Fishermen casting their nets at night, a nomadic tribe in Kutch area of Gujarat, a small hut in a regular hamlet that lights the evening shadows with the help of a tiny wick lamp – these are just some of the beneficiaries of the new LED revolution. Led by InnovLite, a four-year old technology firm based in Bangalore, these lights and lighting solutions are hugely energy efficient, resulting in upto 60 per cent savings, recouping their higher initial costs within six months.

Started by BR Raghav, InnovLite is a profitable organization whose turnover is trebling every year, and it aims to achieve a target of Rs. 6 crore in the current financial year. Subir Roy of Business Standard writes more about this successful enterprise:

InnovLite’s products are all designed by it and put together from commercially available components, with only the LED element imported. Raghav, a 44 year old electrical and electronics engineer who earlier ran a data storage venture, has not cared to patent his products but bases his business model on being a moving target which is difficult for emulators to beat.

His forte is a combination of early start, rapid commercialisation and quick scaling. By the time a challenger arrives InnovLite has moved on, powered by the same kind of improvement in the efficiency of LED devices as is benchmarked by Moore’s law in the case of semiconductors.

Global lighting players find it difficult to come up with such do-it-yourself solutions because, he says, their development costs are high and they have legacy problems. Such products will also tend to cannibalise their existing products.

While LED lighting has already been adopted by large business establishments for its energy and cost savings, it is yet to reach the masses in a big way. But the future looks bright with companies like InnovLite, who have discovered the fortune at the bottom at the pyramid, and are benefiting millions of others, besides themselves, in the process.

Read the complete article here.
Image Courtesy: Ecofriend

We find people complaining about bad governance and irresponsible government officials. We find elected representatives who are not doing their jobs well. We complain about the lack of transparency in the government system and the electoral process. We say that we have lost trust in the Indian democracy and it makes no difference whoever we vote for – everyone is equally corrupt. But, how many of us vote?

This is the gap being addressed by several NGO and individual movements. It has been found that most of the youth in the 18-25 year age group do not have a voter ID, and hence have never exercised their right to vote. It was also found that while there was tremendous enthusiasm amongst this youth to select their representatives, it all fizzled out to the magnitude of the bureaucratic procedure in achieving this goal. To enable these young people to become responsible citizens and exercise their right to vote, Action for Good Governance and Networking for India (AGNI), has decided to set up kiosks at colleges and allow the eligible voters to register with ease. Reports Times of India:

“For these Lok Sabha elections, we decided to take the water to the horse. AGNI will go from one college to another with the required forms and get students to fill them. We will also facilitate the registration of forms at the specific election registration office (ERO),” said Kulkarni, coordinator for Action for Good Governance and Networking for India (AGNI). She felt youngsters are charged up after Barack Obama’s win and want to ensure their chosen leaders to rise above petty politics and work for the development of the country.

Another NGO Swabhiman has also been taking similar steps to get the youth enlisted:

“We found that most collegians in the 18-25 age group didn’t have their names on the voters’ list, had no clue about the documents needed and didn’t know how to vote. We wanted them to snap out of the habit of cribbing about politicians and enforce their voting rights instead,” said Nitin Varayanan of Swabhiman, which has got 15,000 youngsters enlisted till date. The organisation recently launched a “One Youth One Vote” campaign across Maharashtra with a target of enlisting 1 lakh voters.

Those interested can either log onto their website or send an SMS, “OYOV”, to 55454 and volunteers will guide them on what to do.

Most people must be familiar with the “JaaGo Re! One Billion Votes” movement, which has been making a splash on television and radio channels as well. Their campaign involves an online voter registration module wherein people can print the form and get directions on what to do.

Founder Surendra Shrivastava said youngsters could fill the form online. “A printout of the completed form comes with an instruction sheet and a map of the ERO’s office. There is a facility on the website where one would get constant reminders through emails and SMSes. Even reasons for rejection of forms are stated,” he said.

If you haven’t registered yourself already, do so now! Until then, stop complaining about politicians you have not elected.

