Introduction

Good management practices are important for the success of any organisation. However, while many organisations across multiple sectors want to develop leaders at every level, its implementation leaves a lot to be desired. The development sector is no different. Even when efficient management is the call of the hour for Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) that seek to drive outcomes at scale, multiple roadblocks prevent the widespread adoption of development management principles.

Understanding this need of the social sector to engage in dialogues about development management, Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) launched the premier conference, Dialogues on Development Management (DoDM). DoDM is an annual event for the social sector that offers a unique platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing. The primary objective of this gathering is to bring together SPOs, enablers, funders, and other professionals to discuss the challenges and opportunities of building, managing, and growing organisations, partnerships, as well as networks. Currently, the social sector focuses on developing technical capacity and research talent, and DoDM wants to highlight the equally important role of development management for achieving long-term success.

The first edition of DoDM, held in 2023, laid the foundation for conversations surrounding development management through the themes of innovative finance, talent management, and data for social impact. This year’s edition, DoDM 2024, is a step towards nurturing critical conversations around building resilient organisations.

About DoDM 2024

DoDM 2024 wants to build on the foundation of development management by focusing on the future of the social sector. It seeks to emphasise the importance of effective management in driving positive change through three interconnected tracks: Building Resilient Organisations, Building the Sector of the Future, and Building a Voice for the Sector.

Building the Sector of the Future

The future of the development sector rests on several key factors that lead to lasting and large-scale social impact, including innovative approaches and partnerships, funding models of the future, and understanding the roles of Samaaj-Sarkar-Bazaar. This track will initiate important discussions across four sessions that will examine:

• Effective collaboration between governments, non-profits, and philanthropists, with defined roles, accountabilities, and expectations.
• Scaling models that prioritise impact over size, with a focus on key factors and innovative approaches.
• The evolving role of philanthropy in funding social sector organisations, emphasising proactive fundraising and catalytic capital.
• Potential benefits and challenges of impact standardisation while considering the limitations of a one-size-fits-all approach.

Building Resilient Organisations for the Future

In the evolving social sector, building a resilient, structured, and effective organisation requires strategic planning, talent development, and financial sustainability. The importance of these principal elements will be covered through three sessions, including:

• The role of strategic planning in building organisational resilience, focusing on practical steps, key components, and insights from practitioners.
• Cultivating a learning and growth culture that supports talent retention, team development, and effective leadership.
• Good practices in financial management, focusing on building, managing, and utilising a corpus to enhance operational independence and financial resilience.

Building a Voice for the Sector

A multi-stakeholder approach can help enhance the visibility and influence of the social sector. So, this track will focus on strategies that enhance the sector's visibility, attract top talent, and build a powerful presence to drive social impact through:

• Evidence-based advocacy strategies for influencing government and policy.
• Viability and impact of creating a unified voice for the sector.
• Attracting young talent by building awareness and developing strategies to inspire the next generation.
• Harnessing new-age communication channels to increase reach and influence, drawing insights from successful social sector organisations.

Research Papers and Masterclasses

DoDM 2024 will also feature a research paper presentation track. This track will provide a platform for researchers to present their work in the social impact space to experts, who will review their presentations and provide valuable feedback for refining their papers.

Additionally, DoDM will offer curated 90-minute masterclasses by leading experts. They will provide knowledge and insights on various areas of development management, such as design thinking, storytelling for social change, and systems thinking.

Join Us at DoDM 2024

DoDM 2024 is a must-attend event for professionals in the social sector, working in for-profit social enterprises, non-profit organisations, funding organisations, or government agencies. This conference gives you the unique opportunity for cross-learning and connecting with leaders across the development landscape. You can network with diverse funders, engage with delegates from various sectors, and have critical conversations about strengthening organisations for sustainable impact.

Be a part of the dialogues shaping the social sector's future. Join us at DoDM 2024!

DoDM is an in-person event that will be held on 21 November 2024 at Dr. Ambedkar International Center in New Delhi, starting at 8 am.

Register now: https://dodm.isdm.org.in

Understanding DoDM: A Platform for Change

Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are the cornerstones of creating lasting social impact. Therefore, bringing together various perspectives is essential for addressing pressing social issues, innovating, and building a more equitable society.

Dialogues on Development Management (DoDM), by the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), is a platform designed to foster these important conversations and help build organisations that can deliver sustained impact at scale. We believe that by creating a space for open dialogue and knowledge exchange, we can empower social sector professionals to overcome challenges, share best practices, and drive positive change.

DoDM is an annual conference that brings together leaders, practitioners, and thought leaders from across the social sector. Our aim is to explore the critical aspects of development management - from building resilient organisations to creating impactful partnerships and scaling initiatives.

Launching DoDM 2023: A Strong Start

DoDM made its debut on September 20, 2023, at the Dr. Ambedkar International Center in New Delhi. This inaugural event brought together over 800 participants from a diverse range of organisations, including NGOs, enabling organisations, government bodies, and funding institutions.

This conference stemmed from the need to promote the principles of development management within the social sector. In the words of Ravi Sreedharan, President and co-founder of ISDM, “Businesses are over managed and under led while the social sector is over led and under managed.”

DoDM 2023 explored three critical themes towards building the foundation of development management:

1. Innovative Finance and Philanthropy,
2. Talent, Leadership, and Governance, and
3. Data and Data Science for Social Impact.

These tracks were co-created with 13 partner organisations, ensuring the content was relevant and impactful. The conference featured a lineup of speakers who shared their insights and experiences, leading to thought-provoking discussions.

