Indore: As part of its institutional social responsibility, Indian Institute of Management Indore has decided to provide pro-bono consultancy to Indore Cancer Foundation (ICF) in marketing and fundraising.
The letter of intent was handed over to ICF on Thursday on the occasion of the inauguration of the Zen Garden and the earmarking of spaces for growing medicinal herbs at IIM Indore. IIM Indore director Prof Himanshu Rai and ICF founder Dr Digpal Dharkar were present on the occasion.
The institute will contribute in three main ways: by providing ayurvedic herbs for palliative care for the side effects of cancer treatments, by offering strategic consulting for optimizing operations and fundraising, and by organizing events for the cancer patients.
Rai said that the institute will supply herbs grown in-house to ICF free of cost for palliative care to manage side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Sharing that the institute will also offer strategic consultancy, Rai said, “Faculty members will offer their expertise in domains in which ICF requires in the field of marketing, operations, fund-raising and outreach. This would help in reaching out to the potential donors and raising funds; and also in creating a database of Indore-based firms which can be contacted for CSR related activities”.
He promised that the institute will also organize various productive and creative events for the patients, like yoga classes, book reading and arts.
“The patients and caregivers may also spend time with the dogs from the institute’s dog shelter and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of interaction with them,” he added.
Dharkar said, “ICF is delighted to be associated with IIM Indore and we assure that we will always be eager to help every person in need—be it from any region. We will also work on enhancing the lifestyle of people and contribute to the society.”
About Zen Garden
The Zen Garden spread in an area of 70x70 square feet was developed in 5 months. Inspired from the Japanese Zen Gardens, this garden is also stylized with four major components namely sand, plants, rocks and empty spaces, in a curved landscape. All these components represent various phases and feelings in our lives. The garden also has a cylindrical Prayer Wheel, which on spinning brings the same meditative effect as reciting a prayer orally, bringing peace and calm to the soul. The garden is yet another space created by the institute for introspection, reflection and meditation, leading to stress relief and better mental health.
