HR Infotech Association, in association with Banking Frontiers, organized a seminar on ‘HR and Social Leadership’ for HR professionals from IT/ITeS industry.Padmabhushan Bindeshwar Pathak, sociologist and founder of Sulabh International, was the chief guest at the function. In his enlightening talk, Dr Pathak shared how he started his journey over 50 years back and how he was ostracised and driven out from his own community. He narrated how a simple incident in his young days moved him towards his journey of liberating those downtrodden scavengers of human excreta and waste. There were many challenges and difficulties that he had to face on his way towards this mission. He developed a technology of two-pit pour-flush toilet, popularly known as the Sulabh Shauchalaya System, which is an appropriate, affordable, indigenous, and culturally acceptable technology. This technology has been declared as one of the Global Best Practices by United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and recognized and approved by various other national and international agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, UNEP and WSSCC. Sulabh continued taking path breaking initiativeslike setting up the first toilet museum and creating an eco-friendly low-cost technology for waste water treatment through duckweed project.
The organization has not only created this revolution in India but has reached to other places like Afghanistan etc.
While concentrating on sanitation as his focus area, Dr Pathak also handled several other societal issues. He took up the cause of the widows of Vrindavan who had resigned to their fate and brought a new lease of life and hope in them. First time ever, he broke away from the so-called tradition and celebrated Holi, Diwali and other festivals along with those widows. Dr Pathak runs lot of vocational training courses for these deprived classes so that they are financially independent. It is his endeavour to realize the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of a hygienic and a just society and he is doing this with sheer persuasion, grit and without any agitation at all.
Dr Phatak told the HR audience that how blessed they are and now they need to ensure making some contribution to the society in which they exist. There were so many messages that the HR fraternity had to take home. Some of the takeaways were:
a) Having a meaningful purpose, focus and perseverance.
b) Not to be afraid of initial ridicule
c) Sincerity of approach and genuine concern
d) The ability to take people along
The entire hall honoured Dr Pathak with a standing ovation at the end of his talk. He was later was conferred the ‘Samaritan Gem’ award by HR Infotech Association. The event was attended by over 125 HR professionals from different IT/ITES companies. The keynote address was given by Rotary District 3140 Past District Governor Dr Balkrishna Inamdar. Ajit Singh, president of the association mentioned that it was an honour to have Dr Pathak grace the HRIA platform and accept “the Samaritan Gem award.
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