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!