The Snake man who s unable to see

Meet the inspiring wildlife activist and adventure junkie, who did not let blindness affect his passion.

Sanjeev Gohil started losing his vision to Stargardt 12 years ago. He suffered from progressive loss of vision which led to the point of legal blindness. But this did not stop him from climbing rocks or rescuing snakes, crocodiles and even leopards! 

“I was born with perfect vision. But gradually I developed vision complications. Today, though I am unable to see, I don’t take it as a challenge. It has not affected my life much,” Gohil says.

When most kids in school were busy catching kites, Sanjeev Gohil loved rescuing snakes and would hand them over to forest department to safely release them in the wild again.

Gohil had to discontinue his graduation mid-way due to low vision, but he continued to successfully finish several rock climbing trips and rescued most dangerous wildest animals like lions, man-eater leopards and crocodiles even at the odd hours.

Three years ago, he went for rock climbing with three other friends to survey the vultures which are on the verge of extinction. Due to many honeycombs, the rock was slippery and the team could not finish climbing it within the stipulated time. As a result, they had to spend the entire night on a 2′ x 2′ platform which was around 300 feet from the ground level. “I still remember the day. We did not even have a single drop of water with us. All four of us anchored each other and spent the entire night there without moving,” he says.

This is one example of the hundreds of adventurous things he has done in his life. Determined to live his life to the fullest, Gohil does not let his disability come in the way.

He had to quit his job due to low vision and that's when he started freelancing with various NGOs to help people with disabilities find suitable jobs.

In the future, he plans to keep himself engaged with all the wildlife activities and activism that he does. “It is not as easy as it looks. People might find it exciting from the outside. But you have to wait for several hours without moving just to get a small glimpse of an animal. There is a lot of hard work involved,” he says.

Thus, Sanjeev is a perfect example of how a setback cannot affect a strong willpower and dedication.

Music to treat autistic kids

How Academy Award Nominee Bombay Jayashri Is Using Music To Help Autistic Kids

Bombay Jayashri Ramnath needs no introduction. She is now changing the lives of many autistic kids by working extensively as an important part of Sampoorna Music Therapy Center where she shares her art with kids with special needs.

Sampoorna Music Therapy Center was started a few years ago as the joint efforts of Ganesh Anantharaman, his wife Kavita, Bombay Jayshri and many other volunteers. This gave her an opportunity to teach music to autistic kids.

What really made her pursue this field was her encounter with Kavita's son (founder's son). She said “When I met him he was three and half years old and he was singing a line which is actually quite difficult to sing for an untrained person and takes years of practice to master. His voice had that kind of purity and his concentration touched me. Since then, I have had numerous experiences which have validated our thought that music can indeed help these children.

Since autistic kids tend to follow routines, she places music around them and lets them immerse into it. Music gave them a sense of calmness and happiness. Because, Carnatic music employed more of alliteration, it was easy on their ears.

Over various sessions, she created many songs that would suit the moods and interests of these kids. They could sing and relate to these songs easily. And in a period of about 6 months, they gradually became calm and one could see the change and difference in the attitude and behaviour of these children.

When we asked her what the parents felt, she said ”We have met some parents who said that we have always been told what our child “cannot” do, it is for the first time here that someone is showing us what our child can do”

The most touching experience that Bombay Jayshri has had by far was when he met a child by a name Manas. She recalls that he would listen to a song called Manasa Sanchare daily as he believed that she had sung the song for him. And one time when they were in the same gathering he heard her voice and hugged her knees tightly. This was indeed a miracle because autistic children are reluctant to communicate with strangers.However. this child had not thought twice before hugging her. She said ”I can still feel what I felt then. I still remember the warmth of that hug and the purity in his emotions. And music had brought us together”

Thus, from her tryst with music for autistic kids to changing patterns in the music industry, Classical Singer Bombay Jayshri is an amazing human being and has once again earned heaps of admiration from us. 

HATI CHAAP PAPER FROM ELEPHANT DUNG

A paper is now manufactured from Elephant Dung! Yes it's true!

‘Haathi Chaap’ or the Elephant Paper is the brainchild of retailer Mahima Mehra and Jaipur-based handmade paper producer, Vijendra Shekhawat. The thought of creating paper from elephant Poo first came to the innovative duo while on a trip up the Amber Fort in Jaipur.

How is it made?

