A P L AT F O R M F O R P E O P L E, P R O J E C T S & P R O G R E S S

Catalyst
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT JANUARY 2 0 0 7
 TEAM

— An insight into the complex EDITORIAL TEAM

problems of development and an Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy
attempt to provide solutions. Chief Editor
chiefeditor@afhd.org

Ms. Bharati Kalasapudi

Published by: Mr. Nasy Sankagiri
Dr. Vasundhara D. Kalasapudi Ms. Aarti Iyer
Mr. Lakshman Kalasapudi
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Advisory Board
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INDIA Dr. Suri Sehgal
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INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (IFHD)
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ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (AFHD)
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Dr. Raj Rajaram

For all communication please contact: raj2468@comcast.net
info@afhd.org
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Ms.Volga
asmitacollective@sancharnet.in

Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed

MISSION herein by authors are not necessarily

To present people, ideas, news and views periodically to
readers to promote networking among NGOs.
To publish peer reviewed professional articles on NGO movement
that can promote sustainable development and best practices.
those of Catalyst for Human
Development magazine, its Staff or
Editor, and they assume no
responsibility for them. Catalyst
accepts no responsibility, directly or
indirectly, for the views and opinions
expressed by the authors as well as
for the pictures used in the articles.

To disseminate information on NGO movement to improve

communication that in turn can catalyze human development.
To provide a platform for all concerned with sustainable 03
development to catalyze the process of human development.
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Catalyst
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT October 2006

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TITLE PAGES OF FIRST THREE ISSUES OF CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT,
A PUBLICATION DEVOTED TO SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.

HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '06 ISSUE

Scaling up Primary Education Services in Rural India
Healthcare in India
Water Management in 21st Century - Policy and Planning
Food and Nutrition Through Value Addition to Agri Resources
Scaling up Primary Health Services in Rural India
Cross-Fertilization Needed Between Universities & Scientific Labs
Balasakhi - A Village Voice
NRI Pioneers - Catalytic Agents for Development

HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL '06 ISSUE

Agenda For the Nation: An Approach
Economic Reforms in India - The Unfinished Agenda
A Villager's Agenda For a Healthy India
Consumer Movement - An Agenda
India's Development - Agenda for NRIs
Stop Child Poverty
Could Our Classrooms Shape India's Destiny
Unscrupulous NGOs are Denting Movement

HIGHLIGHTS OF OCTOBER '06 ISSUE

The Evolving Role of NGOs in Poverty Alleviation
Mann Deshi Sahakari Bank - A Boon for Women
Ashoka Strives for a Strong Citizen Sector of Changemakers
Catalyst Salutes Ashoka Fellows
Urban Wastage a Resource For Rural India
A Great Initiative in Mental Health Delivery
Interview with Bart W. Edes, ADB
Why Do We Need Social Entrepreneurs?

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 CONTENTS
08 Preface by Dr.Bhamy V.Shenoy
10 Non-Resident Contributors - Answering a Call to Action
by Ram Krishnan
NRI Contributors
11 Abul Sharah - International Village Clinic:A Difference in the
Making
12 Pushpa & Madhukar Deshpande - Routing Science through the
Villages of India with Vidnyanvahini
13 Prakasam Tata - Eliminating Elephantiasis and Water-borne
Diseases
14 Umesh & Rashmi Rohatgi - A Rational Approach to Social Service
15 Purnima & Bibek Ray - Rebuilding the Community through
RSV Sevakendra
16 Joyasree Mahanti - Fulfilling the Basic Needs of the Less Fortunate
17 Balaji Sampath - Association for India's Development - Improving
Literacy in Rural India
18 T.S.Ananthu & Jyothi - Navadarshanam Trust: Exploration of an
Alternative Way of Life
19 Prudhvi Raju Vegesna - Rural Transformation - Remote
Participation
20 Kirti T.Shah - Heart to Heart:Reaching Out from
Houston to Gujarat
22 B.K.Sharma - "Snehalaya"- a Home Filled with Love
23 Anu Peshawaria - SevA Legal Aid Foundation: Fighting For
Social Change
24 Koteswara Rao Batchu - The Batchu Foundation - Improving
Children's Lives in Peddapuram
25 Ram Narayanan - Promoting Indo-US Relations
26 Mani Paturi - Working Remotely…but in Real-time
28 Murthy Sudhakar - the tele.graam
NRI Organizations
29 Share and Care Foundation - 25 Years of Effective Methodology to
Reduce Poverty
31 The Sehgal Foundation - Empowering Individuals from within
the Community
32 Indian Young Professionals Network - Leading India toward
Millennium Development Goals
33 The Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development (S3IDF)
Fund - A 'Social Merchant Bank' Approach to Poverty Alleviation
35 Sustainable Economic & Educational Development Society
(SEEDS) - Helping Communities Help Themselves
36 Pratham - Will You be the Hen or the Pig?
38 North South Foundation - A Lasting Imprint
Philanthropy
40 The Role of NRIs - Shaping India's Development through Value
Inputs by Sri Prasad G.
42 The Diaspora Can Do More by P.K.Madhav
44 How NRIs can Help in Poverty Alleviation by Anil K.Rajvanshi
45 Musings on Social Entrepreneurship - In the Footsteps of Nobel
Laureate Dr.Yunus by Abraham George
47 Is Mega Philanthropy Going to Make a Difference? by Brad
Henderson
50 Indian Americans - Giving Back to Society by Vivek Wadhwa
Awards
51 Nobel Peace Prize 2006 - Muhammad Yunus
52 Alcan Prize for Sustainability 2006 - Sanjit Bunker Roy
53 World Bank's Jit Gill Memorial Award 2006 - Samuel Paul
53 2006 Development Gateway Award - Mindset Network
54 Nirmal Gram Puraskar 2006 - Sayyapuraju Ramakrishna Raju
Development
56 The India Story is Getting Better!
57 India's Slow Human Development
58 Indian National Development Congress by Dr.Srinivasa Rao
59 Development Networking Meetings
07
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 PREFACE

C
atalyst had an exciting year since its launch at the Pravasi Bharathiya Divas (PBD)
in Hyderabad in 2006. We, at Catalyst, were able to expand the NGO movement
network. We could present an analysis of the National agenda and the critical
success factors influencing India's development as well as the manner in which different
NGOs are handling them.

We are still in the nascent stage of learning, continuously working towards perfecting our
performance. However, we feel confident that we have taken the right step in taking up the
challenge of publishing a magazine that deals with an important subject of NGO
movement. Our third issue, which we brought out in collaboration with Ashoka, dealt with
the fast developing subject of social entrepreneurship that is playing a significant role in
shaping the NGO movement throughout the world.

Since this issue will be released at the time of the PBD in Delhi, we took up the issue of
NRI contribution to India's development. This is not only the topic discussed by the
delegates, but also by the entire country as it gives the red carpet treatment to the Indian
Diaspora.

Of the thousands of NRIs who are contributing to India's development in their own ways,
we have covered a few, who we have selected at random without any specific criteria, in
this issue. Their contributions, thus published, can serve as a guide to those who are
seeking ways to get involved in India's development. The process of collecting information
on NRI involvement, and also interacting with many NGOs, has helped us to take a broad
look at what should be done to get the maximum advantage of the Indian Diaspora.

Analyzing the NRI contribution is like looking at one tenth full glass and appreciating the
presence of at least some milk. Just a cursory glance at the contribution of the Armenian
Diaspora or Jewish, or even that of the Chinese to their homeland will result in raising
questions about why NRIs have singularly failed despite all the advantages of superior
academic qualifications, above average affluence and currently successful IT ventures
earning billions.

With two million NRIs or PIOs in the US, maximum funds raised by them to support two
million NGOs or development projects in India may not exceed $50 million. If they were
to match the per capita annual donation by an American, who is less affluent in
comparison to an average Indo-American, the total NRI contribution would exceed $1.5
billions. Of course, considering the size of India, and the complexity of her development
process, this huge amount may not even begin to solve the extensive poverty. In fact India
gives an annual foreign aid of more than $1.5 billion to the US by sending engineering
and medical graduates there.

PBD is a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's return to India to get involved in the country's
freedom movement. Since 1947, India has been involved in fighting for economic freedom,
which is important for those below the poverty line. Thus, it is a wonder that the country
has not succeeded in attracting its educated Diaspora the way it was while fighting for
political freedom. We were hoping to find some towering NRI personalities who got
involved in this economic freedom movement. Now that we have started to see the trickle
of reverse brain drain, in the near future we will certainly have such people, who will be
able to bring about institutional reforms, challenge the corrupt political class, help
strengthen justice system and reduce corruption.
Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy

08
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
FOCUS
RAM KRISHNAN
was born in
Trivandrum, schooled
in Madras, Delhi and
Bombay. Ram is an
alumnus of IIT Madras.
He graduated in 1967
with a B.Tech and
M.Tech. He
founded and operated
a Logistics Consulting
company for 15 years
in the
US. After working in
the Minnesota, US for
30 years, Ram
Krishnan, for
the past few years,
spends 3 months in
India every year,
learning,
working and
advocating for the
poor in India’s villages.
Contacts:
Ram Krishnan
Email: ram.krishnan@yahoo.com
Website: www.ram-krishnan.com
10
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NON-RESIDENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Answering a Call to Action
C
ATAYLST IS PROUD to showcase a but many started work simply in any village.
number of NRI Contributors who are Some NRIs are rightfully critical of policies
‘making a difference’ to the lives of followed by the government. Every one
poor in villages of India. We do not claim talks about the rampant corruption and
that these are even representatives of bureaucratic nightmare in India. But despite
thousands of NRIs or resident Indians who all odds these NRI Contributors have shown
have been working in villages to contribute what could be achieved if there is a will.
to India’s development. But, we hope to
present to our readers how these NRIs Our NRI Contributors are telling us that it
(and many others like is possible to find
them) have suitable livelihood
succeeded in reali- ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS: opportunities for
zing their dreams of NRI Contributors these poor villagers
contributing to India’s and provide them
Abul Sharah
development and with an opportunity
making a difference
Pushpa & Madhukar Deshpande to earn their ‘self-
to several thousands Prakasam Tata esteem’ and
Umesh & Rashmi Rohatgi
of human lives. We ‘confidence’.
Bibek & Purnima Ray
hope that their exp-
eriences and succ- Joyasree Mahanti During the last 30
esses will in turn, Balaji Sampath years more than one
inspire a thousand Jyothi & T.S.Ananthu million highly-
others to reflect on Prudhvi Raju Vegesna qualified Indian
their dreams and Kirti T Shah graduates have come
chart their own paths. over to the US for
B. K. Sharma
higher studies and
Anu Peshawaria
India still lives in its many have
Koteswara Rao Batchu
villages. Almost 72% permanently settled
of the population
Ram Narayanan down. There must be
Mani Paturi
lives in villages. By an many more in other
outmoded criterion of Murthy Sudhakar developed countries.
the government Each one of them
based on calorific
NRI Organizations barring a few
needs, almost 340 Share and Care Foundation exceptions, shares
million people in India The Sehgal Foundation the vision to
live Below the Poverty IYPN contribute to India’s
Line (BPL). But a S3IDF development. Of the
more realistic SEEDS NRIs profiled in this
estimate puts this to Pratham issue many have
more than 500 North South Foundation returned, some
million. India’s commute between
achievements in the US and India.
fields of IT, pharmaceuticals and
manufacturing is yet to make a dent on the However, there are still thousands of NRI
lives of these people. 60% of the rural contributors working tirelessly in every
population ekes a living (less than 2 dollar a corner of India and we help them to
day) by seeking work as a ‘coolie’. ‘network’. India today has 780 districts. If
we can find such NRI Contributors in every
Our NRI Contributors may be working in district of India, we can truly establish a
different regions of India but they all have framework to reach out to more than half a
one attribute in common. They answered a million villages in India. Imagine, then, the
‘call to action’. Some have selected their difference we can bring to the lives of the
birthplace, their village or ancestral place rural poor!
 ABUL SHARAH NRI CONTRIBUTORS
International Village Clinic:
a Difference in the Making
The philosophy behind IVC is simple:A desire to provide adequate health care to the rural
population of India,without bringing in a religious or political agenda.

H
AVING THOUGHT ABOUT his life How IVC helped a young Anita
and its meaning for several years, Dr.
Abul Sharah wanted to contribute On January 29, 2005, Anita, a four-year-old girl, was brought
to IVC. A scorpion had stung her and an unqualified local doctor
towards social upliftment and serve the had given her a shot of Xylocaine
society. His social bent and inner motivation (widely used as an anesthetic and
inspired him to establish the International pain relaxant) without testing for
Village Clinic (IVC), which he founded in possible adverse reaction. ABUL SHARAH
October 1999. The Clinic helped transform Unfortunately, a reaction did occur. was brought up in
his dreams into reality. IVC is a non- Not knowing what treatment to
Tirganwan village the
sectarian, non-profit 501c(3) registered apply, the doctor gave up. When Anita
was first seen by an IVC doctor, she state of Uttar Pradesh,
organization, dedicated to bring health and Young Anita after her was perspiring profusely, shaking, India. Following his
medical services to villages in India. scorpion sting treatment.
biting her lips and was in shock. The initial studies in India he
IVC doctor immediately attended to got the opportunity to
Dr. Sharah grew up as a fatherless, her, diagnosed the problem, and gave her anti-reaction drugs pursue graduate studies
impoverished boy in Uttar Pradesh, one of and painkillers. Anita relaxed in about 20 minutes. She rested outside of India. Dr.
the poorest states in India. It was some luck, for the next three hours in the clinic, was discharged and, along Sharah eventually
with her family, went home smiling. migrated to the U.S. and
coupled with hard work that helped him
became a naturalized
pursue higher education. He rose to high American citizen. For
positions in engineering, marketing and business trip to Calcutta, India, Dr. Sharah the next 27 years he
international business development at visited Mother Theresa's “Home for Dying established a successful
companies like Honeywell and MTS Destitutes”. By coincidence, he arrived at career in engineering,
Systems in the United States (US) in his the time when the Mother received visitors. marketing and
career of over 27-year. He spent most of his After learning of his humble Indian roots international business
professional life in Minneapolis, US. Yet and success in the United States, she urged development at
India kept calling him home. Over the him to pursue a mission of "love and human companies like
years, he continued visiting his birthplace service." Honeywell and MTS
and its neighboring areas to understand and Systems in the United
States (US). He started
assess the situation. His professional life also Dr. Sharah decided to retire from the
IVC clinic in village
helped in developing a large network of corporate life early and in 1999 returned to Marufpur in Uttar
friends and associates. pursue his dream to the poor village of Pradesh, in 1999.
Uttar Pradesh, in north India, where he was
In 1996, while he was harboring a born. He established the clinic in an area
growing desire to give something back to that suffers rampant illiteracy, and disease.
the community in appreciation for his good Dr. Sharah is investing the rest of his life in
fortune, chance intervened again. On a giving underprivileged kids a brighter future
with the planning and analytical skills that
he learned in the industry. The clinic brings
technology, skills and energy to achieve
these goals, while respecting people's Contacts:
culture and complementing the existing International Village Clinic
resources. The clinic is located in the village P.O. Box 386243
Bloomington, MN 55438
of Marufpur near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 952-893-9304
E-mail to: ivc@villageclinic.org.
The IVC's goals include: Website: www.villageclinic.org
Disease prevention and treatment;
Vaccination; 11
Nutrition for children; and CATALYST
Abul Sharah (with the cap) greeting patients arriving at the clinic Health education. FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS PUSHPA & MADHUKAR DESHPANDE
Routing Science
through the Villages of India
with Vidnyanvahini
Vidnyanvahini creates awareness of the relevance of science in the lives of rural
school children and provides them the opportunity to handle scientific apparatus and
learn the basics of science through experiments.

V
IDNYANVAHINI IS AN NGO located
in Pune, India. It reaches out to rural
school children in Maharashtra,
India, offering them a means of learning
science through experiments. This it
achieves using a Mobile Science Lab (MSL).
MADHUKAR &
It gives the rural school children opport-
PUSHPA
DESHPANDE unities to handle scientific apparatus and
(center) were teachers learn the basics of science through experi- The Vidnyanvahini bus heads to a village every morning with

