A Bengaluru couple gave up their homes and jobs to spend their lives living in villages with tribes, to find solutions to their everyday problems.
In drought-hit Masrudi village, Latur, farmers have a tough time making ends meet, often sacrificing their children’s education along the way. In Swarupnagar and Baduria, West Bengal, dangerously high levels of arsenic are found in the groundwater, making it difficult to access clean drinking water. In Dima Hasao, Assam, farmers of the mainstay, organic ginger, and other crops are ruthlessly exploited by middlemen.
While their problems are stark and varied, they have a common thread tying them together. They have all been touched by a countrywide philanthropy initiative that believes all humans are part of a larger family— aptly titled Rest of My Family (RoMF).
This isn’t an ordinary philanthropy project. Run by a Bengaluru couple— both engineering graduates—who gave up their homes, corporate jobs and life as they knew it, RoMF for them is a way of life, a life-long commitment. Photographer Piyush Goswami, 33, and writer Akshatha Shetty, 31, have a simple philosophy— to live out of their jeep, drive deep into India’s hinterland, and stay with various tribal communities to process their problems—and drive realistic, implementable solutions and stay with them until they begin to see change. They also run a website with articles and documentaries on these tribes to help raise awareness. They call RoMF a social-work-through-art initiative.
Bu hikaye Forbes India dergisinin January 4, 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Forbes India dergisinin January 4, 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