Read the complete article here.

For more information on JaaGo Re and to get yourself enlisted, visit their website: http://www.jaagore.com

Photo Credit: PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images obtained from www.andhravoters.com

Indian television afficionados may have come across an advertisement of a mobile service provider depicting how a mobile phone could be used to spread education in remote areas. It got us interested and we wanted to see whether such an idea (no reference to the company!) was actually being implemented. After some not-so-intensive news searching, we came across an article by BBC India’s Amarnath Tewary which describes how the radio is being used in Bihar to teach English to school children.

The Bihar Education Project, in collaboration with the Education Development Center (a US-based organization), launched this innovative teaching idea in order to improve literacy of the state. Bihar currently has a literacy percentage of only 47%.

Amarnath Tewary reports:

The students are looking inquisitively at a radio set perched on a plastic chair in the middle of the classroom in the capital, Patna.
They are all waiting for a new English lesson to begin – on the radio. 

So, for half an hour, four days a week, millions of primary students in Bihar today learn English through this radio lesson.

The year-long interactive radio lessons are being broadcast by the four regional state-run All India Radio stations. The lessons cover seven million students attending 65,000 primary schools in all the 38 districts of the state.

And what does a student have to say about this?:

“It is very easy to learn English on radio. Every day we wait for this class. Even if the teacher is not in the class we learn and enjoy the programme,” a student, Sakshi Kumari, said. 

The state government has granted a 1000 rupees to every school to enable them to buy a radio. And the benefits of such initiatives in Bihar are told in this para:

Interestingly, backward and dirt-poor Bihar appears to be a trend setter here – a recent federal government report found that school students in the state are now faring better in English and mathematics than anywhere else in the country. 

The article is very well written and also gives you the perspective of the teachers in these schools. It is truly inspiring to see such initiatives being taken in the field of education, which is perhaps one of the most important areas requiring development in our country.
Last, but not the least, we couldn’t help but add the punch line – What an Idea!

Image courtesy: Prashant Ravi from BBC News

With growing dependencies on computers and related peripherals, the amount of e-waste being generated in India is enormous, running into millions of tons every year. Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore top the list in terms of total e-waste being generated in the country. Now, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to create a road map to deal with all the e-waste generated by the city and to prepare for a future e-waste management plant.

Swapnil Rawal reports in this article at the Indian Express:

The core committee would have members from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Department of Environment along with officials of the civic bodies in the MMR. 

It is great that the authorities concerned are showing some great foresight with regards to this growing issue:

Shah said that the MMR, especially Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, will face a serious problem over the handling of e-waste in years to come. “It’s something like the scenario the civic body faced around 25-30 years back with solid waste in Mumbai,” Shah stated. 

The article goes on to say:

The core committee, besides locating a site for the proposed processing plant, will also frame guidelines for the collection and transportation of the waste from designated centres to the plant, which would be operated by private players. 

Read the complete article here.

Image courtesy: http://ewasteguide.info (which is also a great site to know more about e-waste management)

Our previous post revealed how Bamboo is being used by victims of floods to rebuild their lives. Now, rubber plantations are leading to increasing prosperity among people of Goalpara district in Assam. A lot of success stories have emerged, largely centered around those who have taken to growing rubber trees in their farms. Rubber grows easily in the North East regions owing to large tracts of unused land and inexpensive labour. Not only is the money good, it has had various positive impacts on the society and the way of living of the beneficiaries. 

Teresa Rehman writes in Tehelka about this Rubber Revolution:

The rubber board, a statutory body constituted under the Rubber Act, 1947, by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has implemented several programmes for rubber plantation development in the Northeast. The first plantations, mostly confined to large estates, trial plantations were taken up by the forest and soil conservation department. However, since 1980s, small growers have been switching to rubber with some help from the Rubber Board. 

In fact, Goalpara district of Assam has been one of the Board’s success stories. Out of the total 4000 hectares of rubber plantation in Assam, around 2900 hectares are in Goalpara district itself. Over 7000 familes are dependent directly or indirectly on rubber plantations and their average income is more than Rs 10 crore per annum.

