Usually I start the podcast introduction with the guest name, age and general details. But today, as I write this, I am falling short of words to introduce Gaurav Gurjar who is many things but ordinary. Academically he is an electronic engineer, but the curriculum never appealed to him. Because of his deep rooted interest in physics and practical experimenting, he finished the four years of engineering curriculum in 2 years, leaving him with 2 years of bonus time to follow his own pursuits. Today he is Director and co-founder of Maruvan, literally meaning Forest in a Desert. It is a section 8 not for profit company led by Gaurav Gurjar with the sole objective of testing the Miyawaki method of tree plantation in an extreme environment and to start a native desert tree nursery. Maruvan is 30 acres of desert situated in Rajasthan near Jodhpur. Gauravs’s restoration approach is linked to deeply researching cultural roots which includes studying local paintings, scriptures, poetry and folklore and it is with this approach and an ignited selfless pursuit that Maruvan is inching closer and closer to success.

I am sure you all have already watched the previous two parts of this podcast and are familiar with Gaurav’s journey & his work at Maruvan inspired by the famous Miyawaki method of plantation. This part (Part 3), is the last part in this podcast series and sums up Gaurav’s overall life and his philosophy. Since quite early in life, Gaurav has been very clear on what he wants from life based on what he really really likes to do. Although the path to achieve it was difficult and untravelled, he always knew he would be able to reach his destination because that is what made him really happy. I was amazed to hear that he and his wife Varsha live in a modest home, most of which they have built themselves using eco-friendly materials. And their house guests are all types of birds including bats, squirrels and even a wild cat. Gaurav also tells us about the direct influence of Sameer, Sameer and Manish (all of whom he was very close to at various points in his life) and how each of them has helped him achieve more and more clarity.

I hope you enjoy this last part as much as the first two parts of the podcast and find at least a couple of takeaways from the entire series. 

Gaurav on pursuits, risks and Maruvan : Part 3 "The clarity on life’s purpose" 

Maruvan

Gaurav Gurjar

Founder

Gaurav and his unusual abode

Gaurav on his life mantra

Gaurav on what is real ownership

Usually I start the podcast introduction with the guest name, age and general details. But today, as I write this, I am falling short of words to introduce Gaurav Gurjar who is many things but ordinary. Academically he is an electronic engineer, but the curriculum never appealed to him. Because of his deep rooted interest in physics and practical experimenting, he finished the four years of engineering curriculum in 2 years, leaving him with 2 years of bonus time to follow his own pursuits. Today he is Director and co-founder of Maruvan, literally meaning Forest in a Desert. It is a section 8 not for profit company led by Gaurav Gurjar with the sole objective of testing the Miyawaki method of tree plantation in an extreme environment and to start a native desert tree nursery. Maruvan is 30 acres of desert situated in Rajasthan near Jodhpur. Gauravs’s restoration approach is linked to deeply researching cultural roots which includes studying local paintings, scriptures, poetry and folklore and it is with this approach and an ignited selfless pursuit that Maruvan is inching closer and closer to success.

For the first time ever, I found a story so interesting that covering it entirely in one episode is a task next to impossible. Hence, this podcast is a 3 part podcast series of which Part 1 released on 20th November, is all about Gaurav’s personal journey from being an engineering student to the director of Maruvan. If you have not watched it already, you can watch it by clicking on this link. This podcast (Part 2) is all about the evolution of Maruvan; the research, the thought process and all the hard work that went behind planting a forest right in the middle of a desert. Gaurav goes on to tell us about the effectiveness of the often misinterpreted Miyawaki method of tree plantation which involves a deep study of the native environment and identifying the potential natural vegetation of that area. He also asserts the importance of ecological balance and how soil, water and vegetation are correlated to create the actual environment. I found this dialogue with Gaurav interesting, and Gaurav’s modest yet straightforward attitude towards it is worth taking inspiration from. Join me in this podcast to spread this flame of simplicity and courage. 

One more podcast (Part 3) coming your way soon. Stay tuned! 

Gaurav on pursuits, risks and Maruvan : Part 2 "The story of Maruvan" 

Gaurav explains that he works only for his happiness and contribution to a larger cause is just an outcome of his work

Gaurav on Miyawaki method of tree plantation 

Gaurav on “Karma” and “कर्म का फल”

Usually I start the podcast introduction with the guest name, age and general details. But today, as I write this, I am falling short of words to introduce Gaurav Gurjar who is many things but ordinary. Academically he is an electronic engineer, but the curriculum never appealed to him. Because of his deep rooted interest in physics and practical experimenting, he finished the four years of engineering curriculum in 2 years, leaving him with 2 years of bonus time to follow his own pursuits. Today he is Director and co-founder of Maruvan, literally meaning Forest in a Desert. It is a section 8 not for profit company led by Gaurav Gurjar with the sole objective of testing the Miyawaki method of tree plantation in an extreme environment and to start a native desert tree nursery. Maruvan is 30 acres of desert situated in Rajasthan near Jodhpur. Gauravs’s restoration approach is linked to deeply researching cultural roots which includes studying local paintings, scriptures, poetry and folklore and it is with this approach and an ignited selfless pursuit that Maruvan is inching closer and closer to success.