Attendees were able to network with peers from different organisations, gain a deeper understanding of development management challenges and solutions, and learn about innovative approaches. As one attendee, Sameer Shisodia, remarked, “I think these dialogues are very important for improving the problem-solving landscape and civil society effectiveness in India. This is a very good start, and it is very encouraging to see the number of people who have turned up for this.”

DoDM 2023 was a resounding success, laying the foundation for an impactful annual event.

Looking Ahead: DoDM 2024

Building upon the DoDM 2023, we are excited to present DoDM 2024, where we dive deeper into the critical components shaping the future of the social sector.

Last year, we explored the themes of innovative finance, talent management, and data for social impact. These themes, while crucial, are interconnected and contribute to three broader objectives we plan to convene on for this edition of DoDM: Building Resilient Organisations, Building the Sector of the Future, and Building a Voice for the Sector.

Building Resilient Organisations, the first track, focuses on the question of how the social sector can achieve sustained impact at scale with organisation and funding models of the future. It also touches upon the roles of Samaaj-Sarkar-Bazaar towards this goal.

The second track, titled Building the Sector of the Future, will dive deeper into strategies, best practices, and experiences that shape a thriving ecosystem. Attendees will hear from sector leaders, funders, and enabler organisations on how they can build resilient, well-managed organisations that can deliver lasting impact.

Building a Voice for the Sector, the final track, will prioritize conversations on amplifying the social sector's impact by building a strong collective voice. This track will feature diverse perspectives on enhancing sector visibility, attracting talent, and influencing policy.

Through these three interconnected tracks, DoDM 2024 aims to create a dynamic and collaborative space for the social sector to learn, grow, and thrive.

Join Us at DoDM 2024: Be Part of the Change

At DoDM, attendees have the unique opportunity to connect with and gain insights from leaders across various sectors within the development landscape. They will have the chance to network with a diverse range of funders, including those involved in CSR, philanthropies, family offices and foundations. They will also be able to engage with delegates spanning Samaaj, Sarkar, and Bazaar.

A diverse gathering of individuals and organisations is essential for building communities of practice within the social sector and shaping the future of development management. By fostering collaboration and shared learning, DoDM is a step towards effectively tackling complex social challenges and creating a lasting impact.

Be a part of this thriving community - join us at DoDM 2024. The event will be held on 21 November 2024 at Dr. Ambedkar International Center in New Delhi, starting at 8 am.

Register now: https://dodm.isdm.org.in

Published:17 March, 2023

Development space is desperately looking out for people who understand the sector and are able to contribute in constituting world class, impactful, sustainable social organisations using mantras of leadership and management relevant to the development sector.

While the Indian civilization dates back to at least 6500 BC, India as an Independent nation is only 72 years old. As we complete 72 years of independence, it is a good time to step back and see how far we have come.

In 1947, India had a literacy of 12%; Life expectancy at birth of 32 years; 99% poverty; wide-spread epidemics like plague, malaria, tuberculosis, no infrastructure; no electricity; very few schools and colleges, limited access to villages. The world thought that this was a basket case and India would soon call the Brits back to save them.

But, we did amazingly well and in 72 years our literacy rate is today at 74%; Life Expectancy is at 68 years; Poverty Rates are down to 21%; Our infra-structure, Schools, Hospitals, Health Centers, Roads, etc. have all come a long way.

The social sector or the development sector in India has played a major role in this progress. Despite being a large and complex country, thanks to an active development sector, we have become a vibrant democracy, we are among few countries that have progressive reforms like the Right to Information and Right to Education, we have a Progressive Constitution and a clearly defined ‘idea of India’ captured beautifully in the Preamble of the Constitution.

After several years of working deep and wide in the development sector, I have realized that there is a problem in applying conventional Business Management ideas in the Social Sector.

Here are some ideas that will not make sense intuitively to a Business Management mind:

* There is no such thing as ‘poor people’ - there is ‘poverty’

* Affirmative action is not only about economic equality

* Livelihoods is not just about creating jobs but also addressing complex societal issues ranging from cultural norms and values to security and health issues, education, dignity, inter-generational equations, and more

* Addressing issues of education is not just about teachers and schools but also about issues related to community - culture, values, gender, health, nutrition, sanitation, rights, ecology, language, agriculture cycles, livelihood, hunger, poverty, etc.

* Even solving the problem of open defecation is not only about building functional toilets but also about changing complex behaviors, beliefs and attitudes.

The same subjects will be different or nuanced when it comes to Business Management and Development Management: Whether it is ‘Talent Management’ and understanding reasons for joining/ staying/ leaving or the kind of cultures that will motivate and inspire; Or ‘Finance’ and looking at questions like Return on Investments; understanding the monetary value of some social good like say gender equality; Or, ‘Communication and Engagement’, ‘Systems Thinking’, ‘Organization Behavior and Dynamics’ - they are all quite different.

Development space is desperately looking out for people who understand the sector and are able to contribute in constituting world class, impactful, sustainable social organisations using mantras of leadership and management relevant to the development sector. One should be able to approach a sensitive cause with a very practical, professional, goal oriented approach while still be agile and quick to adjust and stay motivated throughout. Strike a balance between empathy towards highly sensitive issues and pragmatic line of action.

Even the Corporate world has now realised that it is not just the increase in CSR spend which is going to assure their commitment to support initiatives aimed at impacting lives. Corporate sector has gradually started encouraging the hiring of professional leaders and managers for the development sector to create an impactful CSR team which can help them in achieving each milestone of their CSR programme in the most effective manner.

After discussions with numerous leading practitioners in the sector across the country and even around the world, there was universal agreement that it makes absolute sense and there is indeed a crying need for developing the domain of Development Management, as a distinct discipline.

This new discipline would require as its base high quality, world class institutions that can make a difference to the sector and society. These institutions will provide the much needed vibrant & active learning environment to the brightest minds passionate about social change. The institutions will also be at the forefront of research for deeper understanding of the complex multitude of factors that affect development issues. It is very important to realise here that great Development Management institutions will be created by Collective Wisdom and Collective Philanthropy.

(Author Sreedharan is founder and director, Indian School of Development Management (ISDM). Views expressed here are personal.)

It was June 2001 and I had arrived in life. Or so I thought! Students had landed up at IIMC with various objectives – to learn, to build their CV, to get an amazing job, to build careers and even to get a great spouse (not necessarily in that order)! I had landed there more through a process of elimination than one of selection.

Post Engineering, an MBA seemed the next logical step in this (seemingly unending?!) exploration called life and so after a fair bit of effort and toil here I was at the hallowed portals of the premier Business School in the country.

The next 2 years were a bit of a whirlwind and amongst the best days (or daze?) of my life. Looking back I definitely learnt a lot at B-School but more than the subjects I learnt how to work in teams, hold my own amongst some of the best brains in the country, work under pressure (time and performance) etc. We had some outstanding professors and under their guidance we developed a fairly holistic understanding of how business happens and how successful organisations are built in the corporate sector. Somewhere along the way, with the hoopla we have created around the IIMs, we also started believing that we were the best in the country (of course life has a way of showing us a mirror!)

IIMs have been criticized for the disproportionately high focus on placements versus learning. Our brand at some level is derived from the nature of jobs and salaries our students get. While this is great, it also puts a lot of undue societal pressure on the batch to get the top jobs and salaries. As luck would have it the economy was in a downturn, 2002 and thereafter 2003 were really pathetic years for placements. It was a struggle even getting the entire batch placed and in that backdrop I was fortunate and blessed in landing up with a Day 0 placement at one of the top FMCG companies in the world. I had now truly arrived! (or so I thought).

The next few years were spent working in sales and then consulting across the world from a Raipur and Jabalpur to New York and Tokyo. From expanding the distributor branch network in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, to ideating on reengineering ideas for business units across the world to recommending manpower rationalization for one of the largest third party lingerie manufacturing units in Sri Lanka, the breadth of work was exciting, challenging and multi-dimensional. There was a time when I was only travelling business class, on international sectors and so early in life. Corporate life taught me a lot about structured thinking, taking accountability, keeping focus on the outcome (more than the process), communicating and presenting effectively etc. The commonality of purpose (profit, growth) was remarkable in its (unquestioning?) acceptance across the hierarchy within an organisation and across different organisations. But there was something missing, at least for me. I didn’t know what it was at that time but in retrospect I think I was missing a soul, a purpose and a larger life vision. When I saw what I would be doing 5-10 years down the line it just did not excite me. Most people I’ve met in life really want to do something useful in life, add value and make a difference to this world. Different people find this purpose in different sectors and areas of work. For me it was clearly not in the corporate world.

So what took me so long to come to this realization. It wasn’t a sudden, I woke up in the morning a new man, kind of epiphany. It was a thought process which evolved over many years and through a lot of experimentation. For a lot of people, the societal definition of success (money, power, fame etc.) may not match with their personal definition of success (what makes them happy, what they want to be remembered for). We continue doing things which don’t necessarily give us happiness or satisfaction because we place more weightage to what society expects from us or defines as success for us. The day we decide to flip this balance is when we are finally able to make the move. And this day comes at different life stages for different people (if at all), some at the beginning of their work life some towards the end of it.

While taking the decision to move from the corporate to the social development sector was really liberating, I hadn’t the foggiest idea of what I really wanted to do in the development sector, which particular sub sector (health, education, livelihoods, etc.) was I really interested in, what kind of work would I be good at etc. So like a true blood consultant I started by doing some secondary and primary research, doing pro, con analysis etc. trying to understand the sector and understand myself a little bit better (While technical and B-School education focuses a lot on understanding the external landscape, people would definitely benefit a lot more from spending time understanding the self – would help in making more informed and appropriate decisions in our lives and careers!). And as a true blood consultant I started engaging with the sector by doing a variety of projects – in financial inclusion / microfinance, HIV and Nutrition, Impact Investment, education etc. I was doing what I knew best (structured problem solving, data crunching, budgeting, program management, communication, goal focused output orientation). I worked on turning around the supply chain of a HIV nutrition project to ensure minimum food wastage for a low shelf life food product and ensure ontime food availability for the children who needed it. It was satisfying like nothing I had done earlier. Building project implementation plans, I realized that I was able to look at things more holistically and identify relevant elements to go into such plans which other ‘technical’ folks were not able to do with as much ease. Clearly my management background was helping me approach things in a different way and helping me create a niche for myself! Was I finally arriving in life? Don’t know but I was surely on the right path and getting close…

Over time, however, I started feeling the need to understand the development sector a little better from the inside. It almost felt like I was just swimming on the surface and engaging with things at a very superficial level. There were many questions which came to mind and differences between the corporate and development sector started becoming more and more obvious

