It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for a banking professional with over two decades of experience in the corporate industry and the most trusted banks in the country such as the HDFC Bank to venture into the social enabling space. We’re talking about S. S. Jayasankar, the founder of the social enterprise named Oorjja which is moulding young minds with special needs to lead a dignified life. Obviously, in hindsight, Jayasankar has done just fine. When he started in 2017 steeped in the vision, Oorjja was just taking its wings. Today, it is one of the most valuable networks of compassionate and like-minded people across the globe that keep re-looking at the challenges of young people with disabilities and creating a practical learning environment for them.
Different people with different types of experiences come along with a common intention to contribute to the well-being of differently abled, yet talented young minds. Jayasankar is one the most outsized personalities from Kerala, known as God’s Own Country, in building something like this in India, and he is the central force behind the ecosystem named Oorjja.
Youngsters with similar interests come forward to contribute to the well-being of disabled people by providing them with the much-needed mentoring to face the inclusive world, and all of them come from different walks of life. However, there is one thing Jayasankar keeps believing and amplifying for everyone in the space, something he has been particular about all these while- to never look at a disabled person just with sympathy and helplessness. Jayasankar, who has first-hand experience with his differently-abled brother, knows quite well that this community has a lot of talent in them despite their limitations. When asked “Is the glass half-empty or half-full?” Jay always likes to look at the possibility of the glass being half-full. One thing he always tries to make people understand is that all of us come gifted, no matter what, and all it takes is compassion and sometimes a little more effort to bring it out.
This has helped many mentors to get it straight and easy while training young minds at Oorjja. The mentors at Oorjja are encouraged to take a different route than an already beaten path to spot the talents, interests or skills of young trainees who walk into Oorjja for the service of the best professionals from each domain. He is always determined and grateful that he has been able to take the journey forward trying and making different ideas successful.
Here’s how Jayasankar explained it in a 2021 interview with The Physics Chamber.
“There were a lot of notions in the industry about what kind of a team should be formed when it comes to training the differently-abled community. One important decision I had taken was to go with a set of people who works in the industry already with the best possible domain knowledge. Because I didn’t want to compromise on the quality of skill-building we offer for the differently abled community. Looking back at the five years, I’m very thankful that I have around thirty people who’ve been part of Oorjja, those who’ve been are equally and sometimes more committed than me for the cause.”
For the past five years, Oorja has been filling gaps between the dreams and reality of the differently-abled community. In the same interview with The Physics Chamber mentioned above, Jay told Ajay Antony that he formed the mentoring model at Oorjja after observing different models across the globe, speaking to a lot of corporates who have been following similar empowering models, speaking to parents, and also by visiting special schools to learn more about the deficits in the already existing models.
“I am saying it is a humble attempt from my side to see whether I can connect all these dots and create a model,” Jay said.
This takes us to the other lesson, which is to meet where you are and have the attitude of a learner. It is easy to think that we have it together while we are on our journey of exploration with a vision. Sure, there is a good chance for it, but it doesn’t mean you have it all figured out.
Jay is always open to ideas and conversations that can be of help to a community with special needs. Taking Oorja onwards and upwards by investing in the team and making sure that they’re all on the same page, Jay is setting an example for the present and generations yet to come.
