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Come every
budget, the Finance Minister(whoever he may be) announces schemes and schemes
for development. We are told how things are getting better but more and more
investment is required for "upliftment" of the masses. The numbers
that we are talking about are staggering - hundreds of thousands of crores,
over and over again... And yet very little changes on the ground level. The
status quo remains... the chasm between the haves and the have-nots continues
to grow and the cycle continues...
And then we
were introduced to the "small"... Challenging the wisdom of spending
more for betterment to smaller spends that actually make an impact.
Our
client Mrida, a social business, works at the "base of the
pyramid" and uses energy access, organic farming and impact tourism as a
means of holistic rural development. Mrida launched a campaign
called "Think Small" that brought forward the
collective wisdom of people in their individual capacity on possible
initiatives that can make a dent in the lives of the underprivileged. In
simpler terms, using smaller personal/corporate interventions to effect changes
at the grassroots level.
And
this amazing work that Mrida has been doing, the changes that they
are bringing to the lives of the underprivileged, showcase the wisdom of the
"small". The baby steps that they are taking are making a world of
difference in the lives of the thousands that they touch. (For those who are
interested to know more, please visit: www.mridagroup.com or
their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mridaassociates/?fref=ts)
And this
brings us to another major question: Why must we always look for
"doles" from the powers that be? Why must the Government always come
to the rescue? There are many examples where the individual/groups/organizations
like Mrida have effected changes and I firmly hope that these will really
change the world that we live in.
In our
quest for the "big", we overlook the "small". If Dashrath
Manjhi had believed that his basic tools of the hammer and chisel were
small, would he ever have been able to carve out a path through the hills,
shortening the travel distance? Had he waited for the Government to do it for
him in the 22 years that he took, he would have waited in vain. It took
an individual, a belief in the concept(also personal tragedy was a great
motivator here) and baby steps to make it happen.
We have
been an under-developed nation way too long. We have been asking for doles way
too long, we have been waiting for people to do our work way too long: I think
the time has come where we start taking responsibility and begin to do our two
bit to change the things. Lets stop waiting for personal interest here - We
don't need to be personally pained/involved to make a difference - we can
choose to not be happy with the existing state of affairs and see what we can
do to better what we see around!
I believe
that If I as an individual can do a little deed, and there are many many like
me, we CAN and WILL change the world.
It is fascinating to read all this. The effort all the people in Mrida are taking to make a difference is commendable.
ReplyDeletePlease visit their project page too to get more insights into their work: https://www.facebook.com/Tahtajpur/?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser
DeleteThis page is managed by the people who did not even have energy access a few months ago...
Nice Blog! Very detailed information
ReplyDelete