In the MY STORY section, we present some of the most compelling and pertinent stories and experiences shared with us by our readers. Do you have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com with "MY STORY" in the subject line.
‘One phone call a day to keep problems away’ is the basic mantra with which Suresh Ediga, an NRI living in New York, has been working for people in rural India. This is why and how he has called over 150 MLAs and MPs in the country. I have been calling MLAs and MPs in India for more than 6 years now. Until now, I have spoken to over 150 ministers from various national and regional parties in different states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Assam etc. Here is a summary of why I am doing this, and how you can do the same –
Why engage with the ministers?
Picture for representation only. Source: Flickr
Ideally, every minister should maintain complete transparency with regards to all the work undertaken by him/her during five years of office. There should be no reason to file an RTI or take up other legal means to extract this information. There should be quarterly or semi-annual interactions between the ministers and the citizens to talk about the progress of their work or the lack of it. Until such a formal process of evaluation exists, alternative approaches to keep them accountable must be worked upon. There is nothing political in this, it’s completely personal. After all, their actions or inactions make all the difference in our lives. From education to employment, from birth to death, the policies they make, the decisions they take and whether they implement them or not – everything has a direct impact on our lives. The least we can do this case is keep them accountable for what they are supposed to do and calling them directly happens to be an easy and effective way.You May Also Like: 5 Brilliant Ways in Which NRIs Are Helping People in Rural India with Just a Few Phone Calls!
The impact of these phone calls:
RTI call campaign: A group of individuals called some MLAs as a part of the RTI call campaign when the RTI bill was up for amendments under the UPA regime. The campaign was very effective in voicing the citizens’ concerns and bringing this to the attention of the ministers. Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) campaign: As part of the MPLADS, every MP gets crores of rupees every year to spend on his/her constituency. The CAG audit revealed that either the MPLADS funds were not spent or were misused. The campaign was to call the MPs and find out the status of the money. Land Acquisition call campaign: I found that were many MPs who came from a farming background and had opposed the land acquisition in principle, but unfortunately, they were bound by their party.Other stories:
Source: Flickr
From being very knowledgeable to being completely clueless, from being very polite to being completely rude, from being very objective to being completely dismissive – I’ve had the best and the worst experiences in my interactions with the ministers. Here is a look: • Some ministers are very well informed while some are completely clueless – the RTI call campaign was an example. • Some ministers are very supportive while others are dismissive – as seen in the political funding, Bastar and MPLADS calling campaigns. • Some ministers are afraid to have an independent opinion for the fear of the party whip – like in the land acquisition bill calling campaign. • Some ministers feel completely powerless even to take decisions in their own constituencies – clear during the drought calling campaign • Some ministers are outright rude and question our right to question them. • Some ministers even felt empowered that someone was asking them questions and they are able to explain their views on issues. • Some ministers deny any wrongdoing when confronted over a controversial statement or a speech. • Some ministers adopt a narrative to completely discount and dismiss the real issues – like in the case of farmer suicides. • Some ministers never pick up their phones despite having listed multiple contacts on the government websites • Although ours is a democratic country, there is no democracy found in the internal functioning of the party. The stance taken by the party is most often the stance of the ministers and not the other way aroundSome of the issues taken up during the calling campaign are as follows:
• Farmer suicides • MPLADS funds • Bringing political parties under the purview of RTI • Issues of sexual harassment • Hate speeches • Land Acquisition • Drought • Situation in BastarHow to make the calls?
Source: Flickr
It is a very simple three step process. Look up the number on the internet, prepare a few points for the conversation and dial the number. It’s as simple as that. MP contacts: The members of the parliament and their contacts are listed here: tinyurl.com/CallTheMP. They can also be found on the rajyasabha.nic.in and loksabha.nic.in. MLA contacts: The MLA list is slightly difficult since the state assemblies are not listing the contacts properly. However, the party usually has the list maintained separately and with a few google searches, it’s easy to locate the numbers.Best and worst conversations:
The best: An MP once hired his PA to do an end to end research on the RTI, political funding etc. A very senior MP endorsed one of our campaign and gave some valuable insights into the party functioning The worst: On sexual harassment, one MP said that women from the south face less harassment than the women from the north. On hate speeches, instead of acknowledging the wrongdoing, one MP was defending it based on other hate speeches. One cabinet minister was so furious that some nobody dared to call him, that he just hung up. - Suresh EdigaYou May Also Like: This Man Grew up Among the Adivasis. Today, He Is Changing Their World with Mobile Phones.
Screenshot of the newly launched multilingual knowledge portal, Bharatavani[/caption]
Currently, more than 130 dictionaries, glossaries and terminology are available on the web portal. These dictionaries are available in text and PDF formats. The Home Page (
One person develops 
According to estimates by some experts, paedophiles account for 
This is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder marked by binging, followed by methods to avoid weight gain. It is estimated that up to 
The deep-rooted fear of or prejudice towards foreigners, strangers, or even the unknown has led to 2,053 racist and xenophobic hate crimes in 
n The consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time – binge drinking costs approximately £20 billion a year to the 
A view of the mini-forest[/caption]
The terrain on which the mini-forest was raised.[/caption]
The liana creeper[/caption]
Syzgium Laeturn (Buch.-Ham.) Gandhi[/caption]
Holigarna Grahimii[/caption]
![1[1]](http://www.thebetterindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/11.jpg)
The dignitaries from IWBF, during the second National Wheelchair Basketball Championship held at Delhi, along with Madhavi Latha (seated 2nd from left)- the president and Kalyani Rajaraman (seated 2nd from right)- the Secretary General of WBFI.[/caption]The disease had compressed her spinal cord. With one of her lungs covered by the spine, the lack of oxygen had made her muscles weak and her body was succumbing to the pressure. An immediate spinal surgery was required and her chances were still said to be bleak.
