Yatra - Kuthambakkam

We started our discussion on the ToeHold Artisans initiative (Athini, Belgaum),  we had interacted with a few days back as we waited for the Yatra train at the station in Whitefield. It soon became clear that discussing (and arguing) in a group as large as 20, would be a real challenge. So we decided to split ourselves into smaller groups. Our presentation the next day was crisp, we conveyed our thoughts well and was entertaining. Smaller groups seemed to work better.

We should not feel bad for the inconvenience rain has caused today, said Mr.Elango. It was a very small inconvenience for us, but a happy moment for the rest of the area as rains were the life line for farmers there.  We were visiting Kuthambakkam village near Chennai. This village was supposed to have gone through tremendous change, both socially and economically, thanks to the efforts of Mr.Elango, who quit his job as a scientist and headed back to his village and became a sarpanch about 15 years back.

When Mr.Elango said it is was at the level of the panchyats that one must work to bring about real change, it seemed to make sense. Our personal experience was also that smaller groups worked better. This seemed to be true of our workplaces also.

Mr.Elango spoke of creating self sustained clusters of villages/panchyats who would only sell value added products based on indigenous knowledge and not just export raw materials like now. This he said would help make villages economically independent.

Visual Minutes by Rowan Watts & Marcel O'leary

He also spoke of the twin houses concept they experimented with, where the two parts were occupied compulsorily by families of two different castes.

Decentralization of energy generation and distribution was the other subject he spoke passionately about. It makes a lot of sense to generate and consume energy in smaller pockets. A hybrid model of large scale power generation, wide spread local renewable energy generation and usage of appropriately rated appliances, seems like a possible solution to the energy crisis in the rural areas.

But most importantly it made sense when he pointed out that sensible enterprise building considering these issues would bring in a larger sense of purpose helping address these multiple problems.

Yatra - Aravind Eye Hospital

It is ourselves we are helping, it is ourselves we are healing.

These were the words Dr.V said in the video presented to us.

This was one of the role model visits I was really looking forward to. Had read about this innovative model first in the book Change by Design. And after watching the TED talk on Aravind's contribution to eye care in India my admiration for Dr.V and his team was sky high.

The very idea of trying to replicate McDonalds in a sensitive field such as eye care, that involves peoples' sight (and their lives), does not only sound not feasible but also scary.

But, they did it. And how well have they managed to do it ?..The biggest risk one feels about such a assembly line operation would be quality. But when it comes to quality, they are better than hospitals in US and UK. And cost ? At one tenth of the global costs. Their model is now replicated in , or rather, has inspired more than 300 places in various countries.

It is, I guess, not straight forward to understand the idea until we visit them.

Visual Minutes by Rowan Watts & Marcel O'leary

The courage and the belief they must have had in themselves to even dream, imagine, and think of starting a lab/research centre  to manufacture complex things like ocular lenses on their own (since importing lens was prohibitively high) is indeed very inspiring.

To be in the place where they did all this, to hear them narrate their story, to experience the humility in the whole place was wonderful. It felt very different from a normal hospital. Different from both the government hospital kind and different from the five star hospital kind. It seemed to resemble a spiritual place. A place where a strong 'why' of what they did was very visible.

Dr.Aravind's presentation gave us a very holistic picture of the health care sector in India and why five star tertiary hospitals were not the answer to our health care problems. Why we could not blindly replicate the west. What opportunities were available in the areas such as palliative care.

Later in the day we had to choose a visit to one of their four operational areas, based on our area of interest to better understand their organization. I had a choice to visit their sophisticated lab where made the occular lenses or to visit their meditation centre. Could choose only one. I was surprised with my choice…

Yatra - SELCO

We spent the day understanding SELCO s business model, of making relatively expensive solar technology financially accessable to people who dont have good access to convential energy sources, esp electricity.

Their ability and passion to cater to sections of society which the general 'markets' igonre was really inspirational.

Visual Minutes by Rowan Watts & Marcel O'leary

Yatra - Flagging Off

 I stood with an empty cup in my hand waiting for the guy beside me filling his cup with tea. He filled his cup, gave me the filled cup, took my empty cup, filled it and just walked away.

It was for him a transaction not worth thinking about. It was for me, a small gesture that set the tone for the day at the TISS campus.

The registration desk reminded me of my days in college, young energetic guys running around,  - collecting and sorting luggage, registering participants, serving food, managing the stage - basically, running the entire show.

450 people, 14 roles models, 9000KM, 1 Train - Jagrithi Yatra

Soon people were shouting out letters from A to V in the registration hall, resembling a market. In a couple of minutes though the Yatris had begun to come up with various tricks..processes…methods… to sort themselves into the 22  pre assigned groups.

Sitting together in the groups turned out to be more than an ice breaker. Two student politicians, couple of grads who had paused their student careers to volunteer for teaching initiatives, one studying English literature, a person who had designed a low cost AC for Indian conditions, a lawyer, a clarinet player, a guy who was pursuing a research fellowship in the area of rural development, students studying mechanical engineering, and a few software engineers formed the team. There were in the group a couple of people who had started and were running their own enterprises, a few more who were considering starting one, but many others who were truly confused with what (and why) they really wanted to do in life. The seriousness and the passion with which each of the persons presented their ideas and views on life really surprised me.

After a sumptuous lunch and a brief presentation of the history of the Yatra, it was time for our first role model to address us.  A "Flow Logic " diagram depicted the coding system used in the complex supply chain operations (and short time targets) of the Mumbai Dabbawala was flashed on big screen. The Dabbawala Raghunathji  admitted that he did not create the "complex" diagram, instead it was made by the MBA students who came to study them. And he was not hesitant to add that the Dabbawala was indeed puzzled as to why a diagram was necessary, why was there a need to 'intellectualize' their operations. It was also good to learn that the Dabbawalas worked on a equal profit sharing model, all partners in the organization. The presentation for me raised important questions on the need of technology, its adaptation and use in a real world problem.

The train was flagged off from the station in the evening at 11:30.

First Stop - SELCO