Random Photo of the Week

This roller rink trying hard to be the coolest place to hang out in Shimla. At 3 o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, you could hear the 80's-style music from at least a block and a half away. - A

We're Now In Bangalore!

Thanks to the power of intention and a very understanding Boston office, we have packed up and moved from Hubli to Bangalore. The Deshpande Foundation is still supporting our work, but instead of working in the main office in Hubli, we have switched to what many of the other fellows are doing and working for one of DF’s partner NGOs, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). TERI is one of the most well-known and respected environmental and energy-focused organizations in India. It became even more well-known in 2007, when the Director of TERI, Dr. R.K. Pachauri, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore for his work as the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

We are slated to work at TERI for the duration of our Fellowships that end next summer. While working there, Vidya will be conducting a large impact evaluation study of 16 watersheds that were part of a Gov’t of India funded program to improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods in rainfed areas in South India. Adam will be working on a project that assesses the existing and potential renewable energy sources in the state of Kerala (ANERT). Both of these projects fall outside of our ‘expertise’ areas, but that just gives us more opportunities to learn.

The best part about being in Bangalore is actually not the new projects, but that we get to be so close to family! In fact, the TERI office is just a 15 minute walk from Vidya’s parents. With Bangalore’s population nearing 8 million people and traffic jams increasing by the day, there is no doubt that we have the best commute in the city!

Random Photo of the Week

Sunset over Shimla, Himachal Pradesh -A

We’re Back!!!

It’s been more than two months since our last post and a lot has happened since then. Here’s a brief review of what has transpired in the last couple of months:

- We relocated from Hubli to Bangalore, although we are still working for the Deshpande Foundation (sort of).

- We traveled to the U.S. and back. During our time there, Vidya received her U.S. Citizenship.

- We started working at the Southern Regional Centre of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

- We attended the wedding of the brother of our good friend Ikram, and showed off our Bollywood moves during a choreographed dance routine.

- Adam traveled to Shimla, Himachal Pradesh to attend and present a paper at a conference on climate change and forestry.

Of course, there were a lot of other fun and interesting things that happened during that time, but these are the BIG events. We will be sure to fill you in more with photos and commentary in the upcoming days.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Random Photo of the Week will be back too!

Stay tuned…