She then met a physiotherapist, Mr. Ananda Jothi, who suggested the process of hydrotherapy – exercises done under water – to increase her chances of survival. His confidence made Madhavi attempt the therapy against her family’s desire. They ridiculed the possibility of a paralysed person surviving in water. To everyone’s surprise, the buoyancy of water made her body light and the weak muscles in her legs could bear her weight. She could walk under water. “This meant a completely different world of freedom to me”, she says.
Madhavi Latha, the president of WBFI, in a discussion with a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, on the inaugural day of the tournament.[/caption]
Having being employed with the MNC Bank Group, Madhavi wished to take part in the corporate Olympiad in 2010 to represent her organisation, which was then exclusive for able-bodied athletes.
Madhavi poses with the basketball before her first game as a wheelchair basketball player.[/caption]
Madhavi, with few others, took the initiative to form the national body – Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) in 2014. Through the establishment of WBFI, she came across Kalyani Rajaraman, a person who had great experience in working with NGOs and in interacting with the differently abled community. The two women spearheaded the spread of the sport in the country along with their colleagues.
Madhavi and Kalyani had to overcome several hurdles in their journey. The lack of national and state level sports associations and clubs for wheelchair basketball posed the initial challenge of finding individuals who could be encouraged to play.
Madhavi with the first women’s team at the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, pays attention to their coach during a timeout amidst the match.[/caption]
The end of 2014 marked the symbolic birth of the sport in our country, with the first National Wheelchair Basketball Championship at Chennai with five participating teams representing the states of Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Over the next one year, Madhavi and Kalyani were invited by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), to attend the Asia Pacific conference in Japan. With their diligent efforts, the duo was responsible for bringing the representatives from the IWBF to be associated with them in the second National Wheelchair Basketball Championship held at New Delhi in December 2015.
Madhavi in a discussion with the President- Mr.Ulf Mehrens and the Secretary General- Ms.Maureen Orchard from the IWBF.[/caption]
1. Purchase aluminium foil, thermocol sheets (of thickness one inch each), and gunny bags. The amount depends on the area that you want to cover.
2. On the roof, just above the room that you want to keep cool, spread the gunny bags evenly.
3. Then place thermocol sheets above the bags and cover the whole thing with aluminium foil sheets. There shouldn’t be any air gap between the aluminium foil and thermocol.
4. Place some bricks on the sides to keep the entire setup stable.
This way, whatever little heat is absorbed by the aluminium foil, gets further reduced by thermocol sheets and gunny bags. A temperature drop of about five degrees Celsius can be achieved with this process, which costs about Rs. 600 for a two square metre area. By lowering the temperature, it also lowers the amount of power used by an air conditioner in the room.
This concept is used in several places like one the roof of a train compartment that is painted silver to reduce absorption of heat. The same can be done in case of cars, buses, and auto-rickshaws too.
- Dr. Anumakonda Jagadeesh
In London, he lived in a hostel, a few Tube stations away, commuting daily by the Tube.
On his return to India, he found, without much difficulty, a job as a journalist in a leading national English daily. He is now a Senior Assistant Editor there. His employers have provided him the requisite infrastructural back-up considering his special needs. Guess what, his area of specialisation is Europe.
Only an insignificant proportion of the blind in India have found gainful employment like Garimella. He is grateful for the fact that he has been fortunate to have found a job of his liking. By using modern technological aids, he is able to read textual matter, an essential thing in his chosen area. He writes out his stories and editorials, edits his copies and formats them, etc. You may not believe this but he does not use Braille at all.
He is acutely conscious of what he is missing out: widening his horizon of experience because of his handicap. But he has learnt to accept the situation.
I read to him for many years before he moved to a distant part of the city. He had varied interests apart from journalism. I have read to him books on politics, literature, autobiographies, even parts of H.M.Seervai’s monumental commentary on the Indian Constitution. Discussions with him on politics, ethics, morality, the state of Indian journalism, music, in fact, any subject, were always stimulating. Never given to mincing words, Garimella held passionate views on different subjects. I used to provoke him at times, to draw him out even when he appeared to be somewhat hesitant. I can truly say that I found in Garimella, a kindred soul.
For all the passion and vehemence he packs into expressing his views on men and matters, Garimella comes across as a modest person. When I broached the subject of nominating him for one of the prestigious awards for those who have in spite of their disabilities come up in life the hard way, he emphatically negated the idea. I can only surmise that he had not considered the possibility that he could be a role model for others who are similarly disadvantaged.
Even after he moved to a distant location, he used to come over or talk on the phone, seeking some clarification or other on some aspect of Carnatic music. Incidentally, over a period of time, he started taking lessons from one of the Carnatic music doyens, Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna whom he worships as a much-misunderstood person. Garimella has a powerful, resonant voice which could be the envy of any aspiring musician. At my request, he sang a couple of Carnatic kritis on the thirteenth-day ceremony (Subhasweekaaram) following the sad demise of my wife in September 2011. Those present were literally wonder-struck at the passion-packed power of his voice, and the melody of the rendition.
The recent impetus that the concept of 'Chess in Schools' has gained, is ensuring that chess spreads to the grassroots level. Indeed, it is a valuable education tool for school children. But what about underprivileged kids? To fill this gap, I approached an NGO named International Society of Human Welfare and Rehabilitation (ISHWAR) in Delhi and started teaching the children the basics of chess. I christened it Project Checkmate.
The response, to my surprise, was heartening. Project Checkmate was launched in April 2016 with the vision of introducing underprivileged children to the game of chess. I teach a group of around 20 students who are enthusiastic about learning the game. They had no idea about the rules of chess and I had to start from scratch. Eventually, I also taught them the basic openings and their names. They learned about the history of chess and evolution of modern chess as well.
