Opening doors Opening doors

Edited by Vivek Mansukhani and Neera Lakshmi Handa

NEW DELHI To the perseverance and spirit of the IFP community in India Contents

Foreword 8

I Impact AND Evaluation 21

1 Overview 26

© 2013 Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program 2 Seeding Social Justice 36 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any from without written permission from the publisher. 3 Barriers to Inclusive Education 44 Published by Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program, New Delhi, India 4 A Blueprint for Social Change 70 Section I: Impact and Evaluation & Section II: Alumni Case Studies Through Higher Education Researched and Written by Start Up! Author and Project Coordinator Manisha Gupta Editor Kalpana Kaul 5 Triggering Social Justice Leadership: 94 Research and Writing Arundhati Gupta, Swati Awasthy,Vidushi Kamani, Kalpana Kaul, Candida Moraes Building Competencies Case Studies Arundhati Gupta, Swati Awasthy, Kalpana Kaul, Manisha Gupta Associate Editor Malini Sood www.startup-india.org 6 Fellow Journeys and Returns 110

Photographs Vidura Jang Bahadur 7 Measuring Impact: A Promise Delivered 132 [email protected] Design Tania Das Gupta www.taniasethi.com II alumni case studies 153 Print Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., India www.pragati.com III alumni reflections 281

For enquiries or information contact IV awards and Academic Honors 321 Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program 12 Hailey Road, New Delhi 110001, India www.ifpsa.org and www.fordifp.org V IFP INDIA alumni 325 Foreword

Promoting leadership for social justice is a central goal of the Ford Foundation in higher education and in societies at large. Building on Fellows’ familiarity with International Fellowships Program (IFP). Launched in 2000, the program enabled 4,317 grassroots problems, IFP sought to strengthen their capacity—through knowledge, emerging social justice leaders from Asia, Africa the Middle East, Latin America, and skills and networks—to become effective leaders in the struggle to improve lives in Russia to pursue advanced degrees at nearly 650 universities in almost 50 countries, their communities, countries and regions. studying in development related fields ranging from social and environmental science to the arts. A survey in early 2012 showed that 82% of more than 3,200 former Fellows In India as in other IFP sites, the program sought to build a new generation of social were working in their home countries to improve the lives and livelihoods of those justice leaders who come from communities that have traditionally lacked access around them, while many of the rest were studying for additional advanced degrees to higher education. IFP India addressed marginalization through its support of or working in international organizations. candidates belonging to scheduled castes and tribes, other backward classes, religious minorities, women, the physically challenged and those with other IFP was funded by a $280 million grant, the largest single donation in the Ford forms of social deprivation. A total of 330 Fellows received awards in India’s nine Foundation’s history. The program was intended to provide postgraduate fellowships to annual competitions between 2001 and 2010. The process was both rigorous and individuals from underserved communities in countries outside the United States where highly selective: a total of nearly 20,000 preliminary applications were received at the the Foundation had grantmaking programs. In 2006, the Foundation pledged up to $75 program’s India office. million in additional funds, allowing IFP to award more than 800 fellowships beyond its original projections. The final total expenditure is expected to be approximately IFP India adopted a unique recruitment and selection model based on the global $424 million, including all Foundation grants and investment earnings. architecture of IFP, in which local implementing organizations (International Partners) were networked across major world regions and with the IFP Secretariat, the policy As extraordinary as the level and duration of funding, though, was IFP’s singular and coordinating node in New York. In the initial two years we conducted all-India premise: that extending higher education opportunities to leaders from selections; subsequently selections focused on states with major concentrations of marginalized and excluded communities would help further social justice. If social and economic marginalization: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, successful, IFP would advance the Ford Foundation’s mission to strengthen democratic Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement. It would decisively demonstrate that an international scholarship An elaborate, continuously evolving selection process aimed to ensure that IFP program could help build leadership for social justice and thus contribute to broader India Fellows were rooted in marginalized communities and combined academic social change. potential with demonstrated social commitment as well as leadership qualities. The multi-stage selection process involved, first, screening potential applicants through In striving toward its ambitious goals, the program would transform a traditional a matrix measuring socio-economic and demographic factors with significant inputs mechanism—an individual fellowship program for postgraduate degree study—into provided by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). In the next stage, a powerful tool for reversing discrimination and reducing long-standing inequalities applicants identified through the screening process were invited to submit detailed

8 9 formal applications including essays and supporting documents. Academic reviewers postgraduate programs. IFP’s experience raises the question of whether selecting pored over the written applications and chose a shortlist of semi-finalists across the only the top academic performers for prestigious international scholarships unfairly targeted states, who met the program’s requirements in terms of academic merit (with excludes talented students whose schools—through no fault of their own—leave them a minimum cut-off of 55% marks) as well as social merit (ability in leadership and poorly prepared for further study. community service). Next, the IFP India team worked with specialists from various professional sectors in each state who formed interview panels, meeting face to face While promoting higher education at one level, IFP was deeply committed to with the semi-finalists. Based on these results, a narrowed group of about 80 finalists issues of social justice and empowerment, linking access to advanced education was invited to New Delhi for interviews with a National Selection Panel. with development challenges. The focus on excluded groups such as ‘women’ and ‘geographically remote’, and due consideration given to local wisdom and experience As many have noted, IFP is truly a ‘different kind of fellowship’. Consider the following: as an academic asset, yielded unconventional profiles for an academic scholarship. by choosing not to have an age ceiling for applicants, IFP opened opportunities for people at different life stages. It did not require applicants to have prior university “This program opened the doors of opportunities and proved that given right admission in hand, but instead assisted selected Fellows in identifying appropriate circumstances the so-called ‘mediocre’ students can also excel,” says an alumnus from academic options and in navigating the actual admissions process. Those options the first cohort. widened because IFP fellowships were portable, and could be used in countries around the world; in addition, Fellows could opt for enrollments in home country institutions if personal circumstances required. Fellows studied in a wide range of disciplines IFP embodied both an enormous scope and ambitious goals. We hoped that because related to social justice and were not limited to a predetermined list of priority fields. Fellows lived and worked in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable IFP India Fellows went on to study in nine countries (including three who studied in communities, they would see their future role as finding solutions for poverty, India) and were placed at 95 different universities. Approximately 42% studied in the discrimination, environmental devastation, lack of access to health and education and United States, while another 48 % enrolled in universities in the United Kingdom. The other similar problems that they had personally experienced or witnessed at close remaining studied in Europe, Australia, Canada and Asia. range. The fellowship, we felt, would empower recipients to bring new knowledge, skills and social networks to solve problems they had faced—and struggled against— Further, IFP recognized that because successful applicants had diverse academic their whole lives. backgrounds, many would need strong preparatory and support systems to close learning gaps and be successful in advanced study. IFP directly supported The outcomes have been extraordinary. Not only did the IFP India Fellows reach home country preparatory training for nearly all Fellows, as well as additional host impressive levels of academic success—with many receiving recognition and awards— university bridging programs for more than one third of the Fellows. Such training in addition, almost 250 former Fellows have returned home and now continue their enabled them to achieve critical benchmarks in the form of foreign language, research outstanding achievements. and information technology skills. As a result, we made an important discovery: students who did not necessarily attain the highest grades in their undergraduate As we drew near to the planned ending of the program, IFP India staff were propelled programs could nonetheless excel academically in highly competitive, international to give shape to a lasting record of the experiences, stories and extraordinary spirit

10 11 Arshad Alam, MPhil Sociology, University of Erfurt, Germany. A teacher of Sociology at a Delhi university, seen here with 12 young learners. 13 of the program. Earlier we had produced short films, printed brochures, and received The vision was given by the International Fellowships Fund in New York (the umbrella frequent press coverage. An important benchmark of the global program was the organization of the IFP) from where Dr Joan Dassin, the Executive Director and publication in New York of Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International the Asia-Russia Director, Dr Mary Zurbuchen steered the program in India. Their Higher Education (Social Science Research Council, 2009). We decided to base a new guidance, encouragement and solid support was invaluable. Their keen attention to book about IFP India on an impact and evaluation report commissioned in 2009, case sensitivities, their responsiveness and generosity of spirit, set the standards for the studies of individual Fellows and reflective essays contributed by alumni. program. The relative autonomy with which the program was implemented by the International Partner—our India office—was perhaps the most enabling feature for The current volume, produced with the support of the IFP Secretariat, thus seeks to the IFP team in India. The flexibility this arrangement offered, provided space for present not only how we implemented IFP in India, along with data on its cumulative immense growth and creativity. outcomes; it also attempts to provide insights into the spirit and transformation of the Fellows themselves. Readers will hopefully grasp the complexities of the talent pool We were also fortunate to have the support of several Ford Foundation Representatives defined asI FP’s target group, and appreciate the risks, challenges, and choices involved and Program Officers in New Delhi who advocated for and facilitated the program in shaping a process that would support students with unconventional backgrounds to over the last decade. achieve academic success and work toward their social justice aspirations. The regional network of colleagues working on IFP programs in China, Indonesia, We express our deep appreciation and sincere thanks to Manisha Gupta and her team Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia was a tremendous source of learning, at Start Up! for researching and writing the Impact and Evaluation report (Section I comparative exchanges and rich friendships through the life of the program. of this book) and for their interactions with alumni to document their inspiring Case Studies (Section II of this book); to Vidura Jang Bahadur, who traveled across India Our small team in New Delhi pooled our individual skills and our learnings on the over thirteen months to capture an amazing range of photographs of our alumni in ground. We grew our knowledge and sharpened our understanding as the program their work environments; to Tania Das Gupta for designing Opening Doors with her rolled out. Each individual in the team was assigned a specific task which required perceptive eye and for her incredible patience. a specific skill, and dedication. Systems, timelines and team work were critical. Ms Kuckoo Rao served as the firstD irector of IFP India. She shaped the program infrastructure, interpreted the policy and design of the program and built up all India Our friends know that the IFP team experience for us has been intense and one of total networks for outreach and selections. involvement. That this was a philanthropic venture of the Ford Foundation, driven by the ideals of inclusion and equity, raised the bar of performance for us. It motivated Vivek Mansukhani joined as Deputy Director, and brought his considerable experience the IFP India team each morning for ten years, to ensure that carefully identified from the British Council Scholarships to fine tune the processes involved for outreach individuals who became IFP Fellows would achieve success and acknowledgement and selections, pre-academic trainings, placements and alumni affairs. He went and be able to leverage their high quality education into future career achievement. on to become the Director of the program and with his theatre background, used This commitment was further enhanced by the unique structure of a program built creativity through presentations, films and media, for program information, visibility around stimulating partnerships. and impact.

14 15 Neera Lakshmi Handa brought with her knowledge of international university target candidates over the years, was critical to the success of the program. placement, research and writing skills. With empathetic university Placement Partners worldwide, she mentored and helped students channel their aspirations, researched Part of the second activity, the selection cycle, involved a collaborative approach and explored pre-academic trainings and monitored fellows at universities. She with many actors, consolidating endorsement of our processes and goals as our graduated to the position of Deputy Director and contributed to outreach, selections, understanding of regional issues expanded. During selections, it was crucial for the IFP and alumni activities. team, as observers, to ensure an enabling and secure environment where candidates could speak without fear or prejudice. Whether selected or not, the experience had to Akta Sawhney handled all planning details, from outreach, selections and program be enriching. This human interface was a humbling experience for us. Our learning as related logistics to re-entry debriefing. Her efficiency and precision set the benchmark observers was immense as each candidate represented a microcosm of the aspirations for the office systems. Later, as Program Officer, she monitored fellows at universities of his or her community. and worked on alumni activities. Our observations during the third phase of our activities, the Orientations and Pre- Yogesh Kumar’s quiet understanding and delivery of the work he handled as Office Academic Trainings, revealed that after the initial exhilaration of being selected, Assistant, his keen memory of Fellows and their documents were huge assets. Others the challenges of actually realizing their fellowship opportunity tended to subdue joined the team for shorter periods and made important contributions. Meghna Uniyal the new Fellows-elect. Many became overwhelmed by requirements, deadlines, and built up the alumni association, Shirin Kujur and Dr Madhura Nagchoudhuri served realization of their own limitations. Through this period, the IFP team recognized a as Program Officers, Leona Uddin as Assistant Program Officer, and Anjali Bose as responsibility to support each person’s introspection and definition of personal goals. Office Coordinator. We enjoyed a constructive partnership with the United States India Each needed reassurance and to be heard as a unique individual by multiple advisors Education Foundation, at whose premises our office was housed. The smooth fiscal and trainers. administration of our program and several logistical arrangements were made possible by their support. We would especially like to acknowledge Dr Jane Schukoske and Adam We were fortunate to work with many academic counsellors who generously took time Grotsky, successive USIEF Directors, for their enthusiasm and cooperation. from their university and institutional commitments. Our partnership with inlingua provided excellent language instructors who carefully structured the English courses With a dependable infrastructure in place, the team could complete a journey of more and extended their cooperation willingly. Our academic skills trainer, Dr Isabelle Perez than a decade, filled with discovery and innovation. There was a clear calendar of Gore, an energetic and dynamic teacher, wrote the curriculum for the academic skills work mapped out for six major activity cycles. The first cycle was outreach, which training workshops, helping to ready Fellows for the academic conventions overseas, required a strategy to penetrate deep into the grassroots of India and to source, instilling a sense of confidence and preparedness. David and Cindy Peace of Shanti network and build the trust of respected people across the states. The reputation of Consulting personalized intricate issues of adjustment and cultural understanding in the Ford Foundation’s work in India greatly helped us to leverage our credibility and wide-ranging trainings, addressing cultural complexities for the Fellows-elect. build partnerships with leading organizations and individuals. The role played by selection committee members, advisers and other friends of the program across India, Members of each annual cohort built strong interpersonal bonds as they confronted who contributed invaluable time and energies to help us reach out to and select our and shared both fears and dreams. For us, respect for different orientations became

16 17 our compass as we observed and listened carefully to feedback from all directions, The fifth cycle of our activities, support and monitoring Fellows at their universities, making it a point to remain impartial and not trivialize any issue. We reviewed revealed even more. Inevitable problems such as family crises, human problems, health and monitored trainings and trainers each year and made a constant endeavor to issues, accidents and natural disasters, heightened our feeling of responsibility and perpetuate an enabling environment for the Fellows-elect. the need for sensitive handling. The most alarming memory remains the hurricanes in New Orleans and the trauma of Fellows. Another more recent case was that of a Fellow A fourth challenge for the IFP team was the activity which ran concurrently with Pre- involved in a road accident which hospitalized her for three months. There were other Academic Training – the admission process for Fellows-elect to the world’s competitive anxious moments when Fellows did not communicate, did not share information or and most suitable universities. Following detailed application dossier preparation, conform to IFP policies. We were not comfortable with ‘policing’ Fellows, but at times we received expert guidance from IFP’s International Placement Partners. This was we were compelled to ensure that IFP’s policies on personal and professional conduct a sterling example of partnership and collaboration. We freely voiced our concerns were upheld. and shared our opinions on university recommendations. In the process we mutually sensitized each other on issues concerning fellows and international education. Finally, what did our sixth activity, the re-entry and the return of Fellows mean to us? We were initially disappointed when we discovered that some Fellows had decided The Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York provided us an understanding to stay back at the end of their fellowship term. At the close of the program, our 80 of and exposure to American universities and made us lifelong friends. We relied percent return rate is considered an excellent percentage for return. All across India, heavily on them in their multiple roles including grant administration. The East- IFP alumni are a robust community, and while in the process of organizing themselves West Center at the University of Hawaii, Mãnoa found solutions to our complicated as a collective, are doing remarkable work in their fields. Our travels across India to requirements. The British Council (BC) in Manchester provided sound and timely meet alumni during 2012 helped us experience this firsthand. This is further borne advice along with welfare support for Fellows in the UK. Netherlands Organization of out by alumni successes, the awards they have won, and through the media. International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC), IDP Australia and the Delhi School of Social Work were ever cooperative. Together these partners helped most As we close down the program in India we would like to believe that IFP India has Fellows reach the universities that could actually provide the kind of education they made a small but significant contribution, in accord with recommendations for higher were seeking. education with its attention to inclusion and quality, in the Government of India’s Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017). We recognize the impact of the program is yet to By the time the Fellows-elect received admission, the transformation from anxiety play out fully. Our endeavor to create a new leadership pool—the emergence of leaders to confidence was palpable. This was the most rewarding time for theI FP team. The who will serve—will be our litmus test, our true legacy. This book is a small effort pre-departure orientation and sharing of ‘Back Home Action Plans’ with their peers towards capturing that legacy. cemented their commitment, and gave them a sense of their dreams being crystallized. For us, this period meant embracing diversity of world views, cross-cultural exchange, and inclusion. We heard Fellows express pride in their diverse heritage, reinforcing Vivek Mansukhani and Neera Lakshmi Handa their commitment to come back to serve the larger community by ploughing back with Mary Zurbuchen what they would learn.

18 19 Impact ANDI Evaluation

Shaping a New World: Paradigms for Building Social Justice Leadership and Equity

20 21 Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to Vivek Mansukhani and Neera Lakshmi Handa We would especially like to thank all members of the small but super-efficient IFP of the International Fellowships Program (IFP), India, for the invitation to assess IFP’s India team. Vivek Mansukhani and Neera Lakshmi Handa were transparent with ten-year initiative of building access, equity, and inclusion in higher education. information, open about the gaps in their program and clear about their expectations from the report. They were the sharpest critics of their own work—indicative of the The study grew into a nine-month ‘listening journey’ spread over two years, during quality benchmarks that they set and reset for themselves every year. The quick- which Start Up! interviewed sixty IFP alumni (that is, IFP Fellows who have completed response and meticulous data transference by Akta Sawhney and Meghna Uniyal their higher education programs). We also held conversations with seven ‘friends of provided pace and energy to the project. IFP’—social change visionaries and thought leaders from the government, the media, and academia—who had participated in key IFP processes and provided direction to Our role in this research study was that of listener and learner. We shaped this study the program at critical junctures. less as an evaluation, and more as an attempt to analyze and capture all the angularities of the IFP model vis-à-vis the bewildering complexities of higher education and social The study gave us fresh insights into how gender, poverty, identity, and geographical marginalization in India. We hope that we have been able to do justice to the resilience, isolation collude to keep out individuals from non-elite talent pools from participating spirit, and ear-on-the-ground intelligence of the IFP India community in this report. in, contributing to, and benefiting from, India’s growth story. It also opened multiple windows for us to understand different contexts of community leadership. The trajectory of each IFP alumnus was different, yet they were all connected by the common threads Manisha Gupta of self-taught entrepreneurial leadership and a passion for community-based social On Behalf of the Start Up! Team change. In this report, we have attempted to capture the diversity, emotions, and struggles that nuanced every story we heard.

All interviewees were generous with their time. They welcomed the chance to participate in the project and brought large funds of enthusiasm to it. At the start of the project, we worried over the challenge of connecting with the alumni, as most of them work in near-inaccessible areas of the country with unpredictable telephone connections. But their spirited responses quickly allayed all worries on that front.

Overall, what drove this study was the energy of all interviewees and their goodwill for the IFP India team. They were unanimous in their praise of the team’s hands-on mentoring approach, and gave them full marks for spotting and actualizing individual potential.

22 23 Note

Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST): Previously called the ‘depressed classes’ by the British, the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) are groupings of marginalized Indians that are explicitly recognized by the Constitution of India for affirmative action.

Dalit: Dalit is a self-chosen definition used by members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs). The word ‘dalit’, in Sanskrit, means ‘oppressed’ or ‘downtrodden’. In Marathi, the language in which the word was first used for social and political mobilization by the SC communities, dalit means ‘broken’ or ‘broken to pieces’. More than 165 million Dalits in India have historically suffered from multiple disadvantages and socio-economic exclusion sanctioned by deeply entrenched ‘mores’ and traditions in Hindu society.

Adivasi: Adivasi is an umbrella term used for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups in India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the Indian population. Officially recognized by theI ndian government as Scheduled Tribes in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India, they are often grouped together with Scheduled Castes, and are eligible for certain affirmative action measures.

Backward Class: Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India for castes that are economically and socially disadvantaged and that face, or may have faced, discrimination on account of birth. Most Backward Class members do not own any land, nor do they have economic independence. They are dependent on Forward Castes for employment, mostly as farmhands or menial labor; or derive income from self-employment based on the assignment of caste-dependent skills. Along with the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, the Government of India has classified Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for entitlements under its affirmative action programs.

Dr Hemachandran Karah, PhD Visual Disability and English Literature, University of Cambridge, UK. Seen here at the Centre for the Study of Developing 24 Societies, in New Delhi. 25 1 overview

An introduction to the global launch of the IFP, its philosophy and goals, and how IFP’s investment in higher education to support those who have been denied access and equity to quality postgraduate education has made it a fellowships model which has demonstrated innovations that are replicable.

Jyotsna Mandal, Comparative Journalism, University of Wales, Swansea, UK. Interacting with migrant runaway 26 children from Jharkhand. 27 From 2001 to 2010, the IFP India Program awarded 330 Fellowships. These Indian Fellows secured admission to universities across Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia. 250 had returned to India at the time that this report was going to press. These former Fellows, or alumni, had successfully re-engaged in ideas that pushed for equity and transformation for the poorest and most vulnerable in the country.

Philosophy and Goals It is not often that the two verticals of academic practice and grassroots social transformation meet; IFP built a program for leadership development in the spaces where the two intersect. Paradigmatically, it also attempted to democratize higher n November 2000, Ford Foundation pledged US$ 280 million—the largest single education—by demonstrating how academe can strengthen the knowledge and skill grant in the its history—to launch the Ford Foundation International Fellowships bases of emerging social justice leaders from excluded communities, how university IProgram (IFP). The Foundation pledged up to a further US$ 75 million in 2006. eco-systems can facilitate non-traditional students to succeed, and finally in how it is possible to diversify the mix of students who move from the Global South to the IFP was inaugurated with the goal of opening up higher education to thousands of universities of the ‘developed’ North. talented social change practitioners hailing from, or belonging to, special groups that have historically lacked access to higher education. With this mission, Ford Despite the multiple experiences of marginalization and the many variables in the Foundation flagged off its historic investment in building a new generation of ‘non- definition of ‘disadvantage’,I FP Fellows from around the world have today built elite’ social justice leaders who could bring intellectual and academic edge to their common pathways of active citizenship. They are life entrepreneurs who have grassroots change movements. Ten years later, as the program comes to a close, IFP transcended financial, social, and cultural barriers to educate themselves in the very has delivered its mandate. best institutions that they could reach. Their personal search for equity is reflected in their engagement with social change programs—either with their own or with those The founders of IFP initially aimed to award “3,325 fellowships for postgraduate study of other disadvantaged communities. to individuals from Russia and 21 other countries and territories in Africa, Asia, and Latin America over the life of the program that would extend to 2012”.1 With the For all Fellows, IFP came as the tipping point, the point where the experience of increased grant from the Ford Foundation this target was exceeded. Of the 79,849 higher education begins to catalyze large-scale social change at multiple levels. applications that it received from 22 countries, 4,317 extraordinary individuals were awarded Fellowships by the IFP to access higher education in their country of residence 80 percent of Indian IFP Fellows have returned to India. Of these 35 percent are today or anywhere in the world where they could identify a suitable course of instruction.2 rooted in grassroots community change models (including 22 percent who are heading organizations set up by them); 45 percent are applying the knowledge and skills that they gained through higher education in key leadership positions in professional civil 1 dassin, J. (2005). Promoting Access and Equity in Post-Graduate Education: The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program. A Changing Landscape. Paper presented at Nuffic society organizations and/or funding agencies; 10 percent are working at the cutting Conference, The Hague, 23–25 May, 2005, p. 2. 2 data source: http://www.fordifp.org/TheIFPCommunity/AlumniAssociationsandNetworks/ 28 tabid/70/language/en-US/Default.aspx 29 edge of subaltern research; while another 10 percent are either employed in fields talent outside conservative templates, and that are interested in facilitating large pools unrelated to development or are not currently employed. of untapped human potential to succeed as social justice practitioners through the channel of higher education. 20 percent of Indian IFP Fellows are currently pursuing higher education abroad in fields related to development and social justice. They are either concluding their IFP For every Cohort of Fellows, IFP ran an unyielding mentoring and academic Fellowships or have received other funding to pursue advanced study programs. preparation program, with a sharp eye on those struggling with scholastic and language disadvantages. It understood that the scholastic gaps of Fellows were a result of poor The Relevance of International academic support, and not the outcome of any lack of aptitude or ability. Through a Higher Education for Social Justice Activists continuum of academic counseling sessions, access to thought leaders as mentors, In this research, the IFP India alumni overwhelmingly testified to, and endorsed, and training in academic writing and in the English language, IFP chiseled a model the indefatigable demand that exists among social justice activists from historically that dispelled the notion that students from underserved communities are unable to disadvantaged communities for academic rigor, mastery over development praxes excel in demanding academic environments. and training in ‘new world’ professional skills—all of which, according to them, were necessary arrows in the quiver of any social change practitioner. They accessed these 98 percent of the alumni3 reported that IFP had significantly or completely shaped in international academic environments with IFP and today report substantive shifts their accomplishments as social justice leaders. They rated the following as the top in the way they view themselves and critique their own work. three competencies acquired during their Fellowship tenure: (i) academic training and analytical rigor, (ii) understanding of sophisticated development theories, processes, In ten years, the IFP India Program received close to 20,000 applications for its and skills, (iii) connections with global networks, thought leaders, and change agents. Fellowships—an indication that the demand for higher education among emerging social justice leaders was real and urgent, and needed to be met soon. These competencies have given the alumni the conceptual and emotional maturity to: (i) dialog and negotiate with power structures with a newfound and confident voice, (ii) Growing up and working in pockets of geographic, democratic and intellectual surefire their practical interventions for social change with theories, data, strategies, remoteness, Fellows of the IFP India program did not have the language skills or and metrics, (iii) make discipline and operational rigor their new mantra for social social capital to make their way through the corridors of elite knowledge production at justice work, (iv) enhance their levels of tolerance for ‘the other’. the time of applying to IFP. But with extensive mentoring by the IFP team, all received admission in relevant universities and as many as 25% of IFP’s India Fellows went on IFP alumni also voted resoundingly for the transformative capacity of international to receive the highest academic honors and awards on completing their courses. (over in-country) higher education. The relatively free and non-judgmental atmosphere of a foreign university campus gave them the anonymity and space for listening to According to the alumni, the negligible presence of non-elite students in seats of the often-ignored questions in their heads about their identity and mission. They higher learning (in India and abroad) was not a commentary on their weak academic assimilated and processed invaluable slices of impressions and experiences, and potential, or of flailing demand for academia from this segment. Rather, it was a sharp relied on their intuition to break through and transcend deeply held notions of self, statement of the need for more programs (like the IFP) that recognize leadership and community, and leadership.

30 3 The research sample size was 120 of the 330 total alumni base of IFP India. 31 Bineet Jaynel Mundu, (second from right), MA Indigenous Studies, University of Tromso, Norway. Participating in a social advocacy campaign with an indigenous 32 community, in Jharkhand. 33 Investing in Individuals over Communities team sought the partnership of thought leaders from different sectors—civil society, Research has shown that effective change agents choose to embed themselves in the academics, government, media, independent researchers and activists—to develop a communities that they aim to transform. IFP India Fellows reiterated that they had differentiated, granular and weighted definition of marginalization; a definition that successfully blended the competencies acquired in international universities with the was empathetic to, and represented the multiple categories of disadvantage. For every wealth of community relationships that they had built prior to embarking on their IFP Fellow, the dimensions of disadvantage were assessed on the interplay of factors such journeys. The juxtaposition of ‘new world’ skills with enduring community ties enabled as caste, economic deprivation, disability, gender, geographical isolation, political them to take personal risks, turn down international assignments, and embark on the displacement, family trajectory and other related indices. shortest road home to their own, or historically proximate, people. IFP India also sculpted a four-stage selection process which was iterated periodically Returning to their communities was an ethical commitment that the IFP Fellows had to institutionalize learnings from previous years. By engaging subject matter experts— made to themselves. More importantly, the new social change approaches that they regional thought leaders and visionary social changemakers who had forged large- had studied, and that they now wanted to implement in their areas of operation, scale national impact—at every stage of the selection process, the India team sought to could move forward only on the wheels of community trust and cooperation. The minimize error in human judgment. This ensured that very few of the Fellows selected case studies and testimonies of the IFP alumni reinforced that, upon their return to over ten years diverted from their stated mission of returning to their communities to India, Fellows tended to confront violations in their fields of work with a fresh lens. engage more deeply with questions of social justice, equity and inclusion. Their work now rode on the back of solid insight, knowledge, and skills gained via higher education, and translated itself effectively to social movements for securing the IFP’s approach to working with non-elite students was a decisive shift from the entitlements of the marginalized and the ultrapooor. In doing so, they ensured that the paradigm of remedial training that is still in practice in many institutions in India. It barometer of impact for IFP moved upward too. gave students from the margins the opportunity, support, and commitment that had been denied to them. IFP thus offered a powerful set of insights and experiences for A majority of those who had headed CSOs before applying to the IFP reported that those Indian universities that continue to be unprepared or unwilling to tackle the task they had used their time in an international university to rethink and redirect their of bringing disadvantaged students on par with their mean academic standards. Here social justice models towards steeper impact. Most alumni are today viewed as role lies a strong case for the partial or complete replication of IFP in Indian universities. models in their communities. Their achievements have whetted the aspirations of several others to explore the possibilities of higher education as a route for growth The impact analysis presented in the next six chapters and the case studies of Fellows in the arena of social justice leadership. Thus, IFP demonstrated, through the work in Section II attest to the value of an international venture that has vast potential of its Fellows, that investments made carefully in individual change agents can yield for being taken forward (in parts or whole) at the national level by the government, strategic and large-scale community impact; that the individual can truly be the mainstream academic institutions, and/or other progressive, strategic philanthropic catalyzer of systemic change. organizations that are interested in building social justice leaders, and recognizing them as vital social assets through the enabling vehicle of higher education. Building an ‘Inclusive’ Fellowship Model In a country inflamed by ‘the reservation approach’ to affirmative action, the IFP India

34 35 2 Seeding Social Justice

In this chapter, we detail the objectives, structure, and methodology of the research that was undertaken to assess the impact of ten years of IFP’s work in India. We also flesh out the profile of the research participants and introduce readers to the structure of the report.

Saba Hasnain, MA Poverty and Development, University of Sussex, UK. Educating a marginalized community about their entitlements, in Andhra 36 Pradesh. 37 The objectives of this study were to: a) analyze how the IFP model had innovated and adapted to address barriers to higher education for the marginalized in India. b) Map the impact of IFP India on its Fellows through the full lifecycle of the Fellowship period: selection, pre-university training, university experience, and return to the home community. c) Trace the impact of the IFP alumni in the areas of their chosen social change work after their return from their study abroad.

Our research focused on all Indian alumni who had completed their Fellowship tenure n the fall of 2009, IFP India commissioned Start Up! to assess and calibrate its by 2011-12. It also interacted with ‘friends of IFP’—thought leaders and leading social ten-year agenda of revitalizing social justice leadership in India, using higher change makers—who had guided the IFP India model at critical inflexion points. Ieducation as a tool to achieve this mission. The team was seeking information in response to two principal questions: Methodology and Data Analysis • How have the scales of impact moved for IFP India over the course of a decade The study was designed as a ‘listening’ exercise: a qualitative survey, based on of managing a unique Fellowships program? telephonic and one-on-one interviews with IFP alumni, thought leaders, civil society • Upon the completion of their Fellowship, what new paths have the IFP alumni organization (CSO) heads, funders, and senior academics. We also conducted an online charted as social justice agents? To what extent can their impact be attributed survey to enable all alumni to participate in this research study, over and above those to their Fellowship experience? who had been shortlisted for the more intensive interviews.

Between October 2009 and January 2010, Start Up! conducted an in-depth study of A total of 69 interviews were conducted, of which 60 comprised IFP alumni, seven were the role of IFP in seeding and nurturing leaders in the Indian civil society sector. ‘friends of IFP,’ and two were IFP India team leaders. Of these, 59 interviews were Our study was anchored on the two prongs of investigation mentioned above. It also conducted telephonically. Ten research participants were interviewed in-person in engaged with, and sought responses to, the criticism leveled at IFP, most pointedly Delhi and Bengaluru. 105 India alumni participated in the online survey; this number that social justice leaders can experience only nominal or superficial change through includes the responses of those alumni who were interviewed for this study. an ‘expensive’ Fellowship initiative such as IFP. From January to March 2012, Start Up! re-engaged with IFP to interview its last cohort of Fellows and update all facts and The Director and the Deputy Director of IFP India were consulted to understand: impact metrics for the program to bring this report to closure. • The history of IFP in India: its launch and its operations, including the watershed periods and the mid-course corrections in programmatic strategies. It is important to state here that this study was not set up as an evaluation of IFP. It • The structures, strategies, and systems that make up the IFP India operations. was designed to be a qualitative impact assessment of the program, supported by a • The IFP team’s analysis of the challenges, gaps, and opportunities in moving montage of Fellow experiences and testimonies of transformation. forward with or replicating IFP’s model and processes in India.

38 39 Ninety percent of the content of this study was based on primary research. The insights, and articulations of change reported by respondents. The patterns were later additional insights, information, and statistics drawn from secondary literature served clustered and are described in relevant chapters. as the backdrop against which all the primary data was collated and framed into a cohesive narrative. IFP’s seminal publication, Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Research Participants: A Profile Justice in International Higher Education,4 informed this report’s structure. Ensuring geographical and sectoral diversity of research participants was key to the success of this project. The IFP India team and Start Up! trawled through the alumni Each one-on-one interview, conducted over a period of two to four hours, was designed database to identify Fellows in academia, professional development jobs, community- to gather open-ended and qualitative feedback. Start Up! templated a standardized based programs, freelancers, researchers, and those who had chosen to stay back in questionnaire that was tweaked for focus, relevance, and connection with the personal the country of their study. We spoke to interviewees across 17 states in India and in and professional life journeys of interviewees. four countries. We present below the details of the interviews conducted:

The online survey response of every alumnus was screened for data errors. For every States/Country No. of interviewees form in which we intercepted the submission of incorrect or incomplete information, our team requested the respondent to give us information afresh. The alumnus did so, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Haryana, Maharashtra 1 from each state willingly and enthusiastically. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand 2 from each state

Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, West Bengal 3 from each state The interviews and the online surveys with alumni generated information in six areas Jammu & Kashmir 4 of enquiry: Odisha 5 • The contexts and nuances of marginalization faced by alumni, with a focus on Uttarakhand 5 their pre-IFP academic trajectories. • The triggers that motivated them to apply for, and their selection to, the IFP Madhya Pradesh 7 Fellowships. Gujarat 5

• Their interaction with, and their analysis of, the IFP India operations. New Delhi 6 • Their journeys—both physical and emotional—and their return from universities USA 2 abroad. UK 2 • Their current work and impact in their chosen domains of social justice The Netherlands 1 engagement. • The redrawing of self-identity and the articulation of ‘change’ experienced by Nepal 1 the alumni. Work Domains The research team then charted common patterns from the mosaic of testimonies, The IFP alumni who participated in this study were working in several fields, which we classified into the following categories:

4 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: 40 Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council. 41 • Disability and Public Health All respondents brought an abundance of energy, self-awareness, judgment, and • Environment and Development plainspeak to the research study. They juggled tight schedules and travel plans to • Development Finance and Economic Security make time for us and to respond to our questions. Every conversation was a snapshot • Identities and Rights that captured the struggles and diverse leadership styles that define and characterize • Civil Society and Citizen-Based Development the members of the IFP alumni network. • Education • Media Presentation of the Report • Arts and Culture This report is divided into seven chapters. The table below presents the organization of the contents and the structure of the report. We sub-clustered the research participants into the following categories:

• Researchers and academics who were pushing the subaltern Chapters Content voice in development praxis: This category comprised 22 percent of the 1. Overview These two chapters provide a summary of the main interviewee profile. Two among them are teaching in universities abroad. Another research findings and detail the scope, objectives, and 2. Seeding Social Justice methodology of the research study. six are pursuing their PhDs in the United States and the United Kingdom. Three

of the doctoral students have severe visual impairments. Of the six alumni in this This chapter analyzes: category who returned to India, two chose jobs in district colleges in their home • The key barriers that prevent talented individuals 3. Barriers to Inclusive Education from disadvantaged communities from accessing states. One is spearheading research on Adivasi (indigenous tribes) issues, and quality higher education in India. three are professors in urban institutes and universities. • The paths traversed by IFP Fellows in accessing postgraduate education. • Founders of grassroots CSOs: Roughly 22 percent of the total number of interviewees were from this category. All Fellows in this segment started CSOs These two chapters map: 4. A Blueprint for Social Change 1. The history and growth of, and the key that work with the most dispossessed communities in their home states. Of Through Higher Education processes adopted by, IFP in India. these, six used their time abroad to envision their organizations, and seven had 5. Triggering Social Justice 2. The triggers that prompted social change already set up their CSOs before leaving for their studies abroad. Leadership: Building Competencies practitioners to say ‘yes’ to pursuing higher education. • Development sector professionals: This was the largest category of interviewees, comprising 44.6 percent of the total number of research These two chapters pull together all the information and distill it as follows: respondents. They spoke to us from across the length and breadth of the 6. Fellow Journeys and Returns 1. The tangible and intangible gains of IFP Fellows country. Within this segment, 57 percent were working in grassroots CSOs, and from their study-abroad experience. 7. Measuring Impact: A Promise 38 were in senior leadership positions in their organizations. 15 returned to Delivered 2. The influence of IFP on the lives of its Fellows and organizations with which they had worked before leaving on their IFP journey, the alumni’s impact in the grassroots communities in which they live and work. while the majority took up new jobs on their return to India. • Government employees: Four alumni fell in this segment, comprising 8.5 percent of the total interviewee base.

42 43 Jaykishan Godsora, MSc International Development, University of Birmigham, UK. Seen here against the backdrop of a coal mine, in Jharkhand.

3 Barriers to Inclusive Education

This chapter audits the higher education system in India on the triple metrics of equity, inclusion, and access.

In terms of the number of institutions, it is the most expansive system in the world, and is the third-largest enroller of students, globally. Yet, the system is geared to strongly resist the inclusion and success of students from disadvantaged communities.

In various sections of this chapter, we investigate how three key barriers collude to keep 60 percent of India’s youth out of the country’s higher education establishments: (a) the rising cost of higher education; (b) social exclusion within campuses; and (c) poor infrastructure.

But regardless of the choke points, official statistics, opinions of scholars, and testimonials of IFP alumni establish that the demand for higher education is constantly growing, especially among the most marginalized in the country.

Is affirmative action then, the only vehicle for meeting this demand?

Through the medium of life stories of the IFP alumni and the voices of thought leaders, this chapter establishes the need for greater imagination and for a more sensitive response to the challenge of making Indian higher education inclusive, equitable, and accessible.

44 45 What is the reason for this dismal situation? Sixty percent of the Indian ‘youth bulge’ is concentrated in five of the poorest states of the country.6 Seventy percent of this segment has grown up in rural or mofussil (provincial) pockets. The brightest among them struggle with geographical isolation and a cultural disconnect with mainstream academic systems, forced to deal with a curriculum that does not favor (or sometimes even recognize) their contexts or situations. Further, the courses do not equip them for the job market.7 Upon graduation, already constrained by their nominal reserves of social capital, they are pushed into the country’s pool of unemployed graduates, estimated at nearly 6 million in 2009-10.8

The world in which we now live and the new world that is now emerging is a world Despite this, the demand for higher education (particularly in institutes with English in which knowledge will be the key to social and economic development, political as the medium of instruction) from the most excluded communities has grown power, and strategic capability. It is no longer access to land, or even capital, that dramatically. In an article in a leading publication, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President, differentiates the haves from the have-nots. The key differentiator today is access to Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, argued: “The demand for education, particularly modern education. Access to quality vocational education, access to modern science English, even among the poor Dalits, is a testament to the expansion of aspirations in and technology, and access to advanced skills and capabilities—these are crucial India. Two decades ago we used to debate whether there is a demand for education; determinants of social mobility. I sincerely believe that the route to the social and now the only debate is whether we can supply it”.9 economic empowerment of all disadvantaged groups—be they Dalits or tribals, be they women or minorities—is through education. An Unequal Growth The engine of Indian higher education is powered by 416 university-level institutions, — Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, May 17, 2007 251 state universities, 20,677 colleges,10 103 deemed-to-be universities11, 12 open universities, 106 distance education centers run by dual-mode universities, 131 or two-thirds of India, the road to higher education passes through tough foreign education providers, cartels of ‘family-style’ private institutions, and several terrain. Every day, a majority of young Indians trudge to college, struggling polytechnic and industrial training institutes. However, India’s higher education system, Fthrough an obstacle course of language barriers, financial constraints, and a the world’s most extensive, with huge enrollment figures (11.6 million students in poor and inadequate education infrastructure.

India’s 570 million youths (under the age of 25 years), accounting for 50 percent of 6 http://www.livemint.com/2007/08/16004558/Is-our-young-population-a-divi.html 7 Agarwal, P. (June 2006): Higher Education in India: The Need for Change. Indian Council for 5 its population, constitute a definite demographic dividend for the country. However, Research on International Economic Relations, Working Paper No. 180. New Delhi. economists argue that this dividend could convert into a liability if the cracks in India’s 8 Chakrabarty, Dr. K.C. (June 17, 2001): Challenges and Opportunities in a Trillion Dollar Economy, Address at ASSOCHAM’s National Banking Conclave, New Delhi. higher education system are not fixed quickly and effectively. 9 Mehta, B.P: A Decade of Hope. In OutlookIndia.com. http://www.outlookindia.com/article. aspx?263732. 10 The growth of colleges in India has seen a 26-fold increase from 1947 to 2005, according to Dr Sukhdeo Thorat, Chairman, University Grants Commission. 46 5 http://trendsniff.com/2008/10/30 11 http://www.biztechreport.com/story/364-higher-education-india-concerns-and-strategies 47 200912), does not score as impressively on the twin indices of equity and inclusion.13 The fact that higher education in India has yet to include the poor and the marginalized into its growth story is now officially accepted. In addition, enrollment is not the only While literacy and primary education have advanced in the interiors of the country,14 the metric of inclusion. Most students from underprivileged families find themselves framework for higher education remains decrepit. Consider the following statistics: clustered in poor quality academic institutions20 which keep them at the bottom of the • The literacy rate for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) has higher education system. increased eight-fold in four decades.15 Yet, in 2001, of every 100 students enrolled in primary education, over 95 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe In the following sections, we unpack how the three types of capital—knowledge students had dropped out by the higher education stage. capital, social capital, and financial capital—collude to block a large non-elite talent • Dalits (comprising 16.2 percent of the total Indian population)16 constitute less pool from: (a) accessing higher education and (b) contributing to knowledge creation than 8 percent of the total number of graduate and postgraduate students in on their own terms. India. This figure drops to 2.77 percent at the doctoral degree level. • More than 65 percent SC and 73 percent ST students enroll in the humanities Through the life stories of the IFP alumni—supplemented with official statistics, and social science courses, domains that have low market value, and which do academic studies, and expert opinions—we have outlined the systemic cracks in the not attract aggressive investment by the state or the private sector.17 higher education system in India. • While Muslims comprise 16.43 percent of the Indian population,18 Muslim youths account for only 1.3 percent of the country’s rural graduate population The sections below also describe the barriers that the IFP model had to circumnavigate and 6.1 percent of Indian urban graduates, the lowest across all disadvantaged to provide inclusive higher education to unspotted talent from the remotest corners of groups.19 the country.

Financial Capital: Going Way Beyond Means 12 http://www.biztechreport.com/story/364-higher-education-india-concerns-and-strategies Indian higher education is not entirely unaffordable for low to middle-income families.21 13 Agarwal, P. (June 2006): Higher Education in India: The Need for Change. In Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Working Paper No. 180. New Delhi, pp. 5–11. However, for 76 percent of the Indian population that lives on less than US$ 2 a day,22 14 In 1961, the literacy rates for SCs and STs were 7.5 percent and 5.1 percent respectively, while it is well beyond their meager means. that for the rest was 28.8 percent, almost six times higher. In 1991, the literacy rates stood at 37.4 percent for SCs and 29.4 percent for STs. For the rest of India’s population, it was 57.7 percent. Although the gap is still significant, literacy rates have been rising steadily, increasing four-fold in four decades, a significant achievement in itself. (Data sources: National Family Health Survey II (1998/99), Reproductive and Child Health Survey 2002–04, and the 2001 Census). The massive IFP alumnus Bhangya Bhukya is a case in point. When Bhukya was 10, the school enrollment drives in rural India and the promotion of the midday meal scheme have been the main causes for the increase in literacy rates. village zamindar (literally, landholder, which came to be translated as ‘landlord’ 15 The literacy rate increased from 7.5 percent (for SCs) and 5.1 percent (for STs) in 1961, to during colonial times) forced his father to keep Bhukya as a jeetham (bonded laborer). 54.69 percent and 47.10 percent for SCs and STs respectively in 2001. Source: Department of Secondary and Higher Education, MHRD, GOI. This was considered the best course for securing the future of a neo-literate child from http://planningcommission.nic.in/sectors/sj/Literacy%20of%20SCs%20&%20STs.doc 16 Source: The Dalit Foundation; http://www.dalitfoundation.org/ 17 The bulk of state and private investment in higher education is concentrated in science, technology, and professional management courses. 20 Volkman, T. A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009): Origins, Journeys and Returns: 18 2001 Census, Government of India. http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_ Social Justice in International Higher Education. Social Science Research Council. New York, p. 23. finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm 21 Ibid, p. 178 48 19 Same as 18 above. 22 http://www.popcouncil.org/countries/india.asp 49 the Lambada community, the largest and most assetless tribe in the southern Indian According to economist Pawan Varma: state of Andhra Pradesh. Bhukya’s destitute family (he had six siblings) required him Globally, (the) responsibility of bearing the cost of higher education has shifted to quickly grow up and contribute to the household purse. Unfortunately, so far, his from the government to the parents and students. In absolute terms, (Indian) ‘job’ of helping the village school cook in preparing midday meals had been non- households spent nearly Rs. 335 billion on education in 2003, of which almost remunerative. All that he received for his efforts was a small portion of the midday half went into higher education. Private expenditure in higher education in the meal and a vantage point outside the thatched classroom, from where he could listen rural sector grew from a mere 0.8% in 1983 to 2.9% in 2003. and learn from the higher caste teacher seated inside. Bhukya’s mother put up a terrific fight against her husband’s plans to hand their son over to the zamindar, and Varma’s conclusion is clear: “As living expenses go up with inflation… but for a very sent Bhukya to a government school, where education until Class X was free. With small section of public institutions, higher education in India is beyond the reach of only INR 20 (less than half a US dollar) in his pocket, Bhukya enrolled in a hostel students from poor backgrounds”.23 for tribal students, which was located a little over 6 miles from their hamlet, and which offered state-underwritten board and meals for students such as himself. He The IFP alumni would concur with Varma. A majority identified the financial burden of graduated from the school with flying colors. pursuing higher education as their biggest headache. For most research participants, For the next several years, as he continued his secondary and higher education, higher education was self-funded through a meager income earned during off- first in a district town, and then in Hyderabad, the capital ofA ndhra Pradesh state, university hours. Bhukya racked his brains for the best ways of arranging the INR 100 (approximately USD 2) that he needed for his monthly expenses as a college student, including tuition What Price Higher Education? fees and the cost of living. The state government had post-matriculation scholarship The rising cost of Indian higher education is a function of multiple interlocking schemes for tribal students that offered a monthly stipend of INR 80 to 120. However, factors:24 this was not an easy route. “The paperwork was so tedious and time consuming that • The government spends only INR 190 billion per year on higher education against even if you did qualify, the money would come at the end of your education period,” the desired expenditure of INR 628.8 billion. This enormous shortfall drives Bhukya explained. So, this was of no help to him. He studied diligently during the day, poor households to fill the gap from their own unstable incomes. Additionally, but spent night after night working as an informal laborer in daal (lentil) mills and this deficit further drives down the already poor standard of higher education on construction sites. His monetary compensation for a full night’s work was a mere in the country. INR 7. But every rupee counted. • 85 percent of the total central funding for higher education (including technical a chance encounter with his college lecturer in the mill ended up being a life- education) supports only about 3 percent of students enrolled in approximately altering incident for the young man. Shocked to see Bhukya making ends meet as a 130 out of a total of 17,625 higher education institutions in the country. This head loader, the teacher offered to pay his college fees for the duration of his graduate skewed distribution of knowledge capital further aggravates the asymmetry in and postgraduate studies. When Bhukya began his career as a teacher in Hyderabad’s the system. Nizam College, he was keen to do a PhD, but could not arrange for the required funds. • Less than 0.5 percent of the total expenditure on education is allocated to Had he not received the IFP Fellowship, a PhD from the University of Warwick in the UK would have remained a chimera. 23 Agarwal, P. (June 2006): Higher Education in India: The Need for Change. In Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Working Paper No. 180. New Delhi, pp. 28–29. 50 24 Ibid, pp. 21–31. 51 Usha Prajapati, (second from right), MA International Development and Social Change, Clark University, USA. Educating and training women craftspersons, in Bihar.52 53 scholarship schemes, and even this allocation (a mere INR 250 million in 2003– Predictably, most IFP Fellows confined themselves to similar or proximate identity 2004) has been steadily declining. Scholarship amounts are inadequate and do groups, seeking to avoid or overcome the isolation and discrimination they faced in not cover full tuition fees, particularly those of professional courses. Alleged their academic ecosystems. The experience was similar for faculty members from pilferages in disbursement further worsen the situation. disadvantaged backgrounds. • Recent statistics show that only 2–3 percent of students avail of student loans in India, as against 85 percent of students in the UK and Sweden, 77 percent in The testimonies of IFP Fellows Ganeswar Majhi, Manoj Kumar Dora, and Rama Devi Australia, and 50 percent in the USA and Canada. The complicated processes Arla are typical of most students from outside the borders of ‘mainstream’ India. of loan disbursements—compounded by under-trained bank staff, demands for documentation, high rates of interest, and the bank’s incomplete or otherwise insufficient information regarding student loans—have been significant Ganeswar Majhi made the leap from an impoverished Dalit family in rural constraints. Odisha to becoming a senior lecturer at the SKPG College in Cuttack, the state capital. But the achievement of every milestone in his career did not dispel the stigma and Social Capital: privation of being Dalit and poor in India. When he topped his class in the final year In Search of a Shared Camaraderie of secondary school, Majhi’s teacher thrashed him. And what was his fault? He had “Social capital is all about how people interact with each other. It is about the value of broken the unspoken injunction that the top slots in his school be reserved for upper- social networks, the bonding of similar people, and the building of bridges between caste students. He continued to face discrimination throughout his years in university, diverse people through norms of reciprocity” (Dekker and Uslaner, 2001). up until his employment as a lecturer. He observed how SC employees were given low-paying or clerical jobs. Promotions were withheld, applications for transfers were Adler and Kwon (2002) have defined social capital as “the goodwill available to not entertained, and often terms and conditions of work were different from those of individuals or groups. Its source lies in the structure and content of the actor’s social the favored higher-caste employees. Majhi became an active member of Sewastambh, relations. Its effects flow from the information, influence, and solidarity it makes an organization for, and of, SC employees. The mandate was to reinforce their rights, available to the actor”.25 to give them a voice in an otherwise upper-caste bastion, and to create or demand job options with dignity for them. The findings of our interviews reinforce the fact that despite the financial burden, determined students from disadvantaged communities pursue higher education indefatigably. They exploit every resource available to them to secure their college fee. Manoj Kumar Dora learned from experience that “in India, your identity But because of their nominal social capital, they find themselves pushed into restricted and background is not something that people let you forget”. Dora’s father was a circuits of interaction, activity and growth within academic institutions. primary school teacher in a village in Bargarh district in western Odisha, a region that is dependent on subsistence agriculture and is at the mercy of the vagaries of the None of our research participants had gone to college armed with a Rolodex containing monsoon. Dora belongs to the Konda Dora tribe, a community with literacy levels of names and addresses of useful contacts and resourceful affiliations. Neither were less than 14 percent. He studied in a government-funded residential school. After his they backed by high-net-worth individuals with an extensive web of connections. postgraduate studies from Utkal University in Odisha, Dora worked as a small-savings

54 25 http://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/definition.html 55 officer with a microfinance institution in Kandhamal, counted among the poorest and an air of cosmopolitanism­ that may be the final element that distinguishes districts of the country. Over time, Dora’s academic ambitions grew beyond the limited them from other students with similar technical credentials. On the contrary, boundaries within which most Konda Dora youths envisioned their lives. He joined Dalit students—especially those from rural backgrounds—lack cultural capital Utkal University as a lecturer of economics. Because he had secured the job under the when they arrive in elite universities and are not in a position to improve their Backward Castes quota, he had to constantly fight against the discrimination—both cultural exposure beyond what they acquire inside the university itself. This insidious and overt—by colleagues. is not minimal. Coming to a place like JNU from a remote tribal region does indeed create opportunities for exchange and personal growth in a cosmopolitan direction. But if one must work at the same time (to fund their education), it is Deep psychological stress marked Rama Devi Arla’s years as a student. Arla hard to build out their cultural capital any further. is a Dalit, whose parents worked as wage laborers for the Indian Railways in Andhra Pradesh state. She faced bullying and teasing on a daily basis through her years in Deshpande and Newman argued that, “while the training they (Dalit and non-Dalit primary and secondary school. She was picked on for being a student on scholarship, students) received in the university world was quite comparable, Dalit students lacked for receiving books for free, and for wearing the coarse uniforms that the school gave many advantages that turned out to be crucial in shaping their employment outcomes”. her. The name-calling persisted in college, albeit in different tones. Arla soon realized Primary were the social and cultural capitals—the overlapping of caste, class, family that students in college were marked or judged less on their merit, and more on their background, and networks—the lack of which defined not only their experience at the identity and affiliations. She became actively involved in the Dalit students’ movement university, but also became a bitter limitation in “the urban, highly skilled, formal and and joined several human rights groups. However, the taunts continued throughout allegedly meritocratic private sector jobs, where hiring practices are less transparent her college years. than appear at first sight”.27

Absent: Diversity; Present: Elitism In 2005, Ashwini Deshpande, economics professor, Delhi University, and Katherine The diversity quotient of a university informs the structure and content of interactions S. Newman, Director, Princeton Institute for Regional and International Studies, among students, and between students and faculty. It also determines the readiness Princeton University, studied the personal and professional trajectories of 108 Dalit of teachers and students to interpret and define social capital, beyond the template and non-Dalit students from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and of conventional parameters. More importantly, a diverse campus can open up Jamia Millia Islamia. They aimed to “trace the differential pathways that Dalit and opportunities for less privileged students to build relationships, expand networks, non-Dalit students from comparable elite educational backgrounds traverse in their earn goodwill, and eventually, to achieve agency. journey from college to work”.26 The findings of their study revealed that: For general students, a university education is often a continuation of a lifelong But because institutions of higher education in India perform poorly on diversity process of cultivation, not un­like what elite students in American Ivy league audits, because non-elite groups are poorly represented in faculties, and because the universities expe­rience. They move with a degree of confidence, social skills curriculum does not respect the subaltern, campuses fail to recognize or celebrate non-traditional students.

