Mrs Shashikala Sathiyamurthy is a woman of grit, valour, and compassion. Our summer camp smart kids academy educates close to 20000 students every year. she has spread her wings in business for more than a decade, banging multiple awards from the business person of the year Coimbatore to the summit of best women entrepreneur in India. She’s the founder of various companies across education, construction and software, managing more than 200 employees.
All this merit comes from years of hardship she has silently mastered. Ask her; she sums up her life in a quote “you create your destinies. It’s not destiny that makes you.” Married at 18 and a mother by 19, her dreams did not succumb but multiplied . she wrote her university exam after getting married every next day, but this did not stop her from scoring a university rank. She is a proud alumnus of the National Institute of fashion technology, where she juggled multiple hats from being a mother, student and wife; all this never stopped her from dreaming big but instead motivated her.” Nothing can stop you unless you give it the power to do so “she says. Mrs Shasikala is an inspiration for many. She was recently awarded the All Indian Medical Association with the title covid hero for her vigorous work during the pandemic. Five thousand food packets were distributed daily to all the essential workers in the city. Free oxygen concentrators were procured and supplied to differently-abled patients in their houses. she went a step ahead in acquiring vaccination and conducting a vaccination drive in the city where the tribal community were vaccinated in their villages
But what defines her is the solid social responsibility that makes her the person she is. Her altruism has driven her to establish Chandran’s Yuva foundation, which is now five years. She has paved a different path in creating livelihoods for the downtrodden underprivileged community. Her actions speak louder.
Ask her what’s her vision and the difference she aspires to see her noble idea is thought-provoking. I don’t believe in just offering food, shelter, and a roof above her aim is to create livelihoods and instil the spirit of entrepreneurship in the differently-abled, transgender and underprivileged society. Building a self-sustainable community is the answer, and that’s the ambition that drives her. Yuva Foundation does precisely this through skill development and helping set up a business model through which these people can live an independent life depending on no one.
Shasikala s is the first in India to train 100 % visually challenged on motor operated machines and attempted the Guinness world record for the world’s largest jute bag, introducing ten visually challenged. Her initiative provides baking training to the deaf, dumb society through which they are trained, and then small kiosks are set up for them in the city for their earning. Mrs Shasikala’s passion for uplifting the transgender community has driven her to support and train Sujitha, south India’s first transgender RJ. Apart from this, transgender people have been introduced across various sectors and even taught to drive and given cars. The pink taxi initiative was set up by transgender drivers driving cabs for women’s safety. Her vivacious passion for the environment has plotted in platting 5,00,000 plus tress.
Women empowerment is a passion too close to the heart. Shasikala believes women are the most vital sex and the equal opportunities deprived. Her strong will has uplifted tribal women to women from different backgrounds. Most notable of this is the work she does with the women prisoners, teaching them various skills whilst inside the prison with the help of the state government. Their produce from bread, pickles, clothes, and bags is not only taught but also sold through the state government channels.
Her work for society keeps spreading; she’s tirelessly committed to achieving her herculean ambition of providing accessible health care and international education. Any field of diversification should not discriminate against health and education. Everyone should be given a fair chance in life, which can happen only by employing education.
“Women can be many things, but most importantly, everything they dream of can be a reality”. Mrs Shasikala continues to wear many hats and juggles her responsibilities between business and empowering society. All these achievements are in her bag, but she says she’s just getting started.
To know more about her foundation, you can visit
WWW.CHANDRANSYUVAFOUNDATION.COM
Website: https://chandransyuva.com
