Alumni G N Raghu: Decentralized Technology & Textiles

Photo courtesty of G N Raghu

G N Raghu is a mechanical engineer, entrepreneur and community activist. Passionate about human-scale technology and providing rural employment opportunities in India, he joined us in Kuching, Malaysia for our fellowship program.

We recently caught up with Raghu to hear more about how his ventures are going and how he’s using the tools that he gained from his UnSchool experience.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

My name is G N Raghu, and I'm from India. I graduated as a mechanical engineer and worked as a machine designer in the automotive industry for a short while. To justify myself as a mechanical engineer, however, I quit my job, traveled across India and learned that there is a thirsting need at the grassroots level for decentralised technology. 

I started working with SELCO Foundation for 2 years in textiles, which helped me understand the specific details and scale of the solutions needed in the textile sector. The cotton value chain is one of the biggest livelihood activities in India; due to centralisation and huge scaling-up of processing, it has created skewed development with the people involved in the whole supply chain of cotton. This means that the technology required for centralization has reached its peak, whereas decentralized technology development is still a few decades behind, resulting in discrepancies in development.

To break that, and to give a better solution, I started working on the technology required for cotton processing in a decentralised manner. This has taken me through the works of Gandhi, J C Kumarappa and E F Schumacher and finally, to Kirkpatrick Sale. Their ideas of scaling and replicating, production by mass and Swaraj has led me to think toward the scale of science or technology that is very sustainable to operate.

Photo courtesty of G N Raghu

With that in mind, I founded Studio for Humanscale Technologies (SHST) with the help of Janapadaseva Trust and Puvidham. Having understood the rural textile situation,  we started working with the local community. With the right network and the help of Suhasini Koulagi and Ashok Kumar B V, we together founded Bag’N Stories, a social enterprise that provides women with home-based employment making bags and other products that raise awareness around the issues with disposable plastics.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I grew up with my parents in a rural part of Mysore where my father used to run a paper recycling industry where 40 people worked. The prime reason why my father started this work was to increase the scope of rural industry, to provide employment opportunities and to recycle paper waste to produce cardboard.  

This was the initial motivation for me to create impact through my work, and as I grew up, I came in contact with Janapada Seva Trust , where I learned the importance of the rural economy through volunteering. After I graduated, I started  working with Sumanas Koulagi, a friend of mine and grandson of Surendra Koulagi who was the founder of the community-driven social organization Janapadaseva Trust. I learned there are huge gaps in technology for those who work with their hands — not in farm produce but especially in textile, particularly in the cotton value chain.  At the same time, I was trying to make sense of my degree, so this situation motivated me to look into alternate technology. 

Photo courtesty of G N Raghu

Bag’N Stories was founded purely on the basis of need, where I was trying to work with a community near where I grew up along with some friends. One of the very first things we started with the community is to provide some kind of sustainable home-based livelihood activity, which slowly turned into a product. And to market the product, we started a social enterprise. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

After I stopped working with the Selco Foundation, in order to move to my hometown and start something of my own, I partnered with Freedesign. Freedesign is founded by Abhinav, an UnSchool fellow (Mumbai fellowship) and it was through him that I explored the UnSchool. It was the right time for me to have a platform and mentors to explore enterprises, problem solving and design problem solving. 

UnSchool is about these things, which was the main motivation for me to try and engage with the UnSchool and the Fellowship program, community and courses. 

The Kuching fellowship group at the Borneo Lab were we were based for the week (Photo courtesy of the UnSchool)

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The whole Fellowship program was designed over a week in a destination with like-minded people from all around the world considering a locally-focused problem to learn different techniques and tools to identify, understand and love problems. Then we learned to apply these tools to design solution processes, which was perfect for me, as I had just started an enterprise to address social and environmental issues. 

The flow of the program considered the local issues with a global perspective, which is exactly what a change-maker like me needs. The tools which were used over the 7 days course equipped me to take up any problem statement and design a solution or solution process to best fit. 

The program also included community engagement, food, sustainability, recycling, expert mentoring, success stories, and a whole lot of fun, which were all the right ingredients. 

What was the main takeaway you had from coming to the UnSchool?

There are two important takeaways that I had from the UnSchool fellowship program. One is the network provided by the fellow UnSchool alumni, who are change-makers from all over the world working on problems in every field. And the other one is the introduction to the tools, and how to use them to better understand and design the processes to change issues.

Raghu and fellow Sarah after a print workshop with social art collective Pangrok Sulap (Photo Zoe Palmer)

Tell us more about your initiatives, and how is it all going?

Studio for Humanscale Technologies

At Studio for Humanscale Technologies (SHST), we work towards providing technology and solutions that can be implemented in rural communities or for the people who work with their hands. This can enable them to do their work more efficiently while also ensuring that technology doesn’t lead to automation that leads to the loss of jobs for these people.

Hence, human scaling the technology is very important so that we understand to what extent the automation or mechanization has to be done so that tools are still under the control of humans.

SHST not only designs, develops, fabricates, tests and implements technology, but it also provides space for those who want to understand the relationship between technology and society. 

After the engagement with the UnSchool, I understood that it’s very important to educate and take these ideas to more people.  To do this, we are on the verge of opening a center or an institute to share with more people through education, training, skills and courses. Apart from this, SHST has been working on projects in textiles, agriculture, education and human-powered machines. 

It is evident that technology is a key driving force behind the outsize influence of our civilisation. Hence, it is essential to embrace human-scale technology, which encourages a sustainable and equitable future. In this context, the studio designs human-scale technologies that empower people and not that enslave. It also provides consultancy services.

