A life on the land is never easy. But when 33 year old Gopal Jambulwar took over the family farm from his father, he was confident that he could do better - earn more, grow more & learn more. He was wrong.

The agricultural sector is one of the key contributors to the water crisis in India, with 70% of all groundwater being pumped for inefficient flood irrigation purposes, which delivers only 35% water use efficiency.

Himachal Pradesh has a very hilly terrain with high undulating topography where people farm on small patches of land, often on slopes.

In rural India, communities are often impacted by multiple and inter-related problems. In fact, no two communities are the same, with each one having challenges based on the unique dynamics and nature of the community.

Ambuja Manovikas Kendra (AMK) was facing a challenge. On completion of schooling at AMK, young, differently-abled youth found themselves at a crossroads in life.

When your schooling comes to an end in a remote, rural area, the opportunities available to you are limited. Particularly so, if you are from a low income background and cannot afford to travel and stay away to study or learn a trade - it casts a bleak shadow over the future.

Ambuja Foundation was recently felicitated with three major awards in a period of two weeks - celebrating a hat-trick of recognition. They were presented by high level dignitaries who appreciated Ambuja Foundation's work in its core villages in building a prosperous rural society.

The Times of India published an article about the collaborative partnership between Chest Research Foundation, Ambuja Foundation and the Cipla Foundation to provide health care services for chronic obstructive airborne diseases to more than 32,000 people living in Chandrapur district.

Mahatma Gandhi had a very clear perception of rural India and made an emphatic assertion that 'India lives in her seven and half lakh villages'. He held this conviction by saying that "If village perishes, India will perish too" and that "the progress of the country lies in the development of majority of its rural villages, the rural economy, industry and rural skills".

Gruh Finance Ltd. is one of India's leading Housing Finance companies focusing on housing loans to rural India. The company's CSR philosophy is to serve socially and economically weak sections of society especially in the most underserved areas where there is a complete absence of infrastructure and opportunities

In the vein of 'I CAN', Ambuja Foundation introduced a giving campaign called 'I GIVE', to encourage employees of Ambuja Cements Limited to give and help those less fortunate than themselves. The campaign was kickstarted during the 'The Joy of Giving Week' (also known as Daan Utsav) - India's own festival of Giving, from 2nd to 8th October.

As we celebrate 150 years of Gandhi, in this newsletter, we reflect upon some of his core philosophies and Ambuja Foundation's work to advance these philosophies for the betterment of rural India.