And the statistics of the kind of demand for rubber in our country:

More than 36000 articles ranging from giant truck tyres to tiny elastic bands are manufactured from rubber. In fact, an ambassador car has 300 rubber parts. The tyre-industry consumes nearly 85 percent of the natural rubber in India. 

What is even more interesting is the impact that this prosperity has led to in the traditional customs and ways of life in this region. To know more about that, read the complete article here.

The Kosi river disaster in Bihar earlier this year caused widespread devastation. However, if we try to look for a silver lining or at least something to appreciate, we can talk about the ‘babus’ who tried to bring in new technologies and innovations to help the victims pick up the pieces of their lives, and start again. Be it toilets made of bamboo or software for tracking missing persons, government officials are playing an important role in rebuilding the community.

Bamboo is available in plenty, and the people are being encouraged to use it to build their homes as well as furniture for use and sale. The “bamboo economy” plan is being drawn by the Bihar Government to ensure that the workers are guaranteed an income and training programs to help generate employment. Women’s self help groups are also being set up to promote the bamboo revolution. Alok Kumar Gupta writes in Down to Earth:

Officers claim that a bamboo revolution is on the cards. Now that floodwaters are receding, H C Sirohi, commissioner of Saharsa division and in charge of flood relief operations, has launched a training programme to make bamboo furniture. “At first all we saw were resigned faces of thousands of flood victims grieving the death of their dear ones. We then decided to use local resources to help them rebuild their lives. Bamboo seemed the obvious answer as it grows here in plenty and we believe it will usher in employment opportunities,” Sirohi said.

The Bihar government has finalized a blueprint to create a bamboo economy in the flood-hit northern and central Bihar. Talks with the National Bamboo Mission have begun for setting up women’s self-help groups. National Bamboo Mission is a government body created by the Union Ministry of Agriculture to promote the bamboo sector. The government has assured flood victims that it would purchase their bamboo furniture for schools and government offices, replacing wooden benches. It also plans to sell the furniture in other states.

Besides relief work, the Government’s other priority has been tracking missing persons. In the aftermath of the calamity, thousands of people have been displaced from their homes, and it is an enormous task to locate these people. The government had to develop new software with the help of IT companies, since the IBM software previously used in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami worked on details like passport number and driving license, which most people in the flood-hit districts did not possess.

This spurred Jeevika to develop a software with the help of IT majors. This one is based on data such as the name of the missing person, his village, block and district. Called the Missing Person Tracking System (MPTS), this software is being used to track down lost relatives.

“Data collected by Jeevika and the officials from flood-hit districts is entered into the software. We have ensured that names of the district, block and village are automatically corrected even if wrong spellings are keyed. Over a dozen families have been re-united with their missing members,” added Choudhary.

The state has also been doing a commendable job of monitoring relief camps and plugging in any gaps. “Mobile inspectors” with GPRS-enabled phones have been deployed by the State Disaster Management Cell to travel incognito to these camps and take photographs of their conditions.

The most innovative invention, however, came from the flood victims themselves. Stranded people created makeshift boats from six pieces of thick banana stems tied together using a local patua fibre. Such boats could stay afloat for a while since the banana stems absorb water and expand, thus tightening the joints held by the ropes. This is so original and useful that the army and navy men present in the rescue operations have recommended its study for possible uses. We would like to salute the Indian spirit, which can come up with amazing inventions even in the middle of a storm.

Read the complete article here.
Image Courtesy: Down to Earth

Pesticides may have helped in controlling crop damage and increasing yield, but their usage has become so widespread in India as to pose significant health risks to its population. After extensive application, pesticides like DDT and Aldrin have been banned to check further damage to health and environment. However, most of these chemicals have a considerably long lifetime, and are present in the environment for hundreds of years.

