The Global-Preneurship Conference in Nepal, August 11-21, 2016: An European Union Project

It is at promising time, I got a chance to participate at Nepal in Global Preneurship Conference as part delegation for Indian Social Entrepreneur. The moment at which Nepal seems to be focused to stabilised itself political and economically after internal turmoil for last two decades especially since 2006 and rebuild itself after the devastating earthquake last year.  The interactions there officially involved various social organisation, public institutions and visits to historic and cultural places; however, we had amble time to have conversation with general public about nation and progress.

The first visit was to Children’s Art Museum (CAM) of Nepal (CAM), a creative art studio cum workshop specially designed for children and youth. It was a unique project for creative learning of young children in Kathmandu, Nepal. The next visit was to Edushala and business model workshop with its founder, Ruchin Singh, a passion driven and innovative entrepreneur to running the venture to impart training from educational to vocational to skill or hobbies. The set-up based out of Patan, Nepal Edushala works for rebuilding Nepal through education. The workshop of business models, was important learning for entrepreneurs. Our subsequent discussion with N-Agro founder Robin Sitoula, involved understanding situation of agriculture in Nepal, and farmers with small holding small. It was motivating to understand how they are trying to works with small & marginal farmers and teaches them about the importance of land pooling and organic farming.  The interactive talk session also highlighted their focus to increase the eco friendly consumption and healthy food chain. 

We also met the leaders of YUWA, at youth based organisation at their office in Katmandu, which was very similar to our organisation, BYNF – Bharatiya Yuva Netritva Forum (Indian Youth Leadership Forum). The talk was interactive, illustrating their work and issues faced by youth in Nepal. In addition we had business ideation workshop with students of Nobel College, which received positive feedback. One of the highlight of the conference was meeting at 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Company and Empowering women of Nepal at Pokhara founded by 3 Nepalese women. Founders explained their journey in last two decades and how their idea developed from initial phase of facing stiff resistance by the local people and society at large and how they overcame their challenge. It is a well-awarded success story now, and has been empowering local Nepalese women.

The conference was inspiring, helping us to understand various good practices and investigating these case studies of social entrepreneurship. The extraordinary beautiful terrain of Nepal also provided us with some extraordinary experiences, specially helping us in understanding dynamics at play in the country. In addition, we had a small trekking trip to World Peace Pagoda in Pohkara, Shambhu temple in Kathmandu, Mountaineering Museums, Bhakatpur and much more. It was a cultural delight with historic and spiritual sites, with variety of local cuisines and welcoming local folk songs. Besides program, I was fortunate enough to get time to explore more of Nepal, sign up partnerships for BYNF, have darshan at Pashupathinath and visit Patan. After UK, it was first time I was away from India on 15 August, our  Independence day, however visit to Embassy and listening to the warm speeches their

Global-preneurship Conference in Cote d'Ivoire: Supported by Erasmus Programme

In continuation with the Global Preneurship project, lead by the ZOJA (Slovenia), the SCYP team represented India by Ravindra Vikram Singh from May 7th to 15th, as sole representative from the country.

Global Preneurship was a week long program that entailed workshops, meeting people from business backgrounds, looking at start-ups and cross country business development. Delegates were selected from 7 different countries that are developing and the young professionals that were part of it came from non profit backgrounds. The idea was also to make the non profits self sustainable through developing effective business models. The countries that mainly participated in the week long program were India, China, Nepal, Slovenia, Philippines, Vietnam and Ivory Coast, and three continents. There was an emphasis on the possibilities for the employment and entrepreneurship in the fields of ICT and the environmental solutions (like waste management, renewable sources, energy efficiency).  The program is funded and supported by Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

We started with exploring Abidjan on Sunday, 8rth May, supposedly the economical capital of Cote d’Ivoire, however in all respect the capital of the county. One of the first thing, I realized on the trip all the initially we aren’t even get the country name right, it’s not Ivory Coast, it is Cote d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast is how English call the country. The first evening stroll at the Lagune Ebrie, named after local trip Ebrie who were the original inhabitant around the lagoon, was relaxing. So was visiting the local market, CAVA Centre Artisonal De Ville d’Abidjan in Zone 2 and having dinner at Chez Heline. Next day, our first meeting was at CGECI (Conferation of Cote d’Ivoire Companies) hosted by Gerord Konadio, economist in charge of statistics. The discussion involved the structure & composition of Industry in the country and its labour force. Then we went to a local school for autistic kids, it was special and memorable part of the day.

The third day trip to the capital Yamoussoukro, where we visited Foundation Felix Houphouet Boigney Pour La Recharche de la Paix, we had an enriching discussion about Gandhi and also how they can collaborate with India in near future. 

The next day panel discussion with entrepreneurs, the meeting illustrated similarity in business opportunities in the developing nations and also similarity between struggle and aspirations of entrepreneurs. In India too, in recent years, we have seen my online payment companies cropping up, being in social spear I have met my social entrepreneurs into online education for school via mobile, tablets, and computers. Story of all three of them was inspiring, Mrs. Patricia Zoundi Yao, for been one of the few successful female successful entrepreneur in the country and her interesting work for online money portal mainly for farmers and rural people. 

The trauma workshop by Anna, was amazing to understand how trauma and stress, and how person a person suffering from stress and trauma can work their way out of it. I had also went out to meet the ambassador of India, however, there was acting dignitary in his place, C. Doss Jeyakumar, we discussed about Indian living there and also about coming state visit to the Ivory Caost. It was also interesting to discover India has good trading relation with the Ivory Coast.