26 Deshpande, A. & Newman, K.S. (October 2007). Where The Path Leads: The Role of Caste in Post-University Employment Expectations. In Economic and Political Weekly. Mumbai, pp. 4133– 56 4140. 27 Ibid. 57 Hence, Deepak Kumar Yogi, the 17-year-old founder of a large literacy center in Accumulating Social Capital: Rajasthan, was not acknowledged as a role model by students in his university. An Achievable Goal? Bhukya’s sharp intellection on identity and inequity fetched no response from his How tough is it, then, for disadvantaged students to build their own fund of social professors in Osmania University. It took him no time to conclude that, “One’s identity, capital through the platforms made available by student bodies and through other and not intellectual capacity, determined the quality of response from one’s peers and socially leveling campus activities? teachers”. For most non-elite students, time is the enemy. Over the course of their higher Class identity followed Ranjit Kumar Mahapatra to the University of London. This education, students from deprived, non-elite backgrounds can barely cope with the economist from a small town in Odisha was first ignored, and then confronted by the daily struggle and pressures of earning a living, studying, traveling, and just getting by. Indian students in his class, all of whom predictably belonged to elite families. Preponderant among them are first-generation literates who step into the campus as academic underdogs. The lack of tutorial support in their home environments results Academics admit that students and faculty are rated more on their social capital than in poor or inadequate academic preparation (compounded by their unfamiliarity with on their merit, and that this has become the core ethos of the Indian higher education the English language), and a general epistemic anxiety, driving them to invest all their system. available time in catching up with their academic work and making up for the gaps in their knowledge. Historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha, in an opinion piece on what plagues higher education in India,28 stated that it is the social background, political ideology, or a personal bias of an interviewer that lands an academic the most coveted jobs in Narayana a Gatty, born to illiterate bidi 29 workers in a village bordering Indian universities. He explained his premise further: Kerala and Karnataka, barely managed the transition from Kannada to English in The appointment of vice-chancellors in Maharashtra could well be determined by his English-medium college. He contemplated quitting academics and returning to his caste and community affiliation, rather than academic or professional distinction. hamlet, which had only one graduate at that time. But he grit his teeth and stuck on, Has the state government appointed too many Marathas lately? Is it time to give determined to build his knowledge capital (more than his social capital). He took direct a Dalit or a Brahmin a chance? These are the questions that would exercise the control of his academic performance, and therefore his accumulation of knowledge mind of the education minister in Mumbai’s Mantralaya. The considerations capital. His social capital index was more a function of how others perceived him, and would be similar in Uttar Pradesh, except that here the Rajputs would come he had little influence over their perceptions. He realized that academic merit was the into the equation, as well as other locally influential castes such as the Lodhs. most direct route to securing his university fees via scholarships. Despite spending Meanwhile, in many northern states there would be pressures to have the odd hours working on construction sites, he topped his graduate examinations, and went Muslim vice-chancellor, and in Kerala to appoint the odd Christian as well. on to top his postgraduate course as well. Despite minimal social capital, Gatty’s hard work earned him the National Merit Scholarship, which took care of almost all his To counter this system, Guha emphasized the need for affirmative action—at least hostel expenses and fees. at the entry level—for Dalits, Adivasis, and the disabled, in both faculty and student bodies.

28 Guha, R. (July 4, 2009). The Chancellor’s Vice. In India Together. http://www.indiatogether. 58 org/2009/jul/rgh-vice.htm 29 A cigarette made from rolling tobacco in tendu leaves. 59 Ranjit Kumar Mahapatra, MA Understanding and Securing Human Rights, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, UK. Explaining techniques for managing physical disability during a field clinic, in Odisha.

60 61 Knowledge Capital: The Gendered Face of Higher Education Limited Access, Zero Sensitivity In 2002–2003, nearly 5 million fewer young women received higher education than Less than 10 percent of India’s universities are located in rural settings. For more young men in the same age bracket.32 The statistics reveal a far more iniquitous than 70 percent of the population—living in 638,000 villages—30 accessing higher picture as one digs through the layers of a female student’s identity. The data below education is literally a long-distance affair. (all information for 2001) are illustrative: • Against the overall average GER of 9.4 percent for women students, the GER of Students from villages and smaller districts typically move to larger district towns young SC women was 4.7 percent, and that of others was 17.2 percent. to register in universities. If they are fastidious about the quality of education, or • The GER for Muslim women students was 6.3 percent compared to 10.8 percent stubborn about the subjects that they wish to study, they have little option but to travel and 20 percent for Hindu and Christian girls, respectively. all the way to the state capital. • Rural women faced the most hurdles in their pursuit of higher education. Their GER ranged from 1.64 percent for SCs, 4.75 percent for STs, 2.08 percent for Not surprisingly, in 2003–04, the Gross Enrollment Rate (GER) of rural students was OBCs, and 7.10 percent for the rest of the women population. On an average, four times lower (at 7.76 percent) than that of their urban counterparts (at 27.20 GER of 3.56 percent of rural women was higher, primarily because of the percent).31 relatively equitable gender relations within this category.

In this section, we investigate the challenges faced by a vast majority of Indian As a subset of the pattern described above, most women Fellows of IFP were primarily youths in physically accessing institutions of higher education. We focus here on from non-rural, low to middle-income backgrounds. This is evidence that female two demographic groups—women and the disabled—for whom the poor academic students from rural, orthodox, and very poor communities barely go beyond the infrastructure in rural areas and the inaccessible architecture of colleges and higher secondary level. universities mean a double burden. Eighty percent of the women alumni whom we interviewed reported that their Women and the disabled, more than any other group, have had to struggle against geographical mobility and admission to institutions of higher education were cultural, systemic, and physical barriers to mobility. For women, mobility (and also constrained by patriarchal family norms. They fought mighty battles with the adult literally the ability to travel long distances for higher education) is controlled by males in their family, and either coaxed or bullied their fathers into loosening their patriarchal norms and mores. purse strings to fund their education. In cases where the parents relented, it was not without having to face severe community censure. For persons with disabilities, accessibility ends the moment they step out of the home. The challenges they face in going to college are not only representative of—but also far more insurmountable than—the difficulties that other marginal groups have Surekha Talari, who was born into an OBC family in the Dundigal village of to endure. Andhra Pradesh, went to a village school where the teachers placed the blackboard

30 http://www.indiaonlinepages.com/population/india-current-population.html 31 Thorat, S. (2006). Higher Education in India: Emerging Issues Related to Access, Inclusiveness 32 Volkman, T. A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009): Origins, Journeys and Returns: 62 and Quality. Nehru Memorial Lecture (November 24). University of Mumbai. Mumbai. Social Justice in International Higher Education. Social Science Research Council. New York, p. 186. 63 in the middle of the classroom, turning the written side of the board towards the A Disabled System boys. The gender-segregated seating made it easier for teachers to focus attention In 1998, the national-level University Grants Commission (UGC) initiated grants and on the male students. “If the girls put up their hands to ask questions, they were schemes to provide infrastructural support to students with disabilities and to aid summarily ignored,” Talari remembered. “My biology teacher threw my diagrams out them in their pursuit of higher education. of the classroom. He thought that my father had drawn them. How ironic, because I used to draw diagrams for the boys”. Because of her astonishingly good grades, she In 2005, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled Persons was allowed to sit in the middle of the two divisions in class. (NCPEDP), in partnership with Amici Di Raoul Follereau—a Bengaluru-based CSO, By the time she completed high school, Talari had grown a spine of steel. conducted a postal survey—the first of its kind in India—of universities, colleges, and When community pressure to get married intensified, she decided to move to another higher secondary schools to map the “higher education scenario for students with state. Her father faced inordinate community pressure to control his daughter, but her disabilities”33 and to assess the efficacy of relevant UGC schemes. mother stood by her. Talari enrolled in the University College for Women in Koti, 43 miles away from her village. Her father relented and paid the fees. Survey forms were sent to 322 universities (of which 119 responded) and 294 colleges The next step was earning a masters degree in social work from the Tata (of which 96 responded). The survey data showed that less than 1.2 percent of the Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Talari’s father had sensed his disabled student population in India manages to continue pursuing higher education. daughter’s inclination for rights-based work. He agreed to pay the fees—a huge drain on his earnings as a central government employee—on the condition that she The key findings of the survey corroborate the experiences of differently abled IFP thereafter prepare for the civil services examinations. Talari gave her word, even Fellows: though she had no intention of going down that road. She is often overcome by guilt • Disabled students comprised 0.1 percent of the total student enrollment in the when she reflects back on that conversation with her father. But how else could Talari 119 respondent universities, well below the mandated 3 percent seats reserved have spread her wings and soared so high? for them in academic institutions. Male students made up 76.3 percent of the sample, while 23.7 percent were females. • 50 percent of the 119 universities reported being aware of the UGC schemes Tara Devi Dhakal of Sikkim did not have to deal with parental conservatism and grants. Only 11 (9 percent) universities had received UGC grants under the or family opposition. Her father, a panchayat member (an elective village council schemes. representative), although illiterate himself, was determined that his daughters should • 15 percent of the universities reported that they provided appropriate desks and get the best education possible. Dhakal enrolled in an agricultural university in chairs for orthopedically challenged students, 9 percent provided wheelchairs, Ratnagiri district, in Maharashtra state, under quotas reserved for her state in the 7.5 percent provided tricycle access, 7.5 percent provided hearing aids to institution. students, and 8.4 percent provided books in Braille. The nominal infrastructural For four years, she dealt with harassment from the local men because she supports indicated that only those students who required minimum physical looked different. After graduation, she enrolled in Pune University (also in Maharashtra) assistance got admission. for a postgraduate degree in women’s studies. Ironically, the university could not offer • Seven universities (5.8 percent) categorically admitted that they did not enroll her hostel facilities. Dhakal returned home and decided to concentrate on work. students with disability.

64 33 Source: NCPEDP. http://www.ncpedp.org/eductn/ed-resrch.htm 65 Only six universities admitted to the lack of trained staff, and five pointed to seven in the morning and end at 10 at night, with a huge chunk of this time spent in infrastructural problems as reasons for the nominal enrollment of students with scouring the city for reader volunteers. It was a serious logistical issue. disabilities. The others remained unresponsive on this point. The colleges that Upadhyay and Karah went to were perhaps those that reported a total lack of awareness of UGC schemes and grants in the NCPEDP survey described above. For IFP Fellows with disabilities, going to university was analogous to setting off on a road less traveled. Nekram Upadhyay, who was born to farmer parents in a village in Dholpur district in Rajasthan state, completed his postgraduation with physical IFP Fellows Concur: Affirmative Action Needs to exhaustion as a constant companion. The inconveniences of polio notwithstanding, he be Reinterpreted revved up his small motorbike every day to drive 50 miles to his college in the town India’s affirmative action program is the longest running in the world and perhaps of Deeg, in Bharatpur district, and back. Upadhyay did not expect to receive any the only one that is backed by Constitutional guarantees. Especially, since the 1980s, infrastructural support from the colleges he attended, and stoically dealt with this lack it has: (a) opened up higher education to a steady flow of disadvantaged students in his college buildings. Rather than complaining, he gave tuitions and typed 50–100 and (b) created leaders among the rank and file of the country’s bureaucracy from pages of official documents every day to pay for his education. marginalized groups. upadhyay earned a postgraduate diploma in computer application and a Bachelors degree in education. During these years of hard work and struggle, he had However, across the country—among groups and communities of all descriptions— to bear the jibes of his fellow villagers: “Why work so hard when you can easily get a debates on the validity of the quota system in higher education have led to inflamed job through the disability quota?” But Upadhyay knew how the system worked: “The passions and to bitterly irreconcilable stances. Indeed, the question of reservations 3 percent reservation for the disabled in government jobs only gets filled through brought down the Indian government in 1987. It continues to incite state and nationwide backroom appointments. I was selected thrice for a government job under the disability strikes. Groups divided along social, economic, and cultural divides, moved by sheer quota. But all three times, after passing the exams, I was told that I was not eligible”. electoral expediency and political calculation, continue to keep the country in a “war- Upadhyay wanted to study further. But his search for an appropriate course—an like mood on the issue of reservations”.34 interdisciplinary combination of disability and technology studies—led him to various dead ends, that is, until he chanced upon information on the IFP Fellowships. Nevertheless, research based on ground-level practice has reinforced the important role of the Indian reservation system in facilitating equity and in building new relationship structures that are propelling the country’s growth engines. Economist Hemachandran Karah, a visually impaired man from a low-income OBC Jayati Ghosh argues: family, said his entire education “could be mapped out by the distances (he) covered The roots of discrimination in India go so deep that social and economic across the city of Chennai to locate people who could read and write (for him)”. Although disparities are getting deeply intertwined in increasingly complex ways. We still he had an aptitude for science, the lack of reading technologies for the blind and other need reservations for different groups in higher education, not because they infrastructural constraints forced him to study the humanities. Karah completed his are the perfect instruments to rectify long-standing discrimination, but because postgraduation from Hyderabad University. During this period, his day would begin at

34 Volkman, T. A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009): Origins, Journeys and Returns: 66 Social Justice in International Higher Education. Social Science Research Council. New York, p. 184. 67 they are the most workable methods to move in this direction. The nature of Indian society ensures that without such measures, social discrimination and exclusion will only persist and be strengthened.35

The IFP Fellows who participated in this study were in overwhelming agreement with Ghosh’s analysis, but argued for better targeting of disadvantaged groups. “It’s true that the country’s reservation policies have been the single-most transformative vehicle for people like us,” Bhukya commented. “But for building your social capital and for a fresh understanding of your own identity, you need more (interventions) like the IFP”.

Tej Ram Jat, MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK. Surveying 35 Ghosh, J. (June 17, 2006). “The Case for Caste-based Quotas in Higher Education”. Economic a marginalized community for health 68 and Political Weekly. Mumbai. related interventions, in Odisha. 69 Richa Ghansiyal, MA Rural Development, University of Sussex, UK. Training young apprentices to design and produce crafts items with local raw materials, at her workshop in Uttarakhand.

4 A Blueprint for Social Change Through Higher Education

In this chapter, we trace the history of IFP’s India program and analyze the operations of, and challenges faced by the IFP India team.

Over a period of ten years, close to 20,000 individuals in seventeen Indian states applied for the IFP Fellowships, from which 330 were selected as Fellows. The criteria and four-stage selection process that all applicants had to go through was chiseled by the IFP India team, in consultation with social scientists, academics, economists, policy makers and leading social change practitioners.

Unlike other scholarship programs, IFP went beyond the selection of Fellows to sculpt a series of orientations, trainings, workshops, consultations, and peer-learning opportunities to not only equip Fellows to secure admission to the universities of their choice, but to succeed as international students, as well.

70 71 IFP’s operational framework was based on four core pillars:

First, Fellows were offered a wide variety of social science courses and geographical locations to choose academic programs and universities that matched their growth and social change agendas and plans. They could study in the country of their origin or elsewhere, where they identified a relevant course. This ‘portability’ was intended to allow individuals to stretch their study opportunities beyond a set of predetermined fields.

In her book,37 Mary Zurbuchen, Director, Asia and Russia, Ford Foundation n 2001, IFP was launched in India, marking a departure from the affirmative International Fellowships Program, had stated that the program recognized “that action model followed by the country. human knowledge comes in many forms and that leadership for social change I does not wear a disciplinary label”. She qualified that IFP was different from most In its first year of operations, IFP India released newspaper advertisements that called international scholarships where ‘priority’ fields were determined either by the donor for ‘exceptional individuals from social groups that have been marginalized and lack or the government.38 systemic access to higher education’ to pursue ‘formal post graduate or doctoral studies in any university in the world’. Second, the Fellowship redefined ‘excellence’ beyond the standard template set out by the international higher education system. It did not focus only on promoting The juxtaposition of the next criterion—social justice leadership—moved IFP’s academic achievement; rather, it sought to become an international springboard for mandate sharply outside the paradigm of the ‘reservation’36 model. Applicants were social change leaders of the future. This goal found deep resonance with the Ford required to have a demonstrated academic merit and a track record of engagement in Foundation, the primary funder of the program. social change processes. IFP also stressed the commitment of these ‘future leaders’ to their home communities, a signal that upon completion of the Fellowship, the Fellows Third, by selecting social justice leaders—at different points in their professional would be expected to return to their areas to engage more deeply with questions of trajectories—IFP did away with an upper age limit for its applicants. This was yet justice, access and equity. another departure from the requirements of other similar fellowships.

On the academic front, too, the program broke new ground. It created a framework Fourth, unlike other conventional scholarships, individuals were not required to that gave students from underserved communities the flexibility and choice to chart have secured admission to a university to qualify for IFP. their own growth and evolution as social justice leaders.

37 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council, p. 42. 38 In 2002, however, IFP India clarified its preference for the disciplines of social sciences and 36 In India, affirmative action was planned to achieve socio-economic improvements in the lives humanities in all its public communication. The strategy sought to: (a) target with greater precision of marginalized populations. Notable among these are Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) those candidates who were emerging as fresh voices in social change programs in the country; and and Other Backward Classes (OBC), who are accorded quotas (reservation) in institutes of learning, (b) deter those from entering fields such as technology, management, and the sciences, that had, in 72 and in job placements. previous decades, been responsible for India’s brain drain. 73 Over ten years (2001–2011), IFP in India ensured that these four pillars guided IFP India anchored the recruitment and selection process for India Fellows. Post the country operations at all times. selection, it facilitated Fellow orientation and counseling, skills assessment, language and academic training, cultural exposure, preparation of university application Internationally, two core principles underpinned the structure and implementation of dossiers, and all logistical and travel coordination necessary to ensure that Fellows IFP country programs: reached their universities without any incident. • In every country (22 in all), IFP was shaped by the wisdom of its local teams and their knowledge of local contexts. All team members brought a strong grasp Through the duration of the degree studies of their Fellows, the India team remained of the local dynamics and of the rubrics of social change to their operations. their primary point of contact, alternating between the roles of advisor, mentor, and The International Partner (IP)—or the country team—interpreted and adapted administrator. IFP’s global principles to local contexts, and managed programs that were decentralized, yet linked to a global core. Every year, the team multitasked its way through informal Fellow counseling sessions, • Flexibility, iteration, and timely response to the changing economic, social, coordinating activities with university partners, meeting with alumni who would and cultural landscapes of a region shaped the strategies of every IFP country drop in to say hello, holding feedback sessions with language trainers, editing Fellow program.39 The global secretariat encouraged IPs to undertake mid-course applications, troubleshooting occasionally for Fellows abroad, planning and executing analyses and corrections, and to redefine their thrust areas for greater Fellow orientations, keeping the online alumni community alive, conversing with multi- programmatic impact. sectoral thought leaders for achieving more focused strategies for the next selection cycle, and ensuring zero-error outreach activities. Given this local–global compact, as we walk through the tapestry of IFP’s program in India in this report, we shall weave in and out of the international dimensions of the Then there were the various administrative responsibilities that needed to be Fellowships that have guided and, in turn, been shaped by the India experience. managed—obtaining health certificates, getting visa clearances, purchasing tickets, providing accommodation support, making banking arrangements for allowance In-India Operations transfers, and checking local travel details, including maps with clearly indicated The four-member IFP India team operated out of the Fulbright House in New Delhi. metro stations, lest Fellows lose their way from the airport to their university, not an Situated in a quiet, leafy lane in central Delhi, the IFP office was a quarter of a mile uncommon hazard. away from one of the busiest commercial districts of the Indian capital. On a typical day, the office would be sunny and quiet, with snatches of collegial conversation heard Most significantly, theI FP team created an ecosystem of supporters in the ten states of its in the corridors. But beneath the calm, every team member was chasing a daily work operation—a constellation of academics, social commentators, CSO heads, progressive plan that was packed with meetings, calls, online coordination, Fellow counseling and bureaucrats, and leading journalists—who scouted across the countryside to ensure responding to Fellow requests, all of which were equally urgent and important. that year after year, IFP selected Fellows from a strong, but untapped talent pool.

39 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: 74 Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council, p. 49. 75 Geographical Reach of the Program In 2006, the operational map was extended once again to include the state of Jammu IFP was launched on an all-India scale in 2001. However, after 2003, the program and Kashmir. According to Devy, this inclusion indicated “the program’s awareness began to define the geographical boundaries of its operations more sharply. The intent that internal displacement caused by religious fundamentalism…has come to be a was to invest time, expertise, and funds in a finite region, to make a concentrated major cause of denial of access in India”.42 impact in a specific area. By 2010, IFP’s outreach had spread to more than 50 percent of the districts of the Dr Ganesh Devy, activist-scholar, founder of the Adivasi Academy in Tejgadh village, ten Indian states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Vadodara, Gujarat, who currently serves as a professor at the Dhirubhai Ambani Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and is a long-term IFP advisor, wrote about the factors that prompted this decision: The Selection Criteria and Process In the first two rounds, the Fellowship awards had been open to Indians residing Criteria throughout the country. And while the selection results had reflected both IFP selected Fellows on the basis of three non-negotiable criteria—the individual’s geographic and social diversity, recipients from metropolitan areas (including disadvantage, his/her academic merit and potential,43 and his/her chosen path of those originally from smaller towns and villages) tended to dominate in the finalist achieving social justice leadership. The three criteria were woven together into a tight pool. In addition, the national selection panel was administratively daunting net that held up only those with a demonstrated commitment to social change issues. and did not promote ‘deep’ penetration into India’s regional concentrations The rest were sieved out. of disadvantaged communities. The IFP staff was learning that considerable ground-level engagement was required in order to make judgments about ‘lack IFP India periodically organized consultations and one-on-one discussions with social of access’ amidst India’s complex socio-political landscape of economic and scientists, statisticians, economists, journalists, and heads of organizations who educational opportunities.40 were leading rights-based struggles, to reiterate its criteria priorities. But at its core, the dimensions of ‘disadvantage’ were weighed for every Fellow on the interplay of During 2003 and 2004, IFP had limited its area of operations to the Bimaru41 states factors such as caste, economic deprivation, disability, gender, geographical isolation, (literally, states in poor health) of Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and political displacement, and other related aspects. Uttarakhand. In 2005, IFP expanded its boundaries to include Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Gujarat. While the first three were contiguous to theBimaru In addition, candidates were expected to meet the following basic minimum stretch in northern India, the communal pogrom of 2002 in Gujarat prompted IFP to requirements: begin its work in this state as well. • A Bachelors or a Masters degree from a recognized Indian university with at least 55 percent marks. Applicants who already had two postgraduate degrees or equivalent were accorded lower preference.

40 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council, p. 189. 41 BIMARU is a set of Indian states identified by noted demographer Ashish Bose as states that require intensive development action. These included BIhar, MAdhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar 42 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: Pradesh). It was later modified to include Orissa, and the acronym changed to BIMAROU. However, Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council, as recently as March 2012, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman stated that it was a fallacy p. 190. 76 to dub these states thus, as they were advancing faster than some developed states. 43 Not to be confused with academic excellence. 77 Binju Abraham, MPS International Development, Cornell University, USA. Advising a team of shrinking lac producers on sustainable livelihood issues,78 in Jharkhand. 79 • A minimum of three years of full-time work experience relevant to the proposed effect. They distributed information on IFP to a strong pool of potential Fellows”. area of study. • To assess the opportunities already accessed by candidates, IFP’s first-level The one-on-one meetings were held in tandem with local press conferences. Every selection was determined by the current residence (and not the place of birth) year, IFP India organized five or six such events in its focus states. The team ensured of applicants, which needed to fall within the ten IFP-focus states. that all the ten states hosted a press conference once every two years in rotation, to ensure recall and visibility. As we unpack IFP’s selection process described below, we explain how IFP’s criteria were applied on a case-by-case basis by regional and national panelists. The local alumni held center-stage at these conferences, sharing stories of transformation and, through this, making an authentic appeal to potential social Process justice leaders to apply for the Fellowship. Outreach and mobilization of applications: The central premise of IFP India operations was that its ideal applicant pool lived and worked outside the reach Attendance at each press conference included at least 25–30 local journalists and of conventional media and communication vehicles. friends of the program. At the end of the event, half the participating journalists expressed their desire to apply for the Fellowship! The other half went back to file The team customized a slew of outreach mechanisms, ranging from advertising in stories on the IFP model. By November of every year, 150 publications would have, local language newspapers and journals, to holding press conferences and building on a conservative estimate, carried feature stories on IFP and its alumni. As a result, peer referrals and local networks of talent spotters. These strategies were rolled out 60 percent of the applications for the Fellowship originated in response to newspaper sequentially over a period of three to four months, from September to December, advertisements and stories in the media. every year. From 2004, IFP’s alumni network set in motion its own organic outreach vehicle—a The application process opened with newspaper advertisements in an English strong community referral system through which the alumni and their contacts language daily and in a widely read local publication in each of the ten IFP states. In reached out to social change leaders in their areas. The word-of-mouth viral, and the choosing the local language daily, IFP scrutinized the paper’s district-wise penetration alumni’s personal connections with local social justice leaders, positioned IFP before and readership. potential applicants as a program that was for and by ‘one of us’—a phrase that we heard echoed by several alumni in our interviews. Simultaneously, the India team spread out to tier 2 and tier 3 cities for a series of informal consultations and meetings with talent spotters—educationists, district In addition, pamphlets, posters, and online advertisements of the IFP Fellowship were magistrates, activists, and local thought leaders. posted on relevant news boards of universities and academic institutions, relevant portals (including that of the University Grants Commission), and local newsletters of According to Vivek Mansukhani, Director, IFP India, “These people are the area’s CSOs44 with community-based or grassroots operations. social influencers. Our alumni across the states also helped us to identify (them) and coordinate our meetings with them. Invariably, our conversations created a multiplier Over ten years, IFP received almost 20,000 applications cumulatively.

80 44 Civil Society Organizations. 81 IFP’s four-stage selection process Stage Three Stage One About 200 applicants were filtered for the next round: the regional or state interviews. Annually, the IFP office received 1,200–1,500 completed Pre-Application Forms (PAF). In the early years of the program, the India team was informed that in some locations, At each regional interview, a cross-sectoral mix of panelists from academia, the CSO individuals with Internet connections were downloading the IFP Pre-Application sector, the media, and social activists, met candidates from their respective states to Form and selling it in the open market. IFP had to temporarily discontinue the online achieve the following: application process, even though it was cleaner, faster, and more efficient. a) Correlate the information provided on paper with the values, motivations, professional journeys and expectations of the candidates they met. On these Pre-Application Forms candidates filled in their social, academic and work b) Locate and calibrate the individual’s history and experience of disadvantage in related details. The IFP team used a matrix that gave due weightage for lack of the context of the social dynamics and politics of the state/region. access and academic viability to assess each applicant’s suitability for the program; a c) assess the candidate’s academic potential—not just through an evaluation of laborious but valuable process. the applicant’s academic scores, but also through an analysis of the candidate’s ability to adjust to an international academic climate. After sifting through the Pre-Application Forms to weed out those who did not meet d) Validate the quality and impact of the work done, so far, by the applicants in the minimum cut-offs, approximately half the forms (about 600) then moved to the their local areas and take early calls on their commitment to continue work in next stage. These shortlisted candidates were then requested to fill in a comprehensive their chosen fields of social change. 16-page Final Application Form (FAF), along with all supporting documentation. Stage Four Stage Two Of the candidates interviewed at the regional panels, 80–100 would be invited to The FAFs were forwarded to a group of carefully selected academic assessors (mostly a national interview, organized in New Delhi. The panel comprised social justice senior professors and development professionals), who meticulously evaluated the practitioners, policy makers, academics and journalists who brought lived experience, candidates on a set of predetermined weighted metrics of social disadvantage and insights and sensitivities about social change issues on a national canvas. academic performance. They conducted thorough reviews of essays submitted by the candidates on the personal, professional and political barriers obstructing their growth The members of the national panel focused their attention primarily on the leadership as social justice leaders, checked the references provided by them, and recommended qualities of the finalists. “By this time, the factors of disadvantage and the academic questions for the regional panels for each candidate. potential of candidates had been established,” said Mansukhani. “The generalists (i.e., job seekers) were weeded out and those with a mission (even if it was not articulated The assessment format for this stage was rigorous, and had been designed for IFP fully) met the national panel. Panelists scrutinized the candidates’ leadership caliber by leading social scientists. Year on year, the academic assessors, overexposed to and the probability of their returning to their communities after completing their the reservation model in their campuses, received comprehensive briefings on the Fellowships. We looked for the finalists’ rootedness to their social change movements. sensitivities of IFP’s selection criteria. This was to ensure that they applied a granular The panel worked in tandem to understand the quality of the applicants’ commitment understanding of marginalization in their selection of applicants. to their areas of social change and their motivation for applying for this Fellowship”.

82 83 Leadership potential at this stage was assessed on the applicants’ “record of helped us assess if the person was putting up a facade or was genuine”. accomplishments in the face of a variety of challenges and constraints,”45 their personal breakthroughs, their demonstrated problem-solving and goal-setting abilities, as well She added “On the question of leadership, often we met candidates who gave what as the solutions crafted by them in the field. seemed like frivolous answers to the questions posed. This was when we went beyond their response, traced their educational background, and made a note that because of “Social justice is something that you need to feel at the gut level, but possessing a their weak grasp of English, their articulation of issues was not strong. They couldn’t rigorous academic background and getting the opportunity to examine your issues write, much less make clear statements. So we had to listen hard and ensure that the cognitively is very useful,” commented Joe Madiath, founder of Gram Vikas, a basic leadership core existed”. grassroots change organization of global repute, and who has served on IFP’s national selection panel. Candidates who appeared for the IFP interviews, both at the regional and national levels, have shared that they found the entire experience to be very enjoyable and He went on to say “As panelists, our brief was very clear. We needed to not focus on insightful as it enabled them to reflect deeply on their personal and professional lives. the disadvantages of candidates, but to look into their future and ask ourselves: Will They remember the four-stage selection process as detailed and comprehensive and this person return to his or her community?” time consuming, but equally rewarding as it gave them an opportunity to understand themselves better and help them to assess which areas of their lives they really wished Panelists considered the interplay of multiple factors in assessing the candidate’s fit to transform in order to accomplish their social justice goals. Eventually, in June every with the IFP criteria. For example, in a regional panel in Srinagar, the state capital of year between 40 and 45 individuals were selected as IFP Fellows. Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim woman doctor who was committed to public health and who had encountered threats from extremist groups while on night duty, was Fellow Profiles recommended highly by the regional panel for the next round of selection, not because The IFP Fellows selected from across India were better balanced on the gender index of her religious identity (Muslims are in the majority in her state), but because of than most other fellowships in the country. Fellow numbers for the years 2001 to the severe restrictions on the mobility of women in a state torn by violence and 2010 show that of the 330 candidates selected, 42 percent were women as against 58 insecurity. percent men.

Selection panels are also the place where alarm bells about a candidate’s background Against the backdrop of cultural restrictions and the censorship of opportunities faced and suitability can go off. Dr Neera Agnimitra, Associate Professor, Delhi University, by women in India, IFP had gone on to identify and select women Fellows who had who participated as an academic assessor as well as a national panelist, shared her grappled with disability, caste-based discrimination, and family and ethnic violence. experience of serving on a national panel: “Sometimes, what candidates wrote, and who they were, turned out to be very different. At the panel, we asked questions, A majority of IFP Fellows were first-generation learners and a significant proportion placed hypothetical situations and expected candidates to react to statements. This had faced crippling poverty. Since 2006, with IFP’s entry into Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, the participation of Fellows from religious minority groups and from non- Muslim minority groups increased in the cohorts. 45 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council, 84 p. 47 85 Swagatika Samantaray, MA Education, Institute of Education, University of London, UK. Teaching vocational skills to young persons with special abilities, in Odisha.

86 87 We present below a profile of IFP Fellows selected between 2001 and 2010.46 of which were immensely beneficial. In parallel, Fellows also had to ensure that their dossiers for university placements (which included personal statements and study objectives, crucial for university admission) were finalized, as was all their paperwork 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 Percent related to their proposed international travel. Men 16 17 21 14 23 26 23 30 31 58 Women 14 13 15 16 19 19 19 15 17 42 Initial Orientation Program SOCIAL BACKGROUND Over a one-year period, Fellows literally enrolled in the ‘mini IFP university’ and Scheduled 7 10 2 1 3 2 7 6 3 12 Castes participated in a range of trainings, which kicked off with the First Orientation Scheduled program. Here, the mission and core values of IFP were shared. Individuals reflected 3 4 6 3 3 8 4 8 7 13 Tribes on the implications of receiving the Fellowship as well as on their roles as IFP Other Backward 8 9 10 6 15 7 11 12 15 27 ambassadors. Classes Physically 3 3 1 0 0 2 2 1 1 4 Disabled According to Neera Lakshmi Handa, Deputy Director, IFP India, the Initial Orientation Religious 5 6 14 9 11 22 12 19 21 34 Program was like a wake-up call to all Fellows. Minorities Most Fellows had never heard of diagnostic tests such as GRE or TOEFL or IELTS Degree when they came to Delhi. After their first orientation, Fellows got a physical feel PhD 15 10 0 1 3 6 0 0 0 10 of the daunting paperwork. They experienced mock online tests, received their MA 15 20 36 29 39 39 42 45 48 90 language level scores, met academic counselors, and received their academic and language training plans. And (some among them) realized that in the next Pre-Academic Training, OrientationS few months, they would need to spend more than three to six months in Delhi and Placement for training. This tended to unsettle them. But it was our responsibility to ensure For the IFP team, the conferral of the Fellowships was only the beginning of a deeper that every Fellow succeeded. Eventually Fellows understood and appreciated and more intensive phase of pre-university training provided to every Fellow. this requirement.

The post-selection training regime, held in New Delhi, was spread over three detailed At the Initial Orientation, test trainers and representatives of universities from the UK, orientation workshops and a bouquet of customized trainings, that were conducted other European countries, the USA, and the Asia Pacific region, made presentations. over a year prior to the departures of the Fellows to their chosen universities. They laid out a broad view of the international higher education scenarios, and guided Fellows in assessing the pros and cons of the country-specific education requirements IFP had designed a needs assessment toolkit that enabled all Fellows to audit their vis-à-vis their own capacities, limitations, academic interests, and inclinations. skill gaps and learning needs toward securing university admission. Thereafter, they participated in customized workshops, language trainings, and preparatory classes for One-on-one or group counseling by subject-matter experts followed. These sessions diagnostic tests such as GRE, TOEFL and IELTS, which were organized by IFP, and all facilitated Fellows to zero in on the right courses and universities. The profile of

88 46 Source: IFP India. There were no selections during 2008. 89 counselors included heads of departments and faculty members of Delhi University, ensure that Fellows achieved the language proficiency required for admission Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tata Energy Research Institute, Jamia Millia Islamia to, and success in, the university of their choice. University, the Indian Statistical Institute, as well as representatives from the media. • Trainings for taking standardized tests such as GRE, TOEFL and IELTS were All counselors were provided Fellow profiles and came to the sessions well prepared. offered. These concluded with the Fellows taking the test, the score reports of which would carry a significant weightage on their university admission. Placement at a university • Computer courses and access to online assignments were made mandatory Following the first orientation, IFP India turned its attention to counseling Fellows for all. Those with visual disabilities were introduced to advanced reading to decide on their choice of university. IFP’s placement partners—the Institute of software programs. International Education (IIE), the British Council (BC), the Netherlands Organization of International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC), and IDP Australia, During this period of training, Fellows began to bond with each other, laying the were invited to offer specialized guidance services for placement in universities foundation for Cohort building. in the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe, and Australia. These partners matched the profiles and aspirations of the Fellows with the relevant courses in their database Second and Third Orientations and recommended a highly credible option of two or three universities from which The Second and Third (or Pre-departure) Orientations were designed to further to choose. Additionally, the IFP India team recommended an in-region choice of a prepare the Fellows for their international academic experience: university in India or Asia. • An intensive two-week workshop which introduced Fellows to critical reading, writing and academic conventions such as citation and plagiarism, ensured After considerable deliberation, and in collaboration with experts, universities that Fellows measured up to their university degree standards. The specially and courses were chosen by Fellows. “This was a period of constant questioning,” designed curriculum readied them for the academic rigor that lay ahead. explained Handa. “Several Fellows targeted Ivy League universities. We asked them, • Cultural training and exposure equipped Fellows to blend into multicultural ‘Do you meet their criteria and do they meet your objectives?’ We worked with them environments more easily. The training ranged from conversational skills to and the counselors to reinforce the value of this Fellowship in their lives as social cross-cultural dining etiquette, and conducting oneself in group interactions. justice leaders”. Delhi-based expatriate families from the UK and the US served as hosts to several Fellows. The multicultural exchanges between them served to engender Hereafter, Fellows began the admission application process and engaged in proficiency learning not just for Fellows, but for their hosts as well. training. Language, computer, and academic instruction now constituted their critical learning path. To develop customized modules that respond to the unique training Through the rigor and stresses of seeking admission, it was the interactions with IFP needs of the Fellows, IFP had partnered with experts and institutes. Fellows availed of alumni and visionary social justice leaders that kept Fellows inspired. The sessions the following learning opportunities: rooted them to their core mandate of facilitating social change. These also bolstered • Depending on the Fellow’s rating on the language ability tests, customized 10- the resilience and foresight that was necessary for Fellows in anchoring their day to 12-week English-language training courses, developed by inlingua, were international study objectives with the ‘Back Home Action Plans’ that they created just conducted by the institute. Overall, the inlingua–IFP partnership was geared to before departing for their universities.

90 91 From the time of selection until the departure of a Fellow to her/her university, IFP • Settling-in Forms (to track if Fellows had adjusted comfortably to their new typically invested between USD 5,000 and USD 7,500 in each individual’s training and environments). orientation. • Professional Enhancement Activity Reports and Computer Purchase Forms that recorded the judicious use of funds allocated to Fellows. In the online survey conducted by Start Up! we asked the alumni (105 respondents) to • Transcripts and Academic Term Reports that assessed the academic performance rate the efficacy of the trainings described above. Here are the results: of, and challenges faced by, the Fellows. • 50 percent of the alumni said that they were 80–100 percent prepared for their international study experience after undergoing their IFP mini-experience. Additionally, constant mentoring and counseling was provided to Fellows via email • 46 percent reported being 50–80 percent prepared. and telephone calls by the IFP team, the Placement Partners, and the IIE. • 4 percent reported being less than 50 percent ready for the courses for which they had enrolled. Challenges and Opportunities Every year, the IFP team sought to reach out to the educated disadvantaged. Their task The last segment comprised alumni who had received the Fellowship in the early was to identify from this catchment group those who were true life entrepreneurs, years of IFP’s operations, when Fellow training modules had not been fine-tuned to that is, those who approached their life as a journey of constant learning and who the extent that they are today. turned their disadvantages into opportunities for transformation, both individually and collectively. At every stage of the selection process, the IFP team had its radar on alert for picking up signals and sifting out applicants who sought to migrate abroad. 4% Alumni Survey Results

The IFP team also worried about plugging returning Fellows into positive work environments so that re-entry and job hunting became less painful. While this was

46% 50% not within the mandate of IFP, nevertheless it was a factor that determined the impact of the program. Fellows from Jammu and Kashmir, for example, have returned from universities abroad with credible degrees in development studies. But, due to the shrinking professional spaces in the state, sometimes alumni have had little choice

■ 80-100% prepared for the higher study experience but to scout for mainstream jobs in New Delhi. ■ Between 50-80% prepared for the higher study experience ■ Less than 50% prepared for the higher study experience As this report goes to print, IFP in India has handheld its last (and ninth) cohort of extraordinary social justice leaders. And new seeds of social change ideas have been Tracking Progress sown for fruition in the coming years. IFP India constantly monitored and sought feedback from Fellows after they reached their designated universities. This was done through a series of reporting forms that Fellows were enjoined to submit periodically. Some of these included:

92 93 5 Triggering Social Justice Leadership: Building Competencies

This chapter investigates the factors that impelled the IFP alumni to take a break from grassroots community-based work, albeit temporarily, to pursue opportunities for higher education.

For all alumni, IFP was the primary trigger for their decision to enroll for advanced degrees in international universities. This was their first experience ever with an organization that respected their disadvantages, sought out their talent, and remained undeterred by the paucity of their language abilities and social capital. They acknowledged that without the customized springboard provided by IFP, they would not have attained the international degrees that they possess today.

A miniscule section of the alumni had applied for other scholarships for international higher education before connecting with the IFP. But their experience with these programs was less than positive.

At the time of applying to the IFP, all alumni were looking for a larger and more meaningful breakthrough in their pursuit of professional learning and growth. They realized that to seed change in the rapidly globalizing backyards of the country, they would need to step out of the ‘local’ and expand their networks and knowledge domains in the ‘global’. Most chanced upon the IFP advertisement at the right time and recognized it as the adrenaline shot they had been looking for.

Belu Bhargava, LLM International Law, University of Nottingham, UK. Educating a group of urban poor on their housing rights 94 and entitlements, in Madhya Pradesh. 95 IFP is the Trigger Our survey and interviews with alumni yielded a unanimous verdict—that IFP was the most catalyzing influence in their lives. The structure and systems of IFP and the mentoring it provided were the primary determinants for their move, although temporary, from sites of social justice struggle to classrooms in alien environments.

The research participants reported the following: 1. higher education beyond one’s reach: Prior to their engagement with IFP, international higher education did not register on the radar of the majority of the alumni interviewed. While some had considered applying to foreign rom 2001 to 2010, every year—in district towns, village haats (local markets), universities, they had quickly abandoned the idea because of the prohibitive community-based organizations, and offices of local bureaucrats—hundreds cost and the intimidating application process. Fof academics, activists, journalists, and NGO practitioners responded to IFP’s 2. Grammar of scholarships impenetrable for most: Of the 105 alumni call for applications for its annual Fellowships. surveyed, 14 had applied for other scholarships, but reported that they did not have the ‘social capital’ or access to ‘networks’ required to succeed in a system What motivated individuals who were working through complex social change not geared toward non-traditional students. Some did not proceed beyond the processes to pause, look up, and consider a postgraduate program at an international initial applications, as they felt ill equipped to deal with the competition. This was university47? not merely a case of nerves, but rather a negative self-selection. The scholarships were scripted in grammar familiar only to the ‘best and the brightest’.48 What moved CSO heads, social activists, Dalit leaders, disability advocates, and builders of livelihoods programs in the poorest regions of the country to disengage In the book, Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International Higher from their work for two years and embrace academia? Education, Dr Joan Dassin, Executive Director of the International Fellowships Fund (IFF), writes: Could a Masters degree acquired far from home possibly give changemakers a firmer When IFP was designed, we observed that the most competitive scholarship grip on issues embedded in their complex local idioms? programs, especially those that finance international study, are reserved for the ‘best and the brightest.’ The criteria of excellence are narrowly defined We posed these questions to the IFP alumni and asked them to analyze the triggers that in strictly academic terms and scholarships are often awarded without regard had prompted their segue to universities abroad. Their responses made a compelling for economic need or other distributive criteria. On the contrary, insofar as case for the role of, and the demand for, international higher education among talented prior awards are often seen as indicators of academic success and merit, and emerging social justice leaders from under-represented communities. recipients tend to accumulate awards leading to an even greater concentration of privilege.49

47 Although the option to study in Indian universities is open to IFP Fellows, all Fellows barring 48 Volkman, T. A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009): Origins, Journeys and Returns: three have studied at international universities. The lack of higher education opportunities in India Social Justice in International Higher Education. Social Science Research Council. New York, p. 29 96 for IFP Fellows has been analyzed in the previous chapter. 49 Ibid., p. 29. 97 The Alumni Experience with Other Fellowships For Hemachandran Karah, educated in a school for the blind in Chennai, it was the age eligibility criterion that posed an insurmountable obstacle. By the time he Dashrathi Hembram is a good example of a brilliant student who could not had figured out how to gain access to books and readers, he found himself over the make the grade for competitive fellowships. Hembram, a first-generation literate age limit of most scholarships. from a Santhal (a tribal group) family in Midnapore, West Bengal, had plumbed his way through mofussil (suburban or rural) secondary schools to reach the Agriculture University in Kalyani, West Bengal. This institution gave him a small stipend and With IFP’s support Hembram, Bhukya, and Karah eventually went to Purdue University, opened a window to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa, Delhi, where University of Warwick, and the University of Cambridge respectively, where they won he completed an MSc in mycology and plant pathology. several academic honors and awards. For Hembram the next stop on the educational map was doctoral studies. However, his education had been funded by his family whose income came from the Why, then, were the selection processes of the traditional fellowships unable to spot their daily wage earnings of individual members. Hembram was determined to contribute talent? Dr Ganesh Devy, in an interview to us explained: “All competitive scholarship back to his family. programs value (an) aggressive personality, (the) ability to argue persuasively, and Because he did not have the financial bandwidth to enroll for a PhD, Hembram academic excellence. What they are looking for are (the) finished goods, while IFP is shifted his goal post. In 1992, he was selected for the Indian Forest Services. Serving interested in the making of the product”. as the Deputy Conservator of Forests in Haryana state gave him “the capital to interact with people meaningfully and with dignity”. But the PhD bug continued to The ‘making of the product’ demands not only the ability to spot potential but also the pester him.50 willingness to harness that potential for maximum social impact. it turned out that the Ministry of Agriculture was offering a scholarship for PhD studies at the University of Minnesota, USA. “I processed my papers through the right Embracing Advanced Education channels, waded through the red-tapism in the ministry, and got the best references A Breakthrough in Learning and Growth from my seniors,” Hembram remembered. But a relative of a senior official pipped At the time of applying for the IFP Fellowships, all alumni were at a point of inflexion him to the scholarship. Hembram then applied not once, but twice, for a reputed in their lives—a phase of tough self-questioning and honest introspection about their national scholarship. He was rejected. “I did not have the social networks, so I did not growth and future as social justice leaders. Incremental inputs were no longer an option fit their bill,” he said candidly. for them. Alumni surveyed identified four main factors that propelled them to apply to the IFP: 1. The need to expand professional and leadership competencies. Others, too, illustrated the validity of this point. Bhangya Bhukya, an emerging 2. The need to bridge knowledge gaps. scholar from the Lambada community (a nomadic pastoral Scheduled Tribe from 3. The need to accelerate the scale and impact of social change models. Andhra Pradesh) described his experience with two fellowship programs as akin to 4. The need for a break from the routine in order to renew their mission, rediscover “being in a Brahmin agrahara (settlement)”. their spark, and re-energize themselves.