For the first time ever, I found a story so interesting that covering it entirely in one episode is a task next to impossible. Hence, this podcast is a 3 part podcast series of which this part (Part 1), is all about Gaurav’s journey from being an engineering student to the director of Maruvan. This transition did not happen overnight. It is an expedition of arduous years of travel, quests and taking risks to find the right motivation for his life’s calling. Join me while Gaurav engrosses us all with his fascinating story, where his life takes him from engineering to backpacking adventures, living in the forests, architecture, building bamboo houses, organic farming, winning India's only reality environment show and finally returning back to his roots of Marwar. Intrigued already? Watch the podcast and stay tuned for the next one. 

Gaurav on pursuits, risks and Maruvan : Part 1 "The Journey" 

Gaurav on learning the basics of farming(food) and architecture(shelter) 

Gaurav on winning Godrej Green Champion

Gaurav on returning to his native Marvar 

Niwas Kumar comes from a remote village in Bihar and was a part of age-old public school education. Later when his family moved to a bigger town, he went to an all-boys school till he finished high school. The current education system never interested him and he decided to do his graduation from an open university where he could travel, research and explore. During this time he realised that contrary to his belief, he was actually very interested in education and wanted to change the ideology and methodology of the very education system. During his post graduation from Azim Premji University, he found that the effects of gender-bias is far more acute for children experiencing gender dysphoria. They don’t find a safe space to study and feel difficult to socialise.

Shivani also belongs to a small village in Jharkhand and went to a co-education public school. The patriarchal culture in her village did not allow her to interact with boys in school and she was always subject to gender discrimination in school as well as other public places. When she went to NIT Jamshedpur for engineering, she found it extremely challenging to open up to the fellow students. 

Niwas and Shivani met during an internship and realised that they share a unique but common dream. Thus was laid the foundation of ANANTMOOL – India’s first ever gender neutral learning centre which addresses the issue of gender diversity and inclusion by questioning existing norms and introducing an alternative system where gender no longer exists as a stereotype. Here binary students and those with gender dysphoria are treated as equals. With gender diverse facilitators, gender-free toilets, seating and group activities, Anantmool is also keen on changing their curriculum into a more practical one. This one of a kind learning centre focusses on holistic development of children including physical, social, emotional and intellectual. They both believe that this dream would not have been possible without the help of leaders from Kanthari, an international institute for leadership and entrepreneurial activities. Anantmool is open for donations and the cost to fund the education of one child is just Rs. 500 per month, which, I am very sure most of you will agree, is what we spend at a coffee shop these days. You can find more about this on the Milaap website below.  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-niwas-kumar# 
  
During this small yet powerful conversation with Niwas and Shivani, I learned as well as unlearned perspectives and I am looking forward to join them at Anantmool for a volunteering session in the coming days. Join me in this endeavour.

Niwas and Shivani on the story of Anantmool – a gender neutral learning center

Anantmool

Niwas&Shivani

Founders

Niwas and Shivani on the challenges faced during their education in binary schools

Niwas and Shivani on the unique name “Anantmool”

Niwas on scholarship fund raisers for Anantmool 

Tanvi Nair, 32, TEDx speaker, an avid blogger, a proud trans woman and a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate. Professionally she is a data analyst working with a multinational company. She has done masters in statistics from the university of Pune. Being diligent passionate and hardworking, she has excelled very well in her career. 

For many years Tanvi led a life of pretence by hiding her authentic self from the world. She could explore her true self by donning her mother’s clothes only in the privacy of her home when her parents would go out. Even though her secret was unexpectedly revealed in her first year of college (you will hear the story in this podcast), Tanvi still struggled with her true identity. She even maintained two Facebook accounts, one for her authentic self and one for the world, until one day she accidentally posted a picture dressed as a woman on the wrong account. It was then (in 2020) that she finally decided to come out and accept herself as she truly is. Tanvi’s journey was not an easy one, dealing with anxiety and depression. But the direct or sometimes even silent support from her parents and true friends made her life sailable. 

Today, Tanvi works with the “Ally Nation Project” to give gender sensitisation training to public. Her blogs are thought provoking, curious and educating at the same time. Do give them a read here - https://passionforstorytelling.wordpress.com . 

This podcast focusses on Tanvi’s life before and after coming out. Tanvi’s calm demeanour and views on spirituality truly amaze me. I learnt and explored a lot from this conversation and hope you will too. Join me in spreading this flame of courage and conviction further.


Tanvi, a proud trans woman, on her journey from Pretence to Reality! 

