Zarina Screwvala aims to lift one million Indians out of poverty. She was one of the founders of UTV, and now runs philanthropic organisation Swades. The businesswoman and philanthropist was in conversation with Kiran Manral for this month's edition of Bombaywaali.
At UTV, Zarina Screwvala was driven by competition. At Swades, she is driven by collaboration.
Starting up at UTV
She remembers her first day -- when she along with her co-founders were working on a show. They went to the studio at 7 am. She came home at 7 the next morning. From then on, there was no stopping her and the UTV team. Together, they created one of the biggest media conglomerates in India.
She remembers when they decided to launch Hungama. "Everyone thought we were crazy -- we don't need another kids channel," they said. "I said that in one year, the channel will beat Cartoon Network and it actually did that," she says.
Trade secrets
Zarina believes that naming things well is key. "We learnt how to name things well. If you do that, it gets an energy and an impulse and it pushes you forward."
On leaving UTV
In 2012, they sold UTV. "My heart broke and I couldn't get out of bed," Zarina remembers. She joined a philosophy class called New Acropolis shortly after. A month after she had joined the class, she noticed a quote which said: "when you let go of who you are, you become who you might be".
"I thought this quote is meant for me. The only thing holding me back was fear. I had no idea who I was apart from UTV. I went home and told Ronnie I had decided to leave UTV. Then I didn't know what I wanted to do -- I was terrified. One day, Ronnie came to me and said why don't we lift a million people out of poverty?" She jumped at the idea and that is how Swades was born.
On philanthropy
"We didn't know about philanthropy, and went on a one-year voyage of discovery," says Zarina.
The first thing we realised is that "there is no silver bullet to poverty alleviation." So they decided to create a 360-degree development model.
"We don't want to reinvent, but collaborate, and we work with multiple partners."
Unlike other NGOs, they have an exit strategy. Their's is a four step methodology -- engage, empower, execute a program, and exit.
There are many similarities between media and philanthropy, she says. You have to love working in teams, you have to know your community and audience and you have to expect excellence from every stakeholder. Lastly, you must work with heroes -- people who inspire you every day.
Women in rural areas
She has noticed that men and women want different things in the villages. A man wants a road so that he can go to work without hassle. A woman wants a better school for her children.
"Put money in the pockets of a woman and she will use it to feed her children," says Zarina.
"Poverty is mental -- it is the absence of the ability to change your life," she says. "We want everyone to be able to dream of a better future," she says.
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