50 Hembram aspired to study forest management and forest policy development to be able to 98 formulate policies that would privilege last-mile tribal communities. 99 1. Needed—Expansion of Professional and Leadership Competencies Alumni were looking for competency and skills building in the following domains: This was the highest reported set of growth needs by the IFP alumni. The maximum • The ability to negotiate with multiple stakeholders across decision-making votes came from those who had been working as development professionals in local chains. and national institutions and were now seeking to transition from managerial to • Collaborating with diverse groups with common histories of marginalization. leadership roles. • Networking, communication, and conflict-resolution skills to manage inclusive change processes. • Key institution-building methods, including strategic, people-centered, and Stanzin Tsephel had covered multiple geographies and language terrains by operational processes. the time he received his postgraduate diploma from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), in Gujarat. He had moved from the village of Hundar Nubra in Ladakh They believed that these competencies would breathe fresh oxygen into their work (the last Indian outpost on the India–Tibet border) to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and form the bedrock of their professional growth. and then to Gujarat via Delhi. Along the way, he studied at institutions with different medium of instruction languages: Urdu, Hindi, and English. He eventually returned to 2. Needed—Knowledge Gaps to be Plugged the mountains to develop green livelihoods for marginal families. All alumni felt the lack of an intellectual edge, the ability to understand the significance at the Uttaranchal Organic Commodities Board, Tsephel set up organic of various crises within a conceptual framework. A commonly shared sentiment was farming schools for agriculturists, trained farmers in 1,200 villages on deep organic their concern over the absence of documented knowledge in their field of work. farming interventions, and launched a state-of-the-art agricultural training center for the government. But when a large CSO in Ladakh offered him a key leadership role, • Academic Knowledge Gaps it gave him reason to pause: “IRMA had taught me to be a good manager. But I was A segment of the alumni stated that the need for more intellection on development not ready to take on the key leadership position of a large CSO. I needed to build a praxes had driven them to apply to IFP. This segment mostly comprised rights activists deeper understanding of processes, systems, quality management, and (how to) be a who were transitioning into development research along rough paths. The inability to better planner”. decode a crisis within a larger theoretical framework, the deficiency of documented knowledge in their fields, and the lack of organic scholarship had created deep turbulence for them. Richa Ghansiyal found herself in the same spot. She had worked across various states on complex issues of gender and tribal rights and rural livelihoods, and had risen quickly to occupy middle-management positions at her workplace. Consider the case of Abhay Flavian Xaxa, a young tribal activist in Jharkhand. “Then I met a colleague from a management school who came with sharp abilities of Xaxa had volunteered extensively in people’s movements in the most marginal analysis, forecasting, strategic planning, and problem solving,” she said. “I realized locations of the country. Over a ten-year period, he saw how identity, assetlessness, how sorely I lacked these tools. Though I had conviction and grassroots experience, and human rights violations came together to push communities further into cycles I did not have the clarity and confidence to go about my work in a systematic and of poverty and violence. He set up the Chhattisgarh Action Research Team (CART) planned manner”. to produce from-the-ground-up research on the exclusionary patterns that were

100 101 Jay Prakash Panwar, MA New Media Arts, Australian National University, Australia. Filming a performance by a local puppeteer, in Uttarakhand.

102 103 tearing through the state. But Xaxa did not quite have the theoretical knowledge or rural development. But he describes himself as a “100 percent self-taught person”. the academic tools to navigate his way through his scholastic projects. He was also Through his association with PRADAN,54 Mahto was part of the team that wrestling with attempts to develop his own unique subaltern voice. did the foundational work for what is now known as the ‘five percent model of crop farming’ in drought-prone areas.55 He then replicated the model in five blocks in Jharkhand’s capital city, Ranchi, but stopped short of scaling more aggressively to • Technical Knowledge Gaps other districts. What was the reason for this? The abysmal health assets of village According to a 2005 NASSCOM–McKinsey report, only about 25 percent of technical communities and the loans incurred to cover medical costs left marginal farmers and graduates, and 10–15 percent of general college graduates, are suitable for employment their families with little or no resources to invest in the model. It was clear that health in the IT industry.51 In other words, higher education in India does not equip its interventions would need to be integrated into the model. “But where was I going to recipients with basic technical and professional skills. The will to provide and ensure access the expertise in public health?” Mahto wondered. academic quality and uphold performance standards in most institutions is either He decided to learn through active experimentation. Under the aegis of Nav weak or completely absent. Bharat Jagriti Kendra (NBJK), a CSO of repute that focuses on health issues in Bihar and Jharkhand, Mahto integrated basic health interventions within the self-help group This point is further reinforced by the responses of the Fellows. Most of the interviewed (SHG) framework of NBJK. alumni stated that: But the realization of the idea required sharper weapons in his arsenal. “I was a) Their graduate degrees had not given them a head start in their chosen a micro-thinking person and it had brought me this far,” Mahto said. Now he needed professions.52 a broader conceptual understanding of the intersectionalities between gender and b) Their postgraduate studies (for those who had pursued Masters programs) had health, not to mention strong technical knowledge of community health. not given them the technical knowledge to work in open, unstructured, and For three years, Mahto saw the IFP advertisements in the NBJK office but did unpredictable playing fields.53 not consider applying as he was “far too busy” in the field. In 2002, he concluded that c) They had used up their full ration of skills in the initial years of work, following a degree from a foreign university would be his best chance to acquire the expertise which they were feeling unsure about their next leap. that he now felt he “sorely needed”.

Haldhar Mahto’s career trajectory is illustrative of the pre-IFP path walked Tsewang Dolma of Jammu and Kashmir state’s Ladakh region—a remote, by several alumni. Mahto was born to agriculturist parents in Dimra, in Hazaribagh mountainous desert in the Himalayas—had a similar story to tell. Her interest and district (Jharkhand state). He acquired a BSc degree and a postgraduate diploma in expertise lay in assessing the impact of climate change (in particular, glacial retreat)

54 Professional Assistance for Development Action is a leading livelihoods and agency-building 51 NASSCOM–McKinsey Report (2005). Extending India’s Leadership of the Global IT and BPO organization. Industries, p. 16. 55 This is a model of in-situ rainwater harvesting suitable for medium uplands, in which every 52 It should be noted that a preponderance of IFP Fellows/alumni had enrolled in colleges in plot has its own water body, the area of which equals 5 percent of the total area of the plot. The pit district centers or tier 3 or tier 4 cities, most of which operate under severe resource constraints. is able to hold rainwater that would otherwise flow off the plot as runoff. The water held in the pits 53 For those who joined the CSO sector after their postgraduation, the bulk of their learning irrigates the plots during periods of water scarcity. Source: http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/ 104 happened under the aegis of the organizations that they had joined. emp/cr/res03040702.pdf 105 on livelihoods, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and watersheds. Though analyses or theoretical frameworks on criminal justice systems,” Talari explained. she had extensive grassroots experience, she wanted to fine-tune her leadership “Interestingly, in other countries (UK, Canada, and Australia) reforms similar to what potential in managing people and resources optimally. She also felt her lack of up- we were working towards were being carried out through collaborations between to-date technical knowledge, and yearned for training in various instruments of CSOs, the government, and academic groups. The engagement of academic groups statistical analysis. ensured a rigorous analysis of those models and also meant that these models were This feeling of inadequacy was underlined when she met other development documented extensively”. Talari needed academic tools that would encourage fresh professionals from Delhi and Mumbai, all of whom seemed more technically savvy enquiry and review of its models. Policy work, too, needed further theoretical inputs. than her. Dolma’s growing need for a comprehensive theoretical understanding of In addition, she had to build and strengthen her CSO through new alliances to counter development issues lead her to apply to IFP. the prison superintendents’ order barring her entry into their domain. She was running out of ideas when she saw the IFP advertisement in a local newspaper.

3. Needed—Enablers for Scale and Impact In 2009, The Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke Abhishek Kumar, a third-generation theater artist, launched Yatri, a University developed SCALERS56—a framework for advancing social change and professional theater group based in Madhubani, in north Bihar. Yatri criss-crosses impact. Each letter of the acronym SCALERS represents a key lever for scaling social the hinterlands of rural Bihar to build and strengthen community agency through change models: the performing arts. Kumar had put himself through a certificate course in theater • Staffing (or skill sets) at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. He had managed several theater • Communications productions, including those mounted by the Indian People’s Theatre Association • Alliance building (IPTA).57 But he needed business planning, financial management, marketing, and • Lobbying enterprise development skills to transform Yatri into a productive and sustainable • Earning generation organization. “Although we were engaged in mainstream theater, there did not • Replicating seem to be a real market for our kind of productions and I was unsure of how the • Stimulating market forces organization would grow,” Kumar recounted. What he needed most was access to this corpus of skills. IFP alumni who had launched their own organizations had been struggling with most of these levers at the time of applying for the Fellowship. Belu Bhargava, working on urban poverty issues and housing rights, found herself increasingly using campaign and advocacy tools to advance the rights of In 2002, Surekha Talari set up Sudhar (literally meaning ‘reform’), a the dispossessed. The two non-profits founded by her—Deen Bandhu Samajik Jabalpur-based CSO working for custodial and gender justice within the prison systems Sanstha (translation: Friends of the Poor) and National Forum for Housing Rights— of Madhya Pradesh. “Throughout my prison justice work, I rarely found significant had gained momentum and had garnered widespread support from civil society,

56 http://www.khemkafoundation.org/focus-areas/social-entrepreneurship/khemka-forum-social- 57 A national level organization founded during the 1942 Quit India Movement with the mandate 106 entrepreneurship/plenary-sessions/scalers to build awareness around national integration and social responsibility. 107 funding organizations, and the media. As Bhargava dived deeper into the politics Meenu Bhambhani was tired and depressed by the lack of movement in her of marginalization, she realized that she needed a solid grounding in legislative life. She was feeling impossibly stuck. Despite her experience as a college lecturer, mechanisms in order to demand accountability from city planners. To be able to get and her job as Assistant Commissioner (Disabilities) in Rajasthan, she felt that life was under the skin of the system, gaining a legal perspective seemed critical. In 2001, closing in on her. As a practiced combatant, Meenu had bare-knuckled the isolation she did a Bachelors in Law and, when she applied to IFP six years later, she did so and stigma that comes with polio. But she was tired of negotiating her way through with the aim of joining the National Law School in Bengaluru. IFP talked her out of the labyrinths of government procedures, and found it hard to deal with bureaucratic it and instead suggested a Masters in Nottingham University’s International Human red tape. “The lack of infrastructural and institutional support, and the gap between Rights program. On returning to India, Belu’s work took on a larger, local-to-global policy on paper and implementation, was overwhelming. My heart was no longer in perspective: “I used to think that a country is sovereign and used to feel that no this job,” Bhambhani recounted. When she chanced on the IFP advertisement, the organization has the right to comment or control. Now, I think everyone is accountable timing was perfect. under the international human rights law. Also there are larger, bigger networks and organizations that we just have to tap into if we need solidarity and support inside as well as outside the country”. For all respondents, international higher education held out the promise of being a refueling station, one that would offer them: a) The information, facilitation, and tools to analyze individual grassroots journeys 4. Needed—A Refueling Station of change from multicultural locations. The exhaustion of field-level mobilization, travel across rough country, daily quarrels b) The theoretical frameworks to introspect on the complexities of their identity. with local authorities, and the constant racking of the brains for spot-on solutions had c) new ideas, models, networks, and mentors to plot their next move. tired out most alumni. They were now looking for fortification and renewal in multiple d) A space to critique one’s own identity and prejudices from the distance of domains—the personal, political, and professional. another culture.

Was the promise delivered? The resounding verdict from every single IFP Fellow: It After the 1999 Odisha ‘Super Cyclone’, Aditi Ghosh quit her private engineering was over-delivered! practice and joined CARE58 to assist the worst-affected communities through infrastructural rehabilitation. “For months on end, our team would be practically stationed in villages, building community-level flood shelters,” she recalled. “Over time, we worked extensively with villagers, CBOs, and local CSOs, and created the first community-based disaster rehabilitation network. Then the Odisha floods came and we were thrown headlong into community rebuilding. By the time we returned to ‘normal’ field life, I was tired and worn out. I saw the IFP advertisement and said— enough! It’s time to study and understand the development sector better”.

108 58 CARE is a leading humanitarian organization that is fighting poverty across the globe. 109 Iftikhar Ahmed Hakim, MA Urban Planning, University of California Los Angeles, USA. Surveying the progress on the cleaning of a local lake, in Kashmir.

6 Fellow Journeys and returns

In this chapter, we lay out the full range of cognitive and emotional transformations that IFP Fellows went through after their induction into the IFP network. Every experience in a Fellow’s life (often, impossible to quantify) culminates in an individual story of change that is greater than the sum of its parts—namely, the formal degree earned, the skills acquired, the new identities built, and the academic awards won.

We present, in the voices of the Fellows, the texture, pace and quality of the transitions experienced by them, at different points of the IFP process.

In keeping with the chronological watersheds in a Fellow’s professional trajectory, we have divided this chapter into three sections: a) Fellow experiences prior to the journey abroad. b) The international academic experience. c) The experience of returning to their home communities.

110 111 unlike their experience in India, the faculty encouraged democratic interaction and provoked students to challenge their teachers. Fellows were expected to participate in classroom debates, and to argue with great mental agility about academic constructs. This was a tough transition for almost all alumni.

Then there were the inner journeys that Fellows had to make. Exposure to campus diversity and multiculturalism in universities abroad often moved Fellows to rethink their deeply held notions of ‘self’, ‘community’ and ‘leadership’ as well as examine their personal thresholds of cultural tolerance.

oon after their acceptance by the IFP, Ford Fellows embarked upon multiple Many realized that they fell short of their own standards. It also gave them uninterrupted journeys—overt and hidden, external and internal. These journeys spanned time for soaking in—and sifting through—the subtleties of new cultures and for Sregions, mindsets, and relationships. Every linear and non-linear progression critiquing their own community practices. made by Fellows during their IFP experience moved them one step up on the ladder of personal and professional transformation. And finally, there was the journey back home.

First, there were the obvious physical journeys that needed to be made. Traveling Returning to India was the litmus test of Fellows’ commitment to their community. from the areas of their grassroots work, Fellows stopped in New Delhi for a ‘mini- Although they no longer saw themselves as operating within the restricted categories university’ experience. Here, guided by the India IFP team, they participated in of their disadvantage, they re-entered a society in which structures of exclusion and multiple discussions on course and college selection, instruction on academic reading discrimination were still alive and germane. Fellows now needed to balance their new and writing, English-language training, preparation for online tests, and workshops roles as inclusive social justice leaders within the parameters of their defined—and on cross-cultural acclimatization. The slew of paperwork, mandatory for university somewhat boxed-in—community identities. admission abroad, was also tackled at this stage. There were shifts to be negotiated on the practical front too. Fellows stepped into job During this period, Fellows did not always move smoothly from being social justice markets that had changed dramatically since the time they left India. In addition, their practitioners to aspiring international students. It was a very steep learning curve. families’ unrealistic expectations of financial betterment, their own expectations of But, invariably, they progressed to the next stage—exhilarated, confident, and often increased salaries and brighter employment prospects, and the reverse culture shock fatigued, all at one go. that hit many on their return often lead to intense and lonely introspection and self- questioning. Next, there were the journeys to be made to seats of higher learning abroad. Fellows often found themselves traversing half the globe to universities that uphold the highest Yet, all this was only the beginning of their second journey: as social justice leaders, international standards of knowledge production. They sat in spiffy classrooms where, equipped with a sharper episteme and a new voice.

112 113 The Mini-IFP Journey On Dealing With Family Anxieties In their intensely busy, one-year pre-university training in New Delhi, Fellows Shubhra Pachouri: “I attended my final IFP interview with my husband and three- confronted a slew of personal and professional anxieties about the transitions they month-old infant. When news of the Fellowship arrived, I had such mixed emotions. needed to make as IFP ambassadors. It was the best validation of my potential, yet I was torn between my child and this opportunity. It was hard to leave my ailing child back home and travel back and forth For most, these shifts had registered only cognitively during the selection process. The between Delhi and my hometown for three months for the IFP training. Traveling emotional juggernaut of relocating to foreign universities, albeit temporarily, stared abroad without my family was tougher still. But I saw it through”. them squarely in the face only when they began concrete backroom preparations for university admissions. Abhay Xaxa: “My child was two years old when I left for my masters degree. I had no financial backup for my family.I n the first semester of my course,I received news Most Fellows, being the primary income earners in their families, now had to consider that we were expecting our second child. My wife took on short-term jobs and I broke varied options of securing the sustenance of their families in their absence. The into my small savings. We did what was needed for me to complete my Fellowship. financial decisions were always the hardest to make: they dipped into their meager What I have received in return is many times more than commensurate with what I savings, sold assets, or made complex calculations to enable them to remit a part of had to give up”. their student living allowance back home. Shashi Prabha: “I was so overwhelmed before departing for my Masters. There In one instance, a Fellow left behind her infant child in the care of her family. Despite were family pressures to get married before I left. I was leaving my job, quitting my these difficulties, in most cases, spouses, siblings, and parents rallied around; their organization (which I had supervised for so many years), putting behind the vast support akin to a community commitment to the Fellowship. network of community groups that I had helped build. I went through many moments of doubt. But ultimately I picked myself up and moved on”. What was the impetus that made Fellows fly out of their known orbits into unfamiliar demesne? Their response was unanimous: Dipti: “Everybody in my village dissuaded me from going abroad to study. It was a) All Fellows undertook personal risks to match IFP’s investment in them. unacceptable to them that I should return more qualified and with more contacts and b) As the first (or among the first) in their region to study abroad, Fellows saw connections than my husband. But my spouse and my mother took on the responsibility themselves as representatives of not just their communities, but of the social of taking care of our eight-month-old and ensured that I leave for my course in the UK. justice sector per se. This motivated them to embrace the IFP experience I was also worried about my own ability to make the best of the IFP opportunity. But completely. after the pre-university trainings, I felt transformed from an under-confident villager c) More importantly, the loss and anxiety resulting from personal transitions to someone who could make her way in the larger world”. was more than made up by the institutional support that they received from IFP. This eased the moral compunction and guilt they may have felt in leaving Richa Ghansiyal: “I had lost both my parents by the time I applied for the IFP behind families and domestic responsibilities, and putting community social Fellowship. The IFP team in India came around and supported me like the family that justice action temporarily on hold. I no longer had”.

114 115 On IFP’s Investment in Their Growth Transitions in Foreign Lands and Evolution Once landing in their countries of study, Fellows were quick to get off the mark. They Arjun Bhai Rathva: “For one year, I traveled back and forth from Tejgarh in Gujarat needed to immediately acclimatize and settle into their new academic regimes that to Delhi for my academic preparation. Every time, the journey seemed like I was were fitted with well-equipped libraries and computers and gadgetry with the latest traversing many small countries within India. But I had to undertake these travels, or technology. else how could I have survived the Leeds experience without the handholding of IFP? They purged all my fears about myself before I left the country”. Study groups with peers from across the globe, and informal yet robust classroom learning, now became part of their education. Although their initial discomfort Shashi Prabha: “I was going back to studies after ten years of being away from was extreme, they eventually pulled through because of their resilience and formal education and was completely under-confident of myself as a student. Once you perserverance. start working, you stop listening. The India team helped me learn to listen. We learned lessons in discipline and efficiency from just watching them at work. These lessons Tougher still was the discipline and pace of scholarly work demanded of Fellows. On came in very handy later”. an average, they found themselves reading three times more in their international academic program than what they had done cumulatively through their higher Shailesh Nayak: “All my life I had lived with the fear of conversing in English. education years in India. Smart, articulate people have always made me feel very under-confident. IFP’s academic training helped me to confront these fears. The trainings in New Delhi not The construction of original ideas foregrounded in their own experiences and only gave me English-language skills, but also a fresh new voice”. articulated in their own voices—an exercise that their instructors assured them would be relevant and important for the entire class—was also a new experience, a path that Abhishek Kumar: “During my time in New Delhi, my most valuable training came Fellows had not walked before. from interacting with other Fellows/IFP alumni. They had started at the grassroots, like us, and now had returned with exemplary qualifications to go back to grassroots To meet these anticipated challenges, IFP forged partnerships with carefully selected work. They were living examples of what it truly means to be an IFP Fellow. The IFP key universities (Strategic University Partners) that understood the philosophy team also organized for me to speak with eminent folklorists (to help in choosing his underlining the IFP model, and who were proactive in creating a ring of support course of study). All these conversations gave me clarity of thought on why I was going around Fellows to enable them to succeed as students. to Goldsmiths, University of London, and what I intended to return with”. For those Fellows who had already completed a Masters degree from reputed Indian Shreena Ramanathan: “IFP organized cross-cultural trainings for us that helped institutions, the academic pressure was easier to handle, and most of them incorporated me make much better sense of how people socialize in the UK. Earlier, I would have travel to new countries as an important subset of their learning agenda. They learned felt very awkward, even insulted, if any one had asked me to brainstorm on academic lessons as much from outside the classroom as from inside it. subjects in a pub. But because of the training back in India, I managed to take these new cultural modes of interaction in my stride”.

116 117 Jagmohan Bangani, MA Fine Art Practice and Theory (Painting), University of Southampton, UK. Capturing the visual art forms at a local monument, in 118 Uttarakhand. 119 On Acclimatizing to International Campuses graduate college of design! Then I was diagnosed with tuberculosis while I was still in Meenu Bhambhani: “In the first few months, due to my disability, the physical America. I hated the times when nurses made regular visits to monitor my health. But challenge of negotiating my way through a vast campus overwhelmed me. There were when I look back, all these experiences have changed how I understand myself and no neighborhood shops or designated bus stops that one could access. Then I located my ability to manage in unknown environments”. the Office of Disability Services, which opened up a great support system. I could now have pick-ups/drops scheduled to anywhere on the campus—cafeteria, bookstore, On Excelling in a Competitive Academic library. I could also access the swimming pool and gym. After a month of my arrival, Environment IFP provided me with a grant for buying a scooter. This literally put me on wheels”. Surekha Talari: “Students at University of Cambridge need to have gone through rigorous academic training before enrolling in a Masters program. But there was a Nekram Upadhyay: “I was two weeks late in joining my class. So I had several near 20-year gap between the standard that my college expected of me and the training pending assignments and an examination within the first seven days of my arrival. I that I had received from my college in India. The way we write essays in India, for began recording entire lectures and listened to them at night till I got a grip over the example, would be totally irrelevant by University of Cambridge standards. IFP helped completely new teaching methodology and, of course, the American accent. After that me to reach some basic standards. But I had so much ground to cover. I was on my there were no hiccups”. toes at all times trying to understand issues of referencing and plagiarism. By the time I had got the hang of things, I had already submitted three or four papers”. Dashrathi Hembram: “What almost did me in was the problem of food. I did not know how to use the microwave, do laundry, or even how to get a bus”. Bhangya Bhukya: “In universities abroad, professors don’t teach the basics. They expect you to be cognizant of every perspective, theory, and lens of social analysis. But Name withheld on request: “My IFP experience started off on an unpleasant despite being a professor myself, I didn’t have such academic insights or knowledge. note. I could not organize accommodation and shared an apartment with other alumni So I had to catch up at a frenetic speed. I read non-stop. Within three or four months, for some time. Academically, too, the first semester was tough, because I found myself I reached the general class standards. My supervisors were surprised”. distracted by loads of issues—identity crisis, isolation, and the guilt of being selfish and taking time off for myself. In the first two months, I had a nervous breakdown, Chandrakant Pradhan: “Classroom cultures in the US demand that you prepare but pulled through with the support of the IFP India team, IIE (the IFP administrator thoroughly and read up all the recommended material before you enter the classroom. in New York) and the Indian Fellows who stood by me through my hospitalization and In contrast, in my college in India, you could spend all your time just sitting at the treatment. I went home for a vacation and returned to a better second start”. back of the class and listening. But here I had to come to terms with reading in time, reproducing the material and establishing that I had understood it. It took some time Usha Prajapati: “The entire experience of studying abroad was like jumping out of for me to adjust to this culture of academic rigor”. a fish bowl and into the sea! After I reached the US, I spent a couple of days looking for an International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) booth before I could contact my family. They Vandana Chaudhry: “The first few months in the US were challenging, not only were worried to death when I finally spoke to them. Academically, I struggled because because of my visual disability, but also because I could not really request classmates of my Hindi-medium background. Also, I had not read a single academic book in my for support, as in India. Given the huge academic pressures, everyone around me was

120 121 busy balancing their life and work. I was not yet conversant with JAWS, a screen- for my thesis work and did different surveys with the indigenous communities living reading software, that IFP had trained me in just before leaving. It was an intensive in these regions. My professor was amazed at how I had managed this and wanted program and I needed some more time before I could get a complete grasp over it. to understand my techniques of connecting with marginal communities. His attitude Added to that, I was required to read 300–400 pages every week. I was completely at gave me so much confidence”. sea! But I got straight A’s in my first semester. Then I traveled in the second and third semesters to Japan to present a paper with Meenu Bhambhani (another IFP Fellow Vandana Chaudhry: “The most significant support during my IFP tenure was the studying at the same college) at a conference on visual disability. Our travel expenses network of other Ford Fellows. Being with other Indian Fellows gave me the strength were paid for, and it was great! I published four papers during my years in Chicago, to experience a new culture on my own terms. Then, within the campus, the Office and also completed a summer internship at the World Bank. It was as if we were given of Disability Services provided for a reader to come, who was paid very well by the wings to fly”. university. Because of the generous Fellowship, we could focus on our individual growth. We didn’t have to work at part-time jobs like other students, and everything On Support Systems: Formal and Informal was taken care of”. Tej Ram Jat: “I used to study till very late and spend my nights in the library. It had been a challenge for me to go to the most reputed institution and select a very difficult On Learning from Outside the Classroom course. Now I had to see it through. I told my professors about my background, that I Aditi Ghosh: “Everybody in the Masters course was an international student. had never studied in English and that I had done my education in the local language. Everybody had stories to tell. I learned as much from their stories as from my course. I told them that I was a grassroots worker and was not familiar with academic The academic pressure in the UK was not a patch on what I had endured while terminology. How surprising that they understood my challenge! In the most difficult appearing for my Class X and Class XII exams. My course gave me flexibility to travel of times, my professors would give me extra time, sometimes take me to a pub, order across Europe. I stretched my IFP living allowance to the maximum”. beer, and pay for it”. Stanzin Tsephel: “Just before my departure to Oxford, my mother passed away. Shailesh Nayak: “I made the most of the language support available in the This was a major setback. It eroded my confidence as a student. But eventually,I college—some paid and some unpaid. A few departments in my college had set up managed to not only keep pace with my class, but also earned a distinction in my very special procedures and systems to help international students. For example, to open first essay. Thereafter, I had no real anxieties about my ability and decided to make a bank account, they provide you with a person who accompanies you to different much more from this international experience. I traveled to 12 European countries departments and helps you with your queries. There were people available for us to before returning to India. Imagine, I left for the UK with INR 10,000 in my pocket and contact for answers to any queries. These measures helped me to focus completely on returned so well traveled!” my studies”.

Dashrathi Hembram: “I did my field survey in Kentucky, a mountainous region, one of the poorest areas in the USA, with a history of war and killing. Those from the American mainstream are usually afraid of visiting this place. I visited the area

122 123 IFP Fellows from India have won several awards and academic honors at international universities across the US, the UK, Europe and Australia (refer pages 322-323)..

124 125 Two subtexts primarily defined the theme of personal transformation for (and of) On Reinterpreting Personal Identities Fellows during the living and studying abroad phase. and Boundaries Sailesh Kumar Nayak: “Earlier, my identity was defined by boundaries based First, becoming an ‘international student’ offered Fellows a neutral space for re- on where I came from, the work I did, the work culture that I had experienced and imagining their lives, value systems, and personal boundaries. Our study found that a set of self-imposed boundaries. At the university, I was thousands of kilometers alumni who were going back to academic study after a 10 to 15 year hiatus reported away from my context, which gave me the opportunity to recreate my identity, which this theme as a significant catalyst, more than others. I think I did”.

Second, the easy acceptance of Fellows in their new environment by their new Surekha Talari: “During my international study tenure, I was completely focused interlocutors lead to tough and critical self-assessments of their own empathy levels. on my new identity of being an international student. I could not afford to have carried It also gave them fresh reference points for determining or questioning what needed any other identity, because I was competing in a rigorous environment, and enjoying to change in their cultures back home. every minute of it. I could not continue to see myself as a struggling Indian woman. The student identity had become part of my composite whole. It helped me to see Most Fellows returned with a clearer interpretation or sense of ‘individualism’, which things from a larger perspective”. previously was a negative stereotype that they associated with ‘Westerners’. Alumni reported that they now understood the term as signifying the freedom of an individual Aditi Ghosh: “During my time in the UK, I began questioning my own mission. to make independent economic, personal, and political choices and decisions, while I realized that yes, I am disadvantaged. But then I said, no, I am privileged. And nurturing the full expanse of social and community relations. Their perception of this identity changed my sense of responsibility to those who were worse off. I saw ‘individualistic’ behavior changed from an act of selfish disposition to one where the students from Africa who used to work all night at Bradford (to pay for the course) self, although important, is nevertheless interlinked with, and interdependent on, all and in class they would be exhausted. IFP had given me the platform, but without the external relationships. stresses of survival”.

However, regarding the second theme, a small caveat must be noted. Our study On Interpreting New Cultures revealed that not all Fellow experiences were uniformly enriching. In our interviews, and Critiquing One’s Levels of Tolerance we heard a combination of quiet murmurs and clear complaints of discrimination on Iftikhar Ahmed Hakim: “An interesting aspect of my IFP student life was that we campus based on color and identity. could call our professors by their first names. That made them much more approachable. In India, teachers are figures of authority, ‘sirs’ to be feared. Sure, Indian students excel abroad. But I understand now how important it is for this paternalistic aspect of our education, and of our society at large, to change”.

Narayana A Gatty: “When you step out of the city/town or village, you shed your prejudices about various cultures and see your country from a neutral vantage point.

126 127 I had put many aspects of our culture on a pedestal but realized that there is much to On Being Subjected to Discrimination learn from a new environment. For example, the basic courtesy that the British extend Surekha Talari: “In my class, the South Asians were not given the same quality of to everybody, smiling or nodding at strangers, is so refreshing”. attention that students from the US and Europe got. The professors were much less particular about mentoring us. Our small student community from the Third World Abhay Xaxa: “In my class of 12 students, I was the only male and the only Asian. The often discussed this”. majority were from the UK. As I began expanding my circle of friends, I had to throw out my mistaken notion of ‘Westerners’ as one that was biased against people of color. Tara Devi Dhakal: “While in college, I made numerous South American, South I never use that baggage-heavy term ‘Westerners’ now. Being in Sussex also taught Asian, and Central Asian friends. But throughout my course, I found it impossible to me patience and respect for different viewpoints. Earlier, I used to shout from the break through to the network of white students on the campus”. rooftops (in argument). Sussex broadened my world entirely. This large canvas makes your work in (the arena of) social justice incredibly rich; you get a wide comparative Dipti: “There were times when I experienced racism and discrimination. Although framework to understand (the significance of) your (own) social justice work”. the professors were supportive, my classmates would constantly make remarks about me in Scottish. I thought a lot about it. While I did not want to make an issue of it, I Bhangya Bhukya: “I found life in Warwick closer to my tribal life. I saw the same realized that the matter could get out of hand if it went unaddressed. I had a couple of gender relations and mores. My father and mother both drink daroo (alcohol), and conversations with those classmates. At least I made an attempt to conduct a dialog”. that was what I saw in the UK too”. returns: The Journey Within the Journeys Ranjit Mahapatra: “I was told by one of my teachers that I had much to contribute The point of return for IFP Fellows was also the beginning of a long-term journey as because of my unique work and life experiences as I represented an India of which social justice leaders. The case studies presented in section II of this book establish— much was not known or discussed. Most of my classmates of Indian origin were from one alumnus at a time—how IFP Fellows launched entire communities on new paths upper-class families who came from a completely different world. I was constantly of securing entitlements, rights, and citizenship. snubbed by them. It was very difficult.I could not relate to my Indian classmates at all. They felt that I was always talking negatively about India. But slowly I started to adjust For Fellows, returning home often posed many problems, ranging from cognitive and then I began participating actively in classroom discussions”. dissonance, culture shock, unemployment, unrealistic family demands, a new resistance or perhaps envy on the part of friends and colleagues, and adjusting to Vandana Chaudhry: “There is no denying that in the West, everyone leads an lower wages.59 individualistic life. The focus is on ‘me.’ In India, it is very natural to our culture to extend ourselves for others. While in the US, I learned to appreciate this part of Indian We found that most Indian Fellows took between 6 to 12 months to accept a job that culture. I also accorded importance to ‘myself’ in my own life. Then, for my PhD, I aligned with their agendas of social change. A segment within this category of alumni completed two years of fieldwork in the Mehboobnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. sought jobs in global organizations, perhaps as a way of retaining the international The region was going through a drought and I got so embedded in the rural life that Delhi seemed like Chicago. I could appreciate India more after this experience”.

59 Volkman, T. A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009): Origins, Journeys and Returns: 128 Social Justice in International Higher Education. Social Science Research Council. New York, p. 202. 129 Asiani Marki, MA Sustainable International Development, Brandeis University, USA. Leading a group of women on self reliant initiatives, in tenor or flavor of their academic experience. A smaller slice, close to 15 percent, Chhattisgarh. embraced the life of an international scholar. But the majority returned home, not as an act of sacrifice, but as a commitment to the serious business of seeding long-term social transformation.

We close this travelog with reflections by two IFP alumni on what the return to their roots meant to them.

Ranjit Mahapatra: “Although there was a lot of pressure from my family to look for more lucrative job options, I had made a public commitment (during the IFP preparation) to bring my learnings back to the community. So I came back to Society for Action in Disability and Health Awareness (SADHANA)”.

Bhangya Bhukya: “I had received sufficient training and had to return to my people. This year, at the graduation ceremony of the college where I teach, I spoke about my life. A Dalit student came up to me and said, ‘After your lecture, I could not sleep for ten days. How did you get the strength to come back from the UK?’ If I had stayed back in the UK, I could have grown academically. But here in India, I am part of communities that are rewriting their histories. This is where I can have the maximum impact”.

130 131 Sakilahmed Abdulrafik Makarani, MA Curriculum Studies, University of Hawaii, Mãnoa, USA. Teaching a group of his high school students, in Gujarat.

7 Measuring Impact: A Promise Delivered

This chapter maps the impact of IFP on the higher education and social justice fields of India. It focuses on three interlinked and interdependent factors: • IFP’s impact on its Fellows. • The impact of IFP alumni on their chosen fields and communities of work. • IFP’s broader impact on higher education and social justice fields.

Since 2001, IFP India dug deep to identify and nurture 330 change agents who, though embedded in their community histories of struggle, have now acquired broader roles as catalytic social justice leaders.

Over ten years, 80 percent of IFP Fellows have returned to India upon the completion of their higher education programs. While 35 percent of returnees have re-engaged in grassroots struggles in marginalized communities (of which some have set up new CSOs) others are leading social change organizations and movements in the country. Those 20 percent who chose to study further in international universities (after the completion of their IFP Fellowships) are engaged in development research.

132 133 For all alumni, the IFP experience was a springboard for significant personal and professional transformation. In addition to acquiring technical competencies, they returned from their universities armed with fresh perspectives on their identities and roles as social justice leaders. A majority of those who had headed CSOs before applying to the IFP reported that they had used their time in an international university to rethink and redirect was launched in 2000 with a mandate to “provide disadvantaged their social justice models. Most alumni are today viewed as role models individuals of exceptional academic and leadership promise with in their communities. Their achievements have whetted the aspirations of IFPan opportunity to study in any part of the world—not just in the several others to explore the possibilities of higher education as a route for advanced West—wherever they acquired a suitable course of instruction”.60 growth in the arena of social justice leadership. Generally, fellowships with the goal of fostering social change attract their fair share In addition to the qualitative impact discussed above, this chapter also of critics, and a program such as IFP has had its quota of naysayers. illustrates how the systems and processes of mentorship created by the IFP can well be blueprinted and adopted by Indian universities and other In a 2003 article that appeared shortly after the selection and placement of the visionary philanthropists in making educational campuses more inclusive first group of international IFP Fellows, the president of the Academic Cooperation and in building the agency of thousands of undiscovered change agents Association61 rejected the notion that scholarship programs produce social change: from the ‘other India’. “I don’t think we’re going to change the world using scholarship programs. That is up in the clouds. That would be overestimating not only scholarship programs but As IFP India prepares to bring the curtains down on its program, the stage academia”.62 is set for its replication (in parts or in whole) by players in the education and social change sectors who view higher education as a compelling path for But ten years later, the experiences of IFP Fellows have coalesced into a body of achieving inclusion, justice, and equity. qualitative data that validates that the program has achieved significant impact on three levels:

60 Ibid. 61 The organization is a pan-European, non-profit federated think thank of national organizations that fund and encourage the internationalization of their higher education systems. 62 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: 134 Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York. Social Science Research Council, p. 258. 135 • The gains of knowledge, skills, and new identities have transformed Fellows the entitlements of those at the bottom of the development pyramid, the impact needle into more effective and collaborative agents of social justice and social change. for IFP moved too. • IFP itself has handed a set of powerful best practices to individuals and groups across sectors that are engaged in the task of making education inclusive for all. Our qualitative assessment of IFP’s impact has drawn from anecdotal evidence, • As streams of Fellows returned to their community base with new skills and interviews and light-bulb stories recounted to us by its alumni. The analysis presented knowledge, they accelerated development at the grassroots in any of the following in this report has been qualified through a compendium of case studies (referS ection ways: as social entrepreneurs, strategic activists, advisors to local governments, II). Every case study details the many layers of marginalization that defined a Fellow’s academics anchored in grassroots communities, or as artistes committed to the life and unpacks how the individual (Fellow), the program (IFP), and the community politics of the subaltern. worked in tandem to create impact for all.

Assessing IFP’s impact is like solving the Rubik’s Cube puzzle63 where the three The Power of One: dimensions—individual impact,64 program impact,65 and community impact66—are IFP’s Impact on Individual Fellows interlocked. In ten years, IFP received close to 20,000 applications for its Fellowships—an indication that the demand for higher education and specialization among emerging The three-dimensional cube comprises several miniature cells, each independent and social justice leaders was real and urgent, and needed to be met soon. distinct from the other. As players maneuver each cell along a central pivot to ensure that all six sides of the cube end up in single blocks of color, they use logic, speed, According to Joan Dassin, Executive Director, International Fellowships Fund, IFP has: intuition, and practice to crack the challenge. built up human resources to create development ‘on the ground,’ one graduate at a time. Providing educational opportunities to members of the same elites Much like this cube, the IFP composite was made up of individual units of Fellows who have benefited from the status quo in developing countries is unlikely to who were unique within their specific contexts of marginalization and leadership. As lead to positive social change. Deliberate outreach to talented leaders with they moved independently in different directions (be it research, activism, or social ‘direct knowledge of their societies’ worst problems and inequities, and a entrepreneurship), they were pivoted on a central axis—IFP. Levered on the IFP, sense of moral urgency about them’ (Berresford, 2001) may prove to be a more they traveled along common, yet syncretic paths, to solve complex problems in their productive approach.67 chosen fields. Our interview findings reinforced that going back to school enabled most Fellows to Quite simply, then, when alumni, armed with skills acquired during the tenure of their overcome their internal blocks and give themselves the self-permission necessary for Fellowship, confronted violations in their fields and set up mechanisms for securing pursuing seemingly audacious life goals.

63 Rubik’s Cube has been described as the world’s most popular and intelligent brain teaser. 64 Or, behavior change among Fellows. 65 Or, the impact of IFP in the global and national landscape of social change. 67 Dassin, J. (2005). Promoting Access and Equity in Post-Graduate Education: The Ford 66 Or, the impact of Fellows’ post-IFP work, either in their own communities, or in communities Foundation International Fellowships Program. A Changing Landscape. Paper presented at Nuffic 136 with shared histories of marginalization. Conference, The Hague, 23–25 May, 2005, p. 11. 137 On another level, being juxtaposed with students from diverse cultures prised The journeys of Haldhar Mahto, Ranjit Mahapatra, and Ganeswar Majhi are illustrative open and challenged Fellows’ own stereotyped notions and cultural prejudices and of the point above. They were self-trained in social justice leadership in those parts of demanded that adjustments be made. Through this exciting time of discovery, self- the Jharkhand–Odisha belt that consistently score the lowest on Human Development exploration, and learning, the alumni experienced knowledge gains in subtle, forceful, Indicators. Prior to their engagement with IFP, they had set up Dalit and Adivasi and palpable ways. rights groups to tackle the routine discrimination faced by them and other members of their communities. Although they had built extensive community relationships Personal transformation is impossible to measure on defined, qualitative metrics. and networks, they continued to struggle because they lacked technical knowledge Nevertheless, in the online survey conducted by us, 94 percent of the 105 alumni and information on social change processes. After their engagement with IFP, their respondents reported that IFP had significantly shaped their accomplishments as scholastic careers could have zipped smoothly on the highway of international higher social justice leaders. They rated the following as the top three competencies acquired education. But, all of them made the conscious decision to return to their home states during their Fellowship tenure: soon after completing their masters degrees. • Academic training and analytical rigor. • Understanding of sophisticated theories, concepts, and skills. Returning to their communities was an ethical commitment that they had made • Connections with global networks, thought leaders, and change agents. to themselves. More importantly, the new social change approaches that they had studied, and that they now wanted to implement in their areas of operation, could Taken together, these competencies gave alumni the conceptual and emotional move forward only on the wheels of community trust and cooperation. maturity to: • Dialog and negotiate with power structures with a newfound and confident Bridging the Gaps in the Higher Education voice. and Social Justice Fields • Surefire their practical interventions for social change with theories, data, For Joe Madiath, social entrepreneur par excellence and Founder-Director of Gram strategies, and metrics. Vikas, the true impact of IFP lies in the numbers of Fellows who choose to return from • Make discipline and operational rigor their new mantra for social justice work. universities of the Global North to participate in or lead community-based struggles • Enhance their levels of tolerance for ‘the other’. in India.