Tanvi Nair

TEDx Speaker, Blogger, Analyst

Tanvi’s thoughts on religion v/s spirituality

Tanvi on her work to support the trans community 

Tanvi on the significance of empathy towards all

Vaishali was born and brought up in a traditional middle-class household in Rajasthan, then moved to Delhi and finally settled in Kanpur after her marriage. She was living an ordinary life, but destiny had extra-ordinary plans for her. For some reason the scrap tyres abandoned on road caught her attention and she began experimenting on it with the help of some colleagues. With a vision to promote sustainability in a creative fashion, Vaishali founded De’Dzines, a company that transfigures scrap tyres into beautiful décor items such as chairs, coffee tables, planters, sculptures and even bags. 
All these items are 100% handcrafted, sturdy, durable and yet upcycled from scrap automobile tyres. 
  
In just over 3 years, Vaishali’s efforts have been recognised and appreciated by many prestigious authorities in India. She got a chance to meet PM Narendra Modi ji and Uttar Pradesh’s CM Aditya Yoginath ji. She also won the title of “Most promising 100 women entrepreneurs – MSME and FICCI”. She has also been invited by IKEA to talk about her products and company. Studies show that the fumes coming from burning tyres are 13000 times more toxic than the fumes coming from coal mines. By transforming these tyres with creativity, Vaishali and her team are striking ecological balance and save the ecosystem. This conversation is a live example of converting your dreams and desires into reality with a little bit of zest and loads of passion.

To know more about De’Dzines and to buy their products online, visit their website. As Vaishali says, buying from De’Dzines means saving the ecosystem. 
 
https://dedzines.com/


“Discarded tyres to sustainable furniture” - Vaishali’s story of conscious capitalism 

De'Dezines

Vaishali Biyani

Founder & Director

Vaishali on conscious capitalism

Vaishali on the story behind her creativity 

Vaishali on meeting PM Shri Narendra Modi 

Ganesh Neelam obtained his Master’s degree in Geoscience from University of Pune, in the year 2000. Post his masters, he joined BAIF Development Research Foundation as a Hydrogeologist where he worked for four years on Watershed Development Programmes to ensure quality planning and optimum utilization of the groundwater resource for livelihood enhancement of tribal and rural communities. 

He joined the Tata Trusts in 2004, handling the flagship initiative named Central India Initiative focusing on enhancing livelihoods of tribal communities in central India. He presently is the Executive Director of Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI), an associate organization of the Trusts. The “Lakhpati Kisan – Smart Village” programme focusing on meeting the aspirations of more than 100,000 small and marginal farmers in Central India is being implemented by CInI under his leadership. 

He also leads the Renewable Energy theme at the Trusts. One of his key facets is his involvement in analyzing the areas of Technology and Innovations in the ecosystem to create sustainable solutions that meet the needs of rural communities. 

I have known Ganesh for many years and have been able to observe CInI’s work closely. The massive transformational work that Ganesh and his team are doing is changing the lives of tribals and marginal farmers, making them independent and self-sustainable. The highlight of this podcast is Ganesh narrating his experiences with Mr. Ratan Tata himself which will reinstate in you the belief of humility and humanitarianism. If you wish to contribute to CInI’s noble cause you can do so by clicking on the link below.

https://www.cinicell.org/contribute/


Ganesh on the “Lakhpati Kisan” initiative

Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI)

Ganesh Neelam

Executive Director

Ganesh on his interactions with Mr. Ratan Tata

Ganesh on the importance of women in leadership

Ganesh on the intangible improvements brought in by the “Lakhpati Kisan” program

Nidhi Arora, an alumni of IIM Kolkata and a leader in Human Capital Management, is in true sense a social entrepreneur. Inspired by a movie (Sparsh) which she saw at the tender age of 7, Nidhi went on to learn braille and start Esha – people for the blind, a non- profit initiative striving to help the blind by devising innovative ways of sustainable livelihood. Esha also provides one of India’s largest audio library in multiple languages across the world. Through Esha Nidhi and her team of volunteers have done pioneering work for the visually challenged, by introducing braille visiting cards. 

Nidhi was a book lover since her childhood. When she found out that there was no daily newspaper available for children, she founded The Children’s Post of India, a home print daily for children, specially curated by mothers.     

This conversation is not just about Nidhi’s exceptional work in various fields or her social entrepreneurial skills that are helping thousands of individuals. But it is also about her thoughts and experiences with consciousness, spirituality and manifestation. Join me as we enter a new era of Small Big Wins with this special 51st episode. 

