Entrepreneurship is the last thing that comes to our mind while taking a rooftop boat ride. However, on Saturday evening, a boat packed with young entrepreneurs did just that, pitching their startup ideas to investors on a cruise along the Ganges. For many, it turned out to be a smooth sailing, with their ideas being appreciated, endorsed and taken up for funding by investors.
In a first of its kind, Nasscom’s startup wing 10,000 Startups joined hands with Catapooolt, India’s first industry-backed crowd funding platform, to organize a platform on which various startups from across the country pitched their ideas to investors, who assessed them and extended funds on the spot.
Just as the boat left the dock, the 10 startups that were selected, started pitching their ideas. Paritosh Sharma, head of channel partnerships of PayUmoney, said, ” This live crowd-funding pitch at Kolkata is India’s first. Catapooolt, PayUmoney and Nasscom 10K Startups have collaborated with a mission to build India’s largest growth ecosystem for startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). And the same happening while taking a boat ride makes it even more interesting.”
The idea was to present every member with a booklet which had five coupons worth Rs 100. Whoever would want to invest in a specific startup based on their presentation would write down it’s name and place it inside a ballot box. In the end, a counting was done and a winner selected.
Ravi Ranjan, the warehouse manager of 10,000 startups, said, “This would support startups to validate their ideas with crowd and initially get small but significant money.”
Fading Clouds, a startup, co-founded by 2008 Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute(SRFTI) pass outs Sumon Majumder and Mrimoy Mondal, showcased their independent film sharing the same name. The movie centres around the loneliness of urban life, due to the over use of technology and how as a result, people are losing out on the family bonding.
Satish Kataria, managing director of Catapoolt said, “We are pleased to have organised India’s first ever live crowdfunding pitch event in Kolkata. We endeavour to make innovation accessible to all through crowdfunding and wish to inspire everyone to contribute and engage with new ideas.”
“While Kolkata had been slightly late in catching up with start up movement, we hope that with such concepts, the people here can leapfrog to new ways of funding ideas and together, put the city, sky high on Innovation map,” he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / by Abhro Banerjee, TNN / October 12th, 2015
Patients wait for their turn inside the clinic; (right) the medicine counter. Pictures by Anup Bhattacharya
Two do-gooder Calcutta cousins have helped set up a clinic in Chandernagore that offers treatment to those who cannot afford it.
Cousins Rishabh Badoni, 19, a former student of La Martiniere for Boys now studying at Bard College in New York, and Siddharth Sengupta, 23, a Calcutta-based architect, have organised fund-raising exhibitions for three years to develop NGO Ram Mohan Roy Seva Pratisthan’s clinic by the same name – a lifeline for those who cannot avail themselves of costly medical services.
Despite the presence of government medical centres and a sub-divisional hospital in Chandernagore, the common belief is that no other place can provide the same service with care as the doctors and social workers at this clinic can.
Take for instance, Kakoli Singha from Burdwan’s Memari, a widow with two children. She travels for more than an hour by train every morning carrying fresh paneer, which she sells in Chandernagore.
Three years ago she had a skin allergy and got herself treated at Ram Mohan Roy Seva Pratisthan for a nominal fee. Since then, Kakoli has been visiting this clinic for her or her children’s medical needs.
“I used to live with my husband in Chandernagore. After his death, I moved to Memari to live with my in-laws,” Singha said. “But I prefer this clinic as I can consult a doctor and get medicines for a nominal charge. This NGO has been providing good service for so many years… I have faith in them.”
Like Singha, many underprivileged patients from various parts of Hooghly, Burdwan and Bankura get themselves treated at the clinic for a fee of Rs 10.
Every week, from Tuesday to Thursday, the 1,200sq ft clinic is chock-a-block with patients. Three doctors are available for consultation from 4pm. Fifty patients, on average, turn up every day.
“Apart from general physicians, we have a gynaecologist, cardiologist, paediatrician, dermatologist, orthopaedist, psychiatrist and psychologist visiting the clinic throughout the three days,” said Ranjit Kumar Ghosh, the treasurer of Ram Mohan Roy Seva Pratisthan. “We can refer serious cases to doctors who run private chambers in Chandernagore. They see patients for free.”
