Missing work-life? Here are a few options of what you can do in Bangalore.
Left your job to come to India with your family? Do you feel like your talents aren’t being used enough? One day I happened to come across an amazing avenue that could fit any type of talent! Enter the Machani Group! Let me take you through what happened the day I was introduced to them. The conversation went something like this:
A friend of my husband named Ravi Machani asked me the dreaded question “So what are you doing with your time now that your two-year-old has started school?”
“Well, watch a ton of tv at home,” I muttered quietly under my breath.
That answer was soon followed by a swift recovery “I’m a stay at home mom, for now, I don’t have time to work fulltime, but I certainly have enough time to do some work.”
Between me and you, I was waiting to get back into the world of adult conversations and to use the brain I once had before I developed “mommy brain”.
To which Ravi replied, “Why don’t you come to the office tomorrow, I’m sure we can find a way for you to use your talents.”
Talents? Hmmph “I’ll show you talent!” I thought, while immediately calculating the time it took me to catch a falling baby… 3 seconds flat!!!! I’m sure that after this train of thought I agreed to visit the office because I woke up to a calendar alarm the next morning reminding me to get out of bed.
Pessimism aside, I pulled out the old work clothes and showed up bright and early (another benefit of being a mom) at the Machani office. Boy, was I in for a surprise, not only by the fact that the atmosphere felt like home (literally, it’s a massive house converted into an office building)!! But more than just this, it was the variety of businesses they’re involved in that struck my interest immediately. There was something for everybody.
THE MACHANI GROUP
Let me explain, the Machani Group has within it many different adjacent businesses and all these businesses support the core business, as well as contribute to the success of each other. I had walked into a thriving entrepreneurial community! Needless to say, I found a way to contribute and most importantly, I found a way to use my baby reflex talents to do many other things in 3 seconds flat.
Another bonus is the fact that I’m exposed to leaders in the fields of business excellence regularly, whether I’m just a fly on the wall or an active participant. It took me a while to get back on my feet, but I was surprised to find out that my experience was useful in the real world and those we were reaching out to.
So if my story resonates with you in some way, and I’m sure most of you are highly qualified to work but just don’t have an avenue to do so in India, this is the place for you. Even if you were to volunteer some of your time weekly to get involved, you’ll be surprised at the difference you can make. Don’t hesitate to take that tiny step towards doing something for yourself. Don’t hide your talents when you can start working on something that makes a difference, even if it is small to begin with.
OPEN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Here are a few volunteer opportunities open at the Machani Group depending on your interests:
SVASA HOMES AND TAMARIND TREE– CULTURE + HERITAGE
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Cultural immersion opportunities in the fields of design, real estate, Indian wedding industry, social enterprise, technology and more.
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Document temples and stories from old Bangalore
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Craft revival – educating buyers on the importance of retaining traditional weaving skills
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Make a coffee table book on Indian weddings
INDIVILLAGE AND VAYATI WEAVES – EDUCATION + SOCIAL INITIATIVES
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Social Internship Programs with IndiVillage- English language and communication training of impact workers, help build a library for the school, create a community library and toy bank for children, conduct workshops to build awareness about financial literacy
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Share your skills or hobbies in a workshop
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Women empowerment – Encouraging more women in rural spaces to keep working and pass on their knowledge to the next generation.
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Identifying people from rural areas who can benefit from skill development
XARPIE LABS – TECHNOLOGY
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Bring business for visualization and simulation solutions from overseas enterprises and organizations as an account manager.
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Extend your blogging and content prowess to immersive tech and the world of digital reality.
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Contribute with your tech skills in visual communications, 3D modeling or software development for game engines like Unity and Unreal.
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Conduct workshops and share your knowledge in diverse topics – soft skills, workplace communication etiquettes, tech hacks, past experiences from tech conferences, women in tech, etc
C( )RE EXPERIENCE – DESIGN
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Create, contemporary products inspired by Indian culture
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Work with people from rural backgrounds to train them to opportunities in the design field
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Product design – making sustainable and user-friendly products
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Cultural immersions into Indian design – eg. Create sari designs
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
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Project Management
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Assist / Shadow Senior Leadership
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Business Development
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Digital Marketing
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Program Management
EVENTS
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Run campaigns for better civic sense and craft revival
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Be involved in workshops and learning events – ex: artist workshops, book readings,
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Wedding planning
To get in touch with us:
Email – [email protected] or call +91 80411 25838
Disclaimer
Machani is not registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation, free voluntary services can be provided by people on Dependant/Entry Visa. If the need arises, FRRO may ask to provide documentary evidence that the activity undertaken by the person on Dependant/Entry Visa is not for any remuneration, whatsoever.
There is no explicit denial for volunteering in organisations however there is an explicit requirement for an Employment visa (E4) in case of volunteering in an NGO. Further, no economic remuneration should be given to the persons, whatsoever as there is an explicit condition that the spouse of a foreign national is allowed to visit India on a dependent (X) visa and cannot undertake any business or economic activity or accept any employment in India.