• What does ‘development’ really mean? what are the various ways of looking at it, what are the values underpinning development etc. Different people have their own take on ‘development’ and the elements it encompasses – economic, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, moral, political – and that gives rise to a lot of debate, discussions and arguments to even begin to understand what the other person is really talking about.
• Things weren’t as clear in terms of defining the ultimate goal or output (compared to profit or growth) and the way to achieve that. While most people agree that ‘good’ education’ is a key factor for social development, there are multiple viewpoints on what constitutes a ‘good’ education and thereby many different interventions for making that a reality. While output parameters for an intervention can be identified easily, chalking out a clearly defined theory of change which translates that into relevant outcome and impact parameters is by no means easy
• I started realizing that this sector has a fairly different ethos, culture, identity compared to what I was used to. Humans are no longer looked upon as ‘resources’ (human resources, like physical resources) but as people who have agency. Financial incentives and perks are no longer the primary factors drivers for performance, there are deeper reasons for people to be working here (in higher proportion than in the corporate sector). Decision making and culture creation in social organisations needs to be based on values arising from this outlook on human beings (less hierarchical, more democratic, driving consensual decision making).
• In this entire issue of defining and attaining outcomes, the process also becomes really important and therefore goal orientation needs to be supplemented with an insight into the appropriate and acceptable way of getting there. Given that we are dealing with people and lives, how do we engage and keep people involved at every stage of the work. We were once designing a capacity building programme for Government School Head teachers in one of the northern States in India. As a consultant, I had suggested that we should design the programme internally and roll it out to the government since it would give us the best chance of designing something first rate. The team lead told me that he was actually happy with a 50% programme developed out of a collaborative process since it would have a higher chance of acceptance rather than a 100% internally developed programme which would be a non-starter. It took me a while to accept the wisdom in this statement.
• The problems themselves required a fairly non-linear and multi factor problem solving thought process and approach (“Wicked Problems”). One needs to be able to take a systems thinking approach to define issues and evaluate solutions in this space. Simplistically, I can solve the issue of harmful effluents from my factory by disposing it in the nearby river (a common practice in the corporate space), but taking a more holistic systems approach will tell you that this is just unacceptable as a solution as it will create many more problems for the stakeholders around you!. Or, you work really hard to solve the ‘quality of education’ issue in a village / block to suddenly realize that people with better education have higher/different aspirations and they start migrating out to cities for better life options. So working on one issue has given rise to another where cities are not equipped to deal with this influx and villages are dying out.
• Since this sector corely / directly deals with lives and deaths of people, is there a chronology to a social change intervention? What do we do first and what later? How can we look at social change more holistically rather than in a silo’ed sectoral manner. After all, an individual cannot be broken up differently into education,, livelihood, healthcare etc. He/She is one whole person.

I started realizing that as a consultant, I was able to engage and provide inputs in fairly peripheral areas but if I had the ambition and aspiration of actually building world class social organisations to deliver sustainable social impact at scale then I definitely needed to understand this sector better and also understand how to build appropriate organisations, design and deliver sustainable and scalable interventions and build collaborative ecosystems to make the right kind of change happen and stick. Given the magnitude of issues at hand and the number of lives at stake, god knows we need to be much more collaborative and systems driven.

This is how the idea of actually setting up a world class educational institution devoted to reimagining how we should look at leadership and management for this sector actually came about – an institution which could act as an anchor to catalyse the creation of entire ecosystem around Development Management and help establish it as a discipline with its own unique body of knowledge derived from working on the ground with practitioners and over time as an aspirational profession.

The 1 year full time PGP in Development Leadership is being designed by the sector for the sector and will help produce leaders who can straddle both the worlds (field and funding) – people who understand development and can build strong, robust social organisations with the appropriate strategy, structure, process, systems and culture so as to deliver good quality sustainable social impact at scale. 

I feel that I have now (finally…phew!) started arriving in life…!

To find out more you could visit our website (www.isdm.org.in) or write into me ([email protected])

by Aalika Anne Peres | Published: 22 January, 2024

My name “Aalika”, is a combination of the names ‘Aaliya’ and ‘Mallika’. Aaliya means ‘sublime’, while Mallika means ‘Princess’, and clearly choosing between the two was harder than my parents had envisaged. The life they gave me too, was a combination of these two words- that of an ‘Exalted Princess’, in many ways. Having lived a childhood of sheer privilege, insulated from the hardships that a majority of children from our country (perhaps even the world) face, there’s almost little or nothing I could complain about. Perhaps, what I thought were hardships were sluggish wifi, a cold pizza upon delivery or at worst a lost cell phone!

After having recently completed the 2-year Teach for India Fellowship, wherein I taught 72 children from less privileged families at an under-resourced municipal school in Goregaon West, Mumbai, I found myself having a lot more to thank God for. I had to revisit and alter the very definition of the term ‘hardship’ as I had previously known it. I saw mothers wait in queues for hours to fetch water, children attempt to do their homework in the absence of electricity and alcoholic fathers slap their 8 year old daughters for making irregular shaped rotis...

My days were busy and tiring. And to be without electricity, no access to clean toilets, on my feet all day and projecting my voice beyond my limits was not easy, given my otherwise comfortable and sophisticated life. Yet, I was extremely thrilled in my new environment- I gained valuable insights into the lives of people starkly different than myself and I grappled with difficult situations in the classroom and in the nearby communities. To quote Robert Frost, “two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” While the street foods tested my immunity, a handful of students tested my patience regularly. But these life lessons were extremely enriching and will surely hold me in good stead.