in Wisconsin , USA , ments. They gain awareness of the rele- its volunteers and gives school students an opportunity to
learn about science subjects
who were inspired to vance of science in their lives by discussing
return to India by concepts such as cleanliness, hygiene, safe small science lab inside, and called the bus
television coverage on a drinking water, and the environment. The (and the program) “Vidnyan Vahini" or
mobile science unit. objective is to bridge the gap between rural "Science on wheels".
They retired early and and urban communities, and to demon-
started Vidnyanvahini in strate that science can help solve the Over the last 12 years, the MSL has
1994 with the problems in the lives of rural communities visited more than 1000 different schools in
determination to take
as much as it does in urban ones. 25 districts of Maharashtra, serving more
practical science
teaching to students in than 1.5 lakh students. Other projects that
rural Maharastra. To Madhukar and Pushpa, both teachers, the couple initiated include a rural science
date, they have reached worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA for center at Anadur in Osmanabad district
out to over 150,000 most of their lives. While there, they saw a where students from 25 schools come to
children in rural TV program with Peter Jennings about a learn science hands-on, annual teachers’
Maharashtra . bus fitted with science experiments that and students’ workshops, circulation of
Furthermore, their traveled to remote parts of Pennsylvania book mobiles amongst school children, and
catalytic presence and exposed teachers to science the publication of a science related
extends to mobile experiments. periodical for students and teachers.
science labs in four Vidnyanvahini has inspired six other MSLs
other Indian states.
This inspired them, and, in 1994, after which are operating independently in the
spending almost 30 years in the US as states of Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Gujarat and
academicians, they returned to Pune with Andhra Pradesh.
the sole purpose of initiating the MSL
Project. They purchased a bus, installed a Vidnyanvahini has also helped, technically
Contacts: and financially, the villagers of Surodi in
Vidnyanvahini Ahmedanagar district, in their move for
701-B, Kshitij, Plot 87A-1-1, Sahakarnagar watershed development. More than two
No. 2, Pune 411009
Tel: (20)-2422-2127, 2428-1134 dozen earthen and cement check dams
Web: http://members.aol.com/Vvahini have been constructed to recharge
Email: madhukar.deshpande@gmail.com common and private wells with ground
water. The micro-watershed bund building
process that aims to optimize rain water
12 harvesting has already resulted in a four-
CATALYST Audio-video experience augments the actual physics and
fold increase in per capita income of the
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT chemistry experiments inside the bus village.
 PRAKASAM TATA
Eliminating Elephantiasis and
Water-borne Diseases
Dr.Tata designed a wastewater treatment system to remediate water pollution and
decrease the occurrence of water-borne diseases like elephantiasis.
I
N THE 1940’S, as a little boy living in
Vizianaragam, I wondered why my aunt
had legs like those of an elephant. Often
times, I heard my relatives and others
commenting that it was her karma. Some
years later, I learned that Culex mosquitoes
are the vectors that transmit a parasite
known as Wucheraria bancrofti that causes
elephant legs or filariasis in humans.” So
says Dr. Prakasam Tata, who designed a
wastewater treatment system to remediate
the pollution of a 170 acres-large man-
made lake, ‘Pedda Cheruvu’ located in
Vizianagaram.
Here he tells his story:
“It was in February 2003, when the United
States Asia Environmental Partnership
(USAEP) invited me to participate in a
workshop on ‘Decentralized Wastewater
Treatment Systems’ that I got the
opportunity to meet the very dynamic and
mission oriented District Collector of
Vizianagaram, Dr. Rajat Kumar.
I categorically asked him, whether he
would do something to remediate the
pollution of Pedda Cheruvu or whether he
would also leave Vizianagaram like his
predecessors without making a significant
impact. I indicated to him that he would be
leaving an indelible impression, if he could
solve the pollution problem of Pedda
Cheruvu, eliminate the mosquito and odor
nuisance, and beautify the area.”
Pedda Cheruvu – after the project in 2005
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
Pedda Cheruvu – before the project in 2003
PRAKASAM TATA
The project design consisted of was born in
Vizianagaram, Andhra
constructing screening and grit chambers
Pradesh, India. Prior to
upstream of Pedda Cheruvu Lake to remove coming to the US for
coarse objects like sticks, rags and sand higher studies in 1962,
from the sewage that a large drain he worked in rural areas
discharged into the lake. An interceptor of West Bengal and
sewer was designed to connect all the Maharashtra for seven
outlets discharging sewage into Pedda years on sanitation and
Cheruvu, and transport it into a waste water supply problems.
stabilization pond system, which consisted Dr Tata received his
of a series of four ponds in two parallel PhD in 1966 from
trains. The pond system was designed to be Rutgers University in
New Jersey.
built right in Pedda Cheruvu in about 15
acres of its 170-acres.
Although the monsoon of 2003 heavily
impacted the construction of the pond
system, Dr. Rajat Kumar kept the pressure
on the contractors to complete its
construction at somewhat less than the
estimated cost of Rs. 2 Crores. The
treatment system was commissioned on
April 15/16, 2004.
Contacts:
“Being an optimist, I am hoping that the Dr Prakasam Tata
waste stabilization pond system will be 1213 Stonebriar Court,
operated and maintained properly by the Naperville, IL 60540 USA
municipal administration of Vizianagaram, Email: prakasamtata@sbcglobal.net
and the occurrence of elephantiasis and
other waterborne diseases will be
eradicated”, says Dr. Tata. 13
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS UMESH & RASHMI ROHATGI
A Rational Approach to
Social Service
A couple’s efforts toward building villages for the homeless using their own funds,
donations and other assistance.

UMESH & RASHMI

ROHATGI
Building check-dams as part of the ‘Jal Gujrat’ program
Umesh Rohatgi
obtained his B.Tech.

degree in Civil
Engineering in the year
1968. He was a
resident of the Nehru
Hall of Residence.
Thereafter, he did MS
from the University of
Michigan, USA in
1982. He along with
his wife Rashmi have
totally devoted their
lives to social work to
make some deprived
people improve their
condition by
networking with
like-minded people in
USA interested in
India’s rural
development. Reshmi
has a master’s degree
in Sanskrit from
Gwalior University.
Contacts:
Umesh & Rashmi Rohatgi
24161 Nilan drive
Novi MI 48375-3754
Tel: (248) 471-5786
E-mail: rurohatgi@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.rurohatgi.com
14
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
U
MESH ROHATGI IS an IIT,
Kharagpur graduate from the 1968
batch, and has earned his masters
degree from the University of Michigan in
1982. Rashmi has a master’s degree in
Sanskrit from Gwalior University.
Umesh’s life has been dedicated to
helping people worldwide. His personal
responsibilities of raising two sons and
managing a career have not prevented him
from engaging himself in numerous
charitable activities. His commitment has
been complete and selfless. He was given
the University of Michigan-Dearborn's
award for outstanding social work. He has
received numerous other awards for his
service.
For the past few years, Umesh has
worked on building villages for the
homeless. Using his own funds, donations
and other assistance, he has made a
difference in people’s lives. His non-
sentimental, rational approach to social
work makes his contributions self-
sustaining and lasting. He inspires self-
reliance in the people he helps. His impact
What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done
for others and the world remains and is immortal.
- Albert Pike
on villages in India has been miraculous.
Umesh is driven by values that are so rare
today that he seems truly unique. He lives
to serve across continents.
Rashmi and Umesh are currently involved
in the following projects:
Sursardham with the help of Manav
Kalyan Trust (MKT) in Gujarat
This village, adopted by the couple in 2001,
for a period of five years, aims to become
self sufficient and self-reliant. It consists of
114 homes that use solar and wind energy.
A community hall, which can be used as
shelter in case of another earthquake, is also
near completion.
Support to the Panchayat academy in the
village of Kuthambakkam near Chennai
Elango Rangaswami, president of
Kuthambakkam village panchayat, wanted
to start an academy to teach self-suffi-
ciency and self-reliance to revive the village
economy, to the fellow panchayat leaders
in Kuthambakkam in Tamil Nadu. Umesh
visited the Panchayat working at
Kuthambakkam near Chennai and presently
supports the building of this academy.
 PURNIMA & BIBEK RAY
Rebuilding the Community
through RSV Sevakendra
RSV Sevakendra operates on a motto of bringing education where the need is.
U
PHOLDING THE PROMISE he made
to his grandmother many years ago,
Dr. Bibek Ray decided to return to
‘his village’ and ‘help his larger family’.
Supported by his wife, Purnima, he has
been working with the villagers of his
birthplace, Gohaldanga, located some 100
miles north from Calcutta, in rebuilding the
community in this isolated area.
In 1994, Dr. Bibek Ray along with two
other villagers conceived the idea of
forming an organization to improve upon
the poor conditions of health, education
and the economy of the villages, and to
bring back dignity among the villagers.
They named the organization Ramkrishna-
Sarada-Vivekananda Sevakendra (RSV-
Sevakendra) due to the close location of
Gohaldanga to Kamarpukur (birthplace of
Sri Ramkrishna) and Joyrambati (birthplace
of Sarada Devi).
Initially, Bibek and Purnima visited
Gohaldanga for a few weeks every year to
plan new projects and evaluate the progress
of the running projects. However, they soon
realized that for sustaining their efforts and
that of the villagers, they needed to spend
longer durations. They both took retirement
from their respective jobs with the
University of Wyoming in 2002 and started
spending six months (often more) every
year at Gohaldanga to organize and
supervise the various development projects.
Outside the Kendra premises, RSV promotes a ‘pada sala’ in the village
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
RSV Sevakendra aims to provide livelihood training,
offer medical services, and provide education for the
poor children of the nearby villages PURNIMA &
BIBEK RAY
RSV Sevakendra opened its headquarters
retired from the
and soon constructed a clinic, a public toilet, University of Wyoming
and a guesthouse. It also operates a weekly to improve conditions in
clinic that provides free examination and his village of birth in
medication to hundreds of poor people in West Midnapore, West
the area. A weekly homeopathic health Bengal . They formed
clinic, initiated in 2001, also provides the RSV Sevakendra, in
medication to the poor. their village in 1998 with
the objective of
Sevakendra reconstructed the dilapidated improving health,
mud building of the junior high school and education and the
economy in the village.
built a brick building with five classrooms, a
library (with over one thousand books),
toilets, and made drinking water available.
Sevakendra also provides funds for the
librarian’s salary, twenty annual merit
scholarships, books for poor students,
subscription of newspapers and periodicals.
The Sevakendra has established non-
conventional teaching centers in tribal
Contacts:
hamlets and poor areas. With a motto of
Purnima & Bibek Ray
bringing education where the need is, these
U.S.:(March to August)
centers impart skills in reading, writing and 3658 Garden Court, Oakdale,
mathematics to students aged 3 to 10. MN 55128,
Sevakendra provides teachers' salary, books, Phone/Fax: 651-748-8066,
supplies and uniforms. The Sevakendra Email: labcin@uwyo.edu
Scholar Program provides financial aid to India :(September to February):
504 Suravi Apt.,
poor but meritorious students enabling 43 Post Office Road, Kolkata 700028, West
them to pursue higher studies. It also Bengal, India,
provides monetary support to poor but Phone: 91-33-2550 6124
talented artists for attending training in Website: http://www.grsvsevakendra.org/
town. For income generation purposes,
Sevakendra has planted over 250 fruit trees, 15
cultivates vegetables and practices fish CATALYST
farming in the pond. FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS JOYASREE MAHANTI
Fulfilling the Basic Needs of
the Less Fortunate
Joyasree (Ranu) Mahanti works towards providing the four basic needs that are
fundamental for survival:drinking water,food,basic education,and basic health care.
J
OYASREE (RANU) MAHANTI dreamt of
helping the less fortunate in India ever
since she left her country in 1973 for the
United States. In 1997, she took an early
retirement and set about realizing her
dream. She started working with
JOYASREE (RANU)
MAHANTI
was awarded the
2004 Utkalmani
Gopabandhu Das
Memorial Award by
the Orissa Society of Ranu working with village women on a micro-credit program
Americas in
recognition of her Basundhara, an Orissa-based NGO, which
outstanding dedicated opened her eyes to area of volunteerism
volunteer service to and exposed her to social issues. After the
the underprivileged super-cyclone in October 1999, she worked
people of Orissa. in cyclone-affected villages and successfully
implemented projects for Basundhara.
Ranu realized the importance of working
with a team (of donors, local NGO,
villagers, and the Government) that shared
mutual trust, and a similar level of concern
and vision for working towards the mission.
She started the 'Basic Needs Program' in
collaboration with a regional NGO, BISWA
(Bharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency),
in January 2002.
The Basic Needs Program provides the
Contacts: four basic needs that are fundamental for
Joyasree (Ranu) Mahanti survival: drinking water, food, basic
1210 Whittier Drive, East Lansing,
Michigan 48823, USA
education, and basic health care. The most
Tel # 517-337-9570 critical aspect of the program is the
Email : ranumahanti@yahoo.com underlying premise that a combination of
all four needs must be provided to enable
the villagers maintain a basic standard of
living.
16 The program is implemented in clusters of
CATALYST interior and neglected villages. All the
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT projects start with a low budget. The
villagers' participation in discussions and the
decision-making process is crucial to the
success of these projects. Their financial
participation and accountability, even at the
most minimum levels, ensures involvement
and creates a culture of ownership.
The impact of the Basic Needs Program
on children, parents, and the villages is
clearly visible in the short span of 4 years.
Children who earlier wandered aimlessly
now attend formal schools. The
mothers/women, now empowered, come
forward with confidence to express their
views, are willing to participate actively in
discussions, and now make the decisions
that can improve their lives as well as the
condition of their villages. An increase of a
few dollars in their monthly income has
given them new hope and strength. Mid-
day meals provided by the school for
children have further reduced the burden
on parents. Better availability of basic
health care has significantly reduced the
incidence of common illnesses. Increased
attention from the Government to these
historically neglected areas has also helped
in taking the agenda forward.
The women are now ready to take bigger
chances - start small businesses as a group
and share the profits amongst themselves.
There are a few principles Ranu follows
while working in India. She works with a
local NGO. She tries not to be critical of the
Government, the people, or the villagers.
She carefully listens to the villagers to
understand their problems and their
solutions. She goes to Orissa every year for
about three months and personally gets
involved at a fundamental level - creating,
budgeting, and implementing different
projects with BISWA's help. Her personal
involvement, commitment, and trust in
people has not only helped solve many
problems but has also educated her in many
areas of grass roots work.
 BALAJI SAMPATH NRI CONTRIBUTORS
Association for India’s
Development - Improving
Literacy in Rural India
Vital contributions in planning and executing large-scale campaigns in
health,literacy and improving the quality of education in India.
back and try. Really, if you work, you can
make a difference. I think that's what has
been sustaining me," says Sampath.

After spending few years learning about BALAJI SAMPATH

A coastal village in Tamil nadu affected by the Tsunami
waves - assisted by AID Chennai
the dynamics of rural India and the NGOs joined the Association
working there, he decided to start working for India’s Development
with the Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF) (AID) as a student at the
in their health and literacy programs. University of Maryland –
Between 1997 and 1999, he worked with College Park. He quickly
TNSF in their Arogiya Iyakkam health developed AID as an

B
ALAJI SAMPATH IS an active member program. This was judged by the United organization with a
of the Association for India’s Nations in 2001 to be one of the top ten nation-wide network in
Development (AID). He has made most effective programs in the world. It the United States. After
he completed his
several vital contributions in planning and now has an outreach of over 1000 villages
doctoral degree,
executing large-scale campaigns in health in 10 districts of Tamil Nadu. Balaji also Sampath decided to
and literacy, and in improving the quality of assisted TNSF in their community return to India as a full-
education in India. His work has culminated education, literacy and computer training time AID volunteer. He
in the Hundred Block Plan (HBP), a multi- programs. In 2001, at the end of the model then became involved in
pronged rural intervention and program period, he helped analyze the the Tamil Nadu Science
development program across India, which impact of Arogiya Iyakkam in local Forum and the All India
he pioneered with Dr. Sundarraman of the communities and proved that the People’s Science
All-India People's Science Network (AIPSN). intervention was a success. He also helped Movements.
HBP is currently the largest development TNSF organize village libraries,information
program undertaken by AID. centers and savings groups.