Nidhi on manifestation, braille and children

Esha 

Nidhi Arora

Nidhi says “Follow your heart and everything will just fall in place”

Nidhi believes we are the “माध्यम” not the “कर्ता”

Nidhi on the undocumented wisdom in India

Somya Dawar, 36, is a wheelchair enabled woman. But don’t mistake this for her identity. First and foremost she is a caring daughter to proud parents, a loving friend to her big friend circle, a corporate working with a large organisation, a traveller and a motorsport enthusiast. Recently she participated in the Gumball India Endurance Driving event and drove 4000 km, from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh on her own in mere 4 days. She “aspires to inspire” everyone to chase and fulfil their dreams under any circumstances.

Somya met with an accident in 2003 at the age of 17 while kite flying, when she tripped and fell from a height of more than 20 feet. She suffered a major spinal cord injury and inspite of multiple treatments she was confined to a wheelchair. But this did not crush her spirits. She completed her education, has a successful career and lives life to the fullest. Her travel stories are an inspiration to all. She believes that perspective is the most important factor to overcome any situation in life. I was truly in awe of her conviction and courage. I am sure after watching the podcast, you will be too.    

I am delighted that Somya could join me as a guest on the 50th episode of Small Big Wins and make it even more special!  

"A wheelchair won’t stop me from doing what I want to" - Meet Somya Dawar

Somya Dawar

Somya on all about the perspective

Somya on the importance of simple things in life

Somya on making the right choices

Dr. Renuka Diwan, has completed her PhD in Plant Sciences from University of Pune. She has also done her post doc in genetic engineering in collaboration with an Australian company. She specializes in bioactives and has a vast experience in plant tissue culture. In 2016, Renuka was conflicted by an incident where she noticed extreme diversity of the conditions for farmers versus city dwellers. She also came to understand there are only a handful of agri-biological companies around the world and none in India who can help the farmers to solve crop issues in a sustainable manner. In the same year, BioPrime agrisolutions was founded by Renuka along with Dr. Shekhar Bhosale and Dr. Amit Shinde.

BioPrime agrisolutions are developing effective & affordable Agri biological products to help farmers struggling with crop loss, temperature fluctuations, drought, resilient insects and diseases. These solutions are based on multiple scientific experiments based on advanced technologies which involve biomolecules, plant signaling etc. They are aiming to transform agriculture in nature’s way without causing harm to the climate. As someone said, “climate action is not a priority, it is something which affects all the priorities”. Let’s come together to encourage and spread the wonderful work done by Renuka and her team.

Renuka on climate action, plant signaling and redefining agriculture through BioPrime Agrisolutions

BioPrime Agrisolutions

Renuka Diwan

Renuka on plant signaling and communication

Renuka on the difference between GM agro products and bio agri products

https://youtu.be/DdMM_wqAYmI

Kaveri Bhardwaj is a selfless soul who has been working for the past several years to rescue and rehabilitate stray dogs, cats, donkeys and cows. Her work brings a ray of hope to the injured and disabled strays who can’t speak for themselves. She takes pride in popularly being called “The Dog Mother” and often refers to them as children. 
  
After Kaveri’s first adopted dog Sophie passed away, she was heartbroken and it created a void in her life. That is when she decided to set up the “Sophie Memorial Animal Relief Trust” in 2017 in Greater Noida at a time when there were no other animal shelters in place. Through this trust, Kaveri and her husband Yashraj have rescued over 4000 animals and sterilized & vaccinated around 2500 cats and dogs. Recently they have even rescued 2 baby monkeys (one of which you can see affectionately playing with Kaveri in the podcast.) There are moments in the podcast where I found myself speechless while listening to Kaveri’s stories.

I hope this podcast will help me spread the flame of courage, conviction and selflessness. To help the animals in SMART sanctuary, you can visit the Facebook page in the Links section or donate through their crowdfunding page on Milaap. 


Kaveri “The Dog Mother” on dedicating her life to animal rescue and SMART sanctuary

Sophie Memorial Animal Relief Trust

Kaveri Rana Bhardwaj

Kaveri on the story of Sophie Memorial Animal Relief Trust

Kaveri on how working for the animals changed her life

Kaveri on giving up her job to pursue animal rescue

Ramveer Tanwar, 33, is fondly known as the “Library Man of India”. After completing his B.Tech. in mechanical engineering, he took up a job at a multinational company, but the urge of giving back to his people always kept nudging him. Ramveer comes from a small village named Jhundpura in Noida, U.P. and when he saw the poor children of his village swaying away from education, lurking towards drugs and other bad influences, he decided to open a library for them to inculcate the value of education. In 2018, he opened the first library in Jhundpura, and thus started his journey of “Mission Rural Libraries”.    

These libraries are well equipped with books and large seating arrangements for children of all ages and communities from villages who come from poor backgrounds and lack resources and basic amenities for education. Today, he along with his team “Gram Pathshala”, have opened libraries in more than 250 villages in U.P , Delhi and Rajasthan that are benefiting thousands of children. Lal Bahar - Inspector in NHRC, Ajay Pal teacher, Praveen Baisala fondly known as “cycle man”, Kuldeep -  S.I in UP Police, Sonu Baisala - S.I in Delhi Police, Amar Chaudhary - motivational speaker, and around 250 members in in the Gram Pathshala team have made this dream possible. Check out the podcast or watch him on the Small Big Wins YouTube channel to uncover the full story behind his struggle, achievements and gratification. If any of you want to help this cause or know someone who needs help, please connect with the Gram Pathshala team on 9990834838 or their Facebook handle mentioned in the links.

