Drishtipat New Leaders 2007

This year marks another interesting and meaningful year for Drishtipat. While a year ending review will soon be in order, this email is meant for something else. From this year on, I wanted to recognize the achievements of the new leaders of Drishtipat. For those of you who are involved on various projects, it goes without saying how many hours of your precious free time you all give away smilingly for the organization. For this, undoubtedly, we are indebted to you. Throughout the year, there have been many of you who have been outstanding in volunteering for the organization.

However, the New Leader recognition is for those who have taken on a lead role or have taken on a new initiative and followed up till the very end of the project. Along with the leadership skill, they all have shown tremendous commitment towards team building and focus towards the real issues. For going that extra yard, Drishtipat would like to recognize their leadership skills and passion for the cause that we champion.

Since the recognition is for new leaders, DP founding members, of course, have been out of consideration from this and takes into account activities from middle of 2006 till end of 2007. The profile of the New Leaders are as follows (alphabetically ordered)

Abhijit Chakraborty

Its not often when a young undergraduate student joins an organization and shakes it up like the way Abhijit did at the fag end of 2006. He not only started an entirely brand new chapter in Virginia. He put together a team in Bangladesh with the help of his BUET friends , raised USD 10,000 and did one of the most successful campaigns for Bhobodoho for Drishtipat. Abhijit is a bundle of energy and is always coming up with new ideas in spite of his busy schedule at the MS program at MN. 2007 was an eventful year for him. He graduated from Virginia Tech and survived a killing spree in his campus. But he is still going strong in Drishtipat and there is a lot to come from him in the future.

Sawsan Eskandar

Sawsan joined Drishtipat only three years ago and took over the leadership of the New York chapter in the middle of last year. At the end of 2006 she, in spite of all odds, managed to put together a fundraising program for the Acid Survivors in Bangladesh. Although, the program got mixed reviews, but it did raise a handsome $5000. Sawsan's commitment for Drishtipat has always been beyond question. She volunteered her time whenever it was needed. Whether it is publishing the newsletter or chasing up on the P O Box mails, Sawsan's contribution towards DP has been tremendous and we hope to see that continue as she contemplates a move to London next month.

Leesa Gazi

Very few outside London knows Leesa's contribution towards Drishtipat. That says volumes about Leesa. She doesn't say much but she does a lot. Over the last year and a half, Leesa has been the creative light behind Drishtipat London. A group theatre worker in her Bangladesh days, Leesa, along with Eeshita, has been steadily building DP Creative, a cultural organization for social change, in London. DP Creative has already made quite a name for itself here but more importantly the kind of loyalty and teamwork that Leesa has been able to foster through her personal relationships with the members in London is something to learn from. Leesa's creative vision elevates Drishtipat's causes to a new dimension and creates an appeal that would have been otherwise unmatched by write ups and speeches.

Jyoti Rahman

Although the blog has generated some mixed opinion inside the organization, but if it wasn't for the blog, we wouldn't have found Jyoti. Not everyone has to march in the streets to be an activist. They can contribute wherever they are good at and Jyoti is a great example of that. Over the last 6 months, Jyoti, not only, has been able to put together a strong writers' collective that has been producing for both domestic and foreign journals but he has also made quite a name for himself as a writer and a blogger. He not only patiently proofreads every single write up that goes out with the DP writers' collectives' name, but he also steadfastly mentors the junior members in the group through personal conversations by regularly encouraging them to think outside the box. That he does in spite of being a busy Macro Economist for the Australian government. In the era of rhetorical shouting matches, Jyoti's understated , calm confidence and in depth understanding on issues are a welcome change in the Bangladeshi blogging and column writing scene.

/Sameen Rehman:

There are few in the organization who have truly understood the need for connecting with today's youth in Bangladesh and making them more socially aware. Sameen not only is effectively building out that network through initiative like Amio Bolte Chai but she has been also building out a team in Canada slowly and steadily. Whether its numerous screenings of Deshantori in different cities of Canada, or helping out with the United Bangladesh Appeal or with Phiriye Ano Bangladesh, Sameen's involvement in various DP initiatives has been infectious. An Electrical Engineer by profession, Sameen, in spite of a demanding career, with the help of her team in DP Canada, has already been able to complete a number of projects in two years and that says volume about her passion and focus towards action. Sameen knows the pulse of Bangladesh and she truly understands the need for making a difference and unlike a lot has the ability to constantly focus on it. We expect a lot from Sameen and her team in the coming days.