The key aspects of such technologies are:

Controlled by artisan:

With the advent of centralized industrialization, people's lives are organized to run the machines continuously for increased profit. In other words, machines are controlling human lives and people have become subordinates. In contrast, human-scale technologies empower people by giving them control over machines. Thus, people won't operate as soulless machines.

Low cost:

Investment is a key factor that determines the level of freedom and disparity in society. As investment costs increase, technology can't be owned by masses. Thus, loss of freedom in turn creates inequality. In contrast, human-scale technologies are low-capital investments and can be owned by masses. Therefore, it enhances people's freedom and encourages equality.

Creative space at work:

Creative element is crucial for enjoying any work. But modernity based on centralisation has kept creative elements only for a selected few, leaving menial work for the rest of the masses. Hence, work is increasingly perceived as burden and drudgery. In contrast, human-scale technologies ensure creative space for artisans and encourage enjoyment at work.

Local maintenance:

Increased shifts towards technological automation makes people depend on others, particularly on manufacturing companies for maintenance and services. As such, artisans lose control over their lives. In contrast, human-scale technologies are designed in such a way that by and large they can be repaired locally.

Efficiency:  

An important role of technology is to reduce drudgery. But in today's rush of increasing efficiency, we have reached an era of automation displacing labour and loss of livelihoods. In contrast, human-scale technologies are designed within desirable efficiency that support livelihoods.

Enhancing freedom of artisan:

Freedom is fundamental for human well being. Our civilisation is based on technologies that are beyond human-scale, creating a world of unfreedom. High capital investment, complicated designs and urge for increasing efficiency resulting in centralisation and in turn, loss of freedom for the masses. In contrast, human-scale technologies encourage decentralisation that brings freedom for masses.

Bag’N StorieS

Bag’N Stories is a social enterprise and we mainly address two issues. First, unemployment in rural areas. Through economic activities, it aims to impact rural economies and empower women. Secondly, it addresses environmental issues like usage of disposable plastic by providing sustainable alternative options to the people. Apart from this, it also aims to bring back some traditional practices of rural India. 

Bag’N Stories’s Mission

• Women empowerment by providing a sustainable home-based  livelihood activity

• Delivering financial independence to those women who cannot travel out for work in rural and urban parts of Mysore

• Capacity building for local women and skill development

• Provide an alternative solution for disposable plastic bags

• Bringing awareness to the people about the damage caused by disposable plastics

• Providing sustainable packaging solutions for FPO’s, organic stores and other sustainable products

• Conveying the story of the product or the producer to the customer, thereby bridging the gap between them through visual story printing

• Entrepreneur development and training

• Replication of the model owing to horizontal development, rather than scaling up which results in vertical development

We have set up stable home-based activities for the women who are in the rural and urban parts of Mysore, thereby giving employment and also the freedom from financial dependency. The activities will include stitching, screen printing, natural dying, block printing, knitting, quilting, making macrame products, etc. 

After running successfully for 2 years, we have finally come to realise a few of our dreams. 

1. To provide stable home-based work for 20+ women. 

2. To train and develop a community member to be a social entrepreneur.

3. To replicate the model of Bag’N Stories owing to horizontal development. 

Kavya, from a rural part of Mysore, is now working with us for 6 months and understanding how a social enterprise works, along with all that is needed to run a social enterprise. Kavya has established a brand named Darji Collective under Bag’N Stories and aspires to completely take over it within 2 years. 

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

One of the initial thoughts after the UnSchool fellowship was to take our idea of Humanscale to others too, to anyone who is interested in working in the social sector through technology. To do this, we understood that we now need to establish a center where we can sustain and also replicate the idea to others. And right now, SHST is in the process of ideating the Center for Humanscale Technologies. 

Apart from this, I have very much improved in problem-solving processes and designing, using the tools I used in the UnSchool fellowship. And I often find myself drawing systems maps or X mapping, or jotting down every parameter that comes into play of a particular problem statement and drawing relationships with each of these parameters to find out those key parameters upon which our solution process can be designed, and so many other tools everyday. And sometimes I will be using the life cycle thinking tools we learned to evaluate the raw materials of Bag’N Stories. 

Darji Collective, an initiative by Bag’N Stories, also draws inspiration from the Unschool Fellowship and the courses through its entrepreneurs development programme.

Raghu and fellows during a life cycle mapping activity (Photo Zoe Palmer)

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

The talent investment program through the center for Humanscale technologies is one of the ways to engage those who are interested in exploring our Idea. To stay in touch with our work, follow: 

SHST website: https://studioforhumanscaletechnologies.webnode.com/
Bagnstories & Darjicollective Website: www.darjicollective.org
Darji Store: https://www.instagram.com/darjicollective/?r=nametag

Alumni Eureka Khong: Ecological Design for Regenerative Communities

Eureka came to the UnSchool during our last Fellowship in beautiful Borneo, in the city of Kuching. A creative change-maker based in India, Eureka focuses on ecological design for regenerative communities. We caught up with her to hear more about the very inspiring work that she’s up to!

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

A few years ago, when I allowed myself time to disconnect from a conventional Architect’s career goals, I found myself gravitating toward socially responsible architecture and regenerative land practices. Since 2016 I’ve been part of Project Potential, a grassroot non-profit in Bihar, India. Here we believe in investing in rural India’s human capacity and encouraging informed solutions to emerge from within. Our role as a scaffolding is to support with knowledge, skills, attitudes, networks, and resources, and toward that goal, we are creating a space in brick and mortar to explore sustainable and regenerative living practices and be involved in creative and transformational experiences, free from judgment.

