Its all about one woman empowering the other… respect each other and support each other: Usha Kakad – Pune Mirror

INTERVIEWUsha Kakade, Businesswoman and Philanthropist

An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Usha Kakade, as part of our Leaders of the City initiative, speaks on her journey, and the future. She feels that we have received a lot from society and it is our rightful duty to give it back to the society.

For businesswoman and philanthropist Usha Kakade, the road to success has not been easy but she did it with her never-give-it-up attitude and hard work. Amid all these, she thought to give it back to the society that helped her shape as the entrepreneurial woman that she has become today.

As a true leader of the city, and of course the society at large, she shares her thoughts with fellow citizens in this free-wheeling chat.

What is your inspiration behind starting to contribute to society?I started my business 15 years back, when very few women were working in the construction business arena. Being a successful businesswoman comes with a lot of struggles and hard work. But, I never gave up! Being a successful businesswoman, I always felt that we have received a lot from society and it is our rightful duty to give it back to society. This thought inspired me to get into philanthropy. I was into social service for many years and to bring more visibility to my work and to have more sustainable social work, I started my NGO, Gravittus Foundation.

What has been your experience of the COVID pandemic in the last one-and-half years?We all are aware of the current pandemic situation and how its affected the entire world. According to me, this pandemic situation really taught us the importance of health. We should not take our health habits lightly and should work on it continuously. On the social front, its my duty to help the needy in this pandemic. The second wave of COVID-19 has seen several patients finding it difficult to get beds in hospitals. In this critical situation, I tried my best towards getting hospital beds for deprived sections of society. Through Gravittus Foundation, we took initiative to distribute essential grocery packets to the needy people and importantly to the most neglected Transgender community. When I came across the fact that people are unable to see their loved ones for the last time, it was an extremely disturbing moment. I wanted to ensure that people get to see their loved ones. On this background, special body bags were made and we donated these body bags to Sassoon General Hospitals in Pune; so that the face is visible to the loved ones. This little effort goes a long way in preserving the last sight of those who left us because of COVID-19.

How do you balance between being an entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a mother?Being an entrepreneur, it is challenging as I had started as a young energetic chairperson whose mission was to conquer the world and I know that employees would look at me with high expectations. While I was adjusting to the corporate world, I was also trying to balance the changing demands of my personal and family life. No matter where you stand in the business world, you are always a woman first and the first responsibility is always your family. And, the support I received from my family which contributed to my growth in the business arena. My children are my strength and being a mother I always ensure their well-being first. All this gives me positive energy to balance all the responsibilities in a successful manner.

How has been your experience while working for underprivileged children and women through your organisation?Through my Gravittus Foundation, we implemented various social projects. Gravittus Foundation in the year 2014-15 implemented a one-year-long Dental Check-up project. Under this project, Gravittus Foundation completed dental check-ups of 72,823 children from 311 Pune Municipal Corporation schools. Gravittus Foundation in the years 2015 to 2017, conducted Eye Project in all schools of corporation with eye check-up, and further treatment of eye and providing spectacles also took place. All these services provided free of cost to the underprivileged children. Thus, this project is giving eyesight to those who cannot afford the treatment. Under the Eye Project, eye screening of a total 78,298 students from 307 PMC schools is completed. Spectacles were provided and eye surgeries were performed successfully. Gravittus Foundation organised a programme, called Changemakers. Changemakers is a programme that leads to developing the ability of self-defence in young college-going girls. Gravittus Foundation conducted this activity for 2,000 girls from 174 colleges for this programme. Working with all these children and women from underprivileged sections of society is very important and also very challenging at times. But, the joy I saw on the childrens face after a successful eye surgery is beyond words.

Photos by Rahul Deshmukh

What is your idea of women empowerment?When I set foot in the real estate industry 15 years ago, there were hardly any women working in the sector. But, I am a firm believer in women power. I believe every woman has a good quality within her, which needs to be identified and developed. It takes a village to raise a child, it takes a woman to raise the whole nation. I am all for women empowerment; because for me, its all about one woman empowering the other woman. I always say, respect each other and support each other.

What improvement would you like to see in Punes infrastructure?We all are aware of the current pandemic situation due to COVID-19 and how its affected all the business sector worldwide, real estate also suffered in many ways being a Pune-based real estate company, still we are very much optimistic about the bounce back of business growth in coming months. Pune is known for education and IT hubs, millions of people are working hard and making this city as one of the finest city for people living, recent survey also shows that this is one of the most admirable city for living and growth in all respect due to its climate, discipline, ease of doing business, connectivity and ample opportunity of everyday progress. Pune has reputable MIDC where many national/international manufacturing companies and there are many best IT parks, where worlds Fortune 500 IT and financial companies along with local companies are operating, these infrastructure are continuously creating various opportunity for people to live here and attract millions of people to come this city for their better livelihoods. Real estate demand will always be here because of industries, financial, education and IT hubs so rather than any worries it would be really great that we could think how we can offer innovative, unique and customised solutions to our real estate customers for their ultimate satisfaction and value for money purchasing.

Your expectations from state and central governments for the betterment of women and children.I think the state and central governments should work hand in hand for the betterment of women and children. Also, strong networking of NGOs and government sectors is also beneficial for this betterment.

What are your future plans?As per future plans of my social initiatives are concerned, two projects are in line. My organisation, Gravittus Foundation, in association with UNICEF, organised a Roundtable Conference on the Rights of the Child for Entertainment Industry People in October 2019. In todays world, global trends like digital technologies, environmental change, mass migration and urbanization are changing childhood fast. On this background, we organized this conference to generate awareness on CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child). This whole year, in partnership with UNICEF, we will be generating this awareness in public through social media platforms of celebrities, as they have massive fan following. As in this year, we are completely focusing on creating awareness related to COVID-Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) and Vaccination. We have recently started counseling cells in our PCMC identified schools in association with Mpower, a mental health initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust. Mental, psychological, behavioral problems of children will be assessed and will be resolved through the process of one to one counselling of children.

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Pune Times Mirror Leaders of the City is an initiative where infl uential and inspiring leaders of Pune share their insights on the happenings around, and how to take a giant leap forward to make the city more vibrant in the near future. The city, balancing its centuries-old heritage and tech-driven generation at the same time, has no dearth of visionaries, who can lead us to a better time overcoming present crises. In a series of talks, the leaders policymakers, dedicated administrators and philanthropists are coming up with their ideas for better living for thousands of citizens. This unique initiative is supported by Food Heal and Lokmanya Multipurpose Co-op. Society Ltd.

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Its all about one woman empowering the other... respect each other and support each other: Usha Kakad - Pune Mirror