Six students went to the Delhi State Rapid Chess Tournament in May 2016. I picked them up from the NGO and gave them their new chess kits prepared by me. The chess kit consisted of a notebook, a pen, simple tips written by me, and a chess board with pieces. The children also took with them the bags and bottles that I had given them earlier. They were extremely excited to play in their first tournament - that too a state level one. The entire car ride to the venue was an eventful one. I gave the children some tips for the tournament and how they should play to their best capacity.
I showed them one of Mikhail Tal's masterpieces and asked them their ideas about the game. I talked about strategy and planning and how to win a game. New students had joined as the class by this time. It is amazing to see how these kids can concentrate and focus so hard.
The work I was doing was noticed by IM Tania Sachdev. The project was taken up by ‘Chess for Children’, who sponsored the certificates for the 1st ISHWAR NGO Tournament. I was extremely excited and looked forward to organising a tournament for the very first time in my life. The tournament was a single round robin event and was played with the latest FIDE rules and the latest chess clocks.
There were a total of 5 games and one boy managed to win all his games.It has been an eventful two months for this programme and we hope to take it to further heights. Children have also started learning chess on the computer by the new online chess learning program started at the NGO. We have started a board games club and a library at the NGO. Chess books are also available in the newly created library.
The biggest lesson of this programme is that nothing in life can come easily. It has to be achieved with hard work and dedication. Even though one may not have the means, one can achieve his/her dreams provided they have the passion and will to work towards it.
The video is a part of series shot by "Dear World" team in collaboration with Nobel Peace Prize Forum. This year, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2016 will focus on measures to end child slavery and trafficking globally.
About the Nobel Peace Prize Forum – 2016
Under the auspices of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, The
Kids who work as domestic helps, baby sitters, labourers – it must be so difficult for them, I used to think. Every child wants to go to school and earn an education, make good friends, succeed in life – but sadly, most of them cannot even afford to dream about the same.
With this thought, I moved on to the next chapter of my life – that of helping kids who have suffered because of an evil society, in building a life that they deserve. My first step was to encourage my domestic help to educate her daughter, who had been to school till Class 2 but had to quit because of financial constraints. I helped the 14-year-old join school again and supported her till Class 12. Today, she is happily married and is making use of her education to help her family move forward.
Then in 2012, I received a circular from my daughter’s school informing that Mr. Anirudh Khaitan, Vice-Chairperson of Khaitan Public School, has initiated a program for the education of under privileged children. The school had requested all parents to come forward and help. I was eager to contribute and signed up. Unfortunately, no one else showed up. I started teaching 80 kids after school hours on the same campus.
We were spending very less time together but she never complained. She knew this was important for me and encouraged me to keep going.
I saw a spark in my students’ eyes when I met them for the first time – there was a will to learn and do something great. They helped me build immense positive energy and strength. Later, I started teaching kids at home itself. I used to look around for children who cannot afford school, encouraged their parents to educate them, and provided them with all the study material and monetary support.
But the biggest challenge in doing this was the lack of money. So I started taking evening tuition classes. My income, along with by brother’s contribution, was put into meeting the needs of my students.
Roohani Foundation is now under the process of registration. I teach from Monday to Saturday, and Saturday is an art and craft day. Roohani also helps me whenever she is at home and takes art and craft classes. As the number of children is increasing and we don’t have much space, I am planning to start a school with an initial capacity of 150 kids where I will provide free education, food and all the modern amenities to students.
It has been 13 years since my husband left us, but I am still fighting the divorce case – waiting for justice. I have learned to move forward and enjoy this life with my happy family of 54 people.
- Rachna Khanna
So he decided to water the existing and the new ones himself, as he went around the city in his rikshaw. Mr Gupta started carrying a 15 ltr water can in his rikshaw everyday to water the trees on the sides of the road. Later, as his solo efforts did not keep him satisfied, he also started to carry a register in the rikshaw and began convincing people to do the same, especially other rikshaw walas he met. He named his mission ‘Sadbhaavana – Hara Bhara Bharat’.
Purushottam Das Gupta has his family standing alongside him firmly. This is evident by the fact that he celebrated his anniversary in March, by planting two trees along the banks of Upavan Lake.
Environment week from 5th to 11th June 2016 was celebrated by Mr Gupta and his fellow members by planting 50 trees in the city which they had sourced from the Municipal Corporation.
My life is not a bed of roses. I have worked hard for my happiness and I have had dark times – like we all do. But the mountains taught me to keep going, no matter what. So when I started my dream project, a travel company of my own, I knew that I can’t fail – even when everything started going wrong and people who I thought would stand by me were the first one’s to back off.
The Annapurna Base Camp Trek was on my mind for a long time and I wanted to go solo. After arriving in Kathmandu, I spent a day there and prepared for the trek – leaving for Pokhara the next day.
“Be open to experiencing anything new, its not strange, its usually good”[/caption]
This was the beginning of the much awaited trek and the first time that I would trek in the dark – but surprisingly, I wasn’t feeling scared at all. As the trek began from a low altitude, it seemed more like a tropical rain forest. I reached the Australian Base Camp in an hour and a half. It was my first pit-stop and I found a pretty nice lodge with good food.
“Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst”[/caption]
The walk from the Australian Base Camp was a mix of ups and downs at a comparatively low altitude. It started raining when I was just an hour short of Landruk. By the time I reached there, everything, including the clothes in my backpack were drenched.
“You are stronger than you think”[/caption]
I woke up at 5:30 am and saw the first view of Annapurna Main. I couldn’t have been happier. This was a longer and harder day, but I was in good spirits. With my shoes still wet, I decided to hike in my floaters. From Jhinu, where I reached by lunchtime, it was a clear uphill climb to Chhomrong. I was scared of it in the beginning, but completed the climb like a cake walk. This gave my confidence a real boost and I started believing that I am going to make it.