A graduate of the Indian Institute of

Technology, Chennai, where he stood All
India No. 4 in the Joint Entrance Contacts:
Examination, he entered the Electrical Dr Balaji Sampath
Engineering program offered by the AID-Chennai
University of Maryland, College Park, in 20/34 Rathenam Street, 2nd floor
1994. He also became a volunteer for AID- Gopalapuram, Chennai,
College Park when AID was still a local Tamil Nadu 600086
organization. Over the next few years, Balaji Sampath along with AID Delhi volunteers at the UNDP office. Tel: +91-44-28350403
UNDP awarded a Rs 20 lakh grant to AID in May for
along with other volunteers, he built AID developing livelihood generating enterprises.
AID – USA
into a large nation-wide organization with
P.O. Box F, College Park
chapters in several cities/universities. Balaji brings simple, activity-based Maryland, USA MD 20741
teaching methods to government school E-mail: balaji_sampath@hotmail.com
After obtaining his Ph.D. in 1997, he children, significantly improving their Website: http://www.aidindia.org
decided to return to India as a full-time AID reading ability. This method is now followed
volunteer – the first for AID. "My initial idea in over 7,300 government schools across
was okay, I'll go back later. But later always Tamil Nadu. The result is that at least five 17
never comes. At one point, it was just a lakh children are happy because of Balaji’s CATALYST
decision I had to make-ok. I'm going to go return to India. FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
T.S.ANANTHU &
JYOTHI
T.S. Ananthu has a
B.Tech. from IIT
Madras, an M.S. from
Stanford University,
several years'
experience in systems
engineering prior to
switching to full-time
work in the Gandhian
field. His wife Jyothi
has a Ph.D. in
Sociology from TISS,
followed by many
years of teaching and
research experience at
St.Xaviers' in Bombay
and IIT in Delhi.
Contacts:
T.S.Ananthu & Jyothi
4/70, Ganganahally hamlet,
Gumalapuram Village, Thally Block,
Tamil Nadu – 635118, India.
Tel: +91-80-65996024
Email: jyotiananthu@gmail.com
Website: www.navadarshanam.org
18
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
T.S. ANANTHU & JYOTHI
Navadarshanam Trust :
Exploration of an
Alternative Way of Life
The Navadarshanam Trust has adopted a philosophy to combine ecology with economy.
F
OR 30 YEARS now, both Jyoti and
Ananthu have been involved in
exploring sustainable living. For the
first 15 years, they were attached with the
Gandhi Peace Foundation, and then for the
next 15 years with Navadarshanam, a Trust
dedicated to exploring alternatives to the
modern way of living and thinking, keeping
in mind the ecological and spiritual
perspectives of life. This Trust was formed
with like-minded individuals, who have
been full-time volunteers for the Trust, from
the various Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs) and similar institutions. They aimed to
consume less of the world's scarce resources
and refrain from contributing to the
destruction of the earth's eco-system.
In 1990-91 the Trust bought 115 acres of
degraded and unproductive land about 50
km from Bangalore. On this, they conduct
experiments in the following five areas:
1. Eco-restoration: By preventing grazing,
the land is converted from wasteland into a
nascent forest. It now contains thousands
of trees. Soil conditions have also improved
dramatically.
2. Natural farming: The improved soil is
used to grow fruit saplings, vegetables and
cereals/pulses with minimum disturbance to
surrounding flora. No chemicals and pestic-
ides are used - the principle being that a
healthy soil will take care of its plants. The
T.S.Ananthu addressing a group of college students from
Bangalore visiting Navadarshanam
Houses in Navadarshanam employ alternative technologies,
using eco-friendly concepts
process is aided by mulching around the
plants.
3. Health and food: Food items and
cooking methods are classified according to
digestibility/acidity-alkalinity. Diseases are
seen as ‘absence of ease’ caused by
undigested food, which disturbs the
ecology of the body. The subtler ('pranic')
forces responsible for restoring this ecology
are encouraged to play their role more
effectively by changing food patterns so
that digestion is easy and effective.
4. Energy: Connection from the state's
electricity grid is shunned because of the
eco and user-unfriendly nature of the
systems that it adopts. Instead, all power
requirements are met through solar panels
and systems, wind power and oil made
from the seeds of honge, one of the trees
that nature has brought up in a big way
during the regeneration process. Gobar gas
(methane from cow dung), charcoal (burnt
coal) made on the land and wood stoves
are used for cooking purposes.
5. Housing: All dwelling units at Navadar-
shanam are constructed with the help of
eco-friendly concepts (such as compressed
mud blocks). These use the least amount of
cement and steel, and stresses on using
locally available material and labor. The
house designs maximize the use of nature's
bounties, such as natural breeze and
sunlight.
 PRUDHVI RAJU VEGESNA NRI CONTRIBUTORS
Rural Transformation -
Remote Participation
P
RUDHVI RAJU VEGESNA is a social improve village welfare. He also threatened
entrepreneur who works at the legal action and a simultaneous peaceful
grassroots level. Dr. Vegesena hails from protest, Satyagraha - a Gandhian tool, to put
Kallakuru, a small village, near Bheemavaram, more pressure. Inspired by the push from an
in the West Godavari district of Andhra NRI with an active, non-selfish interest in the
Pradesh. He migrated to the United States in village, the sarpanch-elect used her power to
the 1970s; like many other NRIs, Dr. Vegesna catalyze the process of building the toilets for
visited his family and natal village in India the welfare of the village.
frequently. A medical doctor by profession,
the poor health conditions in Kallakuru Dr. Vegesna himself was involved in going
alarmed Dr. Vegesna. He formed the Satya to all parts of the village and overseeing an
Seva Trust in 1986 with the mission of serving accurate needs assessment. They concluded PRUDHVI RAJU
the needy people in the Kallakuru village. that 150 toilets needed to be constructed in VEGESNA
the village. The support of the sarpanch-elect obtained his M.B.B.S
Once he took an active personal interest in and the villagers as well as various detailed degree in 1964 from
the development and advancement of the correspondences from Dr. Vegesna pushed the Rangaraya Medical
village, Dr. Vegesna discovered that water District Collector to release the funds for the College, Kakinada, AP.
contamination from feces and urine in the project. Construction began shortly thereafter. Later he went to
water supply was the root cause of many of England and became a
the poor health outcomes seen in the village. In retrospect, constructing the toilets were a Fellow of Royal College
Dr. Vegesna's inquiry into this matter revealed small achievement to what Dr. Vegesna really of Surgeons (FRCS) in
that government bureaucracy and red tape accomplished. He was instrumental in 1968. He then moved
blocked the construction of toilets that were instilling a sense of democracy in the people to the USA and became
commissioned for the village. While a of Kallakuru. They were made to realize that a board certified
seemingly small matter, the construction of they can and should demand from their emergency medicine
toilets in the village would prevent the government and elected officials what is physician. He practiced
observed water contamination, in turn needed for the betterment of their village and in North Carolina and
preventing the poor health outcomes which themselves. He reduced the rampant also served as a faculty
place a large burden on the people of the corruption in the village panchayat by member at East Carolina
village. empowering the people to check on the University Medical
actions of the elected officials. In this process, Center.
Frustrated by the government system, Dr. he renewed people's faith in the government
Vegesna appealed directly to the villagers. He and created a symbiotic relationship between
started a petition in the village requesting the the people and their government. Of course,
government to build the toilets that were the original purpose of improving health
promised. Once they were made of aware of outcomes in the village was accomplished
their rights, over 75% of the villagers signed or because of the improved water sanitation as a
put their thumb print on the petition. This result of proper toilets.
petition was submitted to the village
panchayat (village government), which agreed Most importantly, Dr. Vegesna demon-
to start constructing the toilets. Satisfied with strated how commitment to a small cause in a
the progress, Dr. Vegesna returned to his small village can lead to overwhelming,
medical practice in the United States. systemic change in the lives of thousands,
4000 villagers in the case of Kallakuru. He
Upon his return to Kallakuru a few months accomplished all of this while continuing his
Contacts:
later, Dr. Vegesna found that no progress was successful medical practice in North Carolina Prudhvi Raju Vegesna
made toward constructing toilets in the village. through his relentless perseverance, periodic Apt #402, Seeta Towers,
When he consulted the sarpanch (village head) visits, systematic follow-up and his ability to A.S.R. Nagar,
in-charge, Dr. Vegesna was disappointed to inspire local people to take action. Dr. Bheemavaram, 524 202., AP, India.
find that the sarpanch was very reluctant to Vegesna's work can be an example to many Phone: 91-9347047590
pursue the matter. While this was a major NRIs who would like to make a difference,
obstacle, Dr. Vegesna did not give up. He however small, while continuing their lives in
spoke to the sarpanch-elect instead. He the United States. This article is written by
19
motivated this woman by reminding her of her Lakshman Kalasapudi. He is in 11th grade at The
duty to the people and her responsibility to Wheatley School in Old Westbury, NY
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
BHAMY V.
SHENOY
is an IIT Madras
alumnus. He earned
his M.S. in Industrial
Engineering from
Illinois Institute of
Technology-Chicago in
1962, Ph.D. in
Business
Administration in 1972
from the University of
Houston and MBA
from Columbia
University in 1982. Dr.
Shenoy contributed to
India's development in
the areas of Consumer
Movement, Energy
Industry Development,
Environmental
Movement and
Education from 1987-
1997 & 2003-present.
He has published
hundreds of articles on
various topics in Indian
newspapers.
Contacts:
Bhamy V.Shenoy
Email: bhamysuman@hotmail.com
20
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
KIRTI T. SHAH
Heart to Heart - Reaching Out
from Houston to Gujarat
A doctor’s active involvement in contributing to India’s development
D
R. K. T. SHAH, a resident
of Houston since 1971, is
a familiar person for any
Indo-American association of
Houston. He is also one of the
first to be approached for charity
or donation. However, till 2006,
few knew about his active
involvement in contributing to
India's development.
Endoscopy and Medical Camps
Every year, from 1987 to 2003,
Dr. Shah would close his medical
practice in Houston, Texas, for a Dr. Shah with his wife Vasant in front of Akshay Patra advertisement
month and go with his wife
Vasant, to Ahmedabad, India, where he high-quality wires that they can use
would organize free medical consultations several times - cleaning and sterilizing after
and endoscopy camps. After his retirement each use.
in 2004, he started staying in India for
longer periods - three to four months. So Gujarat Earthquake
far, he has conducted a number of On 26th January 2001, a massive
endoscopy and medical camps in various earthquake hit the state of Gujarat killing
cities and towns in India. In 2005, after the over 30,000 people in the district of Kutch
terrible earthquake in Pakistan, he along alone, which was worst hit by the
with his wife and some medical colleagues earthquake. Dr. Shah closed his practice for
went to Azad Kashmir, to provide monetary a month at Harris County Medical Society
help, medical supplies and assistance to the to devote his full time for fundraising for
affected. these victims. His team raised approx-
imately $30,000. They set up four separate
Donating Medical Equipment to India medical clinics in the earthquake affected
Over the years, Dr. Shah brought area. Dr. Shah also worked side-by-side
reconditioned endoscopes from the US to with the Indian community leaders of
India, to donate to various charitable Houston to convince the US Government to
institutions. He also collected endoscopy raise the quantum of assistance to the
accessories, such as biopsy forceps, earthquake victims. He was instrumental in
sphincterotomes, stone retrievable balloons, the Central Government of India's
etc. from the local hospitals in Texas and construction of a new hospital in Kutch and
donated them to charitable institutions as in its efficient functioning.
well as to practicing gastroenterologists in
Gujarat, and to other parts of India. These Involvement with Alumni Association
endoscopic accessories are allowed only a As the past President of Ahmedabad's B. J.
one-time use in the US and are then Medical College, Dr. Shah has been active
discarded. Dr. Shah collects these discarded with the alumni association. Around fifteen
wires, cleans and sterilizes them, and packs thousand graduates from this college
the wires to take with him to India. Despite practice in the US today and 500 are
facing obstacles at the Customs depart- members of the alumni association. They
ments at airports, Dr. Shah continues to have raised about $1.5 million and donated
present doctors in India with expensive, $0.8 million to the college. Dr. Shah visits

Old leaky containers used at schools
Mid-day Meal NRI CONTRIBUTORS
Inspired by the example of ISKON that
feeds thousands of poor children in govern-
ment schools, Dr. Shah decided to do some
grass roots social work and provide nut-
ritional meals to poor children. He used his
own funds and matched government
grants to replace leaky vessels and food
containers with 1,200 new vessels. His
direct involvement helped about 20,000
students in Ahmedabad with a regular
supply of nutritional food. Dr. Shah has
taken a keen interest in collecting infor-
mation about nutritional requirements from
experts. He has a vision to revolutionize the
mid-day meal in parts of Ahmedabad and
nearby rural areas in the next two years.

Dr. Shah believes that the poor people of Contacts:

New containers provided by Dr. Shah
India need more than doles of money. He Dr.Kirti T.Shah
is currently involved in trying to bring about 10710 Memorial Cove,
Houston, Texas 77024, USA.
the college every year and meets the staff, systemic changes in the country. It should Tel: 281-772-4139 (Mobile),
faculty members and students to see how be noted that during most of this work, he 713-984-0429 (Residence),
the alumni association can meet its varied has the active support of his wife Vasant, Email: ktshahmd@yahoo.com
needs. who is usually with him z

DOCUMENTARY FILM ON BABA AMTE

(.mpg file, 73 MB)
Download it at:
http://www.babaamte.net/

"I need to eradicate moral leprosy and psychological anaesthesia that

penetrate society, along with physical leprosy."
- Baba Amte
This film on Baba Amte -
™ Introduces viewers to "Anandwan - the forest of bliss and joy", where nature nurtures the outcastes.
™A story of dedication for transforming social outcastes and the disadvantaged into productive members.
™Documents Baba's success in bringing together different sections of social outcastes.

For more details on Baba Amte's work and to contribute, contact:

Mr. Vikas Amte (For Anandvan) Maharogi Sewa Samiti

Phone: 91 7176 282034, 91 7176 282425 PO Anandwan, via Waroa,
Mobile: 9822466734 Distt. Chandrapur, Maharashtra 442914
Email: anandwan_ngp@sancharnet.in Email: mss@niya.org
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
B.K.SHARMA
is a paediatric surgeon
currently working in
the British NHS. Born
in Morena, India, the
son of primary school
teachers, he was
educated at Morena,
Gwalior and Bombay
in India and later in
England. With
the support of merit
scholarships, he
completed his
M.B.B.S, MS (general
surgery) and M.Ch
(paediatric Surgery) in
1980. He served for
three and a half years
in the Indian Army, and
participated in the
1971 Indo-Pak war.
Contacts:
Dr.B.K.Sharma
Gwalior Childrens Hospital Charity
(Regd. Charity No. 1063694),
Snehalaya Trust & GHECT (India),
14,Magdalene Road, Walsall,
West Midlands. WS1 3TA (U.K.).
Ph: +44(0)1922 629842
Fax: 01922 632942
Mobile: 07729929982
Email: Gwalior.Hospital@care4free.net
Website: www.helpchildrenofindia.org,
www.gwalior.hospital.care4free.net
22
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
B.K.SHARMA
“Snehalaya”- a Home
Filled with Love
Snehalaya is a home for disabled and destitute children,home-less women and the aged,
where they live together as a family.
D
R. BAL KRISHNA Sharma was born
on 3rdOct. 1948, at Morena in
Madhya Pradesh, India. He was the
eldest son of a school teacher. He comp-
leted his schooling in various villages in
MadhyaPradesh, before deciding to
become a doctor. With the support of merit
scholarships, he completed his M.B.B.S, MS
(general surgery) and M.Ch (paediatric
Surgery) in 1980. He served for three and a
half years in the Indian Army, and partic-
ipated in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
He settled down in the UK in 1981, and in
2004, he took early retirement, deciding to
work for the poor, disadvantaged, destitute
and disabled people of India. Since then,
he has established hospitals, rural health
centers, schools and day care centers in his
hometown of Gwalior.
Dr. Sharma started this work as a way to
pay back his dues to his homeland and
people. He initiated work by establishing
the Gwalior Children’s Hospital Charity in
the UK and the Gwalior Hospital and
Education Charitable Trust in India. He
continues without help from any Gover-
nment, his work being his mission in life.
Even after the sad demise of his wife,
Meena, in August 2004, he has not deter-
red from his path.
With support from his children, Vivek (a
budding economist) and Juhi (a trainee
psychiatrist), he established “Snehalaya -
the home with love”. He also established
the Dr. Meena Sharma Memorial Foun-
dation to help the poor, disabled and desti-
tute in the Gwalior and Chambal regions.
He established the Gwalior Hospital for
Children and Women, Gwalior General
Hospital, Gwalior Mobile Hospital (a hosp-
ital on wheels), as well as rural health
centres.
He founded the Sunrise International
School - an integrated main stream school,
as well as a school for children with mild
learning disabilities. He is also involved in
support work in local schools and
orphanages.
About Snehalaya:
Snehalaya is a home for disabled and desti-
tute children, home less women and the
aged, where they live together as a family. It
includes a school for children with special
needs, a multi-sensory room, a health and
vocational training centre and works, to
make these children independent and able
to live their lives with dignity and self
esteem. At present, there are 32 children
and 70 residents, including volunteers at
Snehalaya. In the next few years, Sneha-
laya plans to house 200 children and build a
hospital with 30 beds. (www.helpchildrenof
india.org/snehalaya.html) All the facilities in
Snehalaya are available to the children from
the local community too.
Dr. Sharma’s work is an inspiration to
others and a proof of what determination
can do. He believes that if every affluent
NRI works actively for the upliftment of a
village and its people, illiteracy, unemploy-
ment and poverty can be eliminated from
India. He invites support to help him carry
his work forward. z
 ANU PESHAWARIA NRI CONTRIBUTORS
SevA Legal Aid Foundation:
Fighting For Social Change
By helping immigrants in need,SevA lives up to its motto of providing "compassionate justice”.

T
HE PROBLEM OF faulty NRI Marriages remarkable feat in a country where
has become a harsh reality for many immigration consultations can cost any-
immigrants who travel to the U.S., where upwards of $100 per hour! SevA
Britain and Canada to marry, only to be provides free legal aid to many immigrants
deserted by their spouse in a new country. who do not have the financial resources to
This is a problem Anu Peshawaria, Indian obtain legal counsel through regular
lawyer andimmigration consultant, has channels. Anu often is accosted by clients
witnessed first-hand. She started a non- who “pay” their fees in with their time - by
profit organization, SevA Legal Aid volunteering for SevA in exchange. This ANU PESHAWARIA
based in Fremont, CA
Foundation (sister organization to India
is a Supreme Court
Vision Foundation) to aid such immigrants Attorney from India.
who have no other resource to turn to at As a lawyer in India,
such times, and to help educate them on she has successfully
immigration law so that they can get out of represented
their harsh circumstances in a legal manner. prominent cases. She
has won several cases
Anu’s motivation to found SevA began for women in distress
when she realized the enormous legal and in domestic violence in
moral predicaments immigrants put India, UK, USA &
themselves in, most of the time due to lack offers them a sense of accomplishment in Canada. She has been
conferred several
of access to reliable legal information and addition to the ease of having their situation
awards, such as
resources. She realized that there was a handled by a professional. “Outstanding
huge information and resource gap that Achievement Award”
needed to be filled to prevent these In Delhi on October 13th, 2006, at a from American
people from falling through the cracks. conference on NRI Marriages and Federation of Muslims
SevA, headquartered in Fremont, CA, is Investments for the people of India, Anu of Indian Origin
run by volunteers and one paid manager. announced SevA’s mission, “SevA connects (AFMI), “Outstanding
SevA’s team of attorneys, business leaders, people with U.S. and Senior Supreme Court Community Service
technocrats, professors, and civil servants of India for advice and guidance to deal Award” from Fremont
with multicultural, multilingual background, with their immigration problems. These Mayor Bob
is dedicated to transforming the vision of services are provided to those who are in a Wasserman, Kanishka
Award & Bharat
SevA into reality. By helping out immigrants socio-economically deprived and oppressed
Nirman Award by the
in need, SevA lives up to its motto of position. We are here to provide profe- President of India.
providing "compassionate justice". ssional advice and guidance to both
enlighten and empower these people to
Today, as the head of SevA, Anu helps take control of their situation and find ways
numerous clients who come to her and who to deal with their immigration and adjust-
cannot afford expensive legal fees by ment problems.”
providing them with free consultation – a Contacts:
SevA attempts to educate the public in SevA Legal Aid
these areas to benefit India as a country, 38211 Eggers Common
Fremont, CA 94536-5208
and Anu frequently travels to India to host Email: anu@anuattorney.com
educational workshops that inform the Call toll-free at 866-586-6297
public on such matters.

To know more about SevA Legal Aid 23

Foundation, join the group at CATALYST
www.sevalegalaid.com. z FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS KOTESWARA RAO BATCHU
The Batchu Foundation -
Improving Children’s
Lives in Peddapuram
The mission of the Batchu Foundation is to strengthen the community institutes in the
areas of education,sports,health,sanitation and drinking water.