This space is called eArthshala - ‘shala’ in Hindi means a house and eArthshala is thus, incrementally evolving into a physical experience of our core principle ‘eArth’. Hidden in it are three elements we believe as critical to a nurturing society: the English ‘earth’, and the Hindi ‘arth’ (अर्थ), suggesting both, economy and meaning. In other words, it is a philosophy that seeks a regenerative earth, economy, and existence (way of life). My key contribution here is in envisionsing, bringing in collaborative partners, facilitating local construction upskilling and setting up day-to-day systems and processes to actualise that vision. 

No hour is the wrong hour to engage me in action and conversations on waste management solutions (albeit while understanding that recycling also perpetuates waste) and sanitation —  no matter how graphic the details or messy the situation!

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

My key motivating factors would be: intrinsic on-ground learnings, social relevance, and our team.

Having jumped into a project that requires us to scan all that’s around us locally and out there in the world, strip every jargon and distill information and ideas that we can prioritize and implement on the ground, means it’s an everyday LEARNING BONANZA. One day I’m looking into organizational systems, and another I’m looking into behaviour design tweaks to our waste segregation systems. One day it’s fine-tuning architectural design to suit climatic conditions, and another day is about making hands-on sundried adobe bricks. 

While my focus is on campus making (with an onsite skill-training aspect), the larger organization works across the development domain of youth leadership, community awareness, healthcare and humanitarian aid. Together we are working on an “ecosystem approach” toward development action in Bihar, where we foster effective collaboration between government, civil society and private entities.

In all this, the key factor that glues all the other factors together is a team culture of inclusivity, and the intentional space for each of us to evolve and nurture individual and collective potential. Each of us are here because we’ve, in some form or another, taken the agency to bring about change in our “sphere of influence” — and that’s infectious.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

It’s possible that I started to follow Leyla’s work and UnSchool subsequent to stumbling across her TED talk, “Paper beats plastic? How to rethink environmental folklore”. In 2015, the talk played a key role in shaping my personal convictions toward sustainability and in questioning the sustainability myths I believe in. 

I’ve been following the UnSchool since then, but it wasn’t until last year that I felt ready for the Fellowship experience. Last year, three years after we began working and building eArthshala from scratch, at one point I began to feel that some of the systems and processes we set out were beginning to generate results! I also felt that in a way, I had implemented a major part of my skills and knowledge, and was ready to soak in new mental models and tools and bring them back to our actions on ground. The UnSchool program sounded like the right booster shot I needed to learn sustainability design tools, with the oh-so-tempting benefit that it would be a much deserved “mental spa” at Borneo with others from our global tribe!

The Kuching Fellowship group

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

While each day was power-packed with unexpected and memorable experiences, from the Zero Waste Shopping challenge and gorgeous communal meal prep, to the exhausting 24-hour design challenge, the day we traveled to the Matang Wildlife Reserve and the subsequent events to follow probably best describes the power of the UnSchool Experience.

The visit to the reserve was unexpected for all involved, including the facilitators -- somehow none of us expected to walk into a rehabilitation center in the rainforest and be greeted by majestic orangutans, gibbons and sun bears in caged enclosures. Unfortunately, they were safer here because the alternative was to be fighting for survival against poachers and conflicts with other orangutans -- who knew that the home range of a male orangutan in the forest is around 2500 hectares (that’s just two male orangutans in the whole city of Manhattan)! 

While we understood that they were also being taken care of by an extremely dedicated and informed team, it was hard to not very quickly feel emotionally drained. Seeing our energies by the end of the trail, the facilitators decided to not opt for the trek but instead chose some down-time by the stream.

As we laid back in the deep green water, feeling consumed by the busy surround sound of the forest and shreaky calls of the gibbon, I felt as though there was another deafening sound in my head -- perhaps that of cognitive dissonance in full action. Here I lay in this pristine waters under these dense foliage, exercising a freedom that should actually be for Peter and other orangutans --- but here I am, and there they are in their enclosures with their caretakers. The swim was many things at once: a bonding session between the fellows, a much-needed alone time for those who craved it, and an intense, intimate moment with planet Earth.

It was followed up with a delicious falafel picnic (prepared by the facilitators) -- imagine frying 200 (I assume) falafel first thing in the morning in a less-than-equipped service apartment. Then a no-holds-barred hour of Q&A with our guide Dominic and X-map reflection, each of which episodes deserve their own contemplative essays!

In any other experience, we would have probably called it a day. But not here! Back in the moving bus we played RIMBA, a truly fun card game designed by Nisha and Lymun (our super hosts) that encouraged us to learn about or at least come to recognise the unique Borneo forest animals. I was sitting at the front end of the bus, so I had the front row seat (literally) to witness how Leyla “reads the room” -- suddenly, she had an idea, followed by whispering-whisperings between the hosts and lots of excitement for the brewing secret. A long bus ride later (to literary on the other side of Kuching) and just past sunset, we arrived at Kampung Panchor Hot Spring! 

Our time in the hot spring, enjoying this natural bounty at the end of such an emotionally-gutting day, was one of my most visceral moments of feeling a sense of gratitude toward our Earth.

