CRY and the art of inspired giving

In a city that has seen no dearth of effective advertising a single line from the 1980s made the countrys collective heart melt Even Rs 20 a month can change the way Raju uses his head Showing the little boy on a construction site with arms raised to clutch steady two bricks on his head it was a soulstirring appealThe most successful ad we ever produced made people feel they could play a part in some goodness said Mohammed Khan of Enterprise agency who wove together the image and words of the haunting creative for Child Relief and You CRY In mainstream publications across India it urged readers to transform the lot of several Rajus from physical labour to a brighter school future A mere 20 bucks slowly but surely swelled the number of then 500000 soon spiralling to 5000000 deprived kids aided by CRYs 63 childrelated education projectsCRY founder Rippan Kapur with some of the children his projects reached out toReaching out with effective messages was seeded as CRYs forte That ad mirrored the maxim of the organisations charismatic founder Rippan Kapur Convinced there had to be meaning bigger and beyond a routine he knew the shy Air India purser started CRY in 1979Ours was a happy CRY quipped steadfast partners at CRY like Anahita Devitre who recall Rippans keen observation of life in a slum his home overlooked sharply moulded his sensitivity Also close to those initial efforts Geetanjali Khanna operating from CRYs tiny room at Akash Ganga on Warden Road reminisced On the same floor were a hairdresser a photographer and an exporter with a PCO telephone booth at the end of the corridor by the staircase a spot fraught with electrical repairmens activity My work involved contacting people in high positions Every few days I received a bag of 50paisa coins from my accountant to make calls I sat with my appointment diary The phone gave electric shocks It was literally a balancing actJRD Tata seen here with Tara Sabavala inaugurating the first Art for CRY show at Jehangir Art Gallery in 1988Grassroots activists in rural areas equally admired Kapur Mere jeevan ka matlab hazaaron logon se hai he told one in Wardha who commended his dedication despite the fact that Aeroplane mein udkar kitne badeybadey logon ko miltey thheyForty years ahead of todays compulsory philanthropy scene which mandates that companies have an oiled CSR corporate social responsibility machinery in place Kapur rallied a core band of volunteers and employees to bring aboard sums ranging from modest 10rupee sponsorships from peons and secretaries to heavier cheques from wealthier donorsThe cheerful yellow van with the CRY logo a familiar sight on Bombay streets Technical Advisor on CRYs grantmaking strategy Srilatha Batliwala says Rippan revolutionised philanthropy in India proving ordinary people not just the wealthy couldmdashand shouldmdashcontribute to a great cause It was a radical idea which tens of thousands of people from all walks of life embracedCoaxing and goading Kapur fired the more privileged to share skills and resources With a nose sniffing opportunities and intuition for the strength of small he tirelessly recruited support for projects stopping at nothing In the moving documentary Remembering Rippan Bombay voices from the 1980s90s testify to his persuasive powersHe did it all from cadging an acquaintances motorcycle as transport for early CRY activities to cajoling prominent painters like Husain Raza Jehangir Sabavala Ram Kumar Badri Narayan and B Prabha Anjolie Ela Menon admits she was really quite electrified by the complete coolness with which he asked Can you give us a painting She did from her famed Heads series It got duly imprinted on everybodys link to CRY greeting cardsMF Husain painting in Rang Bhavan at a 1983 childrens event The master was among many contemporary artists who donated works for CRY fundraisersThe Art for CRY exhibition was inaugurated at Jehangir Art Gallery by JRD Tata with PM Rajiv Gandhi attending In 1988 this was the first comprehensive display of contemporary Indian art for an NGO Its catalogue has become a collectors item Resource Coordinator Tara Sabavala who introduced JRD to the organisation says Everything that went with the Art for CRY eventmdashthe communication material the publicity it attracted the artists participatingmdashwas the turning point for CRY in terms of visibilityKapurs gut view held that if you touched people drawing on their sense of caring the money followed Batliwala says Instinct may seem an irrational response yet it has a role to play in grantmaking I didnt recognise it As my respect for Rippan grew I was more aware of how his instincts came to play in decisionmakingStanding the concept of charity on its head Kapur silenced sceptics by dispelling the notion of funding reliant on hefty donations from conglomerates Making any person realise that whatever was possible to do simply had to be done the confirmed dreamer