D
R. KOTESWARA RAO Batchu was
born in the year 1949 in
Peddapuram, Andhra Pradesh, India.
He got his medical degree from the Andhra
Medical College and then moved to
Willingdon Hospital, New Delhi to finish his
KOTESWARA RAO residency in Paediatrics. He later relocated
BATCHU to Chicago, U.S.A., where he set up a
was born in private practice in Paediatrics and Family
Peddapuram in India.
Medicine.
He joined Banaras
Hindu University for integrating education at the elementary,
Pre Medical. He got Dr. Batchu runs his clinic with the help of secondary and higher secondary levels in
his MBBS degree from his wife, Denise, and medical school and the villages, thus raising the standards of
Andhra Medical high school students, whom he mentors. He education in the area.
College. He moved to is also very active in the field of social work.
New Delhi Willingdon He has organized relief for the victims of the He pledges more than 75% of his income
Hospital to finish his Bhopal Union Carbide Plant disaster and each year to AID India and the Batchu
residency in Pediatrics. has worked with Mother Teresa and her Foundation for the development of the
He later moved to “Missionaries of Charity”. He has been communities in and around Peddapuram.
Chicago, USA where recognized by various community His contribution over the years has
after further residency
organizations like TANA and ATA in the exceeded 15 million US dollars.
training in Pediatrics,
he settled in Downers United States.
Grove, Illinois, in his The mission of the Batchu Foundation is
private practice in Dr. Batchu started “Americans and Indians to strengthen the community institutes in
Pediatrics and Family for the Development of India” (AID India) and around Peddapuram, in the areas of
Medicine. in the U.S.A, and got tax exemptions solely education, sports, health, sanitation and
for the purpose of developing the drinking water. The Foundation works with
infrastructure of Peddapuram. He founded community organizations like the Rotary
the Batchu Foundation as an extension of Club and similar institutions in delivering
AID India. services in the areas of health and
education. It also works with the local
In 1996, Dr. Batchu founded IMSA government bodies like the Municipality
International School, the first digital school and the Village Panchayats in developing
in India, in Peddapuram, with the aim of infrastructure in the areas of education,
Contacts: health, sanitation, roads and drinking water.
Koteswara Rao Batchu
Batchu House The Foundation works with the State and
Batchu Street, Peddapuram - 533437 Federal governments in jointly sponsoring
A. P. India
Phone : (08852) 24241273 projects related to health and education in
E-Mail: batchuhouse@batchufoundation.org rural and semi-urban communities. It works
along with government officials, elected
representatives, older people and the youth
24 in the communities for the prosperity of the
CATALYST society at large. Its aim is to take care of
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT children, women and the indigent. z
 RAM NARAYANAN
Promoting Indo-US Relations
More than merely informing readers by passing along articles and opinion editorials,
Ram gets people to write letters to the editor and to their elected representatives,
even circulating templates of letters to help things along.
S
EVERAL MONTHS AGO, if you’d been
following the pending Indian civilian
nuclear deal, you may have assumed
it was headed for trouble. However, on
16th November 2006, the deal was over-
whelmingly approved by the Senate (the
House already approved it). Outside of
D.C., one person who deserves credit for
this is Ram Narayanan.
Narayanan is a photo-shy retiree living in
Buffalo, but amongst the Indians, he is one
of the most influential grassroots activists in
America. His activism has mirrored, and has
helped define, the increased political sophis-
tication of Indian-Americans in recent years.
He does not openly support any party in
the US or India, but his issues are pretty
defined: he wants a more muscular econ-
omic and military partnership between the
two countries, and he wants American law-
makers to crack down on cross-border
terrorism driven by Pakistan.
It was the Kargil episode in 1999 that got
him going. He started his website,
www.usindiafriendship.net then, after
which he started the email list. Today,
with help from his wife, Loral Alberta
Narayanan, he has about 15,000
subscribers, more than any other South
Asian website.
Probably the quality that makes Ram’s
list even more influential than its numbers
suggest, is his ability to motivate subs-
cribers. More than merely informing readers
by passing along articles and op-eds, Ram
gets people to write letters to the editor and
to their elected representatives, even circu-
lating templates of letters to help things
along. This moves the issue from back-
rooms on the Hill to the public arena,
and makes Congressional aides take
notice. “Congressional staffers are always
trying to get up to date, and non-editor-
ialized information on pressing issues,” says
Rich Verma, senior national security advisor
to Senator Harry Reid; “That’s what Ram’s
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
listserv assists with.”
“He has been instrumental in mobilizing
public opinion on various issues,” says Dr.
Chandresh Saraiya, the national president
of the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation.
One Beltway observer says Narayanan’s
contribution is ‘significant,’ in terms of
holding politicians’ feet to the fire, primarily
by making it known who has voted and
who’s still sitting on the fence. The effect is RAM NARAYANAN
less that of an analyst than a grassroots is an American of Indian
activist, and that Narayanan’s strength lies heritage and a retired
in his independence. If there is any marketing consultant.
downside, the observer thinks it rests in He hosts and
Narayanan’s approach to U.S.-India- coordinates a 100
Pakistan relations as a “zero-sum game,” percent not-for-profit
wherein what’s good for Pakistan is by website, which is an all-
in-one resource Indian-
definition bad for India.
Americans and friends of
India can turn to for
But Ram disputes this, "I am not against information on current
Pakistan nor do I think US-India-Pakistan issues relevant to US-
relations are a zero-sum game," he says. "I India relations
am against Pakistan's policy of training and (http://www.usindiafrien
directing terrorists against India and the rest dship.net/). The web site
of the world. I am looking forward to the is a totally voluntary
day when Pakistan would be to India what effort of Ram, with his
Mexico is to the US." wife Loral providing
technical support. Ram
and his wife, Loral
Ram is originally from Chennai, and
Alberta Narayanan, live
worked in banking before moving to the in Buffalo, New York.
US, where he became a marketing exe-
cutive. He now spends several hours a day
on the effort, answering emails, combing
press reports from the mainstream media
and Congressional journals and such, and
formulating summaries.
"The list, I may add, embraces the
diversity of India and the Indian American
community," he says, "whether occupation- Contacts:
wise, religion and caste-wise, language- Ram Narayanan
wise or by political persuasion; you name a Email: ramn_wins@adelphai.net
category and I am fairly certain you will find
some one belonging to that category on
the list." z 25
This article is written by Arun Venugopal, a CATALYST
journalist for WNYC FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI CONTRIBUTORS
MANIVANNAN J K
is an electronics
engineer, and an MBA
from Indian Institute of
Management,
Bangalore. He has
worked with ICICI
group for 7 years in
the areas of Project
Finance, E-commerce
and Technology.
Though selected for
the Indian Civil
Service, his desire to
work in the
development sector
with a corporate
perspective drew him
to the Foundation. He
heads GramIT, the
Rural BPO initiative of
the Byrraju
Foundation.
Contacts:
Byrraju Foundation
Satyam Enclave, 2-74,
Jeedimetla Village, NH-7
Hyderabad-500 055
Andhra Pradesh, India
Ph.: 91-40-23191725, 23193881
Fax: 91-40-23191726
E-Mail: mail@byrrajufoundation.org
26
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
MANI PATURI
Working Remotely…
but in Real-time
Agencies like the Byrraju Foundation are enabling the development of Virtual Leadership
through cost-effective real-time communication channels such video-conferencing,
Voiceover Internet Protocol thereby enhancing efficiency.
Dr. Mani Paturi using real-time communication services
T
HE PATURIS MIGRATED to the USA
almost 30 years ago, visited their
native village, Vunguturru, in Andhra
Pradesh, India, once or twice a year, and
organized medical camps with the help of
local relatives and friends. After her
husband passed away last year, Dr. Mani
Paturi, herself a pediatrician, and her family,
began looking for a way to continue the
services, and planned to create a permanent
health center in the village in his memory.
However, the challenge was to find a
suitable solution that would enable her to
assume a larger role and efficiently use her
time and skills, without sacrificing her
professional career and interests. It was
then that she came across the Byrraju
Foundation (www.byrrajufoundation.org ),
that works to transform villages by
providing essential services and using state
of the art technology.
On one fine weekend, Dr Paturi started
interacting with people in Village Kasipadu,
a village 500 km away from the state
capital, Hyderabad, right from her home
environs, using video chat on the internet
set up by the Foundation. The villagers were
very glad to interact with her and the local
leadership, including the elected represen-
tative (the Panchayat Sarpanch), extended
their co-operation to her. Now, Dr Paturi
consults the infants and the young mothers
in the villages for about two hours every
week. This is a small beginning no doubt,
but it has given Dr Paturi tremen-dous
professional and personal satisfaction, and
she is now even confident that she can
monitor the project without having to travel
to India as often as she thought it would be
necessary.
India tops the world in terms of
remittances worth $21.2 billion each year,
and it is estimated that at least 50% of
these come from the diaspora in the US. To
get a perspective, one just needs to contrast
this with the amount of much sought after
foreign direct investment (FDI) from USA to
India, which was a mere $469 million for
2004-05.
Majority of the Indian diaspora consists
of professionals and knowledge workers,
who could utilize their core comp-etencies
for social causes. However, the diaspora’s
influence on the last mile of implementation
of social projects (the weakest link in the
chain), is currently minimal.
The Byrraju Foundation aims to provide
the ways and means to undertake work like
Dr. Paturi, through cost-effective real-time
communication channels, such as chat,
video-conferencing, Voiceover Internet
Protocol, e-mail, and instant messaging,
thus enabling the development of Virtual
Leadership. z
 VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP
Virtual Leadership is defined as assuming full lifecycle responsibility - from concept to implementation -
for an initiative or a project, addressing specific deliverables in the social sector with modern information
technology being used as a tool.

It involves harnessing the skills and willingness of the Indian Diaspora through the power of Information
Communication Technology, creating a new mechanism that can foster a Southern version of Philanthropy,
‘Doing Good together’, as against the Northern version of ‘Doing Good to others’. The core principles are
as follows:

A belief that it is possible to implement social projects of importance within the existing
constraints in India.
‹ An inclusive approach towards development, which would involve the village communities,
local leadership, Government, NPOs etc.
‹ An open, innovative mind to look for solutions using one’s intellectual and social capital.
‹ One-to-one, periodic interactions with the other stakeholders of the projects.
‹ Continuous monitoring of projects that would lead to better implementation.
‹ Having a personal stake to increase the commitment levels.
NRI CONTRIBUTORS the tele.graam
an occasional bulletin of news from "the distant village"

…AND THEY PICK FLOWERS EARLY IN THE MORNING

hey rise early as most women in Indian
T villages do. They - all fifteen of them - leave
their small hamlet of Geemarahalli in
Karnataka, India. They walk in
different directions, in pairs or small
groups and eventually arrive at
their respective patches of land
that lie scattered. There is a sense of both
urgency and purpose. Most are married and they
must hurry home to care for their children, tend
to the animals and the many chores that will
occupy their day.
he flower growing activity was conceived as a
T rural business enterprise. The women, being
from agricultural tradition and background, had
the instincts of working the land. JSS KVK
provided the required training and equipped the
women with the skills needed for this specific
venture. infraSys analyzed the project from
several perspectives and invested Rs 37,500/- (Rs
3,300/- per person)

hese women are horticulturists

T and they walk to their ¼ acre of
land each morning to harvest the
Sugandharaja flowers (tuberose)
they grow. The picking of flowers
must be completed by the time
the buyer arrives in his vehicle, as he does
everyday, to purchase flowers from them to meet
the market demand in Mysooru.
Today, the Thriveni women are independent
MURTHY he buyer collects the flowers from each successful entrepreneurs with predictable
SUDHAKAR’S
exposure to villages
T woman in their respective fields, weighs and
records the amounts. Ms. Rajamma,
incomes of over Rs 900/- a month. Some
highlights…
began at a young age, the President of Thriveni, who stays
when he accompanied abreast of prices at the Mysooru z A delegation of Self Help Groups from Nepal
his father on many of his flower market by telephone, finally has visited Thriveni to learn from them.
geological field trips. negotiates the price for the whole group. This is z Ms. Rajamma. President of Thriveni, has been
Later, E.F.Schumacher’s their morning routine, one the women enjoy and nominated for ASPEE Woman farmer of the year
“Small is Beautiful”, relish. This is their time. But this was not a part of for 2006.
introduced him to their lives until only recently. z Because of their success and enterprise, The
J.C.Kumarappa and Indian Institute of Horticultural Research,
together, the two hriveni Mahila Swasahayaka Sangha (Thriveni Bangalore, through JSS KVK, has contracted with
sparked his interest in
economics,
T Women's Self Help Group was formed 6 years
ago and like most SHGs in rural India, their sole
5 Thriveni women for seed multiplication and
yield tests for a new variety of tuberose - Sringar
development, activity had been lending their savings to each - developed by IIHR
technology and rural other for personal use and collecting interest. z Thriveni women have encouraged another
India in particular. group of women from their village to embark on
n 2004, a unique a separate enterprise with infrasys, the entire
I collaborative effort, key
to the eventual success,
investment for which came from the money
recovered from Thriveni. No new money was
unfolded involving invested!
Thriveni, JSS Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Suttur,
Nanjangud Taluk, Karnataka 571129) and There are more successes to share and
infraSys, the Bangalore based company founded stories to tell… after the sun sets… in a
by Murthy Sudhakar, an NRI residing in the USA. distant village.

infraSys invests in small enterprises in rural India. We bring together the

necessary infrastructures - physical, know-how and financial - without

which such enterprises may neither succeed nor be sustainable.

28
We seek collaboration in creating livelihoods and infrastructure in rural areas.
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Visit http://www.infrasys.biz/ and the write the author at musu-infrasys@sbcglobal.net
 SHARE AND CARE FOUNDATION NRI ORGANIZATIONS
25 Years of Effective
Methodology to Reduce Poverty
SCF believes that all human beings are equally worthy and have the right to lead a
dignified life and that the more fortunate have an obligation to make this vision a reality.
SCF motto sums it all - Share in the Joy of Caring.

T
HE SHARE poverty. Over the
AND Care years, efforts
Foundation evolved into hosting
(SCF) has under- medical camps and
taken many activ- the provision of MONA
PATEL SHAH
ities over the past immunizations and
is an active member of
25 years to help nutritional supple- the Share and Care
the underprivi- ments, SCF realized Foundation. Currently,
leged successfully that to fulfill its Mona is working on
break through the objective of poverty connecting youth in the
cycle of poverty. alleviation there US with their peers in
Started in 1982 by must be three foci: India with the goal of
a group of Indian (1) health, (2) educ- empowering the youth
immigrants - SCF Tree planting in one of the schools ation, (3) opport- and building bridges for
has grown into a unity and change. She holds a B.A
10,000 donor-strong organization entrepreneurship. SCF has worked with in Art History and minor
in French, and a M.A. in
dedicated to helping charities fulfill their numerous organizations in India that
Economics and a M.S. in
mission of eradicating poverty, SCF has emphasize these three issues. SCF has Statistics. Mona has
successfully developed a platform and realized that the three inter-dependent worked as an
methodology to combat poverty, guided by causes of poverty are: the lack of education investment banker and a
the principle that parallel and supporting or basic skill development, lack of access to consultant, and has run
structures enable those living in poverty to health care, and a dearth of tangible market research groups
break through faster and with better opportunities for success. for software and
preparation. entertainment
In the field of education, SCF determines companies. She has
The initial efforts of SCF concentrated on the type of education (vocational training, previously founded
donating clothing, shoes, and medical formal education or basic skills develop- "Reading Makes the
World Go Round", an
equipment. As the members of SCF ment) that would benefit women and
organization dedicated
multiplied and their trips to India grew more children the most, taking into account their to distributing books and
frequent, it became apparent that simply personal situations. In the areas of health educational materials to
providing aid would not pull people out of and nutrition, SCF makes sure children have orphanages in the
enough sustenance and medical care to United States. Mona was
maximize their potential. SCF coordinates a delegate to the United
eye camps, and provides dialysis machines Nations Youth Global
to medical institutions across India. It has Summit in 2006.
established a medical training center in rural
Jhagadia to train local volunteers and Contacts:
paramedics to visit remote places. SCF’s Mona Patel Shah
health partnerships and initiatives focus on 676 Winters Avenue
Paramus, NJ 07652 USA
providing awareness of family planning, pre Phone: (201) 262-7599
and post natal care, child health care, and Email: info@shareandcare.org
immunization.

SCF gives poor women and children the 29

opportunity to escape poverty. In Mumbai CATALYST
School on Wheels’ students are engaged in activities alone over two million street kids live in the FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI ORGANIZATIONS slums or are homeless. Through the efforts
of the adopt-a-child program, SCF has
helped over 250,000 children pull out of
this vicious cycle of helplessness and
destitution. SCF has sustained its donor pool
and grown into one of the largest India-
based Foundations in the United States. By
Learning with the help of Overhead Projector
ensuring a balance of giving so the donors
know their contributions go to numerous
organizations that touch different aspects
of a recipient’s life.
One of the key elements of SCF’s
successes is careful selection and active
involvement and monitoring of projects.
SCF members also continuously network
with the supported NGOs in India, sharing
key best practices and processes with them.
SCF also gets involved at the
macroeconomic and legal level.
Often, SCF’s relationships with key
government personnel and
agencies make a substantial
difference in the success of the
charities. To commemorate twenty
five years of giving to India, SCF is
holding the inaugural Medical Shibir
(Camp) in Bhimora, Gujarat. This is
a volunteer effort that involves
physicians from both India and the
United States.
SCF’s successful model has been
developed over 25 years of giving
and involvement. SCF’s efforts have
improved the lives of millions of the
poor in India through parallel and
supportive focuses on health, education and
opportunity / entrepreneurship. z
 THE SEHGAL FOUNDATION NRI ORGANIZATIONS
Empowering Individuals from
within the Community
The Sehgal Foundation works through Integrated,Sustainable Village Development (ISVD)
model,comprising five key programs:water management,income enhancement,rural health,
family life education and alternative energy.

T
HE SEHGAL FOUNDATION was
established as a Trust in 1999 by Dr.
Suri Sehgal and his wife, Edda, in Des
Moines, Iowa, USA, to help reduce poverty
and improve the quality of life in rural India.
Its goal is to empower individuals and
communities to take care of themselves,
rather than remain dependent on outside
assistance. Recognizing the multidim-
ensional nature of development, the
Foundation promotes an Integrated,
Sustainable Village Development (ISVD)
model, comprising five key programs: water
management, income enhancement, rural
health, family life education and alternative
energy.
In recognition of its efforts towards
reaching the MDGs, the Foundation was
granted Consultative Status with the UN
Economic and Social Council in 2005. The
Foundation is headed by Jay Sehgal, an NRI
living in India. After spending fourteen
years in the United States, studying and
working in the field of Information
Technology, Jay Sehgal got an offer in 1992
to work in India. He looked at this offer as
a challenge to work in a difficult
environment. In the early nineties, when
the computer revolution just began in
urban India, Jay was instrumental in
installing computers in many villages of
Andhra Pradesh although he was working
for a for-profit organization. As he prepared
to return to the United States in 2001, he
accepted another challenge – that of
switching his career from technology to
social work by joining the Sehgal
Foundation, India.
The Foundation currently focuses on 12
villages in the Mewat and Kurukeshtra
districts, in the state of Haryana. Each of
these villages is expected to serve as a role
model for other neighboring villages,
eventually forming 12 clusters of
development-oriented villages. At the JAY SEHGAL
is the Managing Trustee
grassroots level, these programs are imple-
and Executive Director
mented by a dedicated team of field of the Sehgal
workers, who work closely with local Foundation. Having
bodies. They receive support from a team sixteen years of
of experienced and highly qualified experience in
professionals based at the Foundation’s Information Technology
headquarters. Both the field workers and he also directs the IT
the headquarters’ team visit the villages Program of the
regularly, interact with the communities and Foundation. Jay worked
involve the people in all key decisions. The for six years in leading
Foundation works closely with Village private sector
organizations in USA
Champions (VCs) to disseminate its ISVD
after graduating from
model to other villages. Village Champions the University of Iowa.
are individuals selected for their ability to Prior to joining the
lead the community from within, and are Foundation he was
trained intensively by the Foundation. Director of Information
Technology at Proagro
The Foundation’s Institute for Rural Group of Companies,
Research and Development (IRRAD) in India.
Gurgaon houses facilities for rural research
and advocacy. IRRAD is expected to play an
important role in policy making and
expansion. The training facilities will be
shared with other NGOs and volunteers
interested in rural development. This will
enable the Foundation to actively pursue
partnerships with other organizations,
create synergies and accelerate the
development process. Contacts:
Jay Sehgal
289, Sector 17A, Gurgaon,
With the vision of Dr. Suri Sehgal, a very Haryana - 122 001 India
supportive team, and a business-like Tel: 91-124-2397621, 91-124-2397622,
approach to development, the Sehgal 91-124-5010426 Fax :91-124-2346733
Foundation is one of the leading not-for- Email: smsf@smsfoundation.org,
jay.sehgal@smsfoundation.org
profit organizations in India. z Website: http://www.smsfoundation.org

Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract - sustainable
development - and turn it into a reality for all the world's people. 31
- Kofi Annan CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI ORGANIZATIONS INDIAN YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NETWORK
Leading India toward Millennium
Development Goals
At the core of IYPN is a specific purpose and desire that of harnessing the intentions of
Indian Young Professionals to achieve Millennium Development Goals in India
through their knowledge and wealth transfer.
S
WATI SAVE FOUNDED the Indian
Young Professionals Network (IYPN).
She believes that young professionals
who are good stewards do it for themselves
or family, then their state, then their country
SWATI SAVE
and then the world. When people are
is the founder of IYPN
and holds two masters concerned about the brain drain it is
degrees: Master's in primarily because the people with whom
Organic Chemistry they are dealing are consumed with
from University of maximizing their assets. If they come across
Bombay & Master's in a steward, they should be assured that
Public Policy from same concern doesn't apply to them.
Georgia Institute of
Technology. She has At the core of an enlightened enterprise is
ten years experience always a specific purpose and desire - to
as a science and bring higher purpose into its boardroom -
technology policy
in IYPN's case it's harnessing the intentions
professional working
with national and of Indian Young Professionals to achieve the
international programs Millennium Development Goals in India
in both the US and through their knowledge and wealth
India. Her first book transfer. This is for the higher goal of
"My Dreams Are Not making India a developed nation by the
For Sale - From Human Development Index such that each
Breakdowns to and every Indian lives in dignity and their
Breakthroughs" will be needs are fulfilled. A billionaire from the
published in 2007. She last century, John D. Rockefeller said it best:
comes from the family "Think of giving not as a duty, but as a
of the first female
privilege. Why is it a privilege? Because
practicing doctor in
India, Dr. Rakhmabai giving enriches the process of wealth
Save. creation".
The IYPN proposes an economic model
that would be the nexus of corporations,
universities and government entities that
are willing to diversify into fields related to
Contacts: water, energy, health, agriculture and
Indian Young Professionals biodiversity. It would address socioe-
Network conomic causes in return-on-investment
45 Roanoke Street basis as well as risk ventures. The model
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
would look at universities to create courses
Email : swati@iypn.net
Web : www.iypn.net aligned to developing professionals in
emerging fields. It would look at creating
focus groups that cater towards creating
32 opportunities at the SME level.
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT The IYPN believes that there is an
opportunity to harness the young
population of a nation in a way that not
only contributes to the nation's economy,
but also to its development mandate by
creating wealth-generating opportunities in
different sectors.
In November 2006, the IYPN launched
partnerships with two other organizations,
the Asha Honor Academy and the Youth
Employment Summit to achieve India's
Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
The Asha Honor Academy is an
organization that is committed to catalyzing
socio-economic change through education
for the underprivileged children of India.
The Youth Employment Summit builds in-
country coalitions to develop national
strategies addressing youth unemployment.
The three partners have launched five
projects in the areas of child health care,
rural youth employment guarantee scheme,
and primary education in 91 villages in
Maharashtra, India.
1) The National Rural Youth Employment
Guarantee Scheme project will be implemented in
45 villages of Hingoli district.
2) The Health Care Project will undertake
vaccination initiatives, training of 100 young
doctors, collecting & analyzing data on child
mortality, malnutrition, vaccination and mother
health in Thane district as well as the creation of the
700K web page on child healthcare. ( The 700K
project hopes have an active web page for each
one of the 700,000 villages in India.)
3) The Education Project will consist of the creation
of 18 information technology (IT) classrooms in 36
villages of Parbhani district, the training of 90
community youth teachers for the social tech
education movement, and the imparting of basic IT
education to 9000 students and 450 youth
members.
4) YES Fund in Pune is dedicated to making
targeted financial investments and capacity building
grants for young entrepreneurs in Pune.
5) Young Professionals Exchange Program will
harness knowledge and skill transfer of Indians
based in the U.S. with universities in both rural and
urban settings in India. z
 THE SMALL-SCALE SUSTAINABLE
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND
A 'Social Merchant Bank'
Approach to Poverty Alleviation
S3IDF produces viable business ventures that supply utility services to poor
people in ways that tap into existing local sources of small-scale finance.
M
ODERN STATES AND large
private sector companies are
unable to provide necessary utility
services in developing countries. Currently
two billion people in the developing world
live without access to clean water, reliable
electricity, and effective sanitation. While
international financial institutions support
large-scale investments in this area, the
current challenge is to find ways to enable
the private sector to provide these services
through decentralised small-scale utilities
and at a cost people can afford.
This is the challenge that 'The Small-Scale
Sustainable Infrastructure Development
Fund, Inc.' (S3IDF) is addressing through its
innovative Social Merchant Bank Model.
The Elements of the Model
S3IDF believes that recent technical
innovations and regulatory changes
provide an opportunity for small-scale
businesses to supply modern energy and
other infrastructure services with a degree
of financial sustainability. Poor people
represent a significant market for modern
services in the energy sector as they
spend a high proportion of their cash
incomes on traditional and inefficient
energy services Small-scale enterprises are
well suited to provide more efficient
utility services at a standard and at a cost
Self-help group with access to machines for making
plates and cups from areca leaf
NRI ORGANIZATIONS
Never doubt
that a small
group of
thoughtful,
Rural school introduces cost effective computer
education for students committed
that meets the needs of poor people. citizens can
change the
S3IDF is able to demonstrate that financial
viability of these small enterprises and world;
projects is increased by serving income
generating end-users, such as shop keepers, indeed, it's
grain millers, farmers, women's groups, and the only
other small enterprises.
thing that
S3IDF's experience suggests that the
major constraint to the development of ever has.
small-scale enterprises is the shortage of - Margaret Mead
business propositions that are viable.
Commercial banks and equipment suppliers
have traditionally been unwilling to lend to
small-scale providers of utility services, as
they have little knowledge of these nearly
invisible markets or of the particular needs
of these enterprises. S3IDF helps them
overcome their concerns.
The Approach
S3IDF is producing a stream of viable
business ventures that can supply utility
services to poor people in ways that tap
into existing local sources of small-scale
finance. It also supports other enterprises
whose role is critical to these utility
services such as the small-scale suppliers of
technology and know-how. The ventures 33
that S3IDF works with are small-scale for- CATALYST
profit enterprises requiring start-up or seed FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI ORGANIZATIONS capital ranging between a
few $100s and a few
$10,000s. S3IDF identifies
projects by working with a
range of local players,
including entrepreneurs,
technology suppliers, local
banks, community groups,
and NGOs.
S3IDF provides "technical
and business development
Self-help group with access to machines for
making plates and cups from areca leaf
services" as well as financial
assistance. S3IDF currently
has a portfolio of about 60
active investments in India
with more than 100 projects
in the pipeline. z
This article is based on the
original article written by
Andrew Barnett, one of the
directors of S3IDF.

KRISHNA CHAITANYA RAO

is the project manager of S3IDF's Indian affiliate office at Bangalore since its
origin. A Chemical Engineer by training, he is responsible for overall staff
management and program oversight of Indian operations. He has the lead
responsibility in project development for all S3IDF portfolio and pipeline
activities and his duties include managing key partner and funder relationships,
negotiating agreements with financial institutions and entrepreneurs, fundraising and
networking, and reporting on staff progress and project status to S3IDF's Board and President.
He is also involved in the technical aspects of S3IDF's project development work and for
certain projects oversees financial engineering.

Contacts: NEERAJ DOSHI

S3IDF
#800, 14th Cross, 1st Phase,
J.P. Nagar, Bangalore 560 078 ,
Karnataka, India
Phone : +91-80-65902558
Fax : +91-80-26636136
Email : s3idf@yahoo.com
Website: www.s3idf.org
is a Research Analyst with S3IDF. He is primarily responsible for appropriate
technology research which is both, pro poor and pro environment. In addition,
he supports S3IDF's development and outreach activities. Neeraj holds two
masters, one in International Environment Resource Policy, Development
Economics and Sustainable Energy Policy from The Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy at Tufts University and other in business. A person of affirmative action, he is
actively involved with the campaign for Justice in Bhopal and other pro environment activities.
While working in Mumbai, he actively volunteered for Reach Education and Action Program
(REAP) teaching slum kids, Child Relief and You and Greenpeace.

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 SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY (SEEDS)
Helping Communities Help
Themselves
S
USTAINABLE ECONOMIC AND
Educational Development Society
(SEEDS) was born to seek, evaluate,
facilitate, promote, and support sustainable,
equitable, and decentralized grassroots
development projects in the developing
world, particularly in Orissa, India. The idea
is to help communities help themselves and
take responsibility for sustaining their
economic and educational development.
SEEDS supported over 20 major projects.
Here are but a few examples:
Providing livelihood security became a
major objective following the super-cyclone
in Orissa in 1999. In cooperation with
CanOSA and Unnayan, we created pani
panchayats. Essentially each panchayat
received a water pump to supply water for
cultivation. For income generation and
female empowerment, we introduced the
concept of micro credit to 30 self-help
groups. In the Balangir district, SEEDS
worked with The Humanity to build dams
to store water. Working with REACHD, we
constructed a water supply system from the
nearby river in another village. In Nuapada,
we funded KVP to build ponds to store
water. Other focus areas include basic
health and education.
The initial goal of SEEDS was to
motivating the affected people with
effective self-help through appropriate
training, and providing seed capital for a
sustainable process to guard against future
natural or "man-made" calamities. However,
SEEDS has learned much over the years and
shifted its focus to grass-root structural
issues, such as education and micro-credit.
SEEDS, catalytically helps high-integrity
development workers (NGOs) and ordinary
people alike to empower and help
themselves by sponsoring projects mostly in
rural Orissa. SEEDS doesn't believe in
simple charity nor are we just a funding
agency. We work in partnership with the
beneficiaries and the executing bodies
(NGOs) before, during, and after a project
NRI ORGANIZATIONS
is undertaken. SEEDS volunteers from
different regions of the world periodically
visit the project sites and report the progress
and problems encountered. They analyze
the impact of the project and reasons for
success or failure. Most of our volunteers
continue to donate their time, energy and
expenses so that all money donated to
SEEDS is applied to the sponsored project
without overhead.
PRIYADARSAN
PATRA
India is poised for significant economic
was born in Orissa and
prowess in the next few years as a result of lives in Oregon, USA.
its abundant supply of trained man power, He holds a B.E. from the
improving quality control, and democracy. Indian Institute of
Then why is it so hard and uneven at best to Science and a Computer
make a significant impact to a broader set Science Ph.D. from the
of people? While the answer is not simple, Univ. of Texas at Austin.
a most likely common denominator will be As a student in 1993, he
paying attention to the structural issues, founded SEEDS - an
such as education, infrastructural egalitarian, broad-based
development, attention to rural economy, organization of
volunteers around the
and the propagation of social justice. Even
world. He received the
though many of these issues require large first Distinguished Young
scale investment and action at the Oriya Award of the
government level, surprising results can be Orissa Society of
achieved by infusing modern methods and Americas. He works as a
techniques at the grassroots level. We need senior Research Scientist
social entrepreneurship: people and proc- with Intel's
Microprocessor
Technology Labs and is a
founding member of the
Validation Research Lab.
A "check-dam" built by SEEDS using food-for-work strategy in
Balangir's Chauladhia to facilitate irrigation, and other village needs
for water throughout the year Contacts:
SEEDS
esses that "open up major new possibilities
12688 NW Naomi LN,
in education, health, environment, and the Port land, OR 97229, USA;
other areas of human need." SEEDS believes Website : www.seedsnet.org
it can make a significant contribution in the E-mail: info@seedsnet.org
latter by serving as a catalyst in sustainable
transformations in areas such as rural 35
education, micro-credit systems and mass CATALYST
computing. z FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI ORGANIZATIONS
ASHOK SHENOY
works at Ernst &
Young’s Financial
Services Advisory
practice in New York
City. He has 14 years
experience in
technology, financial
services and insurance.
He lives in Stamford,
CT with his wife and
two children. Ashok
holds a Masters degree
in Computer Science
from the University of
South Carolina. He
also holds an MBA in
Finance and General
Management from
NYU Stern Business
School. Ashok came to
the US in 1991 and
joined Pratham in
2000. Currently, he is
part of Pratham’s NY
Tristate steering
committee.
Contacts:
Ashok Shenoy
Email: shenoy.ashok@gmail.com
36
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
PRATHAM
Will You be the Hen or the Pig?
I
T’S A WELL established fact that NRIs
have done well in North America over
the past few decades. From gas stations
and motels, to technology and financial
services, their enterprise and hard work has
made them very successful. This recently
generated wealth and status has resulted in
their becoming more philanthropic. Witness
the number of Indian NGOs, the people
actively involved, and the money raised by
them.
Traditionally, Indians are known to be
generous and helpful. But their generosity
and help is largely focused on their family
members and religious causes. Helping the
community and social causes generally
takes a backseat, given the amount of
corruption and the lack of accountability.
The internet era has, however, brought
about a growing awareness of the pressing
social issues in India. In addition, the
country is steadily moving towards more
Western style business practices,
transparency and governance. This has
resulted in NRIs feeling more comfortable
about their donations being used wisely.
Philanthropic NRIs generally fall into two
categories –
Contributors
This group donates money to NGOs,
leverages their network to help, and attends
charity events periodically. They are not
involved as much, relatively speaking, but
can still be very influential. They are
comprised of the older and richer NRIs, who
can spare more money than time.
Activists / Volunteers
This group has people donating their time,
expertise and ideas to NGOs. They are very
actively involved in organizing events,
attracting other volunteers, and raising
awareness of the cause in the NRI
community. This group comprises students
and young professionals, who can spare
more time than money.
Let us take one of the NGOs and its recent
gala event as a case study -
Pratham
Pratham, an NGO launched in Mumbai in
1994, provides primary education to over
4,000,000 children annually, in nearly
5,000 underprivileged areas in over 50
cities and 14 states throughout India. The
cost of educating a child is a mere $10 per
year in its direct programs, and an
astonishingly low $2 per year in its indirect
programs. Its goal is to have all the nation’s
children in school and learning well by
2010.
Pratham focuses on empowering the
children of India to face the country’s future
armed with skills of literacy, education and
self-confidence. And, its annual gala is one
way for Indian Americans to help
strengthen India’s younger generation.
Pratham’s Diwali (Indian festival of lights)
Gala on Oct. 14th in New York City was a
star-studded success. The 750 guests,
gathered at the Marriott Marquis in Times
Square, opened both their hearts and their
wallets to help educate the children of
India. The grass-roots non-profit
organization raised approximately
$750,000 during its sold-out event. The
gala was emceed by Sreenath Sreenivasan,
Dean of Students at Columbia Journalism
School, and the keynote speaker was Shashi
Tharoor, UN Under-Secretary-General.
 This event would not have been possible
without the immense time, effort, expertise
and ideas of a core team of volunteers. For
four months, this team of about 10 people
worked nights and weekends, planning
every last detail of the gala. The success of
the gala, and the positive feedback from
attendees, is a testament to their creativity,
hard work and management capability.
What makes it more amazing is that each
of the core team volunteers is a full-time
professional with commitments at home,
work and other activities.
“The problem of illiteracy in India is
immense. And Indian Americans can offer
their time and money,” said Tharoor.
“Many people have asked how they can
make a difference at home and that’s
through education. Educating young India,
especially girls, is what you can do to help.”
Tharoor narrated a fictional tale of The Hen
and The Pig, which keenly highlighted the
need for NRIs to get involved in the cause
to provide primary education to India’s
illiterate poor children. The tale goes as
follows –
Editor's Note
Issue 3 of Catalyst For Human Development featured an article,
"Superstitions are Retardants of Progress" on Page 39. However, we
missed out publishing Mr. Nayak's details.
A hen and a pig were discussing possible NRI ORGANIZATIONS
solutions to solve the problem of world
hunger. After some thought, the hen told
the pig, “Why don’t I donate the eggs and
you donate the bacon. Together, we should
be able to solve world hunger”. The pig
reflected on the hen’s statement and told
the hen, “If you donate the eggs, then that
is a contribution. But if I donate the bacon,
then that is a total commitment!”
Tharoor finished off by advising the
audience, “Pratham’s volunteers have
already provided the bacon. All you need to
do is provide the eggs, and this will help
provide primary education to millions of
illiterate, poor children in India.”
Time to make a choice - will you be the
hen or the pig?
To learn more about Pratham or to
contribute your time, money or skills to
their various education initiatives visit
www.prathamusa.org, or e-mail Be a beacon.
Houston@prathamusa.org or call 1-866-
PRATHAM z Beacons of
light are
calm, steady,
and
consistent.
- Joan R. Tarpley