A team of researchers in IIT-Madras has developed a technology called nanoparticles that can effectively treat and eliminate one of the most obstinate chemicals in pesticides called organochlorine, present in the unpopular pesticides like DDT, endoulfan, dioxin and aldrin. Seema Singh reports about this successful experiment in Mint:

“Even though some of these pesticides have been banned, they are very much present in the environment. For instance, endosulfan has an environmental lifetime of 100 years,” says T. Pradeep, professor of chemistry at IIT Madras. His nanoparticles, mostly from gold, silver, copper and several oxides, are effective on endosulfan even at very low concentration. “Efficient chemistry at low concentration is important so that even if one molecule of the pesticide passes by, it gets removed by the nanoparticle,” adds Pradeep.

The next challenge for the research team is to formulate ways to make the technology percolate to the people who need it most, in rural areas. The costs need to be brought down to a large extent to make it accessible to the country’s poor.

Eureka is interested in taking this technology to rural population but the high cost of manufacturing could hinder the outreach for some time. “We intend to take this up as a no-loss, no-profit venture but that will have to wait until production goes up (and cost comes down),” says Abhay Kumar, general manager of water technologies division at Eureka in Bangalore. A community water purifier prototype, using nanotechnology filter, is under construction. It is scheduled to be installed in Kasargod district, one of the endosulfan-affected areas in Kerala, by March.

“This effort has to multiply, through all possible channels – industry, non-governmental organization and most importantly, government machinery,” says Pradeep, whose interaction with the Central water resources ministry turned out to be a one-way affair. Under the US Clean Water Act of 1972, the extent of contaminants in a glass of water is decreasing, but the number of contaminants entering potable water is increasing, says Pradeep.

It is sad to know that India ranks among the lowest in drinking water quality standards set by the UN (120 out of the 122 nations judged). However, these rankings should be taken as an eye-opener that imminent action is necessary. And we are glad to hear this piece of good news from one of the premier educational institutes of the country. We wish them luck in successfully taking their findings to the masses so that many can benefit from the advances in technology.

Read the complate article here.
Image Courtesy: RSC.org

On Children’s Day, what better gift can we give them than the gift of a voice and representation? This is what about 65,000 children enjoy in 4 districts in Karnataka at the Makkala (children) Panchayats. Aged between 6 and 18, these young leaders are being groomed to understand their rights and participate in the democratic process of the country.

Initiated in 1995 by Concerned for Working Children (CWC), an NGO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka, the Makkala Panchayats allow children to make informed decisions on issues that concern them. Malathi Belur reports in Deccan Herald:

As part of Makkala Panchayat, the voters elect candidates aged between 12 and 16, who in turn hold Grama Sabhas and participate in Gram Panchayat meetings.

If you thought these little administrators could be sidestepped, think again. For, they are armed with information, data from research, surveys and an agenda chalked out at the prior meeting of Makkala Gram Sabhas.

Apart from the Namma Sabha and Bhim Sangha, the Makkala Panchayat gets a backing from the Task Force which comprises government functionaries, elected representatives, local NGOs and other organisations.

Not only are these children raising and solving their concerns, they are also bringing about a world of change in the community and its development. They have successfully campaigned for various issues like facilities for the disabled, proper distribution of ration cards to the poor, basic amenities in schools, etc. With their fun-filled and lively way of working, they have infused new life and vitality in the proceedings of the sabhas and panchayats.

Wondering how the elections are held?

Elections held to the Panchayats are better than those that are held to Gram Panchayats due to their non-partisan nature, compulsory voting and reservations for working children, students, school dropouts, migrant children, the disabled and girls. However, each Panchayat has devised its own system based on local needs. For example, while in Kundapur girls are given 65 per cent reservation, in Bellary, seat sharing between girls and boys is 50:50.

What about corruption?

Elections are held in schools by the election committee with the help of head masters, teachers and anganwadi workers. In one instance, when a member of the Panchayat failed to attend meetings, he was sought an explanation. On finding the reason invalid, he was recalled and by-election was held to the post. Of course, earnestness of these kids would make any adult feel shame for not being able to recall the corrupt ministers in our political set-up.

