JOIN US'Life is a beautiful gift to be nurtured'
Rajyalakshmi Rao wears many hats and shoulders immense responsibilities in her various positions. She is the executive committee member of the SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council (SCWEC), management committee member for Indian Merchants Chamber and executive committee member for IMC Ladies Wing.
That’s not all, she is also the director at three major companies, namely Tech Mahindra Ltd, Mahindra Aerospace Pvt Ltd & Mahindra Aerostructures Pvt Ltd. What’s more, she is the sole initiator and the chairperson of the All India Foundation of Deaf Women.
But the subject close to her heart is consumer redressal, she reveals. “My actual passion is to help the aggrieved consumers who are cheated by various sectors of service industry and business. With a Bachelors degree from Osmania University and an MS from University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, USA, Rajyalakshmi eventually found her feet in the consumer court and became a member and worked at the National Consumer Dispute Commission for 18 years.
She also has the distinction of working in all three forms of customer redressal courts at senior respectable positions. Moving beyond the court chambers, Rajyalakshmi also initiated the legal literacy programme for women in Indian Merchant Chambers. She also spearheads a movement called ‘Rajya Raksha’ for protection of women, through which she gave away over 1,000 pepper sprays and started self-defence classes for women.
Apart from her ambitious nature, Rajyalakshmi was also sensitive towards the underprivileged from a young age. Very early on in her life, she realised that she was made for social service. “I have always believed that life is a beautiful gift which should be nurtured by making the lives of the underprivileged beautiful. I feel we should not be selfish and every privileged person should make utmost use of his abilities and serve the less-privileged ones,” she asserts.
To serve others
Rajyalakshmi’s efforts got a big boost when the small-scale programmes of ‘Pranay Milan Sammelan’ and Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women graduated to the bigger All India Foundation of Deaf Women (AIFDW). “Through this platform, we have started interstate competitions to boost the self-esteem and confidence of deaf women so that they can lead a normal life too. We get them married in mass congregational wedding ceremonies by finding the right partner for them. All these make for really memorable moments to cherish for a long time,” she points out.
Dealing with any kind of disability is hard and testing. And when disabilities plague women, a section which is already put down constantly, the situation gets harder. “The main challenge has been to make people understand that hearing impaired can be as normal as other people, only if they are provided with the right kind of help. This particular sector needs very little help. If you help them for few years and get them married, they can transform themselves from negative humans to positive and cheerful ones. You just have to invest some time,” she maintains.
Rajyalakshmi believes in the collective power of women and wishes women would help each other out. “Everyone talks about empowering women but people should also talk about empowering the deaf people. It’s the women who need to help each other out,” she avers.
A tough woman, Rajyalakshmi draws her inspiration from Bill Gates and Narendra Modi. She also feels that parents have an equally important role to play in this healing process. “Every parent should realise that deaf children are normal kids who need to be taught skills and values and not kept hidden at home. Their gender shouldn’t come in their way of healing. Such young girls should actually be empowered so that they can take on the world with gusto tomorrow and become self-sufficient,” she says.
In the country, it’s a very common thing to see families treat boys and girls differently. This patriarchical attitude affects a woman’s life in more ways than one. Rajyalakshmi agrees and believes mothers can help set this situation right, “Mothers must treat both boys and girls equally and not make the boy feel that he could do anything and get away with it. Women must instill some core values like empathy, consideration, care and love in their children so that tomorrow, when they come across people in need, they won’t hesitate to offer a helping hand.”
Rajyalakshmi loves to write in her free time and she counts her first book’s publication as the most memorable moment in her life. “I had the honour of releasing my book in a gathering that comprised of seven former Chief Justices of India, the then Supreme Court judges and Delhi High court judges, lawyers and friends. I never thought I would reach this level in my life but my passion has driven me there,” she states. So, where does this ambitious woman see herself 10 years down the line? “My dream is to live a day in which deaf children are heard and their families realise and boost their immense talent and bring out the best in them. Also, I would like to see AIFDW in every city of the country,” says a confident Rajyalakshmi.
Her benevolent work and professional acumen has earned her several awards and accolades such as the Dr Ambedkar Ratna Award, The Hind Rattan Award by Bahrain government and the Award of Professional Excellence by FICCI FLO.
So, what is the secret of making a successful impact in the tough world of social service. “One should always keep learning, evolving and innovating for the inner wellbeing and to help the society,” she ends.