My mother is my inspiration and she always inspires me with her activities, says Hyderabad based philanthropist Abdur Rahman. He is the founder of ‘Helping 2 Hands, the AR Foundation’. He opens up about taking up social causes and maintaining a balance between personal and professional in life, in a conversation with Fasiullah SM.
Below are excerpts:
What motivated you to start ‘Helping 2 Hands’?
When I look at the society, especially orphanages and children roaming around on streets I feel like doing something for the society. Apart from my job and profession, I am trying to do justice to the society.
How has been your journey so far?
It’s very good. I have seen children very closely, underprivileged children who lack basic needs. People in old age homes; women and men who’re above 65 age. They also require some basic needs. That’s the main area which gives me lot of strength to actively participate in these social causes.
What are the activities you take up through your organization?
In my organization, ‘Helping 2 Hands, The AR Foundation’ we concentrate on five basic interventions: child education, women empowerment, career counseling, orphanage assistance, and old age homes & last wish. These are the areas which we are concentrating on and we stick to that ones.
If some organization is in need of help then what’s the process it has to follow to get funding from your organization?
I visit personally to needy organizations such as orphanages, government schools, and old age homes. Note down their requirements, and come back. In next time trip, I try to fill those requirements. So it’s all taken care of by me personally.
You seem to maintain a judicious balance between your personal and professional life, while also taking out quality time for social causes. How do you do it?
When I started, most of the people told me that why you want to get into that one. Why don’t you concentrate on your job? But over a period of time, my family, friends, and colleagues understood that I maintain a balance between personal and professional. Most of my activities I do on the weekends, while spending Sunday night time with family.
These days you know many things are happening on social media, in the virtual space if I have to say precisely. Does social media campaigns and Twitter campaigns help a social cause in any way on the ground?
Nowadays, if you see anything on Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp, it spreads widely. And for the cause, let’s say I am putting like some children need basic assistance or somebody wants blood donation – immediately people respond.
Yes, social media nowadays is very helpful. And it has its good and bad. If am talking about a good cause then yes it’s always helpful. Awareness is more when we talk on social media.
And many youngsters are very much passionate about taking up social causes and bringing some sort of change in the society. You being into this field for quite some time, and winning an award. What would you advise to youngsters?
There are two things which I always advise to the youngsters: first make your vision clear, be confident and explore the market, and second, serve the society.
Choose the organization wisely. See the organization whether it’s registered with the government and check the background of the organization; who are the people running the organization. I also want parents to keep an eye on their children.
You mean to say that parents must encourage as well as supervise?
Definitely, they should see the youngsters. Parents must see where their children are going and in which hands they are. Whether they are building the career while also taking out time for the social cause. Parents can play a very big role.
A popular saying is that ‘Behind ever successful man, there’s a woman’. What’s your reaction on that?
My mother is my inspiration. And she always inspires me with her activities. Whenever somebody visited our home, she always said yes. She didn’t say no to them. That gives me positive energy, and inspires me.
Apart from this, my wife, family, friends and office bearers support me.