P.S. I find myself extremely lucky to meet Ramveer (a humble man with a distinguished personality) and record this podcast in person. 


Ramveer "Library Man of India" on Education and Mission Rural Libraries

Gram Pathshala

Ramveer Tanwar

Ramveer explains how libraries are bringing the village children together

Ramveer on directing the village kids from anti-social elements to education

Ramveer on his mission to make India a nation of libraries

Dr. Ali Khwaja, B.Tech. (IIT), MIE, MIIE and Ph.D in behavioral sciences, is a counselor, author, principal faculty, life skills coach, and most importantly a perpetual student. He is the author of 30 books and nearly 80 booklets. He is regularly invited by many prestigious and reputed Schools, Colleges, Universities, NGOs, Corporates and various other institutions for lectures, talks and workshops. He is an advocate of “go with the flow” philosophy and believes you should cherish each and every moment of life as it comes. “Mai akela hee chala tha, log aate gaye, karavaan banta gaya” and thus was born the Banjara Academy.  

There is a very interesting story behind the distinctive name “Banjara Academy” which you will hear in the podcast. The organization is selflessly helping individuals who seek guidance in child, adolescent, family, and interpersonal emotional issues since 1983 and believes in enriching the quality of people’s lives through empowerment. It is one of the few organizations from India to be granted full membership of the World Federation of Mental Health, with voting rights. For more details, I have given their website link in the links section.

This short conversation with Dr. Ali has touched on a variety of topics and enlightened me on its way. I am sure you will also feel the same after listening to this podcast.


Dr. Ali Khwaja and the story of Banjara Academy

Banjara Academy

Dr. Ali Khwaja

Chairman

Dr. Ali Khwaja on open minded parenting

Dr. Ali Khwaja on life lessons from his grandfather

Dr. Ali Khwaja on counsellors from Banjara Academy

Deep Bajaj always had an inquisitive mind and an entrepreneurial brain which led him to venture into many businesses right from an early age. He has brought a number of innovative and India first products in the space of feminine hygiene. His company Sirona is now getting close to selling a million menstrual cups and more than 3 million peebuddies, the female urination device. He has won several ET awards, Fortune 40 Under 40, National Entrepreneurship award and Spirits of Manufacturing award. But above all, he is a successful social entrepreneur and a problem solver.
The menstrual cups by Sirona are a revolution as they can replace millions of pads used over the years and provide multifold advantages of being sustainable, cost-effective and ease of use for women of all age groups. The fact that Deep and his team are out there to solve the menstrual hygiene issues which are often neglected is in itself highly commendable. I feel it is very fascinating that more and more men are now talking about feminine hygiene and striving towards solving these issues making a huge difference. Join me in spreading this wave of awareness to bring about a radical social change.


Deep on his mission to solve feminine hygiene issues through social entrepreneurship 

Sirona Hygiene

Deep Bajaj

Deep on becoming more empathetic about menstruation issues

Deep on all about energy and balance

Deep on the story behind the unique brand name Sirona

Pallavi Singh, 31, is a BTech and Masters in Psychology by education but an innovative and passionate Hindi teacher by profession. In an India where the younger generation is fast forgetting their Hindi heritage, Pallavi is determined to keep it alive and to even spread it beyond the borders by teaching Hindi to foreigners. What started as a fun college project quickly escalated to a full-fledged career when Pallavi comprehended a gap between the practical requirement of foreign embassy & consulates members to learn Hindi and the existing methods available. Some of her more famous students are writers such as William Dalrymple and Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandes.
What I thought would be a very academic conversation, actually turned out to be a fun yet profound one revolving around psychology, culture, curiosity (for the lack of an equivalent word for “jigyasa”) and their influence on a language. Join me to unravel some nuances of our beloved Hindi and many more interesting stories and incidents that Pallavi went through with her students, some funny while some insightful. 
P.S. When I asked her if she could recommend some of her favorite books to our audience, she said “Champak” and “Chandamama” 😊 It immediately took me to my sweet childhood memories and my face lit up with a smile. Does the same happen to you when you hear these names?


