'Udai', Sanskrit for 'dawn', refers to the daily awakening of Nature into a fresh and beautiful world. In the same spirit, Udai is a non-profit volunteer organization and seeks to awaken, inspire, and empower people to make the world a better place both for themselves and for others.

About Us

Tue, 2005-10-04 19:09 — diwakergupta

Recent News:

 Udai featured in The Cultural Connect, an e-magazine with readership in over 100 countries as "Impressive Student Initiative Towards a Better India"

"Global Slum Crisis and how to solve it using the Stock Exchange": A talk by Ashoka Fellow Dr. Darin Gunesekera & author of "Planet of Slums" Dr. Mike Davis on August 16th 2007. Click here for details. 


Our Mission:

 Promote awareness of social issues and contribute to their alleviation. We strive to work on projects that not only have the potential for long-range impact but also are self-sustaining and holistic in their approach, and can be readily replicated by other organizations similar to Udai. 

Currently we are based in San Diego, USA and Waterloo, Canada.

Our Objectives:

  1. Help grassroots organizations and NGOs with funds, resources, and volunteer support. Assist them in evolving novel methods for social development, and motivate other similar organizations to repeat them.
  2. Organize campaigns, seminars, and panel discussions to promote awareness about social issues like rural education, healthcare, fair trade, and energy in developing countries and the local community alike.
  3. Provide a platform to learn about the philosophy and heritage of India.

Our Approach:

  1. Hold intra-group discussions: We hold regular discussion about various topics to keep themselves educated and updated about the latest developments on these fronts. This exercise serves as a powerful source of new ideas. Also it is helpful in developing the personality of the members by giving them an opportunity to better understand and express the important issues.
  2. Organize invited talks and seminars: We invite eminent personalities to give talks on various topics that are of interest to our group. These events, besides being informative, also help us in broadening the outreach of Udai amongst the campus. 
  3. Work with grassroots organizations: Since we are located in US/Canada, it is not very feasible for us to directly work at grassroots level. In turn, we work jointly with organizations who are already involved in some activities and help them with new ideas, resources, and volunteer support. We work on projects that are (a) financially and operationally self-sustainable, (b) replicable by other organizations like Udai, and (c) have a holistic approach to produce a long-range impact. 
  4. Collaborate with other organizations in US/Canada: We collaborate with other established organizations in US to jointly carry out projects. Such organizations may be social organizations like AID or ASHA, or even cultural organizations like the Chinmay Mission or the Bengali organization. Close ties with established organizations will not only increase the breadth of our work, but also provide us more resources and more ideas to further work upon
  5. Organize awareness campaigns: We regularly organize awareness campaigns to give our friends and fellow colleagues an exposure to social issues concerning the world, and motivate them to work for the alleviation of these problems. This does not necessary mean making them a member of Udai; if they start feeling for others and work for it, now or later, our objective will be fulfilled.