Fifteen years after he quit, the spirit of giving that he inculcated in his family is being carried forward by his daughter-in-law. Malvika Rai's Project Roshni has literally brought the light of education to the lives of street children in the slums of Meharchand Camp and Indira Camp near Lodhi Colony in the Capital.

Rai had left behind a tradition of philanthropy for his next of kin to emulate. He founded the Ram Krishna Kulwant Rai Charitable Trust in 1969, which has been awarding scholarships to deserving individuals in the fields of education and public good. He also instituted the Sanatan Sangeet Sanskriti Awards given to top Indian musicians. Hisdaughter-in-law has been extending education and vocational training to slum children around the Rai School Complex for the past six years.

``For the initial four years, we joined hands with the Indian Social Institute, a non-government organisation with the focus on non-formal education and vocational training. Last year, Usha India took over the project and we reoriented the project toward formal education for a group of 60 children at the kindergarten stage,'' says Malvika.

Rai, a first generation entrepreneur built up a corporate empire on his own. And he feels that it could not have been possible without the support of the community and the grace of God. ``My brand of philanthropy involves offering religious discourses, meditation, yoga and educational activities free of charge to the people. All these activities help in developing an all-round personality and character in a society torn by dissent. The Shri Sathya Sai International Centre in Lodhi Road is evidence of that. Whatever I have inmaterial riches is a gift of God and therefore, should also go back to the weaker sections of our society,'' he believes.

The students are also being imparted vocational training to help them fend for themselves after their schooling. ``It started with stitching and knitting classes. The trainees are being taught to sew, stitch and knit as per their interests. The learners are divided into batches of preliminary and final batch, according to their proficiency in the craft. Each batch follows its own schedule, that enables the learners to get individual attention. After the successful completion of the stitching training, each trainee would be awarded a sewing machine along with certificates to help them become self-sufficient,'' explains Malvika.

The vocational training has expanded with the Henna classes being held for the second batch of trainees now. The first batch shall soon appear for the examination, which will be followed by awarding of certificates to the deserving trainees. Malvika, who takescare of the group's educational institutes, has also inspired 20 management students at the Institute of Integrated Learning and Management to visit old age homes. ``They have promised to identify an old couple each and meet them on a regular basis. This will provide an outlet for the elderly to relate their worries and share their joys,'' she says.

Similarly, the Calcutta Institute of Learning and Management, run by the Usha group launched a year-long project wherein small shopkeepers around the institute were taught the basics of business management. ``Besides the conventional management curriculum, they were taught how to manage their own finances and bring in business for their enterprises,'' she says.

The group has also been extending medical and educational facilities to members of the community around their plant locations in Redi, Goa; Jagdishpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Faridabad, Haryana. A devout follower of the Sathya Sai Baba, Rai explains the rationale behind the philanthropic efforts in thewords of the Swami: ``The process of education must render the individual a happier and more useful person; it must also make him a better citizen, able and willing to further the progress of the nation to which he belongs.''