This unique initiative by the CWC and Government of Karnataka is a wonderful model to make responsible and dedicated citizens out of the children of today, and a great training ground for future leaders of the nation. It also stems the tendency to complain about inadequacies in the system, and instead, be a part of the system and work to improve it from within. The Makkala Panchayats could surely serve as an example for the role played by an ideal democracy to the rest of the country, as to the rest of the world, and should be given due recognition and encouragement. There are a lot of lessons to be learnt here.

Read the complete article here.

Image Courtesy: Sonk Films

Remember the time you saw those magical figures dressed in a riot of colours and dancing to the tune of a lively music? Or when you felt immense joy and sadness as you watched them narrate the story of the charming prince, in their own animated way? Many believe India to be the birthplace of puppetry, with crude specimens found in the Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilizations as well. The art of puppetry as a divine creation or form of entertainment and illustration has found widespread mention in many ancient scriptures and literary works including the Mahabharata, Gita, and works of Kalidasa and Patanjali.

It is a known fact that this ancient art is dying a slow death due to neglect and more sophisticated forms of entertainment. Puppeteers find it difficult to earn a living and feed their families just by giving puppet shows as there is hardly any audience left. It would be very rare to find a puppet show these days, and is only seen sometimes in fairs that try to promote traditional Indian art forms. However, Press Trust of India reports in NDTV.com the good news that there are slum children of about 2,600 families in Delhi, who have taken on the responsibility of keeping puppetry alive.

This classical art form, however, has been kept alive by children of around 2,600 families from the slums of Delhi, who put up shows under the banner of Kalakar Vikas School.

Hailing from Rajasthan, Gopal, says he wants to show this art form to a much larger urban audience, who in his opinion, are not very much aware of puppetry.

Gopal’s ambition is echoed by Lakshmi, a 14-year-old from a village near Delhi, who says the urban audience needs to know more about this almost-dying art form.

“Urban people are not very much aware that this art form is almost on its deathbed. We are struggling to keep it alive, but we are ready to do anything for it,” Lakshmi says.

Their efforts are encouraged by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), as it has recently released a journal with the focus on puppetry, and The Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA). It is touching to see these children with very few means of livelihood taking an active step in the conservation of an Indian heritage, a step that many affluent people would also not dare to take. The passion and optimism of these kids is a lesson to most of us who hesitate to protect what we know is valuabe and on the verge of being lost to us forever.

Read the complete article here.

Image Courtesy: PuppetIndia.com

India boasts of a huge variety of languages and dialects. Many of these languages do not have scripts of their own. In fact many of them are on the brink of fading away into oblivion owing to the trend of people migrating to modern cities and hence newer cultures. However, a small academy in Gujarat is standing tall to save these languages from dying.

Anand Giridharadas writes in this article at The Mint on how the Adivasi Academy, based in Tejgadh, Gujarat, is working towards chronicling elements of rural culture.

It is not only obscure languages that these students are trying to chronicle and preserve, but also cuisines, sartorial habits and other significant elements of rural culture. Like drivers heading downtown at rush hour, the students see everyone else going the other way. A swelling class of Indian aspirants from small towns and villages such as Tejgadh sees urban life and the English language as pathways to affluence, security and respect. 

The academy was founded by Ganesh Devy, who is a former professor of English literature.

He created the school, known as the Adivasi Academy, with a burning question on his mind: Why do we wait for cultures to die to memorialize them? 

The article further reports:

In recent years some people in Tejgadh have become professional artists, one example of a deeper transformation. Modernity has been creeping into the villages, and young people have been pouring out. But they are unprepared. They grew up speaking a language no one recognizes beyond their village, and they are inexpert in Gujarati, Hindi and English, the languages of urban employment. In the cities, they find it difficult to escape the most menial jobs.
Devy wanted to combat this gravitational force. Could Adivasis be persuaded to study their culture rather than shed it, and to stay in the villages rather than flee? 

To know more on how young people like Kantilal Mahala, 21, and Vikesh Rathwa, 27, are working hard to preserve their language and culture, read this wonderful article at The Mint.

Image courtesy: www.livemint.com