Let’s Connect “Do Gooders” Across the Geographies for a Virtuous Ecosystem. For FREE!

When I joined the Post Graduate Diploma Programme at Azim Premji University, one clear goal was to meet the people from the Development Sector. I have always tried to reach out to folks beyond the corporate sector, but coming across the core development management members who work in the field takes work in a city like Bengaluru.

I am happy that it has happened. Many have traversed the less traveled path, and we should know more about them.

Take Ravi Kumar Konathala. A young man who left his post-MBA Big Bazaar job to find meaning, joined Greenpeace, did four years of Teach For India, and now leading Assam and Nagaland for Sunbird Trust (https://sunbirdtrust.com/). Ravi said he was working in Manipur, but post the disturbances there he moved to Haite Memorial Friendship School (HMFS) in Assam to support them on behalf of Sunbird Trust.

So far so good. But it was an institute dinner one evening, and I asked Ravi where is the school. He said it is at Mualdam, a remote village in the Dima Hasao district.

Dima Hasao? My in-laws are from Assam, but the district did not ring a bell. Haflong did, but because it gained notoriety in 2022 for devastating floods, which washed away not just the rail lines but also the trains themselves. (Incidentally, it was also the time when the government was busy providing accommodation to the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena in Guwahati).

So I asked Ravi, how do you reach your school? Luck would have had it, there was an India map on the wall of the dining hall, and he showed me how to reach there.

The map gives a glimpse of the terrain (see top left).

And it does not even give a map to get there.

Well, there is a way to go, which Ravi explained. And it is not easy. The last leg is hours on unpaved roads on four-wheel drive.

I was curious. What are the facilities that are available in the village? Is there a health center? Well no. There was this incident when a girl had a gynecological complication and endured the pain for days before she was taken on a jeep to a PHC for initial treatment.

But it has a school, Haite Memorial Friendship School (HMFS) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084268206309.

Set up by William Ngamlai, who is also the Founder and Principal, it is doing some interesting work.

It appeared to me both interesting and incredible, and I made a note of learning more about it in the future. Maybe a possible visit. And there it was parked.

But Ravi sent a document to us days later, the 2023–24 Annual Report of the school.

Made by Ravi with a few other school members, it was a fascinating document. It talks of education, faculty, infrastructure, funding, students, parents, community involvement, and much more. And more than anything, texts and videos capture the dreams and passions of everyone involved with the school.

That got me thinking — can I also do something in their journey? And I remembered about Shukla Bose (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shukla_Bose).

Shukla, based out of Bengaluru and founder of Parikrma Humanity Foundation (https://www.parikrmafoundation.org/) has over decades done yeomen service towards the education of the underserved. And I felt that if she could address the school team over a Zoom call, it would be useful.

I worked with Ravi, aligned the calendars, and the call happened.

Needless to say, the HMFS team is very happy. Connections have happened, and they feel they can learn a lot from Parikrma and Shukla.

How does it help the HMFS team? Well apart from the learning and a possible sounding board for the future, it gives them confidence.

Meeting someone who has done something challenging for years, and succeeding in scaling it up, while giving away a very cushy life, makes one believe that enormous goals can be achieved with passion, commitment, and hard work.

I wish there were many more connections like this happening between the Do-Gooders. Technology enables us, knowledge is there, and what we need is the intent to connect and share.

And much more magic will happen.