team’s approach in serving elderly
is captured in its mission
“to act like the son/daughter you wish you had at home”.
