Why wait for the beach?

Another first in Bihar: Drinking coconut water while working. 

Makes my afternoon rather special!

Bharat Band

The government hiked the price of petrol by Rs. 7.54/liter (including taxes) at midnight yesterday. Based on the new rate Indians pay ~ $5.54/gallon. As I sat there contemplating how expensive it would be to drive around Patna, I was reminded of Esther Duflo's book Poor Economics. She states that although price hikes affect everyone, they adversely and rather severely affect those that are really poor. The average middle class household may let go of a few luxuries but the poor may have to resort to reducing or skipping meals just to survive. 

A few political parties have decided to protest the hike and declared a Bharat band (All India shutdown). This means in all the major towns & cities - including Patna - activities stop. Public transport, shops, schools, businesses are forced to shut down. The protests initially started out peacefully but by mid-afternoon we've had violence throughout the country...Patna, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkatta. 

The violence much like the forced shutdown causes unnecessary harm. In the end, politicians are featured as part of a morning headline and regular people suffer the consequences of  public buses being set on fire, trains halting for days, damaged cars and closed down commercial businesses. 

I remember planning a trip with senior management at GM a few years ago- they were all foreigners visiting India for the first time. The day before the trip, a band (shutdown) was declared and the trip was cancelled given the risk involved. Lost business, lost tourism, lost jobs and a risky reputation for the country to overcome. 

Inevitably, I wonder how we could express our discontentment in a useful and peaceful way. Rather than halting the economy and wasting India's precious resources - why not reward those businesses that are working towards lowering our dependence on petrol? Rather than voicing discontentment through a shutdown each time we face an issue why not put forth real solutions? 

Sure, shutting down India leads to one benefit - bringing the issue to the forefront. The steepest hike yet for those paying Rs. 73.14/liter is enough assurance that the issue won't go unnoticed. 

Safety First!

Trying hard not to look ridiculous while modeling the
essential yellow hard hat.

Husk Power University

I had the opportunity to visit Husk’s Training Center for the first time today with a few potential partners from Nigeria. Husk takes great pride in Husk Power University which was developed in partnership with Shell Foundation, now I know why. 

Training Center Facility

The Husk team has a clear mission, to provide “ Power to Empower” & they do just that at the training center.

Reviewing Theory

Class in session

Final Test

Semi-skilled to unskilled youth are recruited as trainees for various plant positions. They spend a month at the training center where they are taught both theory & hands on training on the machinery. While we were there, a new trainee who had completed his coursework was going through his final series of tests. We must have added even more pressure with the additional spectators and our cameras - but he was focused as he tried to identify the fault in engine based on the abnormal noise it was making.  To the untrained ear it just sounded loud!

This type of simulation training helps operators when they are out in the field and face issues in daily operations. But Husk doesn't stop there – they also send the trainees to an operational plant. There they work alongside the plant operator for two weeks, observing and learning the realities of operations outside the training center. Husk really wants to equip these individuals to succeed.

Husk Gasifier Simulation
Safety First!

They don’t stop there either. All trainees are put onto a development path that will allow them to progress as they gain more experience and develop their skills. This means that all trainees, including those that have completed schooling up to 8^th grade, now have a career path they can choose to follow. It is an initiative aimed at developing and training the local rural workforce. So often, well intended solutions fail because upon installation, the team heads back to their respective metros, never taking the time to truly develop local talent to maintain the solutions put into place.  Husk dares to take seemingly complex concepts and machinery, and break them down catering to its rural audience. This creates a strong local workforce that keep Husk plants running. With the limited opportunities available in rural Bihar, Husk is not only providing the much needed jobs but also a transferable skill set for future aspirations the trainees may have beyond Husk.

By creating access to new opportunities through education, Husk true to its mission enables direct and sustainable empowerment.

109º F

With frequent power cuts and alarming temperatures in Patna, unusual happenings are starting to take place.  All the critters and creatures from the outside have decided to invade my slightly cooler bedroom.  A new one every day,  mice, lizards, even bugs I’ve never seen before.  As I slept last night, I felt something crunchy crawling on my forehead. I flung it across the room onto the curtains in one quick motion. I switched on the lights rather paranoid, only to discover that a flying cockroach had crawled on my face a few moments ago. No one said this year was going to glamorous, but this may be where I draw my line. Needless to say, I stayed awake all night with the lights on to capture any friends the creepy crawler had brought with him.

When the weather is this warm there are changes even in people’s day to day activities.  Although, I usually walk to the office from the guesthouse, I carefully timed my departure to ensure that I would be ready to go around the same time as my colleague. You see he has a bike! Even the 1 km walk seems unbearable in this weather. Unfortunately,  Mithlesh ji, another employee staying at the guesthouse had the exact same plan. The solution? Get all 3 people and their bags on the bike of course! I felt like a true Bihari as we rode in style under the blaring sun. 


The hot weather is bringing some rather nasty and some pleasant memorable firsts.

Is getting the job done the most important priority?

I have been thinking about this question a lot lately.  I believe that as a manager if I continue to tell people what to do, how to do and when to do - I wind up developing individuals that simply follow and implement at best. I don't encourage their questions, develop their strengths or recognize their potential. It is a much more challenging task to instead try to develop ownership and accountability within them.  By encouraging people to pursue projects as their own responsibility, they alone are tasked with the success or failure of it. This invariably means that the job doesn't always get done when I want and how I want it. Yet, it helps preserve individual ownership that is hampered when I unintentionally turn an employee into an implementer.  This is a disservice to the employee and the organization.
I must strive to strike a balance between providing guidance and creating accountability. Guidance can only be provided if I understand and recognize the employee’s individual strengths, weaknesses, drive and capabilities. Accountability on the other hand can only be created by giving employees both the authority and responsibility to deliver. There’s a risk no matter what approach I pick; one approach can potentially hamper a single deliverable while the other obstructs an employees’ potential.
Personally, I'd rather risk a deliverable at the cost of compromising the organizations’ full potential. 

Faith

It is around a 100F in Patna right now. After surviving several hot nights on a rickety fan that runs mostly on the inverter - I finally got my hands on a cooler yesterday. Everyone at the guesthouse was equally excited about its setup – from the neighboring kids to the new cook in the guesthouse! Before we turned it on, the cook, Munna ji insisted we say a little prayer. It didn't last long – in fact it was quite humorous - he cheekily asked the Symphony Jumbo Jr. to “Please cool maam’s room well” as he rotated an incense stick around the white plastic box it in a giant circle. The whole episode was rather hilarious.

Later in the afternoon, I took potential partners to a plant. We arrived at the plant around dusk, so partners have the opportunity to witness the process of starting up the biomass plant. Right before the operator turned on the supply of electricity – I noticed he folded his hands and said a quick prayer to a board of wires and bulbs that allow him to monitor his supply throughout the village.

On the dark ride back, I thought about these two incidents and the enormous faith that seems ingrained in this community. At every step, whether it is a rare occasion, like buying a new cooler, or a daily occurrence like turning on the lights – people acknowledge and thank a power beyond themselves. They take the time to appreciate and give thanks for the special and the ordinary. It seems like a straightforward way to keep humility at the forefront on a daily basis.