rarely took constraints seriously focusing instead on potential and possibilitiesEnglish clowns on stilts Kapur imported in 1981 from the UK to entertain kids and conduct workshopsPossessing the capacity to not only conceptualise grand plans but execute them to the last detail he brought audacity and ambition to CRY The hidden showman in him amazingly arranged Circus Magic a memorable performing act for which he specially imported English clowns on stilts Walking off an Air India flight the troupe workshopped with kids they later entertained on the Marine Drive promenadeRippan very strongly felt adults didnt respect children give them what they needed says former CEO Pervin Varma now a trustee In 1979 we were the Africa of the worldmdasha closed economy with a firewall between the social development and private sectors Along came 25yearold Rippan convinced We are going to raise donations within India He had no clue of corporate or social work Rather than stay limited by that we benefitted hugely from it After him at first we were dead against advocacy but 200 of our partners pushed us because we were the sole such national organisation in the country We went from being a funding organisation to facilitating community empowermentThe iconic ad by Mohammed Khan of EnterpriseIngrid Srinath who joined CRY in 1998 as Regional Director West going on to become Director Resource Mobilisation and CEO underlines the progression It was gratifying to build a resource mobilisation system encompassing different channels from facetoface and causerelated marketing to online and diaspora fundraising This grew CRYs income manifold achieving revenues less dependent on individual abilities and more predictable allowing for longerterm planning as well as investments in training technology and talent Our challenges entailed unlearning unhealthy topdown commandandcontrol corporate habits and acclimatising to democratic consensusbuilding ways A 90 per cent cut in salary wasnt easy nor the absence of comforts from airconditioning to quality of toiletsIn 2004 Child Relief and You transitioned to Child Rights and You For Srinath the switch converted an urban middleclass compassiondriven response to poverty and inequality to a citizens movement towards entitlements through advocacy and campaigning She says Witnessing relief change to rights and come to life in the Constitution amendment making education a fundamental right for all Indian children was a highlight of my time at CRYIf Varma and Srinath were in advertising before CRY professionals with an MBA background came in too While her job as Executive Assistant to Ratan Tata offered wonderful experience Indira Pant wanted an emotional connection with people she helpedmdashWorking to institutionalise Rippans vibrant utterly brilliant vision absorbed me Younger than most with no credibility in the notforprofit space I had to develop productive relationships with a much larger group fully committed to CRY However there was a shared unambiguous recognition that nothing mattered other than the children we were there for They were important their wellbeing brought us deep contentmentFrom being Brand Manager at Procter amp Gamble CS Mahesh headed CRYs Products Division I functioned like a general manager handling a variety of tasks and span of control from printing to sales of cards calendars and customised pieces he says We turned things around financially once we could counter the notion CRY perceived as setting it apart that it was not a corporate This dangerous insistence stops seeing good in corporate structure The trend is true of plenty of NGOs because it bolsters their identityPresent CEO Puja Marwaha suggests it is sincerity of purpose that shines out as the binding force behind the success story of 41 years This construct is a fine thread running through the victories CRY is about becoming your best real self There is beauty in this intertwiningmdashto build an institution of worth you must first be invested in selfdevelopment Theres no shame thinking thisOn the April 1994 day he died at just 40 Kapur lay in bed surrounded by wellwishers They were bringing things feeding him what he could barely keep down Ive never seen somebody finally go with so much love around a college friend recollects One steady flame had lit so many candles opened so many doors The momentum he got going the spirit infused was bound to survive as responsibly as it doesIndira Pant says Though it sounds contradictory Ive never been as filled with hope as in my time with CRY despite seeing the most gutwrenching suffering and wretchedness Visiting projects listening to our development team describe achievements pulling together as we grappled with horrendous setbacks and obstacles made for intense fulfilling years CRY has shaped my every significant choice thereafterAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay Reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmehermarfatiacom