Interview with a SBI Youth For India Fellow

10BME0048, is a roll call VIT holds dear for the simple reason that here was a guy who thought beyond his degree. Among a bunch of 9–5 office goers, not that I have something against them, but I am slightly slightly biased to those who follow their heart. To those who take the road less taken. Henceforth, Rewind brings to you a rendezvous with an alumnus who made us proud.

Somil Daga, a 2014 Mechanical Engineering pass out was selected for the SBI Youth for India Fellowship and worked on a project that enabled energy access for 5 un-electrified villages in Bihar using renewable technology. His work has found mentioned in the coveted Youth Ki Awaaz among other places.

Tell us something about yourself and your life in VIT?

I was born in Pune and brought up in Delhi. A major part of who I am today is because of my upbringing. My mother runs an NGO, Nai Disha. My grandfather was a Member of Parliament from Rajasthan, and travelled extensively throughout rural Rajasthan. He always liked being among people and doing ground work. These have had had a profound impact on me. In college, I was active with the YRC for 3 years. I have also worked in close association with another NGO, Uddeshya where I am the HR head.

How did you get to know of the SBI Youth for India fellowship programme?

I got to know about the fellowship via my brother-in-law, applied for it and got through. There’s a form that comes out around February. You have a couple rounds that you need to clear to get through. There isn’t much to prepare for the selection process, but you need to be very sure about why you want to pursue the fellowship- are you really passionate about rural development? Once you are selected you can take up a wide range of projects. In my year, we had projects ranging from menstrual hygiene and improved cook-stoves to developing low-cost machines for bamboo artisans, etc.

How does the fellowship work?

After you get your letter of acceptance, but prior to you going for the orientation, you are given access to further material about the programmes of the 9 partner NGOs. You research, read and familiarize yourself with these to be able to decide on your preferred programme area and partner NGO. You work in the local office of the NGO you are placed with. Usually, they try to post 2 fellows in one location.

How was work like?

Initially, I started working on an existing project of the partner NGO I was posted with, Aga Khan Rural Support Program (India). The aim was to reduce usage of kerosene lamps and replace them with solar lanterns, a cleaner, healthier and greener source of lighting and build a business model around it. In the process, I came across a small hamlet which was not connected to the grid, and so I along with my co-fellow decided to do a side project, of setting up solar pico-grids in villages in the area that don’t have access to the grid. Eventually I took this up as my main project. The project began in Gangapur and we later scaled it to four other villages. Now there’s another fellow who has taken up my project and that is how the continuity shall be maintained. Now he’s working to build a local enterprise there on the same pico-grid model.

How were the finances managed? Who took care of the funding?

For the pilot project, we raised 50k via crowd funding campaign, and the partner NGO was kind enough to put in the rest. The total cost was approximately 65k.

For one village?

Yes.

Then in total?

You do the Math.

Umm, 65*5 k. How have the lives of the villagers changed?

Well, let’s not be pretentious. It’s not as if there’s been an enormous transition. These villages did not have access to the power grid, hence they used to go to nearby villages or market to get their mobile phones charged, and most of them relied on kerosene for lighting. Now they have one or two bulbs that they can use in the evening after dark, and can charge their phones whenever they want to. However they still don’t have enough power to cater to productive loads. Something like that would require a lot more capital if it has to be catered to with solar energy. Right now, only their most basic energy requirements have been met.

How did your Mechanical degree help you with the electrification project?

Not at all. (laughs) I had no idea about solar energy, but it is no rocket science, really. You do learn about basic electrical engineering even when you enrol for a Mechanical course. You need to figure what is the power requirement of lighting one bulb, how much does electricity does mobile charging consume and then set up your plant according to that. It wasn’t technically very hard to crack that. The tougher bit is to figure out how the system will be maintained? How to train local entrepreneurs to operate the system and ensure its sustainability in the long run.

Where do you work now?

I am working for a sustainability advisory firm, cKinetics, in their Decentralized Renewable Energy team. We are the project developers in the Rockerfeller foundation funded project called Smart Power for Rural India. So essentially, I am working in the same domain as I did in Bihar, except on a larger scale, and this time trying to meet the other energy requirements of the village apart from lighting loads.

What do you really think of social entrepreneurship?

It is one of the best ways to bring about a real impact. It’s definitely not easy to do, but if backed with a solid idea and hard work it can have an indelible influence. A solid idea never starts with the thought that “I really want to become a social entrepreneur so I’m trying to think about ideas to start up”. I feel it is about picking up a problem that you are really passionate about and figuring out how you can solve it.

What would like to say to all those from your alma mater who look up to you?

Just follow your heart and don’t let anything stop you. Do what you really believe in doing. If you believe you are good in music, then do that. If you believe your passion lies in painting, then do that. Don’t do something for the heck of it. This is something I really believe in.

Isn’t it difficult?

Of course it is, but I am not asking you to do something foolish. All I am saying is if you are sure about what you want to do, then make a plan to pursue it, and go for it. It should not be as if one fine morning you wake up and decide to be a writer, and then you leave everything suddenly and start writing. All I am saying is make a plan first, share it with your near and dear ones (It is great to get their support) and then get down to doing it. It’s not a flip of a switch, it requires time. That is how I believe it works.