The process of elephant Poo paper is similar to that of making any other handmade paper, with the additional challenge of disinfecting the dung thoroughly. The additions include the collection of Poo from various stables and cleaning it thoroughly with large amounts of water in cultivated lands where the waste water, enriched with dung fertilizer, could be utilized well. Disinfectants are added at various points during the manufacturing process to make the dung/fibre bacteria free. The process of cooking, drying and sorting of the Poo takes place in order to remove waste.

The colour of the paper depends on what the elephants eat, which in turn depends on the season. From June to September, when the elephants eat jowar(sorghum) and bajra (pearl millet), the paper is darker in colour than the rest of the year when they eat sugarcane

Mahima has created various other useful and innovative products using the same smelly raw material like bags, notebooks, stationery, coasters and many more. Rest assured, the final product is stink-free. They are based in Delhi and cater not only to requirements from India but Germany and UK as well!

Well, who would have thought that paper can be made from elephant dung? Thanks to brilliant minds like Mahima and Vijendra, we now have ways to save trees and obtain paper.

The Indian Solar Micro Grids

Meet the team of changemakers who brought technology-friendly E-base and set up three Solar DC Microgrids in the remote villages of Ladakh.

Paras Loomba, son of an army officer is the founder of Global Himalayan Expedition. With this, he revolutionized the concept of Tourism. People in some of the remotest villages in Ladakh have never experienced electricity in their lives until the E-base came into the picture

The technology friendly E-base

Loomba and his team went to Ladakh to construct a one-of-its-kind E-Base (Education Base) near Mahabodi school. The school hosts around 500 students from several nearby villages.. But it was his passion that drove him to the highest peak to bring a change. And it was his passion and his team’s hard work that helped him construct a Third Pole E-base, 3,500 meters above the sea level.

The structure of the school was not like any other building. It was a double wall construction that kept the indoors warm even if it was freezing outside. Not only this, the E-base also offered several tablets and laptops to the students with a good internet connection that helps them to connect with people across the globe. They also have a television and over 10 telescopes and several books according to the students’ interests.

And all of this at a location where there is almost no connectivity with the outer world.

“When we first introduced the idea, we received over 300 applications within a month. This gave us the confidence that this can work. People from nine countries joined me to construct this unique E-base in a land which was affected by cloud burst,” Loomba says.

The E-Base is the third base in the world to run completely on solar. It also has Ladakh’s first sustainability curriculum and a Robotics Lab. Digital tools, documentaries and interactive sessions are used to engage kids, which makes it an unusual and interesting experience for the kids.

Apart from a very successful E-Base, the GHE team also set up 3 Solar DC Microgrids in Sumda Chenmo village which hosts around 100 houses and is 2 treks away from any nearby town.
The solar lights have helped the villagers to increase their working hours by four hours per day

The future

Till date, around 400 students use the 100 percent solar powered E-Base. GHE wants to take this initiative to the next level by electrifying 20 more villages in Ladakh by next year and 50 villages in the next three years.

We congratulate Paras Loomba and his team for their incredible work. Supported by many well-wishers and corporate sponsors, GHE is doing some amazing work in some of the most unexplored regions of India.

A Shoe For The Visually Impaired That Vibrates To Show Them The Right Path

He Designed A Shoe For The Visually Impaired That Vibrates To Show Them The Right Path 

Anirudh Sharma along with his friend Krispian Lawrence has designed a shoe that can assist the visu-ally impaired in navigating easily from one place to another. The shoe can be connected to the user’s smartphone through Bluetooth and vibrates according to the directions to the destination.

The Genesis

This Delhi boy never befriended books. It was machines that attracted him and held his attention. Sharma’s various projects at college level won him and his team several awards, which gave a boost to his confidence.

Fascinated with experimentation, one night he installed a vibrator in a friend’s shoe just out of curiosity and this was the seed that grew into “Le Chal”.

He designed a prototype and went to Hyderabad to set up his own company with a friend. “Le Chal” received instant attention and he was invited by someone from MIT to pursue a course there.

“I was lucky enough to get a seat at MIT in spite of not having a degree. It was my passion that led me here,” he says. After finishing his studies at MIT and working there for a year, he returned to India to give shape to his brainchild “Le Chal” which was officially launched in 2014 and now the shoe line is up for sale.

How does it work?

