Days 4 & 5 - Getting in the Groove

Today I had my first Skype session with my family.  6AM wake up call to be able to catch them before their bed time - great to talk to and see Deb and the girls from the comforts of the Drishtee Guest House (pehaps not the correct phase in this case - see previous blog entries for more detail ;-).  

  

I head downstairs into the sticky morning air to catch my taxi which is supposed to be downstairs waiting for me.   Once again, he's a no show, so it's time for the old stand by, my friend the rickshaw.    I'm getting to be an expert on this rickshaw thing, although each trip is its own  adventure as the rickshaw drivers speak zero English and always have a hard time finding my office.  Today's ride starts off with a bang, literally! Just as he gets going, we receive a rather aggressive "love tap" from the rickshaw behind us.   Nothing more than a minor fender bender, but enough to wake me up and lead to a very spirited discussion between the two drivers who decide to get out in the middle of the traffic frenzy to have a friendly conversation.  Where's the video camera when I need it?!?

At the office, I continue to meet with a number of the Drishtee managers as I seek to better understand Drishtee's multi-faceted business model and how the organization goes to market.  I find this "social business" construct to be absolutely fascinating.   As a big believer in free markets and market mechanisms, it seems so sensible to allow market mechanisms to address the unmet needs of the poor.  While governments would be expected to provide basic services for it's citizenry such as health, education and insfastructure, in India such services are delivered consistently (or at all) to much of rural India.  Therein lies the opportunity for smart, innovative people to try to address these gaps with market-driven mechanisms.   And that's exactly what Drishtee is up to.  If you're interested in learning more about the world of social entrepreneurship, check out this site:   http://www.acumenfund.org/.   The Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture capital fund that supports social entreprises around the world, including Drishtee.   Very interesting stuff

By the way, you may be wondering what "Drishtee" stands for.  In Sanskrit, "drishti" means "outward vision and inward awareness" (Sanskrit is an ancient language from which Hindi is derived).  As you yoga practioners know, the practice of drishti is a gazing technique that develops concentration—and teaches you to see the world as it really is.  So given Drishtee's mission and vision, the choice of names seems very appropriate.   "Drishtee" was chosen over "Drishti" simply because the "Drishti" domain name had been previously taken.

One interesting opportunity on which I've been supporting the business development team is initial outreach to Fabindia (http://www.fabindia.com/), a (for profit) local retailer of clothing that sources their products exclusively from rural artisans across India.  One facet of Drishtee's work is to provide vocational training opportunities for rural communities and help these communities to efficiently access markets beyond the village, when they have a specific product to sell.  Drishtee works extensively in the northeast state of Assam (that's above Bangladesh, for you lovers of geography) and has discovered that many women there are particularly skilled in an traditional type of silk weaving.  So given Drishtee's access to these women artisans and Fabindia's desire to source new and interesting products, it seems that this may be a good potential partnership opportunity. 

The day ends back at the opulent Drishtee Guest House with a Domino's pizza with Revan, the guest house caretaker.  Yeah, I know, sounds like a sell out, but trust me when I tell you that here in Noida, the alternative food options are few and far between, and even this iron stomach doesn't dare venture out into the street to sample the street fare on offer.   Revan tells me a bit about his family - he's from Bihar, two states east of Delhi, and the poorest state in India.  He came to New Delhi because he couldn't find a job in his village.  He goes back home twice a year.  It's a 24 hour bus ride (plane way too expensive and train doesn't get him anywhere close to his village).  And trust me when I tell you, a 24-hour bus ride India probably feels like about 3 days - more to come on that in my next blog.  

Revan's story is a common one.  In India, as in most of the developing world, there is a huge population shift from rural to urban areas, due to the dearth of job opportunities in the villages.  The fancy term for this is "distress migration".  Problem is that the rural migrants typically lack skills and education, can't find good jobs, and due to higher costs of city living, often find themselves living in conditions that are as bad or worse than those that they left in their hometown.    Revan's case is exceptional as he was able to find a job with Drishtee which pays him a decent salary and treats him well.  

This weekend I'm scheduled to go out to the field to see Drishtee's operation in action.  I'm very much looking forward to it - should be an education for me.