Once again, in any other experience, we would have probably called it a day. But not here! The hour-long bus ride to our dinner involved our gamification session! So here we were, after all that the day had to offer, including 4 hours of bus rides, enthusiastically drafting out our game... in the case of our group: an app-based game for elderly people addressing a social cause!

Gosh, I’m having a tough time not extending this answer to a 3-page blog post. So, to sum up, the Fellowship experience gets a lot of things right -- how to press EVERY emotional and mental button in a short and intense span of time and still leave us wanting more is uniquely UnSchool!

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

The sheer breadth of experiences was inspiring! The careful mentor selection, starting with Jacky’s humorous take on our city’s history contrasted with the quieter tone of Pangrok Sulap punk rock and wood carving artworks; Carolyn’s zero waste initiatives to Welyn’s insights on indigenous knowledge systems and fair trade; Chris Perry’s journey from a fashion professional to edible park designer to Steve’s provocative questions to change the way we see the world and the language we use to express ourselves. Then to tie it all together, the primary venue Borneo Lab in itself was bursting with creative out-of-the-box expression and not to mention EVERY meal with their unique twists.

The underlying trend in all of it... that no matter what field we choose to specialize or contribute toward, we can ALWAYS use it as a tool towards social and environmental justice. This would be my main takeaway.

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

In the design and construction of eArthshala, there are some key choices we’ve made to minimise our carbon footprint and maximise our positive impact. For example, passive solar design with our climate and weather patterns in mind ensures we’ll have rooms that are naturally lit and ventilated. The use of primary building materials that are renewable such as earthen walls and bamboo for roofing members means that we’ve been able to minimise the use of high-embodied energy construction material like fired bricks, steel and concrete. Other elements of regenerative landscape and sustainable sanitation systems are also being worked out -- all this while prioritizing the skilling of local artisan in building services and construction techniques.

Our work flow took a hit due to the lockdowns imposed at the start of the pandemic, but now that the government is no longer imposing blanket lockdowns, we have been able to bring back our work traction. Certainly the threat of Covid-19 looms, but if all things pan out as per current plans, our first building, the Training Hall should be all set to host you(!) in 2022 --- just in time for what we call hope would be the post-pandemic life!

Other than that, I’m personally dabbling in a few other interests like land-regenerative practices and sustainability education.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

The entire journey of UnSchool right from the crowdfunding campaign to the actual experience at Kuching has brought about a new level of confidence in me, that perhaps came about as I began to more formally present my ideas publicly. To add to that, the Fellowship experience in itself is a great example of the power of the tools of systems thinking, sustainability and disruptive design. 

My UnSchool cohort has been especially helpful when I needed to think through (or even calculate) some aspects of my ideation. I suppose a shout out here to some of their works would be apt! Hani’s (@wastelesskch) advocacy and sharing of her triumphs and struggles with zero waste journey is especially inspiring for its brutal honesty and articulation. Lymun and Nisha (@ecocentrictransitions) hosted our Fellowship and were instrumental in getting ALL the minute details together that made it so memorable! Raghu (@govindjr.raghu) is a serial social entrepreneur and will intrigue you with the great lengths that he can go to in following his curiosity.

As my ideas for my current and upcoming initiatives take shape, our Alumni network, tools and mental models from the UnSchool will continue to play a key role in guiding my process of research, inquiry, reflection and solutions.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

Shortly after the Fellowship I'd gotten the opportunity to a TEDx Youth Talk titled “Self Expression for Community Transformation'', where I shared my personal journey, doubts and our vision for eArthshala and Bihar.

On the other hand, however, the struggle to motivate immediate family and friends to compost is still very real!

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Happy to make time for those that reach out. You can follow my work at:

Instagram_ Project Potential -- if interested in our social activities

Instagram_ Personal -- if interested in following my personal journey

Wordpress -- for my blog and work portfolio

Hope to cross paths with you soon!

Alumni Kunal Kanase: First Generation STEAM Learners

Kunal is an incredibly inspiring Alumni who joined us on the Mumbai fellowship in 2017. We caught up with him to find out how his UnSchool experience impacted his work in his community in India for teaching youth how to code. 

(Photo: Maker’s Asylum) Q&A session in Innovation Programme called DIVE (Design Innovation Venture Entrepreneurship) at Maker's Asylum, Mumbai

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I am a first-generation lifelong learner who happened to be born and brought up in Dharavi, India which is one of the largest slums in the world. I have focused my learning pursuits on Engineering, Arts & Humanities, Sciences, and Design, I work through online learning and multi-potentiality through Interdisciplinary research to solve problems of underprivileged and lower-income communities and to positively impact nature.

I had been involved in the Slum & Rural Innovation Project called Dharavi Diary as a fellow and manager of the learning space to co-create the community of first-generation learners through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math) Education. (A first-generation learner is a person who comes from a family where there has previously not been any access to education, and so is the first generation to gain access to educational content.) 

Facilitating kids' learning at the learning center, Dharavi Diary

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

“Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is not having the capability to realize one’s full potential.”

- Abhijeet Banerjee, Nobel Prize 2019

I was born and brought up in an 8x12 feet hut with an alcoholic father, a depressed mother, and 2 siblings within a dysfunctional family in an underprivileged community in Dharavi where people struggle for the most basic of needs and survival is the main purpose of their life. My parents are illiterate, my father migrated from a rural part of India in search of livelihood and my mother was born and grew up in Dharavi as well. We belong to Scheduled Caste (officially designated group of historically disadvantaged people and depressed class in India).