“A champion is someone who gets up and moves when she can’t”[/caption]
I woke up to a cloud day and it rained throughout, making the trail slippery. It was a constant climb and I was not in my best shape. The altitude kept increase, it was cold and damp, the moisture levels were high, my shoes were still wet – I was breaking down. But I knew that I had to keep going, so I did, and made it to Himalaya.
Himalaya from a distance[/caption]
On the way to Deurali - "Sometimes you just have to take the leap of faith and trust yourself, because you are all that you got”[/caption]
The Himchuli Straight up[/caption]
The next stop was MBC (Machcha Pucchre Base Camp). The view was so breath taking at this point that it completely distracted from everything else. It didn’t matter any more if my body was hurting. I was coming closer to my love – the mountains, and that was all that mattered. I started my trek to ABC after lunch and was there in less than two hours. I had tears in my eyes. I had made it in one piece – in spite of all odds.
Machcha Pucchre from MBC[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_57913" align="alignnone" width="1080"]
Annapurna Base Camp[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_57914" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Annapurna Main (8091 mts) at Dusk, the 10th highest mountain in the world[/caption]
"You are on your own sole journey, not competing or racing with anything or anyone"[/caption]
Sadly, I had to leave the base camp next morning. I was happy that I survived the night there as many others couldn’t. The morning was bright and sunny but it started raining again as we crossed Deurali. Taking a stop was a good idea and I also decided to get some much needed rest.
"Energies make you or break you, choose wisely"[/caption]
Since walking back is not so much fun, I decided to break some trekking rules and plug in my ear phones. It was also a walk to talk with myself, reflecting upon my personal and professional goals and decisions. We all want friendship and love – but trust me, no relationship is as important as your relationship with yourself, because no one is ever going to respect you the way you do. So love yourself enough to be happy, and choose happiness, every day! With that thought, I had happily made it to Chhomrong. Jhinu was an hour away and so were the hot water springs.
“Be the best version of yourself - wherever you go, heal and spread the love”[/caption]
It was the last leg, and it was harder than I thought it would be. But I had done it. I made it to the ABC and was back in one piece.
We live in a country where women have to face many societal pressures, but I don’t want to be bonded, ever. I always have a choice and I am all that I have - that's why I trekked solo.
- Tanya Roy
India shares international borders with 6 countries. Here we are mentioning them in order from easiest to the most difficult ones to enter.
You can enter Nepal in your vehicle at any time of the year without prior permissions. The most famous land border crossing is the Sunauli border in Uttar Pradesh, which is around 185 km from Gorakhpur. In less than 30 minutes, all the formalities can be completed at the border and you are ready to drive into Nepal. From Nepal, you can enter China and go on to the Middle East, Russia and Europe.
Documents – Any photo ID proof
Currency – NPR
Conversion – 1INR = 1.60 Nepalese Rupee
Visa – Not required for Indian Nationals
Best places to visit – Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan National park, Sagarmatha National Park, Langtang, Sarankot.
Like Nepal, Indian citizens don’t require a passport and visa to enter Bhutan. If you plan to take your own Indian registered vehicle, all you need to do is pre-register yourself. This can be done at the immigration post at Phuntsholing border and at the transport department for vehicle registration.
The process takes around 2-3 hours as there are two separate buildings for vehicle registration and individual registration. The most popular land border is the Jaigaon-Phuntsholing border in West Bengal. If you have to go beyond Thimphu (capital of Bhutan), then you need to take permissions again. Another land border is Samdrup Jongkhar in Assam. It’s not as popular because the main cities of Bhutan, like Paro and Thimphu, are close to the West Bengal border. Though Bhutan shares a land border with China, there is no land connectivity, so one cannot go anywhere beyond Bhutan.
Documents – Passport/ Voter ID/Adhaar card (Driving license is not accepted as an ID or Address proof)
Currency – Bhutanese Ngultrum
Conversion – 1 INR = 1 Bhutanese Ngultrum
Visa – Not required for Indian National
Best places to visit – Thimpu, Paro, Punakha, Royal Manas National Park, Bumthang, Trashigang, Jigme Dorji National Park
A 'carnet' (you need to deposit 200 per cent of your vehicle’s value to obtain it for your vehicle) is a must to exit India and enter Bangladesh. You don’t need to apply for special permissions or permits other than carnet & visa. Visitors can enter Bangladesh from the Petrapole–Benapole border. You can engage any travel company to take care of the hotel bookings and tour planning. Though a guide is not mandatory, it’s advisable.
Documents – Valid Passport, Visa, Vehicle documents, Planned Itinerary, Carnet & Third party vehicle insurance
Currency – Bangladeshi Taka
Conversion – 1 INR = 1.17 Bangladeshi Taka
Visa – Required
Best places to visit – Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar, Saint Martin, Sundarban, Kuakata, Rangamati, Sylhet.
One has to cross Myanmar on the Delhi to Bangkok Highway, which was talked about a fair bit last year. To exit and re-enter India via the Indo-Myanmar land border (Moreh), one needs to apply for a carnet. You need to pay 200 per cent of your vehicle’s value to obtain it. Thailand customs also accept carnet as a valid document should you wish to enter the country driving a foreign registered vehicle.
It is not possible to enter Myanmar without a pre-planned itinerary and hotel booking in place. It is mandatory to hire a local Burmese guide, approved by the Ministry of Myanmar Tourism, who will travel with you. Hiring the services of a travel company that specializes in organizing road trips is ideal. The company needs to be registered with the Myanmar tourism department in order to apply for permits and permissions on your behalf. Vehicle and driver details are to be submitted a month in advance, along with 50 per cent advance payments. Hotels bookings, guides and other formalities are carried out by the agent.
Another mandatory rule is to have a lead car for the convoy — a must, even if it’s a single car. This is because of poor signboards along the roads and difficulty in communicating with the locals in a foreign language. This is part of the agent services you would hire for permits.