Research has shown that leading change makers choose to embed themselves in the According to him: communities that they aim to transform. Our interviews confirmed thatI FP Fellows had To measure impact, we will need to track how the goals of IFP play out on the successfully blended the competencies they had acquired in international universities ground through the intentions of its alumni. Because a person comes from a with the wealth of community relationships that they had built prior to embarking on marginalized background and has received a life-altering opportunity (such as their IFP journeys. The juxtaposition of ‘new world’ skills with enduring community the IFP) does not necessarily mean that he would want to return to his base. I ties enabled them to take personal risks, refuse lucrative jobs, turn down international have seen several civil servants and recipients of other fellowships who, though assignments, and embark on the shortest road home to their own, or historically from SC/ST backgrounds, are rarely concerned about serving their community proximate, people. interests or (in) being role models. The question that would worry me about IFP

138 139 Manisha Jani, MA Social Policy and Social Development, University of Manchester, UK. Seen here directing a group of women craftspersons,140 in Uttar Pradesh. 141 is, ‘Have even 25 percent of the alumni gone back to address social change at philosophy and criminological research, disability and human development, and the community level?’ If yes, I would rate the program as truly transformative. anthropology of the development of social transformation). As Dassin pointed out: “All of these are important for creating meaningful development that builds on, rather IFP meets Madiath’s benchmark. Of the 60 alumni we interviewed one-on-one: than destroys, traditional and local knowledge systems”. 68 • 30 returned to grassroots community work; of these, 15 went back to the organizations where they had been employed previous to their engagement Because most alumni were among the first in their community to specialize in tough with IFP, 13 launched their own independent grassroots organization and more academic disciplines, they become role models and sought-after mentors in their than 8 are working in close cohort with their district and state governments to areas. This also incentivized their speedy return home. embed their social change models within government systems. • 17 joined new civil society or other allied organizations upon their re-entry; Clearly, then, IFP emerged as a steady generator of qualified professionals for the Indian their work was completely aligned with their domain of work (pre-IFP) and civil society sector. Rather than serve as managers or operate purely as careerists, study (during IFP). most IFP alumni, when employed in jobs, tended to direct their organizations toward • 8 are pursuing their masters or PhD studies in pure social justice domains (three steeper impact paths. among them have severe visual impairments). • 3 are working as freelancers in areas not aligned with their IFP commitment. The sheer breadth and depth of academic specialization of IFP Fellows (refer page nos. • 2 had recently returned and were interviewing for jobs. 326-339) could, over time, open up new domains of specialization and development intervention in the social justice field in India. The trends are broadly representative of the general IFP patterns in India, where 35 percent of the IFP alumni are engaged in processes of facilitating deep community Consider the following cases: change and leadership and cumulatively, close to 80 percent are addressing issues of • Alumnus Nekram Upadhyay returned from Chicago as one of the firstI ndians social justice and equity for marginalized populations of the country. certified in Assistive Technology, an emerging field in the country’s disability sector. He is now training others in this field. A Font of Development Professionals • A specialization in Disability and Human Development gave Meenu Bhambhani IFP believed that higher education for students of the Global South should be tied in the edge in tackling the complexity of mainstreaming employment for the with the development needs of their country. IFP Fellows from India thus selected disabled in India’s booming IT (Information Technology) and ITES (Information a progressive and diverse range of disciplines linked directly to their social change Technology Enabled Service) industries. Bhambhani was awarded the 2009 agendas. Several of them, while pursuing their studies abroad, also achieved critical NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Award by the President of India in the individual academic recognition in their universities (refer page nos. 322-323). category of ‘Role Model for Person with Disabilities’. • Naveen Jha, armed with an MA in Sustainable International Development From the more traditional choice of study (such as health, community/economic from Brandeis University, USA, impressed global business visionary Desh development, and international affairs), the menu of courses availed by Fellows Deshpande, who invited him to set up and lead the Deshpande Center of Social stretched to include newer disciplines (such as arts administration and cultural policy, Entrepreneurship in Hubli, Karnataka. Under Jha’s leadership, the organization

142 68 Ibid., p. 6. 143 has created a variety of interventions to launch young social entrepreneurs in strategic inroads into a network of 10,000 district schools of Uttarakhand to the state. institutionalize pedagogic innovations, and equip local government officials to • Richa Ghansiyal studied Rural Development in Sussex and combined her provide professional education training and management support to principals specialization with her initial training in industrial design to lead and manage a of district schools. Since 2011 (the year he joined the Foundation), Sharma has social enterprise that opens up markets for small producers. succeeded in pushing the issue of teaching learning quality up the charts of the • After completing a Masters degree in Human Rights Development and Social local administration. Justice at The Hague, Shubhra Pachouri went back to the rights-based CSO for which she had worked earlier. She now argues human rights cases in the Upadhyay, Jha, Bhambhani, Ghansiyal, Pachouri, Michael, Bali and Sharma represent Bhopal High Court—a feat that she had “not dared to take on” prior to her a growing breed of social change intrapreneurs. Although employed in salaried IFP experience. Pachouri is also advising Bhopal University on developing a positions, they bring the spirit of enterprise, transparency, community service, free multidisciplinary gender studies course. thinking, and leadership to their jobs. • After returning from the University of Essex in the UK, Manish Michael joined the country’s largest child rights organization. Within a year, he set up Building Academic Excellence a chapter of 4,000 volunteers and received the Best Employer Award for 2008. Among Non-Elite Students Michael then managed the Bengaluru chapter of a global network of non-profits. By its very nature, IFP challenged the viewpoint that diversity—that is, the inclusion He has raised a significant pool of funds for small CSOs working in the fields of of students from marginalized backgrounds—leads to lowered academic standards in environment, education, livelihoods, and health care. national or international universities. • With a Masters degree in Public Health Administration from the University of Florida, Dr Surya Bali returned to the hospital in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, For every Fellow Cohort, IFP ran an unyielding mentoring and academic preparation where he previously worked, and where he had chanced upon a crumpled program, with a sharp eye on those struggling with scholastic and language brochure of the IFP India program. Today, he heads the government hospital, the disadvantages. It understood that the scholastic gaps of Fellows were a result of poor largest in his city, and is gradually transforming it into a high quality, affordable academic support, and not the outcome of any lack of aptitude or ability. and accessible health institution that caters to the rural and urban poor of the region. He is also teaching in the medical college attached to his hospital and Through a continuum of academic counseling sessions, access to thought leaders as views this role as critical to molding empathetic medical practitioners of the mentors, and training in academic writing and in the English language, IFP chiseled future. On his radar is the establishment of a School of Health Administration a model that dispelled the notion that students from underserved communities are in Uttar Pradesh, for which Dr Bali has submitted a detailed proposal to the unable to excel in demanding academic environments. Government and his college. • A product of the government school system of Uttarakhand, Jitandra Sharma When Tej Ram Jat received the Fellowship, he did not have a working knowledge acquired a Masters degree in International Education and Development of English. With handholding and language training from IFP, he went on to the from the University of Sussex, UK, before joining Azim Premji Foundation’s University of London’s joint program between the London School of Economics and District Institute in his home state. As District Member, Sharma is building Political Science (LSE) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

144 145 (LSHTM), to complete a challenging course on public health policy. Not once did he Manoj Bhatt, fresh from Columbia University, set up a hybrid social change model allow the English language barrier to trip him up. Instead, he returned with accolades to create green jobs and livelihoods for marginal Himalayan families in Uttarakhand. from his professors still ringing in his ears. His faculty ranked him so high on their His organization, RACHNA, is developing a community-based rural tourism enterprise goodwill rating that LSE agreed to partner in a public health consultation that Tej Ram that over time will be owned and run by Village Tourism Management Committees. organized in Rajasthan two years after his return from the UK. Bhatt’s initiative has the potential to reverse the migration of human resources and wisdom from the hills to the plains of northern India. It also has the capability of The academic training provided by IFP to Manoj Kumar Dora (from the unleashing entrepreneurship in marginal communities in his region. Bhatt’s idea was Konda Dora tribe of Odisha which has a literacy rate of only 14 percent) prepared him acknowledged on national and international platforms. In 2009, he was awarded the for a record-breaking series of awards that he received from Vanderbilt University’s prestigious Ashoka Fellowship for his innovative model. In May 2010, he was a finalist Graduate Program in Economic Development—Academic Excellence Award for High in the highly competitive Sankalp Awards, a definitive platform in India for emerging GPA; Most Outstanding Thesis Award; Special Award for Leadership and Service to social enterprises. When asked about his decision to return to India, Manoj said, “This GPED as a student representative; and the most coveted of all, the James Rosemary is an incorrect question. I always saw IFP as the opportunity to learn and to get a Worly Award for social commitment and academic promise for 2008. The former sharper focus about the ideas that I have wanted to implement in my community”. small savings officer who used to work in the Kandhamal district of his home state admitted that he would have remained “lost somewhere in Odisha” without the IFP Similarly, Surekha Talari’s organization, SUDHAR, in Madhya Pradesh, has training. demonstrated the potential of academic theories and research methodologies in the reform of the prison and criminal justice systems in India. Her Masters program at Hemachandran Karah, Dashrathi Hembram, and Bhangya Bhukya were all refused Cambridge University introduced her to international criminal justice models that mainstream academic fellowships, but IFP saw certain potential in them. They were partner closely with academics. She came back from the UK with the how-tos of adequately supported with the skills and information that they needed to excel in integrating theory and research into the real practice of protecting and extending their fast-paced international academic programs. All three won the highest academic prisoners’ rights. She involved her target community—prisoners themselves—as honors from their respective universities. participants in conducting hands-on research on prison systems. Such community- lead research was a breakthrough not only for her organization, but also for the The IFP Program has shown that if larger numbers of non-elite students could be embryonic field of prison reform. prepped to excel in Indian campuses along the lines of the IFP model, the ‘quality challenge’ faced by India’s higher education sector could well be contained, and At 19, Deepak Kumar Yogi, the youngest IFP Fellow, entered the Masters even reversed. course in Development Management at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, the Philippines. He harnessed every insight he had gained from his course on ‘Banking Alumni Impact on ‘Last-Mile Communities’ with the Poor’ to set up a microfinance institution (MFI) in Chithwari, Rajasthan, the The investments made in the training and education of IFP Fellows has led to large district of his birth. The MFI, Shyam Sanskrit Sewa Samiti, has 4,200 members and community returns in terms of impact. Fellows returned as catalytic social justice has facilitated loan disbursals to more than 3,000 women. In 2009, it reported a leaders who, in turn, built catalytic communities. turnover of over INR 1 crore (INR 10 million).

146 147 Since 2001, IFP’s investments have also yielded a rich crop of organic intellectuals— After three days of intensive envisioning, strategy development, and the election of a robust subalterns engaged actively in knowledge production that is rooted in the governing council, the alumni inaugurated the IFP India Alumni Network (IFPIAN). political consciousness of the marginalized. Abhay Xaxa, Bhangya Bhukya, Hilal IFPIAN was registered as a society with the aim of incubating and managing Ahmed, and Arjunbhai Rathva are such emerging voices of intellection. collaborative social change projects designed by the alumni.

While Xaxa aims to create rural resource centers for more Adivasi scholars like Since its inception, IFPIAN has held national meetings, organized regional workshops, himself, Bhukya’s book, Subjugated Nomads: The Lambadas under the Rule of the and sparked online conversations between the alumni. While the body has yet to kick Nizams, published by a leading academic publishing house (Orient BlackSwan), has off concrete social change projects, all the interviewees who we spoke to asserted that contributed new insights to the documented history of the Lambada tribe of Andhra this could be a forum that could enable them to truly give back to IFP. Pradesh. Ahmed is writing a political history of Indian monuments as viewed from the lens of a religious minority group. Project collaborations across geographies, sectors and organizations are never easy, requiring time, diligence, fundraising, neutral facilitation and clarity of roles and Rathva heads the Adivasi Academy in Tejgarh, Gujarat, which is a training ground accountability between partners. For a majority of the IFP alumni, many of whom are for emerging indigenous scholars from forgotten identity groups, including those that still settling into their new and/or re-framed roles as social justice leaders, carving were categorized by the state as Criminal Denotified Tribes.A former student of the out time for collaborations with each other, outside of their current choc-a-bloc work Adivasi Academy, Dakxin Kumar Bajrange received the IFP Fellowship in 2009 and schedules and commitments remains a challenge. returned to the Academy on the completion of his studies. But, over time, as the alumni find their feet in their chosen turfs, they will be better Collaborative Action positioned to allot time to the string of informal engagements and social change In December 2006, 50 IFP alumni met in New Delhi at a conference convened by ideas that have already begin to circulate amongst them. This could lead to a larger IFP to discuss the possibility of setting up a collaborative framework of social justice wellspring of organized activities by them and spin off local social change programs action, one that would enable alumni to step out of their responsibilities to existing that embody the spirit of IFP. CSOs and contribute as a cohesive force of social-change practitioners. The future of the IFPIAN depends a great deal on the leadership that will be The motive for setting up this forum was not only to secure the continuity of relationships. demonstrated by a few individuals within the alumni network. It is not necessary It was envisioned more as a platform for alumni to experience group entrepreneurship for all alumni to take an active role in the running of the organization. It is also not and to co-create programs of social change. These programs could be small, but they necessary for the alumni function as a formal body; perhaps a loose network, both at would be significant. More importantly, they would enable the alumni to coalesce the state level and at the national level, can also flourish and make an impact. Even ideas in the shared spirit of the IFP—for example, organizing leadership trainings if there are a handful of active alumni who are truly passionate and committed about for young social justice leaders in rural areas; developing a cross-disciplinary think carrying on the mandate of social justice, and are united in their resolve to work tank on disability issues; and holding academic workshops on theories and conceptual together in this arena, the legacy of the IFP program will live on through their efforts frameworks of social justice action for students in district colleges. and accomplishments.

148 149 Sanjay Kumar, MA Sustainable International Development, Brandeis University, USA. Advising women’s self- help groups on sustainable livelihoods A Final Word issues, in remote Rajasthan. In many ways, IFP invested ‘patient capital’ in its Fellows. Patient capital, defined as long-term capital where the investor does not expect a quick profit, operates on the premise that by foregoing immediate returns, the returns on the investment down the road will be more substantial.

This approach was best articulated by the international IFP leadership. In their book, Joan Dassin69 and Mary Zuburchen70 stated that: In five to ten years, we (IFP) will have a clearer idea of how IFP Fellows are able to influence the course of development in their home countries and regions. Undoubtedly, some of them will become players on a larger international stage... For now we can already see that the vast majority of IFP Fellows who have completed the program so far are returning to or remaining in their home countries and communities… Despite short-term problems and other continuing pressures, the IFP alumni are delivering on their promise of improving the lives and livelihoods of those around them. Although these results are still incipient, their communities—broadly defined as both communities of origin and communities of reference—are beginning to realize the ‘returns’ of the IFP Fellowship.71

By the end of 2013, 330 IFP India alumni will have completed their higher education degrees and launched themselves into their chosen areas of social justice work. But more importantly, they will also serve as role models, mentors, and coaches to thousands of aspiring social change agents from the ‘other India’. For the IFP team in India, this, truly, will be the road to legacy building of the program, by none other than the inheritors of its mission and spirit—the IFP alumni.

69 Executive Director, International Fellowships Fund, IFP. 70 Director Asia and Russia, International Fellowships Fund, IFP. 71 Volkman, T.A. (ed.), with Dassin, J. & Zurbuchen, M. (2009). Origins, Journeys and Returns: 150 Social Justice in International Higher Education. New York, Social Science Research Council, p. 246. 151 Shubhra Pachouri, MA Human Rights Development and Social Justice, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University, the Netherlands. Seen here at a court working on human rights issues, in Madhya Pradesh.

alumniII case studies

Aditi Ghosh Abhay Flavian Xaxa Belu Bhargava Bhangya Bhukya Cynthia Santhmayor Dakxin Bajrange Deepak Kumar Yogi Ganeshwar Majhi Haldhar Mahto Kinnari Desai Manish Michael Meenu Bhambhani Mushtaq Shaikh Nekram Upadhyay Richa Ghansiyal Siddoji Rao Sujata Verma Sukanta Behera Surya Bali Tsewang Dolma

152 153 Sphere India. Her goal is to embed ‘local voice and practice’ into state and national level disaster management and rehabilitation plans.

Barriers Aditi’s lower-middle-class parents, who ‘lived a hand-to-mouth’ existence, were extraordinary when their children’s education was concerned. Notwithstanding the extreme constraints on her father’s salary as a government employee in Durgapur, West Bengal, where even the buying of textbooks sometimes aditi ghosh aditi posed a challenge, she and her brother were raised to excel as students.

For Aditi’s parents, education was the only route to identity, mobility and respect. Her homemaker mother was charged with keeping a tight leash on the family finances, but never once did the parents relent in their drive for Aditi’s academic success, even though she was forced to study in a mediocre government school. She worked under ‘self-created and parental pressure’ to perform well as no score of hers was good The Changemaker A civil engineer by education and training, enough for her father. In the industrial town of Durgapur an engineering degree was Aditi Ghosh crossed over to the social sector in the aftermath of the 1999 ‘Super the final accreditation of success and, without quite analyzing why, she bought into Cyclone’ that ripped apart coastal Odisha. The scale of devastation, as well as her this aspiration. personally being trapped at Bhubaneswar through the entire ordeal, struck a deep chord within Aditi. She decided to use her engineering knowledge, skill and training Aditi sailed through the engineering entrance exams. But she keeled under the tyranny to work with people on the ground level, mostly communities hit by natural disasters. of the higher education system, as accessing a quality academic institution posed a The prime focus for such work being the interventions in various stages of aftermath of real challenge. Despite getting admission in Kolkata’s prestigious Jadavpur University, a natural disaster, like relief, rehabilitation, mitigation. She was engaged in rebuilding Aditi enrolled in the Regional Engineering College of Durgapur for a Bachelors degree of houses and cyclone shelters where her engineering knowledge came handy. Further, in Civil Engineering. The family budget simply did not allow for the expenditure of she was involved in mitigation activities like development of disaster risk reduction living and studying in Kolkata. In Durgapur, Aditi funded her engineering studies and mitigation plans in consultations with the community, training and awareness through income from tuitions. Conditioned by a ‘prescriptive educational system’, generation, preparedness plans at village and community levels, where her natural Aditi’s engineering course offered limited choices and was woefully inflexible. A high instincts and desire to excel motivated her. quality of education eluded her even here.

After eleven years of ground level, hands-on exposure to intense emergency response JourneyIn her starting years as a civil engineer, Aditi trained in and post-disaster rehabilitation of the poorest rural communities, Aditi is a seasoned entrepreneurship. She opted to work in a small but reputed architectural firm in disaster management expert. She now works with Dan Church Aid-South Asia and Durgapur, where, in addition to field-based assignments, she handled finances, interacts closely with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and accounting, human resource management and other aspects of running a small

154 155 business. Thereafter, she proceeded to launch her own construction venture. noting of infrastructural damages revealed that the cyclone had torn into 1,650,086 houses, 14,901 primary schools, 3,425 high school buildings and 66 colleges, leading Aditi and her team of construction workers were an oddity in conservative Durgapur. to significant damages. 12,000 km of roads and 1,447 bridges had been severely, if Entrepreneurship was considered a bit off at the time, because substantive salaries not, irreversibly, damaged. could be earned through jobs in the fast-track economy of the mid-1990s. More generally, the opportunity costs and entry barriers were very steep for a woman from Residents in the affected area, including Aditi, went for days without electricity, tele- a low-income background venturing into a construction business. There were no role communication and the basics of daily life. This was Aditi’s first up-front exposure aditi ghosh aditi models or ready roadmaps for Aditi. to a natural calamity. Aditi began to fundamentally rethink her career path. “I was shocked that many large infrastructural projects that we had sweated out on, the Projects, however, slowly started coming in. The business specialized in construction monies that had been poured into them, this approach to national development—all of homes and office-cum-residential projects.I n no time, she had bagged prestigious had been obliterated in 48 hours of rain,” she reminisced. That is when she decided contracts such as one from the National Highway Authority of India. The next leap to move from infrastructure development to people-led development. was the launch of a second business venture in Kolkata—a niche printing unit to cater to a large clientele of architects and engineers. The shift could not have been more challenging. Aditi switched sectors and joined the India program of CARE, an international development organization, as an infrastructure As her businesses found feet and were anchored firmly in a competitive marketplace, expert. As part of the Odisha team, her role entailed applying low-cost technologies Aditi turned her attention to larger infrastructural projects. By then she had had her fill at the grassroots for post-cyclone reconstruction, partnering with communities most of small, contained construction jobs and was keen to embrace the challenge in larger- affected by the calamity to accelerate their rehabilitation, and creating disaster (flood, scale projects, which is where the thrill lies for civil engineers. However, she quickly cyclone)-resistant shelters for the displaced. grasped that her engineering course had not equipped her with the tools or mindset to manage undertakings that are core to building infrastructure for the country. Prior to joining CARE, she had not operated in the low-cost paradigm. She was neither trained to listen to communities, nor had she engaged with the most vulnerable and Aditi went back to the drawing board. She put her ventures to sleep and joined a assetless sections of the Indian populace. But within two years her small team had renowned infrastructure company—Dalal Mott McDonald— that managed prestigious constructed durable cyclone shelters, integrated community voice and wisdom into projects, largely funded by international banks. Now based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, local disaster preparedness plans, and trained and set up networks of 7-8 local CSOs. Aditi soaked in the challenges of a World Bank-funded project. Then, the calendar turned page to October 29, 1999, when Odisha’s ‘Super Cyclone’ hit India’s eastern coastline, In July 2001, floods lashed across coastal Odisha again, leading to the displacement demonstrating the fallibility of large infrastructure in the face of natural fury. of 50 lakh persons,1 and marooned 9,000 villages within 24 hours. Aditi jumped right back into the disaster combat mode. By the end of 2001, Aditi had clocked two years of The deadliest storm to have hit India since 1971, the cyclone’s tidal waves of up to intensive fieldwork in the remotest outposts of development, lived out of suitcases, and 10 meters swept 15 kilometers inland, killing over 22,000 residents and devastating barely gone home for a break. As a self-taught practitioner of disaster management the state’s coastline while wreaking havoc on built infrastructure. Even a conservative techniques, she now needed conceptual frameworks to assess the models that she and

156 1 http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/07/20/stories/0120000c.htm 157 her team had put into operation in Odisha. The idea of development studies crossed Aditi took charge. She convinced the international leadership of CARE that a four-year her mind, and she considered enrolling in a long distance post-graduate program as program would guarantee impact. As Technical Support Coordinator, she morphed a a stint at a foreign university was prohibitively expensive. This is when she saw the one-year mandate into a four-year strategic and integrated rehabilitation model for IFP advertisement. the Andamans.

Aditi was part of IFP’s first cohort of Fellows. Despite initial diffidence about going During this time, Aditi and her team achieved several milestones that included back to college after a ten-year hiatus, she excelled in the University of Bradford, construction of homes in the Andaman Islands that could resist earthquakes of up to aditi ghosh aditi UK, where she completed a Masters in Environmental Management. Her course at 9.1 on the Richter Scale. The technology was developed in collaboration with the local Bradford comprised almost solely of international students; interactions and exchange communities and Ministry of Urban Development, India. Her team entrepreneured a of ideas with them helped Aditi critically examine her own mission. IFP had afforded unique insurance program for the most affected communities via the establishment her the luxury to study without worrying about financial survival. By the time she of local Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with bank linkages to ensure financial inclusion. The had completed her course, she had travelled extensively across Europe, participated team also piloted two early warning communication systems for the local government, in a number of international seminars, and had questioned her own identity. With developed village-level community-based disaster management plans in 130 villages, exposure came new knowledge, new understanding—leading her to believe that hers set up child-friendly aanganwadi centers (literally, ‘play centers’) across several was a privileged identity. This entirely changed how she viewed her responsibility as islands while simultaneously training over 700 aanganwadi workers in disaster a development professional. preparedness, created an on-line database of village and state-level teams trained in disaster response and management, and grew the CARE team from three to 30, ImpactAditi returned to India immediately after the completion of her course additionally notching up a volunteer base of 75 full-timers. and worked with the international charity, the Red Cross, globally respected for its emergency response programs. In December 2004, the Asian Tsunami struck South After the successful closure of Care India’s programs in the Andamans with the and South-East Asia. Aditi re-joined CARE India as part of its rapid assessment team. projects transferred to local government institutions, Aditi moved to Delhi as the India Her team was among the first to reach the Andaman Islands—among the most severely manager of the organization’s Disaster Management Unit. Within months of taking on affected Tsunami areas—and develop a long-term intervention model. the new role, Cyclone Aila hit West Bengal, and Karnataka state was battered by flash floods. Aditi sprang back into disaster combat mode. Once in the Andamans, Aditi and her team travelled extensively, carrying out community consultations and concluded that CARE would need to set up a long-term, sustained Aditi traces her achievements to the IFP Fellowship. “In addition to the knowledge of intervention to rebuild the economic and social fabric of the area. For this CARE would theories and models of sustainable development, my Bradford education gave me the need to: a) evolve a model of direct intervention; b) operate in a context bereft of local skills and confidence to lead on the ground,” she said. Aditi has ramped up her work Civil Society Organisation (CSO) partners; and c) conduct a large-scale mobilization in co-ordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and now and training program of local community volunteers. These recommendations were as Head of Humanitarian Response, with Dan Church Aid-South Asia, she aspires to outside CARE’s national level practice of emergency response. The Resident Country “incorporate disaster resilience into every aspect of development work”. Director was unsure of the proposed model.

158 159 Alexander Kerketta, MA Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods, University of Reading, United Kingdom. Working on a public health program with indigenous communities, in Jharkhand.

160 161 judgeship in the district court. Letters of appreciation came from as far as Delhi—by none other than the Chief Justice of India himself.

The accolades, however, were short-lived. When Abhay was eight, his father was dismissed from his job, coupled with a slate of trumped-up charges by his legal adversaries. His appeal against the dismissal dragged on for 18 years. The ex-judge returned to agriculture, and Abhay and his three siblings “re-started their lives in the village with unimaginable shame… It was a free fall in every way”.

Abhay completed his higher secondary education from Loyola High School, Kunkuri, a reputed 100-year old Hindi-medium, Jesuit institution, committed to the education and development of marginal Adivasi children. The school was a live microcosm of the patterns that muscle out vulnerable children from the education net. 660 children

abhay f lavian xaxa lived on campus and an equal number travelled more than 22 kilometers from home The Changemaker Abhay Flavian Xaxa, an emerging subaltern everyday to mark their attendance. The tuition fee— INR 200, plus 20 kilograms of academic from Chhattisgarh, aims to open new vistas in research and intellection on daal and 100 kilograms of rice—would be mobilized by students through agricultural Adivasi issues in India. He is striving to build a platform that will enable increasing labor in their own fields or on others’ farms. In peak agricultural seasons, classrooms numbers of organic intellectuals to emerge from within the community and establish would be empty. Abhay and his siblings made weekend visits to their small agricultural paradigms of research and scholarship on their own terms. A self-trained Adivasi plot to muster the yield that would secure their continuity in school. “Our names rights activist, Abhay has coursed through the rough country of poverty, identity-based remained in the school register because we owned land,” Abhay said. More than 50 exclusion, and political threats. He has witnessed how community entrepreneurship percent of the students in Abhay’s school dropped out by the time they reached the can seed agency among the most assetless tribal communities. For him, however, matriculate level. Impoverishment allowed only five of the 50 in Abhay’s class to sign research and scholarship are the missing links in the Adivasi development agenda. up for college. The nearest college, in Jabalpur, was a two-day train journey away and most students were too out of pocket to afford city living expenses. With a degree from the University of Sussex, Abhay has transitioned from activism to development research. He is currently building knowledge products that throw new Despite a meager daily family income of INR 55, Abhay enrolled in Rani Durgawati light on Adivasi identity and assertion. Moving forwards, he plans to set up rural Vishwavidalaya in Jabalpur for a bachelors degree in Commerce, organizing resource centers for Adivasi studies, in collaboration with other IFP Fellows. accommodation for himself in a Jesuit hostel. While stay was free, the hostelites were expected to pool in resources to run the kitchen. By the end of the first year,A bhay had Barriers Abhay’s father was much celebrated in their village, Chitakwaine, mounted a pile of unpaid bills and a font of anger at the “regular casteist remarks and on the border of the Badalkhol Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district. taunts” in college. To manage his debts he took on an assortment of odd jobs. Work The first graduate from the village, he was also the first Oraon tribesman to land a kept him away from classes; his grades slipped steadily.

162 163 JourneyAbhay tackled the barricades in college to find his feet, and stand indigenous businesses, thrived in Jashpur due to a combination of ‘community capital’ tall on the terra firma of volunteerism. As an elected member of the college tribal and ‘community support’ and the game-changing dynamics that entrepreneurship students’ union, he led a team of volunteers that processed the paperwork for all ignites. Six Adivasi youths, supported by the first-generation entrepreneurs, won the registered Adivasi students eligible for the government scholarship of INR 2,000 per Panchayat elections. year. The fund, managed by the SC/ST (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) department of the local government, could have well been a scam, but for the intervention of the But success attracted rancor from those entrenched in mainline power systems. The students. For the next two years, Abhay’s team of student volunteers ensured that a police routinely harassed Abhay’s drivers. They were once attacked brutally by the record number of students received the fund without facing the heat of red tapism. accomplices of local politicians. The cookie crumbled when a bullet went past Abhay while he was ferrying a passenger to the district town. He dissolved his venture and In his second academic year, Abhay was elected to represent his college at the All India returned to his college in Jabalpur to complete his graduation in law. Catholic Universities Federation (AICUF). A progressive citizen’s group mandated to nurture social change leaders from among Dalits, Adivasi and women students, The next stop on the map was Ekta Parishad, a sturdy, unyielding movement of AICUF gave Abhay his first “ground of political orientation” and “the opportunity to Adivasis and Dalits in the most assetless regions of Northern and Central India. His

abhay f lavian xaxa learn outside classrooms, in the real world”. He traversed the country and learnt from first experience in ‘structured activism’ taught Abhay important lessons on how to stellar movements such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada River manage large-scale social change lobbies: that movements of the most dispossessed Movement), sharing their lives. He undertook learning journeys to Dalit organizations spread only on the wheels of community will and cohesion; that the poorest can and women’s groups to grasp how their identities shaped their daily politics. Even as muster the tactics and resources required to secure all-encompassing systems change his learning peaked, his grades plummeted. For Abhay, quitting college was a foregone and; that community leaders need to be placed left, front, and center in movements, conclusion. for them to sustain.

He returned to his village with a new idea: that seeding entrepreneurship among In the mid ’90s and the early 2000s, visible, fast-paced exclusionary forces had begun Adivasi youth could be the straight road to tribal agency building. Robert Harangdolla, tearing through Chhattisgarh. The state business groups and Naxalite camps had the then chairperson of the State Tribal Development Corporation, had inspired revved up their engines, in the region and were now colluding for greater territory and mentored him to consider the possibilities in rural entrepreneurship, and the share. Caught in the triumvirate, the bulk of the Chhattisgarhi people, who were also Corporation was happy to fund Abhay’s venture. the most disenfranchised—the Adivasis—were taking harder hits on their lives and property. As local activists and movements grappled to make sense of the multi-point Over the next three years, Abhay set up the first local, Adivasi-owned cab service and attacks, they now needed information, research, and analysis from the field to build helped many tribal youth incubate their micro-enterprises. His taxi service broke even their strategies of combat. in record time. Abhay’s fleet, criss-crossing over inhospitable terrain, emerged as a lifeline for Adivasi families in need of hospitals and other emergency services, earlier Abhay spotted the opportunity and segued into development action research. He along an impossibility for marginal villagers. The few taxis that plied in the district were with some senior social researchers set up Chhattisgarh Action Research Trust (CART), pressed to service only for upper-caste politicians. Abhay’s, and the other youth-led an outfit of young local researchers that produced thoroughly investigated knowledge

164 165 products with voices and perspectives from the field. With CART, Abhay found his forgot to index a text reference for which he was unceremoniously hauled up by his métier but lacked the epistemic edge or the academic confidence for sophisticated professors. theories and methodologies of study. The challenges notwithstanding, Sussex gave Abhay a global canvas to springboard A friend from a local CSO informed Abhay of the IFP Fellowships. This was the into his area of research specialization. He internalized the discipline and rigor mid-career learning opportunity that could tip Abhay into the world of organized required for academic enquiry. Theories of cultural relativism layered his research development research. He applied, but with little hope of making the grade. Once lens: “My professors encouraged me to start my research on Adivasi issues by first selected, Abhay fell headlong into “a very long journey undertaken in a very short reading about African tribes. How better could I have understood that identities are time”. Prior to his departure for the School of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies in inter-connected across the world?” Sussex, UK, Abhay had to commit to a rigorous year of academic preparation in Delhi, conducted by the India IFP team. This drill gave him invaluable cues on dealing with ImpactFor Abhay, the primary takeaway from the IFP experience has been the diversity, crucial to succeeding in a multi-cultural environment. insight that marginalized communities, be they Dalits, Adivasis or religious minorities, need to step out of their silos, dialog with other historically-proximate groups, and

abhay f lavian xaxa During the prep phase, Abhay had to live and study with a “bewildering” range of create common, inclusive platforms of struggle. Therefore, after the completion of his Fellow Cohort members—government officials, activists, academics, and journalists. masters program, he unhesitatingly accepted a position in the Indian Institute of Dalit In the beginning he interacted only with those who, like him, came from backgrounds Studies (IIDS). His mandate— to launch new research on Adivasi disenfranchisement of community struggle. He especially resisted engagement with the government within the umbrella of Dalit studies—where the definition of the term ‘Dalit’ is not official in the group. “Before IFP, my only interaction with government officials had bound in one identity, but framed in a broader ideology of inclusion of the most been that of defiance.I used to gherao them and shouted slogans to their face. Now marginalized and ‘broken’ people. Abhay has worked on the Adivasi Development here was a government person who I was expected to collaborate with,” Abhay Report for India, perhaps the first comprehensive research of its kind. The lack of recounted. But the design and set up of the IFP training, and the emphasis on inter- a serious academic voice decoding and embracing tribal issues is a vacuum that he Cohort collaboration, left Abhay with little option but to confront his prejudices, and to hoped to fill with this report. He is currently enrolled for a PhD Degree at Jawaharlal dissolve the stereotypes that he had molded during his years of activism. Nehru University, New Delhi.

Abhay left to pursue a one-year masters degree in Anthropology of Development For Abhay, the shift from grassroots activism to development research was a natural and Social Transformation with heavy baggage. He carried deep anxieties about his progression of his emergent thought process. Academic research fascinates him and family’s financial health, and his pregnant wife had to take on a full-time job in Delhi, has taken the place of his earlier agitational-mode avatar. In this new space, he works in addition to caring for an infant child. Abhay’s parents had to figure new support with real data, analysis, and theories that emanate from the ground, and in turn, channels. The course rigor at Sussex opened up another set of challenges. Abhay strengthens the work of activists. grappled with issues of intellectual property, the notion of which, according to him, is highly underdeveloped in Indian activist circles. He was taken aback by the gravity and seriousness with which it is treated abroad. While writing his final papers Abhay

166 167 14 miles away. Money was tight, with the only source of income being rent from their house in Indore.

Though barely literate herself, Belu’s mother was exceptionally progressive and forward-looking and made sure that her children got a good education. Belu and her two brothers went to the local English-medium convent school and grew up with access to books, music, and the performing arts. Relatives and friends found it hard to understand why a cash-strapped family had made these choices.

That Belu’s journey would be full of diverse interests was obvious from the beginning. belu bhargava As a student, she took a keen interest in theater and participated actively in debates, discussions, youth festivals and mock parliaments at the Government Girls Degree College. These formative years shaped her intellect and values and brought her into contact with many inspiring writers, journalists, and theater persons, according her a The Changemaker Raised by a single mother in a middle- glimpse into a world of creativity and idealism. While at college, Belu came across an income household in Indore, Madhya Pradesh state, Belu Bhargava’s life’s remarkable article on Medha Patkar that highlighted her work with the Narmada Bachao Andolan trajectory was guided by her innate sense of justice and love for adventure. A young (NBA). Patkar became her role model. Around this time she also engaged with the and politically aware Belu decided early on to work with those who lived on the National Cadet Corps (NCC), which led her to the National Service Scheme (NSS), the margins of society. At the helm of Deen Bandhu Samajik Sanstha (DBSS, Friends of the motto of which is: “Not Me, Not You, But We”. All of this kindled her interest in social Poor) the non-profit that she co-founded in 1991 with her husband, Rajeev George, work as a career choice. Belu has made it her life’s mission to work with slum dwellers on urban poverty issues and housing rights. Meanwhile the situation at home turned unpredictable. Her mother bore the brunt of this and matters reached a point where Belu decided against applying to the Mumbai- The IFP fellowship that took Belu to Nottingham University for a Masters in based Tata Institute of Social Sciences for a Masters in social work. Looking for options International Human Rights gave her a firm grounding in international human rights closer home, she joined the social work program at the Indore School of Social Work. law, with the help of which she hopes to demand greater accountability from city This proved to be a major turning point in her life, as she met her future husband planners, negotiating a stronger voice for the urban poor. Belu’s mission is to enable there and together, they crafted a life dedicated to the urban poor. the underprivileged to access their rights, including that of affordable city housing. JourneyWhile pursuing her Masters, Belu (and Rajeev) worked with BarriersBelu was only five when her shopkeeper father passed away unemployed youths in Indore slums. They organized small savings groups with easy and her homemaker mother, shouldering the responsibility of raising three children, access to credit facilities, and many youngsters turned their lives around by initiating moved from the small cantonment town of Mhow to the better connected Indore, just small businesses like bicycle repair shops and vegetable vending, and went on to

168 169 become peer leaders and mentors to others. lived below the poverty line and that the number of slums was not 140 as estimated by the government, but over 400. This led to the initiation of the National Forum for These initial years were something akin to a learning lab that laid the foundation Housing Rights (NFHR) and DBSS now campaigned for an attitude change at the policy for the work that was to follow under the umbrella of DBSS, which the two of them level and a voice for the slum dwellers in city planning. founded in 1994, when still studying for their social work degree. Needing to finance the organization and themselves, both of them took up jobs after they completed their Appreciation and accolades followed and DBSS was awarded the 2004 housing rights Masters: Belu joined Bharatiya Mahila Gramin Sangh (BMGS) in Indore, a non-profit defenders’ award by the Centre for Housing Rights and Eviction (COHRE) in Geneva. working on health, education, women’s empowerment and microfinance; and Rajeev Through the NFHR, Belu and her team began exploring the replication of similar joined ILO’s1 Jhabua project. community led approaches toward housing problems of the marginalized in other states. Workshops were held to train grassroot workers and other organizations in belu bhargava In order to reach out to the community as ‘insiders’, in 1995 the newlywed Belu and the use of GIS technology to substantiate their ‘on ground’ information and advocacy Rajeev moved into a small shanty and started mobilizing the women into self-help efforts. groups. As membership grew, they realized that livelihoods were only one aspect of the problem; lack of access to health and education compounded it. Impressed As Belu’s work increasingly veered toward campaigns and advocacy, she felt the need by their commitment, Oxfam approved a small grant to DBSS to expand its work for a comprehensive understanding of the law and legislative mechanisms. Though within the community. DBSS was just about gaining its footing in the area when one she had her hands full (including bringing up her child), she pushed herself to complete day, the slum was declared an encroachment and the bulldozers arrived to execute a a Bachelors in Law (in 2001) from Devi Ahilya Vishva Vidyalaya, Indore, to add the demolition drive: “We were evicted. It was as if we had woken from a dream. Now, we much-needed legal perspective to her work. realized that stability and housing were larger and more important issues”. There were many dynamics within the community and the organization, and the This was a dynamic and challenging period and brought DBSS in touch with many politicking probably demoralized Rajeev more than Belu realized. Just when their work other rights activists, turning Belu and her husband toward activism and jan andolan and DBSS seemed to be at its peak, tragedy struck. Rajeev took his life in February (people’s movements). This is when DBSS moved into sangathan (activism) mode, 2005, leaving behind a confused and devastated Belu. In an instant, everything came paving the way for the birth (in 1997) of Jhuggi Basti Sangharsh Morcha (JBSM, the to a standstill, and the organization, powerful as it was, became increasingly difficult campaigning arm of DBSS). to manage. Everyone seemed to have a vested interest and in Rajeev’s acute and conspicuous absence, Belu decided to take a break and requested Oxfam to withdraw The work of both DBSS and JBSM grew steadily, as did media, civil society, and its funding. funding agency support. In a path-breaking survey, probably the first of its kind in the country, DBSS, in partnership with Oxfam, conducted an extensive mapping exercise Resolving to start afresh, Belu moved to a different house, found new support groups in Indore to understand urban poverty. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) along and started to teach law in Indore’s Christian College, and later on, in her alma mater. with community participation ensured that concrete data on slum settlements was DBSS meanwhile survived—though as a drastically scaled down version—on a modest gathered. The survey (concluded in July 1999) revealed that a shocking 65% people fellowship from Oxfam.

170 1 International Labour Organization. 171 In 2007, Belu began working full time on a project with Child Relief and You (CRY) of India. The University and the IFP team were extremely supportive and allowed her on improving access to housing, health and education for families of construction to take her final examination from India. laborers. Committed to move on, Belu also began thinking of going back to school for a Masters in Law. When she applied for an IFP Fellowship in 2007, she had her Her course had prepared her with not just theoretical knowledge but also the tools sights set on the National Law School in Bengaluru, but IFP encouraged her to seek an with which to apply that knowledge to demand greater accountability from the state international academic milieu. and its varied institutions. In a conscious departure from the charity model /service delivery approach, Belu now advocates the use of the rights-based framework. She The preparatory phase was a tremendous eye opener: “I was so inspired by all these believes that the law can be a powerful instrument in the hands of the marginalized amazing young people; they too had been through so much and were standing strong and can inform and influence state policy: “I used to think that a country is sovereign in spite of it all. I realized that after Rajeev I had lost myself and through IFP I found and used to feel that no organization has the right to comment or control. Now, I belu bhargava myself again”. Belu realized she had to stand up and do the best she could. She opted think everyone is accountable under the international human rights law. Also there for the International Human Rights Law course at Nottingham University, UK (rated at are larger, bigger networks and organizations that we just have to tap into if we need number three, after Oxford and Harvard). solidarity and support inside as well as outside the country”.

For Belu, every class was a challenge and at the same time, inspiring. Most of her Infused with fresh energy and vigor and the much-needed second wind from her professors were serving as judges at the United Nations, and were of exceptional exposure and experiences as an IFP Fellow, Belu continues to engage with the issue of caliber. She found that she had to really push herself. Furthermore, her eleven-year land rights and affordable housing for the urban poor and other displaced groups. She old son had accompanied her and she had to work harder to balance all fronts. She has become more audacious in her writings and advocacy, and the connections made took help from all possible sources, and was an active participant in all classroom at Nottingham propel her forward and fill her with hope for the future. Building on discussions. Her peers, much younger than her, came from very different, affluent her old partnerships with other networks and organizations, such as Child Relief and backgrounds. A spirit of openness and freedom pervaded the classroom, which led You (CRY) since 2007, DBSS has campaigned on patta (landholding) rights, identifying Belu on a journey of self-discovery. She found that her whole outlook had undergone issues of construction labor and mobilization of women’s rights. a transformation and she was no longer without hope. Her time at Nottingham gave her immense confidence and clarity to envision a promising new future for herself and Additionally, she has been proactive in building a child rights perspective within her work. Questioning her long held beliefs and biases, she immersed herself in all the Jhuggi Basti Sangharsh Morcha. With the larger goal of creating awareness the learning opportunities that the new environment provided. Learning from the ease and demanding accountability, DBSS uses Right to Education (RTE) to lobby for with which her peers could analyze and critique their countries/governments, Belu anganwadi schools (government-run preschools/crèches), and primary health centers shed some of her old beliefs on nationalism, sovereignty, and statehood. for all children in the community. Under Belu’s stewardship, DBSS is developing new collaborations to emerge as the social, intellectual and activism hub in Indore that it ImpactBelu returned to India in April 2009, eight months after she had left. was in its heyday. Amazing as the whole experience was, the frenetic pace of life on campus coupled with the lack of a support mechanisms was a bit unsettling, and she missed the familiarity

172 173 Jacintha Saldanha, MA Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Dr M.V. Shetty College of Speech and Hearing, Mangalore University, India. Instructing children who are hearing impaired, in Bihar.174 175 community and, for about six months every year, they job-work as construction labor in the neighboring metro cities in India. The children often cannot complete school due to problems keeping up attendance. As a result, literacy is less than nine percent for men and less than two percent for women. Scarred by the heat of Naxalism and the counter-terror of the state, the Lambada community has nominal access to soft programs designed by the government for this ethnic group. Invariably, the poor Lambada youth are left with little option than to enlist into Naxal extremist folds.

By the Lambada index of hardship, Bhangya led an uneventful childhood. He grazed cattle of farmers in the village, located closest to his thanda (hamlet) in the Kammam district of Andhra Pradesh. In his free time, he circled around the village school and

bhangya bhukya bhukya bhangya assisted the cook to prepare mid-day meals for upper-caste students. Bhangya’s ‘job’ in the school came with a bonus—a small portion of the meal he helped prepare, and access to vantage points in the thatched school corridor, from where he could be privy The Changemaker A scholar of repute from the dispossessed to the teachings in the classroom inside. Lambada tribe of Andhra Pradesh, Bhangya Bhukya is recording the history of his community from a unique insider-outsider position. His scholarship blends sharp It soon occurred to Bhangya that if he enrolled in the village school he could have academic techniques with insights from a life shared with the people whose histories more of both—a full mid-day meal and legitimate access to the classroom. His mother he is scripting. approved of his design and with savings accumulated over three months, purchased a slate for her son. He trudged to school every day. But the spate of name-calling For Bhangya, the road to agency has been scarped by hunger, spine-bending labor and beatings that he received from teachers and classmates barely allowed him to and exploitation. With a PhD in Modern History (Tribal Studies) from the University of concentrate on learning. Warwick, UK, he is today a coveted role model for young persons from similar contexts who are struggling to step out of the pre-fabricated boundaries of their identity. When Bhangya was 10, his father decided to keep him as a bonded child laborer under the village landlord. This was deemed a fit course—a veritable rite of passage— Barriers The sole neo-literate in his family and the youngest of five for a Lambada child. At the tender age of ten, the young boy had to quickly grow into siblings, Bhangya was raised on the minimum daily wages of their agricultural a man of financial means and bring ready money into his family. His illiterate father laborer father. was resolute about wrenching him out of unproductive pursuits such as primary education. The four million-odd Lambadas—a tribal gypsy community that traces its roots to the Roma of Eastern Europe—comprise the largest tribal group in Andhra Pradesh. Their Bhangya’s mother was dead set against her husband’s plans. With support from region’s propensity for drought forces seasonal out-migration among the Lambada an empathetic relative, she admitted her son to a government school 10 kilometres

176 177 away, where education was free till Class X. Bhangya enrolled in a hostel for Adivasi (Marxist). The organization’s tenor and commitment to re-drawing class relationships students in the vicinity of his school where board and lodging for the Lambadas had at the grassroots set him on the fast track of community work. In two years, he had been underwritten by the state. facilitated 100 casual women laborers to cross over from rank illiteracy to functional literacy. Bhangya’s school functioned within hard walls of caste intolerance. The slightest request for tutorial support from non-caste students could invite fierce lashings Bhangya’s engagement with the SFI (Students Federation of India), the students’ wing from the teachers. The academic and administrative staff was always unfriendly to of the Communist Party, took him further downstream into the ideological depths of Bhangya. Bhangya responded to the hostilities in his environment by growing a thick Marxist writings, including the works of Hegel, Marx, and Engels. More significantly, hide of indifference and delving deep into his studies. He graduated from school with Dr Ambedkar’s blueprint for transforming India’s social structures left an indelible flying colors. impression on him. As his political consciousness acquired new depth, Bhangya became sharper in intercepting overt and covert patterns of casteist exclusion in his

bhangya bhukya bhukya bhangya For the next several years, he funded his secondary and higher education by working academic environment. as an agriculture laborer and in daal (pulses) mills. Bhangya racked his brains for the best ways of organizing INR 100 every month—his budget for covering his expenses Through his postgraduate years at the prestigious University of Hyderabad, Bhangya as a college student—first in a district town, and then in Hyderabad. Doors to small felt cloistered, as if he were in an air-sealed “Brahmin agrahara” (citadel). “The jobs remained stubbornly shut for this Lambada youth. But because his community academic and administrative staff of my university were all Brahmins. I could barely is famed for its stoic forbearance for exhausting labor, the informal sector always had converse with anybody and my professors were indifferent, at best. Elite University work for him. of Hyderabad had not as yet implemented the reservation policies. Thus there were no academic support programs for students like us. We used to get shooed from the Bhangya could have availed of the state government’s post-metric scholarship schemes doors of the staff room. When I spoke up against this treatment, they stigmatized me for tribal students that offered INR 80-120 every month. But, “the paperwork was so and said that I was a very violent person,” Bhangya remembered. tedious and time-consuming, that even if you did qualify, the money would come at the end of your education period,” he explained. He could not wait. JourneyBhangya’s trenchant questioning and incisive scholarship opened up pathways for his academic career. He joined in Osmania University as an Assistant Bhangya studied by day and worked by night, bringing in a paltry INR 7 for a full Professor in the History department. His scholastic enquiries drew him closer to de- night’s work. Bhangya’s academic track altered due to his college lecturer’s chance coding the writing of histories of marginalized communities. visit to the daal mill where he worked. Stunned to see his star pupil sweating it out as a head loader, the teacher offered to finance his graduation and post-graduate studies. He applied to the Commonwealth Fellowship for an international higher education The teacher was to soon morph into a mentor for Bhangya. experience. He wanted to thresh out and rewrite the histories of the Lambada tribe, for which he needed training beyond what he had accumulated in his home state. A steady monthly scholarship freed up Bhangya emotionally. It gave him the mindspace But his name did not feature in the final list of the Fellowship recipients, despite an to engage in Jan Vigyan Vedika, a grassroots civil society outfit of the Communist Party excellent interview with the selection panel.

178 179 Kancha Ilaiah, the iconic Dalit scholar and author of the path-breaking book, Why I am state-branded as ‘criminal tribes’. He also illustrates how this extended persecution Not a Hindu, convinced Bhangya to apply for the IFP Fellowship. He did, but with some compelled the Lambadas to rebellion—a revolt that turned into the Telangana armed trepidation about appearing for what he imagined would be yet another facile interview. struggle towards the end of rule of the Nizams (Administrator of the Realm). While Bhangya got selected for the IFP Fellowship with flying recommendations,I FP got optimal scores from him for setting up a jury that understood and encouraged his As a member of the Adivasi and Dalit Liberation movement in Andhra Pradesh, grammar of dissent. he visits every month the interiors of his state to lead rights-based discourses and programs with Dalit and Adivasi youth. He counts this community work as his His years in England were heady. Thrown into a multicultural environment where highest accomplishment. doors did not slam shut because of identity, he felt free to claim classroom and campus spaces, dialog without restraint, and devour the rich supply of discourses, theories, Bhangya has realized that his story itself can “inspire others—give confidence to people and analyses that his professors made available to him. He worked with the acclaimed from rural backgrounds”. He is quick to state that, while there “are other Lambada

bhangya bhukya bhukya bhangya historian, David Hardiman—founder of the famed Subaltern Studies Project—and professors in our university, due to the IFP experience, I am more visible. This also turned in his PhD thesis in a record three years. means I share greater responsibility”.

ImpactIf Bhangya had chosen to stay back in the UK, his growth as an academic Paradoxically, his community identity has now become tremendously important would have been meteoric. But he was in a hurry to return to his community—his raison for him, and is, in fact, pivotal to his work. He views this identity as a vehicle for d’être and live laboratory for research and social re-engineering. For this community confidence.I ndeed, across the country, identity groups are mobilizing into groups, historian, being rooted in his cultural identity was non-negotiable. How else could he re-articulating their history and the history of nation building. He sees his work as sculpt his own political consciousness and engage in his mission of catapulting youth building social capital, networks, and access for peripheral communities. from marginal identities into new orbits of citizenship? Going forward, Bhangya hopes to establish himself as an organic intellectual/ Dr Bhangya Bhukya’s resume lists a long tail of professional accomplishments.He academic and wishes to develop his academic work and voice by remaining engaged is currently Associate Professor, and heading the Department of Social Inclusion, in mass movements. School of Inter-Disciplinary Studies, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, a leading center of higher education in India. He won the British Academy Visiting Fellowship Award for 2009-2010. He also scripts regular columns in English and Telugu papers and lectures across universities in the UK.

Orient BlackSwan, the definitive publisher of scholarly books in India, has published his PhD work. Through his book, Subjugated Nomads: The Lambadas under the Rule of the Nizams, Bhangya traces a 200-year history of how his community of erstwhile caravan traders was, as a direct result of protracted colonial oppression,

180 181 about appropriate policy formulation with implications for the entire community of the hearing-impaired, and is already thinking ahead of how early intervention can be rolled out on the ground.

Barriers Cynthia was born into a Christian family in the southern India town of Mangalore (Karnataka state). Her father was a store clerk at a construction company in Mumbai, while her mother looked after the tiny family farm, with some help from Cynthia who enjoyed lending a hand at the farm after school. Though money was tight—especially when ill health forced their father to give up his job—the family was happy.