Pallavi on teaching Hindi, breaking the language barriers and bringing inclusivity for expats in India

Hindi Lessons for Foreigners 

Pallavi Singh

Pallavi on the intersection between language and psychology

Pallavi on the neurological benefits of multi-linguicism 

Pallavi on her vision to author a book for teaching Hindi as a second language

Shalini Gupta, 55, is a Masters in Economy from the University of Lucknow and a Doctorate in Management from IIM Ahmedabad. She has two daughters, Advika and Gayatri. Gayatri was blessed with neurodiversity called trisomy 21, loosely known as down syndrome. Shalini works extensively in the neurodiverse space, promoting social inclusion and social entrepreneurship. She is one of the founding members of The Art Sanctuary, which is a charitable trust set up in 2019 by trustees from varied fields such as design, music and the corporate world which works towards skill - upgradation of persons with intellectual challenges so that they can be included in mainstream society. 

Shalini believes that raising a neurodiverse child can be a joyous journey and this conversation in itself is the proof of it. It is very heartening to listen to her talk about the various phases of her life along this journey from being a corporate logic driven person to accepting the challenges bought by Gayatri’s condition and taking the less-travelled paths of workshops and pranik healing for her; from being depressive to starting support groups and helping out those in the same boat. Her energy, honesty and positivity are very contagious. I am sure this conversation will leave you in good vibes as it did to me.


Shalini on the journey of “why me” to “why not me”

The Art Sanctuary

Shalini Gupta

Social Entrepreneur

Shalini on counting miracles in life 

Shalini on conquering self-doubts

Shalini on the importance of emotional education

Anshul Vohra, 26, is the Founder of Newsline, India’s most consumable form of news, professionally curated, unbiased, relevant, byte sized 1/2 minute videos. And the singular thought behind this has been – if entertainment has moved to videos then why not news. This conversation also shows yet again that when individuals are not conditioned with limiting factors, they can deliver breakthrough ideas. 

There were three factors which stood out for me in this conversation – First is that the 80%+ of the team members in Newsline, including Anshul, have full time day jobs. Their contribution to Newsline is an initiative fuelled by their passion. The second is the team is very youthful and it is heartening to see that they have found News as an avenue to share their creativity and thirdly the culture of commitment, togetherness and purpose, which they create at Newsline is what sets them apart. Check out this conversation for learning more.


Anshul on the Future of News

Newsline

Anshul Vohra

Anshul on publishing unbiased news

Anshul on choosing passion over money

Anshul on how Newsline has affected her personally

Nisheeth Mehta, CEO of Microsign Products (a small/medium enterprise), doesn’t lead by example. He leads long before the example is even being thought about. Since mid 70s when his company was incorporated, he has has specially abled people in his workforce. What stands out is that all through this period, the majority of his workforce is specially abled – deaf/mute, mentally challenged and orthopaedically challenged. Out of 75 people he employs today, 40 people (on the shop floor) are specially abled. That’s close to 60%. His products go to top corporate houses and he too has to comply with stringent norms of safety and quality but Nisheeth simply says that its always easier to work with specially abled people because they just don’t have the attitude to bypass any systems. Only the “normal” people need monitoring, because they can take short cuts for their selfishness.

Its contradictory that those who were designed by the divine, perfect in body and mind fail and those who were flawed in some ways succeed – that is what Nisheeth’s industrial world shows us.

I welcome all those who would like to bring Nisheeth’s experience to their business community to please reach out to me on hvj@hvj.coach


Nisheeth Mehta on specially-abled, social inclusion and employment

Microsign Products

Nisheeth Mehta

Nisheeth on finding the ability amid the disability

Nisheeth on his experience of hiring the specially-abled people

Nisheeth on treating specially-abled people with dignity and equality

Suman, 39, is known as the PadWoman of India. She is an Oscar winner (2019) for being the driving force behind the documentary “Period. End of Sentence”. Growing up in a simple and traditional household, whenever she asked her mother permission to do something beyond her scope, she was told to do it after marriage. Combined with the influence from “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge” she thought she will get a blanket pass after marriage, to do anything she wanted. This notion came crashing down when she found that her new home doesn’t even have a kitchen, forget a bathroom. A home with 15 people living in two rooms, one of the rooms housed the home temple and the lady could not go to the other room if she was menstruating. From bearing two kids at 20 years to setting up sanitary pad machines in her home to winning the Oscar and taking Hapur and India to a global stage, it shudders me to think of the will and effort required. 

This is a shining example of the untapped potential, a human being is blessed with.

The only feeling which she could relate to when she got the Oscar was from the film “Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raaja” in which Anil Kapoor and Sridevi are shown receiving an award. Watch/Hear this conversation to taste the lethal brew of unimaginable innocence with an indomitable will.

This is a conversation in Hindi and I request each of you who read this, not only to share this with your family and friends, but also share the YouTube link (https://youtu.be/lfcH3cQhork) with your domestic help/s and the larger household eco system you influence and are influenced by. The local language speaking heartland is where our shining gems are.

As I end, I would like to share a few matters:

-	Suman’s success is possible because of the rock solid unconditional support and love of her husband. 
-	In some parts of the conversation you would hear some household disturbance, please excuse that due to an exclusive space not being available to Suman. 
-	She addressed me as Sir, that is embarrassing.


