Even in resource rich large corporations initiatives in using
new technologies take a bit of doing. Starting them against
all odds, without readily available resources and de-novo
needs a leap of faith and leadership that can chart new course
with the potential to make a difference.
Baramati Initiatives that began in 2001 is one
such effort that required bringing together global thinking to
play a leadership role in bringing all those interested in
using ICTs for the benefit of the rural poor.
The credit for starting Baramati Initiatives
must go to an "alignment of stars" that took place in the Fall
of 2000. Satish Jha one of the co-founders of Tarahaat, Motoo
Kusakabe formerly of The World Bank, Sharad Pawar, a former
chief minister of Maharashtra state, and Akhtar Badshah
Executive Director of Digital Partners all were exploring
possibilities of capturing the increasing growing area of IT
and Development into a movement. It was Mr. Kusakabe who
decided to drop in to see Satish Jha on a Sunday evening
sometime in the fall of 2000 and spent several hours
discussing the possibilities that Tarahaat could offer and
exploring ways of connecting such efforts on a larger scale.
It was this meeting that led him to ask Tarahaat to be
presented in a World Bank conference sponsored by him and
Kemal Dervis, another Vice President of The World Bank who
became the Finance Minister of Turkey, later that year in Nov
2000.
 The
conference on voices of the poor: local-global connectivity
had participants from some 40 odd countries. It showcased
various efforts that were going on at the time that aspired to
use ICTs to become a key element in making a qualitative
difference in the lives of ordinary people. At the end of the
conference it was felt that the model of the Voices of the
Poor conference be taken to various developing countries and
Malaysia, Brazil and South Africa seemed closest to be the
next venue.
However, after looking at the various
initiatives showcase at the conference it was felt that given
its size and the strength of the ICT related workforce may be
India had the potential to impact a larger number of people
sooner than other countries and may become the next stop in
taking the message forward. But there were no funds available.
All that was there was a blueprint. It is here that Sharad
Pawar, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra volunteered to
host the next international get together in his constituency
of Baramati, District Pune in Maharashtra state of India.
Kusakabe in turn asked Satish Jha of James Martin & Co to
take charge of holding the next conference at Baramati as a
venue. At the same time others in the World Bank were
exploring with Digital Partners collaboration around this
international get together. Soon after Ms. Jha and Digital
Partners joined forces after Akhtar Badshah invited Mr. Satish
Jha to support and chair the South Asia Initiative of Digital
Partners.
 In that
sense Digital Partners has now become the prime organizer of
the process and helps make opportunities for people who want
to become engaged in furthering the charter of Baramati.
Digital Partners in India is engaged in pursuing a Social
Entrepreneurship program and this year we have selected five
organizations from South Asia that are trying to use ICTs for
healthcare, micro-credit, artisans, trade etc. Other projects
include the Global Classmates program which connects school
students from India to the US and some other countries
including Africa. This program aims at using ICTs to get the
students in the 11-15 years age group to connect with their
global counterparts, share projects that are facilitated by
the respective schools, and use emails, net-meetings,
videoconferences etc to pursue their goals through
interaction. We have also supported policy dialogues with the
government officials and bring global resources at no cost to
the government to share perspectives and help find solutions
to tricky issues of policy.
Calling it an Initiative rather than a
conference was a conscious decision. Today the Baramati
Intiatives is becoming a symbol of bringing together the
experiences of using ICT for development in India and now
overseas as well. Its message is reaching out beyond South
Asia to Africa and Latin America as well. Our key
accomplishment has been to create a platform where people
engaged in developing innovative solutions can come together
and learn from each other. While maintaining the quality in
terms of deliverables expressed during the meeting at the
World Bank in Nov 2000, the organization of this initiative
remains fluid, interactive, and evolves as the gathering
progresses. Bringing together the social entrepreneur as well
as the beneficiaries has created a hope in the community by
connecting them to each other. The use of smart cards for
micro credit management, or Drishtee, or Datamation, or
evolution of Computer on Wheels to reach out to a new world
through Baramati Initiatives cannot be forgotten. Its success
should be seen in terms of stimulating the imagination of
"would-be" social entrepreneurs to create new solutions on a
larger scale. At this time, the number of projects showcased
in the second year has doubled and the success of the projects
that were showcased in the first year has contributed in some
ways to our achievement a year later.
 The
interesting aspect of Baramati Initiatives is that what
started out as a voluntary effort is now in its third year
attracting scores of projects and their leaders to come
together to share their experiences and efforts in using ICTs
to empower the poor. It is unique also in a way that the
beneficiaries are as much a participant as the leaders of
various projects discussed there.
In the past two years Baramati Initiatives has
been able to launch various innovations, experiments, projects
and has become a focal point of discussions in using ICTs for
the poor. Baramati has also become the first campus in India
to experiment with Wi-Fi and many projects showcased there
have gone on to win several international awards.
The Third Baramati Initiatives Conference is
being held from May 30 to June 2, 2003. The dates have become
synonymous with the Baramati Conference. What is more, it has
triggered a significant number of experiments across the
developing world. This year 5 countries from Africa and Latin
America are sending teams to Baramati supported by Infodev of
The World Bank.
It needs to be said that it was Motoo
Kusakabe’s commitment to get something concrete out of the
Voices of the Poor conference of Dec 2000 that led to Baramati
Initiatives becoming a reality. It was Sharad Pawar’s focus
on turning Baramati as a showcase of development that allowed
it to happen and it was Satish Jha and Akhtar Badshah joining
hands that allowed it the capability to become an inclusive
and meaningful forum for all participants in ICTs for
Development to come together and enrich each other.
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 This story was prepared by our advisor Satish
Jha.
Satish Jha is a management consultant
who chairs James Martin & Co in India and is the
Chairman of South Asian Initiatives of Digital Partners
and Managing Trustee of Digital Partners India. James
Martin & Co was founded in India by Satish Jha as a
joint venture with James Martin Holdings Ltd. in 1993.
Satish Jha’s experience in information technology and
management includes various roles and responsibilities
he held in Hoffmann-La Roche in Switzerland including as
the head of global information systems and development
coordination for its Vitamins Division. Satish Jha is
also one of the founders of Tarahaat that has been
acknowledged as one of the pioneering models in using
ICTs for Development. Later he started the Baramati
Initiatives in 2001 with the support of Motoo Kusakabe
of The World bank and Sharad Pawar, a former chief
minister of Maharashtra who has turned his constituency
of Baramati as a model of development. Baramati
Initiatives is an annul event and is now jointly
organized by Digital Partners and Baramati’s Institute
of Information Technology. He spent several years in
journalism as a leader writer, head of research bureau
and a founder deputy of a national daily with the Indian
Express Group and as the editor of the newsweekly
"Dinamaan" of The Times of India Group. Satish Jha did
his MBA from the charter class of Institute Theseus that
was founded to create the next generation managers that
would provide the missing link between emerging
technologies and business processes. Satish Jha also
studied at Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts
University, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University, School of Public Affairs, University of
Maryland, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague and the
Institute of World Affairs, CT. |
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