Our Presence

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

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History

Chennai is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is home to many educational and research institutions. IIT Madras is ranked among the top centres of engineering education in India. In census-2011, male and female literacy rates were 93.70 and 86.64 percent, respectively.However, 19% of the population live in slums, and with migration to metro cities, the number of urban poor is increasing. Girls from low-income urban families are unable to pursue higher education.

Dr. Suresh Raja, a well-meaning and courteous Indian presently residing in the United States, reached us in 2016 with an interest in girl education in India. He promptly agreed to fund our Udayan Shalini Fellowship programmes in Panchkula and Chennai when we recommended it. With his help, we were able to create the USF programme in Chennai, and the first batch of 62 girls enrolled in 2017. We met Mr. Naveen Narayanan, the HR head of a global IT business in Chennai, while creating the Chapter, and he was so impressed by the programme that he happily volunteered to be the Convenor. Not only did he form the core committee with the support of Udayan Care, but he also found staff to work on the project. 147 girls are a part of this programme at present (2020-2021), and in 2019–20, 30 fellows were inducted. Currently, USF is supporting 122 Shalinis at the Chennai Chapter.

Programmes in the Chapter

The Chennai Chapter of the Udayan Shalini Fellowship Programme was launched in the year 2016, with an intake of 60 girls from three government schools, supported by Dr. Suresh Raja of the USA. Under the convenorship of Mr. Naveen Narayanan, the core committee was formed.

The 1st induction and pledge-taking ceremony of the Udayan Shalini Fellowship took place on December 2nd, 2016.

The mentors given to each Shalini discuss their issues, dreams, education, etc. and guide them on how to handle various situations in their personal life, education, and what they should pursue as a career option. The guidance, coaching, and advice these girls receive are helpful in planning their studies and future. The girls have shown good academic results in class XI, with some of them securing more than 90% marks and most of them above 60% marks. In order to contribute towards society, we are encouraging them to teach poor children, keep their surroundings clean, etc. The Shalini’s in Chennai organised a road safety campaign in May 2018. We intend to select 60-65 more girls in 2021–2022.

Our Chapter Members

Mr. Naveen Narayanan

Convener

Ms. Maya Ramachandran

Co-Convener

Mr. Soundararajan Innamburan

Core Committee Member

Ms. Shrinkhla Chandhok

Core Committee Member

Ms. SriPriya Hari

Core Committee Member

Ms. Jothilakshmi Sundaresan

Core Committee Member

Ms. Umasree Raghunath

Core Committee Member

Mr. Kumaran

Core Committee Member

Ms. Annapoorni

Core Committee Member

Dr. David Bharath Kumar

Core Committee Member

Ms. Anandhi

Core Committee Member

Stories of hope

V. Nandhini

I am V. Nandhini from USF Chennai Chapter. I would like to share my journey of scoring 93% in my 12th board examination. Firstly, I thank USF for making me a part of their team. My Mother supported me throughout my studies. She has always encouraged me in all my situations. My ambition is to become Chartered Accountant and to achieve that I started to put in extra efforts. The workshops conducted by USF were extremely useful for my studies. My special thanks to my team leader, Farzana Akka and my mentors for guiding me towards the path ofsuccess. I thank Udayan Shalini team for this wonderful opportunity to share my experience. I am very proud to be the part of USF.

R. Sandhiya

I am R. Sandhiya from USF Chennai Chapter. I like to share my experience on scoring 91% in my 12th board examination.I begin by thanking my parents, teachers and USF team members for my success because they stood with me like a rock throughout my preparations. As my dream is to become a Doctor, I took Bio and Maths as my subjects in Class 11. In addition, along with my school teachers, USF has helped me a lot not only financially but also by conducting various sessions that made me to know more information and in various field. My sincere thanks to Deepa Ma’am, Innamburan sir, Naveen sir, Rekha Ma’am, Dr.Kalarani Ma’am who helped me to score more in my academics. I would like to mention about my mother who works as a single person in our house, for encouraging me to achieve more. In addition, USF helped me realize my potential and made me work harder. I studied hard and understood the concepts which helped me secure a good grade. My passion is to educate and help as many people as possible. As of now, I am preparing for my NEET examination and surely, I will achieve this too. I thank USF once again for supporting me financially and for giving this marvelous opportunity to express my gratitude.

Our Contributors

UCUSA

Donor Type: Funding Agency

Genlite

Donor Type: Corporate

‘GENLITE’ group has its inception in Chennai in April 1983. The present company, GENLITE ENGINEERING PRIVATE LIMITED was incorporated in Chennai on 25th January 2007 under the Companies Act, 1956 (No. 1 of 1956), and had taken over GENLITE ENGINEERING, a partnership firm registered under Indian Partnership Act, 1932.