From Myanmar, you can enter China and go on to the Middle East, Russia and Europe . You can also enter Thailand from Myanmar and go till Singapore via Malaysia.
Documents – Valid Passport, Visa, Carnet, original vehicle documents & Special overland permit & permissions.
Currency – Burmese Kyat
Conversion 1 INR = 17.65 Burmese Kyat
Visa – Required
Best places to visit – Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake, Naypyidaw, Hpa-An
The most time-consuming and uncertain process of taking permissions are to drive in China. You can enter China (Tibet) through Nepal via the Kodari — Zhangmu border. Like Myanmar, China does not accept or recognize carnet and international driving license. You need to take all permissions in advance, and that takes a minimum of two months, as permissions like special overland permits for Indian registered vehicles and temporary driving license come from Lhasa.
Your permits can be cancelled without any refund, so it’s a big risk. We hear about the Nathu La pass entry point in the Himalayas these days, but as of now, civilian vehicles have not crossed this border.
Documents – Valid Passport, Visa, original vehicle doc’s & Special overland permit & permissions.
Currency – Chinese Yuan
Conversion 10.21 INR = 1 Chinese Yuan
Visa – Required
Best places to visit – Beijing, Shanghai, Macau, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Lhasa
There is no way to enter Pakistan in an Indian registered civilian vehicle. Many foreign citizens who undertake overland expeditions use Wagah Border to enter or exit India during their journey but this option is not open to Indians.
Soon, there was a big group of thirsty passengers surrounding their trolley with empty water bottles. I saw the man using funnels to fill water into these bottles so that no water would get wasted.
On talking to him later, I came to know that this inspirational man is a businessman seeking spiritual solace through this divine work. His name is Sukhdev Singh and he comes to Pipariya railway station every day to serve water to the thirsty. “Waheguru takes care of everything,” he told me.
- Sheetanshu Mishra, Kanpur
This is in addition to the regular salaries they receive as approved in the government order no.A PA JEE 20 FAP 2010 dated 09-06-2016 that comes into immediate effect. This will possibly benefit nearly 1,500 staff of the forest department.
This is a first-of-its-kind of initiative in the country. The current allowance approved by the state government helps staff especially the Group-D employees. Till date an allowance of Rs. 800/- was provided only to staff working in tiger reserves by the central government through the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The frontline staff face several hardships including living in remote areas and difficult terrain, face threats from smugglers, poachers, the risk from wildlife and other similar issues.
All this had necessitated that additional financial benefits to be provided. Sanjay Gubbi had previously successfully initiated an insurance program for the staff which is now implemented by the forest department in protected areas of the state where the revenue earned from tourism is used to pay the insurance premium. Hope these initiatives are implemented in other parts of the country for the staff working in protected areas and other difficult conditions.
It acts as a stimulant, cardiotonic, carminative, aphrodisiac, alternative anodyne, antidiarrheal, antiasthamatic, astringent, laxative stomachic and tonic.
Local agar planters go for two species of Aquilaria agallocha. ‘Bohla Sanchi’ grows fast but its yield is less than that of ‘Jati Sanchi’. ‘A. agallocha’ needs highly humid, sub-tropical climate with a rainfall of around 1800-3500 mm per annum. Agar tree also requires a lot of sunlight to attain a height of 40 meter. It can be profitably grown in marginal soils as also in shallow soils over rocky beds with cracks and crevices.
The process of Agar oil formation is rather interesting. Biren Doley, known as ‘Agaru Guru’ a local Agar planter from Telam, explains – stem borer Zeuzera conferta bores the Agar tree making hollow tunnels inside living tree trunks that are conducive for Agaru formation. Fungus enters the plant through the vertical hollow parts of the zigzag tunnels which act as the primary site of infection. Large wood volumes get infected and Agar wood formation depends on the intensity and frequency of insect infestation in the infected areas within 7-8 years after infection.
Agar trees produce resins as a part of their internal immunity mechanism against these fungal infections. The accumulated Oleoresins produce precious Agar oil and Agaru. Biren Doley says that such an infection mostly occurs due to natural or mechanical injury to the tree trunk but it’s very localised. Oleoresins get accumulated in the affected wood in the wake of resistance against fungal infection. Later it becomes odoriferous.
Accumulation of Oleoresins gets deeper as per the intensification of the rate of infection as well as the aging of the infection, he says. As more Oleoresins are deposited, the colour of the infected wood gets intensified and changes from brown to black. If the fungal infection takes place at the age of five or six, 10 years are sufficient to access commercial Agar wood.
In a natural forest, only 20 to 25 %t of the Agar trees may become infected and productive. Based on the rate of infection, these trees are slightly infected, moderately infected and severely affected. Local private Agar planters apply mechanical injuries before the spring season by making a deep slanting cut with a sharp axe. Such artificial injuries provide an infection site for the stem borer and also to push the tree to undergo a stress condition. The ‘Dum Type’ of product obtained out of this treatment for oil extraction is locally popular as “Ghap Mal.”
Though oil extraction takes place throughout the year, the conducive period of extraction is from February to May. However, oil extracted during the dormant period possesses the finest odour because it contains less waxy substances, says Biren Doley.
The oil thus produced is a sought after commodity but it does not seem to aid the local farmers. The small scale and medium sized private planters don’t get the prices of Agar oil and wood in accordance with national and international prices.
A cost and benefit analysis of around 3,000 A. agallocha trees in two hectares of farmland over a 20 year time period adds up to a total expenditure of about Rs 7.5 lakh. Anticipated yield and income generally comprise two phases. As an interim yield, 40% of the selected Agar plants are harvested in the first phase. This is done with the objective to gain interim income and to reduce the density of Agar trees so that the rest can grow well over the next 10 years. The yield of distillable wood (Low quality Dum/Boya) from 10 years old tree (about 20 kg per tree) sells at about Rs 10 per kg. And the Dum quality wood from a 20 year old tree (about 50 Kg per tree) sells at Rs. 50 per kg. Batli Mal/kalagachi of a 20 year old tree (about 0.5 Kg per tree) sells at Rs. 2,000 per Kg. So the gross returns from a two hectare field over two decades is Rs. 65 lakh.