Suman, India’s PadWoman & Oscar Winner, on MHM, Men and Society

Embark Care Foundation

Suman

PadWoman, Oscar Winner

Who is Suman

Suman and her innocence about the Oscar feeling

Suman on how the Iron Lady Award from Hapur village was more important than Oscar

Suman on the Oscar magic in her life & work

Suman on women employment in rural areas

Ramveer Tanwar, 28, popularly known as the Pondman of India, has resurrected 52 ponds savig about 1 billion litres of water per annum. He is the only one who studies beyond Grade 10 in his village and went on to complete his engineering. He was the youngest from his village to have a job in a MNC. 

His childhood days of grazing the cattle and memories of a clean pond in his village kept him on with his pond rejuvenation quest and while working, he spent about four hours visiting senior environmentalists and learning from them, in return doing their work gratis. He gave up his job to fulfil his yearning for clean ponds, he hid this fact from parents, eared money giving tuitions and went broke, returning to look for a job again. And it was at this turn that he was selected for an award and cash recognition of US $10K from Taiwan, towards appreciation of his work done towards water awareness. This gave him hope and he marched past all obstacles. He employs 15 people, runs his own NGO working with leading corporates to give life back to India’s water bodies, has been gloriously mentioned by PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat, and still maintains his rustic humility. Check out a podcast or watch him on the Small Big Wins YouTube channel, you will relish a story which is now fully revealed, a sweet aftertaste, admiration and much kindle. 

This is the starting of Hindi podcasts for me. I never knew I would pull it through. Watch out for more.


Ramveer "Pondman of India" on Sensitivity towards Water

Environmentalist

Who is Ramveer Tanwar

An Award from Taiwan changes Ramveer's life

How Ramveer learnt the tricks while working in a job

Ramveer explains his simple dream of seeing an IIT class-room

Ramveer explains how education could help the environment

It was a huge privilege to talk to Ramji Raghavan, Founder & Chairman of Agastya Foundation which operates close to 300 mobile labs, 75 science centres and 600 Operation Vasantha (working to bring school dropouts back into mainstream academic programs) centres in India to to spark curiosity, nurture creativity and instill confidence in economically disadvantaged children and government school teachers. Their crown jewel is the 172 acre lush green creativity campus in Kuppam near Bangalore.

In this convo, Ramji talks about cauldron of competition in which he was caught up as an investment banker and the crunch time he witnessed to pick up a higher cause in life, his dual existence which swayed him between the mind and the intellect, how easily and deceptively we get caught up in words and how consciousness is not about cause & effect and how J. Krishnamurti and the Rishi Valley School helped him shape his thinking. 

This is a convo to enrich your thoughts and convey yet once more that when you take the leap towards good, good does follow you. 


Ramji Raghavan on living a “higher ideal”

Agastya Foundation

Ramji Raghavan 

Crunch times are clarifying

The most important thing in Education

Agastya & ESG

Herd mentality & Independence

Karishma, 29, has a condition called Down’s Syndrome. 

When I was introduced to Karishma, I was moved by the paintings (150 of her paintings have been sold for $75,000 and all proceeds have gone to charities) which her mother Kalpana, showed me. When I met Karishma and witnessed the exuberance she brought to life, I was wonderstruck. We all suffer from a major condition – that of worry and anxiety. This condition takes over our abilities so many times, causing myriad problems. Karishma is blessed to not possess this and live in the here & now, in spite of the physical and intellectual challenges which Down’s syndrome brings.

It is paradoxical that being fully abled most of us limit ourselves whereas Karishma has taken herself to peak of her being. Her parents and sister and some other divine beings have embraced her to make her feel included without any conditions, bias or difference of treatment. What they have got in return from Karishma is much grander – to learn to live in here & now.

Watch (unless you watch Karishma, you won’t feel included) this conversation to appreciate sacrifice, empathy, adaptability, inclusion and more than anything here & now.


Karishma – Epitome of Here & Now

Karishma Kannan

Karishma's wisdom

Karishma's living in here & now

Karishma's adaptability

Vineet Saraiwala, 31, has a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. This is a degenerative eye condition in which the eye sight deteriorates with the passage of time. He (and his brother who also has the same condition) found this at the age of 16. Vineet went on to qualify from IIM-Bangalore and work at a senior position in Future Group. His remarkable work on inclusion at Future Group has made the world better. He is now the founder of Atypicaladvantage, where his vision is to be able to generate 100 opportunities every single day for the specially-abled. Once you visit the site, I am so sure that you will be a contributor in some way or the other. Try it.

I think Vineet is a true Karmayogi. He believes in total action and has found his way to not let his mind get disturbed. As I say that’s the 247 quality which we need 24/7.

Each of us can be and must be an instrument of selfless service – that is the super-strong message I get from this conversation and the one with Dharmaraj.