Medicines are collected from various sources. “We collect free samples from medical representatives as well as from doctors,” said skin specialist Dr Sunil Chandra Dutt, who’s been associated with the clinic for seven years.
Homemaker Surupa Chakraborty visits the clinic in the evenings to take stock of and distribute medicines.
Sunil Chandra Dutt flanked by his grandsons Rishabh Badoni (right) and Siddharth Sengupta; patients outside Ram Mohan Roy Seva Pratisthan
“What we need are nutritional supplements for babies and mothers. I see a several patients with anaemia and gynaecological problems and children suffering from malnutrition,” said gynaecologist Dr Roma Sengupta, who visits the clinic once a week.
A member of the NGO sponsors tests for those who cannot afford it. “We avoid expensive tests, but if there are serious cases where specialist doctors would want more investigation, we request for a discount from diagnostic centres,” said Dutt. “We have several volunteers at the clinic. An executive body runs the NGO… but now we are thinking of setting up a trustee board so that, after us, no one tries to sell or rent the property for other purposes.”
The NGO has been working for the welfare of the underprivileged for the past 42 years.
“The clinic was started by Renuka Betaille, nee Mukherjee, in 1973 in the old post office building. Later, it shifted to the building of the primary school, of which I was the headmaster,” said Ghosh. It was not until 2014 that the clinic got its own building at Goabagan in Chandernagore’s Lalbagan. “Most of what you see here is donated. We collected funds from local people. A resident donated the land.”
Dutt found support in his grandsons, Rishabh and Siddharth, and their friends. A corpus of Rs 1.5 lakh was collected towards constructing the building through an art and photography exhibition and donations from close friends.
The dedication of those working at the clinic motivated Rishabh and Siddharth to do something more for the NGO.
“We have started a new design collective called 145 East, where we design products with traditional Indian handicrafts,” said Rishabh, a student of engineering and literature at New York’s Bard College. “Our first exhibition at Weavers Studio had a theme of gamchha. We designed skirts, tops, tablemats and a whole lot of things using the gamchha.”
Metro had reported in July 2013 how Rishabh, along with Siddharth and friends, had turned his Jodhpur Park home into an art gallery with photographs, paintings and artefacts collected from friends and acquaintances to raise money for the Chandernagore NGO.
The French Consulate and Alliance Francaise, Calcutta, had extended their support to the exhibition-cum-sale that fetched Rs 56,000.
In December 2011, Rishabh with his friend had rushed to AMRI Hospitals in Dhakuria to help in the rescue operation following the fire in Annexe I that took 90 lives.
“Social work runs in our blood and Rishabh and Siddharth have got it from there,” said Dutt.
Rishabh said it was important to support people who were devoted to social work.
Siddharth, who studied architecture at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology in Gujarat’s Vasad, is helping with design and production at 145 East. “The last exhibition helped create an awareness about the NGO and we managed to collect Rs 12,000 through it,” said the architect who has just completed a year’s teaching in Gujarat.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta,India / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / by Dalia Mukherjee / Monday – September 14th, 2015
Manish Chowdhury steps out of his hut in Nazrul Pally. Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
A college seat for an engineering degree and now a chance to specialise in multi-media over a year. Manish Chowdhury, the son of a housekeeping department staffer at Nicco Park, is dreaming big and this Friday the dream closest to his heart will take wing when he boards an Emirates flight for the United States.
He has qualified for a course in media studies at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The 19-year-old will study there on a scholarship as part of the Community College Initiative Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States department of state.
“The Community College Initiative Program is designed to provide leadership training and an enriching educational experience for students from underserved communities around the world. Manish impressed us with his dedication to community service through his volunteer work at the NGO Prayasam. His superior academic record of obtaining a first division in the higher secondary science stream, passing the mandatory written English test, and his ability to express his goals clearly and enthusiastically during the interview carried him through,” Andrew Posner, public affairs officer, US consulate general, told The Telegraph Salt Lake.
Proficiency in English for a student who studied in a Bengali medium school (Acharya Prafulla Chandra Higher Secondary School for Boys in BK Block) did not come easy.
