



: Actors Ajay Devgan and Kajol and speedster Narain Kartikeyan have joined Round Table India (RTI) as goodwill ambassadors. RTI’s mission: freedom through education. The two actors have committed to promote its cause through advertisements and other promotional campaigns.
A charity organisation of 2,500 young professionals belonging to different parts of the country, RTI aims at educating a million children in rural areas of the country by the end of 2008.
What makes RTI different is the fact that the organisation is directing all its efforts in providing good infrastructure to children. Says Ravi Khanna, country head, RTI, “Presently we are concentrating our efforts on providing basic infrastructure, and are not involved in day-to-day running of schools. We are partnering with government and non-governmental organisations to do the job.”
RTI believes in service through fellowship. In the past five years 678 projects have been completed at a cost of over Rs 52 crore. After the Gujarat earthquake, RTI constructed 20 schools in Kutch and Sundernagar districts based on Zone-4 earthquake norms to ensure that the schools are not affected by calamities in future. Many corporate houses such as Coke, HSBC, Lufthansa Airlines and Honeywell have collaborated with RTI in its endeavours.
Says Malini Thadani, senior vice-president, Public Affairs, HSBC, “The targeted areas of HSBC’s corporate responsibility include education and environment. Since RTI is working on similar lines, we have also joined hands with them. We are helping RTI rebuild 15 schools in the tsunami-hit areas of Tamil Nadu. Apart from funding the construction work, we also maintain a close interaction with RTI and constantly visit the locations to make sure the work is being conducted properly.”
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |

© 2010: The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved throughout the world