Vineet on counting the extras, acceptance, and awards

Atypicaladvantage

Vineet Saraiwala

Vineet on his journey of acceptance

Vineet on counting his extras

Vineet on accepting awards

This is Part 3 and the final episode of the three series podcast with Harshvardhan Joshi. He scaled the Everest on May 23rd, 2021 and even after his absolutely stellar preparation, there were enough times when he was severely tested both physically and mentally. 

From the need to take a longer route and cover it in a shorter time, finding a borrowed tent on the way up because his tent was blown away, facing winds at 100kmph and contracting Covid-19 after he had completed the acclimatization drill of going over to Camp 1-2-3 and back to the Everest Base Camp, he was still at the Peak and with amazing display of confidence and conviction. What carried him through this arduous journey were his discipline, discernment, taking one day at a time and never caring about the result. Watch this episode for all of this, for if we learn & improve even a bit, we contribute in raising humanity to a level higher.


Harshvardhan Joshi on his journey to scale the Everest

Sangharsh

Harshvardhan Joshi

Trekker

Dharmaraj Solanki, 30, works with the India Welfare Trust, an organisation that promotes citizenship, philanthropy and volunteering in India. Volunteering has been a major part of Dharmaraj’s life right from a very young age. It is therefore no coincidence that he personifies the wonderful meaning of his name – Dharmaraj. The opening word of the Celestial Song, Bhagwad Gita is “Dharmakshetra” – and Dharmaraj is leading the way of Dharma with every Karma. Dharmaraj’s contagious smiles throughout the conversation reminds me of what “Little Prince” Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  “Care granted to the sick, welcome offered to the banished, forgiveness itself are worth nothing without a smile enlightening the deed.” Perhaps that is exactly why he says his name is as good as his job description – that’s a powerful thought to live by. Why is it important to read the scriptures, what is faith vacuum, why is non-clinical mental health so prevalent, how volunteering helps you overcome the most difficult challenges of life, and why he prefers to be in a BE-school rather than a B-school – tune into this convo to enrich your BE-ing.

Dharmaraj on Volunteering

India Welfare Trust

Dharmaraj Solanki

Volunteer

Dharmaraj Intro

Dharmaraj on Why Volunteering is so difficult for most people

Dharmaraj on how the volunteering seed germinated

Dharmaraj on the spirit of volunteering

Pawani Khandelwal, 26, is the Founder & CEO of Aatmanirbhar, which is a hugely laudable initiative to build one of the basic foundations of women empowerment – mobility. Pawani and her team have done this in all earnestness; it deserves training more than 9000 women so far to drive a scooty.  She lives in Mathura with her parents and brother. Behind the exuberant, cheerful and chirpy Pawani, is another Pawani. This is the Pawani who has faced mental health issues and panic attacks since the age of 17. From her journey so far, she shares insightful tips on how to deal with mental health problems but more importantly, she opens up about the stories of her travails and triumphs in this period. How she dealt with anxiety and panic attacks, the role her parents played and how the small everyday wins became important to amass courage and conviction. There are many questions one doesn’t find answers to – and yet how important it is to still live with those questions. If you face this dilemma, watch this episode. Yes, you could watch it, this is the first Small Big Wins episode fully on video too.

Pawani on Mental Health, Parents and Gratitude

Aatm Nirbhar

Pawani Khandelwal

Pawani Intro

Pawani on panic attacks

Pawani on the most challenging time of her mental health

Pawani on the connection between gratitude and mental health

Pawani on the need to stop questioning

Meet Shubham Singh, 29, is the Founder & CEO of Craste. The word Craste is a combination of “Crop Waste”. Shubham has pioneered a path breaking technology to convert crop waste into pulp and engineered boards. His sojourns in different parts of India, particularly the north, gave him an insight into the insurmountable problem of crop waste and then started the journey of his company Craste, which has set up a proprietary process for separating the three main components from crop waste which are - cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose.

Shubham on Starting early in life, Crop waste and a World of tree-free products 

Craste

Shubham Singh

Shubham Intro

Shubham on nurturing his inner calling

Shubham on how his growing up made him what he is

Shubham on 10 years of his non-profit

Shubham on his crop waste journey

Mayur Shetty, 28, and his co-founders have solved a crucial logistical problem plaguing the entire world for last mile delivery of vaccines and biologicals, through their first patented product called the Emvolio. The Immunization Technical Support Unit (ITSU) of Health Ministry (Govt. of India) claims around 25% of all vaccines go to waste due to poor cold-chain management. Ice-based products and technologies exposing vaccines to sub-zero temperatures is potentially endemic. A recent study found that ~65% of vaccine vials showed evidence of freezing in vaccine stores and peripheral health facilities across 10 states in India.

Mayur on “Inefficacy in last mile delivery of vaccines, Incremental innovation and not getting lured”

Blackfrog Technologies

Mayur Shetty

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