At the end of each school day, I longed to get back to the comforts of my Grandmother’s home in South Bombay- her warm presence, delicious non-vegetarian food, beautiful apartment, my bedroom with clean linen and en suite toilet. But after a good night’s rest, I woke up refreshed and excited to get back to my bubbly bunch of 72, who taught me to live each moment with utmost simplicity, humility and most importantly-maximum contentment.

It was as if I had one foot in the ‘faraway land’ of Cinderella and the other busting it out. I sometimes wondered how long I’d be able to live this paradoxical life and if either world would make me irrelevant and unfit to live in the other. This dual life that I led, surprised many as it sometimes did even raise questions in my mind. But never once did it raise questions in my heart. Every toothless innocent smile, every tinyshiny face and high pitched scream of my students, reaffirmed my choice to join the social sector.

As I boarded the 10:32 am Bhayandar fast local train from Churchgate to Goregaon each morning in my churidar-kurta, I slowly slipped into my “teacher avatar” eagerly waiting to reunite with my kids. And on the 7:16 pm train back to Churchgate, all I could think of was my hot water shower and the delicious hot dinner that awaits. The train rides back and forth transported me literally and metaphorically from one of my worlds to the other. One ascribed to me by birth and the other consciously chosen by me. I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people in both these spheres- it enables me to be understood, relevant and authentic in either context.

While growing up, I’d hear a lot about the charitable and benevolent ways of my grandparents and other elders around me. Their retirement plans would often include “giving back to society” and engaging in community service. It was a noble thought indeed. However, it’s high time now that careers in the development sector become mainstream or even default career options for many, rather than mere retirement plans. There’s so much to be done in terms of improving the education, healthcare, livelihood, sanitation, housing, poverty and hunger situation in our country. This work is largely recession proof, there’s no retirement age and it’s insulated from the ruthless lay offsthat loom large in the corporate space today!! An authentic development professional will really never be out of work- atleast not for a long time to come.

For now however, I’m bracing myself for all the challenges and opportunities that the social sector puts before me. Over the past 4 months at the Indian School of Development Management, I have been exposed to the extent and severity of the various development issues that plague our immediate society and have seen first hand a few of these issues play out in Alwar, Rajasthan earlier this month as part of the ‘Rural Immersion Programme’. Having interacted with practitioners who have been working in the field to better the lot of people in one way or another, I have been deeply moved and inspired to act.My heart burns for justice and yearns for change. And to quote Frost again, “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

Devas Boban | Published: 16 January, 2024

Menstrual leave is a type of leave where a woman has the option to take paid leave from her employer, if she is menstruating and is unable to go to work because of this. The concept of menstrual leave supposedly started in Japan in the early 20th century. History has it that in the 1920s, Japanese labor unions started to demand leave (seiri kyuka) for their female workers. By 1947, a law was brought into force by the Japanese Labor Standards that allowed menstruating women to take leave from work.

There have always been debates around policies regarding women’s rights. Going back into history, women have faced the brunt of Sati. They have also had to fight for issues like the right to cover their breasts in public, the right to widow-remarriage and against other discriminatory practices – many of which still continue in the form of unequal access to education, employment, wage parity in the workplace, etc.

Today, we do have reservations in buses and trains, maternity leaves for six months and so on. But despite all of this, women are also demanding menstrual leaves – a 1-day leave every month, in many cases. But is this really necessary? Can’t they bear with the pain for a few days? These are some of the commonly-asked questions on menstrual leave – and there have been arguments favouring both sides of the coin.

A few weeks ago, I came across an article on menstrual leaves. The first thought I had was: why are women asking for this sort of a leave? They should be able to handle the pain, right? After all, that’s how life is!

But then, I thought to myself – I have never had to experience such a thing, I have never had to bleed every month for 4-5 days. Since I don’t even know how to relate to such a pain, how can I judge the degree of pain a woman has to endure and the capacity she may have to cope with it? To engage with this dilemma, I thought of talking to some of my friends on the topic.

Most of my female friends shared stories of their misery during their menstruation cycle. On the other hand, there were a number of women who said that they didn’t feel any difficulty while going for work during their periods. Considering the dichotomy of opinions, I decided to enquire more about this issue.

Given the fact that I had access to strong views and opinions at the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), I decided to engage with my peers.

Some of the arguments which came forth against menstrual leave were:

1. Difficulty for organisations to create alternative options for getting work done. If women take leaves without prior notice, with periods as a reason, the others in the team and the work they do will suffer.
2. With each woman taking a leave once every month, the productivity of the organisation will come down.
3. It will re-enforce negative cultural norms. For instance, in certain cultures, during menstruation, women are not allowed to enter particular places, go out of their houses, etc. It is feared that the concept of a menstrual leave will reinforce such negative norms.
4. There is always a chance for women to misuse this leave, thereby promoting escapism.
5. It’s also likely that organisations may tend to hire more men than women, because hiring women will lead to losses for the organisation, considering the number of days they’ll work.
6. There are women who can ignore the pain when they are involved in some physical activity or work. A menstrual leave does not promote this practice of healthy physical activity which many women may get at their workplace.
7. Providing menstrual leave may cause discomfort among some men, which may perhaps lead to incidents of workplace harassment.