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

- Max Planck, Nobel Prize 1918

I was the first generation in my family to pursue engineering studies, however, due to practical reasons and adverse & unfortunate situations in the family, I dropped out of my university education. In those challenging times, I discovered learning as a fantastic process to examine and understand the problems I was facing. I developed a passion to find the roots of things through research and critical thinking and became a hard-core MOOC-learner and now approach multi-potentiality through online learning to solve problems of lower-income communities that are unique and left unsolved due to many reasons. 

Kunal demonstrating VR experience to teenagers at one of the excluded places in Dharavi, Mumbai

I care for the good health and well-being of myself and others. Having faced those problems and living in harsh conditions, I have empathized with various issues that require knowledge from different disciplines to find solutions. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I have co-created the community learning space with 150+ students and 8 teachers from K to 12 over 5 years at Dharavi Diary where I was Fellow, Lead Facilitator of Learning, Manager, Coordinator, Teacher Trainer, Creative Content Designer, and Mentor and worked as a Lead Facilitator of Learning focused on experiential learning for STEAM aligned Sustainable Development Goals.

(Photo: Maker’s Asylum) While brainstorming in DIVE at Maker's Asylum, Mumbai

I participated as a member of the Dharavi Diary Scholar for the Mumbai Fellowship program in November 2017 to learn more about the design process, research, and systems thinking in the field of sustainability to advance my skills in interdisciplinary research and to collaborate with change agents from diverse backgrounds to create unique and impactful solutions.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Thrilling and adventurous! It was the first time in my life I collaborated with other humans to work on a project. I gained various insights, gained different perspectives, and learned fantastic tools for problem-solving in a rich, creative, and conducive environment which resulted in an amazing project over a period of 7 immersive days. The experience was so enriching and impacted deeply on me.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

Leonardo Da Vinci is my role model and I always try to learn from him. I had a fascination for the man and his work but couldn’t find (read) much about him except his Wikipedia page. A decade ago, I had been searching for a text on him and one day found a book called ‘Think Like Da Vinci’. I was so excited to learn about him and enlighted with the ‘Seven Da Vincian Principles’ given by the author are Curiosita, Dimostrazione, Sensazione, Sfumato, Arte/Scienza, Corporalita, Connessione. I used to ponder a lot of these principles which eventually integrated into me. 

One of the seven principles, Connessione, means ‘A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. Systems Thinking.’ I couldn’t see ‘Systems Thinking’ in action until I participated in the UnSchool fellowship where I learned more about it and how to use it in the real world. That was a fantastic experience and the main take away from the UnSchool.

The first night of the UnSchool Mumbai Fellowship (from the UnSchool blog)

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Since I had to drop out of my university education, I consequently fell into a depression and was traumatized for a few years because I had been so ambitious and had struggled a lot to get to go to college to start with. In those challenging times, I discovered learning as a fantastic process to examine and understand the problems I was personally facing. As a result, I developed a passion for finding the roots of things through research and critical thinking, tools I could discover through online learning. 

I am continuing the endeavor by learning on online platforms like NPTEL, edX, and Coursera to explore various disciplines to do interdisciplinary research. I have completed 20 courses which include subjects like SDG, Design Thinking, Positive Psychology, Innovation, Anthropology, Management, Futures Thinking, Cognition, Problem Solving, etc. and pursuing more courses on Linguistic, Psychology, Data Science, Architecture, Graphic Design, Soft Skills, Philosophy, AI, Creative Thinking, Programming, etc. I have also planned to complete Electrical Engineering and Computer Science studies to develop technical competency for innovation and problem-solving. 

Recently, I have worked on the project while studying Innovation for teenagers in slums who are prone to alcoholism and how to make them conscious about the ill-effects of alcoholism using Virtual Reality and Storytelling and looking forward to work on more such projects in the future.

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

It all started at UnSchool. That was the first time I had ever collaborated with people from diverse backgrounds to solve problems faced in Slums. We worked on my case study of how curiosity can change the course of cognitive constraints and give breakthroughs. 

UnSchool and Dharavi Diary collaboration and systems thinking workshop day (founder Nawneet Ranjan on far right) from the UnSchool blog

The UnSchool Fellowship has ever since been helping me in my approach to facing challenges as I learned many tools and techniques to solve problems and find creating solutions. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

As a first-generation learner and with my complex historical and family background, I couldn’t get the opportunity to learn in osmosis with ‘learned and knowledgeable’ class of society and couldn’t be in proximity with people who can guide, encourage, support, mentor, share, collaborate to bring the best out of me to grow.

Social support and network are of paramount importance but I have been deprived of it as Dharavi is still backward in many areas despite being located in one of the most important metro cities in the world called Mumbai. Thanks to the Internet which is a blessing for learners like me who can get access to world-class education and meet/network people, communities, and organizations like UnSchool to learn from. I have a vision and potential to make an impact and need support, mentorship, and guidance to advance the efforts.

My coordinates are as follows:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kanase.Kunal

Any other thoughts you want to share?

I am grateful to the UnSchool and family forever!

———

During the Covid Crises, Kunal’s organization is raising funds to help feed families who live in Dhalvari.

Alumni Sri Iyer: Behaviour Research, Literacy & Gamification

Sri Iyer

Sri is social behavior change strategist, design explorer, researcher, collaborator and writer who joined us first for a DDM workshop in Sydney, and then later joined the team for our Mumbai Fellowship.

During the Mumbai Fellowship, she shared a session on gamification and ethical research with the cohort as part of the week’s experience. We caught up with her recently to find out what she has been doing since 2018, and here she shares her recent work.