NARENDRA NAYAK

is a biochemistry professor at Kasturba Medical College

in Mangalore. He is widely known for his investigation
and exposure of paranormal phenomena. He is
currently the President of the Federation of Indian
Rationalist Associations. He has spent three decades in
the pursuit of paranormal phenomena. His first
attempt was to start a Rationalist organization in
Dakshina Kannada district in 1976 with few members after his
graduation.. This organization has emerged as one of the most active in
the country. He has conducted thousands of miracle exposure programs
globally. He has been filmed by the Discovery channel, National
Geographic, Australian TV, BBC and many others. 37
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NRI ORGANIZATIONS
RATNAM
CHITTURI
has a Ph. D. in
operations research
and a specialist in
financial systems. He
has worked as an
engineer with major
companies like
General Motors and
Chase Manhattan. He
established and directs
the North South
Foundation for the
benefit of
underprivileged Indian
children.
Contacts:
Dr.Ratnam Chitturi
North South Foundation
2 Marissa Ct Burr Ridge,
IL 60527 (USA)
Ph: +1-630-323-1966
Fax: +1-630-455-9008
Email: chitturi@northsouth.org
38
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NORTH SOUTH FOUNDATION
A Lasting Imprint
With a motto to encourage excellence among the poor by eliminating
money as a barrier to higher education,the North South Foundation works to
promote education in the US and India.
S
WAMI VIVEKANANDA, A great
Hindu pioneer and diplomat to the
United States (US), who helped drive
the modernization of India, once said,
"Arise, awaken. Stop not till the goal is
reached."
Inspired by Swami Vivekananda's
thoughts and mission, Dr Ratnam Chitturi
established the North South Foundation
(NSF) in Illinois, United States in 1989. The
Foundation aims to unite Indians
belonging to diverse religious and ethnic
backgrounds under a single guiding
principle - education and its importance.
Dr. Chitturi's work, with the help of
hundreds of dedicated volunteers,
highlights the need for motivating children
to educate themselves and become leaders
of tomorrow. The North South Foundation,
founded in 1989, has achieved astounding
success in providing scholarships to
promising under-privileged students in
India. Till date, NSF has awarded over
3,000 scholarships to students in diverse
fields. With 17 'chapters' in 13 Indian
states, NSF is unique in that it is arguably
the single most expansive organization
dedicated to promoting education both
among its ethnic demographic in the US,
as well as in the mother country.
The counterpart of the charitable aspect
of the Foundation's work is the
competitions it holds for children of Indian
descent in the US. The contests are held in
several centers across the US with a focus
on academics. The popularity of these
competitions is illustrated in the statistics:
there are currently 65 chapters that
facilitated 6,700 contestants in 2006. This
is a big jump - there were less than 1,000
contestants, in 2001. Although scholar-
ships of US$1000, US$500, and US$250
are awarded, the contests fuel more than
mere competitive ambition.
Many young adults, who competed at a
younger age in NSF contests, have become
pronouncers, judges and contest
coordinators. This emphasizes the
Foundation's ability in shaping a culture of
volunteerism. While still in high school,
some children have become chapter
coordinators, successfully demonstrating
their leadership skills.
In fact, this sense of civic duty is one of
the many positive impacts of the North
South Foundation's work. The 'Dollar-a-
Square' program conducted by the
organization saw children canvass their
neighborhoods and approach their friends
for one hundred dollars to fill a sheet of as
many squares. All these efforts helped the
Foundation raise US$6700 for providing
33 scholarships to economically disadvan-
taged youth in India. In India too, NSF
scholars have begun contributing to social
upliftment. Surya Padala from the first
batch of scholarship recipients in 1990 has
started his own NGO, which currently
supports a few hundred poor but
meritorious children. Similarly, many other
volunteers are providing their time and
funds in furthering the activities of the
Foundation.
The North South Foundation has not
gone unrecognized for its efforts. The
Foundation has featured in most
prominent NRI-run publications, American
publications as well as in many Indian
newspapers. Demonstrating success both
in America and India, the North South
Foundation serves as a model for many
other charitable groups seeking to further
education in today's generation. The twin
goal of empowering children to perform
well in academics through contests, and
eliminating money as a barrier (among the
poor) to excel is quite unique and
remarkable. z
This article is written by Aparna Ramakrishnan,
winner of the Senior Public Speaking contest held
by the North South Foundation. She is in 12th
grade in Naperville, IL.
PHILANTHROPY
SRI PRASAD G.
is in the Sarvodaya
Movement in India and
frequently visits the US
giving talks, addressing
meetings of peace
activists, universities
and other institutions.
He has intensive
interactions with the
NRI community in the
US that he travelled
extensively. His
observations are based
on his understanding of
the NRI Community,
its potential and his
practical insights into
Indian situation.
Contacts:
Prasad Gollanapalli
General Secretary
Andhra Pradesh Sarvodaya Mandal
Gandhi Bhavan, M.J. Road
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh,
INDIA - 500001
Phone: 91 - 40 - 2473 2887 (Office)
91 - 40 - 2332 0196 (Home)
91 - 94404 02277 (Cell)
Email: apsarvodayamandal@yahoo.com
40
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
THE ROLE OF NRIS
Shaping India's Development
through Value Inputs
The NRIs role in realizing his or her vision of creating a 'non-exploitative social order' and building
society though a 'constructive program' can be more significant if they provide value inputs rather
than material contribution.
A
N ESTIMATED 25 million NRIs are
spread across 110 countries. The
NRI community is characterized as
highly educated, skillful and determined.
Many are successful in their careers, and
have become rich and resourceful.
Recognizing the importance of the NRI
community, the Government of India (GOI)
has set up the Ministry for Overseas Indian
Affairs to look after their interests and tap
their vast potential for the development of
the country. The GOI has also implemented
the 'Overseas Citizenship of India' (OCI).
In their initial years abroad, NRIs often
focus on their professional work and the
fulfillment of their personal and family
needs. This is also a period of under-
standing and adapting to a new society.
Through this time, India is often on their
mind; the poverty, rampant corruption,
violence and environmental degradation in
India are all matters of great concern to
them. To address these concerns, the first
generation of NRIs focused their attention
on amenities to improve the quality of life in
India. They helped build hospitals, schools,
community halls, temples, houses for the
poor, sanitation facilities, etc. They placed
emphasis on structures that had a physical
presence. Some state governments
provided matching funds for NRI contri-
butions, creating an incentive for them to
help their villages or regions. Some went
deeper, plunging into the development
process, giving up their lucrative careers
abroad and living in remote villages
working for development. They moved
from the charity approach to the solidarity
approach to partnership.
If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never
been in bed with a mosquito.
- Betty Reese
Many NRIs were young and focused on
their education and professional develop-
ment when they left India and possibly did
not have a deep understanding of the
complexities of our society. The commen-
dable components that the freedom
struggle had for improving society took a
back seat in post-independent India. The
education system in the country, while
providing opportunities for excellence in
professional subjects, is amiss in promoting
the overall personality of students. With
the vast exposure to other systems, NRIs
can now visualize how Indian society can
embrace systems that worked in other
countries. It is in this capacity that NRIs are
needed to provide direction for the
development of India.
To address these problems and work
toward solutions, NRIs can provide political
leadership in India. There is a need to
create an alternative frame for politics that
keeping people's interest at the core. A
message should go to the decision makers
that we cannot build a strong nation on
weak foundations and all sectors should
work together for toward this goal. This is
just one example. We ask NRIs to provide
'value inputs', those contributions that
extend beyond putting up buildings and
sending money for initiatives. Value inputs
can be the donation of thought, experience,
time, ideas and the drive to implement
them.
Provision of value inputs by NRIs' can lead
to the development of an inclusive Indian
society, free from poverty, corruption and
exploitation. z
PHILANTHROPY
The Diaspora Can Do More
If one in four overseas Indians contributes $100 dollars a month it would be nearly
$500 million.This sum can result in a leveraged spend of nearly 2-3 billion dollars a month
enough to solve most of the burning problems that impede real development.
C
HARITY, THEY SAY, begins at home.
Many of us seem to have read this
old adage as “Charity stays at
home.” We are taught to give from early
childhood. Every Indian religious and social
function has built into it an element of
giving. Poor feeding, giving alms to the
needy, feasting the Brahmins on important
occasions, are an inherent part of our
system. So what is the problem with Indians
when it comes to practicing the art of
giving? Is there a problem with the Indian
Diaspora?
We also hear that Indian Diaspora has not
done as much as the Chinese Diaspora. This
article sets out to examine whether the
P. K. MADHAV Indian Diaspora has done enough, and
is the CEO of Maytas whether these Indians can do more for their
Infra. He is a product country of origin.
of Rashtriya Indian
Military School, In the richest nation of the world – the
Deharadun. Madhav United States – annual giving last year was
has an MBA from FMS,
over $260 billion. In addition, the value of
Delhi and is also a
qualified Company volunteer work done by the citizens of US
Secretary. Before was equivalent to over $250 billion. One
Maytas, he was the would imagine that in a developed country
director and lead there would be no need for such kind of
partner of Satyam giving.
group's Byrraju
Foundation. There are no statistics available for the
extent of giving and volunteering in India
or by overseas Indians. Over 25 million
non-resident Indians and Persons of Indian
Origin live overseas. Let us assume that
three quarters of them are in no position to
contribute to anything other than their own
kith and kin back home. That still leaves
about six million Indians across the globe
that can do quite a bit for India without in
any way depriving themselves of any of the
Contacts: comforts which they have earned through a
P K.Madhav pioneering spirit, hard work and loads of
Email: madhav_pk@maytas.in sacrifices. The reasons why the Indian
Diaspora does not appear to do enough for
India appear to be the following:
The Diaspora does not know what those
42 back home “really” need. The giver wants
CATALYST to give for a cause that is dear to him; the
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT beneficiary has different priorities.
The Diaspora does not know how much it
takes to eradicate a want. Fear of the
unknown impedes giving. Decades of
absence from home has removed them
from the ground realities. Not many know
that over 80% of healthcare problems can
be solved with a set of about 20 medicines.
If the supply chain is managed efficiently, a
village of 5000 people will need no more
than $100 worth of these medicines for a
whole month. Aren’t there enough Indians
out there who can contribute 100 dollars
every month to wipe out this problem for
their respective villages?
If they contribute five dollars a month, a
child can go to a well-run and well provided
for English medium school in a village or a
small town. In a village of 5000 people,
about 500 children may need this support.
That is just $2500 a month. A good toilet
can be built for as little as $75. If a village
needs 400 of them it turns out to be a one
time investment of just $30,000. They will
never see open defecation the next time
they visit their village.
One can go on with more illustrations of
this type. The point is that it takes very little
to solve India’s problems if we begin
contributing even to the extent of our
limited capabilities.
Thirdly, the Diaspora does not know how
to channelize its contribution. Who should
I trust with my contribution? What if the
contribution does not reach the intended
beneficiary? If I show my benevolence, will
I be ripped off for much more in the future?
Isn’t it better to remain a non-contributor
and not get into trouble? Can I be a blind
donor? These are not ill-founded concerns.
There are not sufficient credible systems in
place for everyone to rely upon.
Yet my suggestion is to just begin giving.
Most of it may reach the right person. If
some of it does not, do not lose your sleep
over it. Therefore, once you have given, just
believe that what you gave does not belong
to you. Hence, you need not worry too
much thereafter. Of course this does not
mean that one should give mindlessly or
without a modicum of due diligence.
The fourth reason for the Diaspora not
contributing to the welfare of ‘back home’
is that it believes it is the responsibility of
the Government to take care of the country.
Once one has honestly paid her/his taxes, it
is just and fair to expect the State to take
care of the rest. Unfortunately, many in
power seem to believe that it is their
business to take care of themselves. After
all, they have worked so hard to get to
power and if it is not used for their own
advancement and for securing the future of
their kith and kin, then what was all the
effort for? It is no one’s case that this should
not change. The situation will only get
worse and the numbers of the selfish and
powerful will only swell. Uplifted citizens
are, in the long run, the best antidote to PHILANTHROPY
corrupt and selfish politicians.
While the Diaspora has many reasons for
not giving, they have two for actually
loosening the purse strings. Firstly, it takes
very little to solve many problems. We
have plenty of low-cost or no-cost
solutions. Secondly, it will not hurt the
Diaspora one bit. Just one in four overseas
Indians contributing $100 dollars a month
would be nearly $500 million. Most
development programs in India require the
beneficiary to contribute between 15-30
percent. Thus, the 500 million dollar
contribution will result in a leveraged spend
of nearly 2-3 billion dollars a month. That
is a very big sum. With that kind of
spending we would be able to solve most
of the burning problems that impede real
development. z

Fifty-Seven Cents
We can do no
great things--
A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too
crowded. "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her --only small
shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor took her by the hand, took her inside and found a place
for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she
things with
went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus. great love.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents - Mother Teresa
called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final
arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was
found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents
and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church
bigger so more children can go to Sunday school." For two years, she had saved for this offering
of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying
this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and
devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. Church
members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. A newspaper learned of the
story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth
many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the
little church for 57 cents. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00 - a
huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity
of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated. Have
a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday school building that houses hundreds
of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during
Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl
whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait
of her kind pastor, Dr Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds". 43
This is a true story, which goes to show what can be done with 57 cents. CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
PHILANTHROPY
ANIL K.
RAJVANSHI
was born and raised in
Lucknow. He
completed his M.Tech.
from IIT Kanpur and
his Ph.D. in mechanical
engineering (with
specialization in solar
energy) from the
University of Florida,
U.S.A. He taught at
the University of
Florida for two and
half years before
returning to India in
1981 to join Nimbkar
Agricultural Research
Institute (NARI) as its
Director at Phaltan,
Maharashtra. Dr.
Rajvanshi serves on
many prestigious
committees of the
Central and the States
Government. In 2001,
he received the
prestigious Jamnalal
Bajaj Award for the
use of science and
technology in rural
development. His
work also received the
prestigious Energy
Globe award in 2004.
Contacts:
Anil K.Rajavanshi
Email: anilrajvanshi@gmail.com
44
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
How NRIs can
Help in Poverty Alleviation
Sophisticated and cutting edge technology is needed to find a solution to the energy problem and
NRIs have a role to play in facilitating technology transfer and ultimately alleviate poverty.
E
VEN AFTER 60 years of independence,
a large part of the rural population in
India still uses archaic technology such
as inefficient kerosene lanterns for light, and
primitive and biomass cook stoves for
cooking. It seems that modern technology
has yet not touched their lives, and creation
of wealth is a desperate need.
Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can help in
creating a better quality of life for the rural
people by bringing in technology and
leveraging their knowledge, technology and
financial resources. While it is necessary to
improve all aspects of rural life to improve
the quality of life of the rural populace, this
article would focus on energy alone,
specifically on the production of liquid fuel
and electricity – two important fuels of
modern life.
One strategy to create wealth in rural
areas through energy solutions is to tie up
agriculture and the energy industry.
According to experts, on an average, only
25-40% of agricultural produce is food,
while the rest is agricultural residue.
Residues can produce electricity (via
biomass-based power plants), ethanol fuel
(via enzymatic hydrolysis process), and
diesel (via high temperature pyrolysis
route). Any marginal farm can produce
agricultural residues even if the main food
crop is not very successful. On an average,
a farmer can get an extra income of Rs.
2000-4000/acre from the residues alone if
they are used for producing energy. This
income can give him benefits even in case
of a distress sale of his crop.
Today, about 600 million tons/year of
agricultural residues are produced in India.
Most of these are burnt in the fields as a
solution to the waste disposal problem.
Theoretically, these residues can produce
80,000 MW of electric power year round
via biomass based power plants. This is
nearly 60% of the total installed electricity
capacity of India. Part of these agricultural
residues can also be used via the methane
(biogas) route to produce fertilizer for the
crops and gaseous fuel to run rural
transport, irrigation pump sets, or as
cooking gas.
Similarly, agricultural residues can be used
to produce diesel via fast pyrolysis process.
The production of liquid fuels and electricity
from residues will require an investment of
about Rs. 160,000 Crores. However, in
return it will bring about 10 times more
money to rural areas in terms of revenues
from energy generation. Besides, it can
potentially create almost 120 million extra
jobs in these areas.
Sophisticated and cutting edge
technology is needed for converting
agricultural residues to ethanol. For
producing electricity, there is a need to look
at technologies that convert agricultural
residues to electricity very efficiently, and
NRIs can bring some of the most efficient
power plants to India.
In 1974, I started my Ph.D. in Solar
Energy under Dr. Erich Farber. Dr. Farber
had come from Germany during the last
days of World War II and then worked in
U.S; he was very well recognized in the
scientific community. He told me that nearly
all the German scientists who came to U.S.
came with very few material things, but
with all their knowledge, which was used
by U.S. military and the Government for the
betterment of the country.
Both finance and knowledge are required
in poverty alleviation for India, and the NRIs
can contribute greatly by providing their
knowledge and skills. They can further
make their interventions more effective by:
‹ Tying up with local rural based NGOs
and financial institutions for financing,
‹ Educating the corporate sector and
having technological tie ups with them,
‹ Influencing multilateral agencies like the
World Bank, IMF, UN agencies and even
governments of western countries to help
in rural development. z
 MUSINGS ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
In the Footsteps of Nobel
Laureate Dr. Yunus
Social entrepreneurship is more about creating social value from innovative allocation and
application of available resources than about conducting any business.
L
AXMAMA LIVES ALONE with her
three children in the tiny village of
Sidhanalli in the southern Indian state
of Tamil Nadu. Recently she was faced with
a crisis when her 17-year old unmarried
daughter underwent a botched abortion at
the hands of a village "doctor." Laxmama
then took her daughter to a private hospital
where the physician agreed to complete the
abortion for a charge of Rs. 4,000 (nearly
$100). With little savings of her own,
Laxmama turned to her local money-lender
who immediately advanced her the funds
at terms acceptable to her - Rs. 200 in
interest and Rs. 200 in principal each month
over 20 months. The loan was arranged in
less than two hours, confirming the terms
with her thumb impression on a two line
promissory note. The surgery went off well,
and her daughter has recovered since then.
The high interest charged by her money-
lender would result in Laxmama repaying
double the amount of the loan, but she
feels that no one else would have provided
the funds in such a short time to save her
daughter's life. She doesn't know about
today's so-called social entrepreneurs who
might have been willing to advance her a
micro-loan at a relatively lower interest rate.
Even if she had known, she could not have
waited long enough to go through the loan
approval process.
Microcredit is often touted as a good
example of "social entrepreneurship". Yet,
there has been very little effort to define
and distinguish "social entrepreneurship" in
practical terms. It is assumed that social
entrepreneurship is "business for
benevolence." Many associate it with doing
business in a deprived area, especially in a
rural environment. Just as business
entrepreneurs create and transform whole
industries, social entrepreneurs are
presumed to apply entrepreneurial
principles and act as agents of change for
PHILANTHROPY
society, seizing opportunities to advance
sustainable solutions that create social
value. The question then is whether all
entrepreneurial activities involving the poor
can be termed as social entrepre-neurship.
The term "social activist", without much
ambiguity, has been in existence for quite a
long time. Anyone who is engaged in ABRAHAM
bringing about social change is deemed a GEORGE
is the founder of The
social activist. Many organizations engage
George Foundation
in advocacy of causes such as fair labor laws (www.tgfworld.org),
and practices, women and minority rights, an NGO engaged in
environmental protection, etc. However, humanitarian work in
none of these businesses are considered India. Born in Kerala,
social entrepreneurships, even though their India, and trained at
work might lead to social good. What then the National Defence
makes them any different from today's self- Academy in
proclaimed social entrepreneurs? Kadakvasla, he has also
served in the Indian
An entrepreneur is one who usually takes Army. He migrated to
the U.S., and obtained
on personal financial risk to create value,
an MBA in Economics,
with the expectation of generating profit; M.S. in Finance, and
the real test for an entrepreneur is success in Ph.D. in International
mobilizing resources or generating income. Finance and Banking
Social entrepreneurship is more about from the Stern School
creating social value from innovative of Business at New
allocation and application of available York University. After
resources than about conducting any over 20 years of
business. But as it is understood today, absence from India,
social entrepreneurship implies some sort of Dr. George returned
business-like activity (preferably sustainable in 1995 to start several
humanitarian projects.
and self-supporting) that benefits the poor.
The real distinction between entrepre-
neurship and social entrepreneurship is the
main intent and purpose.
For the sake of clarity, let us examine a
few cases. No one doubts that Wal-Mart is
a successful business, generating consid-
erable profit for its shareholders. It is also
one of the world's largest private employers,
providing jobs to people from every
segment of society. Does the fact that Wal-
Mart's entrepreneurial activities benefit 45
many poor people qualify it to be called a CATALYST
social enterprise? FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
PHILANTHROPY Consider a non-governmental organi-
zation running a rural hospital and several
innovative outreach programs. It may
charge a small fee for its services, while
meeting most expenses by donor funds.
This NGO is engaged solely in socially
beneficial activities by conducting a
"business" that is consistent with the
financial ability of its customers. Does it
qualify as a social entrepreneur?
Many people associate microfinance
activity with social entrepreneurship. The
fact that MFIs charge interest at relatively
lower rates than money-lenders does not
necessarily qualify them as social entrep-
reneurs either. MFIs exist to make profits for
their owners, and are least concerned about
whether borrowers use the funds for
worthwhile purposes.
Their sole aim is to collect both interest
and principal on the loans as per their
lending terms. The absence of direct
involvement on the part of the MFIs to help
the poor use the loans properly, and the
mechanism through which financial risk is
offset by government grants, make this
form of lending simply a commercial
activity. While MFIs do add value to their
customers, their primary intent and activ-
ities are not necessarily aimed at doing
social good. Does the fact that the borrower
is able to obtain loans at interest rates lower
than what a money-lender would charge
qualify the lending organization as a social
entrepreneur?
In my opinion, none of these cases falls
within the true meaning of social entre-
preneurship. Wal-Mart is engaged in a
business activity to maximize profits for its
shareholders, and not necessarily to benefit
the poor. Even though the consequential
result of its business activity is job creation
for many poor people, the intent and
purpose is not social good.
The NGO that conducts a quasi-business
activity is certainly involved in doing social
good. But it is not an entrepreneur taking
financial risks of its own and carries out a
self-supporting activity. When donor funds
dry up, its social services might also stop.
Everyone who does business in a rural or
deprived area is not a social entrepreneur.
So, who then is a social entrepreneur? It is
hard to find many individuals or institutions
that meet the true test. Those who take
on financial risk by engaging in a business
or business-like activity designed mainly
to benefit the poor are certainly social
entrepreneurs. Hopefully, the entrepreneur
who fits this definition is able to generate
enough income to at least cover the
expenses for building a sustainable
business.
Businesses that conduct themselves in a
socially and environmentally correct
manner (by paying fair wages, ensuring
worker safety, and adhering to
environmental standards) are meeting their
community responsibilities.
Instead of searching for social entrep-
reneurs, it is time to raise the bar for our
expectations of anyone who does business,
especially in the rural sector. What we really
need are everyday entrepreneurs who are
prepared to invest in rural and other
deprived communities. Only through such
vibrant business activity can the needed 3
billion new jobs be added in developing
countries like India. z

