Scenes from the Development Dialogue – Day 1

Last week, we headed back to Hubli for the Deshpande Foundation’s annual conference, the Development Dialogue (DD). The conference is an annual reflection on the Deshpande Foundation's three core themes: (1) Innovation, (2) Entrepreneurship and, (3) Scale. At least 200 people attended the event, although most were from NGOs in the ‘Sandbox’ region of NW Karnataka that are funded by DF. The few others that came from the abroad, especially the Ashoka Fellows from Brazil, South Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, and beyond gave a lot of good insight and were really fun to talk to.

Here are some highlights from day 1 of the event...

Kick-off Event (aka Emil-palooza): The opening event had a mix of live performances and original films that highlighted some of the key programs and NGOs funded by the Deshpande Foundation. It was organized by another Sandbox Fellow and our good friend Emil, who worked on it for weeks. The effort that he and others put on really showed, as it was quite an impressive spectacle, especially for Hubli. Two of the films that were produced by Emil and his sidekick Chetan are available online, and we highly suggest you check them out:

1. Short Documentaries of 4 Deshpande Foundation funded NGOs

2. A day in the life of a sandbox fellow (note that we are not in this because we are living in Bangalore and not Hubli, where it was shot)

Desh’s Speech: ‘Desh’ Deshpande, the founder of the Deshpande Foundation along with his wife Jaishree, introduced the theme of the DD as ‘Changing Perspectives.’ The idea behind it is that NGOs that focus on the development sector in India should run their organization less like a traditional non-profit and more like a business in the corporate sector. He repeatedly stressed the need to produce metrics, follow up with quarterly reports, and strive to make your operation as efficient and scalable as possible. While these ideas are nothing new to those involved with DF (again, the motto is innovation, entrepreneurship, and scale), it was apparent from the reaction from the audience that a lot of the NGOs in attendance are not totally on board. Perhaps this is because NGOs in NW Karnataka have not been exposed to this type of thinking before, or perhaps it is because things are not that cut and dry out in the field when you are working with a variety of different people and conditions as they might be in the boardroom (we believe that it is a mix of both). Regardless, it appears that Desh is going to continue to press these ideas until his model is completely disproved.

Stay tuned for reports on the other two days in upcoming posts.

Photos from Gokarna

Adam, my parents and I went to a beach side city of Gokarna. The ride there was long but well worth it. The beaches are ah-mazing!!!! We didn't want to leave... perfect weather, sweet waves, awesome hikes, and very yummy food!

Random Photo of the Week

Coca-Cola's unique delivery system in Kudle Beach, Gokarna. This guy hiked more than 1 km to drop this crate off at a restaurant at the top of the cliff. Now that's striving to reach every customer! I wonder if Pepsi can contend....

It's Wordle Time!!!!

Check out the word cloud of all our posts since Christmas....enjoy!

Here is the link to another version on Wordle...fun, fun!!!! :)

Random Photo of the Week

Dyed thread drying in the sun that will soon be spun into some fabulous sarees. We took this picture during a recent field visit to Koppal. This area of the town was known for its saree making, and you could hear the looms running inside almost every house on the block.

There Goes the Sun

Today there was an amazing solar eclipse that could be viewed throughout India. Although watched the peak (i.e. "Ring of Fire") on TV during our lunch break, the local watchman also let us see it in person by peering through a soot-laden piece of glass. We'd have to admit that it was pretty cool, although we were also surprised that even though the light outside was different than it normally would have been in the afternoon, it was not nearly as dark as we thought it would be.

Here's some interesting myths that have kept a lot of Indians indoors today. There were scientists on the news dispelling all these crazy ideas, but I am sure that it will still take some time for the general public to truly ignore them. Here is a good review of the general myths and facts:

Myth 1: You should not go out during the eclipse, as exposure to the rays of sun can make you go insane.
Fact: You can go out during the eclipse and the rays of sun felt on this day are the same as any other day, except that they are blocked by the moon, either partially or totally. The only precaution that you need to take is to view the sun through special filters and not through naked eyes.

Myth 2: You should not have food during the eclipse.
Fact: You can safely eat food during the eclipse and there is nothing that can interfere with the digestion process.

Myth 3: Pregnant women must stay indoors during eclipse as exposure to sun can affect the womb and the infant.
Fact: Pregnant women can safely travel during eclipse and undertake any sojourn but they must take care not to look up at the sun with naked eyes.

Myth 4: Eclipses are harbingers of calamities and epidemics.
Fact: A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the sun and the earth. So, there is no other natural disaster that is waiting to happen.

Myth 5: Pregnant women must not deliver babies during eclipse as the baby born on this day is bound to be affected by bad omen.
Fact: It is absolutely safe for pregnant women to deliver babies during eclipse and there is no bad omen that is waiting to pounce on the new born.

Myth 6: Those who are holding a knife or axe or any other sharp instrument during the eclipse will cut themselves.
Fact: There is a possibility that this could happen because the eclipse could reduce visibility, but the chances are quite slim.

Happy Pongal!!!

Jan 14 is the designated day to celebrate Pongal/Makara Sankranthi in India, which means that today is a holiday! Makara Sankranti/Pongal celebrates the resumption of the sun's 'journey northwards' where the days get longer. We can attest to that because the sun is noticeably more intense and a lot hotter during the day.

The holiday is also traditionally celebrated at harvest time, by thanking the sun god, rain and the farm animals that have helped in the harvest. In Tamil Nadu (neighboring state to us) the celebrations are for three days. The first day, Bhogi, is dedicated to burning all old and unwanted things that people own. People make huge bonfires to burn away the old and ring in the new season/year per se. On the second day, Pongal, milk and rice are cooked together in a pot and allowed to overflow, symbolizing that prosperity will overflow in life. The last day, is called Matta Pongal, and this is when the farm animals (typically cattle) are washed and decorated in thanks to them. Often there are races and other such events to celebrate the day.

The fact that this day is still celebrated in some way throughout the country signifies that agriculture is still such a huge part of the social and cultural fabric of life here. It would be interesting to research how many centuries old this festival might be and how harvests are celebrated in other parts of the world.

At home we celebrated by eating lots of yummy food, napping, watching movies, and writing a blog post! Nice celebration indeed!!! Pongal -o-Pongal!!!

Here is a picture of rangoli created by our neighbor.