How 6 IIT Kharagpur alumni are helping thousands of farmers, women, and children fight poverty - Your Story

How 6 IIT Kharagpur alumni are helping thousands of farmers, women, and children fight poverty

• JOANNA KURIAN 02 NOVEMBER 2017

Since 2012, Kaivalya Vichar Seva Samiti provides clothes, food, and education amongst other services to rural farmers, women, and children with the main aim of eradicating poverty and illiteracy in India.

Farmers Meeting on Promotion of Organic Farming

In India, almost  70 percent of the population lives in the village, while their major source of income in rural India still remains agriculture.  Yet, the agrarian community faces massive problems such as farmers suicide, droughts, debt, crop failure, and poverty.

To address the problem of the rural farmer, Vishal Singh started Kaivalya Vichar Seva Samiti as an NGO in 2012 with six friends. The aim was to elevate farmers’ lives by providing them with adequate training in agriculture while providing health checkups, education, food and clothing to their families in order to ensure a sustainable environment for village dwellers.

How did it all start

Back in 2011, Vishal, 31, shared his ambition with a few of his friends, while studying Agricultural and Food Engineering in IIT Kharagpur. His desire was to utilise his education to train farmers and elevate them from their distress through his initiative. Being a farmer’s son, Vishal had observed and quietly noted the plight of Indian farmers and farming practices and how they were immensely troubled time and time again by the scarcity of water, failed crops and by debts. While growing up in Varanasi, he realised that Indian farmers were neglected and often looked down upon, and he desired to launch an initiative to help farmers after completing his education.

After deliberating on various pros and cons on starting the initiative, six alumni (including Vishal) of IIT Kharagpur decided to launch Kaivalya Vichar Seva Samiti( KVSS) in 2012.

“Hemant, Ajay Kumar, Ajay Swarnakar, Deepak and Santosh and I had decided to work for farmers and other socio-economic deprived peoples for their livelihood. We had registered a non-profitable organization, KVSS, and selected two villages, namely Soladahar and Gopali, and conducted several meetings with those villagers regarding their problems and priorities”. says Vishal.

The team then decided to implement certain projects such as Anna-Daanam (Food distribution), Siksha-Daanam (Education) and Vastra-Daanam (Clothes distribution) amongst others to address issues that plagued these villagers.

KVSS has nearly 400 volunteers and has successfully trained more than 8,000 farmers in organic and natural farming. Nearly 5,000 socio-economic deprived children have been provided with educational, health and other necessities. KVSS started its operation in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and later extended to Odisha in 2013.

The reason for this initiative

In the recent years, it has been observed that the number of farmer suicides and deaths has increased tremendously as they are unable to provide a livelihood for themselves and often succumb to their difficulties.

“My father always used to say ‘We have to bring educated youth back into farming, to make it a renowned dignified occupation otherwise farmers will die in debt only’. Furthermore, I have realised that it is when people don’t have a job at hand or any opportunity in sight only then they will resort to taking on farming. It’s sad to see that nobody wants to be a farmer,” Vishal quips.

He realised that the four main issues that need to be addressed are scarcity of qualitative basic education, scarcity of adequate farming practices, health monitoring and hygienic food and clothes.

Through this initiative, Vishal and his team aim to train farmers in organic and natural farming while providing them with education, health check-ups, food and clothes along with other services to help them cope with their challenges in a better way.

Programmes under this initiative

There are four main programmes under KVSS. Anna-Daanam is a project that provides food to rural children. Whereas, Shiksha- Daanam, Swathya-Daanam and Vastra-Daanam are programmes that provide education, health check-ups and clothes respectively to underprivileged youth and children.

KVSS has also started several evening classes to tutor children, health camps, food distribution camps, blood donation camps and clothes donations with the help of various professors, researchers and volunteers from premier institutions. Their programmes aim to promote skilled education, good health, and eco-friendly, organic farming.

“We are offering various agriculture-related training programmes like preparation of different organic compost, pesticides and plant nutrients; organic integrated farming, bio-intensive farming, nature-eco farming, mushroom cultivation, and green manuring. Apart from that, we train farmers in organic seed production and treatment, cultivation, and processing of medicinal, aromatic and herbal to make them self-sufficient and economically sound,” Vishal explains.

Furthermore, in 2016, KVSS had started its farming model, ‘One Lakh from One Acre’. This model is implemented in Mayurbhanj and Bolangir district of Odisha with the help of other eminent NGOs of Odisha.

“In Mayurbhanj, we have trained more than 500 farmers of Lodha and Santhal Tribes and they have cultivated numerous medicinal plants. In Bolangir district, nearly 2,200 farmers have been trained in organic vegetable and spices cultivation. About 200 farmers hailing from Chilika are trained in earning livelihoods from mangroves, sea weeds and aquatic species,” Vishal says.

This initiative follows a social entrepreneurship model in order to create sources of sustainable and progressive livelihoods by training them in agriculture and allied sectors.

