About Praveen Rao-Founder
Praveen Rao is a Digital Transformation & Public sector Advisor with a vast experience in Strategic Consulting and Business Development roles across various industry sectors with primary focus in Government. He extensively works with Central and State Governments, City municipalities, Urban Development Bodies, quasi-government agencies & helps them to achieve their economic and social goals.
In the public sector, Praveen has supported several government organizations in redesigning their operating model. He has also worked closely with institutions to redefine their long-term development plans and guarantee their capacity to deliver results in growth strategy, performance improvement, organizational redesign, and change management. He has deep experience in digital transformation and leading large-scale, technology-enabled business turnarounds.
About Capturing Life Foundation
Capturing Life Foundation is an ISO 9001:2015 certified Non-Profit Organization which promotes digital Literacy. It focuses on human psyche and help individuals to identify conditions under which inaccurate information is more or less likely to influence their subsequent decisions.
In our initial research we noticed that how Information Technology is enabling us to be more responsive & also demanding to be more responsible in our management of this planet and its people. Today we have physical as well as digital sources of information reaching us.
We are regularly confronted with information that is inaccurate or inappropriate & unfortunately people believe such information and are influenced by the same.
This has led us to take the initiative to empower the youth to identify conditions under which inaccurate & fake information might influence their decision making.
Therefore, we have started “Capturing Life Foundation”.
We want to bring some positivity in the people’s mindset towards government and society.
During the research we found that social media is a big source of information and We as “Capturing Life Foundation “wants to empower our youth to use the technology responsibly specially in case of social media.
We are conducting various sessions in various private and public educational institutions through our foundation (Without any Cost) and will promote certain information initially like:
Best Practices of social media and how to deal with negative information.
How to increase positivity in citizens’ mind for Governance.
Best Digital Parenting practices.
How did you get your idea or concept for the Initiative?
Praveen Rao: I have got this idea when somebody sent an ailing boy photograph to me on Facebook and asked me to send this to 3 more people. By doing this Facebook will pay $ 1/per share to the child family. I used to tell everybody don’t do such things and even encourage. I have also seen many what’s app forwarded messages within the family and friend groups are filled with various fake news. I thought, just by writing comments in the comment box will not solve the problem.
This digital garbage will never come down until we start ignoring them. Let the people know how to judge the post and how to save future younger generation from this.
What are the various services provided by Capturing Life Foundation
Praveen Rao:
Capturing life Foundations conducts free workshops like
Digital Parenting
Social Media Awareness
E Governance Awareness
We work with various schools, educational institutions & various Government run societies, and, in this workshop, we teach how to keep a dispassionate view rather than an influential view.
What makes Capturing Life Foundation different from hundreds of other similar service providers?
Praveen Rao: Keeping a dispassionate view in country like India is challenging as we follow people, their ideology but refrains to think on our own.
I thought to work on this area.
Technology is enabling us to be more responsive to change as it happens, providing us with a wealth of timely data and insight into mankind's many interactions with the natural world and their effects. And technology is also demanding to be more responsible in our management of this planet and its people.
Nowadays sitting on an active social media handle is a dangerous position even more than a solder situation at border.
In a click, social media can conduct riots, can get somebody murdered and can destroy anything.
We are trying to enable a thought process to see things without being biased.
What were the struggles and challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Praveen Rao: Social Media addition is in its peak and asking people to see the world with my eyes is the biggest challenge.
When I ask a Question to somebody, in return I always get a Question only (सवाल का जवाब एक सवाल ही आता है)
When we don’t know the answer, we will cover up that with a question only, so while preparing for my workshops this was a big hurdle.
I overcome when I changed my approach, reminding the people about their life priorities. We write something on social media and want everyone to stick to your ideology only and this create differences.
I ask people do you really need to spend time of Facebook daily for 3 hours and writing Hate content against Government without knowing the ground report and people don’t have answer for this .
How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Capturing Life Foundation?
Praveen Rao: As my mission is to support future generations ideology which should not be biased, and they should see the world from all possible angles.
Social media is a dumping ground on which some people trust blindly. We criticize government, we criticize people, we criticize policies, we criticize methods and why we do this because we don’t get a chance to deliver our frustration or disagreements.
Therefore, the outcome is we fight, and we impose our points on other people. May be that person is on track but gets deviated because of this forceful imposition.
I want to see in next 5 years, I want to train at least 1 Lacs students who will run the world keeping a dispassionate view.
If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Praveen Rao: My piece of advice to younger generation is don’t get trapped under social or political ideologies which will not allow you see the world from all perspectives.
For a student, priority is to study, to focus on career, to earn a livelihood and support family in future.
That’s it !
Website : www.capturinglifefoundation.in