Parindey

Creating a bond with environment

Innovator: Suresh Bhai Occupation: Social Worker Location: Wakenada in Ahmedabad district, Gujarat   Experience doesn’t always lead to a change and change doesn’t always give experience. And what’s the difference between evolution and spiritual experience? Experience creates awareness, and evolution brings about a change in life structure. Evolution doesn’t always give experience. It simply organises the experiences together to heighten knowledge and memories, which in turn help in the evolution of a person. If you are in search of a spiritual path and want to improve your experiences and quality of life without changing your lifestyle, then it’s not possible. However, the practice of love is a very powerful process…

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A growing collection of books

Innovator: Dinesh Kothari Occupation: Publisher (alternative education) Location: Indore Born to a middleclass family in a village called Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, Dinesh Kothari’s childhood was very different from the childhood of today’s kids. He was never haunted by the pressure of studying and performing well in a classroom. His parents never forced him to become an engineer, doctor or chartered accountant. He had complete freedom to play around and there were no restrictions imposed on him. Dinesh’s mother looked after the responsibilities of the house while his father managed the shop. Nobody in his family interfered in another’s business. Similarly, Dinesh was never told what to do or how to…

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Taking lessons from history

Innovator: Muzaffar Ansari aka Kalle Bhai Vocation: Historian and tourist guide Location: Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh Though this story is about Kalle Bhai, it is also about all those children who are forced to “grow up” and mature too soon to earn a living for their family. It’s about those children who, in their childhood, learn about the good and the evil in this world. Despite the hardships that they face in an early age, they never lose their innocence of their childhood. If you ever take a close look at them, you’ll notice that the everyday challenges of their lives are not able to curb their smiles, their laughter or…

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From narcotics & arms to organic farming

Innovator: Dinesh Gurjar Vocation: Organic farming Location: Jodhpur, Rajasthan It is said that the act of committing a crime is a tendency that is naturally found in humans. In some people, this tendency is more dominant while others are able to exert a greater control on it. This is the reason crimes were being committed thousands of years ago, and crimes are being committed even today. People have been carrying out research on crime and criminals for years, but nobody has been able to pinpoint one common reason to prove why a person turns into a criminal. Some theories suggest that criminal nature preexists in humans while another explains that…

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Greening Jaisalmer

Innovator: Khameesh Khan Vocation: Permaculturist  Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan Born and raised in a small village in Barmer district, Khameesh Khan’s childhood was unlike any other child’s he knew. He was only 10 when he was struck by paralysis. This interrupted his education, and he was forced to spend a year on bed. He tells me, “Just two days before I was left paralysed, I had planted two plants in the courtyard of my house. During my illness, these plants turned out to be my only friends. Most of my time was spent looking at the plants grow day by day. That’s when I realised the selflessness with which nature serves…

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Moulding the future

Innovator: Brijendra Prajapati Vocation: Potter Location: Palwal, Haryana Brijendra Prajapati was never really interested in school. Instead, he was always more inclined towards traditional art, craft and even games like gilli danda and pitthu. By the time he reached Class X, he lost all interest in mainstream education. He remembers that when he was in high school, he noticed that a lot of youngsters were migrating from his village to nearby towns in search of a job. Mesmerised by the razzmatazz-ness of the cities, these youngsters ended up doing menial jobs and giving very little time to their families. Every weekend, they would return home tired and leave again the…

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Teaching children and learning from children

Innovator: Deeksha Bhatia Vocation: Alternate educationist Location: New Delhi Deeksha Bhatia, who was born in a small town in Haryana on December 5, 1989, graduated in  English from the Delhi University and then pursued a Master’s degree in advertising and public relations from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi. From a very young age, Deeksha had been interested in the creative fields. During her college years, she actively participated in street plays and stage plays, and contributed to scriptwriting, acting and direction. Through her plays, Deeksha helped raised attention towards various social issues such as drug addiction, rural migration, homosexuality, development, education to start a debate on…

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Two friends and a passion

Innovators: Sunny and Manoj Vocation: Health-oriented restaurantiers Location: Mewar, Rajasthan There were once two friends with a similar passion. One of them used to help his father sell kachori and samosa on a cart while the other worked as a helper at people’s homes. However, both learnt to cook from their father and mother, respectively, and decided to carve  out a new road ahead of them. The two friends travelled across the country in pursuits of more knowledge about matters that interested them —treatment through herbs, innovation from waste and farming. Eventually, they decided to go back to their passion and make a living out of it. This is the…

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Route to Roots

Name of innovator: Rohit Jain Vocation: Organic farmer Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan From a very young age, people are told to be conscious and compassionate towards the environment. However, in reality, there are very few people who actually follow this teaching. Through this project called 52 Parindey, I hope to share a series of stories about people who are leading a life full of consciousness and compassion towards the environment. With this aim in mind, I found my first story in Udaipur. This story is about Rohit Jain. Rohit was born in a village but he received formal education in Udaipur and Pune, and went on to be trained in information…

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