Sri leading her session at the Mumbai fellowship

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I work at the confluence of behavioral research, design, art and writing. I do three things, all circling around society and human behavior:

1. I independently collaborate with corporations, startups, conglomerates, ministries and NGOs on human behavior transformation projects. I use behavioral science, design and systems thinking for this purpose.

2. I write about being social and am more interested in exploring everyday practices and taboo topics.

3. I create artistic zines related to wildlife and our practices with nature.

Sessions with Sri

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I am naturally curious about people and their practices. I am curious about why we do what we do. I find it difficult to operate without understanding self in such a manner.

I realize that these learnings from my curiosity can be constructively and disruptively put to use, to make ours and others' lives better. This motivates me to do what I do.

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

My then-approach to problem solving was struggling to comprehend the dynamics of interconnected systems. I was, therefore, seeking to learn systems thinking, and I came across the UnSchool workshop in Sydney.

I liked the disrupting attitude of the school of thought and decided to learn systems thinking from the UnSchool.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

Stimulating!

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

At the workshop, it was that systems thinking tools could be used single-handedly by an individual. They don't necessarily need teamwork.

As a co-host in Mumbai, it was a) the importance of identifying, acknowledging and managing group dynamics while facilitating, b) a peek into how to make group interactions experiential. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

The few initiatives I am looking out for are:

1. Gamifying training modules for industry/construction laborers and lorry drivers who are illiterate to semi-literate

2. An organizational experiential workshop intended to transform behaviors to being sensitive to self and other

3. Advising a team of architect-developers to design evidence-based built environments, so as to enhance well-being, creative thought and productive energy among its occupants

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

UnSchool helped me by giving me the confidence to play with big interconnected ecosystems. It has given me confidence and also helped me identify my process and style in designing experiences.

Whenever I use the systems maps or design experiences, Leyla's vibe rings in my ears. In a way, envisioning her motivates me and lets me know that I am doing it right.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

I’m still figuring it out. Meanwhile, I write about projects, processes and impact, and I attend some worthy conventions to talk about the use of behavioral science and systems thinking for problem-solving. Both are generating noise, conversations and network.

Prototyping session with Sri

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

I am an independent collaborator. I always welcome conversations and collaborations. One can approach me here:

LinkedIN
Instagram
Twitter
Medium

Inspired by one of my projects on adolescent sexual health, I am writing a book for adolescent boys and girls. It is aimed to be a reference guide for respect, consent, quality, self-determination and agency. I am seeking a mentor and/or funder for this endeavour!

Any other thoughts you want to share?

Most of my work is work in progress, and I am looking forward to where this is taking me.

Alumni Umang Sood: Future Proofing Real Estate & Co-Working

Umang and his team during the 24hr challenge at the Mumbai fellowship

We met Mumbai alumni Umang Sood in 2017 when he hosted our 8th fellowship at his cool new co-working space in Powai, Mumbai. It’s been a couple years since he went through the UnSchool Mumbai fellowship with 16 other wonderful humans, so we checked back in to see what he is up to, how his space is evolving and how the UnSchool experience has helped him make positive change. 

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?

I am the founding partner at Of10, a co-working space located in the heart of Hiranandani Gardens, Powai (Mumbai, India). I am on a mission to prove that any of us can champion ideas that change the world around us. 

Umang’s Of10 co-work space, formerly an unused gym that was renovated

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

We have seen too many good ideas perish simply because their creators are too scared to leave behind a traditional professional life to go against the grain and pursue their ideas. We have all personally experienced the monotony of a corporate job that confines people to a box and conditions them to believe that work is simply following orders and not pushing boundaries.

This is one of the reasons why I started Of10; here my cofounders and I hope to inspire millennials like ourselves by  showing them that there is absolutely nothing stopping them from changing the world. We hope to give people so much more than just a co-working space; rather, it’s a community that they can learn from, be inspired by, work hard and play harder. Good ideas and unconventional wisdom need to be championed, and we intend to promote the people behind them.

UnSchool Mumbai in the of10 space

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I found out about UnSchool when they were looking to find a venue to conduct their Mumbai event. The fantastic mission and vision of the founder and the dire need for the kind of work that UnSchool is doing motivated me to attend.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The experience was fabulous. From the highly engaging method of instruction to the planning and logistics, everything was top-notch. I think meeting people from different backgrounds from around the world was a fantastic perspective-widening experience for me. I was able to get out of my comfort zone and take a long hard look at the way I was running my business.

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

I learnt that everyone has the power to make changes that will save our planet from climate change.

Umang and Alumni Camila collaborating during the Mumbai fellowship

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

Through Of10 I am committed to building an experience that is not only better for the planet, but also better for the people living on it.

Of10 before renovations

Real estate in Mumbai is notoriously unavailable and extremely expensive. I think building more real estate is NOT the answer, and instead, believe in better utilizing the current real estate in Mumbai, like by converting previously un-utilized or defunct spaces (dead spaces) to community centers and co-working spaces for small businesses. For example, our current office space in Powai used to be a defunct gym lying vacant for over 2 years. We came in and transformed the space into a state-of-the-art, profit-generating, co-working and events space. There are millions of square feet of dead spaces around the city Mumbai, and probably in many other cities around the world, whose potential is waiting to be unlocked. Throwing money and constructing new buildings is not the answer to Mumbai’s real estate problems. Instead, I feel we should future-proof real estate by creatively and sustainably making the best use of the resources at our disposal. 

