The Inspiring Work Of An Unsung Entrepreneur- Dr Harish Hande
A man who believes in enhancing the country from the grassroots level
I trace my gratitude for this story back to my Postgraduation days in 2010–12. As a part of the Entrepreneurship subject, we were asked to present about an entrepreneur who has done incredible work not only as a creative startup but also contributed immensely to the country.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me proudly present to you Dr Harish Hande, An Indian Social Entrepreneur, CEO, and founder of SELCO Foundation since 2014. (Originally started as a co-founder of SELCO India in 1995.)
(Courtesy- Wiki/Harish_Hande)
He is also a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2011 for “His pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor, through his social enterprise SELCO India”.
(Courtesy- Wiki/Harish_Hande)
An inspiring journey begins
The more you read about this man, the more respect you gain. He is one of those few people who utilize their education only for their country’s betterment. Amongst the many problems faced by a developing country like India, he recognized poverty and financial discrepancies to be of utmost importance.
Below is a representation of the caste system being practised in ancient India but prevalent even today. Where Shudras represent the lowest strata of the society while the Brahmanas represent the highest class.
Harish truly believed that upliftment of any country is possible only by uplifting the people at the bottom of the pyramid- The Shudras.
The aim of his enterprise was to provide sustainable energy solutions to the poor, at affordable costs. When I say affordable, we are looking at daily wage workers who earned a meagre amount of Rs. 80/- per day. All this while keeping the impact of the Global Environment Crisis in mind.
These included people who suffer the most due to the climatic changes around the globe.
His idea of Street-side sustainability
Laxmibai, a street vegetable seller, typically wakes up at 3:30 in the morning. At 4 am she goes to Kormangala in Bangalore. Takes money at 10% interest on a daily basis. That’s 3,650%. She takes Rs.1000 in the morning, buys vegetables, pays Rs. 50 for the cart.
She goes around the whole day selling vegetables. In the evening by 8 ‘o'clock, she has to decide what should be the pricing of the remaining vegetables. Because she has no refrigerator at home. At the end of the day, she has to repay Rs. 1000 to the moneylender and then should have enough money to actually go and feed her 3 kids. What she has achieved here are two things:
1. Brilliant Financial Engineering
2. Brilliant Social Sustainability
Delivering vegetables at your doorstep is what you actually need. That being done plus she has managed without an MBA, a double Bottomline.
Bringing a change that lingers through generations
Mr Bhatt, a school teacher back in the ’90s took a leap of faith. Booked a solar light for his kid and the neighbor's kid so they could read under better lights. By 2019, most of his kids if not all had solar lights for themselves and their kids.
It is a transformational change through generations.
Giving a chance for families to survive in case of accidents
Mr Nagraj, a black-smith purchased a solar-powered hammer-mill and a heat modulator to replace the manual units. Due to an accident, he could not work. The fractures of his hand could have been potentially dangerous for his family.
But the solar-powered hammermill actually became a source for his wife and son to operate the hammer-mill which they could not have otherwise.
He continues to strive for his dreams
- To bring about a change that will lead to both social and environmental sustainability for the poor.
- To bring facilities like education and healthcare at the doorstep of the poor by decentralizing solar power.
- To provide solar-powered electricity to lights, fans, and other facilities at local health centers.
- To create better health conditions for the doctors to walk in, mothers to deliver safely using solar-powered baby warmers and incubators leading to lower mortality rates.
- To push the poor up the social and economic ladder.
- To build a world that is truly inclusive.
His inspirations
He believes that the youth mindset can be changed if they stopped confusing between ‘Intellectual poverty’ and ‘Actual poverty’.
Those 3 Billion people whom we reject today, can become leaders who can show the paths of providing a road-map of sustainability.
He has also been inspired by other spheres of life such as:
- Mid-day meal programs,
- Financial innovations in the agricultural sector in India,
- Skilled workforce in the healthcare of the country Thailand.
His selfish agenda
He wants all the processes around the world to deliver essential services and apply them to the field of ENERGY ACCESS. He also aims to give a collective fight against climate, financial, and social injustice.
His best closing line in an award-winning speech
‘’ Don’t we want to see a world where the poor are not considered as a source of cheap labor but as knowledge partners? They’re not considered receivers of subsidies but creators of wealth and asset creators for the world.’’
(Courtesy- Youtube)
