20 Years - 20 Insights: Part 2

Among the most memorable meetings I have attended was a Board Meeting of Pratham India Education Initiative (PIEI) in September 2002, within a few months of my joining Pratham. I was still finding my feet - not just in the organization but in the sector itself.

I have a vivid memory of this meeting. It was held in the plush Board Room of the Reliance HQ in South Mumbai, and in attendance were giants of Indian industry - Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, Ajay Piramal, Narayan Vaghul, KM Birla, Gautam Thapar, and Rajat Gupta, then a poster boy for fresh MBAs. At this meeting, I got one of my most important insights about the sector, and that too from none other than MDA himself.

In this second part of my 4-article series, I focus on insights related to the primary stakeholders in the social sector - the community beneficiaries and the NGOs who are meant to serve them. This follows the five insights I shared in my previous article which took a more panoramic view of the sector.

Insight #6: There's always a tussle between the scale and the grain. But for scale to win, the grain must win first.

At that memorable Board meeting, the Pratham team made an elaborate presentation on the large number of children being reached and the aspirations for scaling up. In response, Mukesh Ambani pointed towards the importance of granularity (technically, “the scale or level of detail in a set of data”) while working in social development. For us in the sector, the challenge of striking the right balance between Quantity and Quality has been one of the most daunting dualities we have to contend with. In far too many cases, the fascination for finding solutions at scale has trumped the attention that the grain requires - ensuring that every individual who the program seeks to benefit is actually being benefitted. While seeking solutions at scale is an imperative, the seekers must first ensure they have a comprehensive and sustainable solution for the grain. This thought will be elaborated in another insight in the next part of this series.

7. The “Unsung Do-Gooders” are the Spine of the Social Sector

In December 2011, as part of an assignment for Tata Trusts, I visited an organization called KARMI in the Kalahandi district in Odisha. Founded in 1997 by a team of youngsters from the drought-prone region, KARMI is led by an unassuming and self-effacing person called Abhimanyu Rana. Abhimanyu got a law degree, and then chose to work for the upliftment of his impoverished district, one of the most backward in the country. At the time of my visit ten years ago, KARMI did not even have a website for itself - just a deep commitment for working for the overall development of a few blocks in Kalahandi. I remember the enriching conversation I had with Abhimanyu that afternoon, during which I realized how people like him were doing monumental work for making the world around them a better place.

If you know where to look, you will realize that KARMI - while still an exception among over 3 million registered NGOs in this country - is by no means an isolated example. There are many Abhimanyus out there who are silently, assiduously trying to change things around them. I have been fortunate to meet these “unsung do-gooders” in practically every state in India, and also working with many of them. I can say with conviction that these individuals are the spine of the social sector - those who make being here absolutely worth it!

8. The Field is your Biggest Classroom

I have given this insight as advice to many eager-eyed social sector aspirants over the years, and have also written about this earlier . While a UN agency or a Corporate Foundation may look great on your CV at the start of your career, but unless it gives you the opportunity to spend considerable time interacting with primary stakeholders, it could lead to a significant gap in your understanding of the space. I consider myself lucky that the four years I spent at Pratham gave me ample opportunity to be in the field - visiting government schools in East Delhi, sitting through classes being conducted in their cramped corridors, and wading through the narrow alleys of the nearby slums, meeting numerous parents, teachers and children. A few visits are never enough - the field truly reveals itself to you after multiple visits, observations, and enquiries. Also, the field is never static - I still come back with newer perspectives each time I visit a project or an intervention. And finally, like any classroom session, a field visit is most effective when you go with an open mind, without preconceived notions.

9. Those you wish to work for, may not want you to work for them. Not at least with the agenda that you go in with.?

Many years ago, at the edge of the Yamuna river in Delhi where a majestic temple now stands, there was a community called “Haathishala” or the Elephant Colony. The primary occupation of the people in this community was rearing elephants, which in an earlier era were commonly used as a means of transporting goods and in processions of all kinds. In the early 2000’s, the government decided to relocate this community as the temple had to be constructed. It was during such times that I started visiting this community with the agenda of ensuring that the children get lessons in early literacy and numeracy. However, even after several months of working there, and despite our best intentions and efforts, we realized that the people never really engaged with us the way we would have liked them to do. We were at loggerheads to understand why.

One afternoon, as a dusty wind blew in from the banks of the river, I had an intense conversation with some of the community elders. And came back with a significant realization - we were not being accepted in Haathishala as we had gone in with the idea of imposing our agenda of children's learning among the people, when what they were really concerned about - and seeking a recourse for - was the impending uproot of their entire community. Their livelihood was already imperiled, as rearing elephants was no longer remunerative as it once was, and with an uncertain future looming near, learning of their children was scarcely on their minds.

This insight has stayed with me since - you cannot impose your agenda on a community; the first step must be to intimately understand their immediate needs, and make an attempt to address these. This done, the community would accept you with open arms.

10. Your relationship with the Community will start with distrust.

This is related to the above insight, but usually holds good even if there is an alignment of your agenda with that of the community. We often make the mistake of assuming that since we are approaching the community with good intent, and the resources and abilities to help them, they will lay out the red carpet. This rarely happens. You are an outsider to begin with, and will remain so till you have demonstrated your intent to work tirelessly, selflessly and effectively over several months. I’ve seen that it takes around six months for the distrust to dispel, and give way to tacit support, and then active cooperation and participation. The eventual stage in this journey is ownership - when the community actually begins to take responsibility for the outcome of your efforts. If you can achieve this stage, consider yourself truly successful, and blessed.

End of Part 2

Part 3