Almost end the end, we made a video for iCFDR and Make in India promoting our cloths. It was a creative and enjoyable active. The link of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZzrBlHjZgI

Travelogue 9 – Velas-Turtle Breeding-Janjira-Murud– February 16-17, 2013

I was leaving for Idduki, Kerala next week for almost 15 days, therefore there was a huge temptation and advices from friend to stay at home this weekend and rest. However, back of my mind I was thinking if I don’t go to Velas then I could miss watching little olive riddle crawling to shore. Moreover, I was planning to stay in the village for a night that would make up for rest.

Till Friday, noon I was no sure where to take the bus from, in Maharashtra people usually reserved their bus tickets for long trips, which was new to me. I took from Mumbai Central a 00:30 AM bus, and slept as soon as after haggling conductor allowed me to sit in some seat in the back. Few hours on the road, I woke up when head had banged the handle of mirror on left. Bus was hopping from pothole to another, my was hit twice and paining, however as soon I opened the window, I could smell moist soil and very light drizzle may be first drizzle. The refreshing smell was conducive enough  to discourage one getting back to sleep, it’s been almost a year the smells was back, last time I was in UP, traveling Badaun around the election session.  Soon, I picked up Gandhi again, his observation 70-80 years back seems true even today, people struggling to keep afloat.

By the time dawn break, I had hurt my head again and it would pain for at least a week. The first rays of Sun serving reminder the bus was late bus, but presented the beauty of Konkan. Bus was slowly moving on the hills, sea on the left side, in between came Savitri River, emptying whatever it was with left in the sea. I wish I could just get down, sit there relish the poster portrait of nature.

I had missed the morning session of the turtle breeding, when all the new ones are collected and left near the shore to walk their way, I surveyed the crawling marks of mother turtle which had come last night and left its track. The harmful creatures comes, crawls, digs up a hole and lays eggs expecting cooperation from humans to not disturb them. However, we thinking mightiest of all have ruined our own life and theirs too. In Velas social organizations like Kasav Mita Mandal and Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra Manda have done great work for their natural habitat conservation and making local environmental friendly. To an extend now local host the visitors at their home.

   I stayed at Santosh Joshi’s place, small family, masi was really nice showed documents she had collected over the years about turtle breeding and their daughter was involved in the conservation work since class 4. In day I went around, the Velas once famous for Nana Phadnavis, went to rameshwar shiv temple and the farms of my host. One could smell mangos in the breeze as Haapos tree were laden with greens.  Also took dumdum (auto) to nearby village Bankot, near the sea coast it has an old depleted fort Shiva ji Empire.

In the evening, I hurried to the Velas beach to the watch the main attraction of my travel. The cordoned off area had huge crowded, recent popularity had drawn crowd from all over Maharashtra. Anyways it was sight to see six of the tittle ones with tender, slow find they own ways to crawl the sea, its light they seek and sea offers them that bright light.

I was appreciating the beauty and struggle of the little ones, suddenly heard a comment which just pinched me, a kid also vitnessig the event for first time asked his mother why turtle are walking at different speed why not all of them are as fast as the first one, the sick lady replied the faster turtle was good kid, like kids in school those do study and listen to their parent come first and rest are bad and weak. I do not know why I wrote, when I heard this I felt, for kid for all of us, make are children machines in rat race, teach them about fulfilling wants and desires, coming first at any cost and forget that the little of innocence/ignorance may keep us more human.

After watching with delight, life events of freshly hatched turtles, I walked with my newly made friends Murli and Johnson to the dongar (hill) adjust to sea and watch the sun dip at the end of the horizon in the sea.  

If the lunch was best meal in the week, dinner was no less, once again I was lucky to gorge one more new Marathi preparation koshabhi, I presume mix of other veg with tomato. Dinner followed a play and few videos at the Durga temple. Two family at arrived at host’s place, post dinner I went on walk the family of Sandeep bhai, enjoyed with their twin little girls, cute kids.

I had stayed back, one more session with little turtles. Woke up early, probably was one of the first visitor to reach the beach, serene splendor when sun rise in the back and one sit enjoying the waves, I sat there wrote few poems and waited for hatched turtle to come out of pit of sand to be dropped near the shore.  After getting the eyeful of the baby olive riddle, it was time to move.

I took the bus with visitor neighbors – Saurav, his wife (forgot her name) and Sitaram. Now on the list was Jangira, one famous spot on Konkan I had missed, however latter released its over rated. Got down at Vesvi to take a boat for Harihasreshwar with Saurav, Sitaram parted straight for Mumbai.

I dropped the family, at Harihasreshwar, telling them about impressive old shiva temple there gorge behind it. Carried on in dumdum to Srivardhan, from where I had to take bus to Dighi. Almost 1 hour of wait and nothing came, finally jumped in a truck to Dighi, few hundreds meter on the route, tired got punctured; I was already late and had just few maps to guide on unfrequented road to an unfamiliar town. Trucker was disinterested to carry on the journey till the new get the tire repaired, left with no choice waving at each vehicle passing by. My a motorbike stoped, Santosh Dombe, I should never forget you, as you took me next 30 kms to Rajpuri, telling me more places and temples of Shiva. From Dinge we took a boat, boat, me and Good Samaritan.     

In front of Rajpuri, stood the Janjira fort, one takes a sail boat with 50 people to reach the sea fort, i felt this was best part of this attraction. Fort has massive walls, however most the what guide say here are utter lies, therefore I roamed around alone, and was able to shoots in few of their lies too. First one was fort has one gate, it has too and other one is more tourist friendly and half of the construction they pass of as old is new, on can easily see iron rods and cement beams. Coming back on the boats was stirring and entertaining, met an old fellow who has a handicraft shop in front of regal Mumbai, takes all his staff for a one day monthly tour.

Good time, wrote and read a little, met nice people and enjoyed nature.

Travelogue 9 – Velas-Turtle Breeding-Janjira-Murud– February 16-17, 2013