I have more than I need…
He is passionate about education of girl children and women’s welfare, ardently advocating family planning so that their health does not suffer and raises his voice against female foeticide rampant in his region.
Meet Suresh Poddar, an Arch Klumph Society member, who does not keep track of his contributions made to the Foundation. When he tells me that he has contributed $250,000 to TRF, PDG Ramesh Agrawal, who is with him, corrects him saying, “The correct figure is $310,000, including the $60,000 Term Gift, which has helped provide toilet blocks, hand wash stations etc in 11 government schools near Jaipur.”
Adds Poddar, “I am prepared to give more… my dream is to style the government schools like private schools. Children studying there should not lack any facilities.” More recently, he donated Rs 15 lakh to RILM for its Asha Kiran programme that will enable poor children to go to school.
Poddar is Chairman and Managing Director of Mayur Uniquoters, a public listed company that was listed among Forbes Top 200 under a Billion Dollar firms in the Asia Pacific region. His company manufactures and exports artificial leather/PVC Vinyl for automobile, footwear and lifestyle accessories. His products include the attractive pink bag that was distributed to all the delegates at the Jaipur Zone Institute last year. His clients include Ford, Chrysler, Maruti Suzuki, M&M and Tata Motors, and footwear manufacturers such as Paragon, Bata, Liberty, Action Group and Lancer.
So what inspired him to give to TRF? “It was Mr Saboo. When he asked me to become an AKS member, it took me just half-a-minute to say yes. Kiran and I admire him so much,” he says. “When Bill Gates has contributed so much to Rotary, why not me? By god’s grace, I have more than what I need and I don’t have any vices to spend money on,” he smiles. He became the first AKS member of D 3052, just four days after D 3050 was trifurcated in 2013, and is a recipient of RI’s Service Above Self award.
Both he and Kiran are members of RC Jaipur Midtown. He joined Rotary in 1996, Kiran followed five years later. She was the club president last year and past chair of the Inner Wheel District 305.
When PRIP Rajendra Saboo asked me to become an AKS member, it took me just half-a-minute to say yes.
– Suresh Poddar
People around Phagi and 209 other villages near Jaipur have benefitted through their organisation’s CSR wing as well as their club. Their humanitarian activities include providing Jaipur foot for the needy, immunisation for expectant mothers and children, contraceptive promotion and family planning workshops, drinking water and transportation facilities for girl students. “Immunisation, family planning workshops and counselling families against female foeticide are Kiran’s forte,” says Poddar.
Mukesh Singh, the CSR manager at Mayur, says that he is up by 4.30 am, because Poddar normally calls him around that time whenever he has a brainwave “which is quite often. His compassion towards hapless children and their future drives him to provide more for their education and health.”