Of10 co-work space now

We’re only as strong as the community around us, which is why our mission is to support the micro-communities which began in 2016 as a way for us to give back to the communities that support us. We only hire from the local neighbourhood, and all our spaces are designed by local architects, furniture makers and contractors. We believe in giving talented young people a chance. All the material used in our spaces is sourced responsibly from our immediate surroundings. Our mission is to empower the micro-communities we are a part of. No international teams, no national teams. There’s no need to outsource when our communities themselves have an abundance of talent we can tap into to create a space made by the community, for the community.

Most businesses in India are either riding the startup wave or catering to large enterprises; however, the future of the country rests on its small and medium businesses. So all Of10 spaces are built with the needs of these small business owners in mind. The only way for a business to succeed in India is through building better networks and working together. We are big on collaboration and bigger on events.

Working hard at Of10

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? 

I think UnSchool was able to give me a much more macro perspective on the problems we are trying to solve. What it taught me most importantly is how to think about a problem rather than just execute and ideate. It made me a better problem solver as a result. 

UnSchool has allowed me to make more actionable changes in my current business model so as to become an example for other coworking spaces to follow in terms of building a culturally and environmentally-aware business.

How have you amplified this change you do in the world? 

The creative arts are the backbone of a truly entrepreneurial community. At Of10 we have hosted experimental theater, music gigs, comedy, design workshops and even short film screenings. We give local artists a platform to showcase their talent.

India’s unemployment rate is the highest in 45 years, and the jobless rate stands at 6.1% in 2019. The demographic most affected by increasing unemployment is the youth. At at Of10 are committed to change that. The only thing the youth in India lack are the opportunities to prove themselves. We provide opportunities exclusively for people under the age of 25. After 2 years of being with Of10, we encourage all of our employees to start their own businesses.

My team and I believe in building better and more socially-responsible businesses, and our mission is to use our planet’s limited resources better and for better. We are committed to building a product that is not only better for the planet, but also better for the people living on it.

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Our Instagram
Our Facebook
My LinkedIn
Come visit us!: Of10, Ground Floor, Prudential, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai 400076

Any other thoughts you want to share?

On a personal level, UnSchool has helped me realize that an optimistic approach to problem solving is way more effective when dealing with seemingly insurmountable problems like climate change. I am able to work through harder problems and iterate and resolve them. 

On a professional level, I am hoping to make my business, Of10, an example for an eco-conscious, circular economy brand, rather than just a profit-making enterprise.

———

If you are keen to have a unique UnSchool experience, apply for one of our 2020 programs here.

Alumni Suma Balaram: Service Design, Social Impact and Sustainability

Suma Balaram is a designer who joined us in Denmark for the Post-Disposable workshop that we hosted in collaboration with KaosPilot. Suma shares how the experience was deeply impactful for her, resulting in her establishing a new company. Read on as she tells us about how the company emerged and how she has put her desire to effect positive change into action.

Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work? 

Hi! I’m Suma. I am a Visual Designer with experience in branding, design research and strategy. I enjoy exploring different mediums of craft and illustration to create compelling stories that make a lasting impact. Currently I am based in New Delhi (India), where I work as a Visual Designer & Design Researcher at Purpose, where we build and support movements to advance the fight for an open, just and habitable world. 

What motivates you to do the work that you do? 

I strongly believe that design is a powerful tool to bring about change and solve complex social and environmental problems. My passion for the ocean and wildlife has a strong influence on my work. Marine conservation, waste management, renewable energy and inclusive education are a few areas I have worked on. 

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come? 

My Master’s thesis at Parsons School of Design in NYC — “Poly-sea: Phasing Out Plastic Pollution” — focused on creating a shift in both corporate decisions on plastic packaging and on consumer behavior.

Suma’s thesis

A friend of mine came across a workshop led by the UnSchool and Kaospilot on designing for a post disposable world, so we thought it would be a great place for us to learn about sustainable design and changemaking! 

What was your experience at the UnSchool like? 

It was amazing! It gave me a chance to learn more about what people in different parts of the world are working on when it comes to single-use plastic waste and sustainability in the apparel industry.

What I loved the most was how informative yet informal the collaborative discussions were. This enabled us to share our ideas and build on them. 

Emma leading systems mapping at the Post-Disposable workshop in Denmark

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool? 

The Disruptive Design Methodology, systems thinking toolkits and making great friends! 

Tell us more about your initiative, and how is it all going? 

The workshop gave me the confidence and sparked a desire in me to create my own studio. I founded an independent design studio in 2018 called “Say S” to communicate the value of responsible design and innovation.

S stands for Service Design, Social Impact and Sustainability. These three underlying factors are what the studio offers, through art direction, design thinking and experience design. It has been going well so far!

As I also work full time, I am selective about the projects I take on in order to ensure that I am able to give it my all. 

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it? 

The workshop gave me the confidence and sparked a desire in me to create my own studio. Having a more holistic understanding of systems thinking, sustainable design and the circular economy, I am able to tackle diverse problem areas effectively. 

How have you amplified this change you do in the world? 

I have made a conscious start by understanding which of my strengths can contribute best towards sustainable solutions in design and research.

Illustration by Suma Balaram

Illustration by Suma Balaram

Through design and illustration, I craft new stories for brands, products and experiences. Through ethnographic research, I use design thinking to implement change and increase engagement. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work? 

