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 Miyazaki 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 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 2000 dogs and sterilised & 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 their Facebook page or donate through their crowdfunding page on Milaap.

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 a poor background 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. 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 93104 03565 or their Facebook handle mentioned below. P.S. I find myself extremely lucky to meet Ramveer (a humble man with a distinguished personality) and record this podcast in person.

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.

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.

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?