Every summer, thousands of young people across India look for something meaningful to do with their time.

Samavesh’s second edition, a programme run by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, offered exactly that opportunity this summer.

Designed for children of GMR Group employees, this year Samavesh placed 43 young participants aged 14 to 20 at GMRVF project locations in Hyderabad, Delhi, Rajam, and Kamalanga, where they contributed to the foundation's grassroots work in education, health, and livelihoods.

The programme concluded its 2026 edition earlier this summer. But the idea behind it extends well beyond a single season. Samavesh is built on a simple but powerful belief — that young people who experience the pride and satisfaction of helping a community firsthand are far more likely to carry that commitment forward into adulthood.

What Is Samavesh?

Samavesh was conceived as a summer internship programme in 2025 by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation for children and young family members of GMR employees. The name itself — derived from the Hindi word समावेश, meaning inclusion — captures the core idea behind the programme: bringing people in.

The structure of Samavesh is straightforward. GMR employees nominate their children or family members, aged 14 to 20. Selected participants are assigned to GMRVF project locations, where they commit a minimum of 40 hours over the course of May and June.
Participants work alongside GMRVF's own teams in real communities where they combine classroom orientation sessions with hands-on field learning.What makes Samavesh different from a typical internship is that participants work in villages, community centres, schools, and health camps, instead of offices.

In the second edition of 2026, the programme ran across four locations — Hyderabad with 18 participants, Rajam with 14, Kamalanga with 7, and Delhi with 4. Each of these is a location where GMRVF has been present for years and working with families on issues that affect daily life.

For many young participants, this is their first direct experience of community development work. For some, it is their first exposure to the realities that communities across India navigate every day.

Upon completing their 40 hours, participants receive a Certificate of Participation. For a participant, the certificate marks the completion of the program, but the shift in perspective they experience stays with them forever.

How Samavesh Participants Contribute to GMRVF's Work

The activities that Samavesh participants take part in are drawn from GMRVF's ongoing work across its four focus areas — education, health, empowerment, and community development.

In education programmes, participants support summer camps for children in underserved communities. These camps are designed to build foundational learning skills and instill confidence in children who may not have access to any learning environments outside of school. Samavesh participants help GMRVF teams create a welcoming space for younger learners.

In health programmes, participants contribute to awareness drives that help communities understand basic health practices, hygiene, nutrition, and the importance of preventive care. These conversations happen in community settings, mostly with women who are making daily decisions about their family’s health with limited information.

In livelihoods and empowerment programmes, participants help GMRVF teams plan and deliver initiatives focused on skill development among women and the youth. For a young Samavesh participant from an urban or semi-urban background, even one such session can open a window into lives and challenges faced by millions of Indian families.
Participants of Samavesh 2026 reported that the experience strengthened their communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, while deepening their sense of empathy and volunteerism.

All meaningful community development is slow, sustained, and deeply human. Samavesh gives young people a glimpse of that reality. None of this work produces instant, visible results, and patience is part of the lesson.

The Potential of Samavesh as a Model for Building Future Changemakers

Most CSR foundations follow a well-established model — invest in communities, build local capacity, and over time, turn beneficiaries into advocates and changemakers who carry the work forward. GMR Varalakshmi Foundation follows this approach across its 20-plus locations in India and has done so since 1991.

But Samavesh adds a different dimension. It asks a different question — what if the next generation of GMRVF volunteers and leaders is already within the organisation? The logic is intuitive. GMR Group employs thousands of people across airports, energy, infrastructure, and urban development. Their children have grown up hearing about the communities GMR works with and the values the Group stands for. Samavesh offers them a platform to experience those values firsthand through a presentation, but through 40 hours of orientation, field visits, and hands-on volunteering.

The effect works on two levels. For the young participants, it builds awareness. Many of them will go on to lead organizations, teams, and companies of their own. Seeing firsthand how millions of families navigate daily struggles in education, healthcare, and earning a livelihood leaves a mark. That awareness shapes how young people think about their own role in the world long after the programme ends.

For GMRVF, the programme builds a pipeline. Every young person who goes through Samavesh leaves with a personal connection to GMRVF's work. Some may return as volunteers. Some may carry the ethos into their own professional lives. Either way, the ripple moves outward, from the company, to the family, to the community, and eventually to the next generation of decision-makers.

This is what makes Samavesh an exciting model for how GMRVF can grow its base of committed changemakers from within.

Samavesh and the Bigger Picture: GMRVF's Mission to Impact 10 Million Lives

Samavesh is a part of a story larger than itself. GMR Varalakshmi Foundation has been the CSR engine of GMR Group since 1991, when it began working with communities near GMR's jute and sugar operations in Rajam. What started as a local commitment to education has grown into a nationwide presence.

GMRVF has positively impacted over 4 million lives and the mission ahead is to create a positive impact on 10 million lives by 2030.. It operates across more than 20 locations in India, and is supported by a team of over 1,000 members.

What holds this work together, across locations and decades, is a philosophy articulated by GMR Group Chairman GM Rao — that the Group will work intensively with communities that neighbour its businesses to enhance quality of life. Social responsibility, he has said, is one of the seven core values of the Group.

That is a principle that shapes how GMRVF designs its programmes, how it embeds itself in communities, and now, through Samavesh, how it brings its own people's families into the work.

What Samavesh Means for the Future of CSR at GMR

CSR at its best is not something a company does alongside its business. It is woven into how a company builds, how it operates, and how it shows up in the communities around it.
GMR Varalakshmi Foundation has spent over three decades building that kind of culture. Samavesh is one expression of it. It is a programme that says to the next generation, come and see this work for yourself, understand why it matters, and carry it forward.

For the young participants who spent their summer at GMRVF project locations this year, the experience is now part of how they see the world. That is the ripple effect. And it is just getting started.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GMR Varalakshmi Foundation?

GMR Varalakshmi Foundation is the CSR arm of GMR Group, active since 1991. It works across education, health, empowerment, and community development in over 20 locations across India.

What is Samavesh?Samavesh is a summer internship programme by GMRVF for children of GMR employees, offering grassroots community development experience at GMRVF project locations across India.

What is GMRVF's goal for 2030?GMRVF's Mission 2030 is to create a positive impact on the lives of 10 million people through its work in education, health, livelihoods, and community development.

How does Samavesh connect to GMRVF's larger mission?Samavesh builds future changemakers by giving young people firsthand experience of development work, extending GMRVF's culture of social responsibility to the next generation.