Manish at home with his mother and sister. (Sudeshna Banerjee)
Working in the community since 2012 with the CG Block-based Prayasam (he is now the NGO’s group leader from Nazrul Pally), he was picked for the group’s Ontrack programme in which emphasis is laid on English language skills as well as soft skills. “It was a delight to teach him as he is so focused and so eager to learn,” said president Piyali Mazumdar.
Manish cleared the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), scoring 520 out of 600 marks. “We had to answer 70 multiple choice questions asked through headphones.”
The second year student of mechanical engineering at Techno India is a resident of Nazrul Pally. That’s the colony to the left of the bridge when approaching from Sector V to New Town. The brick-lined approach road into the locality starts from a cow shed under the bridge. The lane meanders by ponds on one side and two-storeyed shanties on the other where women in nighties with a dupatta flung over the bosom stand chatting in huddles. Off the brick lane, an alley, barely five feet wide, wends in through facing thatched bamboo hutments. In a dingy ground floor room of one, Manish stays with his parents and sister.
“My father has been saving up ever since I did well in Madhyamik,” says the tall sturdy boy, brimming with determination. His Madhyamik score was a creditable 78 per cent. “Father encouraged me to study science as his dream was to make me an engineer even if it meant funding a course in a costly private college.” The first semester’s fees have been paid at
Techno India and Prayasam has filed an application on his behalf seeking a waiver of his tuition fees.
Manmohan Chowdhury himself has studied till Class VII. “I did not dream of building a house and even sacrificed on day-to-day luxuries. My only goal has been education for my son,” says Manish’s father. He earns around Rs 8,000 but works overtime to earn another Rs 3-4,000.
Other than pursuing his engineering degree, Manish has been working hard at the Grassroots Film Studio set up at Prayasam, with support from Adobe Foundation. “I have made three short films so far.” The last has been screened at a number of places, from Nandan to IIM Joka, along with the other productions from the studio.
As part of his preparation, Manish is watching English news these days on the small TV set at home. “I have also watched a few Hollywood films to get used to the American accent.”
With Manish set to fly abroad, there is a buzz in the colony. No one in the area, after all, has travelled so far. Neighbours stop by to ask when he is leaving. “The only worry is what kind of food he will get,” admits mother Leena, adding that her son has never been away from home for so long. “As long as we get some news of him from time to time…” her voice trails off.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta,India / Front Page> Salt Lake> Story / by Sudeshna Banerjee / Friday – July 31st, 2015
Finally, the Mamata Banerjee government has initiated the process of bestowing heritage tag to the house where Vande Mataram creator Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay lived during his stints as deputy magistrate and deputy collector. The house is in ruins and desperately needs restoration. Even as Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) has sanctioned Rs 5 crore for it, but work can’t be started unless the building is included in the heritage list.
Ten years ago, the house-owner, Pranab Mukherjee, sold the house to a developer. Just then, locals and an NGO, Howrah Citizen’s Forum, put up stiff resistance and stalled demolition of the property.
On Tuesday, at the behest of the chief minister, a Heritage Commission team visited the premises to start the tagging process. Basudeb Malik, OSD, heritage commission, told TOI, “Although the house doesn’t have much architectural significance, it is associated with a great man. It must be protected from falling apart, at any cost. We are looking for substantial records to prove that the creator of Anandamath had lived here.”
Chattopadhyay wrote the iconic novel became synonymous with the struggle for Independence and banned by the British. The song, Vande Mataram, originally a Sanskrit stotra personifying India as Mother Goddess, was first published in this novel. Bipin Chandra Pal named his patriotic journal after Vande Mataram in August 1906. Lala Lajpat Rai also published a journal of the same name. Chattopadhyay is also regarded as a proponent of Bengal’s literary renaissance for his versatile writing.
Efforts have been on to have Chattopadhyay’s stay in Howrah (between 1881 and 1886) officially recognized and commemorated. But confusion has been prevailing over his residences at 218 Panchnantala Road (about 2 km off Howrah Station) and 212 Panchanatala Road, in the same locality.
