By Prachi Saraogi
After our semester long Global Social Entrepreneurship (GSE) seminar filled with readings, talks and an understanding of the non-profit sector, coming to India for the field experience was a breeze! Through this internship I have been able to discover and rediscover many changes occurring in India. On a day-to-day basis we tend to observe the very obvious changes i.e. the infrastructural changes, but what fascinated me the most was the changing mindset and the types of people that were attracted to India. Bengaluru, the “silicon plateau” 1, has not only excelled in IT and corporate outsourcing, but it has also been able to establish a well networked social sector.
Manasa, Prachi and Lauren speak with Shankar Venkatagiri (not pictured). Dr. Venkatagiri is Quantitative Methods & Information Systems Prof. at IIMB
This city has attracted individuals to work in places like “Electronic city” but also a “small house on the tiny lane”2. These individuals strive to change the lives of vulnerable kids. Like New York City, I felt Bengaluru is a “melting pot”. In our five weeks of stay we met folks from various origins, religions and ethnic backgrounds (my list comprised of Americans, Canadians, French, Australian, Swedish, Dutch, British, Indian-Americans, British-Indians, and Indians from 15 different states of India). We interacted and learned about the journeys of all these individuals, many who altered their career paths from top notch colleges and corporate organizations into this social enterprise. Seeing the dedication, passion and work ethic of these individuals, we learned what it means to be a change-maker.
Every individual we met in the five weeks left an impact on us. From the founders of the organization we interned with, to the owner of the small dosa shack who insisted on operating from a hole-in-the-wall. All these stories added to our understanding of global social entrepreneurship. For example, Vishal Talreja, the co-founder of Dream A Dream, started his journey at the age of 21. He switched from a career as an investment banker and venture capitalist to a builder of a volunteer-run initiative, that provides vulnerable children with opportunities to have fun and learn concrete life skills. These life skills allow vulnerable children the possibility of integrating into mainstream society. His vision, dedication, and success story is in itself a great example of social entrepreneurship.
Also, the organizational culture that he and his team have cultivated is truly inspirational. As an external group, not once did we feel that we were not representing Dream A Dream. From the first day at the Marathon, we felt proud and hailed down the roads of Bengaluru, the glories of our organization. Being included in activities such as the weekly team meetings, mid-day orientation of engaging children for Dream Funday (We learned the best penguin song and dance!), interviewing kids on life skill development, helping fundraise for Dream A Dream on the global giving day, educated us about entrepreneurial Bangalore: the society, the networked social sector and the operation of an organization within this social sector.
Overall, while our objective was to produce a deliverable for our respective organizations, we experienced much more than that. Professor Moledina’s expertise in networking and the support of numerous well wishers allowed us to connect with individuals from numerous professions (ranging from Ashoka fellows to author of ‘The Red Carpet’). For me, GSE was the perfect opportunity to learn and understanding entrepreneurship, networking with entrepreneurs and being a global social entrepreneur.
My Highlights:
- Lauren getting head butted by a cow as a result of which Constance spilled a cup of hot coffee on her face and dress!
- Dream Team and Professor Moledina’s trip to Mysore.
- Finding the best restaurant serving “Rolls” (wraps) in Jayanagar called Kuch Bhi (means ‘anything’). We ate lunch at this place over 8 times in 2 weeks!
- Lauren’s utmost dedication for giving the final presentation even after being down with viral fever
- Our touching farewell meeting at Dream A Dream
1 Shashi Tharoor has suggested the term Silicon Plateau since Bangalore is on the Deccan Plateau.
2 Dream a Dream is located in an old house in a quiet, leafy, residential street in Jayanagar
Hey Prachi:
This is a terrific “recap” of the visit, as profs like us would say. I liked the pictures that Amyaz had posted on Flickr. We enjoyed having your party crowd at our place. Hope y’all will visit us often.
Your write-up got me thinking – a rare habit of mine. Of late, the trend is that of complete acceptance of Bangalore (or India) – by the non-resident alien <– borrowing the term from the US, as you can see. The natives are a bit miffed when the NRAs insist that they travel about in buses, and go about their Bengaluru business without any complaints, while the residents have a lot to crib about. Some NRAs settle down and make it their home.
I was recently at a party with some Indians who had immigrated to the US during the 70s. All they could spot in this city was the poverty and the dirt. We folks consider it patently OLD fashioned. There are enough people working to make things better for the country. How else could you explain the 650 million cellular subscriptions? Most cities in India have air-conditioned Volvo coaches (which cost a meagre $150k a piece) ferrying passengers. Bollywood is beginning to rethink its formulas as low budget meaningful flicks are making it to blockbuster status. All is well.
Cheers
Shankar