Future plans

According to Vishal, KVSS is going to be upscaled in the coming years.

“We have decided to expand our varied programmes by keeping in mind that every child should be educated, healthy and happy. Moreover, we want to achieve our goal of training 10,000 farmers every year to ensure a sustainable livelihood for them and want to provide education and health to approximately 1,000 children every year. We are very dedicated in making these goals come true in the future,” he adds.

Till now, nearly 8,900 farmers have been trained by KVSS in organic and natural farming. Many have been skilled in organic growing, organic product manufacturing, kitchen garden promoting, nursery growing and medicinal and herbal plants cultivating.  Approximately, 5,000 socio-economic deprived children have got educational, health and other basic support till now.

KVSS believes to further improve the condition of deprived communities by creating livelihood opportunities in the next coming years.

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A secret community for IIT students to vent frustrations - TNN

A secret community for IIT students to vent frustrations

TNN | Updated: Jul 17, 2017, 05:43 PM IST

Last month, a group of research scholars from IIT Kharagpur started a Facebook page called 'IIT KGP RS Confessions' for 'frustrated' students of the institution. A student, whose life is troubled by his research or someone who has recently been refused by his or her crush or perhaps students who are reeling under study pressure can write their story here. The administrators of the group, who did not reveal their identities, told us they started the group last month after a number of suicides by students on campus. "We felt that a large number of students needed a platform to communicate. There are many things they can't share with anyone else and that is making them take drastic steps," said an admin. He said in order to maintain secrecy within the group, they accept stories from students anonymously. Each of the posts is monitored by the administrators and then posted with a number. "People read them and provide solutions to the problem and the writers get a sense of being a part of a community. This was the main reason we created this group," said the admin. The community already has around 1,000 hits and the number is growing every day.

245 - THE CULTURE OF IIT LEADS TO STUDENT SUICIDES

THE CULTURE OF IIT LEADS TO STUDENT SUICIDES

http://indians4socialchange.com/author/jatinbharwani/

When people imagine college life, they think of studying, socializing, and learning. No one thinks of suicide. However, at IIT Kharagpur, suicide is becoming a terrible trend. In the past six years, the university has seen an unprecedented twenty-two suicides. Many school officials say that this number is very high compared to those of the past

Issue

In March of this year, there were two student suicides that happened within a two-week span. Boga Shravan, age twenty-four, committed suicide on March 17 and Lokesh Kumar Goyel, age twenty-two committed suicide on March 30. Both students hung themselves in their rooms. Boga was a computer science student and Lokesh was in his final year of chemical engineering. 

These suicides really took an emotional toll on both the students and faculty. Instead of being able to focus on work, these students must mourn the deaths of their peers. Depression has been speculated in both cases as Boga had completely left Facebook after years of avid use and Kumar admitted in his suicide note that he was facing “some kind of depression”. 

Although often shunned, depression is a prevalent issue at every IIT. Currently over 200 students are seeing doctors at IIT Kharagpur. These psychologists aim to catch depression at its early stages in order to medicate those afflicted.

Causes

The major reason why these students face depression is because of the incredibly intense workload at IIT. These students spend sixteen hours a day, trying to get decent marks in some of the hardest classes. Students must learn very technical things and compete for the best grades. This difficult life perpetuates throughout college and can be very daunting. Even after students graduate, there is no guarantee of a decent paying job.

In Boga’s case, he had received a job with a much lower salary than he had expected. Believing all the hard work in school resulted in almost nothing is a serious stressor for these young adults.

Moving Forward

IIT should work to do more to ensure its students have access to psychologists and counselors whenever they need them. It is important that these students who lead very stressful lives can seek someone to talk to about their issues. 

Additionally, a critical supplementary issue is lack of media coverage. There is very little information presented about student depression at IIT. Depression is still a very embarrassing topic for many Indians. Those suffering from psychological disorders still face brutal ostracism and as a result, many avoid diagnosis. 

A byproduct is self medication through alcohol and illegal drugs. The only way to combat this stigma is to expose people to the consequences of undiagnosed disorders. We need to spread the idea that afflictions like depression can be treated and is important to be treated.

206 - Stress buster unit to check suicides at IIT-Kharagpur - TOI

Stress buster unit to check suicides at IIT-Kharagpur

Subhro Niyogi, TNN May 1, 2013, 05.11AM IST

KOLKATA: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur has firmed up plans to set up a stress bust centre to curb suicides and help students cope with pressures of a competitive environment. To be built on an island in a lake within the campus, the Vivekananda Centre for Personality Development is inspired by the Lotus Temple in Delhi where people from all faiths congregate to pray and meditate.

Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of a conference on workplace stress management organized by Confederation of Indian Industry, IIT-Kharagpur dean of alumni affairs and international relations Amit Patra said the centre would deal with the increasing level of stress among students and faculty.