Pranab Mukherjee (63), who lives on the first floor of 218 Panchantala Road, that threatens to fall apart any day, said, “We had no idea that the building was associated with Bankim Chandra. If the state government wants to take it over, me and my brother and sister who co-own the house, should be compensated.” Chunks of concrete keep peeling off the house, forcing the other two Mukherjee siblings, Prodyut and Protima, to move out. In 1964, they had bought it from one Jaladhar Mitra, who, in turn, had bought it in 1936. Locals have turned the 17-cottah land in front of the house at 218 Panchanantala Road into a park and named after the litterateur. Mukherjee alleged, “The land was part of the same property, but the local club has encroached it.”
Howrah mayor Rathin Chakraborti said, “We have sanctioned Rs 5 crore for the restoration. Now we are waiting for the government to announce the heritage staus.”
Howrah Citizen’s Forum coordinator N Sarkar said, “During his first stint as an administrator in Howrah in 1881, Bankim Chandra would travel from Kolkata to his workplace. He later shifted to the rented house at 218 Panchanatala Road, and lived there during his second stint in Howrah in 1883. This tenure was his longest among the three.” For the third time, Bankim joined as first class deputy magistrate and deputy collector after being transferred from Bhadrak in Odisha on July 10, 1886. He travelled to Howrah every day but had not vacated the rented house at Panchanantala.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / by Ajanta Chakraborty & Rupak Banerjee, TNN / August 15th, 2015
(From left) Isha Kapoor, Aishwarya Jena, Pragya Jena and Ankita Dokania. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray
Two nations. Seven-hundred-and-fifty volunteers. One lakh food packets for the hungry and homeless.
An army of students and young professionals from across India, including 50 from Calcutta, will distribute food in slums of India and Pakistan on August 14-15 in a unique Independence Day initiative aimed at spreading a message of peace and friendship.
The city chapter of the Robin Hood Army, as they call themselves, is led by Ankita Dokania, a fashion designer, and Chitvan Jaipuria, a wedding and event planner. Also part of the group is Green Oscar winner Ashwika Kapur. “I have been part of the army since its inception. I always do my bit to spread the word when I am not in the jungles,” she said.
It all began in August 2014 with Neel Ghose, a city boy who works with Zomato in Delhi, teaming up with colleague Anand Sinha to form the Robin Hood Army in Delhi. “We procured excess food from restaurants to distribute among the poor. It’s been fulfilling,” said Neel over the phone from Delhi.
The army now operates in 12 cities, including Calcutta, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The city chapter was born in October 2014 with five of Neel’s friends. Today, there are 50 members and several more volunteers.
In February this year, Neel got in touch with a Pakistani friend who helped form the Lahore and Karachi chapters of the army. Thus was born the idea of commemorating Independence Day. The Calcutta army plans to distribute over 4,000 food packets among slum dwellers in the Kidderpore, Gariahat, Southern Avenue, Park Circus and other areas.
Isha Kapoor, a third-year student of JD Birla College, joined the movement three months ago. “For I-Day I have mobilised my friends to distribute food in their neighbourhoods,” she said. Aishwarya Jena, a third-year student of microbiology at St. Xavier’s College, has been marshalling forces, too.
Pragya Jena, an entrepreneur, remembers a boy who refused to take a packet of khichdi because he wanted another one for his dog. “Such life’s lessons are precious,” she said.
The movement has garnered corporate support. “We hope to involve more people. But for now we want to make people smile on both sides of the border,” Ankita said.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta,India / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / by Chandreyee Ghose / Friday – August 14th, 2015
Much like the campaign on polio, another one in right earnest will start soon. And this time Kolkata will be the city to anchor it. The audio visual campaign, that is presently getting designed will have voices of Babul Supriyo, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet and Jolly Mukherjee to stress on the fact that cerebral palsy can largely be prevented through pre-natal and neo-natal care. The campaign is being spearheaded by a man, who is better known in the city for some of the iconic structures that he had created, but whose life is now governed by a tragedy – the death of his 27 year old son, Abhishek, a cerebral palsy patient.
Gautam Mitra, who now lives in Zurich on business, started by setting up an NGO for cerebral palsy patients in Switzerland, which attracted a lot of attention there. Enthused by that success, he has now come to Kolkata to start his Bishwa Bandhan, an NGO that will work to spread awareness and also provide supplementary support to children with cerebral palsy and their parents.
