The Managing Director of Mirachem Industries, Aneel Murarka is also a philanthropist with an interest in students’ welfare and education. Social Worker and Founder of Ample Missiion, Murarka is very closely associated with NGOs, including ALERT India (which works for Leprosy Control), NASEOH, which works for underprivileged children, and the National Association for the Blind (NAB). In an interview with our Editor-in-Chief Vaidehi Taman, this man on mission shares his views on the Indian politics, his works towards social welfare, and his hints around how Indian democracy can prosper and remain free and fair!
How do you describe yourself — a businessman, Social Worker or Philanthropist?
I’m a combination of all three and each one is inter-related to each other. My business provides me with bread and butter and funds my philanthropic activities — social work — through which I’m able to help mankind.
Tell us something about ALERT India and NASEOH?
Over a decade now, I’m very closely involved with both of these NGOs and in their projects and offering guidance to help them reach out to more people. My strong association with ALERT India lends dignity to the lives of society’s outcasts – lepers. Through NASEOH, we bring hope to the underprivileged children.
What has inspired you to do social work? How do you manage funds?
Well, I can say, it’s in my genes. I would rather give the entire credit for the same to my father and grandfather. They have always believed in giving back to the society, so do I. Believe me when I say its inherited in my blood, that belief what is been taught to me is – “give back to society” in your own way, from your own Trust or from your own earning. I never believed in begging, borrowing or stealing. Whatever bit I’m doing for the society at large, is within my periphery, within my control to whatever funds I can generate from my own company.
Your grandfather was an army man during the Indian Independence movement, while your father was the first one to bring business into the family. Two different personas, which one has influenced you the most?
Let me humbly correct you, my grandfather was not an army man, he was a freedom fighter. He participated in the freedom struggle during which he was injured and later jailed by the Britishers. Both my father and grandfather have influenced me the most. Both people have had a different persona and whatever bit I’m today is a catalyst of both.
Have you ever thought of joining the army or politics?
If I get into that zone, I will probably lose my own identity. Today whatever I’m, I’m on my own and the whole motto of the thought is to do something for humanity. To reach out to people – to even that segment of the society where neither the politicians can reach nor the army. The format where I’m placed, I have all the liberties to reach out to anybody whom I want. Getting into any zone of a political career or in the army will not solve my purpose.
What is your view on Indian politics?
Politics has degenerated into a business which has a lot of money, some legal but mostly unaccounted, being pumped into it by vested interests. It’s a global phenomenon but a big problem nevertheless for us. As long as unaccounted money makes its way into politics, it will never be free or fair. And we, as a nation, have to come together to try and figure out how to address this, if Indian democracy has to prosper and remain free and fair!
Would you like to share something about “Ample Missiion”, an organisation that specialises in Intellectual property-based events and organises award programmes? Who decides these awards and how it came into existence?
I‘ve been associated with so many social causes, I have come across so many people in life and I felt that there are so many stars of this young India whom the masses don’t even know. Hence, I thought if I can do something on that format; why not create some award ceremonies, and bring such faces on a platform, let these shows go on air and let the masses understand who the real heroes of life are! And that is how Ample Missiion came into existence. Ample is a format not restricted to a particular cause, the word itself indicates — “Ample Missiion” means there are so many thoughts and ideas running that we thought of getting into all the formats. India is a huge country with multiple issues and multiple problems, if we had subjected ourselves to one particular cause then we would not have touched lives of so many people. That’s the reason Ample Missiion came into existence.
What is “Creating Ripples” about?
“Creating Ripples” is not just a book!! It’s a real man’s biography, that’s my father Mr. Kashi Murarka. This idea came to me one fine day when my father was completing 50 years of his commercial career, I thought why not try and do something or present him something. He is a simple man who doesn’t believe in birthdays or anniversaries. I thought to pen down something and talk about this man to glorify what he is all about. It took me about 10 months to complete this book, because I had to do this without his knowledge, had I done with his knowledge then he would have never allowed me to pen down all this. So, whatever I have penned down in “Creating Ripples” is the real-life story of this common man called Mr. Kashi Murarka.
Do you believe in bestseller book or best read book?
I never believed in the bestseller book. I always believed in the best-read book. They are truly the inspiring ones for life and they touch you to the core.
What is your message to the readers?
Very simple, what I believed in. Believe in yourself, love yourself…trust yourself and you’ve got miles to go and you will reach those levels what you had dreamt of. Always keep dreaming to reach your goals!!