When disharmony entered the Santhmayor clan, it came from an unexpected source—from the eldest child, known for her shy, pliable nature and strong sense of responsibility and who the family always believed would go into nursing. Yet, once

cynthia santhmayor cynthia The Changemaker In India, one in every 1,000 children is in her teens, Cynthia showed every sign of wanting to join the missionary order. Her born deaf. Thousands others develop hearing difficulties in infancy or early childhood. parents were baffled: she was not studying in a convent school,2 and nor was the Because India has no policy of early intervention that makes it mandatory for family intensely religious. audiological tests to be administered to newborns and at regular intervals for growing children, deafness remains undiagnosed and untreated for thousands. But Cynthia followed her inner calling and once she had completed Class X, in spite of her parents’ pleas and threats, she joined the Holy Cross Mission in distant Jharkhand But this may change in the not-too-distant future if a young nun has her way. With to commence her initiation. Eventually, her father accepted her decision, but not her a BSc1 in speech and hearing from Mangalore (Karnataka state), Sister Cynthia mother. Even when she took her final vows, much to Cynthia’s distress, her mother Santhmayor dramatically improved the lives of deaf persons—young and old—and wept throughout the mass. their families when she single-handedly set up and ran the audiology department at her Mission-run hospital in a small town in the interiors of Chhattisgarh state. As a nun, 18-year-old Cynthia’s first assignment was as a teacher in a school for tribal children run by her mission in Chhattisgarh’s remote Moga village. She reveled in the Currently pursuing her Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders at experience, quickly overcoming language barriers by learning both Hindi and the local University of Texas with an IFP Fellowship, she has identified the lack of early- tribal language, Urao. But it was when she was working at her next posting in a school intervention policies as a critical failing in India’s healthcare system, and one that has in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, that Cynthia felt that although teaching was instinctive to terrible consequences. Now working on her thesis titled “Challenges of Developing her, it was not enough: she was certain that God meant her to do something beyond Early Intervention in India”, Cynthia is determined, upon her return, to take her this. When her Mother Superior suggested that she study speech and hearing, although work beyond the confines of her hospital. She plans to launch a movement to bring she knew nothing about the subject, Cynthia rose to the challenge. With financial

182 1 Bachelor of Science. 2 In India, schools run by nuns are known as convent schools. 183 support from the mission, she enrolled for a three-year BSc in the subject at MV Shetty did not want to lose the hospital’s only audiologist, and the challenges of meeting College of Speech and Hearing in Bengaluru (erstwhile Bangalore). application deadlines from her remote location, Cynthia persisted. She was driven by her unshakeable belief that this was what her patients needed and what God wanted From the start, it became clear to Cynthia that this was the work she was intended her to do. to do. Upon graduation, she joined as an audiologist at the Mission’s hospital in Ambikapur, a small town in interior Chhattisgarh. With just the hospital’s ENT3 to Cynthia successfully cleared the IFP selection process and eventually enrolled at advise her, Cynthia worked single-handedly to set up the audiology center and ran the University of Texas, Austin’s Masters Program in Communication Sciences and it as a one-person show. She started newborn interventions to detect deafness at the Disorders. However, the entire period of her University application was fraught with earliest stage, worked with adults and children with hearing difficulties, and conducted personal tragedy as her mother was detected with last-stage gall bladder cancer. Not speech therapy. Twice a week she spent time at a nearby Holy Cross school for deaf wanting to leave her, Cynthia almost gave up on her academic plans, but because of and mentally disabled children. IFP’s unflagging support, she found the strength to complete all the necessary steps.

As the initial satisfaction of what her center was able to achieve wore off, she began to It was just three days after her semester began that her mother succumbed to cancer. question her capacity to serve her patients adequately. Working in a remote location Alone in an alien environment, Cynthia had to dig deep into her religious faith and

cynthia santhmayor cynthia with poor connectivity kept her away from the latest developments in her field, and inner resolve to continue. The IFP staff were unfailing in providing long-distance nor was there anyone she could turn to for advice. The annual Indian Speech and emotional support, and kept her on track. This personal tragedy made the hurdles of Hearing Association (ISHA) conferences she attended made her realize her knowledge adjusting to her new environment and academic demands even more daunting. was fast becoming outdated and hence, deficient in many ways. One of the biggest struggles was to get her English skills up to par: she had not availed What distressed her the most was that without a Masters she was not qualified to of the pre-University ESL (English as a Second Language) course as she had not wanted conduct audiological tests beyond a certain level. Often this meant referring her patients to lose that time with her mother. to larger hospitals in distant towns; typically this signaled the end of treatment, as they could not afford to act on this referral. Increasingly, she felt that she was failing those The initial months in the US were not easy. Coursework was tough, and unfamiliarity whom she was meant to serve. The familiar feeling of needing to do more crept over with citation usage led to unpleasant, hurtful misunderstandings with a professor who her once more. She knew a Masters degree was imperative, but the cost of the MSc4 implied she was guilty of plagiarism. There was also the constant feeling of isolation program in India was prohibitive. As always, when troubled, she turned to prayer. when, despite attempts to reach out to her American classmates, the difference in accents and culture would result in only formal interactions. JourneyIt was at this point that an audiologist nun from her congregation suggested IFP to Cynthia. Herself an IFP Fellow, the sister informed Cynthia that IFP However, Cynthia did not let these get her down, viewing them instead as opportunities had recently included Chhattisgarh in their list and she urged Cynthia to give it a to push her boundaries and move out of her comfort zone. Now in her second semester, try. Despite having to fight the unbending disapproval of her immediate senior who she has settled in well and is enjoying the course. The support of IFP, her cohort, and prayer, are sources of great comfort.

3 A doctor specializing in ear, nose, and throat. 184 4 Master of Science. 185 ImpactAlthough only in her second semester, Cynthia has already identified her mission when she returns. She is determined to replicate a system of early intervention in India similar to what exists in the US. The law makes it mandatory for all newborns in America to undergo a battery of tests to detect disabilities so that they can be treated at the earliest. Cynthia wants a similar policy in India, so that thousands of children who are born with reversible deafness need not live a life bereft of sound. She has begun the groundwork with work on her MA thesis, entitled “Challenges of Developing Early Intervention in India”.

She plans to mobilize the audiologist community to advocate with the government to make early screening mandatory by law. This is necessary, because she now understands that as an individual she can influence only a limited number of persons.

Cynthia is already thinking ahead, about the implementation of such policy. She

cynthia santhmayor cynthia visualizes that the screening could take place utilizing existing government networks that reach the grassroots—schools, primary healthcare centers, et al. Nurses and paramedics in these institutions could be trained to carry out the tests, thus doing away with burdening the system with additional personnel.

For Cynthia, “Coming here has made it very clear to me what I must do: and it is work on a very different level from what I have been doing so far. I want to reach out not to just a few, but to thousands of deaf people and their families”. She cannot wait to return to India to turn this dream into reality.

Dr Sony Augustine Pellissery, PhD Social Policy, University of Oxford, UK. Teaching and researching at the Institute of Rural 186 Management Anand campus, in Gujarat. 187 Barriers Coming from a large family of eight children, with an illiterate father who relied on petty thievery to make ends meet, Dakxin’s was by no means an easy upbringing. Dire poverty deprived his older siblings of basic education. Only Dakxin and his younger sister attended school. In spite of a precarious domestic life, worsened by his father’s intermittent trips to prison, Dakxin’s father aspired to an ‘English education’ for his two youngest children.

In the absence of any guidance from his illiterate parents, Dakxin failed three years straight in Class III. Further, for the Bhantu- and Gujarati-speaking boy, unfamiliarity with English and Hindi made matters worse for him in school. A shift to Uma Shikshan Teerth (a Gujarati-medium school in Ahmedabad) came as a welcome break as now

dakxin bajrange the naturally bright Dakxin started to excel in academics. Although schooling opened his eyes to a world filled with possibilities, it was far from idyllic. He and other Chharas were made to sit separately from the rest of the class and were the first to be singled The Changemaker Dakxin Bajrange was born into the Chhara out whenever something went missing in the classroom. tribe, one of India’s 198 Denotified Tribes, tagged as ‘born criminals’ by the British in 1871. Many years and many laws later, the label of ‘habitual offenders’ endures, After a commendable first division in matriculation,D akxin opted for the Commerce and stereotyping and persecution of nearly 60 million people by the state and its stream at the Gujarati-medium Navyug Vidyalaya. By now, he had developed a keen institutions continues. interest in what was to become a passion—theater and filmmaking.A young Dakxin, with loans from friends and family, spent most of his time experimenting with a basic Growing up in the ghetto of Chharanagar (on the margins of Ahmedabad in Gujarat), VHS camera, much to the chagrin of his school principal. A government scholarship Dakxin experienced extreme alienation, economic adversity and deep-seated prejudice scheme for socially and economically disadvantaged students saw him through his throughout his life. Bachelors in Psychology (which he thought would help him in his chosen profession more than Commerce) from Laxmi Ben and Chiman Lal Mehta Arts College. The open Against all odds, this first-generation learner rose to become an award-winning environment—where no one was aware of his Chhara background and even if they filmmaker, actor and activist and is empowering other Chharas to use the medium of were, it would have made no difference to his highly progressive friends—further theater to upturn stereotypes around their tribe, and to demand their basic right to a cemented his bonds with theater and like-minded students. dignified life and livelihood sans discrimination. Dakxin volunteered with the Budhan Theatre (named after a tribal who was killed in police custody) in Chharanagar in1998. Those were exciting years and Dakxin assimilated as much as he could, writing and Armed with an IFP-enabled Masters degree in Theatre and Global Development from directing plays, organizing theater events in his college and participating in the Indian Leeds University, Dakxin has infused his group with fresh blood and transformed it National Theatre Competition in Mumbai. Coming in second was just the icing on the into a hub for rights, activism and learning. cake and it set him on the path to his engagement with theater.

188 189 JourneyDakxin sought admission in City College, Ahmedabad, with the himself to working with just the Chhara community. Dakxin and his troupe tirelessly idea of pursuing a Masters degree but financial insecurity reared its familiar head performed street plays within the community, in public spaces and sometimes in front once again and he had to abandon studies. of police stations. The latter did not go down well with the powers-that-be and Dakxin was arrested in 2003 on flimsy grounds. To his dismay, he could not write the Indian So strong was his determination to walk the creative path as an independent filmmaker Administrative Services Exam (IAS)1 that was scheduled for that very day. For the first and theater practitioner that taking up a regular job was not an option. Inspired by time in his life, he felt completely disheartened. Later he was released ‘innocent’ by the history of Chharas and other Denotified Tribes and their neglect and persecution honorable metropolitan court of Ahmedabad in 2009, after six years of legal battle. through centuries, Dakxin aspired to share their struggle with the larger world. He wrote and directed a play in May 1998 on the life of Budhan Sabar, a tribal who was However, his engagement with theater and politics continued, keeping him going. killed in police custody in West Bengal’s Purulia District. In the legal battle that had Without being consciously aware of it, Dakxin had become a social activist. Slowly, his ensued, renowned writer and activist Mahasweta Devi had won the case on behalf of work began to be recognized for its passion and integrity. In 2005, his documentary

dakxin bajrange Budhan’s wife Shayamali Sabar. film on snake charmers Fight for Survival received the Jeevika Award, a validation of his struggle and commitment. 2007 brought the honor of being invited to the United Mahasweta Devi, who also came to visit Chharanagar despite being warned by the Nations to talk about his struggle for dignity as a Chhara and his engagement with local police about entering the ‘criminal ghetto’ at her own risk, was moved to tears community theater. That was the first airplane ride of his life, and he was bound for and the overwhelming response of the audience demonstrated to Dakxin the power foreign shores! New York was like a dream, far removed from his world. of theater as an instrument for social change. A meeting with Dr Ganesh Devy—a celebrated tribal rights activist—further underlined what he already knew: he was Through his work, Dakxin met Rakesh Sharma, a filmmaker best known for his hard destined for a life of activism through the arts. hitting film on the politics of hate, Final Solution, that won many awards in India and abroad. Dakxin worked with him on three documentaries that were centered on the By now, Dakxin was a Fellow at Bhasha Research and Publication Center (BRPC), an Gujarat genocide of 2002 and on various political and development issues. NGO working with tribals in Gujarat. A modest donation from Dr Devy helped him to open a small library in Chharanagar and, with the support of the BRPC, Budhan When IFP came calling in 2009 with the offer that he apply for their Fellowship, Theatre was founded in 1998. As the momentum around his work grew in the theater Dakxin (who was by now married and the father of five), was unsure. BRPC was and media circuits, Dakxin’s circle of influence began to expand, leading to a greater prepared to let him go on paid leave, but on a 30 percent salary cut. Not just that, but awareness about the plight of the Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), especially the income from filmmaking would come to a grinding halt during his absence. But he the Chharas. It sparked off interest in some, indignation in others, and increasingly shrugged off this anxiety. Many months and many interviews later, he was selected as people wanted to do more than just express sympathy. an IFP Fellow. For the first time in his life, top-notch education was within his reach and money was not an issue. His original choice was the Royal Academy of Dramatic Meanwhile Gujarat’s fast changing socio-political dynamics—the increasing Arts (RADA). However, Dakxin’s focus was theater for community development and communalism and the events leading up to the carnage of 2002—compelled him to the course at RADA was purely theater oriented in its approach. With some guidance speak for those who had been silenced. He realized that he could no longer restrict

1 The Indian Administrative Service is the elite administrative civil service of the Government of 190 India. 191 from the IFP team, Dakxin zeroed in on a Masters in Theatre and Global Development to include a school on journalism, media studies, and theater. With over 30 students from the University of Leeds, UK. from Chharanagar and other nearby areas enrolled in different courses, it offers a new world of professional opportunities to marginalized youths. A linguistic studies Going back to college in July 2010 was as challenging as it was exhilarating. While at department is also on the anvil and its focus will be on the research and study of Leeds, Dakxin felt proud when he was invited to address postgraduate and doctoral nomadic languages. Dakxin’s long cherished dream of hosting a theater festival in students about DNTs and to narrate his experiences as one. Receiving immense Chharanagar, Ahmedabad, came true in February 2012. Twenty-seven theater groups support from his faculty members and co-students, Dakxin forged many friendships, from all across the country used the opportunity to network, collaborate and learn some of which have endured. He made the most of the opportunities presented to him from each other. by IFP and visited the famed Edinburgh Theatre Festival which presented him with tremendous exposure and inspiration. Dakxin strongly feels that more needs to be done to safeguard the interests of the DNTs at the policy level while, at the same time, ensuring that their ancestral and traditional

dakxin bajrange Impact The open environment, sheer diversity of people and the respect crafts are preserved. Formulation of a national policy for DNTs and their inclusion in accorded to him touched Dakxin deeply. The work ethic and the discipline of his the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 is next colleagues were his biggest takeaways, something he continuously strives for in on his agenda, which he hopes will provide them the much-needed legal and social his professional life. The UK experience helped him develop the language and the security. He has been appointed as a ‘State Coordinator’ for Gujarat to conduct pilot pedagogy of theater in development, and provided a theoretical framework to his surveys on education of DNTs in Gujarat. earlier intuitive practice: “Now, whenever we perform and protest, I place issues in the larger context of development and change”. In association with IFP alumna Kinnari Desai, who works with the Blind People’s Association, Dakxin has conducted theater workshops with disabled women from 16 His vision has expanded and it reflects in his concerns and future course of work. districts of Gujarat and has trained them as ‘master trainers for theater’. Since his return to India in September 2010, Dakxin is working with Dalits and other DNTs outside of Gujarat, such as the Pardee (Pardhi) in Maharashtra: “My vision has Dakxin’s autobiography along with a collection of five plays (Budhan Bolta Hai) has expanded; I learned that theater cannot change the world but it has the power to. I been published in Hindi by Bhasha Research and Publication Centre. It is the first want to develop many theater groups in many communities”. As honoray director of biographical account of a DNT person in Gujarat. It is also being translated into Budhan Theatre on a modest salary of INR 10,000 per month, Dakxin ironically still Marathi. struggles to support his large family and keep his passion alive. Like any good learner, Dakxin would love to share his rich experiences and diverse Filmmaking continues to interest Dakxin and, along with his former professor from knowledge, and teaching seems to be the next logical step that he wants to explore. Leeds, he is currently working on raising funds for his film on conflict in the context This openness to all of life’s challenges is what has brought Dakxin so far. A theater of DNTs in India. The research focuses on Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat practitioner, filmmaker, academic, role model, human rights campaigner, he manages and Rajasthan. He directed the film Setu (August 2012) on tribal literature for his multiple roles with an effortless ease and an uncommon grace. Bhasha. With support from BRPC in Vadodara, Budhan Theatre has grown rapidly

192 193 Other Backward Classes category. In colonial times, they were referred to as criminal tribes, leading to their extreme marginalization and discrimination. The stigma still persists.

Deepak was born and grew up in the small village of Chithwari in the Jaipur district of Rajasthan. He studied in local schools—till Class VII in Chithwari, and then in Chomu, a good 12 kilometers away. His early memories are of taking a shared jeep to Chomu, the only reliable means of public transport. While growing up, there was no familial support. His mother was his inspiration and impressed upon him the value of education. Very early on he became conscious of the fact that he would have to strive diligently: “My mother always stressed that education was our only capital. I worked hard as I knew I could not depend on anything or anyone else. I knew that I had to educate myself and make myself strong”.

deepak kumar yogi The Changemaker Deepak Kumar Yogi, who was only 19 when After completing Class XII privately, Deepak joined the Bachelors course in Sanskrit at he was selected as an IFP fellow, helms his own community-based microfinance the Govindi Devi Sahariya Sanskrit College in Kala Dera, Rajasthan. At 25 kilometers organization in Rajasthan that does business of over INR 1 crore (INR 10 million) away, it was the closest college to Chithwari. Focused on all-round self-development, and involves over 4,200 rural women. A self-professed “development professional, he consciously availed of whatever limited avenues his college could provide for academic, and a humanitarian,” this serial entrepreneur has founded several other growth and took part in sports and all extra and co-curricular activities. organizations to push his integrated development agenda. This includes a school for the rehabilitation of Dalit and minority group child laborers (in partnership with the JourneyThe National Service Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Labour Ministry), the formation of 350+ Joint Liability Groups to cater to the savings Sports changed the course of Deepak’s life. In 1997, when he was in Class XI, he need of remote villages, Farmers Clubs that help organize agricultural loans and attended an NSS National Integration Camp in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. It was the provide inputs on latest farming methods, and Vikasdhara, a publication that imparts first time that he had ventured out of his home state. Here, he came across inspiring information on development schemes that benefit the community. young people and development workers whose passion fired him with the zeal to do something for his village and community. Barriers Deepak is a first generation learner and belongs to the Jogi or Nath community, traditionally the gypsies of India. This son of a dai (midwife) He began by initiating small social initiatives through the NSS and slowly the villagers was raised single-handedly by his gutsy mother in the absence of her husband who began to perceive Deepak as a changemaker and looked to him for leadership. When abandoned them when Deepak was very young. the National Literacy Mission came to Chithwari, he volunteered to start a center for adult literacy in his village, flagging off with 12 members, with numbers quickly rising In 1952, the nomadic Jogis were denotified by the government as belonging to the to 70. Though he did not get a cent for his efforts, what kept him going was the deep

194 195 sense of achievement and hope in seeing erstwhile illiterate women and men reading Rajasthan Patrika. Suddenly, his aspirations held a promise well beyond his wildest the newspapers. dreams.

Deepak was all of 17 then, but even at that young age and without any formal training Deepak was uncertain of making the grade in light of what he perceived to be his in community mobilization, he knew instinctively that to continue to engage people he relative inexperience when compared to the other, more ‘worldly’ candidates who needed to provide added incentives than just education. The majority of members were all had some work experience behind them. Moreover, the villagers deterred him, middle aged and old women, who suggested that an additional activity like bhajans cautioning him: “They told me it was a scam and everyone advised me that this was (devotional songs) would help in ensuring regular attendance and keep interest levels a racket and I should not give them any money that they would eventually ask for… alive. Thus, every day after class, from 3.30pm to 5 pm, Deepak’s literacy classes even the local newspaper journalists told me I was being taken for a ride”. It was only would close with bhajan singing. An additional spin off was that this proved to be a when the train tickets (“second air-conditioned class!”) to Delhi were offered, that he great tool for spreading communal harmony because Muslim and Hindu members began to believe that IFP was for real. would take turns to sing devotional songs representing their religion. Deepak’s learning curve zoomed during the orientation, which was an experience like As Deepak’s interactions with the women in his community deepened, he started no other. IFP handheld him in choosing his course as he was ignorant of what was deepak kumar yogi gaining insights into the common problems faced by them, the biggest being that of on offer. His other challenges were the English language that he barely knew, and his the usurious interest rates charged by the local money lender. The idea of starting computer illiteracy. Self-Help Groups (SHG) began to take form in his mind. He had first come across this concept in the local Hindi newspapers and he garnered further details from the Chomu Deepak signed up at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, Philippines, for Cooperative Bank (CCB), who informed him about National Bank for Agriculture and an MA in Development Management, an 11-month course that had been tailored to Rural Development (NABARD) and introduced him to a few functioning SHGs. spread over two years for people such as Deepak. Being a key IFP partner, the Institute is geared to offer administrative and academic support to special students. Over the The first SHG was registered with CCB, while the second one, the Indira Group, was two years, he gained wide-ranging perspectives. given extensive know-how on agriculture, vermin composting, and organic farming. The women started their production unit in 2001-02 and immediately began to see However, the two years abroad were fraught with downs as well. He had no idea of profits from compost sales. research methodology, had never written a thesis, and couldn’t explain himself in English. The Indian bureaucrats in his course helped him immeasurably, right down In between all these activities, Deepak managed to put in some study hours and to editing his thesis! A faculty unfamiliar with students such as Deepak, added to his complete his graduation. He had no earth shaking personal life plans—he figured that woes. It was an extremely challenging time and had it not been for the unwavering he would study some more and perhaps take up a teaching post in a private school or, support of the IFP team, he would not have completed his course. with luck, land a government job. ImpactDeepak completed his degree and returned to India in July 2006. At It was at this juncture that he came across the IFP advertisement in the Hindi daily, first, the lure of a comfortable CSO job with a substantial salary cheque beckoned;

196 197 it would certainly have made up for his mother’s sacrifices and assured them a five small farmers can come together to form a JLG. So far 350 such groups have comfortable life. been formed in far-flung areas of the district.U nder the government Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana scheme, his organization now reaches out to BPL (Below the However, he knew that he had got the fellowship for a reason and that he had to ‘give Poverty Line) families with loans and grants in one Block, for whom it is otherwise back’ to his community: Mahila Shashaktikaran Kendra (Women’s Empowerment next to impossible to access loans. Centre) was born in August 2006 in Chithwari, Rajasthan, with microfinance at its pivot. The 4,200-stong organization, which has facilitated loan disbursals for over The scope of Deepak’s work is growing steadily and one key expansion area is that 3,000 women and has a turnover of over INR 1 crore (INR 10 million), has grown to of micro insurance—unexplored territory in the Indian rural context—in partnership become self-sustaining. His ‘Banking with the Poor’ course now proved its relevance with LIC (Life Insurance Corporation). Additionally, through Farmer Clubs, Deepak is to his work. consciously looking at ways to involve men through activities and exposure visits that facilitate access to new technology and modern farming techniques. The initial outreach to 30 villages and 21 Gram Panchayats (village-level governing bodies) in and around Chithwari in Jaipur district is now being taken forward to The most striking feature, and perhaps the principal strength, of Deepak’s work is the 100 villages. Typically, loans are raised for farming (including vegetables and dairy), ease with which he has entered into and nurtured alliances with so many government deepak kumar yogi as well as for the non-farming activities sector (leather work, bangle making, and and semi-government institutions: “A lot of work is happening in partnership with khadi production). The next small business on the anvil is garments export, for which the government and semi-government institutions, and that is good. I think I am machines have been procured and 50 women have already undergone training under seen as ‘foreign returned’ and that has created a certain positive image”. For many a NABARD scheme. development workers this poses the key challenge, but within a short span of four years, Deepak has managed to build and bring powerful credibility to his work. With assistance of NABARD he conducts financial inclusion awareness campaigns targeting rural populations who do not normally have access to such information. He has initiated a quarterly newsletter, Vikasdhara, which provides the community with information on various development schemes and programs that they could Although women have been the prime targets of all his initiatives, he is now looking to benefit from. broaden his work by involving the entire community including children, youths, and men. To this end, he has initiated Sanskar Bharti Vidyapeeth (Children’s Rehabilitation Deepak has high expectations from the coming five years wherein he hopes to Centre) with contributions from within the community. Deepak has forged a partnership consolidate and amplify the scope and reach of his work on the one hand, and seek with the Ministry of Labour for the rehabilitation of 50 child laborers from mainly the self growth, on the other. The restless changemaker thinks that “it’s time for another minority and Dalit communities. Professionally trained teachers have been appointed Fellowship now,” for updation and advancement. Forever optimistic and deeply and the school has already gained the State Education Department’s recognition. passionate, he believes that he is capable of accomplishing beyond the 0.01 percent that he has already made a mark in: “I have to do so much more. The other 99.9 Deepak has also initiated Joint Liability Groups (JLG), which are conceptually quite percent remains”. similar to SHGs, only smaller. It is ideal for remote villages where a group of even

198 199 Surkeha Talari, MPhil Criminological Research, University of Cambridge, UK. Outside a jail advocating for prison reforms,200 in Madhya Pradesh. 201 His working class freedom fighter grandfather who participated in Gandhi’s Dandi March was Ganeswar’s inspiration. Batoned by the British police during the march, he died a couple of years later from poverty-related medical neglect. Moreover, their small ancestral landholding was confiscated by the British, leaving the family in abject penury.

The double whammy of poverty and his ‘untouchable’ status ensured rank prejudice in the Government school that he attended. Children from the same circumstances as himself were relegated to attending class by sitting out lessons in the verandah. Disallowed from drinking water from the only tube well in the village, they quenched their thirst from the river. Money was too tight to buy books, and the upper castes

ganeswar majhi majhi ganeswar refused to share theirs. An unforgettable incident—“a heartburning” one—has stayed with Ganeswar and has shaped what he is today: on topping school, he was thrashed mercilessly by his headmaster. Baffled then, he realizes now that the highest honor The Changemaker Born in Badatrilochanpur village in rural was perceived as the sole prerogative of the upper castes. Ganeswar’s grades had Odisha into an ultra-poor Dalit family of agricultural and casual laborers, Ganeswar dared to topple that equation. Majhi is using his position as an academic to advocate for ‘poverty management’— as against poverty alleviation—and comprehensive inclusion of Scheduled Caste Ganeswar is the first person in his family to complete matriculation.P rior to his IFP- communities. aided MSc in Poverty Reduction and Development Management from the University of Birmingham, UK, which he completed in 2008, Ganeswar had earned an MA in As a professor in a district college in Odisha, Ganeswar actively advises youth leaders, Analytical and Applied Economics from Utkal University, Odisha. His entire education community-based organizations and peer academics on complex local issues of in India was through academic merit and the Government ’reservations’ quota. development. He aims to develop practical theories of sustainable livelihoods that will enable communities strapped under generational privation to experience full After his Masters degree, Ganeswar sat for competitive exams including those for citizenship. the elite administrative and banking services, but was unsuccessful. He finally joined as a Junior Lecturer of Economics in Sri Krishna Chandra Gajapati (SKCG) Barriers Ganeswar showed his academic mettle at an early age. Seeing College (Paralakhemundi), Odisha. He had a family to support, and an income was promise in his eldest child, his father sold off his tiny patch of land and Ganeswar’s fundamental to survival. uneducated younger brother pitched in by toiling in the fields. To augment this, Ganeswar worked throughout his student life. He sold vegetables, worked as farm JourneyThroughout his student life, the one question uppermost in labor, took tuitions and once, through sheer luck, landed an Oxfam translating Ganeswar’s mind was: “Why are even the poorer students from other communities assignment (Oriya to English), which paid him handsomely. growing in society and why are the Dalits not? In my region less than 15 percent of

202 203 higher castes are poor, but Dalits and others from low castes are poor, with 70 percent Impact The one year in Birmingham was all that Ganeswar had hoped for. He under the poverty line”. learnt that for poverty analysis, income was not the sole determinant of the poverty level of individuals. He became increasingly convinced that one “can’t measure pain Ganeswar was living a marginalized reality; he took up economics to better understand and pleasure of poor people through statistical tools,” and that livelihood is a far the conceptual realities that defined exclusion. “Poverty plus low caste is a terrible broader concept than a cumulative count of incomes and assets; the latter being a combination in this country,” Ganeswar believes, and he sought empowerment— small notch on the full spectrum. Ganeswar realized the importance of sustainable through knowledge, analysis, and a search for sustainable solutions to mitigate the livelihoods, comprising visible and non-visible capital—both social and political— powerlessness that was all around him. that permanently empower the earner. His understandings of ‘relative poverty’ and ‘poverty management’ were founded on these insights. Alongside his studies, Ganeswar was an active participant in his community. When in college, he and his friends founded Rural Upliftment and Poverty Alleviation (RUPA) Ganeswar is now a professor in a college in Ganjam District of Odisha. With a degree

ganeswar majhi majhi ganeswar to redress village problems. One of their landmark successes was the electrification of from an international university, he could have sought jobs in city colleges anywhere their village. During his MA, he was a founder member of the Ambedkar Sangathan, else in India, but Ganeswar chose to return to his state, as he had committed to IFP. set up to inspire and instill self-pride in the disenfranchised such as Dalits. The Having attained new recognition as an IFP Fellow, he actively advises local academics association remains active in Utkal University till today. and grassroots practitioners on their work. He is convinced that his contribution as a social justice leader will be in the sphere of developing actionable and workable As a junior lecturer in SKCG College, Ganeswar joined Sewastambh, an organization theories of change. for, and of, Scheduled Caste (SC) employees, focused on empowering them with their rights and the work options open to them. The reality is that SCs are typically given He has registered for a PhD in Berhampur University. He hopes that his research low paying or clerical jobs. Promotions are withheld, applications for transfers are not findings on ‘Social Capitalism’—a theory the turns around on its head the idea that entertained, and often, terms and conditions of work are different from, and favor, socialism and capitalism are antithetical, and which postulates that robust social higher caste employees. support networks for the poor enhance capital output— will add a new dimension to managing poverty in the context of what he describes as ‘relative poverty’. He is However, despite his immersion in community work, Ganeswar felt driven to better confident that his doctoral work will throw up workable models that can be applied to comprehend and unpack the complex and larger issue of poverty management. elevate ultra-poor communities, such as the one that Ganeswar was born into. He wanted to push the envelope in strategizing new paradigms for change so that entitlements would trickle down to the poorest. To increase his bandwidth, he figured But Ganeswar’s life is not all theory. He is active in organizing students, particularly that if he studied abroad he would learn from global perspectives and from best from his community, to understand social discrimination, find routes for overcoming practices from the first world as well as from the ‘developing South’. obstacles, and to seize government-mandated opportunities.

His application for the Commonwealth Fellowship came a cropper and when he saw the IFP advertisement in the Oriya local daily, Samaj, he wasted no time in applying.

204 205 Haldhar always managed to be among the top three in his class. But, in the absence of parental guidance and monetary resources, no one in the family, including Haldhar himself, ever gave college a serious thought. However, by the time he completed Class X from SS (State sponsored) High School, Dimra, his elder brother had a job as a school teacher, and encouraged him to study further. Under his guidance, Haldhar took up science at St. Columba’s, a reputed school in Hazaribagh. A fee waiver owing to his deprived background and additional support from his brother helped Haldhar to move into the St Columba’s hostel. A high quality education was now within reach.

The move from Hindi medium to an English medium education came with its own

haldhar mahto haldhar set of challenges, and he struggled initially. In spite of the language barrier, Haldhar managed a second division in Class XII and opted for a BSc in Chemistry from the same school. Graduating with a creditable first class, he toyed with the idea of doing a Masters from the Regional Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, but the high fees were The Changemaker Haldhar Mahto, a first generation OBC a deterrent. (Other Backward Class) learner from Dimra village in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, vaulted over exclusions of caste, class, region and poverty to emerge with not one, but Instead, in 1988, Haldhar joined up for an MSc in Chemistry at Ranchi University. One multiple postgraduate degrees from some of the best institutes in India and abroad. year into his course, he heard about the Rural Development program offered by the Currently with Public Health Resource Network—an India-based organization that Xavier Institute of Social Sciences (XISS) Ranchi. An entry into a professional course builds capacities for public health action—Haldhar is coordinating the Jharkhand with a 50% fee waiver was an opportunity to good to miss. He took the entrance exam chapter. Passionate about reaching out to the hugely underserved communities in and cleared it. He enrolled into XISS and found the two-year diploma course in rural his state, Haldhar is a member of the State Vigilance and Monitoring Committee development diverse and easy when compared to science. Haldhar then rejoined his that supervises the implementation of government programs. Also nominated as the Chemistry Masters, which he completed the following year. district ombudsman for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Haldhar looks forward to joining active politics some day. He also landed a research-based project job with Hindustan Fertilizers (HF) and Haldhar joined them as a social scientist in December 1991. The project, funded by Barriers Haldhar was born in Dimra village where 41 percent of the DFID,1 focused on seed trials suitable for rain-fed areas and income generation activities population lives below the poverty line. His father, a farmer, was a matriculate while in Purulia, West Bengal. The work gave Haldhar a window into the problems of the his mother was illiterate, and neither saw the need to focus their four children on people at the grassroots and going over and above his mandate, he started thinking of education. That the nearest school was over 9 miles away only compounded the ways and means to tackle the perennial problem of water shortage in the area. problem of access. Haldhar used to take the only available train to school and back, and if it did not show up, as happened often, he would walk. Inspired by community participation in watershed development in Ralegaon Siddhi

206 1 Department for International Development, a UK aid agency. 207 in Maharashtra and Pradan, a leading NGO in rural livelihoods, Haldhar started creating and leading the training of over 7,000 women in political leadership, running mobilizing people to adopt water harvesting techniques in Brajrajpur village. These health camps, raising disability awareness, and driving inclusive education. practices later came to be known as the 5% Model, which was conceived to protect rain-fed paddy in Jharkhand from dry spells during September.2 In spite of the hectic work front, the thought of further education was never far from Haldhar’s mind. He applied to the ISS (International Institute of Social Studies)4 in the Haldhar also facilitated community led forest plantation drives for soil conservation Netherlands, but could not afford the fees. Ironically, when Haldhar met IFP personnel and planting fruits in collaboration with the horticulture department. Working closely (in 2002) when visiting Hazaribagh, he was too caught up with work to even think with PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions),3 Haldhar extended the model to over 40 of applying. Two years later, when his work had reached maturity, Haldhar applied villages in the district. Three years passed by in a flash. His work received considerable to the IFP and was selected as a Fellow. He developed a second line of leadership at attention from water management experts and in 1994, Pradan offered Haldhar the NBJK, and only then did he feel comfortable about taking the plunge into the world

haldhar mahto haldhar opportunity of replicating it on a much larger scale in Ranchi district. Haldhar, now of academic learning. He opted for a Masters in Social Policy at the London School of designated Executive (Projects), coupled the model with micro lift irrigation methods, Economics and Political Science (LSE). scaled it to five blocks, and mobilized a noteworthy INR 1.5 crores (INR 15 million). But leaving Indian shores was not simple as he had many concerns, chief among JourneyOver time, Haldhar came to realize that a major barrier to scaling them being his wife and two children, who had to rely on their savings in Haldhar’s farmer incomes or integrated land use models was the low health assets of rural absence. He was also apprehensive about the extremely competitive environment at families. Apart from being the biggest drain on family budgets, any illness during LSE and of grappling with the challenges of a foreign environment. critical planting periods negatively impacted crop production and meant a dip in the already meager incomes of farmers. PRADAN’s overwhelming focus on lift irrigation Haldhar burrowed through all his contacts from work and personal life to ensure easy and self-help groups—even as village studies revealed that 40 percent of people’s access and support from other Indian friends and acquaintances in London. When he incomes were spent on managing health issues—left Haldhar unsettled. landed in London in 2005, these relationships facilitated his arrival and his transition to a large extent. Although the preparation and training provided by the IFP team Convinced about the need for a strategic shift through a more broad based approach was top notch, the high quality of education and the quantum leap that Haldhar was to rural development, Haldhar moved on from PRADAN to Nav Bharat Jagriti Kendra expected to take academically, caught him by surprise in the first few months. (NBJK) in 2001. Established in 1971, NBJK followed a multi-pronged approach toward development and was active in the areas of education, health, microcredit, A three-week orientation to the course within LSE smoothened the process of bringing solid waste management, local governance and disaster relief in the states of Bihar Haldhar up to speed with the fast paced, new academic milieu, even when the sheer and Jharkhand. scale of ‘catching up’ with his peers seemed daunting. Haldhar could barely manage to complete his reading lists and constantly wondered if he would get through: Integrating the critical health component into his work, Haldhar had his hands full in “However, my field experience and the basic conceptual clarity achieved due to my own grassroots work and the IFP training came to my aid and gave me confidence”.

2 The 5% Model involves digging a 2-3 meter deep pit on the upper corner of each terraced paddy field on a 5% area of the field across a large (10 hectare or more) landscape in a gently sloping terrain which captures excess water during rains, to be used during dry spells later. 208 3 PRIs are self-governance tiers that fall under state governments. 4 The name has since changed to Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam. 209 Impact Tough as it was, the experience ushered in a huge transformation by Under the guidance of the Executive Director at NHSRC and Convenor of PHRN a big not just enriching Haldhar both professionally and personally, but by also instilling in team of public health professionals drawn from the Government and the NGO sectors him tremendous self belief: “My ability to coordinate multiple tasks, adapt to a whole was put together. Streamlining the public health system and making it accessible and nest of learning and training easily—these were the new things I discovered about accountable to the rural population had been a long cherished dream of Haldhar’s and myself”. at PHRN, he had the mandate to do just that.

It also enabled him to relate to his work in a new way; till now he had been so Haldhar also made inroads in the field of higher education.I n 2009, a partnership with immersed at the level of grassroots work, that grasping the larger picture often IGNOU5 resulted in the creation of a postgraduate diploma course in District Health posed a challenge. The intensive reading and exposure to international policy and Management, which is offered in 10 states. PHRN is also exploring the possibility of development perspectives put Haldhar’s own work in a fresh perspective: “I could offering a postgraduate course in Public Health and is designing this in collaboration

haldhar mahto haldhar see the linkages to my work 10 years ago in Purulia; it was my biggest learning”. He with Manchester Metropolitan University. Another novel idea was the two-year was able to connect the dots between his grassroots work with that of international community health fellowships program that equips young development professionals policies and an overarching development framework. with a strong background in the field of community health in the states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. His other big takeaway was the rich exposure to UK’s public health system, especially the National Health Services (NHS) which, given his background, inspired Haldhar and Although work at PHRN kept him engaged, it did not dim Haldhar’s enthusiasm to pointed him toward the larger goal of implementing similar mechanisms in his home achieve more. Advocacy and policy making interest him immensely and currently, state. The LSE campus was buzzing with learning opportunities and he felt privileged as a member of the State Vigilance and Monitoring Committee that supervises the to attend the many seminars and conferences where intellectual greats such as Nobel implementation of government programs, he continues to be in the thick of things. Laureate Amartya Sen were participants. LSE showed Haldhar the value of building social capital and helped him hone his networking skills: “The system there is such In his role of ombudsman for MNREGA for three districts, Haldhar takes a keen that it allows you to explore and develop a vision for yourself. LSE has ensured that interest in monitoring rural development schemes. His latest experiment is to use the my sense of disadvantage because of my identity is now a thing of the past. Of course, Right to Information Act as a tool to strengthen health services in one block, gradually that core identity still exists—a complete transformation may not be possible in one scaling it to the entire district. Deeply convinced about bringing in a systemic change, lifetime. The IFP experience helped me cover many milestones in one leap”. Haldhar would like to join active politics in the near future. Ever the learner, he is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Health through correspondence from On his return to India in 2006, Haldhar joined the Public Health Resource Network the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. (PHRN). Based out of Delhi, it is a technical support organization that strengthens the public health system in India. As Senior Coordinator, he was tasked with setting up innovative health solutions and strengthening systems at the district level. After two years of planning, design and some unstructured implementation, Public Health Resource Society (PHRS) popularly known as PHRN was founded in 2008.

210 5 Indira Gandhi National Open University. 211 also wants to set up state cells that offer counseling and advocacy support to those with disabilities.

Barriers Kinnari’s childhood—spread over Gujarat because of her father’s frequent postings as a State Bank of India employee—was happy and comfortable. Theirs was a small nuclear family and she and her sister grew up with solid middle- class values where education and leading independent professional lives were considered important. She did her graduation from Navgujarat College, followed up with the MCA degree. When her glaucoma was diagnosed soon after her Masters, she kinnari desai kinnari went through as many as six surgeries. However these did not help much and Kinnari realized that she would just have to learn to live with her condition.

Kinnari’s father’s ‘never say die’ attitude proved to be a huge pillar of strength. He took leave from work, made the rounds of doctors with Kinnari, and encouraged The Changemaker Kinnari Desai had just completed a Masters her to be more positive in her outlook. Impressed with BPA and its work with the degree in Computer Applications (MCA) when Pearl Glaucoma struck at the age of 25, visually impaired, he suggested that she explore work options with them. Kinnari leaving her with a serious visual impairment. She suffered a loss of vision in her left started out as a computer instructor in January 2000 on a modest stipend, but was eye, and was able to retain only partial vision in the right eye. quickly promoted to the position of Skills Development Officer with the mandate to help disabled women form marginalized backgrounds to set up small businesses in Born in a progressive, middle class, Gujarati family, Kinnari refused to let this one various districts of Gujarat. setback deter her from pursuing a fulfilling career and making informed life choices. With strong support and encouragement from her father, Kinnari joined the Ahmedabad- JourneyKinnari impressed everyone at BPA with her commitment. They based Blind People’s Association (BPA) that works towards the rehabilitation of sponsored her for a leadership training for women empowerment, where she was people with disabilities through education, training and employment opportunities. selected by All India Confederation of the Blind, Delhi to be a coordinator for Western As head of their statewide rehabilitation program, she became a role model for many India. This project, implemented by AICB, Delhi saw her being entrusted with their disadvantaged young women with disabilities in Gujarat. At the same time, Kinnari women’s empowerment and capacity building programs on sexual and reproductive also traveled extensively, lending her expertise in training and capacity building to health, and livelihoods and income generation. This involved working with their international organizations working on disability issues in South East Asia. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and Rajasthan partners.

Having recently completed an IFP-enabled Masters in Disability and Human Following the massive Gujarat earthquake in January 2001 that devastated large parts Development from Syracuse University in New York, her immediate plans are to of the state, she quit the travel-intensive role in February that year at the insistence focus BPA on a rights-based approach to empower women with disabilities. She of her father who was worried for her safety. She went back to managing BPA’s 130-

212 213 district community-based rehabilitation program. Raising awareness on disability with technology such as JAWS (a screen reading program that helps low vision and issues, discussing disability prevention and advocating for the inclusion of the disabled blind users). She also struggled somewhat with gaining the acceptance of her peers at with different audiences in the rural and urban context were key areas of her work. IFP and cohort members. Implementing ‘training of trainers’ (TOT) programs in India and in South East Asia, Kinnari soon became comfortable in her role as a ‘master trainer’. She also developed The IFP team guided her toward the Disability and Human Development Masters at new skills when conducting monitoring and evaluation exercises with international Syracuse, a cluster university1, with a good disability resource centre as well as a high agencies. During this period, Kinnari’s self-image and confidence grew exponentially. degree of sensitivity to students with disability. Other IFP Fellows with disabilities who had been placed there had had a positive experience. However, although her professional life was taking off, Kinnari had her fair share of kinnari desai kinnari downs on the personal front. Her father—her biggest champion and cheerleader— She landed up in Syracuse in 2010. College was exciting and challenging. The first passed away in 2002, leaving the familial and home-related responsibilities on two semesters were not easy on the academic front, and it took her a while to get to Kinnari’s shoulders. By now, her sister had married and moved away and Kinnari grips with the technology aspects of her learning. Although she could record lectures, was her mother’s sole support. following the American accent was another issue and Kinnari had to listen many times over in order to comprehend and make notes. It was by chance, at a partner NGO’s office, that Kinnari came across information about the IFP Fellowship. She applied, and was surprised when she heard from the IFP It soon became evident to Kinnari that things were far from perfect and that the team after her first selection. However, concerned for her mother and how she would University needed to address the needs of its students. For instance, access to fare during her daughter’s long absence, she held back. Her executive director and information was a major obstacle—something as minor as reading an article required long-time mentor at BPA convinced Kinnari that it was the opportunity of a lifetime. a trip to the Office of Disabilities Services. This brought home the realization that The pieces fell together when her sister and brother-in-law stepped in to take care of disability and exclusion are critical issues in the developed world too; only the scale her mother. and related issues are different. Convinced that it was her responsibility to speak for herself and others like her, and recognizing that the University would benefit from It took an IFP experience for Kinnari to truly understand and appreciate her journey greater exposure and information on disability, she founded the Students United for and the milestones that she had achieved along the way. She had spent many years Visual Access Today (SUVAT), a students’ organization that aims for a more equal and in managing her limitations and, in spite of everything she had achieved, her self- inclusive campus at Syracuse. confidence would often flag. The IFP process made her internalize her worth and rich work experience. For the first time ever, she reflected deeply on her purpose and Within herself, Kinnari sensed a deeper transformation around the question of her mission in life, questioning herself about the larger plan: “Till now I had only been identity. In India, her struggles and identity revolved around her status as a disabled living in the present. IFP helped me think through my long-term mission. This was the person: “As India is a developing and very close-door society, we, people with high point of my experience”. disabilities have only fought for basic needs and essential support systems. But, being a open door society, in America, I saw women with disabilities openly sharing and The months of preparation flew by and Kinnari had to work hard to familiarize herself 1 A cluster university was a term used by IFP/IIE for academic institutions that demonstrated a high degree of understanding of the needs of its students, and co-operation with the IFP systems, 214 and therefore, hosted a ‘cluster’ of Fellows. 215 writing on their emotional and physical needs. Being from a developing country, it was a little shocking for me, but it has inspired me to look at the issues of women with disabilities from different perspectives also”.

Impact Kinnari resumed work at BPA when she returned to Ahmedabad after completing her course: “BPA has given me so much, I cannot forget that. My organization needs me; there was never a question of my doing anything else”. She hopes to set up advocacy, research and counseling cells in states, and to empower adolescent girls with disabilities through employment generation programs. kinnari desai kinnari

Kinnari’s experiences have opened up new horizons and allowed her engagement with issues beyond disability. She has realized the deep inter-connections between all marginalized populations, and the futility of addressing one without engaging with the other. Kinnari’s two years at Syracuse have also made her aware of the subtle ways in which communities stereotype the ‘other’ and she has noted how on campus, professors from the developing countries are always labeled as activists.

As a student representing the Global South, Kinnari feels strongly about racism and its institutionalization and is leading many on-campus open house sessions to spread awareness, sensitize various stakeholders, and initiate a dialog on it. Thus, though she will concentrate on disability related issues, she is very clear on not restricting herself to a single issue or sector. With inclusion for all being her larger goal, Kinnari wants to build ownership within communities to bring about lasting change.

From her own journey, Kinnari knows that anything is possible and she would like to inspire others to dream big and achieve their goals.

Ghulam Hussain Mir, MSc International Natural Resource Development, University of Wales, Bangor, UK. Seen here offering 216 veterinary advice to a Kashmiri local. 217 crippling and accessing even necessities like coaching fees, transportation to school, extra-curricular activities often posed a challenge.

Manish’s relationship with his father was adversely affected by the tense home situation, and his maternal grandmother proved to be his only beacon of strength. She helped out with occasional small sums of money, and taught him to dream big in spite of hardship. Their school, St Joseph’s College, was supportive in subsidizing their fees, and the teachers pitched in with free tuitions.

The absence of a normal family life impelled Manish to seek support mechanisms outside of home. The parish offered him a platform to participate in church activities, manish michael manish and he never missed out an opportunity to attend youth workshops or camps. This opened up a window to new friends, role models, and the learning of leadership skills. The first seeds of volunteering and community action were sown here. The Changemaker Manish Michael’s active association with youth movements and volunteer work in India when he was in college, paved the way In 2000, he was conferred the National Youth of the Year Award from Catholic Bishop’s for his chosen career in human rights. When Manish received the “life-altering” IFP Conference of India, for his work in mobilizing youths with a social vision across fellowship in 2004, it significantly transformed, yet affirmed, his worldview and the Uttar Pradesh. In the same year, he was selected to represent Indian youth at the fact that he was on track to effect the change that he wanted to see. Asian and World Youth Leaders meet in Rome. The meet, though highly subsidized, required some financial inputs from the participants as well. Determined to grab Post his fellowship period Manish worked in India for 7 years to promote rights, this matchless opportunity, Manish fundraised, tapping the church network, his education and health of children. Presently, to gain deeper practical knowledge of Child friends and acquaintances. He succeeded, and traveled not only to Italy, but also to Rights and Development, he has moved to Africa to work with an INGO. In Nigeria Israel and France. The following year took him to Taiwan as a representative of the he is engaging with Government, UN organisations such as UNICEF, institutional same group. donors, private foundations and corporate houses to address the health issues of disadvantaged and remote Nigerian populations. Journey“I always believed that if I am passionate about something, I will attain it,” affirmed Manish, and his fundraising effort exemplified what he could Barriers Acute financial insecurity and a lack of parental intervention or achieve if he put his mind to it. But he aspired for more. support defined Manish’s childhood, teaching him to deal with vicissitude early on in life. When his mother passed away, their father, an auditor with the Central Defence When, through his church, he met the inspirational Rev. Fr. Louis Mascarenhas, Unit in Allahabad, lost hope in life and neglected his children. Manish was just ten, director of Childline India Foundation’s Allahabad chapter, he felt he had found his and his younger brother was five. The lack of a regular financial support proved mentor. The priest, impressed by Manish’s energy and dedication, offered him a job

218 219 with Childline as soon as Manish completed his graduation (BSc in Agriculture from the corporate sector, “transforming goodwill into action”. Allahabad Agricultural Institute). The IFP experience introduced Manish to people and networks that were passionately This kickstarted Manish’s formal engagement with the development sector—and child committed to social justice, and believes that but for it, he would have still been in rights, in particular, Childline’s focus. As project coordinator, he was on a tremendous Allahabad. It inspired him, gave him confidence and deeply impacted his life. learning curve but simultaneously recognized that he lacked exposure: “Although I had discovered my calling, I also realized that I needed to learn more in this field. The entire experience led to intense self-reflection and renewed his commitment to There was only so much one could learn sitting in Allahabad”. He sought professional the issue of child rights and poverty. His IFP links are enabling him to reach out to growth and considered a masters degree, but was unable to find a course that would fairly large numbers of disadvantaged and remote populations. IFP’s global network add value to his work experience. The turning point again came in the form of Father has helped him to network with fellow alumni in Nigeria. Louis who brought IFP to his notice. manish michael manish Manish’s aim is to work towards poverty and child labor eradication from India, and a Manish opted for Essex University’s Masters in the Theory and Practice of Human world free of child beggars. In the coming years he plans to focus his energies on the Rights. The study abroad was hugely transformational. The multicultural environment poorer states of northern and eastern India (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh), made him appreciative of differences among people, a skill that later came in handy in through community projects. managing diverse teams at work. Manish is grateful that “IFP took me back to where I started. I learnt to develop the skills of getting in touch with self and rediscovering my motivation”.