During his heydays as a structural engineer and consultant to Tata Steel, some of the structures that Mitra built were, Nazrul Mancha, the steel galleries of Mohammedan Sporting after the wooden ones got destroyed in a fire, the traffic diversions on Vidyasagar Setu, the mini bus shelter at BBD Bag and pedestrian over bridges at Ultadanga and Manicktala. But such accolades have stopped having any meaning for him anymore.
In Switzerland he continues to build tunnels, overbridges, pre-fabricated structures and other constructions using cutting edge precision technology, that is coming of age in Europe today, but only when he is not engaged in a dialogue with the WHO or state authorities in Zurich regarding his cerebral palsy awareness programme. Though he accedes that the level of awareness is very high in Europe, the fact that a large number of babies are born prematurely or with extremely low birth weight as a result of artificial insemination arising out of growing numbers of infertility cases, incidences of cerebral palsy are very high in Europe.
Bishwa Bandhan, which is headquartered in Zurich, has already partnered with WHO there and started its two pronged intervention – spreading awareness among pregnant women that cerebral palsy is preventable and supplementary therapy can make life bearable for children who are born with the problem. The NGO is making waves with its awareness campaigns that stresses on the fact that in most cases when sufficient volumes of oxygen do not reach the brain, babies develop cerebral palsy, so a great stress needs to be laid on administering oxygen on the mother during birthing. It has also started a unique music therapy on children with palsy to help rejuvenate them.
“We are trying to replicate the Zurich model here,” Mitra said. He is presently in the city to start up the the Kolkata chapter of Bishwa Bandhan. A teaser campaign on prevention of palsy will be up soon and the audio visual is getting readied now. Just like in Zurich, where the initiative is being partnered by WHO, Bishwa Bandhan here has tied up with the Institute of Child Health, the Indian Medical Association, leading gynaecologists and fertility experts. They are all enthisuastic about the impending campaign. “It is true that a large number of cerebral palsy patients would have been born normal had oxygen been administered on the mother well, this would not have happened. It is not a genetic disorder. Hence, a systematic campaign is a must. All stakeholders in the birthing process, right from the doctor to the nurses and even the mother should be made aware of this,” said Apurba Ghosh, director of the Institute of Child Health.
The Indian Medical Association has also thrown its weight around the campaign. “There are plenty of pre-natal routine procedures that are not followed in many cases. Again forcep birthing causes a lot of damage since it obstructs the flow of oxygen to the brain. When babies are born pre-mature or with low birth weight, oxygen deficiency is a related hazard. Inorder to maintain WHO standards, one has to eliminate negligence at every stage and that is possible only through an intensive campaign,” said Shantanu Sen, secretary of IMA Bengal chapter.
A 6000 square feet space at Red Cross Place off Raj Bhavan is being prepared as therapy space of Bishwa Bandhan for children with cerebral palsy. “We will experiment with different kinds of music and colour to excite and activate the slow moving brain of palsy kids. Physiotherapists will also work on their limp limbs and make them as active as possible,” Mitra promised.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Jhilmil Pandey, TNN / July 07th, 2015
Kids with cancer (top) play at Premashraya in Rajarhat after it was inaugurated by Union minister Piyush Goyal, flanked by Tata Steel managing director TV Narendran and Tata Medical Center medical director Mammen Chandy, on Friday. Pictures by Amit Datta
A shelter for outstation cancer patients and their relatives visiting Tata Medical Center for treatment was inaugurated at New Town on Friday.
Premashraya, an 11-storeyed building less than a kilometre from the hospital in New Town Action Area III, can house 200 patients and 300 family members with separate wings for children and those needing palliative care.
“Relatives of cancer patients need to be with them. Poor patients can’t afford expensive hotels; but they need to stay in the vicinity of the hospital as they can’t travel for long,” Piyush Goyal, minister of state for power, coal and new and renewable energy, said after inaugurating the building.
Coal India Ltd has funded the Rs 41-crore project.
Goyal said his ministry would like to help out the hospital, run by the Tata group, with its annual operational expenses that have been calculated at around Rs 30 crore. He also urged the authorities to approach the people of Calcutta for funds.
