Acknowledgements
With Deep Gratitude
We have been incredibly fortunate to have had many distinguished professionals in their fields who have generously contributed their expertise, time and support to Parenting Matters. Their unwavering commitment and willingness to share their knowledge have been instrumental in our journey. We hold deep gratitude in our hearts for each of them, recognising that it is through their selfless help and collaboration that we have grown and made a meaningful impact. Together, we are building a brighter future for families, and we couldn’t have done it without their invaluable contributions.
Ganesh Anantaraman
Ganesh is a Leadership Development Consultant who works with senior management teams in corporate organisations. We have been fortunate to have his support and guidance since 2005. Drawing on his knowledge and experience with ISABS (Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Science), he has helped us build a work culture and systems that make collaboration smoother, while remaining flexible enough to adapt and evolve as we grow.
Over the years, Ganesh has continually challenged us to think bigger, recognise and channelise our strengths, and question our own mindsets, particularly around what it means to be a professional organisation. He has encouraged us to invest in our own growth, strengthen our offerings, and build clarity around our organisational values, mission and vision.
Perhaps his greatest gift has been the ability to be both our biggest supporter and our most constructive critic. He has pushed us to recognise the pioneering work we do, often seeing its potential even when we struggle to see it ourselves. Thank you Ganesh for the learnings and growth along the way.
Virupaksh Hiremath
Parenting Matters is grateful to Mr. Hiremath for his time, creative brilliance and generosity in coming up with the logo design that defines what we stand for today.
A gold medalist from the J.J. School of Arts, he swept the awards at the prestigious Commercial Artist’s Guild (CAG) year after year. It became a running joke that for others to stand a chance, Viru had to withdraw his entries – and generously, he did.
Throughout his career, he gave his very best to the industry, shaping brand identities, logos, and memorable ad campaigns. He collaborated with leading agencies such as Trikaya Grey, Lintas, and Mudra as a freelancer, leaving his creative mark everywhere. Some of his most iconic work, including Ambuja Cement, JK Tyre, and Hikal Chemicals, continues to live on decades later.
He went on to establish his own agency, Vartul Communications, taking on challenging projects and producing some of his finest work well into his seventies.
What set him apart was not just his creativity, but also his deep passion, meticulous attention to detail, and relentless pursuit of perfection.
One of his last creations, the logo for Parenting Matters, stands as a testament to his talent – something he would have been proud to see so widely appreciated and meaningfully used.
For all who knew him, Viru Hiremath was more than an artist – he was a mentor, a visionary, and above all, a man whose passion for his craft never dimmed. His legacy lives on not only in the brands he shaped, but also in the inspiration he left for generations of creatives who continue to look up to his work.
The Parenting Matters Logo
In one perception, the emblem shows the blue form of a parent and sometimes the white and yellow colours of a child’s head and arms. And seen together, it has the evident human emotion that flows between a parent and child. Rotating the Logo towards the left gives the feeling of moving towards equilibrium. There is a warm colour which denotes joy, and a cool colour which denotes a protective and prosperous life, and denotes infinity.
We acknowledge the timely support of
Arul Menezes and Lucy Vanderwende for supporting our NGO projects.
David Raj, a former corporate leader, envisioned and supported our aspiration of taking Parenting Matters to parents in the workforce. He also guided us through organisational restructuring, helping us put systems in place for smoother functioning.
Devika Dharmaraj, Corporate Coach and Mental health advocate, helped Parenting Matters dive deep into the initial idea of financial sustainability and setting up HR processes.
Dr. Armida Fernandes, Neonatologist and Public health expert, generously shared her knowledge of lactation and baby care, helping us build the content for Baby Steps to Parenthood.
Dr. M. Vijayabaskar, Member of the State Planning Commission, Government of Tamil Nadu, believed in our work and gave us the opportunity to pilot a Tamil parenting programme for underserved communities.
L’aura Joy, Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication, conducted courses for the Parenting Matters team in Auroville, helping us deepen our understanding and practice of NVC.
Lerin Zacharia’s marketing expertise provided us with invaluable strategic insights, fundamentally transforming our approach to brand visibility. His guidance has been instrumental in helping us effectively reach and engage a wider community of parents.
Maya Thiagarajan, Education Consultant, has been an advocate and friend of Parenting Matters, consistently recommending our work to schools and helping us reach more parents.
Rajeev Lochan, Premon Asia, Singapore, helped us adapt our programmes and ensure that our products and experiences remained relevant to our clients.
Rajive Saharia brought valuable insights into our pricing and sales strategy, helping us develop a more systematic approach to analysis and decision-making.
Shalini Modi, a former team member and long-standing ambassador for Parenting Matters, and her husband Rohit Modi have supported our work from the very beginning. Through the teacher training programme at a Chennai Balwadi run by their Nishkam Trust, we began our journey of working with NGOs and delivering training in Tamil.
Sundar Hariharan, Marketing Consultant, helped us sharpen our marketing skills and corporate communications, enabling us to find a more confident and assertive voice in our engagement with clients.
Vasant Dewaji, Consumer Design Consultant, helped us translate our organisational values into a cohesive design language.
Wasundhara Joshi, Leadership Coach, supported us during the pandemic with the timely guidance we needed for organisational restructuring.
Yash Kunte, Organizational Development Manager, Persistent Systems, and Sanjay Gupta, Founder of Leaping Frog, are organisational consultants currently working alongside us to help co-create the next chapter of Parenting Matters.