Additional Resources on Social Entrepreneurship

z The Nonprofit Entrepreneur: Creating Ventures to Earn Income Edited by Edward Skloot
http://fdncenter.org/getstarted/onlinebooks/skloot/summary.html
zUnlocking Profit Potential: Your Organization's Guide to Social Entrepreneurship by
BoardSource and Community Wealth Ventures
Contacts: http://www.boardsource.org/ViewBookStoreItem.asp?ID=98&Qty=1
Abraham George
zManaging the Double Bottom Line: a Business Planning Guide for Social Enterprises, by Sutia
Email : amgeorge@optonline.net
Kim Alter. Reference Guide and Workbook available from the Social Enterprise Reporter by e-
mailing bookstore@sereporter.com
46 zToward a Better Understanding of Social Entrepreneurship: Some Important Distinctions by
Boschee, Jerr and Jim McClurg (2003)
CATALYST Available at http://www.se-alliance.org/better_understanding.pdf
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 Is Mega Philanthropy PHILANTHROPY

Going to Make a Difference?

Recent years have seen mega-donations and large philanthropic gifts from a
generation of high technology and business tycoons.Success stories such as
eBay and Google are creating an epoch of generosity.

O
N JUNE 26TH, 2006, the largest matching basis for health, education and
gift to charity by a person was social programs in Mexico.
announced - a tidy sum of $37 As the number of large gifts and
billion. Warren Buffet, the world’s second foundations grows there seems to be some
richest person, gave his money to the common denominators among today’s
world’s richest man’s foundation, the Bill mega philanthropists. BRAD
and Melinda Gates Foundation. First, they are interested in solving broad HENDERSON
How much is $37 billion? Well, the societal problems like illiteracy, youth is a Canadian who
annual budget of the United Nations is $12 education, and global diseases like HIV, moved to Latin
malaria or tuberculosis. Second, they come America twelve years
from a business environment and want to ago with good
bring their entrepreneurial vision and skills intentions, experience
to bear on these global problems. as a business owner
The Foundation Center is a US and a Bachelor's
organization which monitors the growth of degree in agriculture.
He started raising
foundations and their assets. The center has
money for
a mission “to strengthen the nonprofit development projects
sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. and soon found himself
philanthropy.” coordinating the
resource mobilization
For Grant Seekers work for an
The Foundation Center provides an online international housing
Bill Gates – Founder of Microsoft search database for organizations interested NGO in nine countries
in preparing proposals in South America . In
billion a year. And $37 billion is $6 billion www.foundationcenter.org/findfunders. Another 2003 he attended
more than what Bill Gates gave to endow resource for grant seekers is the European Johns Hopkins Institute
for Policy Studies,
his foundation. Warren’s donation has Foundation Center, an international asso-
Center for Civil
created the world’s largest foundation with ciation that brings together independent Society Studies as a
assets of about $60 billion--the size of a grant-making organizations in Europe Senior Fellow in
multinational company like Disney or www.efc.be/projects/knowledge/forGrantseekers.htm Philanthropy. He
Honda and about double the amount of the co-founded the
second largest foundation. The Gate’s So can they make a difference? Associacion Chilena de
Foundation’s resources surpass America’s How to spend the money wisely must Fundraising to serve
historical philanthropy giants: John D. surely be on the minds of the stewards of the needs of Chile ’s
Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie each these and other foundations around the fundraisers. In 2005 he
gave $7.6 billion and $4.1 billion world. The biggest challenge is proper took the position of
respectively (measured in 2006 dollars) to allocation of funds, encouraging the best Association of
Fundraising
their foundations. outcomes for the money invested.
Professional’s manager
The Buffet donation and other significant Though the Gates Foundation is large by for Latin America
large philanthropic gifts have emerged from all measures, yet it has tried to maintain a
a generation of high technology and tight focus on the causes that it tackles. This
business tycoons, from such success stories kind of focused giving proved successful for
such as eBay and Google which are creating the Ford Foundation’s investment into
an epoch of generosity. This trend is not dwarf wheat and penicillin that has fed and
restricted to the USA, as Mexican billionaire protected millions of the world’s
Carlos Slim, the world’s third richest man, inhabitants. Concentrating a foundation’s 47
announced on September 6, 2006, that he significant resources on a specific problem CATALYST
will give part of his fortune to charity on a may generate a significant impact, but one FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
PHILANTHROPY difficult issue to balance is how much to
spend on preventing and treating the
problems now, and how much to
investment in research for the future.
For example, Mr. Buffet’s gift will be
annualized at about $1.5 billion a year,
which is more than three quarters of the
total amount spent each year on malaria
and tuberculosis research, and about a fifth
of that spent on AIDS. An investment of this
magnitude would dramatically expand the
amount available globally to search for a
cure or efficient treatment of these diseases.
While on the one hand, UNAID estimates
that $22 billion should be spent to treat and
Warren Buffet World’s Second Richest Person
prevent AIDS in 2008 , on the other, the
World Health Organization believes that
$56 billion needs to be spent on
tuberculosis by 2015 and the Global
Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations
calculates that the 72 most needy countries
need $11 billion to $15 billion. The need to
act now is great, but a compelling case can
be made for greater investment in research.
Is it all good news?
Civil society organizations typically are
funded by three sources: government, sale
of services, and/or private support (which
includes grants from foundations). The
people that direct these foundations may
live in different countries, quite separate
from the people, communities and
problems they intend to address.
This potential increase in private funding
may merely shift funding from government
agencies to private foundations.
Conversely, if there is a dramatic increase
in the amount of funding available, will the
organizational structure of the civil society
organizations be able to cope with the scale
and demands of a greatly expanded
intervention?
The ideal result will be that the funds
from these foundations will tackle
bottlenecks that have been holding back
human development for lack of adequate
funding without replacing the existing
support. To accomplish this, the foundations
must deploy visionary leadership and the
skills to develop and dialogue with the
affected communities and people.
Civil society organizations need to
prepare themselves for this dialogue and be
able to be capable partners with today’s
mega philanthropists.
For more information about the
foundation and how to submit a proposal
visit the Gates Foundation site at:
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ForGrantSeekers/ z

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION CONCERNS – QUESTIONS TO FOUNDATIONS

z Will the priorities of the foundation’s leadership mirror the needs and priorities of the
society in which the problem exists?
z Will the foundation give priority to causes that may be very important but
controversial such as public or private corruption, human rights or sexual abuse?
z Could the decision of the foundation’s investment be influenced by their parent
Contacts: corporation strategic bu siness interests in the markets where the foundation is
Brad Henderson intending to or is actually working?
Email: BHenderson@afpnet.org z Will the foundation’s staff be responsive to input from the civil society organization
working in these communities?
z How will these foundations and personal measures define success of the programs
they fund and will the imposed indicators of success be feasible to implement?
z How will civil society organizations communicate with the international foundation

48 when their head offices are in distant capital cities or in other continents?
z Will the inflow of these funds push out the existing support - either other private
CATALYST donations or government support?
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 INDIAN SCHOOLS ALUMNI & FRIENDS, USA (INSAF)
NGO in the United States Nurtures a Decentralized,
Autonomous Path to "Giving Back"
INSAF founded in 1973, is a group of NRIs and their friends based in the United States. The group believes that those
who got their start in India, and have gone forward to professional and financial success, should give something back.

Over the last 33 years, the group has maintained a modest but steady effort towards the cause of education and uplift
of the disadvantaged in India. INSAF provides a modicum of financial support to a number of nonpolitical,
nonreligious projects in 11 states or union territories of the country.

What makes INSAF unique? What makes it an attractive vehicle for NRIs to "give back"? Part of the answer lies in how
INSAF is organized and how it operates:

™ INSAF is duly registered with the IRS - donations are tax deductible in the US
™ Members can earmark donations for any current INSAF project
™ Members can initiate a new project along a wide range of concepts in any part of India
™ Members can donate any amount -- small or large
™ INSAF may be able to augment a member's project from general funds
™ Overhead is negligible (< 1%); almost the entire donation goes to projects
™ INSAF is run completely by people volunteering time - no paid personnel
™ Projects are run and supervised by member sponsors - no waste or corruption
™ INSAF activities are totally transparent (financial details published annually)
™ INSAF Newsletter is published regularly
™ INSAF: Actively seeks members' input and suggestions

Thus, INSAF is an "of the members, for the members, by the members" type of organization. The net result is that the
projects pursued represent a rainbow of autonomous but related concepts implemented in a decentralized manner.

The above list is not comprehensive, but portrays the individual priorities and visions of the INSAF members. These
projects "give back" to those locations in India where the sponsor members have some personal links. This also
assures that the respective members can monitor the projects and easily convey the feedback on progress. The direct
link to project sites, and the fit with members' personal preferences, effectively leverages the financial support and
provides genuine personal satisfaction to the sponsoring members.

Additional details about INSAF are available by visiting: www.insafweb.org.

SUCCESSFUL GIVING
Long-term (10-20 year), education of specific individual children - currently residing in
Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Kerala
Community Adoption - communities in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhatisgarh,
and Jharkhand supported to improve their access to education and awareness
Earthquake and Tsunami Recovery — locations in Gujarat and Andaman Nicobar Islands supported for
access to better education for the youth
Promotion of Literacy — at a location in Karnataka
Start-up of a school for quality education for the disadvantaged — location in Kerala
Building upgrade of a high school — in Mumbai
Upgrades of science or computer education — schools in Punjab, Karnataka
Sponsorship of staff salaries for promotion of science education - at a village in UP
PHILANTHROPY INDIAN AMERICANS
Giving Back to Society
Indians have what it takes to achieve business success. The most important
success now to strive for is to uplift society and to give back to the world.

I
NDIAN AMERICANS HAVE integrated
themselves into the American society
and have taken advantage of the
opportunities the country offers to become
model immigrants. They run some of the
most successful small businesses and lead
some of the largest corporations. They excel
in fields as diverse as real estate, journalism,
VIVEK WADHWA
literature, and entertainment. And they
is an Executive in
Residence/Adjunct have learned to help each other and give
Professor for the Pratt back to society. One can learn a lot from
School of Engineering their successes.
at Duke University. He
is an active mentor According to the 2000 U.S. Census,
and advisor to various Indians make up less than 1% of the U.S.
startups and is a population. Their median household
regular columnist for income is $70,708 - far above the national
BusinessWeek Online. median of $50,046. It is estimated that
Wadhwa has long been Indians own 50% of all economy lodging
a pioneer of change
and 37% of all hotels in the U.S. According
and innovation in the
technology industry to a recent study, 13% of all private,
and has co-founded 2 venture-backed start-up companies in the
software companies. U.S. are founded by Indian immigrants. The
He started his career value of Indian founded comp-anies is
as a software worth hundreds of billions of dollars. These
developer and gained a achievements are particularly astounding
deep understanding of considering that 81.8% of Indian
the challenges in immigrants arrived in the U.S. after 1980.
building computer With the breadth of achievement, and the
systems. Wadhwa overwhelming political support that India
holds a B.A. in
now enjoys in the U.S. Senate and Con-
Computing Studies
from the Canberra gress, it is clear that Indian Americans have
University in Australia actually begun to climb to greater vistas.
and an MBA from
What makes Indian Americans so
New York University.
He was named a successful?
"Leader of Tomorrow" In the absence of scientific research, I’ll
by Forbes.com. present my own theories. As an Indian
immigrant myself, I have had the chance to
live the American dream. I started two
successful technology companies and
served on many boards. To give back, I co-
Contacts: founded the Carolinas chapter of a
Vivek Wadhava networking group called The Indus
Email: vivek@wadhwa.com Entrepreneurs and mentored dozens of
entrepreneurs. Last year, I joined Duke
University as executive in residence to share
50 my experiences and conduct research about
CATALYST how America can maintain its global
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT competitive advantage.
Here are some of the characteristics that
I’ve seen in successful Indian Americans.
1.Education. The U.S. Census Bureau says that
63.9% of Indians Americans over 25 years of age
hold at least a bachelor's degree, compared with the
national average of 24.4%. Their education comes
from a broad range of colleges in India and the U.S.
2.Upbringing. Indians instill key values in their
children, especially of the importance of education.
3.Hard work. With India’s competitive and rote
based education system, children spend the
majority of their time on schooling from their early
years.
4.Determination to overcome obstacles. Indians
learn to survive in India - a land with weak
infrastructure, corrupt government and limited
opportunities. When you plant these Indians in
fertile American soil, they thrive.
5.Entrepreneurial spirit. As a corporate strategist,
C.K Prahalad said in an interview with Business
Week, India is a “beehive of entrepreneurialism and
creativity”. This entrepreneurial sprit is something
that most Indians grow up with.
6.Rising above diversity. Indians have learned to
make the most of diversity and leverage the
strengths of every individual.
7.Humility. Indian immigrants leave social status
and tenure behind in India and start from scratch.
This is a humbling experience for them. Humility is
an asset in entrepreneurship.
8.Family support/values. The family plays a very
important role in Indian society. Family members
provide support and guidance.
9.Financial management. Indians are fiscally
conservative and spend within their means.
10.Forming and leveraging networks. Indian
Americans mentor other Indians, network and help
launch hundreds of start-ups, achieving billions in
terms of capitalization.
11.Giving back. The most successful entrepreneurs
I know believe in giving back to the community and
society which has given them so much opportunity.
It is clear that Indians have what it takes
to achieve business success. The most
important success to strive for, however, is
to uplift society and to give back to the
world. z
 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2006
Reversing Conventional Banking
Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank
P
ROF. MUHAMMAD YUNUS and the
Grameen Bank received the 2006
Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to
create economic and social development
from below. Dr. Yunus has shown that
micro-credit can help large population
groups break out of poverty. It can also help
advance democracy and human rights.
His story goes back to his days as a
teacher of economics at the University of
Chittagong in Southern Bangladesh. The
famine that ravaged Bangladesh, had
thousands starving to death, and left behind
thousands more of starving, skeletal people
had a deep impact on the economics
professor. Disillusioned with impractical
economic theories, Prof. Yunus went to the
nearby village of Jobra to learn first-hand
the economic realities of the poor.
Once there, he found that of the many
schemes that he thought up, the most
successful one was offering poor people
tiny loans for self-employment. Thus was
born micro-credit and the Grameen Bank.
The Grameen Bank is today a leading
advocate for the world's poor. It has lent
more than $ 5.1 billion to 5.3 million
people. The bank is built on Yunus'
AWARDS
conviction that poor people can be both
reliable borrowers and avid entrepreneurs.
Under Yunus, Grameen has spread the idea
of microcredit throughout Bangladesh,
Southern Asia, and the rest of the
developing world. Today, more than 250
institutions in nearly 100 countries operate
micro-credit programs based on the
Grameen Bank model.
Grameen Bank reverses conventional
banking wisdom by focusing on women
borrowers, dispensing with collateral
requirements and extending loans only to
the poorest borrowers. "If banks made large
loans, he made small loans. If banks SATHIRAJU
required paperwork, his loans were for the SANKARA
illiterate. Whatever banks did, he did the NARAYANA
opposite," marvels Sam Daley-Harris, was born in 1936 at
director of the Microcredit Summit Narsapur, in Andhra
Campaign. Pradesh, India,
completed his Masters
When asked by a member of the Nobel Degree in Economics
from Loyola College,
Foundation whether he would like to
Chennai and joined the
convey a message to people, Prof. Yunus All India Radio in 1963.
replied: After working in
"The one message that we are trying to various capacities for
promote all the time, that poverty in the world 32 years, he retired in
is an artificial creation. It doesn't belong to 1995 as Station
human civilization, and we can change that, Director, Chennai. He
we can make people come out of poverty and hails from a family of
have the real state of affairs. So the only thing artists and currently
we have to do is to redesign our institutions lives in Chennai,
and policies, and there will be no people who
pursuing his passion
for drawing
will be suffering from poverty. So I would
portraits.The portrait
hope that this award will make this message of Mohd. Yunus on this
heard many times, and in a kind of forceful page has been made
way, so that people start believing that we can by Sathiraju.
create a poverty-free world. People can
change their own lives, provided they have
the right kind of institutional support. They're
not asking for charity, charity is no solution to
poverty. Micro-credit is the creation of
opportunities (for poor people), so that they
can change their lives."
Prof. Yunus' long term vision is to
eliminate poverty in the world. That vision
cannot be realized by micro-credit alone.
But Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank
have shown that, in the continuing efforts 51
to achieve it, micro-credit plays a major CATALYST
part. z FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
AWARDS
SANJIT
BUNKER ROY
is a product of
Doon School and
St.Stephen’s College,
Delhi. He quit his job
with Grindlays Bank
over three decades
ago and has ever since
been at work
educating,
empowering rural
people. In 1972 he
founded the Barefoot
College in Tilonia, in
Rajasthan’s Ajmer
district.
Contacts:
The Barefoot College,
Village Tilonia, via Madanganj,
District Ajmer , Rajasthan 305816,
INDIA , ph+91 (0)1463- 288204,
FAX +91 (0)1463-288206 ,
E-mail :barefootcollege@gmail.com
52
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ALCAN PRIZE FOR SUSTAINABILITY 2006
Barefoot College: Imparting
Practical Education to Villagers
T
HE ALCAN PRIZE for the year 2006
was awarded to Bunker Roy's
Barefoot College in India. The
Barefoot College dispenses with the formal
reading, writing, and official degrees of
other colleges, and focuses instead on
providing practical technical knowledge to
rural villagers so that they can develop their
own communities in sustainable ways.
Bunker Roy, after leaving his formal
college education, began building wells for
India's rural poor. As he grew to know the
villagers, he realized that they possessed
tremendous knowledge and skills. The
village experts - the midwives, water
diviners, and bonesetters - drew from
wisdom and capabilities beyond what one
learnt in a typical classroom. As Roy
explained, these were "people with grit,
determination, and the amazing ability to
survive with almost nothing."
Roy became convinced that one of the
biggest threats facing these so called
"backward" rural villagers was from the
formally educated people intending to
"develop" them. He felt that villagers should
not have to depend on the generosity of
those with formal educations, but would be
capable and better served by learning
practical technical skills and developing their
own technology infrastructures. In 1972,
Roy's inspiration led him to found The
Barefoot College.
The Barefoot College is a radical
departure from the traditional concept of a
"college". It prizes the kind of education one
absorbs from family, community, and
experience. The College confers no
degrees, and all members, regardless of
class, education, or caste, are considered
equal. Classes take place at night in the
villages, so members can attend them while
still managing their day-to-day lives. And
the education is entirely practical —
members of the college become health
workers, engineers, accoun-tants, and
teachers serving their own communities.
Rural woman learning practical skills at the college
Barefoot-educated scholars focus on local
decision-making and grassroots
development. As one Barefoot College staff
member explains, "It is Gand-hian. Like
Gandhi we do believe power resides in the
poor. They have dignity but do not have
opportunities. We harness the human
potential." By giving the rural poor access to
practical knowledge, The Barefoot College
demystifies technology and puts it in the
hands of the villagers themselves. The
philosophies of the College do more than
bring practical technological advancements
- they also empower villagers, especially
women.
Already, the Barefoot approach to solar
electrification of villages has been adopted
by the Asia Development Bank, to be
replicated in Afghanistan and Bhutan.
Similar movements are spreading through
Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Senegal, Mali,
Cameroon, Bolivia and Ethiopia.
About the Alcan Prize for Sustainability
The Alcan Prize for Sustainability annually
contributes US$1 million to not-for-profit,
non-governmental organi-zations working
to make the world a better place. Alcan
believes that its success as a global company
is directly linked to its actions, both inside
and outside its operations. With the Alcan
Prize for Sustainability as its centerpiece, it
advances the principles of sustainability
around the world. z
 WORLD BANK'S JIT GILL MEMORIAL AWARD (2006)
Contributing to Excellence in
Public Governance
T
HE WORLD BANK'S JIT
Gill Memorial Award
(2006) for outstanding
public service was presented
to Dr. Samuel Paul, founder-
chairperson of the Public
Affairs Centre , Bangalore,
India at an awards ceremony Samuel Paul
held at the Preston
Auditorium, World Bank Headquarters in recognize and encourage outstanding
Washington last week. public service innovations.
This new international award was
recently established by the World Bank to
recognize the contributions to public
governance by distinguished leaders from
all parts of the world. Dr. Paul was honored
for his pioneering and innovative ideas such
as the "citizen report card" on public services
, and campaigns for electoral transparency
that have made an impact not only in India,
2006 DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY AWARD
Recognizing ICT and the
Empowerment of Youth
T
HE DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY
Foundation announced Mindset
Network of South Africa as the winner
of the 2006 Development Gateway Award.
Mindset Network is a not-for-profit
organization set up in 2002 for the purpose
of providing educational content for the
formal education and health sectors.
The Awards Ceremony was held by
Development Gateway Foundation at a
special lunchtime forum at the ITU Telecom
World in Hong Kong on Dec. 5, 2006. Two
honorable mentions were given to Digital
Divide Data of Cambodia and Committee
for Democracy of Information Technology
of Brazil.
AWARDS
but also in many other
countries. Dr. Paul is the first
civil society leader and the
first Asian to receive the
award the release further
adds that the Bank envisions
the awards as a source of
inspiration for member
countries and staff to
Samuel Paul is a former Professor and
Director of the Indian Institute of Contacts:
Management, Ahmedabad. He has also Samuel Paul
served the United Nations, World Bank and Public Affairs Centre
the ILO as adviser and taught at Harvard 422, 80 Feet Road,
and Princeton Universities. He founded the Koramangla,
Bangalore 560095, India
Public Affairs Centre; a civil society Telefax: 91-80-25520246, 25525452
organization in 1994 and continues to be its Email: pacindia@vsnl.com
chairperson. z Website: www.pacindia.org
The Award recognizes innovation in the
use of technology in developing countries.
Intel and Microsoft co-sponsored this year's
award.
This year's theme, ICT for the
empowerment of youth, inspired over 160
applications from around the world.Of
those applications, 30 projects were chosen
by a screening committee, and were then Contacts:
passed on to the members of an Mindset Network
international panel of jurors. All of the top Tel: 0861 646 3738 (0861 MINDSET)
30 projects are featured in the online special Fax: (+27 11) 339 1570
Email: info@mindset.co.za
report on youth. Website: http://www.mindset.co.za/
For more information, please visit:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/award/ z 53
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
AWARDS NIRMAL GRAM PURASKAR 2006
A Toilet for Every House in
Vedireswaram