“I would request Geeta Gopalakrishnan (director, donor relationships, Tata Medical Center, who raised funds for Premashraya) to approach every industrialist, businessman and Rotaries of Calcutta; connect with them and get a promise for Rs 30 crore. Then that’ll give them a satisfaction,” Goyal said.
Mammen Chandy, the medical director of Tata Medical Center, said many patients could not afford treatment for want of a place to stay. “Premashraya was planned when there was no money,” he said. “Then Coal India came forward. But maintaining and running it and keeping the place clean is a big challenge.” St. Jude’s Child Care Centre, a voluntary organisation, would look after the children’s wing.
The hospital authorities said they would hire agencies for housekeeping, cleaning and other daily jobs. Once the daily operational costs have been worked out, the charges for staying will be decided, an official said. The charges will be minimal though, he said.
“In some cases, cancer can’t be cured. But if we can’t cure cancer, we can allow a person to die with dignity. That is why we have two floors for palliative care,” Chandy said.
The third and fourth floors will house patients in need of palliative care. The hospital will counsel and train relatives of such patients in palliative care. The official said patients could return home after completion of the training.
Premashraya, spread over 100,000sq ft, has a library, prayer hall, cafeteria, physiotherapy centre, auditorium and a play area for children.
Four shops on the ground floor will sell vegetables, fruits, grocery and gift items. For every six-seven rooms, there’s a kitchen where family members of patients can cook.
The auditorium will be used for yoga classes, meditation and counselling. There will be vehicles to ferry passengers and their relatives from the building to the hospital. Vastu Shilpa Consultants has designed the building.
The hospital has expansion plans as well. A seven-storey building with 250 beds will come up on the same campus where the 183-bed hospital is now operating.
An official said Indian Oil Corporation had funded part of the Rs 200-crore project.
“It’ll have three radiotherapy machines. Currently, we have two machines and the average waiting time for a patient is two months despite both machines operating from 11am to midnight,” said V.R. Ramanan, the deputy director of the hospital. The target date for completing the building is 2017.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta, India / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / by Special Correspondent / Saturday – July 04th, 2015
The district Magistrate of Nadia along with chief of Nadia Zilla Parishad in West Bengal was on Saturday presented the United Nations Public Services Award 2015 for eliminating open defecation in the district.
Nadia district, located in south Bengal, had half of its population defecating in open till October 2013. The district administration, under a programme called Sabar Souchagar, built 3.56 lakh toilets in the district. As a result, the number of people continuing with the practice dropped to mere 0.2 per cent.
The award was presented by the acting Secretary-General of the U.N., Lenni Montiel, along with Head U.N. Women Stefani Senese, on conclusion of the U.N. Day celebrations 2015, on June 26 at Medellin in Colombia, District Magistrate P.B. Salim informed The Hindu over email.
Banikumar Roy, chief, Nadia ZP, was also present.
‘Unique model’
The U.N. has described Sabar Shouchagar (Toilets for All) as a “unique model developed to generate awareness, improve access to sanitary toilets, and bring substantial health improvement through improved sanitation.”
The U.N. added that the scheme has mobilised all stakeholders, “especially women and schoolchildren and saw involvement of faith-based organisations” and “if replicated, it has the potential to eliminate open defecation from across the world.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on April 30 held a programme in Nadia district highlighting the success of the scheme and announced that ‘Nirmal Bangla Divas’ will be observed across the State every year.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Special Correspondent / Kolkata – June 28th, 2015
Girls at Gobindopur railway colony would never dream of building their lives on their own terms with hardly any of them ever getting the opportunity of attending school and most of them being married off by 16. Many would face regular abuse at home, but they would not dare to protest. Finally, one of them, Uma Singh (27), decided to change things around and took up the cudgels for her tormented sisters in the colony, one of the largest slums in south Kolkata.
The first woman to graduate from the slum, Uma gathered youngsters from the area to launch a door-to-door campaign aimed at sending girls to school instead of marrying them off early. Eight years later, the number of girls dropping out of school has fallen dramatically, while underage marriages have stopped. Several girls from the slum are now training to be schoolteachers, painters or computer instructors.
