Overseas Telugus can boast of an inspiring history of giving back to the societies of their origin, and it can range from the village they grew up to the profession they are pursuing.  I personally view the commitment originates with one question that might bother most of us, at some stage of our live- what is that we can do to make a difference in lives of others.

I have been talking to many overseas Telugus over last 12 months on various aspects of Telugu diaspora. One issue that frequently mentioned is about what they are doing to the community or place of their origin- in person or though an organization. I have also realized there is another group of enthusiastic Telugus, who in true spirit of theirs, would love to do ‘something’ in terms of sharing their expertise and donating their time to a cause  apart from their intention to donate in monetary terms. Few questions which bother them are: where to begin with? how to translate the ideals and  ideas into reality? whom to look at for an example? and above all how to sustain the efforts put in?

Incidentally, for the past 3-4 decades, the generation of Telugus who have already made an impact through their efforts introduced newer line of strategies in their process of giving back. To begin with, most of them have instituted a strategy that helps them not only to track the way their donation or time is utilized but also actually check if the invested efforts are sustained in the longer run. Gone are the days where in a visiting overseas Telugu used to hand over their donations to a third party towards development activities. In the new paradigm of giving back, they actually are spending considerable amount of time to study the reality and initiate sustainable programs for the communities they are wishing to work with- be it in a remote village or city.

This section would attempt to answer the questions mentioned earlier through a series of articles, interviews and penned down experiences of overseas Telugus.