Impact On his return, Manish’s priority was to be near his Mangalore-based wife and to work with an organization that had extensive reach and was as passionate about child rights as he was.

He discovered this match at Child Rights and You (CRY), and joined them in Bengaluru. CRY provided him with a large canvas to put his learnings and skills to use. He involved himself in strategizing, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of Public Action Groups for child rights. He initiated a 4,000 member strong volunteers’ chapter for CRY, for which he was conferred the Best Employee Award in 2008.

After four years with CRY, in 2009 Manish initiated United Way in Bengaluru, a global network of nonprofits that funds projects in the key verticals of environment, education, livelihoods and healthcare. In six months he successfully raised INR 20 million from

220 221 Meenu’s education, and to focus all their attention on their daughter’s needs. Her younger sister is eight years her junior, while the youngest one arrived two years later. Both her sisters took their cue from Meenu and are now highly educated, successful professionals in their own right.

Meenu belongs to the linguistic minority Sindhi community—originally from Sindh in Pakistan—whose family migrated to India during the partition. Having lost everything in the carnage of 1947, the Sindhis, along with the Punjabis from Pakistan, migrated to India and spent their early years in refugee camps. Traditionally, the Sindhis are a trading community and education has never been a priority, and women’s education even less so.

Meenu’s polio led to partial paralysis and limited mobility in one leg. Ironically, her disability worked in her favor as her parents believed that she had to be financially meenu bhambhani meenu The Changemaker Affected with Poliomyelitis when she was strong to support herself. She was admitted into an English medium school that was just five months old, Meenu Bhambhani has grown to become a much-felicitated conveniently close by. The decision to invest in the education of a girl who also had a disabilities advocate, with several awards to her credit in recognition of her disability was a courageous one in the context of her community. More so, considering contributions in this field. that the Bhambhanis lived in a large joint family that was mainly run on her father and uncle’s modest incomes as central government employees. As Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at MphasiS, Bengaluru, her strategized focus on disability issues includes transforming policy into action and Just navigating the school environment was a huge challenge for Meenu. Her mother training employees—and trainable persons with disabilities—around work-related used to drop Meenu to school, after which she was on her own. Even the simplest tasks ethics and concerns. She is also mining her impressive contacts with the non-profit for non-disabled children children were an uphill grind for her. She vividly recounts world to build lasting partnerships between them and the corporate sector. the slow and tortuous climb up the stairs to her classroom: “I still remember carrying the heavy bag up the stairs. It was not just a physical ordeal but also a time consuming Barriers Meenu started off life as a diffident, small town girl with a exercise. What took others five minutes, took me half an hour”. It was only after her disability who remembers being conscious from a very young age that her ‘disability’ parents negotiated with the school authorities to move her class to the ground floor for made her different from everyone else around her. better access, was Meenu able to breathe easier.

Born in a low-income joint family in Jaipur, Rajasthan, she is the first University Mobility posed a huge challenge, as navigating public transport was next to impossible. graduate in her extended family. For years her parents deferred the decision to have Undeterred, her indomitable mother bought a moped to ferry her daughter. Meenu’s another child because they were obliged to corral their financial resources to ensure mother was like her pillar, without whose unstinting support she would have found it

222 223 difficult to hold up.A fter finishing school, Meenu went through surgery that eased her inspired by a world beyond her own small universe, a world in which she could play condition to the extent that she could now walk with the aid of a stick. It was a major a significant part in changing for the better. milestone in her life. She volunteered with NCPEDP (National Centre for Promotion of Employment for College (BA Honours, Political Science from Maharani’s College, Jaipur) “was a lonely Disabled People) throughout her three years as a lecturer, balancing both lives with journey; I could not access the library or participate in any co-curricular activities”. She ease. She read, wrote, learnt, participated in workshops, and raised awareness on was restricted to self-study as she had no other choice. In spite of all these challenges, disability issues. She soaked in as much knowledge as she could. It dawned on her that Meenu was a merit student. She completed her Masters in English Literature from she had the potential—and desire—to aspire for much more. When she was offered a Rajasthan University and subsequently enrolled there for a PhD. job as Assistant Commissioner, Disabilities, she took it up with alacrity, joining up in March 2001. At that point her father was close to retirement and as the eldest in the family with two younger siblings still in school, she felt the need to contribute. She did not make the Pretty soon however, the frustration of grappling with bureaucratic processes that grade in any of the job-oriented competitive exams that she sat for as Maths, which crawled at a snail’s pace, and the yawning gap between policy and its implementation, was not her strength, let her down. In February 1996, she finally joined Life Insurance got to Meenu. Compounding this was her increasing awareness of her lack in meenu bhambhani meenu Corporation as an office assistant even though she was over qualified. But the plus comprehension and knowledge of the larger standpoints and debates around disability. point was that it was a job that afforded her the space to continue with her PhD, which She wanted to adequately arm herself for the work that she was convinced that she she completed in 1998. wanted to get into—disability advocacy.

JourneyIn the same year she cleared the Rajasthan Public Service While all of this was swirling around in her head, the light at the end of the tunnel came Commission’s State Level Eligibility Test for lecturership. A thrilled Meenu was posted in the form of the IFP advertisement that her father came across in the newspaper. to a far off college in Sirohi as a lecturer. However, her family was not ready to send her Chucking up the security of a government job for the tremendous chance to strengthen so far away on her own and opposed her decision. Thanks to the timely intervention her intellectual grasp of issues, was a no-brainer. She zeroed in on an MS in Disability of Javed Abidi, Founder, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled and Human Development at the University of Illinois, Chicago, as it offered a good mix People (NCPEDP), she managed to get her posting orders changed to Kishangarh, of policy and social science research. which was closer to Jaipur. In August 2002, when she first set foot on the sprawling campus, Meenu was completely Determined not to let this chance slip away, she convinced her parents and with a bewildered. The sheer physical aspect of some of the challenges that she was facing young girl as help, she left home for the first time to start living on her own. overwhelmed her, and it was only when IFP gave her a grant to buy a motorized scooter, did her life get easier. Meenu could have comfortably ensconced herself in her lecturer’s skin to the exclusion of the outside world, but it was not her style. In 1997, she had attended a conference Once ensconced in the daily routine of her new life, the vistas opened up. She grasped on disability, which proved to be one of the major turning points in her life. She was at all the myriad opportunities available and realized soon enough that if one took

224 225 the initiative and put in hard work, there was nothing that one could not accomplish. work towards. Her policy-making skills and knowledge came in handy in drafting a From a relatively physically inactive existence, she now learnt to swim and joined the disability/inclusion policy for the company. In less than three years, the number of gym, thus strengthening her hitherto underused limbs. Her self-image soared: “In employees with disabilities soared from 40 to 300. Meenu knows that it is not only India I never felt I was attractive or desirable, somehow pity overrides everything else. the employers’ mindsets that need changing, but that of employees with disabilities as But all the compliments and appreciation that came my way there really gave me a lot well who sometimes get used to being recipients of charity. She is working relentlessly of confidence. It was a big surprise that people found me beautiful”. to buck this trend.

Impact The IFP experience helped Meenu in developing a vision and an ability On a broader level, Meenu is using her formidable contacts with the CSO sector in to envision change, to see beyond the here and now. She has gained the confidence facilitating organizational partnerships with many non-profits such as Diversity and and the drive to translate vision into reality in a more professional manner, aided by Equality Opportunity Centre, Association of People with Disability, Enable India, Ability her newly honed networking and analytical skills. Foundation, AccessAbility, Fourthwave Foundation, and NOIDA Deaf Society.

While pursuing her fellowship, Meenu had taken up a consultancy with the World MphasiS has also taken the lead in opening the first ever office ofD isability Services Bank thanks to a chance meeting with the Bank’s Disability Advisor, Judy Heumann, at IIM Bengaluru, to provide support to students with disabilities, and which has had meenu bhambhani meenu at the World Congress organized by the Disabled People’s International in Japan. a ripple effect on other institutes of learning which are opening up to inclusion of It was hardly a surprise when, as soon as she was through with her degree, the students with disabilities. Bank offered her a one year consultancy in either Delhi or Washington. The choice was easy: she wanted to return to her own country where she believed that she was Meenu’s work has been noticed: she was awarded the National Award 2010 by needed. In 2004, she took on the challenge of the Bank’s interventions with the Indian the President of India, in the individual category as a ‘Role Model for Person with government on disability policies. Disabilities’. Thanks to her efforts, MphasiS also won this award at the organizational level, as well as NCPEDP’s Inclusive Employer of the Year award. Meenu’s dream In 2005 she joined NCPEDP, heading their Policy Legislation Unit where she involved is to make India more inclusive, and she is working relentlessly towards achieving herself in research, advocacy, and policy-level intercessions for the disabled at the this goal. national level, pushing for tabling the disabled as a vulnerable group. She also took up individual cases, such as that of M R Sharma who, in spite of clearing the prestigious Indian Administrative Services three times over, was being offered a placement in the relatively lower-order Postal Services.

But Meenu was restless. She wanted to see change happen. When in 2007 MphasiS—a leading IT company— offered Meenu the chance to globally head their Corporate Social Responsibility division, she jumped at it. MphasiS allowed her a wide canvas and a free hand to design and implement changes that she has always wanted to

226 227 Barriers Mushtaq, who is Hafeez (someone who learns Quran by heart), is one of five children in a large Muslim joint family of modest means. His grandfather owned a grocery shop as well as a small transport business, both of which he ran with the help of his sons including Mushtaq’s father. Although money was never a problem, the family did not lay much emphasis on education. Mushtaq’s father, a matriculate, and his mother, who had studied till Class IV, were also not able to provide the requisite learning environment and motivation to their children.

Mushtaq’s family lived along the (invisible) border that divided the Muslim dominated west from the tightly knit Jain business community area. It was not as communally sensitive as other parts of Godhra where Muslim-Hindu antagonism was rife. Apart

mushtaq shaikh mushtaq from some minor stone-pelting skirmishes, his family was fortunate to escape the communal violence that struck Godhra intermittently in 1990, 1992 and 2002. In spite of this, the prevailing atmosphere was that of Hindu-Muslim mistrust and acrimony, The Changemaker It was the fear of being stuck in the small and Mushtaq grew up in a scenario where a great deal of emphasis was laid on town of Godhra (in the tribal dominated Panchmahal district of Gujarat), manning the religious grounding. At the same time, their community felt deeply persecuted and family-owned small business, that motivated Mushtaq Shaikh to seek a bigger canvas marginalized by the majority, Hindu community. for his life story. Despite education not being a priority in the middle-income business oriented household, Mushtaq got an MBA1 from South Gujarat University, Surat, and Till Class VII, Mushtaq studied in Saifiyah Madrasa School, a school run by the Gujarati by happy chance moved instead into the non-profit sector. Bohras, a Muslim community known for its progressiveness. He moved to a government high school in Class VIII and had to soon contend with the usual issues stemming from Mushtaq’s stints with community-based and government organizations in the lesser poor quality education and lack of infrastructure. The absence of supervision and developed Panchmahal and Dahod districts of Gujarat focused on varied aspects of low expectations at home further compounded the problem: Mushtaq failed his state rural development, including health, livelihoods, and natural resource management. board exams in Class X, not once, but four times. Frustrating as it was, Mushtaq never Having discovered his life’s calling, Mushtaq desired to develop a stronger and better- gave up. His only support was his older brother who also struggled through school informed development perspective. and who took five years (as against three) to complete graduation.

Having completed a Masters in Sustainable International Development at Brandeis The three years of staying at home during his high school years (he appeared for University, Waltham, Greater Boston Area (USA), Mushtaq’s dream is to address the the examination privately), spending time to understand the family business, made issue of employability of youth in his hometown of Godhra by facilitating access to Mushtaq realize that he aspired for more and did not want to confine himself to Godhra vocational and higher education. and the family-owned small business. Aware that education was key if he wanted a different life for himself, Mushtaq now focused on putting in every effort in the final

228 1 Masters in Business Administration. 229 two years of school. He rose to the top of his class, took English language coaching to in 2008 and his wife was studying to be a doctor—it was not easy to manage on his better his chances, and secured a remarkable 65 percent in Class XII. Soon, others in modest salary of INR 9,500 a month. the class were coming to him for help with studies. In 2008, after clearing a written exam, followed by a group discussion and interview, A chance remark from one of his tuition teachers about management being a good Mushtaq joined Development Support Agency of Gujarat (DSAG)2 as Senior Project career option made Mushtaq take the entrance exam for a Bachelors in Business Consultant in their Dahod office (47 miles from Godhra). The long-distance daily Administration (BBA). He managed to secure a seat in two colleges, and opted for the commute was a small price to pay in the light of the fact that Mushtaq’s salary had well-regarded M.S. University, Vadodara. Following this, he did an MBA in 2005 from jumped to INR 25,000 a month at the end and he was allocated a spacious office with South Gujarat University in Surat, making his family extremely proud. His inherent modern amenities. discomfort with finance and banking made him opt for manufacturing and export, and he joined Amin Silk Mills Limited, a garments company in Surat. JourneyDSAG, focused on public-private partnerships in the area of

mushtaq shaikh mushtaq livelihoods for tribals in Gujarat, offered a much bigger platform for development Although Mushtaq was assured by his senior colleagues that he was being groomed work. With this came the motivation to build his capacities further and deepen his for a leadership role, he felt his management skills were underutilized and he felt knowledge and understanding of the sector. While he was exploring a postgraduate demotivated by the mainly administrative function that he was expected to perform. course in rural development from IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) Looking for an opportunity closer home, he happened upon an advertisement for via distance learning, a Times of India newspaper advertisement about IFP caught his a project officer’s job in a small health and livelihoods NGO in Godhra, Samanvay eye. Confident about his chances after the regional interview, he was not surprised Resource Centre. when he received the final interview call.

Mushtaq joined them in 2006 and took charge of several programs: rural HIV/AIDS, His father, when told about his selection, could not quite believe that such a good thing water and sanitation, and micro enterprise promotion in self-help groups. Working existed. He was convinced that his son had been taken in by a fraudulent scheme. with people was hugely inspiring for a rookie like Mushtaq. Also, since Samanvay Regardless, Mushtaq traveled to Delhi for the orientation and while sharing his struggle was a small community based organization, it gave him considerable space to learn to complete high school with his cohort mates, the realization of how far he had come and grow through exposure to different projects. Managing a team, working with dawned on him. The Fellowship seemed almost daunting—it was a huge privilege as volunteers, writing project proposals for funding agencies, making presentations at well as a responsibility. district/state level forums—it was a sharp learning curve for Mushtaq. The preparation and pre-departure training helped Mushtaq to revisit his vision and Eighteen months later, Mushtaq was offered the job of an assistant manager personal goals and also gave a clear direction to his academic and professional journey: in a government funding agency—WASMO (Water and Sanitation Management “My thinking underwent a huge transformation. Life was now about something much Organization)—in Godhra. Although WASMO offered job security, it was essentially bigger than a job or a career. This was always there at the back of my mind perhaps, a supervisory role. Mushtaq felt trapped again in an administrative role, albeit in a but now I had the confidence to dream”. larger, more structured set up. With increased family responsibilities—he got married

230 2 An autonomous body working in the area of sustainable livelihoods. 231 Mushtaq opted for a postgraduation in Sustainable International Development at but ideologically I feel the disconnect”. Brandeis University, Greater Boston Area. His experiences made Mushtaq more open to diverse points of view especially on It took Mushtaq some time to familiarize himself with the American culture and social development, religion, culture and choices: “I continue to be religious but not as surroundings. Within a month of setting foot in the country, he experienced firsthand a person with a constrained ideology. My exposure has given me the knowledge and the very western sensibility of space and reserve. Operating on his brief from the confidence to justify my views and see the things happening around me with much IFP orientation on the polite and cooperative nature of Americans, Mushtaq and his broader horizon”. colleague decided to directly enquire about housing availability with random people on the streets and in his neighborhood. A hurriedly closed door, many averted glances, His experiences, apart from enhancing his personal vision and understanding about and a few subdued responses later Mushtaq realized that unlike the informality of development issues, also taught him new skills that Mushtaq believes will help him India, one had to go through the appropriate channels to access any information. grow into a better informed and more dynamic social justice leader. His ideological

mushtaq shaikh mushtaq From then on, Mushtaq would quickly go online and tap into the particular community disconnect with his friends and family has also underlined the importance of openness resource for any queries that he had. and commitment to convince people and build ownership for a larger, common vision in order to bring about lasting change. He feels his biggest challenge after his return Impact Brandeis was a small and private University with a liberal arts focus. is to shake people out of their comfort zones and inspire his community to make The Heller School for Social Policy and Management where Mushtaq was placed different and empowering life choices. had more than 60 percent representation of international students, most of them on fellowships. The environment was very encouraging and the faculty credo, ‘we teach He hopes to find a role and space within a development organization that will provide by learning’, was extremely sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of its students, giving him a platform to utilize his Brandeis-honed skills and knowledge. Enhancing the access them enough space to learn, and supporting and advising when needed. to education and the employability of youth from his community in his hometown of Godhra is a subject that he feel s strongly about. The first semester was extremely challenging but Brandeis’s policy of educating students intensively about plagiarism and related issues and supporting them with an Mushtaq would like to leverage his old and new networks and start the vocational extra course on perspective paper writing went a long way in facilitating matters for training institute for youth and explore other ways of helping them access vocational Mushtaq. skills and livelihood/income generation programs.

Exposure to so many different nationalities on the campus brought about significant shifts in Mushtaq’s thinking, value system, and his own identity perception. While in India, Mushtaq was extremely conscious—almost defensive—of his religious identity. It was, in a way, his principle identity, overshadowing everything else. The change in his perception about the world and himself was especially stark when he interacted with old friends and family back home: “I am still emotionally connected to them,

232 233 Monisha Mukherjee, MA Sustainable International Development, Brandeis University, USA. Strategizing with tribal women234 on livelihood issues, in Odisha. 235 policies and facilities of India.

Barriers Nekram was nine months old, when, due to medical negligence, he contracted polio. This irrevocably changed his life path. His agriculturalist parents, based in a village in the Dholpur district of Rajasthan, steeled their resolve to settle their disabled son—with a practically useless right leg—into a respectable government job. To their mind, what could be a safer, long-term guarantee of income and status for Nekram who, in addition to polio, was also growing up in a landscape of scarce resources, information, and opportunities?

The realistic Nekram concurred with his parents’ dreams of a government job. But the changemaker in him constantly rebelled inwardly against the conservatism and boundaries that fenced him in. nekram upadhyay nekram

The Changemaker Nekram Upadhyay is part of a rarified clutch After graduating from the village higher secondary school, Nekram taught himself of certified Assistive Technology (AT) experts in India, an emerging genre of technology to ride a motorbike and traveled 40 kilometers every day to the nearest college in support for those suffering from cognitive or physical disabilities. By first making Dholpur to pursue his science degree. A trained typist, Nekram was able to pay his available the equipment required for task performance and then, modifying the person’s way through college by typing 50-100 documents per day. Luckily for him, business interaction with these technologies, Assistive Technology enhances individuals’ capacity was steady and he did not need to struggle unduly to make ends meet. to become more independent, self-confident, and therefore, better mainstreamed. Degree accumulation was the ready formula for securing employment in Nekram’s Afflicted by polio at childhood, Nekram set up the country’s first Centre for Assistive district. He followed the cue and enrolled next for a Bachelor of Education (BEd), Technologies in the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in New Delhi. He customizes while parallelly signing up for a Masters in Computer Science (MCS) from University ambulatory tools, equipment, and technologies to accelerate mobility and independent of Rajasthan, Jaipur, as well as a diploma in computer technology at the Jaipur-based functioning of persons with disabilities who throng into his center every day. Indian Council for Social Welfare, a disability CSO.

After studying in the field of Assistive Technology (AT) at Department of Disability Nekram turned out to be an expert funambulist. He carved out his days into watertight and Human Development at University of Illinois at Chicago, USA, and a three- silos and managed multiple courses and jobs without fear of slipping. His studies month training in innovative assistive technology service provisions at the Center for at the Indian Council for Social Welfare were slotted for the first half of the day, the Assistive Technology (CAT) and the Human Engineering and Research Laboratory post lunch sessions were reserved for his additional educational classes, and in the at the University of Pittsburgh, Nekram is set to expand the potential of AT in India. evening, he showed up for his MCS course. Besides this, he penciled in two tuition He is working on a blueprint for embedding AT into the DNA of all rehabilitation sessions from 9pm-10pm that earned him his monthly salary of INR 1,500.

236 237 Those years are etched in Nekram’s mind as years of chronic fatigue. That he was persons with disabilities that would make daily chores less onerous for them. Though driving himself so hard left his village community flummoxed. For them the road to a Nekram had not heard of the term ‘Assistive Technology’ as yet, he had begun to government job—the final resting point of all aspirations—was straight and narrow. develop a palpable feel for the potential of rehabilitation technologies for persons with All other diversions were futile. The village elders constantly goaded him with pointed disabilities. questions: “Why work so hard when you can easily get a job through the disability quota?” In 2002, he applied for an IFP Fellowship (encouraged by the then Director of ICSW). Serendipitously, in the week that he was informed of his selection into IFP, he also But Nekram knew how the system works: “The three percent quota for the disabled got calls for two coveted government jobs. After struggling for six years without any (i.e., one in 40 general government posts) is further categorized into 52 sub-posts, each breakthroughs to get a government job, he was in the uncomfortable position of having reserved specifically for the orthopedic, blind, deaf, and those with mental retardation. to choose between his parents’ dreams and his. He opted for IFP. “I told my parents But at the outset, the schemes do not tell you which posts are relevant for you, vis-à- that finally I had been accepted into a program on merit, and not on account of my vis your disability. As a blind person, I could well take the test, pass and then be told disability,” he recounted. that the scheme was not for me, that it is reserved for a deaf person. Further on, most nekram upadhyay nekram of these seats get filled through the ubiquitous backroom quota”. At the University of Illinois in Chicago, the multiple sites of cross disciplinarian learning led him to discover and seize the opportunity of specialization in assistive technologies Nekram was selected thrice for a government job under the disability quota. But all for the disabled. The practical, skin in the game methodology of the course consumed three times, even after passing the exams, he could not make it. His response to failure Nekram. He learned how to fit homes with easy computer-based technologies, modify was to build a solution. In one-and-a-half years, he developed an exhaustive online wheelchairs and gadgets to aid basic activities for the severely disabled, and create database of schemes for the disabled, the first in the state.I t categorically informed customized writing devices. Every tweak of an existing technology transformed and users of reserved posts and their relevance to different categories of disabilities. quadrupled the quality of life for a person with disabilities.

JourneyAfter the completion of a Post Graduation Diploma in Computer His thoughts kept returning to images of disabled youth in Dholpur. He reflected that Applications (PGDCA), he signed up for a job as an instructor for the same course at in India, despite the revered Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the country had not the Indian Council for Social Welfare (ICSW). This opened several new windows for discovered the genre of Assistive Technology. him into the world of persons with disabilities. He cemented new friendships and evolved as a much-coveted facilitator and coach for his disabled students. Thereafter, The tipping point for Nekram was his three-month internship at Center for Assistive Nekram became part of the team that ran the rehabilitation unit at ICSW’s Indian Technology (CAT) and the Human Engineering Research Laboratory (HERL) in Spinal Injuries Centre Pittsburgh, under the mentorship of Dr Rory Cooper, an AT pioneer, and the founder member of the Pittsburgh-based Center for Assistive Technology (CAT). In Nekram, Within the ICSW umbrella, his role expanded over time, albeit informally, as an Dr Cooper identified a partner for replicating AC T in India. They zeroed in on the advisor to families and institutions in Jaipur that were dealing with the challenges of New Delhi-based Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) as the best launch pad for their accessibility. He outfitted hostels with ramps and advised on home modifications of collaboration.

238 239 Medical Director, Dr H.S. Chhabra and Chairman, Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia at ISIC effective motorized wheelchair for less resourced countries and developing a seating agreed to incubate the proposed Department for Assistive Technologies in India. But cushion within affordability level for the Indian market, a cushion that prolongs the to play out as a sustainable model, the idea would need to be backed by a strong sitting tolerance of persons bound to wheelchairs for life. This product innovation revenue stream. Nekram and Dr Cooper would go into extended huddles to draw out could significantly impact the lives of nearly 10 million Indian wheelchair users. their business plans and worked on several iterations before the financial model and operational plans were accepted by the host organization. Nekram Upadhyay’s parents today understand his rejection of the comfort, security, and oblivion of a government job. Impact Upon return from Chicago, Nekram reported to his job straight from the airport, and in 2006-07, the Department for Assistive Technologies (DAT), a collaboration between ISIC and the University of Pittsburgh, was formally inaugurated under his leadership.

Every day, hundreds of disabled persons across income brackets visit the department nekram upadhyay nekram at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. They access a range of services—from access and on-site customization of AT equipments, devices, and products for increasing their postural and ambulatory abilities, to counselling on independent living skills, home and transport modifications, and short term loans of assistive technology equipment.

Since the field is nascent, Nekram and his team also run short-term academic programs to train AT professionals. Additionally, they have created a pool of donors to cross- subsidize those who cannot afford the services and AT products available in their Department. The model has broken even and today operates on a 15 percent profit margin.

The next impact point for Nekram is the indigenous development of AT products and equipment in India. He travels across the country and overseas to conduct workshops and trainings with engineers and rehabilitation professionals on the how-tos of developing low-cost assistive technology and also provide them with client centered service delivery model.

He has also trained other disability CSOs, on specific aspects of launchingA T programs. He is currently working on various innovative projects, such as developing a cost

240 241 quality education at school, inspite of funds being limited. After finishing school from Cambrian Hall in Dehradun, she applied for and got admission into the prestigious National Institute of Design (NID). The course was expensive and ate into the family savings again. Her father passed away while she was at college leaving her facing economic instability. She found herself limiting her aspirations and looked for a job immediately after her bachelor’s degree. Richa’s mother too passed away soon after.

Richa’s life experiences brought home the vulnerabilities of families to financial uncertainties. Simultaneously, she was becoming increasingly aware of the urgent need for livelihoods generation for rural artisans: “My parents wiped out their life savings to educate me, which was a big sacrifice. This gave me the impetus to work richa ghansiyal ghansiyal richa for low-income families because I realized how important money was for me as well”. Much as she needed to capacitate herself to earn a survival income, she felt the calling for empowering and capacity building of craftspeople to become self-reliant. The Changemaker Richa Ghansiyal’s parent’s investment of the family savings in their daughter’s education has paid off: today Richa is combating JourneyThus commenced Richa’s transformation from a product designer poverty through micro-enterprises for rural crafts producers. Through Alaya Design to a hands-on community worker. Her work life began in the crafts sector in remote Studio, she and her team have designed a socially conscious business model that parts of India’s Northeast, on a project coordinated by NID and the Government of is turning a steady band of local craftspersons and informal sector workers into India, where she engaged with people in participatory processes that dealt with crafts partner-entrepreneurs. Their for-profit approach opens up market linkages and based enterprise development with a focus on gender and tribals. guarantees fair monetary returns to the producers, while also building their design and entrepreneurial competencies to ensure that they flourish. As her involvement in rural development grew, she realized that colleagues from development backgrounds were far superior at analysis, forecasting and strategizing, Barriers From an early age, Richa learnt to grapple with change and and able to handle complex situations with panache. Increasingly, she felt that her uncertainty. Her army officer father’s frequent postings around the country meant conviction apart, what she needed was clarity and the confidence to address multifaceted that she studied in different schools, learning quickly to adapt to new scenarios. With issues in a holistic manner, for which a theoretical background seemed vital. her father posted in remote areas, her parents decided that by the time she was in high school, she and her mother moved into the joint family home in Uttarakhand in By the time the IFP opportunity came around, Richa had worked for almost 6 years search for better educational opportunities. in the North eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura as well as in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand, and had grown into a mid- Belonging to a conservative joint family, and being a girl child, her parents, especially management role in her career. IFP was the key to the door that she wanted to walk her mother had to struggle to explain to the grandparents why she should receive through. Richa’s experience as a Fellow-Elect was invigorating and self-validating,

242 243 and the rigorous pre-academic training was particularly valuable. She joined up for as a socially motivated entrepreneur. an MA in Rural Development at the University of Sussex. In early 2008, Richa joined Alaya Design Studio, a start up design-led social enterprise, In spite of the pressures of going back to school, Richa enjoying the reading and as a partner and promoter of the business that she is seeding lovingly towards a writing and the sharpening of thinking that this engendered. Her considerable work sustainable business model. To date, the program is working with over 150 crafts and experience was an asset in such an international milieu. Students like Richa, with a skills based producers spread across 8 districts of Uttarakhand transforming them grassroots background, were able to add new dimensions in classroom discussions from producers to entrepreneurs. She ensures supply of their products to retail stores as they were already applying many of the concepts that were being taught, and and is concentrated on generating a further market demand. experiences sharing from different parts of the globe value-added to their study. As part of her fledgling enterprise’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, she also Richa developed a word view and an approach wherein she continues to look for best supports and mentors creative skill development endeavors with local youth from not richa ghansiyal ghansiyal richa practices and models from across the world to inform her work. Her self-doubts of so privileged backgrounds by conducting workshops on Computers, English language, possessing limited thinking and application were erased and led her to believe that Graphic Design for publishing industry, Creative Photography etc., where the focus is she is entrepreneurial and capable of unlimited potential, energy and enthusiasm. on training these youth to give them an extra edge in allied creative industries.

Impact Richa returned to India to her home state of Uttarakhand to empower Richa aims to be a businesswoman with a conscience; her embarkation on a journey as rural artisans and impoverished informal sector workers with business skills and a social entrepreneur with a sustainable model for social change is just the beginning. access to global markets. Working in a mountainous region characterized by remote She hopes to be able to attract investors for her enterprise to support its scale. isolated settlements and difficult-to-access terrain, her mission is to enable individuals and communities to be entrepreneurial and take charge of their lives and to provide them with the opportunities that they need for integration and mainstreaming into the market economy.

Social justice leadership for her is not about creating followers, but people who will think. She sees her role as that of a catalyst to bring about change and instill leadership in the communities she is working in.

Richa did not want to return to the CSO mode of grants dependency. She hungered to start something which would be sustainable. “I felt in me the growth from being a participant in development efforts to someone who was leading the initiative”. However, before launching anything new, she took six months off to reorient herself to ground realities and to learn once again from the field, but with a fresh lens, this time

244 245 Dhan Singh Rawat, MA Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, University of Leicester, UK. Discussing environmental solutions with a local mountain246 community, in Uttarakhand. 247 Siddoji currently works in the Social Justice Ministry where he heads the Andhra Pradesh Study Circle, a unit dedicated to preparing SC/ST2 candidates for competitive exams, especially the IAS.3 Leveraging the networks and information resources that this job provides access to, Siddoji has set up an independent Help Desk that functions as a single-window counter for all information and counseling about jobs, schemes and trainings available for Dalit youth. siddoji rao siddoji

Recently, he established the Institute of Public Policy Evaluation, an institution that will research social welfare policies with the goal of impacting government policymaking. Simultaneously, he travels widely in the country’s districts, connecting with Dalit youth groups—inspiring them with his own story and experiences—to achieve excellence and earn society’s respect through hard work.

Barriers Siddoji belongs to a Dalit community of landless agricultural The Changemaker Orphaned at seven and left to fend for labor hailing from Vutukuru village in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh, a region himself, Siddoji Rao did not allow either his poverty or Dalit1 status to defeat him. where power dynamics continue to be dictated by caste. Siddoji’s father was the only Instead, from a young age he devised his own solutions to the odds stacked against one amongst 16 siblings who got an education, going as far as an MBA degree from him: seize every opportunity and work relentlessly to excel so that he could compel one of the country’s leading management schools, the Indian Institute of Management, respect and admiration. Bengaluru.

This determination fueled a highly successful academic record, enabling him to The story of how he managed to accomplish this is part of family lore: Siddoji’s complete a Masters degree in Political Science from the Delhi-based elite Jawaharlal grandfather worked as a watchman for an Englishman who was so happy with Nehru University (JNU). An IFP Fellowship gave him the opportunity to enroll for a his services, that he declared that he would finance the education of one of the PhD in Public Sector Management at the Australian National University, Canberra. This watchman’s several children. Siddoji’s father was chosen, and his British benefactor’s experience altered the course of his life, making him forsake his original ambitions actions sowed the seeds of growth for future generations of Raos. Siddoji’s father, of securing a bureaucratic job and turning him instead into a social justice leader who worked as an Assistant Manager at the Central Government’s Indian Telephone committed to empowering the severely disenfranchised Dalit community. Industry in Bengaluru, ensured that his nine children were brought up in comfortable circumstances in the city. Based in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Siddoji is leading a multi-pronged movement in the state that is founded on the principles that he has always lived and succeeded by—work hard and with honesty to excel and thereby earn society’s respect. 2 Loosely referred to as the ‘depressed classes’, the Scheduled Castes (also known as Dalits) and Scheduled Tribes are two groupings of historically disadvantaged populations. Today, the Constitution of India has enshrined a slew of affirmative actions aimed at ameliorating their 1 In India’s Hindu caste system, Dalits are the ‘untouchable’ caste, the lowest of the low. While situation in society. the caste system has been abolished by the Indian constitution, they continue to be discriminated 3 The Indian Administrative Service is the elite administrative civil service of the Government of 248 against. India. 249 But when his parents died in an accident when he was only seven, Siddoji and his enrolled for an MPhil degree in JNU. He secured a University Grants Commission4 siblings’ world changed dramatically. Overnight, they had to return to their family Fellowship to support his studies and also worked part-time editing publications for village to be in the care of uncles and aunts—all of whom were landless agricultural the Indian Council for Social Science Research, a Government of India body. labor. Barely able to feed themselves, the relatives soon left the orphaned children to forage for food and survive on their own. Five of the siblings died out of hunger. When JourneyWhile doing his MPhil, Siddoji began the pursuit of his long- he was nine, an uncle put Siddoji into a local government residential institution for SC/ time dream of becoming an IAS officer: “I wanted to join the IAS solely because it

siddoji rao siddoji ST boys that provided both free hostel accommodation and schooling. represented power and security. Until then, my awareness about anything else was close to zero—all I knew was studies and work”. But Siddoji failed repeatedly to get into Although conditions were grim, for Siddoji this was salvation. He focused on his the IAS, and also other government services like banking, typically being eliminated studies, overcoming fundamental challenges like language (the medium was Telugu at the interview stage. It was at this time that a JNU professor recommended he apply and he spoke Kannada) to stand first in the District in both Class VI and VII. Since for the IFP. most boys from this institution routinely failed these exams, Siddoji’s performance attracted the attention of the local District Magistrate. She sanctioned the funds for Siddoji attributes his successful selection into IFP (in 2002) to the nurturing atmosphere Siddoji’s studies and also heaped praise on the institution. This turned Siddoji into at the interviews (unlike the interrogatory tone of his other interviews), and he was something of a star among the staff. able to express himself with ease. With IFP guidance, he secured admission for a PhD in Public Sector Management at Australian National University, Canberra. He This was his first lesson in what would become his mantra for life: if people value you, made this choice because the course was aligned with his interest in public services you earn respect. This leitmotif has been reinforced continuously through his life. For administration. example, during the school holidays Siddoji would work as a cleaner in a local hotel. Here, his diligence in performing the most menial of tasks won the approval and Making full use of the IFP orientations and later, the two-and-a-half month pre- respect of his upper-caste boss. academic Bridge Course at his University in Canberra5 before classes began—both of which he describes as invaluable— Siddoji was able to overcome the initial challenges Siddoji went on to finish schooling, topping the Class X boards and faring excellently of settling into an alien environment. He completed his PhD with honors, but equally in the Higher Secondary exams. He got admission into prestigious Delhi colleges like important was what he gained in awareness and understanding about issues of St. Stephens for his Bachelors but lack of funds prevented him from enrolling. After leadership, effective governance, community, and the rights and responsibilities of completing his BA in Political Science from a college in Andhra Pradesh (where the citizenry. fees were affordable), he enrolled for an MA at JNU, with the financial support of a benefactor (an IAS officer) who recognized his potential and hard work. An experience that left a deep impact on him was volunteering in a rehabilitation program for hardened addicts. His success—based on winning their trust, and then Once again, language posed a problem as the medium of instruction at JNU was English. But by sheer dint of unflagging hard work—often resorting to simply memorizing large 4 The University Grants Commission (UGC) is a government statutory body that coordinates, tracts of incomprehensible text—and the support of professors, Siddoji completed his determines and maintains university education standards. MA. He not only got a first division, but also stood first in his year, and immediately 5 The course takes place before the beginning of the semester and provides students (who need it) with intensive training in English, computer skills, and research methodology—all the skills 250 prepare them for undertaking a higher studies course at an Australian University. 251 counseling them on their responsibility to themselves—won him an award certificate that could provide the guidance to government when formulating and implanting in 2005 from the Australian Government. This certificate, presented on the occasion affirmative action policies. Thus, at the start of 2012, he set up the Centre for Social of the Australian Independence Day, recognized his contribution to society. Policy Research.

Academics and multicultural interactions broadened his perspectives, helping him Whenever he can, Siddoji travels out to the districts, reaches out to Dalit youth, to gradually visualize and define a future role for himself within his community. counsels them, and pushes them to optimize on the opportunities of affirmative action

siddoji rao siddoji Leadership training opportunities in the US further enriched him. A field visit to India through hard work and high performance. in 2006-07 for his dissertation on Implementation and Evaluation of Government Policy crystallized for Siddoji how he would be spending the rest of his life—not as an Siddoji acknowledges that there continue to be huge systemic discriminations that IAS officer but at the helm of a movement that would enable the Dalit community to the Dalits must struggle against every day, and he plans to build a pressure group engage meaningfully on their development. composed of honest and committed Dalit leaders that will fight for Dalit rights at government levels. His goal is to make every Dalit in Andhra Pradesh become more Impact Despite attractive teaching offers from Australian universities, Siddoji responsible and productive by making them realize that for the decent, dignified and returned to Hyderabad after his PhD, convinced that he needed to work with the Dalit productive life they need to know their professions or subjects much better than others community. Soon after his return in 2009, he was told about the directorship position so that they are in a position to help others rather than taking help from others. at the AP Study Circle. Siddoji seized the opportunity. Although largely administrative, the job positioned him to directly help Dalit youth and counsel them about their future Siddoji is indebted to: the Government (central & state) which gave life to him in terms roles and responsibilities. It also gave him access to the information on schemes of free food, accommodation and education; his high school teacher, Sri Prasada Rao, designed for Dalits, and helped him identify and nurture a network of committed Dalit who gave him emotional support and guidance at every stage; the IFP Fellowship bureaucrats. which facilitated him to realize his potential and larger goals through which he can bring positive change among Dalits and Officers Forum S( ri K Madava Rao IAS, Dr At the end of 2011, realizing that easy access to appropriate information was a critical Goutam and Anita Mahadas) which has given him the platform and support for missing factor in their efforts for advancement, Siddoji launched a private Help Desk achieving his larger goal. for Dalit youth—a one-stop shop designed to provide them with comprehensive information on schemes, job openings, trainings, exam news, etc., that they can According to Siddoji, social change involves risk, personal sacrifice and patience in utilize. Siddoji runs this center during his free time but its operations are funded by addition to dedication and commitment and he is prepared for it. He has quit his steady monthly contributions from Dalit bureaucrats whom Siddoji has co-opted into Government job to work full time for social change. his movement for social justice. Currently, 65 officers contribute INR 2,000 per month towards this effort. By early February 2012,6 the Help Desk reached out to 1,100 Dalit youths.

Siddoji also identified the need to collect and analyze data on social welfare policies

252 6 This interview was conducted in February 2012 253 settled down in their hometown of Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh that Sujata—now in high school—began to be truly aware of the stigmas that a conservative society attached to disability. A single incident that made this agonizingly clear was witnessing her father and brother denying the existence of the disabled sisters when providing family details to the relatives of a prospective groom for Sujata’s older (abled) sister.

By this time, Sujata was also becoming painfully conscious of societal prejudice and the strictures placed on her because she was a woman: at the end of high school, she was told that there she would not be allowed to go to college. Refusing to give up sujata verma on her dream of graduating, Sujata did her general Bachelors in Arts from Jodhpur University, Rajasthan (through distance learning) and subsequently a Bachelors and Masters in Library Sciences, again, via correspondence courses from Sagar University, Madhya Pradesh.

The Changemaker For Sujata Verma, a strong personal At the same time, with the family finances in poor shape, she took up a teaching concern for the disabled (of her five sisters, three had cerebral palsy) morphed into a position in a private school while giving tuition in her free time. There were a few professional decision of working in the disabilities sector. Her growing awareness of disabled children in her school, including a child with cerebral palsy. Sujata made the extent and ways in which the disabled are kept firmly on the margins of society it her personal responsibility to create an enabling environment for these special in India acted as the second trigger that cemented her resolve to focus herself on children, doing this out of instinctive concern. At that time, she was unaware of the working with the differently abled. fact that she was instituting inclusive education principles in her school.

An IFP Fellowship made it possible for Sujata to enroll for a Masters degree in Inclusion During this period, Sujata, a Hindu, began to be drawn to the local church, finding and Special Educational Needs at the University of Birmingham (UK), where she within it a space affording peace and solace. She had no plans to convert, but just the researched on “Self-advocacy for and with People with Learning Disability”. Having fact of her going to Church enraged her conservative brother and parents who saw returned to India, she is all set to launch her own NGO in collaboration with people this as a threat to the family’s Hindu identity. Tired of waging a constant battle, Sujata with disabilities. She envisions that her organization will play a significant role in decided to move away from Ratlam. It was a big step, and one that would cause a rift promoting self-advocacy by the disabled and their families, so that they are the ones between her and her father and brother that would take years to mend. She was able articulating their needs and scripting the public policies that impact their lives. to stick by her decision because of her older sister’s support and encouragement.

Barriers As a young girl, Sujata lived in various cities across India. JourneyAt the age of 29, Sujata relocated to Jaipur as a librarian at Maurya The family (mother, the sisters and one brother) moved with their father, a non- School. The institution had a special unit for disabled kids and Sujata spent a lot of time commissioned army officer, to his various postings. It was only when he retired and with these children over reading and other activities. She began to be known in the

254 255 community as a young teacher who had the capacity to help differently-abled children. convinced her that she needed to dedicate herself to working as a professional in the Soon, she was bombarded by requests from parents of cerebral palsy children to disability sector. provide coaching outside school hours and somehow, Sujata would always find the time. Sujata was familiar with the IFP program through colleagues who had applied for it and the following year, she decided to give it a go. For her, the selection process itself Even when she moved out after three years to take up a librarian’s job at the local was invaluable, since the intensely personal questions encouraged introspection and Bible College, Sujata continued to visit the special schools in the area. One of these, self-awareness that she was grateful for. With the Fellowship in hand, Sujata applied Disha (a resource center for the disabled) offered her a job. It was at Disha that Sujata’s successfully for the University of Birmingham’s MA program in Inclusion and Special knowledge about disability issues scaled a sharp learning curve, when she managed Educational Needs. sujata verma its rural program with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and But in March 2011, with a few months to go for her departure to the UK, her youngest Multiple Disabilities. Further, the library offered a range of books on disability subjects, sister, who had cerebral palsy, died. A devastated and shaken Sujata began to debate including laws pertaining to disability, and she read voraciously. Disha offered special whether she ought to fly off for her course. Her brother was adamant she should not BEd1 classes for Special Education and Sujata interacted closely with the students and go; the rest of the family was silent. It was the IFP staff who persuaded her, arguing teachers and joined in their discussions. that doing the course would be a fitting tribute to her late sister and would help countless disabled children in the future. When she took up her next job at Doosra Dashak, Foundation for Education and Development, an NGO working across rural Rajasthan on adolescent education and Sujata availed of the University’s “excellent” pre-session English language training development, Sujata’s personal engagement with the issue of disability now had a and, together with the “comprehensive” preparation provided by IFP orientations, she strong foundation of intellectual knowledge and informed awareness. While her job successfully tackled the challenges that UK university life threw up. The highly virtual description covered continuing education, disability and gender, Sujata found that the nature of all academic transactions—so alien to Sujata—was difficult to handle. But organization placed no emphasis on special education and she fought to make it a Sujata managed to succeed. priority. Impressed by her passion, the chairman encouraged her to attend state and national level seminars on the subject. These presented her the opportunity to talk at On the other hand, she soaked in the multicultural environment and loved the new various forums, as well as learn from those in the field. ideas it introduced her to, enriching and broadening her outlook. She was impressed with Britain’s efforts to ensure an inclusive society through clearly enunciated and Sujata’s resolve to work exclusively in the area of disability and to enroll for a course implemented policies. Her own notions of inclusiveness have been stretched to include of study was cemented when she attended a ten-day gender training program concepts like race and nationality. in Delhi attended by a large number of NGOs in October 2009. She found that the sessions covered every kind of marginalized women’s groups, but not women with For Sujata, a key lesson has been to understand the interconnectedness of all rights, disabilities. Deeply disturbed by this, she negotiated a time between sessions and and the ensuing realization that one needs to fight injustice wherever it is happening, made an unscheduled presentation. This gave her self-confidence a big boost and also and not just in one’s own area of concern.

256 1 Bachelor of Education, a teacher-training degree. 257 Dr Rajeev Prasad Bijalwan, MSc International Health Management and Development, University of Birmingham, UK. Working on health programs for Impact Sujata’s research topic for her thesis emerged from seeing the active hill communities, in the interiors of role the disabled and their families play in fighting for their rights in the UK. Their Uttarakhand. success in influencing public policy and the voice they have in shaping laws and policies have been a revelation. She feels now that the lack of significant participation of the disabled themselves is a critical factor in the low impact of the disability movement on government policy in India.

Now that she has returned to India, Sujata will first work with a disability NGO to get on-the-ground experience. Next, she plans to start her own NGO in collaboration with sujata verma people with disabilities. One of the main roles of this organization will be to function as a forum for the disabled and their families to identify their needs and the policies required to meet these.

Sujata envisions that her organization will spearhead a movement in India where the disabled and their families will play the lead role in shaping laws and policies that impact their lives. For her, a truly evolved policy-making environment is one where the community of differently abled is consulted about any decisions that affect it, and to work toward creating such an environment would be her organization’s mission.

Recognizing the important role that the media play in placing disability issues on the forefront of public awareness, she also plans to work proactively with engaging them in her fight for the rights of the disabled.

258 259 Barriers Born into a family of daily wage Chamar3 labourers in Apilo, a village in Cuttack district of Odisha (one of India’s poorest states, where 45 percent people live below the poverty line), Sukanta had several odds stacked against him. He and his three siblings had to pitch in to add to the family’s meager income from sharecropping. With both parents illiterate, schooling was anything but a priority. However, even from a young age, Sukanta showed great affinity for learning.

The first to recognize his potential (when he was about nine years old),S ukanta’s mother encouraged him to devote all his time to studies and put an end to his helping out with the farming and cultivation chores. It was a courageous decision, as the Behera family needed all the extra hands possible to take advantage of work when it sukanta behera was available, otherwise even two square meals a day could prove to be a challenge.