Uma is pleasantly surprised with the transformation. “It pained me to see girls around me suffer like that. They had no ambition, no dream or desire. They were just happy to be alive which, I felt, was unfair,” she said. Uma got together a few of her like-minded friends and formed a group to fight for girls’ rights. It wasn’t a smooth start in troubled Gobindopur, where settlers were being evicted. Fighting to hold on to their shanties, residents did not really care about how their daughters should be treated. But Uma and her group didn’t give up.
They held meetings and workshops, performed street plays and screened films to spread the message of girls’ rights. Initially, they would be snubbed and asked to stay away from “personal affairs”. “It was a challenge for we were fighting a social evil and the deep-rooted belief that girls were not supposed to be ambitious. They were never treated on a par with boys. What’s worse, they didn’t have access to basic rights, such as education or even two square meals a day,” Uma said.
With her 20-member team, which was christened Nabadisha in 2008, Uma went from door to door, asking women to send their daughters to school. Some refused, fearing their husbands’ wrath. “We started sending those children to school without letting the men in the family know about it. Those who couldn’t be admitted to nearby schools were tutored at a centre in the slum. We noticed a slow change in the girls’ attitude. Even after the men learnt that their daughters were attending school, they didn’t really object,” said Uma.
Ratna Mandal said she would have been married off by now, had it not been for Uma. “She gave me the courage to dream of building a career,” said Ratna who is training to be a dancer.
Over the next two years, Nabadisha spread their work to five slums in the area. Most girls even in those slums now attend school, with more than 20 of them having cleared their higher secondary exams. Many are now preparing to work, which was unthinkable 10 years ago. Early marriages have been curbed but not stopped.
Nabadisha runs computer, drawing, dance and spoken English classes for girls who are counselled and guided every Sunday. “We hold ‘self-exploration’ sessions where we discuss their strengths, weaknesses and their future plans. Their problems are addressed. Girls in the slums have gathered the courage to dream big and stand up to wrongs within and outside the family,” said Poonam Sadhukhan, a Nabadisha member. Around 150 girls, aged between 10 and 18 years, are now being tutored, while over 100 have been assisted in three years.
Uma says she wouldn’t stop her work till drop-out rate among Gobindopur girls turns zero and they can support themselves financially. “We have managed to convince slum dwellers that girls deserve to be treated as equals and should be given a chance to realize their dreams. Once we have more girls working, their families will fall in. We are not going to rest till then,” Uma signed off.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Prithvijit Mitra, TNN / June 23rd, 2015
Five pass-outs from the Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology (MSIT) have bagged the runners-up prize at the prestigious Texas Instruments Innovation Challenge 2015 by inventing a system that will enable farmers to turn on their pump sets (to water their fields) from home by using mobile or landline telephones.
Not only will this help in conservation of water, the system also promises to protect farmers from snakebite. As per a latest WHO report, nearly 50% Indian farmers suffer snakebites while travelling through dense undergrowth in the night to reach the pump sets.
The ministry of water resources claims that nearly 40% water is wasted due to inefficient irrigation practices. An IAPC – World Bank report states that irrigation efficiency in India is only 35%. This is what Suman Basak, Anik Dutta, Sourav Sinha, Priyanjit Kumar Ghosh and Mostafa Kamal Mallick, from the electronics & communication engineering department of MSIT, set out to rectify in 2014. They participated in the challenge along with 3,200 other teams from engineering colleges across India and Sri Lanka.
“They came up with something they named XENCOM. Xen means water in Chinese and ‘Com’ is short for communication. They presented this idea to Nasscom’s Idea to Proto-type Challenge for eastern India and bagged first position in June, 2014. For the TI Innovation Challenge, they had to have the product ready. They toiled hard for the last one year to develop this,” says MSIT principal Tirthankar Datta.
Apart from the timer facility, the system considers several parameters such as temperature and humidity and after interpreting the data on the basis of test cases, lets the farmer know through SMS when it is time to water his field for better irrigation. Datta calls this ‘suggestive farming’. The farmer is also kept in the loop about power availability in his field at any point of time.
“We feel awesome. Our hard work paid off. We received a lot of support from out institute, Prof Datta, Kamalendu Langal and Saikat Paul, our point of contacts with the industry and Sudip Dogra, our faculty mentor,” says Priyanjit Kumar Ghosh.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Jayanta Gupta, TNN / June 20th, 2015
