Humility and release. The two feelings I have experienced most over the course of this week. The fellows met last Sunday at a guest house in Bangalore and we began our journey to the ashram for training. There are six of us in total. One Colombian, one Irishman, one Indian, and three Americans. We fumbled through introductions and organized ourselves and luggage into a Tata, an Indian built 4 wheeler. We were two hours away from the ashram and the level of interest, knowledge, and authenticity was felt immediately. Those first few hours were a great indication of the speed of which we would all become friends.
The team is impressive. There is a deep knowledge of design and community building. Everyone has different experiences and are dedicated to the idea of improving the lives of people who need it the most. Part of me would love to just work with them over the next 6 months and pick their brains.
We have had a series of guest lecturers during training. The first was Hari Natrajan, an expert on rural energy needs and microfinance. He has worked with Harish Hande at Selco and is currently working at Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Fund. He was a wealth of knowledge, speaking for 7 hours straight, without notes, without prompts and had the ability to go broad, narrow into a single concept and go back broad again. He was an inspiration to meet. One of the key insights I gained was that social entrepreneur projects for the poor should embody three things:
1. the alternative must be at equal cost to the current offering
2. systems should be customizable to multiple user needs
3. the design must show an understanding of actual customer behavior
This may seem commonsense, but so many design solutions for the bottom of the pyramid miss these basic tenets. Companies have attempted to push expensive technology on people by relying on subsidies, making an unsustainable business model OR a solution is cost effective but not designed with the end user in mind, making the design useless. The process of design should not change for low income needs.
Another guest lecturer was Ayush Chauhan, co-founder of Quicksand, a design+ firm in India. He spoke about designing with non-profits and the challenges associated with doing research in India, most specifically on how to immerse yourself in the culture you are seeking to learn from. He was great, a wealth of real world examples and techniques. More impressive was the business model his firm is built on. The founders are a group of friends with a diverse background in film, toy design, and business. They created a model of using the funds from corporate work to support their work with NGOs in the social sector. They also support a range of projects in their personal interest areas of music, multimedia, and the arts. Quicksand is putting on a conference in February that all the fellows are invited to called Unboxed. It is a mashup of cultural events, dancing, live music, interactive multimedia, design, food, and film. I am so excited to go.
In general, there is just so much innovation happening in India. People are creating sustainable business plans that support the unique ideas they want to accomplish rather than taking what is being offered. Whether it is creating an art collective on the backs of corporate design, building solar solutions for the poor or starting a cooperative craft business to enhance the livelihood of cut off communities. There is so much opportunity if you choose to really dig in.
It has been an incredibly inspiring week. I am blessed to be here. It’s funny the understandings you come to when you get out of your comfort zone. I already see the barriers and limits I have built for myself. The path I have been going down isn’t necessarily my own. Maybe because I have felt the need to learn more, to become a true expert in something, or maybe because the path has always been somewhat safe and clearly defined. But I don't want to follow forever, it doesn't have to be that way. I don't know what the next step is, but I do realize that distance and time is a wonderful thing to have.
The team is impressive. There is a deep knowledge of design and community building. Everyone has different experiences and are dedicated to the idea of improving the lives of people who need it the most. Part of me would love to just work with them over the next 6 months and pick their brains.
We have had a series of guest lecturers during training. The first was Hari Natrajan, an expert on rural energy needs and microfinance. He has worked with Harish Hande at Selco and is currently working at Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Fund. He was a wealth of knowledge, speaking for 7 hours straight, without notes, without prompts and had the ability to go broad, narrow into a single concept and go back broad again. He was an inspiration to meet. One of the key insights I gained was that social entrepreneur projects for the poor should embody three things:
1. the alternative must be at equal cost to the current offering
2. systems should be customizable to multiple user needs
3. the design must show an understanding of actual customer behavior
This may seem commonsense, but so many design solutions for the bottom of the pyramid miss these basic tenets. Companies have attempted to push expensive technology on people by relying on subsidies, making an unsustainable business model OR a solution is cost effective but not designed with the end user in mind, making the design useless. The process of design should not change for low income needs.
Another guest lecturer was Ayush Chauhan, co-founder of Quicksand, a design+ firm in India. He spoke about designing with non-profits and the challenges associated with doing research in India, most specifically on how to immerse yourself in the culture you are seeking to learn from. He was great, a wealth of real world examples and techniques. More impressive was the business model his firm is built on. The founders are a group of friends with a diverse background in film, toy design, and business. They created a model of using the funds from corporate work to support their work with NGOs in the social sector. They also support a range of projects in their personal interest areas of music, multimedia, and the arts. Quicksand is putting on a conference in February that all the fellows are invited to called Unboxed. It is a mashup of cultural events, dancing, live music, interactive multimedia, design, food, and film. I am so excited to go.
In general, there is just so much innovation happening in India. People are creating sustainable business plans that support the unique ideas they want to accomplish rather than taking what is being offered. Whether it is creating an art collective on the backs of corporate design, building solar solutions for the poor or starting a cooperative craft business to enhance the livelihood of cut off communities. There is so much opportunity if you choose to really dig in.
It has been an incredibly inspiring week. I am blessed to be here. It’s funny the understandings you come to when you get out of your comfort zone. I already see the barriers and limits I have built for myself. The path I have been going down isn’t necessarily my own. Maybe because I have felt the need to learn more, to become a true expert in something, or maybe because the path has always been somewhat safe and clearly defined. But I don't want to follow forever, it doesn't have to be that way. I don't know what the next step is, but I do realize that distance and time is a wonderful thing to have.
2 comments:
This is Bailey. I'm thrilled for you. And inspired!!
Thanks so much! It has been a eye-opening week. I can't wait to tell you all about it in person.
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