This rough cost and benefit sharing analysis as per the localised procurement pricing, shows that an exponential transition of rural economy within the paradigm of green economics is possible. It also refutes the claims that aboriginal communities need massive investments for increasing the per capita income as well as enhancing quality of life.
However, unsustainable logging and trafficking of Agar wood from the natural forest has forced the government to bring the international trade within sustainable limits. A. malaccensis and A. agallocha have therefore, been listed as critically endangered species in India under the Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES 2009) and are almost extinct in the wild in Assam.
Besides, Agar entrepreneurs are exploiting the local growers. For over a decade, they have been offering minimum procurement prices to Agar growers and accessing a large share of the profit. Such middlemen could be removed if the government creates a transparent price regulatory policy for Agar.
The governments of the Northeastern states must ensure incentives to growers for plantation of Agar wood trees on private farm lands. Government must ensure sustainable utilisation of Agar wood including harvesting, processing, transit and trade. There is a need to develop suitable strategies to augment its natural regeneration, artificial regeneration and conservation. Addressing research and development for sustainable harvesting would propagate a better structure of Agar plantation. Besides, industrial units for Agar wood processing and marketing must also be regulated.
The Draft Policy for Sustainable Utilisation of Agar wood, 2014, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has set assigned management initiatives for the sustainable utilisation of Agar wood. These include documentation of information on geographical distribution and resource base; packages for cultivation, value additions, market status; domestic policies for growers by the concerned state government; and formation of rules and regulations for harvesting, marketing, industries and trade policies. It says that pricing pattern, social-economic dimensions as per requirement of the concerned state may be further supported by Minimum Support Price.
Agar could be the driver of an economic empowerment for the marginalised aboriginal, native, tribal communities in Northeast India. Such rural communities are exploring the green economic opportunities by planting Agar trees in their small, middle or large sized land holdings. Such plantation drives are not only working to combat climate change and pollution but ushering in a conducive atmosphere for rain as well as generating a healthy ecosystem. Exploring livelihood opportunities naturally would, one hopes, alleviate poverty by empowering marginalised communities.
Mekhri Circle underpass[/caption]
D V Gundappa road is named after the name of popular Kannada writer.[/caption]
Sir Enayathullah Mehkri (Sitting left)[/caption]
"Mr. Enayathullah Mehkri is most commonly known and respected for his absolutely selfless deed of fully financing the levelling of the steep slope in the Hebbal Tank area. His intentions behind doing this lay in his sympathy for the cows and bulls which experienced great pain while dragging heavy cartloads and travelling up the steep slope of this area. Later, when the news of these proceedings reached the Maharaja of Mysore through the Dewan Sir Mirza, the Maharaja offered to refund Mr. Mehkri for financing the levelling. Mr. Mehkri refused the money. The king named the intersection of the Bellary Road and the Hebbal Tank area as “Enayathullah Mehkri Square” in his honour." – Submitted by 
"Shankar was interested in theatre and acting even when he was young. He loved watching movies and enjoyed theatre. After his schooling, he moved to Mumbai where he acted in Marathi dramas. His brother Anant Nag, urged Shankar to act in a Kannada movie Onanodu Kaladalli directed by Girish Karnad. The epic movie was a huge hit. It was just his debut movie yet it earned Shankar an award at the National film festival. His acting career spanning just 12 years saw him act in almost 80 Kannada movies." – Submitted by 
I also received a certificate for achieving the highest marks in Mathematics in the country. I stood at the second merit rank in Gujarat. So you can imagine the level of hard work I used to put in to always be at the top.
I had various options after school, but Information Technology was new and a lot in demand at the time. So I decided to go for Bachelors in Information Technology from Nirma University of Technology. I got the Dhirubhai Ambani merit-based undergraduate scholarship for four consecutive years for the same. I got good marks in bachelors too, which landed me in a job with TCS Mumbai. I served at TCS Mumbai for four years and was later transferred to TCS Gandhinagar. I got the outstanding trainee award in my initial induction program at TCS. I was awarded as TCS top 10 programmer in TCS global programming contest in Java and C, twice. I even got the first merit in the executive diploma in operations management from Nirma University which I passed with distinction during my TCS tenure. I got the best faculty award when I was working as a technical faculty head in the TCS initial learning programme centre at Gandhinagar. After playing the role of faculty head and batch head for years I decided to look ahead in my career and go back to taking new projects as a software developer.
Soon I was given a Finland-based project of Nokia. So after working for around four months, TCS offered me a job as the Project Manager in Finland. But my health started deteriorating around the same time. I used to ignore it as I was very excited about going to Finland. I was suffering from back aches, high fever, and numbness in my feet. My physician would give some medicines and they would make me feel good for some time, but I had never imagined that these were the symptoms of something huge and serious. It never really crossed my mind. While I was enjoying my life, I never realized that a major set-back was coming.
My visa for Finland was stamped. But one night around that time, I suddenly collapsed in my washroom at home. I just couldn't get up. It felt as if I had no power in my legs. I called out to my mother and with the help of few other people I was lifted and placed on the bed. The next morning I realized that I couldn't even move the toes of my feet. So, we decided to get examined by a neurosurgeon. The doctor said that I had got a severe bout of paralytic attack.
