SAP Labs unveils ChariTra in India

BANGALORE, INDIA: SAP India, a subsidiary of SAP AG, announced the availability of ChariTra, an on-demand network created by SAP Labs in India that connects volunteers, non-profits and corporations to work together toward causes and make a difference in their communities.

An abbreviation of “charity transformation,” ChariTra was designed and released by the SAP Labs team in India within 90 days and demonstrates SAP’s commitment to rapidly build innovative solutions that serve the needs of customers.

Dr. Vishal Sikka, member of the SAP Executive Board, Technology and Innovation Platform, announced the new on-demand network at SAP TechEd 2011 Bangalore, being held from October 19-21, at the Karnataka Trade Promotion Organization (KTPO) Trade Center.

ChariTra enables non-profits to post their resource needs to a large community of people who want to help make a difference and to mobilize volunteers and resources toward a specific activity. For individuals and corporations, ChariTra allows them to easily find causes that they want to support, connect with non-profits and other like-minded individuals, and share their experiences and outcomes with others.

ChariTra recently enabled over 50 non-profits and thousands of volunteers throughout India’s Joy of Giving week, a nationwide event during which millions of people volunteered their time and resources to many causes. For example, HOPE child care center needed volunteers and had success using ChariTra to find resources to help.

“We posted a request on ChariTra looking for volunteers to spend time, play games and share stories with 30 children that had come from the streets of Bangalore,” said Mohan Kumar, head of the HOPE child care center. “ChariTra allowed me to simply post my need to find volunteers who wanted to spend time with the children and I quickly had many volunteers promising to help.”

Technology is a key enabler for bringing about change, which drives positive impact beyond businesses. Taking this thought forward, the SAP Labs team in India developed ChariTra using “design thinking,” an approach that views a problem from three key angles: desirability, feasibility and viability. ChariTra is also built on the SAP HANA platform.

“Our team’s efforts have created a product that uses technology as an enabler to bring about a social change,” said VR Ferose, managing director, SAP Labs India. “We are encouraged by our vision to build sustainable communities around us that help those in need by connecting them to those who want to give. In this vision, innovation and new technologies will continue to play a vital role. ChariTra uses technology innovatively and showcases SAP’s fast approach in completing the product cycle.”

Initially debuted to the India market, ChariTra will soon be launched globally.