CybageKhushboo : Spreading the Fragrance of Education
Khushboo Charitable Trust, better known as CybageKhushboo, functions by the adage, “Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish; you feed him for life.”
CybageKhushboo—a self-sustained NGO and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd.—believes in the power of education. Right from its inception in 2009, the Trust has been continually providing financial aid to economically backward but promising students so that they can fulfill their educational aspirations and secure a bright future. CybageKhushboo, the brainchild of Arun Nathani, CEO and MD–Cybage, and his wife Ritu Nathani, is relentlessly engaged in scalable educational projects to shape up promising careers.
Under the able guidance of Cybage’s senior management, the scope of CybageKhushboo is widening rapidly. As a part of its main initiative, the Trust grants scholarships to students who want to pursue professional courses in Engineering (B.E. and Diploma), Medicine, and Medicine-related courses such as Pharmacy, Dentistry, Homeopathy, and Physiotherapy, and many more.
CybageKhushboo Scholarship Program
Milestones
2009–10: The scholarship program is announced.
2010–11: CybageKhushboo extends post-SSC scholarships to 55 deserving children.
2011–12: CybageKhushboo partners with educational institutes to widen the beneficiary base for the scholarship program.
While new students receive scholarships, existing students continue to get financial support from the Trust.
Beneficiary count is 131.
Operations start in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
2012–13: Beneficiary count is 212.
2013–14: CybageKhushboo joins hands with Smt. Bakul Tambat Institute of Nursing Education.
Beneficiary count touches the 329 mark.
2014–15: CybageKhushboo joins hands with PVG College of Engineering.
Scholarship program includes more fields and courses such as printing Technology, Architecture.
CybageKhushboo starts regular soft skill trainings for students.
Beneficiary count is 496.
2015–16: Beneficiary count is now 606.
CybageKhushboo supports iTeach school for education of students from classes VIII to X.
2016–17: External experts engaged to train students on communication skills.
Scholarship extended to students in Indore, taking beneficiary base to 789.
Digital literacy center started at Khulewadi.
2017-18: Trainer appointed for communication skills training for students.
Beneficiary count is 998.
Digital literacy bus started in Tadiwala community in association with the PMC and NASCOMM foundation.
CybageKhushboo joins hands with COEP and BJ Medical College, Pune
CybageKhushboo joins hands with Lakshya Sports to sponsor archer—Sakshi Shitole
CybageKhushboo Scholarship Program: Eligibility Criteria
CybageKhushboo wants to be the stepping stone to a successful career for promising students who have the potential, but are held back by financial constraints. With the intent to give financial support to as many deserving students as possible, the Trust has kept the eligibility and selection process simple.
The eligibility criteria for the scholarship program is:
- The applicant must have scored a minimum of 60 percent marks in Class X and Class XII exams in the valid academic year.
- The total family income of the applicant should not exceed ₹3 lakh per annum.
- The applicant must have secured admission in a government or private college on merit and not through capitation.
CybageKhushboo offices in Pune, Gandhinagar, and Indore cater to the educational requirements of students in and around their respective cities. The Trust authorities validate whether an applicant is eligible for a scholarship. After an intensive interview and home visit, the selected candidates are offered scholarships.
Activities at a Glance
1. Tie-ups with educational institutes
The Trust collaborates with educational institutes to motivate more students to choose professional education as their path to success and not yield to circumstances that demand teenage labor after passing Class XII. The Trust sponsors the education of 15 students annually for each of the following institutes:
- Manghanmal Udharam College of Commerce (MUCC)
- Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT) and Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology (VIIT)
- Smt. Bakul Tambat Institute of Nursing Education
- Karve Institute of Social Service
- College of Engineering Pune
- BJ Medical College
The Trust looks forward to collaborating with more institutes to bring more deserving students under its umbrella.
2. School adoption
Along with colleges, the Trust also extends financial support to schools in and around Pune. CybageKhushboo in association with iTeach movement, has adopted the Sant Gadge Maharaj School, Kondhwa. This PMC school receives aid for students from Class VIII to Class X
3. Digital literacy Program
In 2016, Cybage in association with NASSCOM Foundation and PMC, started the Digital Literacy Center at Khulewadi community where Cybage facilitated the training infrastructure and trainers to help empower citizens with basic digital literacy skills. Further, in May 2017, CybageKhushboo, in association with PMC and Pune City Connect, launched the Digital Literacy Bus in Tadiwala community to promote the use of digital technology in everyday life, including cashless transactions. The Digital Literacy Course aims at enabling the trainee to do online transactions and shopping, send emails, network on social media, and learn to use Internet to avail various government services such as registering their Aadhar cards, ration cards, and PAN cards. Cybage also organizes digital literacy sessions for their support staff to train them to use smartphone apps such as BHIM, Paytm, and State Bank Buddy app for online money transfer, bill payments, mobile recharge, and online banking. Till date, 940 people have benefitted from this initiative.
4. Soft skills sessions
As part of its goal of bringing about the holistic development of the student beneficiaries, CybageKhushboo conducts various training sessions continually on the premises of Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd. The following activities are done under this initiative:
- Engagement of a professional pattern, KAVI institute, to groom students for enhancing their communication skills.
- Appointment of an expert, Pankaj Mittal, to conduct soft skills training for the various batches of student beneficiaries.
- Sessions by senior management: The senior management at Cybage is always very supportive of CybageKhushboo’s activities. Elston Pimenta, Head–HR, conducts sessions on Interview and Aptitude Skills.
For more information, visit the CybageKhushboo website