S. Ramakrishna Raju with Dr. Satyanarayana

V
EDIRESWARAM VILLAGE IS a (GoI), Ministry of Rural Development,
collection of hamlets in East Department of Drinking Water Supply.
GAVARASANA Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh,
SATYANARAYANA India. Its sarpanch, Sayyapuraju Initiated by the Indian Government in
was born at Ramakrishna Raju, was honored on March June 2003, it is an incentive scheme for
Pithapuram on 23, 2006 at Vigyan Bhawan by the fully sanitized and open- defecation-free
September 4, 1936,
President of India with the Nirmal Gram gram panchayats, blocks, and districts. The
Dr.Satyanarayana now
lives in Floral Park, Puraskar. incentive provision is for Panchayat Raj
USA. A postgraduate Institutions (PRIs), as well as individuals
in Medicine from Young and enthusiastic, Mr. Sayyapuraju and organizations that are the driving force
Andhra Medical has succeeded in doing something unique for full sanitation coverage. The award
College and a Fulbright to reduce contagious diseases among the requires 100% sanitation coverage in
Scholar (1966), he was villagers. With the help of the panchayat terms of individual households and
trained in General and government funds, he has ensured the schools, and a clean environment free of
Surgery in the US. He construction of a latrine in every house in open defecation.
practised in Gollaprolu the village. He has achieved his goal
village of East through: The procedure for applying is as follows:
Godavari District and
The placement of placards that displayed Eligible applicants obtain the application
conducted a number
of health camps in a ban on defecation on the roadside. form (separate ones for PRIs and
many villages. Construction of latrines with special individuals and organizations) from
Dr.Gavarasana tanks on the roadside inside the village www.ddws.nic.in. These applications are
published a number of boundary to provide for travellers. scrutinized at the district level, before
articles on cancer Demolition of public toilets in the village. being forwarded to the State government.
research. His current The State government verifies the claims
research project is to Mr. Sayyapuraju encountered numerous and then forwards the applications to the
screen 1,00,000 difficulties in his efforts to ban public Department of Drinking Water Supply,
Andhra women for defecation. He would ride his motorcycle Ministry of Rural Development, GoI. The
breast cancer including at 5 o'clock in the morning daily to caution GoI appoints a "Screening Committee" that
genetic analysis.
the people whom he saw defecating in screens the applications and makes
public. He threatened non-compliers with recommendations to the National
prosecution. He coaxed, begged, and Committee of the NGP, which finally
threatened the villagers into seeing reason. approves the applications eligible for the
Contacts: He was able to achieve a clean and green awards.
G.Satyanarayana village and even the election of a new
E-mail: gavarasana_satya@hotmail.com sarpanch did not bring back the old habit This incentive can be used for
of public defecation. maintaining and improving sanitation
facilities in the respective areas, with
54 About the Nirmal Gram Puraskar special focus on solid and liquid waste
CATALYST The "Nirmal Gram Puraskar" (NGP) is disposal and maintenance of the sanitation
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT awarded by the Government of India standard. z
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The India Story is Getting Better!

The India Story is definitely getting better but at the same time India has a lot
to work for in order to ensure sustainable development for all.

W
ITH SOME 1.1 BILLION people, diverse regions, and a
vibrant democracy, India has been making progress on a
scale, size and pace that is unprecedented in its own
history.

The release of the Human Development Report 2006 and India's

rank of 126 in it dampened spirits but a look at the economy gives
every reason to rejoice. Its only a matter of time and some persistent
efforts for India to rank high on the human development front, as
well.

India's economic growth rate accelerated to 9.2 per cent in the

July-September quarter from 8.4 per cent in the year-ago quarter on the back of a strong performance by the
manufacturing and services sectors, raising the likelihood of interest rates being raised in January 2007. Taken
along with 8.9 per cent growth in the first quarter of the current financial year, this comes to 9.1 per cent growth
for the first six months of 2006-07.

As per Finance Minister P Chidambaram this was the highest first-half GDP growth since 1991-92, when
economic reforms were initiated. The 9.2 per cent growth clocked in Q2 was among the highest growth rates
in recent years. India's GDP is expected to grow in excess of 8 per cent this fiscal, higher than its earlier projection
of 7.8 per cent. A look at India's macro-economy reveals positive indicators all around:

zIndia is on the threshold of a double-digit growth

zIndustrial Output up by 11.4%
zInvestment rate over 30% of GDP
zIndia's global trade to top $450 billion

The Planning Commission's Approach Paper for the 11th Five-Year Plan has already set a growth target of 10
% in the final year of the plan (2011-12). India realizes an urgent need for stepping-up investment in the
country's infrastructure through greater public-private partnership. Access to quality education for all, investment
in R & D, energy security, greater global economic integration and a proactive role by India in the multilateral
economic processes would propel India into a still higher growth trajectory, are the other steps needed on the
road to all-round development.

The foremost challenge to sustain the growth momentum set out in the 11th plan, beginning next fiscal,
requires a mix of right policies and new initiatives without compromising on financial stability and fiscal prudence.
Agriculture, energy and infrastructure have been identified as other major challenges that required immediate
attention to make the economy more vibrant.

With some 1.1 billion people, diverse regions, and a vibrant democracy, India has been making progress on a
scale, size and pace that is unprecedented in its own history. The India Story is definitely getting better but at
the same time India has a lot to work for in order to ensure sustainable development for all. ™

(Source: Ministry of External Affairs Government of India - Monthly Economic Analysis Fortune 2006)

56
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

India’s Slow Human Development

India has moved one step up to be ranked 126 among a total of 177 countries in the recently released
Human Development Report 2006 - leaves much to be desired!

T
HE UN HUMAN Development Report for the year 2006 has been released. This year's HDI refers to 2004.
India has moved one step up to be ranked 126 among a total of 177 countries. India's HDI rank falls under
the category of 'medium human development countries'.

The HDI provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy
life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and enrolment at the primary,
secondary and tertiary level) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP,
income). The index is not in any sense a comprehensive measure of human development. However, it does
provide a broadened prism for viewing human progress and the complex relationship between income and well-
being.

AN IRONY
"Only 25% of the poorest
households in developing
countries have access to piped
water in their homes as compared
to 85% of the richest
households," says HDR 2006. The
same report states that only 14%
of people in India lack access to an
improved water source. This
implies that 86% of people in
India have access to improved
water, thereby rendering India almost in par with developed countries in terms of access to an improved water
source. This figure has been definitely deflated due to lack of adequate and complete statistics.

CONCLUSIONS
The HDI or the GDP alone cannot give the real picture of any economy. Both the HDI and the GDP do not take
into account the inequalities. India is a country which is characterized by stark inequalities in wealth, income,
education, health, land etc.

The authorities' rhetoric of trickle down effects of an 8% GDP will not work, due to lack of proper institutions
to cater to the needs of the poor. Microfinance, an institution which is working needs to be implemented more
effectively and in a transparent manner, because the misuse of Microfinance institutions can lead to more trouble
than not having them at all.

The Indian populace has been repeatedly told that India is reducing its poverty and that it is well under 30%.
They are right. Keeping in mind the needs of the people for a decent livelihood a family needs at least an income
of 2000 rupees per month!

On the whole, there is nothing in the report that makes India proud. India needs to step up its expenditure
specifically targeting education and health sectors. The draft to the Eleventh 5-year plan, speaks about inclusive
growth, but adequate emphasis has not been given to sectors which need development. ™

About the author : Alex M. Thomas is an Economics undergraduate from Loyola College, Chennai, India. He
can be contacted at alexmthomas@gmail.com

To download the Human Development Report 2006 at http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/

57
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ESSAY
Indian National Development Congress
DR. SRINIVASA RAO

T
HE INDIAN NATIONAL Congress, founded in 1885, people are unemployed. While there is excellent
started as an elitist movement. It was Mahatma economic growth, over 300 million people are poor.
Gandhi, with his slogan, 'India lives in its villages' Therefore, India is behind in human development. In the
who extended the idea of political freedom from the elite 2006 Human Development Report, of the 177 countries
to the masses. This was a turning point for the Indian ranked, India's rank is 126. This is the result of
freedom movement. Despite their differences, leaders unwillingness, negligence and discrimination by the
from across the country, inspired by mass actions, moved government and others.
toward functioning as a powerful entity. Let us see how
the freedom gained in 1947 was used by Indian leaders The Indian government, with all its power, natural
since then to give masses the freedom to exercise their resources and freedom is unable to lead India to
full potential. We shall consider four important elements comprehensive, inclusive development. There is little
needed to express one's full potential. hope that it will change its ways and conditions. The
average citizen accepts this. There is a vacuum of
Food: India produces 80 million metric tonnes (MMT) of leadership in the country. Therefore individuals and
rice, 70 MMT of wheat, 30 MMT of coarse cereals and organizations interested in India's development must
15 MMT of pulses annually. This come forward to fill this
yields approximately 500 grams vacuum in leadership.
of food that can give a minimum
total of 2000 calories per person There are 1.2 million non
per day1. Yet nearly 50% of the governmental organizations
world's hungry - 350 million (NGOs) in India5. There
people - live in India, consuming must be at least 1 million
less than 80% of minimum Indians interested in
energy requirements, according improving India. They can
to the World Food Program. surely outnumber all of the
corrupt and incompetent
Water: It is estimated that 50- politicians and people in the
100 liters of water is needed per country. These 1 million
person per day. According to Indians can bring the
Tata Energy Research Institute freedom needed to express
(TERI), 6750 liters of water per the full potential of the
person per day is available. neglected millions.
However, the United Nations
Development Programme If these 1 million Indians
reported that 154 million people lack access to safe meet and march hand-in-hand, several million oppressed
drinking water in India 2. Indians can unite behind them. Then India can progress
on the path to all-inclusive development. But where are
Employment: The Indian Minister for Labor and these 1 million people? How can we find them? How do
Employment announced that at least 21 million youth we bring them together? Non resident Indians have been
were unemployed in 2005. This number is growing vocal about the state of affairs in India and their interest
rapidly to become 211 million by 20203. in being involved in India's development. Through NGOs
and individual efforts, they can catalyze the process to
Land: India does not use 62 million acres of cultivable establish a platform for this change - Indian National
land4. Although it may take much effort to make this land Development Congress. ™
productive, using the large rural unemployed force, India Email : srao@afhd.org
can get at least 50 MMT of additional food. Reference

While there is enough food, 350 million people still in 1 http://agricoop.nic.in/Agristatistics.htm

live with hunger. While there is enough fresh water, 154 2 http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/
million Indian do not have access to safe drinking water. 3 http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/15/stories/2006081504790400.htm
While 62 million acres cultivable land is unsed, 21 million 4 http://dacnet.nic.in/lus/dt_lus.aspx
5 Invisible, Yet Widespread: The Non-Profit Sector In India, December 2002, PRIA

58
CATALYST
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 Development Networking EVENTS
NEW DELHI
India Development Coalition of America
... Making a Difference
Third India Conference
Empowering Grassroots For Sustainable Development in India

WATER HEALTH EDUCATION LIVELIHOOD

Venue: PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, New Delhi.
Siri Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi, 110016
Dates: January 10, 2007 Time : 9 am to 9pm
Contact:
President Dr. Mohan Jain - mohanjain@comcast.net

GUJARAT
25th Anniversary Commemoration Meeting
Place: Rajkot, India
Weekend beginning January 26, 2007
Share and Care Foundation USA will hold a Partnership Meeting with its strategic partners in January 2007. Share
and Care is now embarking on a new bold initiative with a focus on Youth Development and Women
Empowerment for sustainable changes contributing to the future progress in India. This meeting is used as a kick-
off for this initiative. The specific purpose of this meeting, "Connecting Hearts over Horizon" is to provide a joint
platform for the partners to present their current activities and benefits, discuss new ideas, share best practices
and future plans in the fields of Youth Development & Women Empowerment.

SHARE AND CARE FOUNDATION USA

Website: www.shareandcare.org. Email: info@shareandcare.org

TAMIL NADU
Networking Meeting of Volunteers Working in Rural Projects in Tamil Nadu
Place: IIT Campus (IC & SR building), Chennai
Date: January 21, 2007
Time: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
The meeting will bring together about 30 field volunteers working in various aspects of rural development. The
morning session will provide an opportunity for everyone to describe their projects, progress to date and their
plans for future activities. The afternoon session will allow volunteers to network, seek help, find project partners.
(Lunch will be provided)
Contact:
Murthy Sudhakar - musu-infrasys@sbcglobal.net Ram Krishnan - ram.krishnan@yahoo.com

ANDHRA PRADESH
Net work meeting of Volunteers in NGO sector in collaboration with Acharya Nagarjuna University
Place: Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur
Date: January 21, 2007
International foundation for Human Development, Pragathi,
Catalyst for Human Development and other NGOs in AP are organizing a meeting.
Contact:
Srinivasa Rao - srao@afhd.org