ORGANIZATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

I always marvel at the dedicated initiations and the untiring efforts of the individuals and organizations working for the welfare of the others. Having a job and attending to it daily is a normal routine, but for the people who are concerned with the well-being of others the self-motivation is all they need. I have tried to make a list of such organizations and the individuals are working towards the benevolent cause of human development through various approaches, be it environment-saving, rural development, slum-rehabilitation, low-cost-housing, health-services for poor, etc.

• BAIF Development Research Foundation 

BAIF Development Research Foundation (formerly registered as the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation), is a reputed voluntary organisation established in 1967 by Dr. Manibhai Desai, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, at Urulikanchan, near Pune to promote sustainable livelihood in Rural India. 

BAIF's Mission is to create opportunities of gainful self-employment for the rural families, especially disadvantaged sections, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment, improved quality of life and good human values. This is being achieved through development research, effective use of local resources, extension of appropriate technologies and upgradation of skills and capabilities with community participation. BAIF is a non-political, secular and professionally managed organisation.

http://www.baif.org.in/index.asp

•  FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Founded in 1995, Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) enhances the capacity of community organizations around the world to address local health, social, environmental, and economic issues. Its model incorporates four programs that support underserved communities in a collaborative and sustainable manner.

Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) works to build the capacity of more than 300 community organizations around the world to address local health, social, environmental, and economic issues. We are committed to grassroots, community-based action for meeting human needs and basic rights for all. FSD’s programs provide multi-faceted support to our global community partners.

Community Partner Training & Project Support

 Grantmaking

 International Development Training Programs

 http://www.fsdinternational.org/

• GRASSROOTS INDIA

Environmental degradation has led to a significant decline in the quality of life for mountain communities.  The Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation (Grassroots), a non-profit voluntary organization, works in the central and western Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to promote sustainable, self-reliant development at the village level.   The emphasis is on self-help participation working across the integrated issues of  water & sanitation, renewable energy, community forestry,  sustainable agriculture and enterprise development.  

Our aim is to initiate people’s action for the restoration of languishing river basins through holistic mountain development programs.   Through our work we assist communities achieve the Millennium Development Goals as well as mitigate and adapt to the pressures of Climate Change.

At the heart of our approach is the belief that villagers have the desire, the right and the capability to actively participate in the decisions that affect their lives.  By bringing the regions local groups together, we attempt to create a movement, pressing competently for ecological restoration across the central and western Himalayas. Self-help groups of women, viewed as the bedrock of change and development, are being enabled to provide fresh vegetal cover and take appropriate measures to renew habitat-hydrology in degraded drainage basins. Multi stakeholder platforms are being organized to facilitate free flow of ideas regarding sustainable land use, role of appropriate technologies and establishment of community owned enterprises.   

http://www.grassrootsindia.com/index.html

Thesis Proposal for Master of Urban and Rural Planning

It seems the second semester too will be over like the first one. The exams were almost fine. I am excited for the next semester that starts with a six-weeks internship and then the processes of Thesis. The topics have already been decided, though minor changes in the aims and objectives can be there. The topic that I have taken is "SPATIAL DYNAMISM OF URBAN GROWTH- ITS RATIONALE AND IMPLICATIONS", case being of Siwan district, Bihar. Choosing a topic was very confusing at the beginning. Slowly, however picture became clearer. So many aspects (of my own) were to be fulfilled:

1. Topic should be of my interest.
2. Something of wide applicability.
3. I must be able to finish it in the stipulated time of one year.
4. Case should be of place that I know, and can relate to.

INTEREST
I always hated the dummy design projects in my Bachelor of Architecture days. Here also, after joining the Master of Urban and Rural Planning in IIT Roorkee, I could not escape from that attitude of mine. Here  also the studio classes in the first and second semester want to engage you in some or the other projects that are almost always hypothetical or bearing some remote relation with the existing field situation. Such exercises repel me. Even when the design project was to be based on exact field data and real-life situations, I could not appreciate it, since the fact that this exercise amounts to "aplication-of-what-you-have-learnt" job takes the excitement out of it. Why waste time on doing something that yields nothing....? These exercises always started with some assumptions of their own and went on to create problems of their and ended with you finding "solutions" to them through your design.
I know my perception is very twisted and it has many basic drawbacks, but what to do.....I feel this way only because of my interest in Theories, which I find more appropriate for the academic works. Theories are something that are exclusive for the academicians only. The practical exercises though studio classes can be very effectively done through the internships, why waste time on them in the class. Anyway I don't want to make an universal comment on the issue. It is just that I like using my academic years in the academics and theories.
That's were I decided to choose a topic that would require working on theories, or may be even developing one......! Spatial dynamism will be studied of the case taken and a general conclusion would be derived, hoping to find some trend and theory.
WIDE APPLICABILITY
 This topic seeks to address a large part of the country. Small and Medium towns are the most in number, and the most uncared for. Governments and policy makers attend to the needs of either the very big cities or the very small villages. The small towns lying in between these extremes fail to gain much. The reason for this lies in the characteristic "slumber" and "dullness" of these small towns which have got almost all basic needs of varying order through some arrangement and seem to be content with that. Other reason being their large number. The large cities are small in number so they can be taken care of easily. And though the small villages are also large in number they can also be taken care care of as the policy makers tend to allocate very little money to them; sufficient enough to provide the basic amenities. But the small towns lying somewhere in the middle fail to attract the attention.
My topic of thesis addresses the case of a very small town, the likes of  which are more than 5000 in the country. A proper programme especially for them needs a proper study of their spatial dynamism, which would trace their past trend and project the future too, enabling the policy-makers to perceive the needs.