Better World, What's Up
December 6, 2010
By Chanda Gohrani
There is a Chinese proverb that reads, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.”
Those of us from Herman Miller’s office in Bangalore, India, agree.
Recently, members of our corporate social responsibility team were determined to create a better world by transforming our city’s surroundings. Six of us, plus several nearby residents, planted 140 trees across three streets in one day.
It was a stimulating experience, which also required a lot of teamwork. If one person planted a sapling, the other covered it with fertilizer and soil. When one of us was shielding a plant with the bamboo guard, the other was watering it.
The residents seemed pleased and happy with our contributions, and promised to water the plants daily.
We can’t wait to see what these trees will look like in 20 years.
Photos courtesy of Pradip Kumar Babou
Better World
August 30, 2010
By Chanda Gohrani
Most people spend Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee or a newspaper. For some of us from the Herman Miller office in Bangalore, India, Saturday, August 7, began with a visit to the Ashraya orphanage.
This was an event that we had been planning for weeks. It took 10 days to collect donations, 30 minutes of driving time, and 14 wonderful children to make that one day really special.
We first met with the manager to drop-off our donations, and then we met the kids. To our surprise, the kids greeted us by standing up, folding their hands (trust me, it was very cute), and saying their names one-by-one. 
After we introduced ourselves to them, they talked to us about the things they like—daily activities, favorite foods, and many other wonderful, innocent things.
After lunch, we played a few games with the kids. Soon thereafter we had to leave because it was time for them to meet with their painting teacher. She was a young girl who volunteers her services to Ashraya on weekends.
Because of this experience, a few of us also decided to spare some time every weekend and teach something to the kids.
And it all began from just one Saturday morning.
