Thirty-two contestants who made it to the national round of the Tycoons 2009 had a chance to show their creativity in ad making for NGO Deepalaya. The round saw the participants coming up in a group of two with their idea for a print, television, radio or internet advertisement for Deepalaya which works for slum children. Every group had a maximum of eight minutes to make the presentation. While some came up with the ideas to create awareness about education, others thought of creating an ad that would help in collecting funds and yet others wanted to achieve both through the same ad.

The punchlines were as interesting for some as some of the concepts. “Paani barabar shiksha” was the catchline of one of the groups that aimed to make anybody who buys a bottle of water realise that if they paid same amount everyday for a year’s time, it could help a slum child get education. While some made very corporate attempt at pitching for an ad, others were little more creative and performed their idea. From miming to singing the lines, there was no limit to the flash of ideas which poured out. The participants also got a chance to visit slums where Deepalaya has made a difference. The hands on experience, they said, was worth giving it their best shot and most of them believed that the children in the slums could be better off in all ways if they get the chance and financial assistance to perform. The participants not only had to come up with creative ideas but also put forth the marketing strategies keeping the target audience in mind which was quite a challenge.

At a session which focused on India and the role of today’s youth, TK Mathew, founder member, Deepalaya, said that the developed nations need to fight against social challenges like illiteracy, child labour, gender discrimination and poverty. “Do not become activity-oriented but result-oriented,” he told the participants while addressing them. The session highlighted that India required scaling up in the social sector. There is a need to not only continue feeding the hungry but also teach them how to fish. The speakers said that the funding of the social sector is not just a responsibility of the West but also us, Indians. As Indians we need to fund people who are small.

The session also highlighted that we need to look beyond education, child and health and women to donate. Legal aid, environment etc are equally important issues which need funds and donations.


Commenting on the need to be a part of the social sector, 41-year-old Osama Manzar, founder and director, Digital Empowerment Foundation, said that a large fraction of our life is a part of the social sector, it’s just that most of us are not conscious about it. “There is nothing like social sector or commercial sector. I would rather say don’t leave social sector. From morning to evening, 80 per cent of the life is social sector. Roads not working, government not working, lights not working is all social sector. You need to be conscious of that social sector because you are already a part of the social security,” he said.

Manzar who runs his own company works in the social sector and has also written a book. From being an air-man to a journalist to developing websites, Manzar has come a long way. He believes that our society needs to be a little more aware and conscious of the sector of which they are a part.