Biplab Paul is the founder of Naireeta Services. Born in 1970 in the small town of Chinsurah in West Bengal, Biplab went to a local school where he engaged in Indian Scouts and Guides. He fondly remembers his scouts training as teaching him to be empathetic to the needs of others. Biplab completed his master’s degree in economics from Jadavpur University of Kolkata (1994) before taking a course on environmental education at the Center for Environment Education, Ahmedabad.
Biplab’s time of over a year exposed him to the problems of the rural poor in an arid region of Gujarat. This changed his perspective and he began to understand the importance of using technology to improve the lives of those in underserved communities. The painful experience of cycle of farmers struggle to make their livelihoods convinced him that water was the basic need for people to lead better lives. Biplab then started working toward an innovative solution that could eventually reduce gender violence, maternity mortality, child mortality, and social conflict, besides known problems such as crop failure and poverty.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:
● My mother supported me and taught me to work for the good of others
● Bhungroo allowed the farmers to grow crops all year round
● Grant cannot sustain you for long. 1:5 Model is a successful financial model
● Being in the shoe of the farmers and empathize with their struggles is powerful
● When you are able to make community part of the solution, you are successful
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QUOTE: “Working with communities of farmers who have been hit by endless cycle of natural disasters, one needs to be in their shoes and have empathy and then work to change their course of livelihood.”