For this Magsaysay awardee,education is the key to rural uplift

One of the seven children of Harikrishan Joshi,a farmer,he pursued his early education at the local primary school and went on to top in engineering at Motilal Nehru Engineering college in Allahabad.

“As kids,we were supposed to do household chores like collecting firewood and grazing cattle,” recalls Joshi.

After a brief teaching stint at his alma mater in Allahabad,Joshi was sent to MIT on a government scholarship for his Masters in Mechanical Engineering. He then went on to do a Masters in Management from Sloan School,MIT. “I never thought of taking up a government job even after I returned from MIT,and found teaching an ideal occupation. I joined an NGO in Pune which worked for public health in rural Maharashtra. That is when I met this doctor couple — Raj and Mabelle Arole — who worked for community health and educating villagers with utmost dedication. It opened my eyes to what a professional could do,” says Joshi.

The idea took root and Joshi founded PRADAN in 1983 along with Vijay Mahajan. The NGO recruits university-educated youth from campuses across the country and grooms them for grassroots work through a rigorous year-long apprenticeship which combines formal training and guided practice in the field. Living and working directly with India’s poorest communities,PRADAN staff empowers village groups with technical,project implementation,and networking skills that increase both their income-generating capabilities and their actual family earnings. PRADAN staff,combining their professional expertise with local knowledge,also train villagers as para-veterinarians,accountants,and technicians who support their fellow villagers in building collective livelihood projects.

In its twin programmes of training development professionals and reducing rural poverty,PRADAN has transformed the lives of more than 70,000 families.

“The commonality is that tribesmen have their own culture and historically there are neither any policies/programmes nor technology specifically tailored to suit their lives and bring them out of their poverty,” maintains Joshi.

According to the Magsaysay awardee,the biggest challenge is to choose the right staff. “I was in charge of recruiting and training employees before they were sent for work. Empathy and compassion are there in everyone. One needs a sense of fulfillment to remain motivated in this profession,” observed Joshi. While Mahajan moved to the microfinance and banking sector in the early 90s,Joshi remained active in PRADAN for 30 years until he retired in 2007.

Ever since the award was announced,the Joshi residence — which stands out for its simplicity in a swanky Gurgaon neighbourhood — is bustling with activity. Joshi who lives here with his wife Sheila and children Girija and Uday,is now associated with PRADAN as an advisor-cum-consultant. “My dream is to bring in place a higher education system in PRADAN,which requires collaboration with the government and educational institutions,” he says.