There were also arguments which supported the provision of menstrual leave policies. They were as follows:

1. Menstrual leave does not make women weaker. Men and women are biologically different. A few women may not be uncomfortable during their menstruation. However, accepting this fact should not lead to the exclusion of the majority women who really struggle during their periods.
2. Many organisations lack an adequate number of toilets, while some have common toilets for men and women. This makes the situation more miserable for menstruating women.
3. Productivity levels actually go up according to the state of mind women have towards their employer.
4. Menstrual leave is optional. But it’s definitely an equitable approach, considering the biological difference between men and women.
5. It will encourage the participation of more women in the country’s workforce.
6. Contrary to popular perception, it will actually reduce menstrual taboos by addressing it. Many women feel uncomfortable even while discussing it. On the other hand, this policy will enable women to ask for menstrual leave.
7. Some of the people taking part in the conversation stated that in most cases of women taking menstrual leave from companies, the work is divided equally among the other men and women employees. So, the point that only men suffer seems to be a bit presumptuous and invalid.
8. The argument that women will misuse this particular kind of leave also seems to be a bit skewed. In that sense, every leave, including a sick leave, can be misused by men and women. Ultimately, the organisation has to trust the employee that she won’t be taking this leave for her leisure
9. A menstrual leave is not a sick leave. Menstruation is not a sickness – it’s a biological function unique to women.
10. There are always critics when it comes to policy changes, especially when it comes to women’s rights or an issue as basic as maternity leave. Regarding men who feel uneasy with women being granted menstrual leave, they need to respect the biological differences between men and women – as do we all.

Menstrual leave is controversial because it is seen by some as a criticism of women’s work efficiency or as sexism. However, menstrual leave policies have already been implemented in many places. Countries like Japan, Taiwan, several provinces in China, Indonesia and South Korea have already implemented menstrual leave policies for women.

Nike has also had a menstrual leave policy for its employees since 2007. In India, a couple of companies from Mumbai – Cultural Machine and Gozoop – have decided to provide paid leave for its women employees. Women employees in government services in Bihar can avail two days of leave in a month for this purpose, is in addition to all the other leaves they are eligible to.

Women have always had to plead for her rights from birth – not to get killed in the womb, to get educated, to get jobs and equal pay, to travel safe – and the list continues. I am not sure if the organisational design, especially the leave structure, would have been the same if men menstruated and not women.

Implementing the menstrual leave policy doesn’t take away the pain women suffer. But it will definitely make the work environment more conducive to women.

I was given a glass of water, semi-brown in colour, the very first sip of which, bombed my taste buds with all the salt and minerals it contained. What if I told you that an average woman in Alampur, a village in Alwar district, spends her early morning hours, traveling long distances, just to fetch this contaminated water used for drinking and cooking. When was the last time we had to think this much about the water we drink? We, the people of metropolitan upbringing, often don’t realise how this basic universal right is the biggest struggle for most of our population, especially those living in the rural hinterlands of our country. This situation significantly impacts other basic human needs and rights as well - be it health, education or livelihoods.

Alwar is a district comprising of sixteen tehsils, and several social structures - Meo muslims, Meena tribals, hindu rajputs, forest tribes, yadavs and baniya businesspersons. As part of the national capital region, it has a large industrial area, and also has a prominent illegal mining mafia. Alwar, is an agrarian society, which is largely dependent on water for their cattle and fields. With growing family sizes and excessive land fragmentation, there has been a significant rise in the demand for water. When asked about water, Azam Khan (name changed), a resident of Alampur, spoke about the 70s and 80s when they used to find water just by digging five feet.

It was during this time that the government had incentivised construction of tubewells and borewells. While water was available at 50-60 feet in the 90’s, today the table has dropped to over a thousand feet deep in some areas. Azam told us that he had not seen optimum rainfall (for rainfed agriculture) for over 20 years now. A resident of Thanaghazi, another village in Alwar, spoke about how he raised loans (of about two lakh rupees) to dig a bore, and couldn’t find water even at 1100 feet. He then fell into a debt trap - and has raised another loan to dig a bore at another location because he couldn’t see a faster way to repay his first loan, especially given his skillset. He is currently on the lookout for odd jobs and opportunities that can help him raise money faster. As can be clearly seen, water has several forward and backward linkages. In my opinion, this problem is an amalgamation of the lack of awareness (of appropriate technology and indigenous methods), climate change, and dearth of alternative sources of income.

Azam Khan went on to talk about the quality of water, especially that found at deeper depths. He told us that there are excessive amounts of salt, silt and other minerals at such depths, which have severe consequences on their health and livelihoods. His son, who is 12 years old, had grey hair, and was suffering from joint pains and bone deformities. These occur due to excessive fluoride content in water (found in deep water tables) which lead to fluorosis. Not only that, these minerals sediment on soil and reduce its fertility significantly. At this point, Azam reminisced the lush green fertile lands of Alwar where the agrarians enjoyed large productivity and prosperity. Nowadays, there is a visible decline in crop productivity.

Essentially, much bigger families, who are still largely dependent on agrarian occupations, have much lesser produce (especially after land fragmentation) and incomes to sustain livelihoods. Azam Khan, ended our conversation by talking about how class plays into this whole crisis. The rich have deep borewells and sufficient water access, and pay by government tariffs. Because of availability and accessibility issues, the poor are often forced to pay for tankers of water. They spend about a thousand rupees to water a third of an acre, every single time there is scanty rainfall. He said -

“Bhaiya, gareeb toh hum hain, fir hum kyun pani jaisi cheezon ke liye amiron se das guna zyada paisa dete hain?” (Translates to - Why do I, a poor villager, pay ten times more than the rich for water?

