IIMA's Annual B-school Summit Confluence 2009 Discusses "Sustain" after "Survive"

IIMA's Annual B-school Summit Confluence 2009 Discusses "Sustain" after "Survive"

Shri Dasa, spoke about how he envisaged taking the food distribution ritual in temples to the sections of society that needed it the most. By establishing a school meal program that has in less than 10 years made it possible to provide nutritious meals to more than a million school children for free, Shri Dasa believes he has come upon a very potent method of poverty alleviation.

His program has reduced ill health, low enrollment and low attendance issues in the schools he associates with to such an extent that even the current US president took notice and wrote the trust a letter of commemoration. Shri Dasa, if not captivating enough already left the audience in thralls by sharing his dreams of feeding 5 million children in the coming few years. He also suggested that he was open to new talent and ideas joining him in his endeavor.

Prof. Krithi Ramamritham of the Developmental Informatics Lab, IIT Bombay added a technological angle to the question of social sustainability by suggesting that the rural vs. urban populations faced connectivity and content divides in the information age. He said that while governments across the world were trying to address the issue of connectivity divides, little or no efforts are visible on the content front. His organization and efforts want to change that and one primary step in this direction is his website www.aAqua.org. The website is primarily an exchange platform between farmers and agricultural experts. He has also taken his efforts to the cell phone from where an agriculturist could access relevant data by sending an appropriate message to a declared number.

Prof. Ramamritham was succeeded by Prof. Anil Gupta of IIMA. Prof. Gupta shared the findings his NGO, Sristi, has made over the years in its workings across India. Prof. Gupta praised the innovativeness and ability to improvise of the average Indian and suggested that the best way to help our country progress fast and sustainably was to encourage and indulge in the easy and free movement of successful ideas across regions. He propounded the idea that Minds on the margin and not marginal minds and can have aspirations and ambitions that if allowed a proper platform could potentially transform several lives. He suggested that what India needed was a triangulation between Enterprise, Innovation and Investment if it were to use its resources effectively and for the benefit of all.

The evening speaker session ended into a panel discussion amongst Prof. M. S. Sriram of IIMA, Shri Kartikeya Sarabhai, Prof. Krithi Ramamritham, Mr. Tirupataiah Kota, formerly with the A. P. government and Mr. Suchil Ramola, CEO of B-ABLE. The session was moderated by Mr. Paul Beckett of the Wall Street Journal.

Contributed by -
M. Arun,
Coordinator,
Media Relations,
Confluence 2009,
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

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