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| Reflecting on Citizen Action and Looking Ahead to the New Year |
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| Dear Moneylifers, |
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| Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy New Year. As we step into 2026, it feels like a good moment to pause, reflect and also look ahead. This month's newsletter carries a bit of that year-end spirit - highlighting citizen-led action, learning opportunities and a personal note of gratitude as Moneylife Foundation prepares to enter its 16th year. |
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| We begin the new year with two important programmes that we hope many of you will attend. |
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| Honouring Citizen Action: Felicitation of Chaitanya Patil |
| Wednesday, 7 January 2026 | Mumbai Press Club |
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 We are organising a felicitation programme for Chaitanya Patil, civil engineer and civic activist, whose Rasta Satyagraha - a 29-day, 490-km on-foot audit of the Mumbai–Goa National Highway - brought national attention to the state of our highways, public safety and accountability in infrastructure spending. |
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| Chaitanya's walk was not a protest for headlines. It involved painstaking documentation of unfinished work, unsafe stretches, poor planning and the human cost of neglect. It was carried out quietly, consistently and with remarkable rigour. At a time when large infrastructure projects are often discussed only in terms of budgets and timelines, his work reminded us that public infrastructure must ultimately serve people. |
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 Moneylife subsequently published a four-part series examining Chaitanya's Rasta Satyagraha and its larger implications for infrastructure planning, safety and public accountability. The articles drew on his findings, documentation and ground level observations to place the walk in a broader policy and governance context, and to ask why citizens are repeatedly forced to step in where systems fail. |
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| If you haven't read them yet, here are the links: |
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| 1. Rasta Satyagraha- Part 1: When the System Didn't Move, Chaitanya Patil Walked the Mumbai-Goa Highway |
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| 2. Rasta Satyagraha - Part 2: Deaths, Black Spots and a Highway That Knows Its Own Risks |
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| 3. Rasta Satyagraha - Part 3: 59 Hazards, All Familiar, All Fixable |
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| 4. Rasta Satyagraha - Part 4: From Palaspe to Zarap, a Highway of Pending Work |
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| The programme will include a felicitation followed by an interaction with concerned citizens. If you would like to join and participate in this programme, please send us a mail to [email protected] or Call/WhatsApp on +91 7045156415 |
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 On a related note, our petition calling for an end to the indiscriminate monetisation of public land has now crossed 12,400 supporters. This growing support strengthens our collective voice and reinforces the need to keep up public pressure to ensure that public land is used for public purposes. If you haven't signed yet, you can find it here: https://www.change.org/p/end-the-monetisation-madness-public-land-belongs-to-the-people |
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| Does AI Scare You? Learn To Make It Your Productivity Superpower |
| Friday, 16 January 2026 | 4:00pm – 6:00pm |
| Indian Merchants' Chamber, Churchgate, Mumbai |
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| After repeated requests from members, we are hosting a hands-on, demo-based workshop on AI tools for everyday use. |
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 AI is no longer optional; it is already shaping how we work, communicate, research and organise our lives. Yet many people feel unsure about where to begin, what tools are safe, or how to use AI without risking privacy or falling for scams. This session, led by tech guru and educator Yazdi Tantra, is designed specifically for non-tech users. It will focus on practical tools you can start using immediately, for writing, planning, note-taking, research and everyday productivity, without jargon or hype. The session will also cover safe and responsible use of AI, including privacy concerns and common digital traps. |
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| Whether you are a student, professional, home-maker or senior citizen, this workshop is meant to help you engage with AI confidently and sensibly. Do register if you would like to attend and take advantage of this unique opportunity: https://www.mlfoundation.in/event_registration/does-ai-scare-you-learn-to-make-it-your-productivity-superpower/387.html |
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| A Personal Note |
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| On a personal note, as Moneylife Foundation prepares to turn 16 this February, I am happy to share that the All India Bank of Maharashtra Employees Federation (AIBOMEF) conferred on me the Comrade Suresh Dhopeshwarkar Memorial Award at its All-India Conference in Pune on 27 December. |
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| The award recognises work in the area of financial literacy and consumer awareness. I see this as an acknowledgement of the sustained efforts of my colleagues, trustees, counsellors, supporters, members and donors at Moneylife Foundation in furthering the cause of financial rights. |
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| Thank you, as always, for standing with us. |
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| Stay Connected – Join Our WhatsApp Channel! |
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| We’ve launched an official WhatsApp Channel to share updates on our events, seminars, workshops, counselling sessions and any other general updates directly with you. |
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| Join here: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBWAyKGpLHIIk6yYa3t |
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| If you don’t see updates right away, please note that notifications are turned off by default. Just tap the bell icon in the channel to turn them on — that way, you won’t miss any important announcements. You can also continue to follow our Telegram channel for updates: https://telegram.me/moneylife_foundation |
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| Check our Free Helplines and Guides or Templates as well as our YouTube Channel, where you will find a wide repository of videos on various topics. |
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| Video recordings of all our webinars are available on our YouTube channel and will come to your inbox regularly if you hit the subscribe button. But if you want to be notified about future events through our mailing list, you do need to be a member. |
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| Moneylife TV & Helplines |
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| Financial Literacy Videos in Indian Languages: |
- Credit cards
- Online frauds
- Fallacy of gold loans and more in Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Tamil, all on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/moneylifetv).
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| Get guidance and counselling through our Legal Helpline or Credit Helpline. |
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| Sucheta Dalal |
| Founder-Trustee, Moneylife Foundation |
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| Trustees: Walter Vieira, Sucheta Dalal, Debashis Basu. | | | | Moneylife Foundation is registered with the Charity Commissioner of Mumbai, is an Affiliate member of OECD's International Network on Financial Education, is a Supporter Member of Consumers International, Development Partner of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), and is a winner of the 10th MR Pai Memorial Award. | | |  | | | | Donations are eligible for tax benefits under Sec 80G of the Income Tax 1961 (50% tax exemption) and MLF is registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. 80(G) Reg No: DIT(E)/MC/80G/685/2010-11 dated 7.2.11 effective 8.+9.2010 | FCRA Registration No: 08378138  | | | |
