We had to meet with Mr, Dodeja at Yog Manav Vikas Trust at 11.30 today. Since the roads are bad we decided to hire a taxi for this meeting and then go see some sights around Dalhousie. Krishnan went to the taxi booking office just below the Grand View hotel’s entrance and mentioned “Yog Manav Vikas” and the booking clerk says “oh, Trust Pe Jana hai ?” … Krishnan said yes and we got a cab. Again Krishnan explained the directions and said “Yog Manav..” And promptly the taxi driver said “Trust jaana hai ? Aap NHPC Se ho ?” To which Krishnan replied saying no we weren’t from NHPC and then asked the cab driver if the locals called NGOs as Trusts. He said “no, but the YMVT is famous as a Trust, they do great work”. 

We met Mr and Mrs. Dodeja and saw the videos that detailed the work done by Yog Manav Vikas Trust. A group of NHPC executives and their wives got together and setup this institution in Chamba district as it is a backward district of Himachal compared to other districts. They even are an ISO 9001 certified charity. Mr. Dodeja was the Director of NHPC and retired a few years back and the Trust was formed in 2002. Needless to say, the Trust’s credentials are impeccable and they do a lot in the space of vocational training in the interiors of Chamba district. We also saw some of the classes that were underway. 

And all our friends who have driven on the Noida-Agra super expressway and loved it, say thanks to Mr. Dodeja as it was his project after retiring from NHPC. I said a big thank you to him as that’s one of our favorite roads to drive on in India. ShikshaDaan will certainly provide scholarships for a batch of students from the interiors of Chamba district because the Trust is really making a difference in people’s lives and we want to be associated with the upliftment efforts. 

Well worth a visit anytime you visit Dalhousie. This is one trust that is truly trusted !!