In Alwar, I saw the dire need of solving the water crisis - which has intersections with social constructs like class and gender, and hinders livelihoods, education and health conditions of its residents. Can we use appropriate and relevant technological innovations and indigenous methods to tackle the water crisis? Isn’t there a need to acknowledge and work on climatic change, both at micro and macro levels? Should we bring a cultural shift from water intensive livelihoods to water efficient ones? Could we use community sharing and participative mechanisms to replenish water resources?

Paani da rang, preferred - clear. Thanks!

Published: 28 January, 2024

I belong to a tribal family hailing from the tea plantations in North Bengal. While growing up, I saw my school friends drop out to go back to work in hotels and restaurants in Pune and elsewhere. Desperate situations and low incomes force families to send their children to work in small hostels and shops away from home to contribute to the total family income. These may also be cases of bonded labour.

Some parents succumb to various diseases, as they are unable to afford proper and timely treatment. Due to increased health expenditures, I have seen some families fall into severe debt traps too. As a result, the children are adopted by some people to work in their homes. In such desperate times, many teenage girls are forced into prostitution. Due to these economic strains, low income households are compromising on the consumption of quality and nutritious food. This adversely leads to greater risks of malnourishment, illness and disease.

I was lucky to get off these ‘working traps’, early enough. I leveraged financial assistance and got enrolled in Jadavpur University. In fact, I was the first from my family and from my entire village to study beyond the school level. At university, I enjoyed being involved in various activities rather than merely studying in the classroom. I was also involved in the huge student-led movement, “Hokkolorob”.

This was one reason why I joined the social sector post college. Understanding the various social issues that plague society enables me to revisit my childhood experiences and attempt to understand the root causes. The region around my hometown is particularly known for its ‘three Ts’ – tea, timber and tourism. The British set up the tea industry in the colonial period, and it served as a major employer of people in the region. This industry still employs many local, tribal people and people from other states (like Odisha) as bonded labour.

Post independence, the Plantations Labour Act (1951) was formed to protect the rights of the workers who were exploited during the British colonial rule in India. Nevertheless, the mindset and exploitative practices of employers in the tea industry did not change. Even today, after so many decades post independence, the workers in these tea gardens continue to face problems in terms of minimum wages, health, drinking water, education and proper housing. There is also data regarding greater out-migration by local youths, higher rates of human trafficking and higher rates of malnutrition from this region.

Even with so many NGOs working in our country today, only a few of them are particularly working to safeguard the interests and well-being of the tea plantation workers. There is a significant lack of awareness about the issues faced by the workers in tea gardens.

While simply sipping on tea occasionally and speaking about these various social issues – we must also do our bit to bring the issues faced by labourers who work in the tea gardens to the knowledge of the larger public as well as the media and civil society organisations, so that they can look into these issues. Not many people know about the hard work, sweat and toil that is a part of a tea-maker’s daily struggle to make ends meet. Few people know about the tough lives and hardships that these labourers face, everyday.

A lot of people live far away from these realities, and do not even know where the tea they drink comes from, and who the people who work in these tea plantations are. It is my dream to start such sensitive discussions and more of these chai ki charcha. I know that this situation can improve, and each of us can develop more empathy and understanding to the needs and troubles of others around us.

by Koushik Hore | Published: 02 January , 2024

In the vast tapestry of India, beneath the surface of its rich cultural diversity and vibrant traditions, lies a dark and distressing phenomenon known as the ‘Paro System’. This system, prevalent in Northern India, reveals a harrowing reality of women trafficking, raising questions about gender-based violence, exploitation, and societal indifference. In this exploration, we delve into the intricacies of the "Paro System," shedding light on its origins, impact, and the urgent need for collective action, all while considering the context of ‘Realising India’.

This blog section unfolds the layers of the ‘Paro System’, providing insights into its historical roots, the systemic issues that sustain it, and the tragic fate of women caught in its web. As we navigate through the narratives of those affected, we confront the chilling reality of gender-based violence and the apathy that perpetuates this egregious practice. Additionally, we reflect on the role of institutions like the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) in shaping compassionate leaders capable of dismantling such deeply rooted injustices.

The Shocking Reality Unfolds

Unexpected Encounter at Nangravaleiya Dhani

In the heart of Northern India, the unsettling truth of women trafficking reveals itself through the 'Paro System’. During a session of ‘Realising India’, I found myself in a self-help-group gathering at Nangravaleiya Dhani, a remote hamlet in Rajasthan. What unfolded was a revelation as a woman, breastfeeding her 2-year-old, pointed towards another lady, saying, "Bhaiya, wo bhi Bangalan hai! Kalkatta se aayi hai!" This encounter marked the beginning of an exploration into the plight of women brought to these regions under the 'Paro System.'

Unraveling the Enigma of ‘Paro’ - Yamuna ke us paar

The term 'Paro' translates to 'Yamuna ke us paar' (from across the Yamuna). These women, often from states like Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh, are brought to villages in Northern India, particularly Rajasthan, after marriage. The system is a response to the challenge of finding local brides due to the skewed sex ratio in the region.

Delving into Systemic Issues

The 'Paro System' is a complex web woven from attitudes towards women, female feticide, economic poverty, and the increasing demand for manual labor in agriculture. Dr. Virendra Vidrohi, founder of Matsya Mewat Shiksha Evam Vikas Sansthan, notes that this system satisfies both the reproductive needs of men and the labor needs of families.