"Most students who come to IIT are used to being in the top 5% in class all life. But at IIT, everyone cannot be a topper. Typically, 5% are top performers while the bottom 5% pass after the second attempt. The realization that one is no longer in the top 50% is difficult to digest and can lead to erratic behaviour and frustration, sometimes driving the desperate to suicide," explained Patra.

While IIT-Kanpur has the worst suicide record among IITs, IIT-Kharagpur has been recording a fatality each year for the past few years. These are only the number of suicides that succeed; the failed attempts that are many times higher never get recorded. The Vivekananda Centre aims to address the needs of these students as well as others seeking a break from an intensely stressful environment.

"Four years ago, when the IIT management realized that suicide was an issue needed to be dealt with, a counselling unit was set up. But students don't like to go there as they feel they will get stigmatized. Last year, the idea of a meditation-cum-introspection centre came up. The Vivekananda Centre for Personality Development will comprise mediation hall and gallery, where spiritual lectures will be delivered, self study rooms and library. The lake island has been chosen for its serene setting.

An alumni of IIT-Kharagpur has submitted the building plan. The building will be a green one, with natural light and cooling solutions," the professor of electrical engineering said.

Sources said the architecture will be a natural form and remain true to the 'golden ratio' that fascinated mankind for ages. Many of the proportions of the Parthenon, Great Mosque of Kairouan and even the Taj Mahal exhibit the golden ratio.

Construction on the Rs 10 crore project is likely to start later this year and be completed by 2015. While the centre will primarily draw students and teachers of IIT, Patra expects it to become a centre of attraction and tourist interest in the years ahead. Pradip Kumar Ray, professor at the department of industrial engineering & management at IIT, said the current economic situation with a shrinking job market was further increasing stress.

"Like Tale of Two Cities in which Charles Dickens wrote: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times', externally the situation seems better with improved technology and physical work environment but internally, everyone is mentally stressed. There is also a conflict between eastern values on which family culture is based and Western values that determine the way offices function. Our homes are society oriented, breed inefficiency and are long-lasting. Offices on the other hand are individualistic, drive efficiency but are not sustainable as they lead to a lot of stress on individual," he added.

190 - Stress buster unit to check suicides at IIT- Kharagpur

Stress buster unit to check suicides at IIT-Kharagpur

Subhro Niyogi, TNN May 1, 2013, 05.11AM IST

KOLKATA: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur has firmed up plans to set up a stress bust centre to curb suicides and help students cope with pressures of a competitive environment. To be built on an island in a lake within the campus, the Vivekananda Centre for Personality Development is inspired by the Lotus Temple in Delhi where people from all faiths congregate to pray and meditate.

Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of a conference on workplace stress management organized by Confederation of Indian Industry, IIT-Kharagpur dean of alumni affairs and international relations Amit Patra said the centre would deal with the increasing level of stress among students and faculty.

"Most students who come to IIT are used to being in the top 5% in class all life. But at IIT, everyone cannot be a topper. Typically, 5% are top performers while the bottom 5% pass after the second attempt. The realization that one is no longer in the top 50% is difficult to digest and can lead to erratic behaviour and frustration, sometimes driving the desperate to suicide," explained Patra.

While IIT-Kanpur has the worst suicide record among IITs, IIT-Kharagpur has been recording a fatality each year for the past few years. These are only the number of suicides that succeed; the failed attempts that are many times higher never get recorded. The Vivekananda Centre aims to address the needs of these students as well as others seeking a break from an intensely stressful environment.

"Four years ago, when the IIT management realized that suicide was an issue needed to be dealt with, a counselling unit was set up. But students don't like to go there as they feel they will get stigmatized. Last year, the idea of a meditation-cum-introspection centre came up. The Vivekananda Centre for Personality Development will comprise mediation hall and gallery, where spiritual lectures will be delivered, self study rooms and library. The lake island has been chosen for its serene setting.

An alumni of IIT-Kharagpur has submitted the building plan. The building will be a green one, with natural light and cooling solutions," the professor of electrical engineering said.

Sources said the architecture will be a natural form and remain true to the 'golden ratio' that fascinated mankind for ages. Many of the proportions of the Parthenon, Great Mosque of Kairouan and even the Taj Mahal exhibit the golden ratio.

Construction on the Rs 10 crore project is likely to start later this year and be completed by 2015. While the centre will primarily draw students and teachers of IIT, Patra expects it to become a centre of attraction and tourist interest in the years ahead. Pradip Kumar Ray, professor at the department of industrial engineering & management at IIT, said the current economic situation with a shrinking job market was further increasing stress.

"Like Tale of Two Cities in which Charles Dickens wrote: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times', externally the situation seems better with improved technology and physical work environment but internally, everyone is mentally stressed. There is also a conflict between eastern values on which family culture is based and Western values that determine the way offices function. Our homes are society oriented, breed inefficiency and are long-lasting. Offices on the other hand are individualistic, drive efficiency but are not sustainable as they lead to a lot of stress on individual," he added.