But the peculiar problem in the case of cancer is that its treatment can't start until it is proved by biopsy. Unfortunately, my first biopsy report showed that the tumour wasn't at a cancerous growth stage. But the doctors believed in the possibility of human error in my biopsy. We went for a repeat of biopsy and sent the sample to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai this time. The final report concluded that my cancer was in the last stage and it was the most aggressive type of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma – a kind of blood cancer. I had just six weeks to live and it shocked my family. Then we got the Pet CT scans done, which is specially meant for cancer diagnosis and it revealed that my cancer had almost spread in my vertebras from top to the tail bone. Further, it had spread to my liver, pancreas, part of intestines and bladder too. I wasn't made aware of the gravity of situation initially. I just knew that I had cancer. I didn't know about its stage and the days I had left with me. My paralysis was also found to be of Grade-5, which is the severe most attack. Spine specialist Dr. Dave recommended an 18-20 hours long and complex surgery for tumour removal. Even after this procedure the chances of survival were only 10%. There was no guarantee that I will be able to walk ever again. Yet we agreed and the surgery was scheduled for the next day.
But I began to collapse and was rushed to the Sterling Hospital ICU. In an effort to revive my life, I was pumped with life-saving drugs and steroids as my pulse rate was dropping and my heartbeat was sinking. The end was close. But miraculously, my sustained fight and my mom's prayers started showing a positive impact. My body was responding to the steroids and my situation was steadier by that night. When the team of spine doctors came for pre-operation check-up, they found that I could move my toes. They could not believe it. Dr. Dave himself visited and commented that it was nothing short of a miracle. This meant that my body was responding to the medicines. In that case we could postpone the surgery and be in the 'wait and watch' mode.
To focus on the bigger enemy, the cancer, I was taken to the GCRI Civil Hospital. I had barely four weeks to live. Dr. Talati was going to do my treatment. I was admitted only a day before my birthday and my radiotherapy sessions were to start on my birthday. Realizing that it could be my last birthday, the doctors suggested that I should not be made to go through all this on that day. But I insisted. What better gift could I give myself than to start my radiotherapy sessions on my own birthday?
The radiotherapy sessions began and from the third day, they started giving me chemo therapies as well. A protocol of 8-10 sessions for each therapy was chalked out for several months ahead. I requested the hospital staff to stop addressing me as patient and instead call me a fighter, a hero or a champ. After all, I was fighting twin battles of paralysis and cancer. Finally, after 11-12 months of therapy, I was declared cancer free. There were huge celebrations at the hospital and my home.
Now my entire focus was on overcoming paralysis. I was undergoing two to three sessions every day with a team of able physiotherapists. Dr. Alap Gadhavi became a very dear of mine in this process. Initially I had to wear an uncomfortable steel brace to support my spine. Our relentless hard-work started yielding results. I was taking baby steps. If I could stand upright for 10 minutes without any support, there would be celebrations. If I could climb up a step or two, sweets were distributed. My journey had small yet key milestones for us to cherish.
I complained of blurred vision a few months back when my chemotherapy sessions were underway. The doctors told me that I should wait for the chemotherapy and few other therapies to get over before getting my eyes tested. I had worn prescription glasses for a long time. So they said it was common for eye number to change. Also, heavy dosage of medicines might have caused my vision to blur. I also took it that way and didn't think much about the situation. But even after I was declared cancer free, my vision continued to blur. I was losing my vision. An ophthalmologist told me that the optic nerves in my eyes were damaged and only 20% vision was left, which would go away in two months.
I had lost 100% of my vision after two months. I had my life back, but I was sightless. I was depressed and shattered. I had not felt so distraught even when I was fighting cancer. My whole world, as I knew it, changed overnight. I even told Dr. Aalap that he should stop my sessions because there was no hope for me. However, he gave me a new purpose to live. Dr Aalap introduced me to his father Kailash Gadhvi, who is a retired English teacher and a classical music trainer. He had lost his vision at the age of seven. Kailash bhai showed me a completely new world of possibilities. Here I was thinking that my life is over, but Kailash bhai's story inspired me a lot. He is a Braille teacher, so I started learning from him. Braille has different bifurcations, Braille English, Braille Gujarati and Braille Hindi. Usually, it takes one or two years to just learn one Braille language. But I learnt all the three Braille languages in a period of just 4.5 months. Kailash Bhai also introduced me to many other visually impaired people. He introduced me to a girl who is doing her PhD, and she introduced me to talking mobile and talking computers.
I was even invited by Blind People's Association, Ahmedabad to share my inspiring story with other visually impaired people. I delivered a speech there and the listeners gave me a standing ovation. I was also invited as the chief guest at Blind School Gandhinagar for a flag hoisting ceremony. During my visit to Blind People Association, a professor came up to me and asked about my future plans. I told him that I'm quite interested in pursuing Diploma in Physiotherapy. Try to appear for competitive exams – you have lost your eyes not your brain, he told me. And that advice changed my life. I started preparing for competitive exams and used to study around 18 hours a day. In the year 2014, I appeared for State Bank of India Clerical exam, State Bank of India PO exam, Institute of Banking Personal Selection (IBPS) Clerical Exam, IBPS Probationary Officer exam, Reserve Bank of India Assistant grade exam, UPSC Prelims, and Reserve Bank of India Grade B exam (Prelims and Mains). And guess what, I cleared all of them.
I had even given UPSC Mains but could not clear the interview. I was offered a job at Bank of Baroda. In November 2014, I was called for an interview for the position of Assistant at Reserve Bank of India. I cracked the interview and I got job as an Assistant at RBI Ahmedabad in the year 2015. One month into the job and I was called for an interview for the position of RBI Manager and I cracked that too. I scored the highest marks in the interview. My joining date as a manager was November 2015. So I worked as an assistant at RBI Ahmedabad for nine months and then I was sent to RBI Chennai for 3.5 months for the training as a manager. Finally in March 2016, I joined Reserve Bank of India Ahmedabad as a Manager. Last year I cleared the Junior Associate of Indian Institute of Banking exam (JAIIB) and recently I even cleared the Certificate Associate of Indian Institute of Banking exam (CAIIB).
