Born and brought up in Faizabad, Mr. Abhishek often enjoyed indulging in activities such as basketball, trekking and photography as a teenager. It was an interest that he carried well into his adult life as well. More than a recreational activity, traveling and sightseeing have always had a deep therapeutic meaning in his life. With a bachelor’s degree in technology and a master’s degree in business administration, Mr. Abhishek currently resides in Gurugram and works with a number of organizations — with tasks ranging from digital marketing, financial and market research to sales and portfolio design.
Abhishek became a part of the UPAY family when he was preparing for his civil service examinations. He helped set up centers in Karol Bagh, Tilak Nagar and Noida Sector-18. Moreover, he even took up the onus of encouraging more people to join as volunteers by drafting posters and organizing various digital marketing campaigns.
Changing the beliefs reinforced by decades of patriarchal notions and social poverty is a challenge in itself. For instance, parents often marry off their children, especially girls, at a very young age in the fear of them becoming a ‘burden’. One such difficulty that Mr. Abhishek faced was changing community opinions about the need for education.
Often, there’s a misconception that community work must be conducted without expecting anything in return. Although this does hold true, it is, in fact, a mutual relationship, he believes.
The desire to help others is, indeed, a prerequisite of utmost importance for engaging in volunteering — however, there are other requirements like leadership skills and social awareness that are much needed. It is only when we sensitize ourselves and develop an empathetic understanding of social reality, can we help those around us.
A major goal that Mr. Abhishek continuously strives to achieve through his association with UPAY is to be a champion of positive and reformative change in society. One needs to have an open-minded approach and be ready to serve others and bring about a positive change. Although every individual performs a unique function, we must all work together towards fulfilling a common goal.
Education is, ultimately, the only way of achieving true development and progress in society. Although community work and volunteering do not share any profitable and material gain of their own, working towards helping others can ensure that you make the best use of your talents for a noble cause.
We are proud to have volunteers like Abhishek, who believe in collective action and bringing positive reforms in the communities we work in.
UPAY - उपाय 