Historical Roots of the Disturbing Practice

The roots of this sinister practice trace back to the late 70s when the surge in transport industries led males from communities like Meo and Gujjar to visit states like Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Assam. These interactions laid the foundation for female trafficking rackets that supplied brides to Rajasthan. The demand arose from families unable to afford dowries for local brides.

The Alarming Trafficking Hub

Mr. Ram Roop, a Police Inspector with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, Alwar, identifies the district as a hub market for cross-region brides. The brides are often trafficked from poor families who remain unaware of their daughters' fate. Even khap panchayats, traditional village councils, accept the practice due to the drastic decline in the sex ratio.

The Tragic Fate of Trafficked Women

The women trafficked under the 'Paro System' become victims of egregious human rights violations, including child marriage, trafficking, kidnapping, abuse, child labor, marital rape, rape outside marriage, daily violence, lack of freedom in decision-making, and being treated like slaves within their families. They are sold multiple times and, in some cases, forced into commercial sexual exploitation.

Reflecting on the Cold Indifference

The chilling reality of the 'Paro System' prompts introspection into our collective silence regarding gender-based violence. Cases like my childhood friend Buri, forced into marriage at 14, highlight the human cost of our indifference towards gender inequality and the objectification of women. As we ponder, we must ask ourselves, "Where could she be? Is she still alive?"

Confronting Gender-Based Violence

The normalization of gender-based violence in our society necessitates a shift in perspective. Beyond research and statistics, a moment of self-reflection reveals how we have tacitly accepted gender-based violence. The 'Paro System' serves as a stark reminder of our collective failure to address this pervasive issue.

Nero's Guests and Our Collective Responsibility

In contemplating those who remain indifferent to the suffering of others, the question arises, "What would you call people who feast on fruits, wine, and other exotic dishes while their fellow beings were torched to death in their presence to facilitate their luxuries?" The response is clear - they are ‘Nero's guests’. The reference to Nero's guests serves as a metaphor for our shared responsibility to confront and eradicate the 'Paro System' and the gender-based violence it represents.

As we grapple with the disturbing implications of this system, ISDM emerges as a beacon of hope. By shaping leaders who understand the complexities of societal challenges, ISDM empowers change agents to confront and dismantle systems that perpetuate injustice. Let us join hands in building a future where the 'Paro System' becomes a thing of the past, and every individual is treated with dignity and equality.

A simple gift of hospitality prompted Mridul Upadhyay, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from New Delhi in India, to consider how small minorities are affected by the pressures of global demand and development.

What was the best thing offered to you to eat, as a gesture of hospitality, when you visited someone’s home? For me it was clove, a spice, offered by an old tribal woman in an Indian rural village.

Maybe it was one of the costliest or most special things available in the house to offer, or it’s their culture to offer such things to the guests. But as I learned later, it was not grown or collected, rather purchased by family.

The East India company brought clove from its native home in Indonesia to the Company’s spices gardens in India in 1800 AD. How, then, did offering it become a part of a tribal family’s mode of hospitality?

In this village, the people settled when displaced during construction of a big dam two decades ago. Currently, some 70 families have made their huts, kuccha houses and farms here. They eventually got power connections, but fetching water is still a big issue. Now, because of construction of a highway and some cement factories, the land price has increased here. So the administration, maybe in pressure from businessmen or maybe acting in anticipation of more development, is trying to displace them again. It is not letting these tribal people stay on this land, as these people don’t hold the property rights to the land.

These people, once landowners, got money when their lands were supposed to be submerged in the water of the dam. People spent most of it in transporting whatever they had. For some, there was no guidance on what to do with so much money and no help in reinvestment. Soon they lost the money and land both.

Demand and supply based globalisation has also had negative effect on these minorities by affecting their choices to grow, eat and get things in market. Previously, they used to grow and have  a seven to eight grain meal, but now they are growing, getting and eating rice and wheat-based staple food mostly, which has led many families to malnutrition.

India has over 105 million tribal people, which constitute nearly nine per cent of India’s total population. Tribal people were the native inhabitants of the land in India, before Aryans settled approximately 5000 years ago and sent tribal people to deep jungles. Their culture, religion, tradition and food are still very different.

Aryans brought their religion, and while making Indian constitution in 1949, tribal people were subsumed in the Hindu religion. Previous social interaction with Hindu religion had diffused the caste system among the tribal people and constitutional process increased such forced interaction. Tribal people had been living in small groups with their local governance and rules, so there is no political unity for them to challenge strong national parties. They also faced discrimination that put them in low caste Hindu category.

Tribal peoples read in secular government run schools, are sometimes taught communist philosophy in workshops, are approached by Christian missionaries – and then at home they are tribal. They are confused about what religion or philosophy to follow. They are never trained in keeping their own culture alive, which is perfect in their own imperfections. They are forgetting their rituals, festivals, traditional food and practices and following the majority around them.

In the constitution, India gave freedom of worship and following religion, but what if the minority is getting influenced by majority religion and culture, in an environment that offers them no cultural protection? It might not sound like atrocity crimes or genocide, but it’s a slow, systematic and unnoticed death of diverse cultures.

These are the poorest of the poor and the most marginalised of the marginalised. Can one answer if they ask why and whom to vote in elections? Who cares for such minorities of just 70 families in those rural villages? What are we doing in the name of globalisation, development, economy, super power, consumerism and personal comfort? Are the developed not developing by crushing not just  the dreams but also the lives of the so-called undeveloped? Have we really set our priorities perfectly and thoughtfully?

Overwhelmed by all these thoughts, I kept that clove in the pocket of my shirt, close to my heart.