According to Mrs. Ritu Prakash ‘Share the Load’ concept can help speedy completion of social projects.
Mrs. Ritu Prakash Chhabria is a renowned philanthropist in India who strives in mitigating pain and suffering of the underprivileged by making quality education and healthcare facilities accessible for the often-sidelined members of Society.
Live to Give – is a lesson she learnt at a young age. She kept this at the helm and over the last 22 years through Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF), she has touched more than 8 lakh people across the sectors of healthcare and education.
According to her ‘Share the Load’ concept can help speedy completion of social projects.
From the beginning Mrs. Chhabria realized that it is a circular pathway to support the underprivileged who are in vulnerable positions. Liaising with government authorities is a challenging task yet proved to be fruitful for MMF. Barriers were broken down and smooth functionalities of projects were completed.
Ritu Prakash Chhabria, born to Mr. Gopichand Hinduja, a Sindhi, in London, completed her education in UK. She has obtained a double Major in Economics & Marketing from Richmond College – London and also holds a master’s degree in Public Relations. Her interest in art and culture prompted her to pursue a certification in Arts & Styles course at the prestigious Sotheby’s – London.
In the year 1999 she established Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF) as she felt the need to channelize the many social welfare programs carried out by her. The Foundation has touched many lives in the areas of Healthcare, Education and Social Welfare. This apart, Mukul Madhav Foundation provides medical assistance to patients, helps students with scholarship’s for higher education and donates in cash and kind to other NGO’s who are doing commendable work in areas like Remand Homes, Leprosy Homes, Homes for the Blind, Homes for the Disabled, Homes for the Aged and children with learning disabilities.
Mrs. Chhabria has been associated with KEM Hospital, Pune since the year 2000. Through the Foundation she finances the fellowship of two medical Post-Graduate students for further studies in pediatrics at KEM and also set up Pune’s first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in KEM Hospital and has financed 6-beds with life-saving equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
She is also on the Board of Trustees of Make a Wish Foundation, India and Committee Member of The Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India – Empress Botanical Garden. She sits on the Advisory Board of Pune Biennale, Independent Ethics Committee of Symbiosis University; Steering Committee of the Hinduja Foundation and is elected as the Director of Hinduja Healthcare, Trustee at Bal Kalyan Sanstha and Trustee at Karachi Education Society.
Working in and around the villages of Ratnagiri she saw a crying need for rural uplift which resulted in the established of Mukul Madhav Vidyalaya an English Medium School on the outskirts of Ratnagiri. Here the children are provided quality urban education at a nominal cost. The school boasts of computer laboratories, LCD screens, a well-stocked library and a vast range of extra-curricular activities bringing the outside world to the outback.
Besides this Mrs. Chhabria has been organizing free health camps biannually in the Government schools in and around Ratnagiri since 2008. On an average, 2800 students are screened by Dentists, Ophthalmic and General Physicians.
In the year 2009, The Rotary Club recognized Mrs. Chhabria for her efforts and initiatives in mitigating child mortality. She was also awarded by Ruby Hall Clinic for her dedication outstanding contribution towards the care of cancer patients. She is closely involved with Big Ears – the hearing aid initiative at KEM Hospital and has successfully raised funds for conducting cochlear implants on a number of children. Besides this she organized an art and craft camp for children to raise funds for Vidya Jyoti School which caters to slow learners.
On the 1st of June, 2013 she was presented with the “Muktai Award” for outstanding work in the field of healthcare and education by the esteemed hands of the Ex. President of India Shrimati Pratibhatai Patil.
Mrs. Ritu Prakash Chhabria was also honored with a prestigious ‘Global Award’ by the Global Sindhi Council for her eminent innovative and historic contribution in the field of healthcare, social welfare & education. The Award was presented by Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra.
Her list of endeavors at working towards mitigating the pain and suffering of the under privileged has no end. She continues to strive for spreading education and providing healthcare for the less privileged members of our society and especially for the children of India – the future of our country.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. MMF is a friend to hospitals across Pune city and has been instrumental in fulfilling their needs of life-saving equipment, sanitizers, masks & PPE suits. Monthly kindness kits are sent across hospitals for doctors and nurses as a gesture to thank and acknowledge their efforts at the frontline. Owing to a grand gesture by Venky’s they ensured distribution of more than lac eggs to hospital canteens so patients could get a protein-rich meal. Collaborating with like-minded individuals, donors and volunteers enabled the foundation to amplify its efforts and reach. MMF also partnered with other NGO’s to come together to the rescue of approximately 20,000 victims of Cyclone Nisarg, Cyclone Amphan and now more recently Assam floods. In the East, they worked with their ground partner Rangeen Khidki.
She has remained Chairperson of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries’ Ladies Organization, (FICCI FLO), Pune chapter for 2019-20. FLO was established in 1983, as a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) which is the apex body of industry and commerce in India. As an All India Organization for women, FLO has 18 Chapters pan India – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Northeast, Pune, Amritsar, Northeast and Uttarakhand, with its Head Office in New Delhi. Its members comprise of entrepreneurs, professionals and Corporate Executives.
The vision for that year was ‘Urban to Rural’, which was aptly chosen keeping in mind to support initiatives in agriculture, health, education and holistic development of the society. She took charge from Sangita Lalwani, outgoing Chairperson of FICCI FLO.
Her two daughters – Gayatri and Hansika are also among the Trustees of MMF. In the midst of all this activity she finds time for her hobbies like traveling, reading, music and swimming.
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Source: Never Alone Summit, FICCIFLO, Make A Wish India, The Bridge Chronicle, SPO India, MMPC and other websites