Jhadeswarpur Government High School, Apilo, where Sukanta excelled at academics, The Changemaker Sukanta Behera, overcame poverty and also taught him some hard lessons on social exclusion and caste-based inequities. inequality as a Dalit,1 to emerge as a champion of the rights of marginalized, minority Sukanta, along with other Dalit children, was made to sit at the back while upper caste and deprived communities in his home state of Odisha. children and those from affluent families took the front rows, as also all the attention of the teachers. They were also excluded from any religious celebrations that took Sukanta took his IFP plunge after five years of work with community-based organizations place in the community. in the areas of education, local governance, livelihoods, and food security of tribals in Jharkhand state. Armed with a Masters in Development Studies from International One incident left an indelible impression on Sukanta. The school released its merit Institute of Social Studies (ISS)2 in the Netherlands, Sukanta returned to continue his list every year and, in spite of being a rank holder, his name was struck off: “I felt rights-based work in Jharkhand on land rights and issues of displaced communities. terrible, but my mathematics teacher consoled me and asked me to ignore it and focus on my studies. As a Dalit, we could not participate in community pujas,4 and Currently, with the Church of North India, Synodical Board of Social Services (CNI in our community too, we accepted this. There was a culture of acceptance of such SBSS), a faith-based organization that works in the area of social justice, Sukanta injustices”. designs campaigns for advocacy and policy formulation that are rooted in grassroots research. A firm believer in systemic interventions for lasting change,S ukanta plans The discrimination only fuelled his motivation to work harder and stay focused on his to join active politics some day. studies, and in 1995, Sukanta cleared high school (Class X) with 60 percent marks. By now Sukanta’s brother, an agricultural laborer, started contributing to the family income, and Sukanta was able to study further. He gained admission to Salipur College,

1 In the Hindu caste system, Dalits were regarded as “untouchables”. 3 Chamars, or tanners, are a Dalit sub-caste, who traditionally dealt with processing and 2 Now known as the International Institute of Social Studies of the Erasmus University manufacturing of leather. 260 Rotterdam. 4 Puja, or prayers, offered at religious festivals or ceremonies. 261 nine miles away from Apilo, for the final two years of schooling. His brother bought before; his peers too were extremely sensitive, but it was still something of a cultural him a bicycle to ease his daily commute and Sukanta, with the objective of taking a shock for the small town boy. Sukanta could barely speak English but he quickly made crack at the IAS,5 set about improving his knowledge of general and current affairs. friends and with their support, he managed to adjust to his new environs within a A partial government scholarship under the government-mandated affirmative action few months. policy went a long way in ensuring that he complete his education: “My father used to bring me two or three rupees, which I would save for buying current affairs magazines JourneyTISS opened up a whole new world for Sukanta. He particularly to increase my general knowledge. My goal was to sit for the IAS exam one day”. enjoyed the fieldwork component, where he worked with tribals in Panvel, on the outskirts of Mumbai. He and his friends mobilized the community in identifying Completing Class XII in 1997 with a first division, Sukanta dropped a year as he common issues, built a road, located water sources, dug a well, and solved the problem wanted to pursue graduation from a reputed college. That wish was granted in 1999, of constant water shortages in summer with the help of the Lions Club. Local Marathi when he was admitted—on an SC quota6—to Ravenshaw College in Cuttack for a language newspapers covered their work, and Sukanta was recognized at TISS too. sukanta behera Bachelors in Political Science (Honors). On graduation (with 56 percent) in 2004, he found himself at a crossroads when However, the class and caste divide was just as apparent here and Sukanta spent most his campus placement fell through. It was around this time that an IIT7 alumnus of his time in the company of tribal students from Odisha. The college was a good 25 friend suggested the idea of initiating an NGO8 in Mumbai, and Sukanta went along miles by bus from his village, and during exam time, time constraints necessitated that with his proposal. The NGO, People’s Foundation for Scientific Socio Economic Sukanta move into a friend’s room in the hostel. In his final year of college, Sukanta Development (PeFSSED) was founded and registered in 2004. With a small corpus of and three friends rented a room in Cuttack, and he gave tuitions to make ends meet. corporate funding and volunteer support, PeFSSED started working on education with underprivileged children in Mumbai’s poorer communities. Meanwhile the financial situation at home was not easy, and the family sold the small piece of land around their house to support Sukanta’s education and to marry off his The fledgling organization gave Sukanta hands-on experience in project management sisters. Determined to do a Masters, Sukanta applied to the prestigious Tata Institute and fundraising. However, it ran into a funding crunch and in the absence of any of Social Sciences (TISS) in far away Mumbai. But the train fare posed a challenge, other financial support, Sukanta left Mumbai for Jharkhand in 2006. He joined and Sukanta’s brother borrowed money from an acquaintance that just about covered Badlao Foundation, which works with Jharkhand and West Bengal’s rural and tribal the fare. Sukanta cleared the admissions for a Masters degree in social work under populations on livelihoods, women’s empowerment, education and microfinance. the reserved quota. Based out of Chittranjan, Sukanta coordinated a USAID project on a primary education in six districts of West Bengal and was soon adjudged performer of the year and also The icing on the cake was the very nominal admission fee and the TISS scholarship promoted to the post of Program Officer. for Dalit students. His money related worries were taken care of in one shot. The institute was hugely supportive and nothing like what Sukanta had ever experienced His work and life took a different direction at this point when during the course of

5 The Indian Administrative Service is the elite civil service of the government of India. 6 The Indian government offers affirmative action and entitlements to citizens classified on 7 indian Institutes of Technology are premier science and technical (specially engineering) certain socio-economic factors. Scheduled Tribe/Scheduled Caste/Other Backward Castes all fall in postgraduate colleges. 262 this category. 8 non-governmental organization. 263 his work, he met some social activists who were focusing on rights-based work in friends (including ex-colleagues from Judav) founded Samvad in Ranchi with financial Jharkhand through Judav, a community-based organization. Deeply affected by the support from the erstwhile funders of Judav. Though Samvad’s work with the grassroots executive director’s energy and commitment, and the organization’s concentration on carried on valiantly, the constant tension and the substantial political pressure access to forests, control over forest resources and tribal livelihoods, Sukanta took the unnerved Sukanta, who by now was married and supported a family. He decided brave decision of quitting Badlao Foundation and joined Judav on a 50 percent pay to move on to Team for Human Resource, Education and Action for Development cut in 2007. (THREAD), an NGO in Siddharth village, Khurda district (Odisha) in March 2010. His work focused primarily on empowerment of tribal women, food security, education It was the beginning of a hugely inspiring journey and Sukanta’s work at the grassroots and health care. Much of this was an extension of his work with Judav, and Sukanta with tribals brought him in contact with passionate social activists such as Medha found that he wanted to add more to his work portfolio. Patkar, and Rajendra Singh, the renowned water conservationist. As coordinator of the planning, monitoring and evaluation cell, Sukanta built up a comprehensive Advocacy and policy discourse seemed the next logical step, and he grabbed the sukanta behera understanding on issues of tribal rights and livelihoods. opportunity provided by Church of North India, Synodical Board of Social Services (CNI SBSS) in February 2011. A faith based organization; it is fully committed to working He came across the IFP form at the Judav office and applied to the program with his with all underserved sections of society. Here, Sukanta designed and implemented boss’s support in 2008. Sukanta felt that studying abroad would deepen his perspective campaigns and programs to press for systemic and policy change. Fact finding missions on development issues and it was a proud moment for not just him and his family, to highlight atrocities against tribals and Dalits, campaigns for the rights of displaced but also their village, when he received news of his selection as an IFP Fellow. IFP’s communities, conflict resolution in areas hit by communal and Naxal9 violence—all of preparation bolstered his confidence further and filled him with hope and enthusiasm it falls within the purview of Sukanta’s work. for the exciting journey that lay ahead. Over the years Sukanta also made time to initiate an NGO, SAFAR (Sustainable Impact Before embarking on the 15-month Masters, a month’s pre-academic Advocacy for Action and Reality). Registered in 2008, it has organized youth and training at Maastricht University (Netherlands) was invaluable in preparing Sukanta women’s groups in and around Cuttack to lead awareness campaigns on community for his course and life abroad. He slid effortlessly into the academic regimen at ISS in and governance issues. Thus far, Sukanta has managed to sustain SAFAR on his salary August 2009, with considerable support from IFP and his faculty. Sukanta’s second and some miniscule government funding, and he hopes to increase outreach to other Masters degree enhanced his conceptual clarity and strengthened his motivation to districts in Odisha. give back to disadvantaged communities back home. The pluralistic environment, diverse learning opportunities, and the encouragement of his peers enriched his Looking to enter state politics in a few years, he is clear that he wants to work from life. He graduated with a commendable 70 percent, and looked forward to returning within the system and at the grassroots: “I will continue working with the community, to Judav. for the rights of the people and not just for Dalits. The system will change when we get inside it and work toward the change”. However, by the time he returned (in 2010), Judav had been deregistered by the Jharkhand government and was in disarray. Within a couple of months, he and his

264 9 Or, Naxalites, militant leftist groups. 265 Jagabandhu Sanda, MA Management Development, Asian Institute of Management, Philippines. Supervising a women’s self-help group producing incense266 sticks, in Jharkhand. 267 this with his health promotion and education work as Founder-President of Global Health Development Mission. While serving as an Assistant Professor of Community Medicine at the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College (attached to the hospital) he was strategically positioned to mould the thinking of future doctors. Surya is now an Associate Professor, Department of Community and Family Medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. surya bali surya

Barriers Surya was born into a Gond tribe family in the tiny village of Biraili in Uttar Pradesh. His father, an itinerant poet, was largely absent during Surya’s early childhood. An older brother, some 15 years his elder, had migrated to Maharashtra state in search of employment opportunities. It was left to his illiterate mother to bring up the two younger sons on the grain and foodstuffs she earned by laboring in people’s homes and fields.

The Changemaker Crippling poverty, parental indifference to Surya’s family did not intend to send the boy to school. Quite by chance, when he was his educational aspirations, and upper-caste persecution could not deter Surya Bali, a a six-year-old, driven by curiosity, he followed a group of children to see where they first generation neo-literate, from attaining his dream of becoming a doctor. In spite were going. Their destination was the local government school. Once there, Surya was of excellent MBBS1 results, Surya eschewed a lucrative career in surgery and opted determined to stay. When a year or so later his younger brother died untreated of an instead for an MD2 in the relatively unglamorous field of community medicine. Realizing undiagnosed illness, Surya fixed his eyes on a seemingly formidable challenge: he was that an efficient public healthcare system depends on committed professionals to going to become a doctor. sustain it, this specialization allowed him to work with impoverished rural and urban communities and exposed to him the extent and ways in which healthcare systems Poverty ensured that Surya had to support his education from when he was as young fail the poor. as six (gathering berries and bartering them for chalk), working in a cycle shop when a little older, and giving tuition once he reached secondary school. His stellar academic A Masters in Health Administration at University of Florida, achieved through the performance made him the brunt of upper-caste wrath and resentment, and he faced IFP Fellowship, enabled him to delve deeper into the subject. As Chief Administration accusations of cheating and pressure to drop the science subjects. This persecution Officer at one of Allahabad’s largest government-run hospitals, he worked to transform climaxed when he topped his Class X exams—his mark sheet was torn up. the institution into a model for affordable, quality healthcare for the poor. He used his position to ensure that the institution operates on the principles of accessibility, Adding to this was the deep hurt and disappointment at his parents’ apathy to his affordability and availability, thereby connecting poor patients to the benefits of the free hard-won achievements: Surya remembers in cruel detail the day he scored the or low-cost health services and products that they are entitled to. He complemented highest marks in his tehsil3 in Class VIII and ran back to announce this achievement

1 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. 3 In India, a tehsil is an administrative division which usually comprises a city/town that serves 268 2 Doctor of Medicine. as its headquarters. Usually, a number of villages and towns fall within a tehsil. 269 to his parents, only to have his momentous news greeted with uncomprehending JourneyIt was during his tenure as a lecturer that he grew increasingly indifference. certain that if he wanted to remain in the teaching (as against the clinical line), he needed to do a PhD. This is when a second serendipitous event defined his life. During With no one to counsel him, Surya had to figure out on his own what exactly medical a meeting in his Dean’s office, he spotted a crumpled brochure in the dustbin where studies involved. After his Higher Secondary, a ticketless train trip “to see the world the word ‘fellowship’ leapt out at him. He requested the clerk to fish out the pamphlet outside my tehsil” took him to Allahabad. There, he managed to identify an MBBS for him, and this IFP brochure and his application to the program in 2007 “changed surya bali surya coaching center, supported the year-long study by covering campus news for a everything”. local paper, and successfully cleared the exams to enroll for medicine at Allahabad University’s MLN Medical College. His older brother—now a taxi driver in Mumbai— He zeroed-in on a Masters in Health Administration at the University of Florida, USA agreed to contribute towards his education. identifying health management as the area of study he would find most useful. The IFP orientations were invaluable in equipping someone of his background with the Throughout medical college, Surya made up the monetary shortfall by writing on social requisite skills to negotiate a first-world country, including social etiquette and dress, issues for newspapers and speaking on All India Radio programs, making a name and communicating effectively in English. For Surya, “it was like transforming coal to for himself in the area of social development. Despite a demanding daily schedule, diamond!” Surya lived out his commitment to social issues by volunteering at a local orphanage and in 1998, he launched an NGO, the Global Health Development Mission, which is Academically, the US armed him with proficiencies that are crucial to his work: actively involved with public health campaigns and health education. Its contributions communication, analysis, understanding and management of systems, and ease to community outreach work have won awards from organizations like WHO.4 with English. But for Surya, the biggest take-away was the dramatic change in his notions of gender. Interactions with his American friends challenged the patriarchal After completing his MBBS with flying colors, in 2004, Surya did an MD in Social mindset that his upbringing had instilled in him, replacing it with a strong sense of and Preventive Medicine in order to gain experience and insight into medical service gender equality and keen appreciation of the discrimination women face everywhere, conditions for the poor. specifically in India. This altered perspective is the lodestar that guides him both in his personal and professional life. Thus, in his attempts to allocate resources equitably A couple of short work stints later, Surya took up lecturership at the Medical College, within the hospital, he paid special attention to women’s needs. convinced that this would accord him the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the healthcare system by shaping the thoughts and ideas of young doctors. Impact The IFP-supported Masters crystallized his decision to dedicate himself to working from within the government healthcare system and to turn it into Along the way, he notched up some more qualifications that he felt would better inform the efficient model of equitable care it was designed to be. It further strengthened his work: a PGDHHM (Post Graduate Diploma in Hospital and Health Management Surya’s resolve not to enter the more remunerative field of clinical medicine, which (2006), and an MBA5 in 2008 from the Indira Gandhi Open University. garnered quicker rewards but had limited impact.

With a renewed commitment to providing quality healthcare for the masses, upon

4 World Health Organisation. 270 5 Master of Business Administration. 271 his return from the US in 2010, he landed the Chief Administration Officer’s job at far reaching effects. He has joined hands with the Madhya Pradesh government for Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Allahabad. He also resumed his teaching job, in providing technical support to make health services affordable and accessible when order to influence the thinking of future healthcare professionals. required, for tribal and marginal populations.

Surya’s personal challenge was to ensure that healthcare benefits earmarked for the He has also started a project in Sheopur district (MP) to improve the mother and child disabled, the poor, women and children actually reach these groups. For instance, health of the Saharia (endogenous) tribes whose health is known to be very poor. He surya bali surya though poor patients are entitled to free food, entrenched corruption and hospital has undertaken a challenge to remove the enduring malnutrition and prevalence of mismanagement meant that benefits rarely percolated down to them.S urya successfully pulmonary tuberculosis that exists amongst them. Little wonder then that Surya’s has tackled this problem by overhauling the supply chain and rooting out the weak and been featured as an ‘Amazing Indian’ on national and private television channels. corrupt links that hindered efficacy. Ultimately, Surya wants to work at the level of formulating healthcare policies for the Surya worked with patience and the knowledge that change will not occur overnight country. Social justice, he believes, is ultimately a policy matter; without well-crafted or through a confrontational approach. His strategy was to first identify potentially guidelines and implementation procedures one cannot hope for social justice. Surya supportive individuals and then co-opt them into his mission. He gradually built has set his sights on a regional directorship at WHO, a position that will allow him to up a team to drive the transformation: best practices are gradually gaining wider play an active role, both in drafting policies designed to promote equitable healthcare, acceptance and taking root, and the hospital is slowly turning into a quality healthcare and in persuading the government to accept them. system that is accessible to all.

Surya’s success with transforming this large government hospital has earned him recognition in different quarters. He was awarded the Shri Kalu Ram Memorial National Award for the Best Community Based Research Paper (2008), and was featured in the highly prestigious Marquis Who is Who in the World (2010), and Marquis Who is Who in Science and Technology (2011). More recently, the Allahabad-based Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute offered him a visiting professorship in health management—an opportunity that he seized enthusiastically since it was in line with his goal to shape the thinking of budding healthcare professionals.

More recently, Surya submitted a detailed proposal to the Uttar Pradesh state government and his college to establish a school of health administration in the state. Now as Associate Professor, Department of Community and Family Medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Surya is set to embark on setting up a quality public laboratory for research which will have

272 273 Barriers The youngest in a family of six children, Tsewang was born in a village called Matho (about 16 miles from Leh, Ladakh’s capital) to a Buddhist family. It was a struggle for her father, a middle-school graduate, to support his family on his modest army pension (he was a junior commissioned officer and had opted for early retirement) and they supplemented the family income by willow and poplar tree plantation on their landholding. All the children were put in government schools as that kept educational costs to a minimum, but where the educational standards were woefully inadequate. In the absence of any parental guidance, except for one brother who went on to finish his post graduation, the rest of the siblings just about managed to finish high school. tsewang dolma tsewang

Tsewang’s eldest sister, who was employed in the Army canteen in Leh, pushed for getting six-year-old Tsewang admitted into the English-medium Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School, a private school that had made a reputation for itself. The only The Changemaker Hailing from Jammu and Kashmir state’s mode of transportation between their village and Leh was a highly erratic bus service, Ladakh region—a remote, high altitude desert in the Himalayas—Tsewang Dolma, so Tsewang went to live with her sister who paid her school fees and living expenses. of Tibetan ancestry, learned to live with economic hardships and lack of resources The two would visit their family on the weekends. Tsewang missed her family terribly, early on in life. She lost both her parents by the time she turned ten, and was brought and once even ran away from Leh. up by her older siblings. Convinced that education was her ticket to a better life, Tsewang worked single-mindedly toward going to college, a feat that eludes most in Soon, however, Tsewang began to settle down at her new school and was selected for her community, where the high school dropout rate is an appalling 85 percent. a scholarship to support her tuition, on account of her class performance and family background. When Tsewang was nine, her mother succumbed to cervical cancer, and After a BSc1 in Agriculture from Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh state), Tsewang returned to within a year, her father passed away from a lung-related problem. Overnight, the older Ladakh to work with grassroots organizations in the area of sustainable development siblings had to shoulder the family’s economic burden. Mercifully, by now her brother and livelihoods. Tsewang completed a Masters in Environmental Science and Policy had joined the Indian Army and could contribute to the family income. Growing up from the renowned Clark University, Massachusetts (USA). with so many challenges made Tsewang determined to succeed and contribute to her family. Her sponsorship continued and Tsewang finished high school with a second Acutely aware that she is needed the most in her community, Tsewang plans to get division. back to grassroots work in Ladakh. By combining her skills in research and statistical analysis with her interest in the fragile Himalayan ecology, especially in the context of Studying further necessitated moving to Chandigarh where her older brother was climate change, she hopes to contribute to big decision-making in a small way. based. With a partial scholarship through the reserved quota and help from her siblings, Tsewang, whose dream was to study medicine, opted for science. She managed a

274 1 Bachelor of Science. 275 creditable 70 percent in Class XII from Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 21, Working on greenhouse and solar initiatives of LEHO was a rejuvenating experience, among the best Model schools in the city. Disappointed at not making the grade at the especially since Tsewang worked directly with farmers, traveling to remote areas medical entrance exam, she took the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Ladakh like Kargil and Zangskar to train them in greenhouse farming and pest entrance test. She cleared it, and in 2001, secured a seat in Chandra Shekhar Azad management. Tsewang had been at LEHO for about three years when she heard about University of Agriculture and Technology, in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh state). When she the IFP Fellowship through her Director at RDY and he suggested that she give it a graduated in 2005, she did so with an excellent Overall Grade Point Average of 8.09 serious consideration. on a 10-point scale. The timing was just right as somewhere deep down Tsewang felt a gap, especially when The Kanpur years toughened her up even further. The atmosphere in the college was she met young and confident development professionals from Delhi and Mumbai. She regressive to say the least and Tsewang, with her East Asian features, got strange felt a growing need to update her knowledge and build a comprehensive theoretical

2 tsewang dolma tsewang looks from everyone and was referred to as ‘chinky’. Eventually though, she made understanding of development issues. Tsewang applied for the Fellowship online and friends and hostel life proved to be a lot of fun. got past each stage of the long application process to arrive at the final selection in Delhi. Meeting the other applicants eased her worries to a large extent and her A significant upside to the whole experience was that, because she was granted interviews too went off smoothly: “I was on cloud nine when I got to know that I had admission on the quota system, the tuition fee was waived off from her second year been selected. It was in August 2009 and my first orientation was inA ugust. I was so onwards and, with the help of the National Talent Scholarship from the Indian Council excited”. for Agricultural Research (ICAR), she managed to get by. In college, Tsewang came across a senior student preparing for the GRE3 and TOEFL4 exams and though it Tsewang could relate to most of the participants and she learned a lot from the IFP seemed like such a long shot, Tsewang knew that one day she would be studying trainings. Her only challenge was Math, and taking the GRE and TOEFL tests online, abroad as well. considering her rather average computer skills due to lack of exposure to the Internet in Ladakh. But slowly her confidence increased, although she sometimes felt weighed JourneyA graduate degree under her belt, Tsewang returned to Ladakh down under the pressure of everyone’s—as also her own—expectations. It did a world in 2005 to work with Rural Development and You (RDY), a non-profit with a focus of good to her self-esteem when she got offers from three Universities: Clark, Antioch, on sustainable and integrated development in rural areas. Though her work at RDY and State University of New York. was fulfilling and full of learning, after two years she felt that she needed to move ahead, intellectually. Searching for a space that would give her greater scope to apply Tsewang chose Clark over others as it offered a strong program and was known for its her agricultural knowledge and skills, she joined Ladakh Environment and Health courses on GIS, Geography, climate systems, and intermediate quantitative methods, Organization (LEHO), which work on sustainable development, ecology, and health all of which she was keen on. Thus it was that she landed in Worcester, Massachusetts issues in the region. in August 2010.

2 Chinky is a slang term referring to a person’s East Asian or Chinese ethnicity. Often, it is used as a derogatory term. Impact At Clark, she realized that thanks to the efforts of the IFP team, she 3 Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), a standardized test, are an admissions requirement for was very well prepared. In the open and informal classroom environs of the University many American universities. 4 Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is sometimes an admission requirement of 276 English-speaking colleges for non-native English speakers. 277 that gave space to each and every point of view, no matter how radical, she quickly mountainous regions. She would love to work with ICIMOD (The International Center found her feet and blossomed. She took the maximum number of courses possible, for Integrated Mountain Development)5 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Tsewang dreams of an also the toughest ones, and aced them all. It was a world full of opportunities that opportunity to apply her skills and learning in the mountains of Mongolia or Tibet Tsewang grabbed with both hands. one day.

It was also challenging and rigorous—she had never written a reflection paper or a Meanwhile, one immediate to-do on her mind is reconnecting with her alma mater, critical analysis, but she adapted quickly: “It was the biggest learning opportunity of Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School, and engaging with students on a regular my life and I learned so much from all my African, Chinese and American friends— basis. “I owe the school so much. I would love to contribute in some way, may be about effectively managing time, working hard and playing just as hard. Also, here talk to the students as a positive role model. Education can play such a critical role; I saw myself more as an Indian as opposed to a Ladakhi, which I’d thought was my it can change someone’s life. When one person from a backward community receives

tsewang dolma tsewang primary identity back home in India”. higher education, it can show the way for so many others and it can begin a chain reaction”. The experience reaffirmed Tsewang’s belief regarding the need for highly trained and skilled professionals at the grassroots to lead from the front and bring about lasting change. Although she had considerable experience of development work, yet there were missing pieces as well—cutting-edge subject knowledge, the confidence to lead, and managing people and resources optimally. Informed by a deeper perspective on relationships between environmental science, technology and society, she feels she is well equipped to address the issues of ecological and sustainable development in her home state.

Her sound technical knowledge and training in various instruments of statistical analysis give Tsewang the confidence to make significant research-based contributions to her community around the critical issues of climate change that have a direct bearing on the lives of the people in the years to come.

The rigorous academic regimen at Clark sharpened her communication skills, an attribute that will come handy when she resumes work. Additionally, she also took a course in grant writing, all of which will help her move forward on her journey as a social justice leader and entrepreneur.

Sometime in the distant future, Tsewang dreams of moving out of Ladakh to other 5 ICIMOD is a knowledge development and learning hub for the eight Trans Himalayan member countries that work toward the preservation and sustainability of the fragile mountain ecosystem 278 and the livelihoods of mountain people in the light of rapid globalization and climate change. 279 Tsewang Dolma, MSc Environmental Science and Policy, Clark University, USA. Seen here in a traditional home in Ladakh.

alumIIIni reflections

Anjani Kumar Singh Asiya Zahoor Fidius Kerketta Jitandra Sharma Harshit Sosan Lakra Hilal Ahmed Manmeet Singh Manorama Dei Narayana A Gatty Surekha Talari

280 281 281 and then joined the Government. The whole idea of joining the government system was probably driven by my desire to work on a large scale, though this journey was not quite smooth. The great work that some of the biggest NGOs of India were proud of doing over a period of two decades, we could achieve within the government system in a year or two. This enhanced my conviction to work with Government system and be part of the solution instead of pointing fingers about non-performance.W hat we, as a small group of professionals, did while working with the Bihar state government has become a model for the country. This positive experience increased my conviction further, that if poverty has to be eliminated from the holy land of Bharat Mata, it has to be a Government initiative. While NGOs can develop islands of excellence in a few villages, the mass poverty prevalent in the country could only be eliminated by the initiatives of a democratically elected government.

I have worked with the governments of more than five countries.I n all these all

anjani kumar singh An internal change agent countries including Afghanistan, I had a wonderful positive experience of working I am not very sure whether the IFP experience has been a transformative journey as an internal ‘change agent’ i.e. trying to bring about a difference in the functioning or not, but for sure it has been a linear journey—in moving significantly ahead with of government run poverty alleviation programs, from within. I developed a sense enhanced conviction, elevated confidence and higher commitment. The greatest shock of appreciation for the complex government environment, where there is multiple I received in my life was to miss a first division by two marks in my matriculation accountability. Governments in developing countries are the biggest development examination. I could recover from this only after eighteen years when I received the agencies. Therefore, the greatest challenge of our times is not whether we should work IFP award. It was like a dream come true. with government or not, but how to make a democratically elected government a pro- poor government, a government that cares about them and is accountable to them. Before receiving the Fellowship, I used to work as part of civil society organizations, where my role was to implement rural livelihoods programs, albeit quite effectively, At this juncture of my life, I feel privileged to think big, act big and work on large scale and encourage young professionals to have positive experiences of working directly programs, all because of my becoming an alumnus of IFP. My growth can perhaps with rural poor. However, the most worrisome part was the scale at which I was be best expressed from having been just once on a flight journey in almost a decade operating. I was making a difference in the lives of probably a few hundred people and of my professional career before my Fellowship program, to travelling by air every using the rest of the time and energy to shout about the inefficiency of the government other week. From being responsible for a few villages, I am supporting a national system and its failure to deliver goods and services to poor people. level program in four to five major states, which is going to impact the livelihoods of more than a crore (ten million) of rural poor, in India. Today, I can relate with both Once I returned to India on successful completion of the Fellowship program and a worlds—a world of rural poor without much power and voice, alongside a world of degree from a prestigious university in the USA, I did a very short stint with an NGO, powerful people. I see myself as a bridge between them.

282 283 On the personal front, it has changed the language in our home. We started speaking in English with my two daughters at home, which has helped them to pick up a new language. When I tell people that I don’t drink tea or alcoholic drinks they don’t believe me. In terms of my financial stability, the salaryI used to receive in one year, I am presently receiving in one month. However, what I miss is the long and engaging conversation with rural poor households, which used to give me a new perspective, a new insight on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder, whether I have become grounded in society or have got uprooted from my own social system—a larger question that has

yet to be resolved. asiya zahoor

The greatest contribution of IFP is that it has identified grass root development professionals, who were rooted to a cause and provided them opportunities to explore academic excellence, hone their skills, explore a world view and network with people of similar interests. IFP fellows have emerged as organic professionals, who give

anjani kumar singh preference to people over profit and are role models for people of their social groups. My Journey through IFP I was born and brought up in Baramulla, or Varmul as it is called more endearingly. It There are several organizations, which are doing great work but lack professional is a bowl-shaped town surrounded by lush green mountains to the north of Kashmir, guidance. IFP has worked towards democratization of knowledge in terms of availability about fifty five kilometres from Srinagar. When I was three years old, I took to teaching and accessibility of quality professional services for smaller organizations. I am sure our garden flowers, treating them as my students.A t age eleven, I graduated to this will change their outlook and the way they deliver services to poor communities. teaching girls in an orphanage near our home. Further, I am sure, many Fellows will emerge as development entrepreneurs. This will contribute significantly towards fuelling of inclusive growth or what some people call Not only did teaching and learning fascinate me, so did the institutions associated ‘Economic growth with Justice’. Some will emerge as researchers of tomorrow and with learning. On Doordarshan (national) television, I saw a program on some change the larger contours of policy making and the way decisions are taken. famous personalities, their education and journeys through life. Among these were famous Oxonians such as Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Stephen With integrity in personal life and a passion for social justice I see several of them will Hawking, Henry Fielding and T S Eliot. My heart would beat faster as I heard the very be policy change agents and leverage their knowledge, experience and network for the word ‘Oxonian’—I wondered what it would feel like being an Oxonian. “Nani” I said to larger public good. I see them as trendsetters, who will display distributive leadership, my grandmother, “I will go to Oxford one day like Benazir and Indira Gandhi. Can that taking greater responsibility for social justice. Their exposure to higher education happen, Nani?” As all Nanis do, she said, “Yes my dear, it can”. But then both of us and the developed world has enabled them to think out of the box, raise the bar of broke into laughter the very next moment at the impossibility of this idea. Oxford was performance, and experiment to create a new body of knowledge. a far-off dream for someone like me, for whom even going to the university in Srinagar meant more than five hours of travel a day. Nani and I could not have thought at that

284 285 time that IFP would one day make this dream come true. was transformative. It kindled in me the spirit of social justice.

After completing my undergraduate studies in Baramulla, I got my MA in English IFP Fellowship took me to Oxford—and thus my long cherished dream was realized. Literature with a top rank from Kashmir University, Srinagar. After completing my I was admitted to an MSc program in Applied Linguistics at the Department of MA, I took a temporary job at a college in Baramulla. I saw that there was abundant Education Studies, Oxford. I took Psycholinguistics as my thesis. I did a quantitative talent in the students hailing from villages; but an utter inability to give it proper analysis investigating language processing in the mind. This was a very important expression because their English was faulty. Only some students from private school and complex research which eventually helped me understand problems in language backgrounds could speak and write good English. The majority of students in my teaching from both psychological and sociological perspectives. My thesis was well

asiya zahoor hometown could not afford private schooling. Such students, because they were received at Oxford. It got published in a book form. I also wrote for Oxonian and unable to cope, inevitably developed an inferiority complex. I tried my best as a teacher other well known journals. In addition to an in-depth exploration of my subject I to help them outgrow such complexes and re-establish lost faith in themselves. I got a chance to interact with world renowned scholars at the Oxford Union. These thought I must discover language and all its issues—even the communication process interactions widened my horizons. itself. I wished to explore language from different perspectives—political, social and psychological. After coming back from Oxford, I began teaching in a school in a remote village in Kashmir. The teaching methods that I had learnt from my research came in handy I was in a library one day when the chief librarian handed me a form and said, I in the classes. I taught in the village school for two years. Then, I took up a teaching think you should apply for this. I took the form home—and opened it. It said Ford position at Government College, Baramulla. I am currently Head, Department of Foundation International Fellowships Program in red letters ! ‘Social justice’ and English at Baramulla College. In addition to teaching and administrative work, I have ‘leadership’ were the key words that struck me. ‘Your favourite leaders’, asked the also taken up the role of the convener of the Women’s Cell in the college, in which form, and I wrote ‘Gandhi and Martin Luther King’. capacity I am involved in various committee services. As convener, Debates and Seminars Committee at the college, I organise various lectures by eminent scholars I was called for an interview in Srinagar, and then in Delhi. During the Delhi interview, from the Valley and outside. I am the founding member of Kashmir Centre for Art, I met a lady in the long corridor of India Habitat Centre. She too had come for the Culture and Languages, an organization working for rejuvenation of marginalized interview. She told me about her work as a human rights activist. I was highly languages and various regional art forms. impressed, inspired. It was a happy moment for me when I found that ten candidates from Jammu and Kashmir were selected for the fellowship that year. This was to be I am proud to be a part of the IFP alumni group. Most IFP Fellows who were selected a big leap for all of us—as well as for our state. The journeys we had to embark upon from Jammu and Kashmir, after completing their degrees from various universities would not only help us realize our dreams but also make us take responsibility. We abroad are contributing significantly in various fields such as media, education, needed to prepare. In our preparation we were mentored by the IFP team in New planning and environment. An IFP alumni network has immense potential as a Delhi. They held several orientation programs for us. In the very first program,I met resource as, together, alumni can make a significant contribution to Jammu and IFP Fellows-elect from various places across India. I was most glad to see the lady Kashmir, as social justice leaders. whom I had earlier met at India Habitat Centre. Listening to the stories of IFP Fellows

286 287 Rahil Afzal Subedar, MA Communications Management, London Metropolitan University, UK. Interviewing a women’s collective, in Gujarat.

288 289 I decided to look for an opportunity for further study, and IFP fulfilled my dream. The IFP provided one of the best opportunities to study in one of the top universities of the world which I could never imagine in my life. I have just completed my Masters degree in Public Health in Developing Countries from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, (LSHTM) London University.

On returning to Chhattisgarh, I have observed that it is one of the fastest developing states in the country since its creation in 2000. Socio-economic activities are changing rapidly. On the one hand there is a lot of investment in the state and the progress of the state looks enormous since its formation. All political parties, whichever may be fidius kerkatta fidius the ruling party, are willing to concentrate on the progress of the state. However in the process of development, the gap between the rich and poor has widened. A systematic loot of the natural resources and minerals, the encroachment of forest, land, river and other natural resources of the state by the rich, is taking place. People whose Chhattisgarh calling livelihood was dependent on these resources, are most affected. Having lost their The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) is an innovative livelihoods they have developed dependence on government schemes for survival. The initiative which supports capacity building of human resources to prepare future most impacted population are the tribals. leaders working in some of the less developed states in the country. The program provides opportunity to capable candidates to study in the best institutes in the world. Another concurrent problem of the state is the struggle between the government and The program expects that the selected candidates will return and contribute to the Naxalites (Maoist extremist group). Naxals are present almost throughout the state. progress of the region. The IFP India is one such endeavor of the global program. However some parts of the state are worse affected. The tribals are caught in this crossfire. They are being killed and exploited from both sides. The development of I was one of the fortunate candidates to get this opportunity. When I look back on these regions is thus neglected. The efforts by the government to restore peace may my personal and professional life I recall a lot of struggle. Being born into a poor take several years and the poor remain the most affected population. Very few health family in a remote rural tribal community in Chhattisgarh, I had to work hard to care workers are willing to work in these areas. Ambulance facilities are not available get education. I started working since childhood to support my education. I was not for remote villages and Naxal dominated areas. The infant and maternal mortality the only one. Most of the boys and girls in my community still struggle to get a good rate is still very high. The gap in relation to the distribution of health care is wide. education. However what was distracting my focus and confidence was the deep- Hence it is a challenging region to work in. rooted and adverse influence of the existing social and political system of the time in the region. Although I was fortunate enough to get education from good institutes, There are fifteen IFP alumni who were selected from Chhattisgarh, of whom 5 alumni I had developed an inferiority complex which affected my professional life. I lacked are working in the state. One alumni working in the state, unfortunately passed away confidence in dealing with the situation. It was a block in my professional life. Hence in a road accident. The remaining alumni selected from Chhattisgarh are working in

290 291 other states. Those in the state are primarily engaged in sustainable development and the health sector in different districts. I am also contributing to the health sector. It is too early yet to assess the impact of the alumni in this region, but this will unfold in the years to come.

The state lacks trained professionals not only to work in the rural areas, but also to provide support to the government in policy formation beneficial to the poor. Hence there is a need of large number of trained professional and the IFP initiative to prepare such professionals for the region, is the need of the hour. There is enormous work to be done. I envision a role for IFP alumni that can influence decision making processes and fidius kerkatta fidius policy formation to benefit the most neglected populations. We can assist government

in implementing policy for adoption of an evidence based clinical practice. There is sharma jitandra need for implementation of public health measures. A kind of health reform to be implemented that can put patients and local people in the driving seat. Some alumni can engage in capacity building of manpower to prepare human resources to face My journey from micro to macro future challenges. In 2008, I found myself at crossroads, a crisis situation where I had to rethink and rebuild the course of my life journey. I had been working in elementary and youth Since the cost of health care is beyond the reach of the poor, there is a need to provide education for tribal villages near Mussoorie, Uttarakhand for over a decade with an low cost health care facilities in the remote areas for which the alumni can contribute NGO. I was heading an elementary (Kindergarten to class 8) school which was growing their expertise and assist government to strengthen the rural healthcare. Similarly in reputation and I had dreams of developing it into an inspirational Intermediate they can use their expertise in sustainable development activities to bring development college that could give proper direction to the young generation of about 40 villages to the region. Expertise is required to enhance the development of the region. I believe in that area. I was also part of the second line leadership for the organization. Some the IFP alumni with their training have an important role to play towards this, in the ideological differences saw many of us leave the organization. Suddenly I found that years to come. I had no platform to realize my dreams. I wanted to give myself time to rethink how I would contribute to the lives of the poor through education. I wanted to go back to study education seriously and see what all is happening in the field of education globally before taking up a new assignment.

The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) was a chance to realize my newly found dreams. I applied with a lot of hope. At the same time, I earned a fellowship with WIPRO Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to research around school development issues in Bhopal with a renowned NGO. The education scenario

292 293 of a capital city helped me grow my perspective. I had so far worked at the micro impacted me deeply at the level of perspective, knowledge and skills needed in my level in a remote village area where my focus was how to run a school effectively. mission of contributing significantly towards quality education for social justice. Earlier, With exposure in Bhopal, I became interested in systemic issues in education, the I had the grassroots experience but I now have a broad policy level perspective on challenges facing the government education system and macro level interventions that educational trends and the factors behind them. I am theoretically better equipped to were needed to bring qualitative change in education. The more I thought along these talk about education in state or national level forums. I recently presented a paper in lines, the more I longed for an IFP Fellowship. I saw it as an excellent opportunity to a regional seminar on Philosophy of Education where I could bring both my grassroots devote one full year to studying about my recently developed interest in education, at experience as well as a good theoretical grounding into my arguments. a university of my choice. I have realized the importance of serious academic work and try to orient others. I I was extremely happy when I got selected for IFP Fellowship in 2009. There was work with in Azim Premji Foundation’s District Institute Uttarkashi, on the importance a year of preparation before the course. In hindsight, I see this period as extremely of having a good balance between being a practitioner as well as an academic. I am

jitandra sharma jitandra important as it gave me enough preparation time for a situation which was very a better reader and a better writer; some of the key skills I gained as part of my demanding academically as well as culturally and emotionally. The program that IFP IFP experience. I give a lot of emphasis to proper documentation. Having a research Delhi team had organized for our preparation was of a very high quality. It touched approach to work is another area which developed during the IFP experience. on all the aspects for individuals who had come from a totally different socio-cultural and academic background, and what we were going to face during our course in a Personally, I feel enriched by having lived in a different culture. My vision for my own new country. I had begun reading around educational issues related to the course country has gained from this experience. I see what we could learn from the United I had selected. My WIPRO fellowship also provided me opportunity to equip myself Kingdom and at the same time my appreciation for what our own society offers, has academically. New friends as IFP Fellows were yet another source of inspiration. increased. I have made new friends internationally—social capital which helps to see Support from Fellows from previous years also helped in selecting a particular course myself as a global citizen who cares about and wants to contribute towards solving as well as getting valuable guidance from our seniors about life in an international global issues. My interest in the academic world has increased manifold, and my university. successful masters has helped me dream about a PhD in the future. I also see myself lecturing in some of the best universities around the world as well as keeping myself At University of Sussex I received a one month pre-sessional training to prepare myself connected to small village schools where I began my educational journey. academically and to acclimatize myself to the university life. This made me ready from day one for MA in International Education and Development,. The IFP Fellows from I currently contribute to the Education Leadership and Management area in Azim India and various other countries met regularly at the university so it was another Premji Foundation, in Uttarakhand. We are partnering with the public education family-like support which helped me enjoy my time there. We had dinner gatherings system to develop visionary leadership and efficient management skills in functionaries with India Fellows every fortnight and, we met with international groups of IFP Fellows who impact the quality of education being practiced in schools. I believe the work we on a monthly basis and learned more about each others’ work and countries. are doing and my IFP training will go a long way in reforming the education system and reach the intended beneficiary—the student. When I reflect on what I have gained from this IFP experience, I find that it has

294 295 numerous questions were repeatedly asked of me about myself and my profession. This gave me an opportunity to evaluate myself, to value myself as a person with uniqueness and considerable potential to contribute to the profession and community. The next stage was the IFP Fellow-elect period. The prime purpose of this stage was to develop a cohort and prepare us to for the new and culturally diverse academic environment. Interaction with other selected candidates, IFP team and our mentors, helped me to understand the importance of small changes and the strength of a cohort.

Third and the most memorable transformative stage was my actual experience in a university in an unfamiliar land. I joined the Department of Regional and Urban Planning at School of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University, New York from 2007 to 2009. Interacting with the international community taught me to absorb the stress of being different and yet being a valuable part of the class. I realized that harshit sosan lakra sosan harshit my voice matters we all had similar problems across the globe but we approached and addressed them Like a woman, or for that matter even man from an indigenous community, I inherited differently. As a student, I loved the classes, and being asked to share my experiences the culture of silence. Especially, when it was a question about me or my society. I and my opinion on certain strategies or technology. Which I observed I was never accepted the general norms. Because, primarily I was synthesized to consider the asked, neither as a student nor as an individual in my years prior to IFP. Furthermore, norms of others as that was my orientation, and secondly, I was molded to accept my observation of the teaching methods and student support system, helped me things as they are. Without undervaluing technical studies, the silence was further refine myself as a teacher.A part from academics, my involvement as an official in reinforced when I was trained as an architect and a planner. The reason being: the International Planning Student Organization and Cornell International Christian technology is usually questioned with another existing technology and not based on Fellowship, helped me to grow as a leader and develop my decision-making skills. actual fact on what it does to the people and especially to the communities who are Also winning the Cornell Urban Scholar Program award in 2008 exposed me to a work unique. However, today I not only understand technology with the socio-economic environment in a New York office. This experience was again a value addition and perspective, but also voice the complex relationship of technology, social change and confidence booster for me. social exclusion. Fourth and the most challenging part of my transformative journey, was my return to The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) played a critical role in my country, profession, and my community. This is an ongoing phase of translating my this transformative journey of rediscovering myself. I see this valuable transformation learning for which the IFP team prepared me, and my cohort provided the strength. in four stages of my interaction with IFP. First being the selection process itself. At In 2009 I resumed my work at Birla Institute of Technology, Jharkhand and have been that time I worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture, Birla slowly and steadily incorporating my learning in my work. In the past three years I Institute of Technology, Mesra, Jharkhand. During the process of the IFP selection, have been able to develop a course on Vernacular Architecture through the Institute,

296 297 Dr Rubeena Shaheen, MPH with concentration in Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University, USA. Working in the laboratory at a local hospital, in funded by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, which Kashmir. highlights the potential of tribal communities in the art of building shelters. I have been able to bring change in the kind of design problems we float in the class and develop the strength of the students to think socially and find technological solutions. Apart from this through Adivasi Development Network I have been able to mobilize more than three hundred volunteers from technical, social, art colleges, churches and ethnic communities. I have succeeded in linking students with hundreds of indigenous professionals from the administrative services, entrepreneurs, professionals from the finance sector, professionals from development sectors and tribal artists. I also coordinate the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Cell for the institute. I have invited my Cornell University Colleagues to interact with tribal volunteers in the region in the recent past. I have also raised concerns for the indigenous communities in review meetings of the Master Plan developed for the city.

harshit sosan lakra sosan harshit My learning and sharing continues with persistent interaction with the IFP team and my fellow alumni. Out of thirty-seven selected Fellows thirteen alumni belonged to the indigenous communities. They went to different countries from Norway, Netherlands, Philippines, United Kingdom to the United States of America. Each person who got the opportunity to explore the larger world came back with a wider perspective, enhanced faith in themselves, the ability to be the change they aspired for and an increased capacity for innovative approach.

I have faith that IFP alumni will show united strength and will increase their reach and capacity by networking and supporting each other. Amongst their plans are to write a column in local newspaper to communicate their ideas and observations to a larger audience. Alumni also look forward to bringing change at a policy level which is critical for the development of the state. Together there is so much that we can do.

298 299 We have to remember that IFP program made a successful attempt to link higher education to the question of social justice. This was an exceptional feature. IFP program highlighted the limitation of the given meanings of affirmative action in the Indian context and tried to produce a model by which higher education could be envisaged as a tool to address multi-layered and somehow discursive forms of human subjugation, exploitation and injustice. As a result, the selection criterion, pre-departure training and settling-in processes were specifically designed to sort out all kinds of practical

hilal ahmed issues so that selected individuals could concentrate on their identified area(s) of study. The notions of social justice, thus, were recognized as broad principles by which the everyday practicalities of the program could be managed.

However, the manner in which the program contributed to individual transformation, especially in terms of professional development, had to be different from the perceived or stated expectations. The program had targeted the marginalization of communities/ Making sense of Social Justice: groups through a few already educated yet marginalized individuals. These individuals Professional Commitment and Intellectual Politics were ahead of their communities in many respects, and at the same time, were not The impact of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) on the representing the distinctive form of marginalization which other less-privileged life of an individual fellow (and his/her community) could be assessed in two different members of their respective communities and groups were facing. ways. One might take a comparative approach to divide the relevant moment of an individual’s life story into ‘pre’ and ‘after’ so as to measure the level of accomplishment This relatively complex location of these individuals raised a serious question: was achieved during the ‘fellowship’ period. Individual success, in this case, is understood it possible to assess the impact of individual success on the lives of communities? as outcome and/or milestone indicators of the program, which directly contribute to a This conceptual question, in my view, led to another equally puzzling empirical checklist model of evaluation in the conventional sense of the term. problem: how should the program look at the relationship between fellows and their communities in post-fellowship period? I situate my professional intellectual trajectory There is another and equally convincing method of reviewing the impact of the IFP in the framework of social justice to explore these questions, though I do not suggest program. Instead of looking at a few identified indicators, which are often expressed that my story could be taken as a representative sample of any kind. in quantitative terms, a few individual stories are collected and presented in a rather unstructured manner. This exercise aims to observe those actual social processes The dominant perception that educational backwardness, religious-cultural insecurities, that produce various ideas of emancipation. Although these two seemingly conflicting and political underrepresentation produce various forms of marginalization of modes of appraisal are, in principle, important, and do offer us a comprehensive Muslims, at least in north India, does not entirely explain the kinds of issues I faced in evidence-based assessment of the program, the multi-layered notion of social justice the 1990s. I was educated in a Hindi medium school. This was a conscious decision does not get adequate analytical attention in such impact studies. of my parents because for them Hindi was a language of power. However, I found that

300 301 my parents were wrong! It was English, which was the language of power in the real eager to own me as a representative of a thriving modern Muslim! sense of the term. Hindi/Urdu, or for that matter any other Indian language, had a fixed place in the linguistic and professional hierarchy, structured and governed by Yet, I do feel that the gap between my professional location and the issues and concerns English educated elite. the Muslim community face directly in contemporary India is increasing. Should I start blaming myself for becoming elite? Or, should I prepare myself to give up my So, despite being educated (I had an MA degree) and despite being ahead of my own professional life and get involved in direct struggles of my community for ‘security, Old Delhi Muslim community, I was facing very different kinds of issues in the mid- identity and equity’ —the given parameters of social justice? Or, should I stop thinking

hilal ahmed 1990s. Interestingly, the community itself was not very supportive: I was considered on all these issues and focus only on my professional growth? to be a failed case because I could not get a ‘government job’ even though I had done fairly well in my studies! I do not think that an imaginary dividing line between one’s professional life and social and political commitment can be drawn, especially in India where social justice is a The class background of my family was another aspect. I had to do all sort of work defining feature of public discourse. Instead, it is important to recognize the specific to support my family and my studies. Thus, I did not have any cultural capital to locations of individuals and the possible ways in which the issues and concerns of capitalize on, I did not have the required sophistication to get access to the established community(ies) are perceived, articulated and presented by them. I do recognize the community institutions and above all I did not have the ideology of a conventionally significance of my location. I need not to give up my professional life to do sacred educated Muslim who sees the world as Muslims and non-Muslims! community work; rather, being in the business of ideas, I see myself as an intellectual interlocutor. In order to overcome these challenges, I started learning English. Within a year or so, I was writing for English newspapers. At this point of time, I came to know about The task before me is to provide an informed intellectual vocabulary to the aspirations, the IFP program. I applied and was selected in my first attempt. I went to School of hopes, desires, anxieties and apprehensions of the people. My professional Oriental & African Studies, (SOAS) University of London, and worked with one of the ‘achievements’ would be translated into a success in terms of social justice only if I best experts on Indian politics. I finished my doctorate and got another prestigious manage to do justice to my own job. fellowship—Asia Fellow Award. The very next year, I was appointed at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, one of the most reputable research institutes in South Asia, for South Asia, as a faculty member.

I am a successful case now for two very different stakeholders and obvious for two very different reasons. For the IFP program, I am a successful case because I followed the expected trajectory—came back to my home country, settled down well professionally and am moving ahead along with the ‘courage of conviction’ and ‘professional potential’ that I promised to follow initially. I am also a successful case for the community elite, who did not have any interest in my struggles a few years back. These elites are now

302 303 problems and continuing financial constraints, re-entry to academics seemed very difficult. Therefore for me, the IFP fellowship not only paved a path to break that stagnancy, but also helped me to re-invent my self-confidence to show society that deficiency can be a challenge but not an obstacle towards development.

