ABOUT

TRUSTEES

Kaveri Dutt

A senior educationist, Kaveri has been a teacher and/or administrator with

Loreto House, Calcutta International School, Birla High School, Modern High School and Loreto Day School, Bowbazar. Presently, she is the Province Coordinator, Loreto Education Board, Kolkata.

Manjula Singh

A lecturer turned social worker, Manjula has taught both at Delhi University as well as Loreto College, Darjeeling, before a stint with the National Jute Board. Presently, she advises the Eastern India Healthcare Foundation, Kolkata which is involved in providing financial assistance to underprivileged patients in need of life saving surgeries. Manjula was instrumental in spearheading KARMA - Kolkata Accident Response & Medical Assistance - a free ambulance service for road accident victims.

Minnie Sengupta

A senior teacher and education administrator, Minnie was a Headmistress with Sushila Birla Girls School before taking over as Principal at Birla High School, Mukundapur. Presently, she's the Principal of Adhigam Bhoomi, a non-affiliated ashram-school for rural children situated on the outskirts of Calcutta.

MANAGING TRUSTEE

Swati Gautam

Founder-CEO of India's only brand of fitted-to-size undergarments - NecessitySwatiGautam -

Swati has been an entrepreneur for 34 years. Concurrently, she lectured under graduates and graduates at her alma mater St Xavier's College, Calcutta. She has been a contributor to many broadsheet English dailies, and has also co/authored and/or produced the Coffee Table Books for the West Bengal Police as well as the sesquicentennial commemorative volume of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, where she imbibed the value of reaching out to those less privileged from Fr P C Mathew, sj. PUKAAR was founded after an intense experience of venturing into the deeper areas of Sunderbans in the aftermath of the Cyclone Aila in 2008. With the advent of Cyclone Amphan in 2020, PUKAAR"s activities intensified into the villages of West Bengal.

WHY PUKAAR?

Because we see how every smile matters, even if it's for that moment alone. So, we add one smile a time to our bank of smiles.

Most of the beneficiaries of PUKAAR have been first time recipients of scholarship, nutritional and hygienic aid.

At PUKAAR we believe that if even one student - amongst the thousands that PUKAAR reaches out to in the far flung villages of West Bengal - returns back to his/her village to serve the needs of the village, then PUKAAR's efforts would have been fruitful.

MODUS OPERANDI: How do we work?

Every trip that PUKAAR makes to the far flung areas in Bengal is preceded by a lot of homework and due diligence. Collecting relief materials and funds is the easiest part of the deed. Calcutta's generous warmth works for PUKAAR; it is this city that had created a Mother Teresa out of an Albanian nun, after all.

Identifying an area to work in, followed by identifying the individual beneficiaries and finally their specific needs takes a lot of work. Each recipient is verified by an official document, either a government issued identity card or a school identity card.

Till date, PUKAAR has DIRECTLY handed over every bit of relief to the beneficiaries through anyone or more of its Trustees.