Disability is in the minds of people and not in us. Don't just focus on your disabilities. Instead focus on your abilities. I would like to say to the society that by offering a seat to us in the bus or helping us cross roads are very small gestures. The real gesture will be when you will involve us in your discussions and affairs with dignity. We want someone to share our thoughts. So try to have a conversation with us. And to my visually impaired friends I would say – don't listen to people. There is no such thing as disability. Create your own path and the world will follow.
Anand[/caption]
But the more he visited Kalap, the more he realized how socially isolated the village was. On one of his trips he met an old woman burning with high fever. He gave her a paracetamol and when the fever came down, she literally fell at his feet. He then got to know that no doctor had ever visited Kalap, realizing that the many things we take for granted in the cities, are hard to come by in Kalap. He arranged for visiting doctors and set up the first ever health camp in Kalap in 2014. It was disturbing to know that many villagers were diagnosed with tuberculosis during the health camp.
That’s when Anand decided to do something more long term to improve the lives of people there. He set up the Kalap Trust in September 2014. And a lot has changed for the good since then. A free clinic has been set up to deal with two chronic health issues affecting most people there– tuberculosis and nutritional disorders. The clinic’s focus is on the vulnerable population – children, pregnant women and the elderly.
The clinic provides out-patient services, antenatal care for pregnant women, paediatric treatment, emergency care for minor fractures, burn, wounds, etc. and preventive measures like spreading awareness about hygiene, cleanliness, nutrition, etc.
The Trust has installed specialized equipment at the clinic, in addition to basic clinical equipment like ECG machine, pulse oximeter, nebulizer, tractions, oxygen cylinder, IV stands, braces/stabilizers/cane, hospital bed (manual), etc. They are also in the process of setting up a basic laboratory that will offer bloodwork and tests for STDs. The Trust dispenses medicines free of cost, which has been a boon to the villagers, since monetary transactions are minimal in Kalap where the barter system is still prevalent.
The second most important project taken up by the Kalap Trust is education. The only barely running government school there was the one that continues to be in an appalling condition today. The teachers wouldn’t turn up to teach and children would refuse to have the awful mid-day meals.
The purpose of this initiative is to assess the gaps in government education system and fill them. The school runs every day after regular school hours and full-time on holidays and during vacations. One of the most important things it imparts is English language training, which prepares the children to adjust easily to an English medium school later in their academic life. Another emphasis is on nature interpretation, outdoor experiential education, basic science and math education.
I got an opportunity to attend and observe some sessions led by the teacher Ashwini Govind. With a diploma in Experiential Education, Ashwini said her earlier experience was in teaching city children to connect with nature. But here, teaching children who were born and brought up so close to nature was a totally different ball game.
The children are split up into different learning groups after an assessment process. The classes for the different groups happens in batches every alternate day and the teachers also visit and work with children in the isolated settlement of Unani in the Kalap gram-panchayat.
Some of the youth from the village have been appointed as assistants to the teachers. The school, like the clinic, is entirely crowdfunded! The annual cost of running the school is around Rs. 18,00,000 which comes to Rs. 20,000 per student. The Trust accepts sponsorships for students. To know more about how to sponsor the school, you can send an email to 
There are three 8W tube lights provided in each home and one mobile charging station. The consumers currently pay a fixed rate of Rs. 200 per month for the electricity consumed. Additionally, there is enough surplus power being generated by the solar panels during the day to provide electricity to a school and clinic run by the Trust. The children are able to do their school homework and people are able to finish their household chores comfortably at night. Charging of mobile phones has enabled access to information from across the world thus ending the social isolation of the village. As travellers it was a relief to charge our phones and camera batteries in the home-stay.
Being nestled in the Garhwal Himalayas, Kalap has many trekking and hiking routes offering splendid views of the mountains. These routes pass through quaint villages, virgin forests, gurgling mountain streams and alpine meadows. Anand has started a community tourism programme, which generates gainful employment for the local people. Local men and women have been trained as mountain guides and perform other activities on a campsite like cooking, taking care of guests, etc. Rooms in village homes are used as homestays. This project began in June 2013 and has been running successfully. Visitors get to experience the local culture, interact with the village people, sample local cuisine and explore the beautiful surroundings.
• Kalap Experience (4 Nights) – This is available all year round and visitors get a taste of village life including local food, folklore interpretation, cultural performances, and day treks in the area.
• The Four Village Trail (5 Nights) – Also possible throughout the year, this trail provides a typical village experience with trekking and overnight camping. One gets to visit potato fields, millet patches, and pastures.
• The Nomad Trail (7 Nights) – This is Kalap's signature trail and the one that I went for. The trail follows the path of the Nomadic shepherds who move from one pasture to another for their sheep and goats to graze on. This is a moderate level trek and is conducted from April 15 to November 15.
• Barad Sar (9 Nights) – This is for adventure enthusiasts who will get to trek to the high-altitude glacial lake Barad Sar. The lake is located more than 14,000 feet above sea level and is the most sacred spot in the Tons Valley. Lord Vishnu is believed to have emerged from its depths in one of his many incarnations. This trek is offered from September 15 to October 30 every year.
Another important project taken up by Anand is to spread awareness about the importance of sanitation. The village people perform their morning ablutions out in the open just outside the village. Not only does that spread diseases but also ruins the beauty of the place. He has been encouraging people to construct toilets. In 2013, there were just two toilets in the village of 100 homes. Today, there are 25 toilets.
They now have access to a resident doctor, meaningful education for their children, and a sense of social inclusion which was earlier lacking. Anand is working on expanding the scope of the Trust beyond Kalap, to the nearby villages nearby that are as socially isolated as Kalap earlier was. His vision is to enable access to essential services like education, electricity and medical facilities and create livelihood options for the people of the Tons river valley.
To know more about Kalap and the work of the Kalap Trust, visit