Besides an educational opportunity, the fellowship also provided an excellent chance to experience the smooth, well-structured and relatively comfortable life in developed countries. Like many others, at times, I too felt a strong attraction towards such a life. However, it never turned into a necessity, and my concentration remained intact for the cause and my country. This in my view was mainly because of the well thought of and strategically designed preparation process that each IFP fellow has to undergo manmeet singh prior to travelling to their host countries. Every aspect is crafted to fortify the value of maintaining association with our own country, community and cause.

IFP: A transformational journey The joy and enthusiasm of coming back to my region, Uttar Pradesh (UP), with Studying at an international university in the UK or the USA has always been a dream advanced skills and knowledge helped me to explore all possible avenues of learning of young India. However, demanding admission procedures, cut-throat competition, during my stay in Leeds. I have invested a decade of my professional life in Uttar language difficulties and above all significantly high course fees and living costs, Pradesh, one of the largest and most populous states of India, and also one of the prevents a large number of students from the chance to fulfill their dream.I am poorest and least developed. The Human Development Index achievement of UP is fortunate to be amongst very few who realized their dreams. My journey from being a also very low as compared to other states like Kerala and Punjab. dreamer to an achiever would have been impossible without the support of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP). Among states with comparable levels of income, UP has one of the more progressive development policy frameworks. However, people from marginalized groups such as The Fellowship has truly been a transformational experience both for my professional women, children and people with disabilities, are subject to multiple disadvantages and personal life. With the support of IFP, I was able to fulfill my aspiration of studying in UP. There are stark contrasts between the liberal laws on paper and the challenges an MA course in Disability Studies at the University of Leeds, UK. Working under the faced by disadvantaged people, in practice. Dalits, women, children and persons with supervision of Emeritus Professors, listening to their great experiences and visionary disabilities tend to be the most disempowered group with little or no access to education, ideas has truly helped to broaden my thinking. health care, employment and other social and civic spheres of participation.

Going back to my earlier days, because of lack of higher education, I gradually began UP is very close to my heart not only because I was born and brought up here but also to feel stagnancy in my professional life that also created a disturbance in my personal because as a responsible citizen I have been part of its development, whether forward environment. However, having lived a difficult student life on account of my speech or backwards. Regional politics has been one of the major reasons for UP to remain

304 305 amongst the least developed states of India. Lack of leadership, unstable polity and a high crime rate are some of the factors that have increased the brain drain. At the grass roots level, one of the major challenges that UP has been facing for decades, is non-availability and poor retention of development professionals associated with social justice and philanthropic activities. The famine of professionals is much higher in rural areas. The high level of crime and lack of basic amenities like electricity and roads, makes professionals reluctant to work in UP.

IFP, to some extent has succeeded in making an impact through the few IFP alumni in the state to provide double benefit. On the one hand alumni have demonstrated their

sustainable commitment to working for the development of marginalized groups in manorama dei manmeet singh the state, and on the other hand they bring a lot of innovative ideas and international experience with them. With the ability to contextualize their skills and knowledge, IFP alumni have a great role to play in concretizing the path on which people from marginalized groups, policy makers and implementers can walk with each other to Rhetoric towards Freedom build a just and inclusive society. I was born and brought up in a historically subjugated community in a caste-ridden Indian society. Girls and women from this community are further marginalized due to The long term association and consistent efforts of IFP alumni to bring social justice in patriarchy, gender discrimination, and poverty. Illiteracy, lack of awareness and non- various spheres and in different capacities has generated a positive feeling and trust participation in any decision-making process are addendums to their vulnerabilities. among civil society organizations, government agencies and communities. This is a Against such a backdrop, I feel proud of my family, especially my ideal—my beloved great achievement for IFP and its alumni and can be seen as a sustainable and long maternal grandmother, the late Mani Nayak—who gave me all the opportunities for a term impact overall of the IFP program. In the end, social justice is not something right to life with dignity. I was denied admission to a primary school as the youngest that can be achieved in a short time; commitment, consistency and reliability in child at around three years of age, on the grounds of being under age. So, I continued developmental efforts play a vital role in building trust in the community and achieving my education in a public school as a private student, because I was not enrolled results in the long run. formally. Interestingly, I was enjoying the class room teaching and the best part was freedom from ‘corporal punishment’—thanks to being under age.

Excellence in my performance throughout my educational career was proved again and again as I obtained the highest marks and topped the list of merit students. Apart from studies, I was quite active in school and college activities. Since my childhood, I understood that ‘caste’ and ‘gender’ are two created major stumbling blocks in Indian society. I started my education in a city, so I became less bothered

306 307 about these constructs. However, I experienced the real difficulties of caste and gender Marginalised Groups and Women in Difficult Circumstances’, Ministry of Women and discrimination when I studied in a Panchayat High School for three years. For the Child Development, Government of India, covering 35 States and Union Territories. first few months, I was struggling to cope with a set of unwritten rules in school based I would like to share that I applied for three different posts, got shortlisted for all of on ‘caste’ and ‘gender’. However, I was vocal and raised my concerns against the them, attended interviews for two different posts and was selected for both of them. accepted unfairness in school, with the higher authorities. This can be considered as a strong example of IFP program’s contribution in the professional life of its fellows. In my school, children from Dalit communities were not allowed to opt for Sanskrit because it was treated as Dev Bhasa (language of gods) and the classes were undertaken It is my personal belief that IFP Fellows are contributing substantially to construct a in the premises of a temple inside the school campus. I discussed the matter with the society based on social justice, peace and prosperity. It is because IFP has infused a Head Master after completion of one year in school. Fortunately, he was the one who new spirit and vision to the in-born leadership qualities of these social justice leaders.

manorama dei had taught my father as well. Hence, he tried to convince me giving good examples The alumni are working across different sectors in India. It is obvious that we have of my father for his patience and acceptance of the ongoing unwritten practices. At not achieved the visible immediate impact so far, whether it is in Odisha or India as that young age, I told him to recognize me as an individual and insisted on not being a whole. However there is steady progress and we have achieved many milestones. treated as a daughter of a student who had graduated. I requested him to undertake It will take time to showcase the long-term impact, which will definitely be achieved positive action to treat students equally while choosing optional subjects including in the days ahead. In addition, IFP alumni are no more confined to their geographic Sanskrit. As an outcome of the discussion, it was announced that anyone could opt borders, working even in cross-borders and beyond borders worldwide. In one for Sanskrit. Needless, to say no one from the Dalit community opted for Sanskrit as line, the program changed the meaning of citizenship, and IFP alumni enjoy world- they were afraid of failing. citizenship.

The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) added new flesh and The IFP alumni are a mixed professional group, who believe in bringing positive change blood to my transformative journey. It has broadened my horizon with an exposure to in society in their respective working areas. The wide exposure obtained during the an open society. It helped in developing independent thinking and churning processes whole process of selection, training and orientations, living and studying in a different for any personal, professional and societal issues. While studying at Institute of Social environment, experiencing the world as a global village and the perspectives inculcated Studies (ISS), The Hague, freedom of expression in the classroom was a completely by different schools of thought, are all rich treasures in our lives. new experience for me. Professors are very friendly as advisors, mentors and a cross section of students live and study with collective assignments. For the first time, I got IFP chose a good number of individuals as raw material and put them through a exposure to a horizontal working environment between students and professors. process by providing all inputs. Now the finished goods are placed in a competitive neo-liberal market with adequate bargaining capacity and capability as an alumni After I came back to India, I started working in different parts of the country to group in the world. Finally, I must add that the Fellows as a group are a great strength understand the contextual differences and the construct of social marginalisation on to Indian society. Hence, this collective needs to be strengthened strategically. The the basis of ‘caste’ and ‘gender’. Presently, I am working with the National Mission visibility of the group needs to be highlighted, even though this is not an easy task. for Empowerment of Women in a domain called ‘Empowerment of Vulnerable and

308 309 Manoj Bhatt, MIA International Affairs, SIPA, Columbia University, USA. Listening to environmental concerns of Uttarakhand 310 farmers. 311 and post-PhD I have been working for India’s first endowment based university which aims to send socially conscious postgraduates, to work in the sectors of development and education. I teach, do research, and publish papers on development issues. It is a fulfilling career, more so because this truly not for profit Bengaluru-basedU niversity, shares the very goals of social change that IFP had. But there are many who work for this University. I keep asking myself “What is the difference I could make considering where I had started and how IFP changed it all?” I get my answers in the many things that I do in and outside my job.

After I quit my newspaper job, just to keep my interest in journalism going, I had started writing a column in a state level Kannada daily which is very popular in coastal Karnataka region, where I was born and brought up. I resumed it once I returned narayana a gatty a gatty narayana after my PhD, on the request of the editor. It became an instant hit, unlike before when it was just another column. I write about politics, governance and development issues Bridging the gulf as they relate to the local situation. This was what I wrote during the earlier stint also, I am a first generation literate. Many friends from the Ford International Fellowship but readers noticed a significant difference. Program (IFP) tell me that it was a dream come true for them to have studied abroad under the Fellowship. I ask myself if it was so for me as well. My answer should be a Now I get a number of invitations to speak in colleges and at public functions from “no” because I had never even dared to dream of studying in a university in England the region where the daily is popular. Recently, at one such program the host who until a friend showed me the IFP advertisement. So, it was IFP’s vision rather than my introduced me said they chose to invite me because they found in my Kannada columns dream which was fulfilled when I received my PhD in Development Studies from the what is otherwise available only in some English publications. He said we need more University of Sussex. people who can connect the local with national and global perspectives while taking an ideologically neutral position. I believe he was making a statement about the change Back home, my mother and brother could not differentiate much between my going that a rigorous doctoral program brought to my thinking, my outlook and the way I to England for higher studies and the thousands from the region going to the Gulf for related to things which mattered to the people. work. Both are ‘foreign’ to them. They thought I would return with loads of money, gold or electronic goods—the standard for a Gulf returnee. When I returned only with A few weeks before this, the administration of one of the districts in the region had my doctorate certificate, they seemed proud but confused. They, of course, thought invited me to speak to government officials to sensitize them about the developmental I was different from ‘the rest of us’, but they had concluded this when I had passed role of the media. To my surprise three senior officials—the Collector, the Zilla Class 10 with a first class, and then topped my university in my masters degree. Panchayat CEO and the Municipal Commissioner—were present in the program till the end. When I expressed my surprise, one of them said sometimes they get a grounded I was working for an English newspaper in Bengaluru before I was selected for the IFP, understanding of local issues from what people like me, write.

312 313 The words ‘connecting the local and the global’, ‘being grounded’ and so on, helped op-ed page, a board meeting of a big organization, a consultancy assignment at an me understand my own transformative journey better. The global exposure and international organization or simply a classroom. They can make a subtle difference the academic training in analytical thinking that IFP helped me achieve, made me to decisions and knowledge. When those who lived through the problems are present valuable to the local space. It also made me realize the importance of that space and in such very spaces, not because of some legally mandated quota but with the right to understand what it needs. credentials and capabilities, it makes a significant difference. These changes often cannot be captured and quantified. Now when my mother sees my pictures in newspapers, when my brother and other youngsters in my community read the reports of the programs which I attend along In a world that is afflicted by myriad disconnects, the bridges that a program like IFP with the powers-that-be, they realize that it is that ‘London trip’ which catapulted me builds between the grassroots and the national and global networks of power and to this status, something which is not possible for a worker returning from the Gulf influence through its fellows, is collectively a potent catalyst for change. with whom they had equated me earlier.

narayana a gatty a gatty narayana IFP alumni are making a difference by working for/with the community that they hail from. They work for various organizations, both public and private. Some of us teach and research. I often feel that a more important difference that an IFP Fellow makes is something subtle, yet very vital. There are those of us who have had the lived experience of what it means to go to bed without food and to get up in the morning without a toilet to use, or to have had no one in the family or neighborhood to help us in our mathematics and English when we studied in non-descript, vernacular medium government schools.

There are others who suffered deprivations which a conflict situation or social exclusion cause. But that struggle, that vernacular medium education and that sense of alienation helped us understand the world in a way that we would never have been able to, had we been comfortably placed. Post IFP, if there is something that I am really proud about in the difficult days of my childhood, it is that I had had my education in the vernacular medium.

IFP has strengthened our capabilities by connecting our local rootedness to larger national and global spaces. Decisions that are taken and knowledge that is generated in these spaces makes a difference to millions of people like us. In today’s world more people with strong rootedness should be connected to spaces such as a newspaper

314 315 My work involved in engaging with the offenders, under-trials and their families who were not only poor but had also lost their dignity and identity, including family members, when they finally reached prison. Even though society is quite aware that crime has social roots, yet, the offenders are most often treated inhumanly with an expectation that they will change for the better. I always questioned this method of treatment because in actual fact, it was yielding opposite results. To work with such groups under such conditions, one needs tremendous empathy and energy levels, and I was constantly feeling the need for extra skills and new ideas so as to form effective linkages between prisoners, family members and society at large. Unfortunately, there were not many NGOs that were working in the prisons with a trained social work surekha talari surekha approach, that could have helped me with my ideas or even provide moral support in my struggle in building this initiative. At this juncture of my life, the IFP program actually gave me that space as well as filled those gaps that I was struggling with.

support for An unusual choice Through the IFP, I met like-minded individuals who were striving to do different things The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) was a unique experience in their own capacities. The program gave me an opportunity to form linkages with for me. It was an immensely motivating program where I was learning personally and such individuals who were quite diverse in their approach and experiences. I got an professionally. Through IFP, I met committed individuals who were working in various opportunity to discuss my ideas and explore the best possibilities to move forward in fields and were similar to me in their zeal to do something different and meaningful my work during IFP team building exercises. Fellows became my moral support to in society. The wide network of inspiring individuals and their work gave me strength energize me to continue my work. What was unique about this group and the program to make further strides in my endeavor through Sudhar— an organization that I had was that most IFP fellows had a vision to change a part of the world in their own way. founded to enhance trained social work interventions in the criminal justice system. Besides, our experiences of struggle in our personal lives did not make us negative in our outlook towards the world. Rather, we stood strong, and the training made us Running an initiative against the odds of mainstream society is certainly a difficult and stronger and more competent to carry forward our vision. a daunting task. In those moments, the feeling that you are not alone in such struggle to establish an initiative, matters a lot. Particularly, when one has chosen an unusual The IFP refueled me with extra motivation, including an opportunity to sharpen my way of living and an unusual choice of work. professional and leadership skills. I learnt new research skills specific to my field of work which I later applied to enhance the advocacy program in the organization. I was in a similar situation when I was selected for the IFP. The world around me was IFP allowed me to re-explore the academic world with my practical experiences of competing to get into high-profile jobs and was more drawn towards self-enhancing working in the criminal justice system. I donned an academic lens to observe the processes, and I was following my passion, away from the mainstream. I was working phenomenon of social change and was successful in re-crafting the future course of with a most disliked, feared and ignored group of society, often known as ‘criminals’. my work in the organization. Thus, at a professional level, IFP was like an intensive

316 317 Shrikanta Mohanta, MA Environmental Science and Policy, Clark University, USA. Supervising arrangements for raising livestock by a women’s group, in Odisha. capacity-building program for a year where I was re-learning about my work in the university and it gave a new orientation to it. After, I returned to my organization, I initiated a research based advocacy program and designed an applied diploma course for graduates and postgraduates to encourage trained socio-legal practices in the criminal justice system. The diploma course received accreditation from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and was converted into a national level course which is ongoing, till today.

The above innovations would not have been possible for me without getting involved in the IFP journey. At a personal level, I became a member of a wide network of surekha talari surekha individuals who were keen on human rights issues and who supported me informally in my venture. At a professional level, through my new skills, I improved the overall outreach of my work by envisioning and implementing new programs in Sudhar.

The collective efforts by IFP informal network in Madhya Pradesh are yet developing. The physical distance and engagement in respective jobs, has limited collective action on a common platform. However, IFP alumni are well regarded in the state of Madhya Pradesh for their involvement and contribution in the wider forums on social issues and their independent venture on one particular theme. Apart from our engagement on various social forums, alumni can generate mutual support. Some alumni have provided capacity-building trainings for the staff of organizations headed by IFP alumni. And in other situations, alumni have been an information resource for potential job opportunities.

IFP alumni are poised to make an impact in their personal and professional capacities. Through the IFP experience, we have learnt creative thinking, networking skills and problem solving approaches. The exposure provided through IFP has helped to place us in an international context and work accordingly. International exposure has aided in learning as well as receiving recognition in our work, after return to India.

318 319 Joby John, MEd Educational Leadership and School Improvement, University of Manchester, UK. Seen here leading his students at a secondary school, in Jharkhand.

IawardsV and Academic Honors

320 321 321 awards and Academic Honors

Abhishek Kumar Inlaks Theatre Award (awarded for Research in Maithili Folk Theatre forms ‘Vidapat’ “People Choice” Award as Co-Designer for “Prototyping a Mobile Standing Platform” in the field of and ‘Kirtania’), Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, 2007 Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), Atlanta, 2008 ❘ Employees Recognition Award, Indian Spinal Injuries Anamika Priyadarshini Margaret McNamara Fellowship, The Margaret Mcnamara Memorial Fund Centre, 2008 (MMMF), 2008 ❘ SUNY Buffalo Presidential Fellowship, University at Buffalo State University of New York, 2006-08 ❘ Doctoral Fellowship, University at Buffalo State University of New York, 2006-08 ❘ International Onkar Singh Sasakawa Young Leadership Award, The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund Council for Management of Population Porgramme & Packard Foundation Award for Leadership, 2003 (Sylff) Program, 2006 ❘ Joint Initiative Project Award, The Tokyo Foundation, 2007

Anjelique Rajan ESRC Post Doctoral Fellowship, University of Cardiff, 2005 Parthasarathy Varadarajan World Health Organisation Fellowship to pursue post doctoral research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, 2011 ❘ Outstanding Research Bharat Choudhary College Photographer of the Year, Gold Medal (1st), University of Missouri 2009 ❘ Award-Rotary International-Chidambaram-Midtown, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India, 2012 Alexia Foundation for World Peace and Cultural Understanding Grant, 2011 ❘ Open Society Institute, Moving Walls 19 Documentary Photography Exhibition, 2011 ❘ Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography, 2012 Pranati Mohanraj Award for Researchers for Outstanding Leadership, York University, York, 2010 ❘ Magenta Flash Forward Emerging Photographer, UK Winner, 2012 Pratyush Ranjan Singh Richard Bradfield Research Award, Cornell University, 2011 Deepika Sharma Tulane 34 Award for Exemplary Leadership, Service & Academic Excellence, Tulane Rashida Banerjee KU Women of Distinction Award, Kansas University, 2006 ❘ J David Sexton Doctoral University, 2008 ❘ Jack CS Ling Award for Student service and academic excellence, Tulane University, 2008 Student Award, Kansas University, 2007 Dilip Kumar Rabha James S & Rosemary Worley Award for Outstanding 1st Year Student, Vanderbilt Sajid Nazir Wani The Best Student Award in International Marketing, University of Sussex, 2011 University, 2008 Sakilahmed Makarani East-West Center Degree Fellowship for PhD in Education at College of Education, Hilal Ahmed Asia Fellow Award, Asia Scholarship Foundation, 2010-11 ❘ Charities Aid Foundation, The East-West Centre, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, 2008 ❘ Taufiq andU lrike Siddiqi Scholars Award, The Association for Third Sector Research Charities Aid Foundation Fellowship, 2001-02 ❘ Senior Research East-West Centre, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, 2008 Fellowship (SRF), Universities Grant Commission, India, 1997-98, 1998-2001 Shailaja Paik Malathy Singh Postdoctoral Associate and Visiting Assistant Professor at the South Asian Iftikhar A Hakim Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), International Affairs Graduate Studies Council, Yale University, 2012-13 Student Fellowship in Washington D.C., University of California, 2005 Shajimon Peter John Simmonds Outstanding Achievement Award, University of Sussex, 2006 Lissy Mathew Jewel of India Award, International Institute of Education and Management, 2006 Siddoji Rao International Student Award, Australian National University, 2005 ❘ ANU Community Service Manoj Bhatt Environmental Protection through Incentives and Commerce (EPIC) Luce Foundation Award, Australian National University, 2005 ❘ Australian Government Fellowship, Government of Australia, Award, Columbia University, 2007 ❘ Progressive Sustainability Award, SIPA, Columbia University, 2007 ❘ 2006 ❘ ANU SIGN Mentoring Program Awards 2004, 2005 and 2006 Ashoka Innovators for the Public Fellowship Award, Ashoka Foundation, 2009 ❘ Climate Change Leaders Sindhu Jagadamma Sigma Xi Associate Member, The Ohio State University chapter, 2005 ❘ Gamma Award, Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) India, 2009 Sigma Delta Honor Society Member, The Ohio State University chapter, 2005 ❘ Outstanding Graduate Student Manoj Kumar Dora James S & Rosemary Worley Award for Academic Merit & Social Commitment, Award, Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin, 2008 ❘ Postdoctoral Research Associate Vanderbilt University, 2008 ❘ Most Outstanding Thesis Award, Vanderbilt University, 2009 ❘ Award for fellowship from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, 2010 Academic Excellence, Vanderbilt University, 2009 ❘ GPED Award for Leadership & Citizenship, Vanderbilt Sony Pellissery Social Science Research Award, International Development Research Centre India, 2009 University, 2009 Sunil Kumar Xi Sigma Pi Honour, Colorado State University, 2005 Meenu BhambHani Outstanding Student Achievement Award, University of Illinois, Chicago, 2004 ❘ Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, 2004 ❘ XIth NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Tahira Firdous Yayori Award, The Women’s Fund for Peace and Human Rights, Japan, 2010 ❘ Sauvé Award in individual category for Promoting Employment of Persons with Disabilities, 2009 ❘ President’s Scholarship, Sauvé Scholars Foundation, 2012-2013 National Award in the category of Best Individuals Promoting Employment Opportunities for Persons with Tanushree Biswas Best Technical Paper from Forest Service, ESRI International User Conference, San Disabilities in India, 2010 Diego, California 2012

Neelendra Joshi W LaMarr Kopp Student International Achievement Award, Pennslyvania State Tej Ram Jat Global Health Research Scholarship, Umea University, Sweden, 2011 ❘ Fellowship of the ❘ University, 2007 Laurel Award for Outstanding Service, Pennslyvania State University, 2008 Swedish Research School for Global Health, Umea University and Kerolinska Institute, Sweden, 2011 Nekram Upadhyay California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Conference Scholarship Award, Tsewang Dolma Excellence in Research Award for Master’s thesis, IDCE Department, Clark University, California State Independent Living Council, Los Angles, 2006 ❘ Distinguished Services Award for pioneering 2012 in the field of Disabilities and Assistive Technology in India, The Rotary Club, Delhi, India, 2008 ❘ SIG-17

322 323 Alumni of IFP India Cohort 9: (standing left to right) Dany Khuplianlal, Runa Shamim, Shankar Datt, Shazia Yousuf, Subhadarshee Nayak, Divya Jyoti Tirkey, Mohammad Javed Siddiqui. (seated left to IFP INDIAV alumni right) Pasang Lhamu Bhutia, Subhashree Pradhan, during their IFP pre-departure orientation324 program in 2011, in New Delhi. 325 325 IFP India alumni

ABDUL LATEEF USTA ANAMIKA PRIYADARSHINI ARSHAD ALAM BHARAT CHOUDHARY MA Conservation of Fine Art MPS International Development MPhil Sociology MA Photojournalism University of Northumbria, UK Cornell University, USA University of Erfurt, Germany University of Missouri, USA ABHAY ANIL PAWAR ANGELIQUE CHETTIPARAMBIL RAJAN ARUN ANANTHA POOJARY BHARAT KUMAR NAYAK MA City & Regional Planning PhD Urban Planning MS Environmental Science & Policy MA Development Studies, International Institute of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA Cardiff University, UK Clark University, USA Social Studies of Erasmus University, The Netherlands ABHAY FLAVIAN XAXA ANISA TABASSUM DRABOO ASIANI MARKI BHOLENATH SITARAM VISHWAKARMA MA Anthropology of Development & Social MA City & Regional Planning MA Sustainable International Development MIA Environmental Policy Studies Transformation, University of Sussex, UK Cornell University, USA Brandeis University, USA Columbia University, USA ABHISHEK KUMAR ANITA PRATIMA MINZ ASIFIQBAL ABDULMAJID THAKOR BIKRAMA KESHARI MOHAPATRA MA Arts Administration & Cultural Policy Economics & Management of Rural Development Child & Youth Studies, International Institute of Social MA Disability & Global Development Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK University of Manchester, UK Studies of Erasmus University, the Netherlands University of Leeds, UK ADITI GHOSH ANITHA CHITTURI ASIYA ZAHOOR BINAY KUMAR MSc Business Strategy & Environmental Management MA Entomology MSc Applied Linguistics & Secondary Language MA Rural Livelihoods & Global Change, International University of Bradford, UK University of Georgia, Athens, USA Acquisition, University of Oxford, UK Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University, AFROZ BEGUM MARUF HASAN PATHAN ANJALI TIGGA AYYATHURAI GAJENDRAN the Netherlands MA Social Development & Sustainable Livelihoods MPH Maternal & Child Health PhD Anthropology BINDU KARUNAKAR University of Reading, UK Tulane University, USA Columbia University, USA MA Poverty & Development AKMAL HANAN ANJANI KUMAR SINGH AZIM AHMAD KHAN University of Sussex, UK MFA Imaging Arts MA International Affairs, SIPA MA Understanding & Securing Human Rights BINEET JAYNEL MUNDU Rochester Institute of Technology, USA Columbia University, USA University of London, UK MA Indigenous Studies ALEXANDER KERKETTA ANJULA TYAGI AZIZUR REHMAN University of Tromso, Norway MA Social Development & Sustainable Livelihoods MA International Education Policy MA Development Studies BINJU ABRAHAM University of Reading, UK Harvard University, USA University of Sussex, UK MPS International Development ALOK KUMAR DUBEY ANU VERMA BAKING BOO Cornell University, USA MA International Development Policy MA Gender & Development MA Plant Biology BIPUL KUMAR BORAH Duke University, USA University of Sussex, UK The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, USA MA Development and Planning ALOK KUMAR GUPTA ANUPMA MISHRA BAKULBHAI PRABHUDAS PARMAR University College London, University of London, UK MS News & Information MA Education MA Disability Studies CHANDAN KUMAR University of Kansas, USA University of East Anglia, UK University of Leeds, UK MPS Environmental Studies ALOKE BARNWAL APARNA ANAND BELU BHARGAVA State University of New York, Syracuse, USA MPA Environmental Sciences & Natural Resource MPH Public Health LLM Human Rights Law CHANDRA KUMAR PUROHIT Management, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA University of Alberta, Canada University of Nottingham, UK MA Horticulture AMAR PRAKASH APURBA SHEE BENJAMIN KHASOUSO Cornell University, USA MA Poverty & Development MS Applied Economics & Management MA Rural Livelihoods & Global Change CHANDRAKANT PRADHAN University of Sussex, UK Cornell University, USA International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus MA International Development Policy AMBIKA AIYADURAI ARJUN KUMAR University, The Netherlands Duke University, USA MSc Anthropology, Environment & Development MSW Social Work BHANGYA BHUKYA CHRISTINA FRANCIS D’MELLO University College London, University of London, UK University of Delhi, India PhD Modern History MEd Inclusion & Special Education Needs AMEN XAVIER KAUSHAL ARJUNBHAI VIRSINGBHAI RATHVA University of Warwick, UK University of Birmingham, UK MA Human Rights MA Development Studies & Education University of Sussex, UK University of Leeds, UK

326 327 CYNTHIA SANTHMAYOR DINESHKUMAR PARSHOTTAMBHAI MOGHARIYA GHULAM HASSAN MIR IRSHADUL HAQUE MA Communication Sciences & Disorders PhD Environmental Science MA City & Regional Planning International Journalism University of Texas at Austin, USA State University New York, Syracuse, USA Rutgers University, USA City University, UK DAISY HASAN DIPTI GHULAM HUSSAIN MIR ISHWAR BABU BAIRWA PhD Media Studies MSc Social Development & Health MSc International Natural Resource Development MA Development Studies, International Institute of University of Wales, Swansea, UK Queen Margaret University College, UK University of Wales Bangor, UK Social Studies of Erasmus University, The Netherlands DAKXINKUMAR BAJRANGE DIVYA JYOTI TIRKEY GRACE ALBERT JACINTHA SALDANHA MA Theatre & Global Development MEd Education Leadership MA Dance Movement Therapy MA Audiology & Speech Language Pathology University of Leeds, UK Boston College, USA Antioch University, USA Dr. M.V.Shetty College of Speech & Hearing DANY KHUPLIANLAL ELAMATHY RETHINASAMY HALDHAR MAHTO Mangalore University, India MPH Public Health (International) MA Gender and Development MSc NGO Management, Policy & Administration JAGABANDHU SANDA University of Leeds, UK University of Sussex, UK London School of Economics & Political Science MA Development Management DASHARATHI HEMBRAM ENEM PRAWEEN AIND University of London, UK Asian Institute of Management, Philippines PhD Forestry and Natural Resources MA Health Management Planning & Policy HARISHANKAR DEV BHOJAK JAGMOHAN SINGH Purdue University, USA University of Leeds, UK Public Health MA Fine Art Practice & Theory (Painting) DEEPAK KUMAR YOGI FAISUL YASEEN University of Birmingham, UK University of Southampton, UK MA Development Management MA Journalism HARJEET SINGH BAGGA JANET SHANTI SINGH Asian Institute of Management, Philippines Indiana University, Bloomington, USA MSc NGOs & Development, Mother & Child Health DEEPAK KUMAR FARIDA KHAN London School of Economics & Political Science, University College London, UK MA International Development Policy MA Health Management Planning & Policy University of London, UK JAY CHAND SHIV Duke University, USA University of Leeds, UK HAROON RASHID SHAH MSc Environmental Assessment & Management DEEPALI FIDIUS KERKETTA MA Journalism- Magazine Writing University of East Anglia, UK MA Education, International Management & Policy MSc Public Health in Developing Countries New York University, USA JAY PRAKASH PANWAR University of Birmingham, UK LSHIM, University of London, UK HARSHIT SOSAN LAKRA MA New Media Arts DEEPIKA MEHRISH SHARMA GAJENDRA RAUT MA City & Regional Planning Australian National University, Australia MPH Public Health MA Education, Institute of Education Cornell University, USA JAYA GHOSH Tulane University, USA University of London, UK HEMACHANDRAN KARAH MSc Criminology & Criminal Justice DEEPTHI ELIZABETH PHILIP KOLADY GANESWAR MAJHI PhD Visual Disability & Study of English Literature University of Edinburgh, UK PhD Applied Economics & Management MSc Poverty Reduction & Development Management University of Cambridge, UK JAYANTA KUMAR PATRA Cornell University, USA University of Birmingham, UK HILAL AHMED MA Sustainable International Development DHAN SINGH RAWAT GAYATRI RAY PhD Political Studies, SOAS Brandeis University, USA MA Sustainable Management of Natural Resources MS Physical Therapy: Musculoskeletal University of London, UK JAYANTI LIMAL University of Leicester, UK University of Pittsburgh, USA HIRANMAYEE MISHRA MSc Poverty Reduction & Development Management DHIRAJ KUMAR HORO GAZALA SAHIN PhD Women’s Studies University of Birmingham, UK MA Sustainable International Development MA Education, Institute of Education University of York, UK JAYARAMAN DURAI Brandeis University, USA University of London, UK HUMA SHAKEB KHAN MS Environmental Science & Policy DILIP KUMAR RABHA GEETA SINHA LLM, SOAS Clark University, USA MA Economic Development MA Gender & Development University of London, UK JAYASHREE MOHANTA Vanderbilt University, USA University of Sussex, UK IFTIKHAR AHMED HAKIM MA Poverty & Development DINESH BANSILAL SONGARA GEORGE JOSEPH KUNNATH MA Urban Planning with specialisation in Regional & University of Sussex, UK MPH Public Health (International) PhD Anthropology, SOAS International Development JAYKISHAN GODSORA University of Leeds, UK University of London, UK University of California, Los Angeles, USA MSc International Development University of Birmingham, UK

328 329 JEEVAN SINGH SAHOTA KULSOOMA MANU TYAGI MUKESH PATIR MA Sustainable International Development MSc Media, Communication & Development MA Understanding & Securing Human Rights MS Environmental Policy & Planning Brandeis University, USA The London School of Economics & Political Science Institute of Commonwealth Studies University of Michigan, USA JILESH KUNJAPPAN KUNNUMPURATH University of London, UK University of London, UK MUMTAZ AHMED YATOO MA Social Work KUMAR UJJWAL MARY BINA SURIN PhD Archaeology University of Sussex, UK MA Development Studies MA Sustainable International Development University of Leicester, UK JITANDRA SHARMA University of Sussex, UK Brandeis University, USA MUSHTAQ AHMAD MALLA MA International Education & Development KUNDAN KUMAR KAUSHAL MEENU BHAMBHANI MSc Social Policy & Development University of Sussex, UK MA Poverty & Development MS Disability & Human Development London School of Economics & Political Science JOBY JOHN University of Sussex, UK University of Illinois, Chicago, USA University of London, UK MEd Educational Leadership & School Improvement LISSY KUNNUMPURATH MATHAI MITUL BARUAH MUSHTAQ FAROOQ SHAIKH University of Manchester, UK MS Social Sciences in Deaf Studies MS Environmental Studies MA Sustainable International Development JOGAMAYA BAI University of Bristol, UK State University of New York, Syracuse, USA Brandeis University, USA MA Development Studies- Women Gender & MAMTA KASHYAP MOHAMMAD HASNAIN NABAKISHORE PARIDA Development, International Institute of Social Studies of MSc NGO Management MIA Development & Environment, SIPA MA Rural Livelihoods & Global Change, International Erasmus University, the Netherlands London School of Economics & Political Science, UK Columbia University, USA Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University, JOY PALKRAWSPARI PACHUAU MAMTA VARDHAN MOHAMMAD JAVED SIDDIQUI the Netherlands MPhil Social Anthropology MA International Development & Gender MA International Education & Development NADIM ASRAR University of Oxford, UK Michigan State University, USA University of Sussex, UK MA Media- Film Studies, JUHI ROY MANAS RANJAN BEHERA MOHAMMAD SHAHID PERWEZ University of Kansas, USA MA International Development Policy MPH- Public Health (International) PhD Sociology NAGENDRA KUMAR MALLIK Duke University & SIT, USA University of Leeds, UK University of Edinburgh, UK MS Environmental Science & Policy JYOTSNA MANDAL MANISELVAN BALASUBRAMANIAN MOHAMMAD SHAMIM Clark University, USA Comparative Journalism MA Environmental Science- Environmental Systems & MA International Development & Public Health NARAYANA AITHAPPA GATTY University of Wales, Swansea, UK Risk Management, Oregon State University, USA Ohio University, USA PhD Development Studies JYOTSNABEN FRANCISBHAI MACWAN MANISH MICHAEL MOHAMMADHANIF MOHAMMADHUSEN SHAIKH University of Sussex, UK MA Human Rights & Human Values/Global Ethics MA Theory & Practice of Human Rights LLM Human Rights Law NASIRUDDIN University of Birmingham, UK University of Essex, UK University of Nottingham, UK MA Development Studies-Local Development Strategies, KANIKA PANDEY MANISHA JANI MOHIUDDIN AHMED International Institute of Social Studies of MA Performing Arts Administration MA Social Policy & Social Development MA Public Administration Erasmus University, The Netherlands New York University, USA University of Manchester, UK Columbia University, USA NATASHA HARISH ISRANI KARAM CHAND SINGH MANMEET SINGH MONISHA MUKHERJEE MA Broadcast Journalism MA Communication MA Disability Studies MA Sustainable International Development New York University, USA University of Westminster, UK University of Leeds, UK Brandeis University, USA NAVEEN JHA KINNARIBEN VIRALKUMAR DESAI MANOJ BHATT MOSES KUNZANG MA Sustainable International Development MS Cultural Foundations of Education MA International Affairs MA Development Studies Brandeis University, USA Syracuse University, USA Columbia University, SIPA, USA University of East Anglia, UK NEELENDRA KUMAR JOSHI KIRITKUMAR KANTILAL PARMAR MANOJ KUMAR DORA MRIDULIKA JHA DPhil Entomology Human Rights & Human Values/ Global Ethics MA Economic Development MA International Journalism(Print) Pennsylvania State University, USA University of Birmingham, UK Vanderbilt University, USA City University, UK NEENA SHARMA KULRANJAN KUJUR MANORAMA DEI MUKESH KUMAR GUPTA MA Public Health (International) MPA Public Administration MA Governance & Democracy MA Environmental Science & Policy University of Leeds, UK Cornell University, USA International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus Clark University, USA University, the Netherlands

330 331 Dinesh Bansilal Songara, MPH Public Health (International), University of Leeds, UK. Advising a woman on mother and332 child health care, in Rajasthan. 333 NEERAJ SHRIVASTAVA PASANG LHAMU BHUTIA PRITI SURESH RAO RANJIT KUMAR MAHAPATRA MA Television Journalism MA Sustainable International Development MA Governance & Development MA Understanding & Securing Human Rights Goldsmiths, University of London, UK Brandeis University, USA University of Sussex, UK Institute of Commonwealth Studies NEKRAM UPADHYAY PAYAL NAYAK RACHANA SARKARI University of London, UK Disability & Human Development MA Gender & Development MA Development Studies & Gender RAPHAEL TOPPO University of Illinois, Chicago, USA University of Sussex, UK University of Leeds, UK MA Anthropology NESAMANI KALANDIYUR SUBRAMANIAN PINKI KUMARI RADHA North Eastern Hill University, India PhD Transportation Science MA Public Health (International) MSc International Development RASHID PARVEZ KHAN University of California, Irvine, USA University of Leeds, UK University of Birmingham, UK MS Environmental Science & Policy NETRAPAL SINGH YADAV PRABAKARAN DURAIRAJAN RAGHWESH RANJAN Clark University, USA Development Studies- Work Employment & Physiotherapy MA Governance & Development RASHIDA BANERJEE Globalisation, International Institute of Social Studies of University of Melbourne, Australia University of Sussex, UK MS Special Education Erasmus University, The Netherlands PRADEEP KATTHU SHINDE RAHEELA SALEEM NARCHOOR University of Kansas, USA NIBEDITA SHANKAR RAY PhD Social Anthropology, London School of Economics LLM Human Rights Law RASHMI SHARMA PhD Sociology & Political Science, University of London, UK Indiana University, Bloomington, USA MA Communication & Development Studies University of Warwick, UK PRADYUT RANJAN BAG RAHIL AFZAL SUBEDAR Ohio University, USA NIKHAT PERVEEN MA Development Studies-Local Development Strategies MA Communications Management RAVI NIRAJ KUJUR MA Gender, Globalisation & Development Practice International Institute of Social Studies of London Metropolitan University, UK MA Sustainable International Development, City University, UK Erasmus University, The Netherlands RAJ KAMAL SHARMA Brandeis University, USA NIRANJAN KUMAR PRAKASH KUMAR NAYAK MA Public Health (International) RAZESH KUMAR MSc Environmental Protection & Management MA- International Development Policy University of Leeds, UK MA International Education & Development University of Edinburgh, UK Duke University, USA RAJAPPAN KASILINGAM University of Sussex, UK NIROJ NALINI JENA PRANATI MOHANRAJ PhD Agriculture RESHMA AZMI MPS International Development PhD Gender & Development University of Reading, UK MA- Public Health (International) Cornell University, USA University of York, UK RAJEEV PRASAD University of Leeds, UK NISHA JOSHI PRASANT MOHAN ALLAKA MSc International Health Management & Development RICHA GHANSIYAL MA Gender & Development MS Agricultural Economics University of Birmingham, UK MA Rural Development University of Sussex, UK Oklahoma State University, USA RAJESH KUMAR CHAVDA University of Sussex, UK NITYANANDA DHAL PRASANTA KUMAR PRADHAN LLM Human Rights Law ROHITASHWA KUMAR MPS International Development MA Anthropology of Development & Social Columbia University, USA MA Development Studies Cornell University, USA Transformation, University of Sussex, UK RAJESH KUMAR JENA University of Sussex, UK ONKAR SINGH PRATIVA KISHORI SUNDARAY MA Development Studies-Human Rights Development & ROSE SHASHI KHALKHO MA International Affairs MPS International Development Social Justice, International Institute of Social Studies of MA Education Columbia University, SIPA, USA Cornell University, USA Erasmus University, The Netherlands University of Bath, UK PALLAVI SHARAN PRATYUSH RANJAN SINGH RAJIV SHARMA RUBEENA SHAHEEN MSc Health, Community & Development MPS International Agriculture & Rural Development MA International Education & Development MPH with concentration in Infectious Diseases London School of Economics & Political Science Cornell University, USA University of Sussex, UK Johns Hopkins University, USA University of London, UK PRAVEENA BHANDARI RAMA DEVI ARLA HANSRAJ RUCHI SUHAG PARTHASARATHY VARADARAJAN MA Gender & Development MA Understanding & Securing Human Rights MA Governance & Development PhD Molecular Biology & Biotechnology University of Sussex, UK Institute of Commonwealth Studies University of Sussex, UK University of Sheffield, UK PRAVIN SADANAND BHIWAPURKAR University of London, UK RUNA SHAMIM PARVAIZ AHMAD PARREY PhD Architecture RAMESH YADAWAR MA Social Policy & Social Development, MS Natural Resources and Environmental Illinois Institute of Technology, USA MA Sustainable International Development London School of Economics & Political Science, Policy & Planning, University of Michigan, USA Brandeis University, USA University of London, UK

334 335 SABA HASNAIN SANGITA LUCY BALA EKKA SHAILENDRA JARIKA SHRIKANTA MOHANTA MA Poverty & Development MSc International Health Management & Development MSc Development Finance MA Environmental Science & Policy University of Sussex, UK University of Birmingham, UK University of Manchester, UK Clark University, USA SABA KALEEM SANJAY KUMAR JOTHE SHAILENDRA KUMAR SHUBHRA PACHOURI MPH -International Health & Development MA Development Studies MA Sustainable International Development MA Human Rights Development & Social Justice Tulane University, USA University of Sussex, UK Brandeis University, USA International Institute of Social Studies of SABITA PARIDA SANJAY KUMAR SHAILESH KUMAR Erasmus University, the Netherlands MA Sustainable International Development MA Sustainable International Development MPA Public Administration SIDDOJI RAO NAGADASARI Brandeis University, USA Brandeis University, USA Syracuse University, USA PhD Policy & Governance SADIQUE AKHTAR SANJEETA SHAJAHAN BEGUM HAJA Australian National University, Australia MS Agricultural Economics MPH Public Health MA Mathematics Education, Institute of Education SINDHU JAGADAMMA Oklahoma State University, USA Emory University, USA University of London, UK MA Soil Science SAI JYOTHI KIRANMAYI KORLAGUNTA SANJEEV JOHN SHAJIMON PETER The Ohio State University, USA MS Nutritional Sciences MSc Aquaculture MA Social Work SIREESHA PERABATHINA Oklahoma State University, USA University of Stirling, Scotland, UK University of Sussex, UK MA Public Health SAJID NAZIR WANI SANJU KUMARI TIWARI SHAKTIPRAVA MAHARANA Boston University, USA MSc International Marketing MA Gender & Development MSc Development Finance SMRITI RAJ University of Sussex, UK University of Sussex, UK University of Manchester, UK MS Workforce Education & Development, SAJJAD MAJEED SANTOSH KUMAR PASSI SHALINI SINGH The Pennsylvania State University, USA MA Governance & Development MA International Development Policy MA Art Therapy SONY AUGUSTINE PELLISSERY University of Sussex, UK Duke University, USA The George Washington University, USA PhD Social Policy SAKILAHMED ABDULRAFIK MAKARANI SARITA SAINI SHANKAR DATT University of Oxford, UK MEd Curriculum Studies MSc Rural Development MSc Environmental Sciences SRINIVAS SUVVADA University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA University of Birmingham, UK Wageningen University, The Netherlands MA Museum Exhibition -Planning & Design SAMANTHA MARGARET SYIEM SARITA SUNDARI ROUT SHASHI CHANDRA University of the Arts, Philadelphia, USA PhD Development Studies MA Gender Analysis in International Development MPH-International Health & Development STANZIN TSEPHEL University of Sussex, UK University of East Anglia, UK Tulane University, USA MSc Environmental Change & Management SAMBAIAH GUNDIMEDA SHABNAM FATIMA SHASHI PRABHA University of Oxford, UK PhD Political Science, SOAS MA Human Rights MIA Human Rights SUBHADARSHEE NAYAK University of London, UK University of Denver, USA Columbia University, USA MSc Development Finance SAMBHAWANA TIWARI SHAFAT AHMAD SHAZIA NAZIR University of Manchester, UK MSc Gender, Development & Globalisation MIDP International Development Policy MA Sustainable International Development SUBHASHREE PRADHAN London School of Economics & Political Science Duke University, USA Brandeis University, USA MS Environmental Science & Policy University of London, UK SHAHNAZ HABIB SHAZIA YOUSUF Clark University, USA SAMI ULLAH BAND MA Communications- Media Studies MA Print & Multimedia Journalism SUBHENDRA NATH SANYAL MA Sustainable International Development New School University, USA Emerson College, USA MA Development Studies-Poverty Studies & Policy Brandeis University, USA SHAIKA RAKSHI SHIPRA SINGH Analysis, International Institute of Social Studies of SANDEEP KINDO MS Environmental Sciences MPA- Public Administration Erasmus University, The Netherlands LLM International Human Rights Law State University of New York, Syracuse, USA Cornell University, USA SUDESH KUMAR University of Notre Dame, USA SHAILAJA ARUN BHALERAO SHREENA RAMANATHAN MA Development Economics SANGEETHA SUBRAMANIAN MPhil History MSc Reproductive & Sexual Health Research University of East Anglia, UK DPhil Biology University of Warwick, UK London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine SUHELA SHAUKAT ALI KHAN Dalhousie University, Canada University of London, UK MA Public Policy University of Michigan, USA

336 337 SUJATA VERMA SWAGATIKA SAMANTARAY TEJINDER SINGH SODHI VISHAL SINGH NEGI MA Education MA Education, Institute of Education MS Journalism- News & Information PhD Molecular Science & Bioengineering University of Birmingham, UK University of London, UK University of Kansas, USA University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA SUKANTA CHANDRA BEHERA SWATI PATEL TSEWANG DOLMA VIVEK PRASAD MA Poverty Studies & Policy Analysis, International MA Gender & Development MS Environmental Science & Policy MS Resource Management & Administration Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University, University of Sussex, UK Clark University, UK Antioch University, USA the Netherlands SWETA KUJUR UMESH RAYSINH RATHAVA WARISHA YUNUS SUMERA BASHIR MSc International Development Anthropology of Development & Social Transformation MA Public Policy MA International Journalism University of Birmingham, UK University of Sussex, UK The George Washington University, USA Cardiff University, UK SYED KHALID JAMAL UMMED SINGH WILSON PADICKAL ANTONY SUNIL KUMAR MA Communication & Development Studies MA Rural Livelihoods & Global Change MSc Healthcare Management MSc Development Economics & Policy Ohio University, USA International Institute of Social Studies of University of Manchester, UK University of Manchester, UK SYED MIFTAHUL HASNAT Erasmus University, the Netherlands YOGESH KUMAR GHORE SUNIL KUMAR MPS International Development USHA PRAJAPATI MPA Environmental Science & Policy PhD Ecology Cornell University, USA MA International Development & Social Change Columbia University, USA Colorado State University, USA SYED SHARIQUE MASHHADI Clark University, USA SUNNY KUNJU KUNJU MA International Development Policy UZAMA MOHMEDSALIM PANAGAR MA Science, Society & Development Duke University, USA MA Gender Analysis of International Development University of Sussex, UK TAHIRA FIRDOUS University of East Anglia, UK SUPARNA SONI MA Communication VAISHALI GUPTA MPA Public Administration Hawaii PacificU niversity, USA LLM International Human Rights Law Cornell University, USA TANMAY RAJ University of Essex, UK SUREKHA GARIMELLA MA International Education Management VANDANA CHAUDHRY PhD Women’s Health University of Leeds, UK PhD Social Work University of Melbourne, Australia TANUSHREE BISWAS University of Illinois, Chicago, USA SUREKHA TALARI PhD Landscape Ecology VANITA PRIMUSHBHAI MACWAN MPhil Criminological Research Utah State University, USA International Law & Human Rights University of Cambridge, UK TANWIR AHMAD Coventry University, UK SURESH CHANDRA KUMAWAT MS International Health Policy & Management VARUN KUMAR MS Environmental Science & Policy Brandeis University, USA MA Health Management Planning & Policy Clark University, USA TARA DEVI DHAKAL University of Leeds, UK SURESH KUMAR SAHU MSW Social Work VETRIVEL MURUGAN ADHIMOOLAM PhD Environmental Science Washington University at St. Louis, USA MA Sociology University of Essex, UK TARNISTHA ARINDAM RAY New School University, USA SURYA BALI MA Public Health(International) VICTOR SORENG (Late) MHA Health Administration University of Leeds, UK MPH Public Health University of Florida, USA TASHI THUKJAY University of Leeds, UK SUSMITA LALI KERKETTA MSc Environmental Assessment & Management VINITA NEGI MA Gender & Development University of East Anglia, UK MA Sustainable International Development University of Sussex, UK TEJ RAM JAT Brandeis University, USA SWAGATA KAINTHOLA MSc Health Policy, Planning & Financing VIPIN KUMAR AWATRAMANI MA Gender & Development London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine MS Public Policy & Management University of Sussex, UK University of London, UK Carnegie Mellon University, USA

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