My Portfolio: www.sumabalaram.com

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumabalaram/

Say S Studio: @say_s.studio 

Wildlife Photography: thewilding_

Alumni Neha Rao: Sustainable Textile Design with Hemp & Soot

Sustainable textile designer Neha Rao

Neha, a sustainable textile designer who is currently based in Mumbai, found out about the UnSchool from one of our other alumni, Priyam, who came to the Berlin fellowship and then went on to become our host on the Mumbai fellowship.

All of our alumni are eligible to host or volunteer on other programs. Sometimes they do so because they want to know “how the magic is made”, while other times it’s because they want to share the incredible experience with others, such as when our alumni become hosts and invite us to their city (as was the case with alumnus Lymun in our upcoming Kuching Fellowship!). And, as part of our new certification system, co-hosting is part of the learning experience. 

When Neha found out about our Cape Town fellowship, she arranged to crowdfund her way from Mumbai in order to participate in the exciting program. Her campaign successfully supported more than half her costs, and she was able to join the incredible cohort. Already deeply interested and involved in sustainability projects, Neha was an insightful and valuable contribution to the group, and later she was also featured on one of the UnSchool sessions of the DIF.

We caught up with her last month to find out more about her new projects and how the UnSchool has helped her activate her changemaking abilities.

Please give us an introduction to yourself and your work:

I am Neha Rao, a sustainable textile designer, currently based in Mumbai.  I currently work with Bombay Hemp Company, India's premier industrial hemp and cannabis organization that provides hemp-based products through sustainable agriculture and artisan empowerment. I am in charge of the fabric department called Hemp Fabric Lab. 

Soot print on reused silk
Image: Neha Rao
Model: Simoul Alva

My experience in the fashion industry changed my perspective. This firsthand experience in this highly-polluting industry made me more passionate about becoming an active change agent. I researched more about sustainability, particularly the materials and the impact of textile techniques on the environment, as well as the social and cultural impacts, including the effect on human behavior. The basic goal of this exploration was to bring a concrete shift in perspective. The creative outcome of this research was the project 'SOOT'. 

Gradations
Image: Neha Rao

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

As a textile designer, my goal was to put the brakes on disposable and environment-degrading fashion. A majority of the printing and dyeing on the garments we so frequently wear and dispose of is achieved through toxic chemical dyes that pollute our waterways. Driven by the desire to find an alternative to noxious chemicals and fast fashion, I converted soot, a common air pollutant, into a non-toxic printing dye for garments.

Soot printed upholstery
Image: Kartik Krishna
Furniture design in collaboration with Aaditya Chilpulkar

How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?

I found about UnSchool via a close friend Priyam Vadaliya, who has been an integral part of the USschool fellowship previously. Since then I have followed  UnSchool closely. I was at a juncture in life where I felt I needed help with career expansion and exercise design thinking principles, and I wanted to get a fresh perspective and collaborate on new projects.

What was your experience at the UnSchool like?

The UnSchool fellowship helped me immensely, as it is a platform where people from different fields participate. It made the knowledge sharing experience so rich and varied. The insights and experiences gained during this program improved my capability of problem-solving and helped me to achieve my goal of being a sustainable changemaker. During the program, there was sharing and exchanging of varied ideas. Everyone in this network was so passionate about the work they do and eager to learn. I did feel it was an intense 7 days, after which there was a sense of achievement. I was like a sponge absorbing information and ideas as much as I could.

The Cape Town Fellowship Cohort and Team

What was the main take away you had from coming to the UnSchool?

Changemakers from different walks of life have really inspired me in multiple ways. I felt nothing is impossible. I can make a difference in my own way and that one should not be restricted by an idea but should explore methods to expand the application. 

Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?

I am the first and only textile designer in India working on converting industrial pollutant waste by-product into a value-added resource with principles of sustainability & circular economy via fabric & paper printing applications, currently developing intelligent apparel with Graphitic advance material. In this one year, I was fortunate to get commissioned work from different artists and designers. From fabrics to now paper, I am able to expand my technique. I feel I have more clarity as to how I wish to sustain this project. 

My job at Bombay Hemp Company is to enable the makers and creators to adopt this sustainable material — hemp. I have been able to apply my learnings to research, marketing, product development, sales, education, etc.; in short, my role is multifaceted. My current project at HFL is to train the handloom weavers in the Northern part of India to achieve a lighter weight of hemp handloom fabrics and also includes exploring sustainable practices and processes, achieving unique blends. Hemp Handloom is an under-explored market at the moment and I’m hoping that this step goes a long way to improve sustainable practices.    

“I felt nothing is impossible. I can make a difference in my own way and that one should not be restricted by an idea but should explore methods to expand the application.”

— Neha Rao

How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?

After UnSchool, the Disruptive Design Methods have become ingrained in my design processes. I feel my methodology and approach to problem-solving irrespective of the magnitude of the problem has developed towards a more holistic approach.  

How have you amplified this change you do in the world?

I am a member of a zero waste group. This group is a constant source of inspiration where we share and exchange ideas to inculcate and promote a zero-waste lifestyle. Although, I would say I haven't reached the ideal zero-waste lifestyle. I am trying to make those small switches in my lifestyle. One of my peers made a very strong case that in order to make these changes one has to start with what is the most difficult and sensitive area and slowly work towards the ultimate goal. The concept of zero waste resonates with my earlier project on Soot. This past year has been life-changing. Post UnSchool, I have been more involved with sharing my knowledge with individuals at school, colleges, and at the peer group level. 

How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?

Please feel free to reach out to me on the following platform:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neharao5

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sootbyneharao/

Blog: https://sootcolourant.wordpress.com