The shoes contain an electronic module that includes a vibrating unit, a chip and a removable and re-chargeable battery.
It will lead the user to the desired destination by notifying him or her about the turns. A left or right turn would be indicated by a vibration on that particular side of the shoe. The vibration will only guide on the turns and show the route to the destination.

The interesting design of the shoes is a plus point which is attracting a lot of non-blind customers as well. The Le Chal team has also designed Polyurethane insoles which can be used in any pair of shoes, as fitness trackers to record the number of steps taken and calories burnt.

The shoes are currently available in the price range of $100 and can be ordered from LeChal website. “I am a believer of technology and I would like to put this technique out in the open for other people to use and replicate,” Sharma says

From an “incomplete engineer” to an innovator and INK fellow,
Anirudh Sharma sets an example of how passion can take you places. If you actually believe in something, things like money and a professional degree don’t really matter.

The Mother of Stray Animals

Meet Roshni D’Silva: The Animal Lover Who Starts Working At 4 In The Morning For The Safety Of Stray Animals.

Born and brought up in Dubai, Roshni D’Silva is an animal lover since childhood and has been helping stray animals for 15 years now. This young lady has led over 10,000 animals to a healthier, safer and better life all by herself. After pursuing animal management course in the UK, she now volunteers at Karuna Society.

How does she do it?

Her regular day starts at 4 am every morning with a big backpack that contains food and medicines, as she goes to various corners of the village to look after street dogs and cats. And when, even after a long morning some animals are left unattended, she visits them in the later hours of the day to make sure each one of them receives equal attention.

The process starts with winning trust of the animal by giving him some biscuits. And when she starts getting friendly vibes from him, she goes closer and holds him. Later on, if the animal is slightly injured, she treats him on the road, while severely injured animals are taken back to Karuna Society for further treatment.

“Well, it is difficult to understand them. Sometimes the animals might wag their tail but it isn’t necessary that they are open for a personal encounter with you. So you have to be really careful while dealing with them. I have been bitten quite a lot of times too,” she says.

The impact of her work reflects on the attitude of the people. “Earlier they would hardly care about stray animals and would shoo them away. But now, when they see me working so closely with these animals, they have started showing compassion too,” she says.

People have become more cooperative and her phone keeps ringing all day with people seeking her help.

The challenges

She says that every dog is different and should be dealt with differently. “You have to give them time to adjust,” she says.
She considers herself lucky to have met nice people who always supported her in her work. Apart from a couple of incidents of dog bites and unexpected reactions from the animals, her journey has been smooth and fun.

In the future, she wants to continue this work as she believes there are very few people who are work-ing in the field to help these animals. She aims to involve many more people with her initiatives.

It is people like D’Silva who restore our faith in humanity and make us believe that there is someone to look after even those who are always ignored.

The Untold Tales of Shankar ji

Meet ShankarJi: A 63-Year Old From Chennai Who Treks To The Himalayas Every Year.

He started venturing out as a solo traveller when he was a 27 year old with the idea of covering all the major temples of India. At the age of 50, he had a breakthrough in his trekking life. He was selected by GoI for the holiest Kailash Manasarovar Parikrama Yatra where he had an out-of-the-world experience amidst the rivers and the mountains of that Yatra. When asked about his experience, he recalls

“Words can’t explain how I started to feel after KMY. It was not just a test of my physical strength but also my mental ability. I was 58 when I did the KMY Yatra. The secret lies not in the Kailash or in the Manas, but in the journey. It is the journey that takes you close to the Shiva”

In addition to the adventurous KMY Yatra, he also covered the Kalindi Khal trek and the Lamkhanga Trek. He walked across the treacherous yet equally rewarding Kalindi Trek where even the best in the business think twice before venturing out. He went backpacking on his own without employing any porter on this trek since he preferred to carry his own baggage,

When asked if he ever dreamt of living in the regions of Himalayas coming all the way from Chennai, he says

” I would love to but it’s not feasible. I have to be with my family and physical presence is more important than financial backing. Life is meaningless without spiritual experience and my travels are my way of reaching out to the higher spiritual spheres. Although I am single, I live with the memories of my travel”

His advice to the younger generation is asking them to cultivate a positive attitude and a strong mind. He says man has to befriend Mother Nature and not try the impossibility of conquering her.

Well, his undying passion for travel has proved itself time and again. He, therefore, continues to visit new places and does not hesitate to embark on some of the most dangerous treks even though he is a 63 year old.