Smile for Life Foundation

is an organisation working towards making the journey of life a much more happier and meaningful one for these children. Started over 4 years ago by creating opportunities in education and sports for a few children in the slum areas of Kukatpally, today Smile for Life has launched an initiative

"Project EduBillion - Vision 2020" with the motto "Each One – Teach Ten".

The objective of this project is to create a better life for the less fortunate children through creative education. Each one of us who are privileged in many aspects compared to the ones less privileged can take up the task of teaching only 10 people and help them raise their bars of education, standards of living, social acceptance in the society among other things.

Through this initiative, children will be given the chance to learn and explore the world around them by enhancing their skills, abilities and talents and by inculcating self confidence and teamwork amongst themselves.  Our aim is to set up centres in various parts of the country with volunteers to impart creative education which includes basic education, life skills, basic language skills, etiquette, vocational training etc.

The core team at Smile for Life comprises of two like-minded individuals focussed on improving the quality of life for those less fortunate.

Shyam S. Mantha

Shyam is a management professional with over 12 years experience in the fields of Business Development, Consulting, Executive Coaching and Training. He has worked with various industries such as IT/ITES, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail etc and today runs his own consulting firm – ATraC Management Services Pvt. Ltd

Shyam has always had the dedication for development and empowerment of underprivileged youth in both rural and urban areas. With this aim in mind, he co-founded SMILE Charitable Trust now known as Smile for Life Foundation over 4 years ago. He has adopted over a dozen destitute and needy children - some of them from the streets and others from the slums and ensured their admission into nearby schools. He provided for their fees, books, uniforms, tuitions etc. on his own or by mobilising funds.

Anita Narayanasamy

Anita has over 21 years experience in Advertising, Branding and Marketing Communications. She has worked with on accounts in sectors such as IT, Manufacturing, Retail during her stint in Advertising and in the Manufacturing and Service sector while working with various MNCs.   

Right from childhood, she was interested in helping others and it was her passion for underprivileged children to retain their innocence that gravitated her towards her co-founding Smile for Life Foundation. She has worked with children who are HIV positive – spending time with them and helping to mobilising funds for their education and treatment. She has also worked with children from Government and un-aided Schools and Orphanages organising activities to inculcate communication skills and teamwork. 

Dr Vidya Jonnalagadda

Dr Vidya Jonnalagadda, a Research Professional holds a Ph.D in Biochemistry from University of Pennsylvania and a Post doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently a Visiting Faculty/Consultant at Bhavan’s Vivekananda  College, Hyderabad.

Dr Vidya is also part of the Hyderabad chapter of Association for India’s Development (AID) - a US and India based volunteer organization that promotes Gandhian ideals of “sustainable, equitable and just development.” AID’s philosophy draws on the constructive, interconnected approach symbolized by the Gandhian “charkha” (spinning wheel). The chapter works with K-10 government English-, Telugu- and Urdu-medium schools in Hyderabad to provide an imaginative education in science and maths, an acute need given the paucity of teachers and resources. Dr Vidya has developed curricula and innovative methods to enhance skills and talents of children from slums,  besides mobilising funds and volunteers for the upliftment and equality of the rights of the poorer communities.
 
Dr. Baba Prasad

Baba Prasad’s educational career started when he finished his B.Sc. from Bangalore University (St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore) with a 100% score in Mathematics. He received his BS (Electrical Engineering) degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and his M.Tech. (with distinction) in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from the University of Hyderabad. Prasad earned a second Master's in Computer Science from Kansas State University, and worked for two years as a technology management consultant in Shearson Lehman and JP Morgan on Wall Street. Prasad received his Ph.D. in Operations and Information Management from the Wharton School in 1997, where he continues to be a Sloan Fellow at the Wharton Financial Institutions Center.

After his Ph.D., Prasad taught in the business schools at Purdue University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Students in his MBA course at Purdue University noted him as insightful and inspiring and he was rated MBA faculty of distinction. At the University of Minnesota, he consistently received exceptionally high ratings for MBA teaching.

Prasad founded Vivekin Group based on his conviction that organizations become excellent and sustain that excellence only when leadership and innovation are organic to the firm. Through his many years of research at Wharton and elsewhere, Prasad has drawn on a combination of theories from psychology, operations management, information systems, and cultural anthropology to develop a groundbreaking framework based on theories of human intelligence. He has been using this framework to help companies create a culture of leadership and innovation throughout their organizations.
Prasad has been instrumental in bringing interns from Duke’s University, North Carolina to teach English, Maths and Science to children from Government and un-aided Schools in Hyderabad.

Dr. Leela Prasad
Dr. Leela Prasad , an Associate Professor of Ethics and Indian Religions, received her PhD in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998. Her interests are in ethics and its ‘lived,’ expressive dimensions, particularly in Hindu contexts. She also works in the areas of colonial and postcolonial anthropology of India, folklore, narrative, gender, and the South Asian American diaspora.  Leela serves on the faculty boards of the Center for Documentary Studies, the Kenan Institute for Ethics, and DukeEngage [Duke Center for Civic Engagement]. From October, 2008 through January 2009, Leela was Visiting Fellow at the S.N. School of Performing Arts, Fine Arts & Communication, University of Hyderabad under the Visual Culture, Postcoloniality & Globalization program.
In Summer 2008, Leela along with her husband Prasaddirected the first DukeEngage program in Hyderabad, India, where she supervised Duke students who volunteered at economically underprivileged schools in Hyderabad teaching literacy through the visual arts and communicative English. Leela is fluent in the Indian languages of Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, and Hindi.

V. Balachandran

Mr V. Balachandran has been a practising Advocate in the Supreme Court of India for the past 29 years.  Before starting his own practise, he has worked in the office of Mr. K. Parasaran who was the Solicitor General of India during the period 1980 to 1983 and the Attorney General for India during the period 1983 to 1989.

Balachandran has been helping children and youth from the economically backward society through funding their education and providing means of employment.

 Asha Balachandran

Asha Balachandran, a Post Graduate in English Literature, has been teaching children for over 20 years as a volunteer at Mira Nursery , part of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Delhi. She has worked with children of the age group of 3 plus to 5 plus for the past 16 years using teaching methods such as Montessori, Jolly Phonics etc.  She has been instrumental in planning the curricula based on the age of the child besides assessing the child’s growth and all round development.

Taking her experience with Mira Nursery, Asha now volunteers with Matri Karuna Vidyalaya,  a primary school catering to the needs of children from economically weaker strata of society.  

onal Coordinators

Project Coordinators

Volunteers

Kasturba Gandhi College, Marredpally, Secunderabad

Two teams from comprising of faculty and students from Kasturba Gandhi College have been formed ably headed by Dr. Anitha Reddy (NSS Team) and Dr Aruna Reddy.  These volunteers  have been trained and are now teaching English and Science to children from Government and un-aided schools.