Legend (from left to right): Krishnendu (in yellow), and Saurav (in green with the big backpack) explaining the characteristics of the light to a group of people living in an unelectrified community located near the Hive. Debasish (Sales Manager, on the right), seems content. They received so much enthusiasm that the group kept growing bigger and bigger and many people wanted to buy the light right there, right then. We are still in the training phase and therefore are holding sales off for another week, but this looks promising!
And we're keeping on with the recruitment efforts
Legend: Debjani (Operations Manager) and Debasish (Sales Manager) presenting Pollinate Energy at a job fair organized at Ujivan's offices in Lake Town, Kolkata. Ujivan is a large MicroFinance Institution active in India. As our goals match remarkably well, we work together in Bangalore and now in Kolkata. Here they helped us organise our very first job fair. Around 30 people attended, and as you can see below, 10 women were interested in the position (yay!). We conducted a first round of interviews on the spot, and have since then continued the interview process with these women. It looks like we will be able to hire at least 2 to start before the Young Professional Program in September!
Legend: Saurav (who started as a great intern, turned into an awesome Indian Fellow and is now being trained to become an amazing Pollinator), Debjani and Debasish conducting the first screening at the Ujivan job fair.
Life in Kolkata - the Monsoon
One afternoon I had to go to the city centre to meet Saurav and we were going to go buy T-shirts for our next program. It started raining a bit before I left, and then it rained harder. And harder. So the streets started to flood. And the traffic grew thicker. And soon it was so bad that I was already half an hour late. So I thought I'd be a smartass and I asked my taxi driver to take me through smaller streets, shortcuts. Big rookie mistake. That's when I arrive to Photo #1. The taxi driver would not go any further and just dropped me off. I was 45 min late by then, and still 30 min away from my meeting point. I tried to find a bicycle rickshaw driver, and of course since it's rickshaw primetime it takes me 15 min and he rips me off. Oh well. 1h late.
So I'm on my rickshaw and decide to take photos and videos, you know, because this is crazy. That's when the rickshaw hits a bump in the road and plouf, my backpack falls in the foul, dirty water. I yell "SIR, SIR, STOP, STOP", jump out of the rickshaw and run to get my backpack, which is already soaked by the time I drag it out of the water. People are laughing at me. I am 1h15 late. I'm happy I wear shorts all the time in this country.
I get back on the rickshaw and just observe. People are getting out of their office in a suit. Not looking surprised, just a bit annoyed, they take off their fancy shoes, roll up their pants and start walking home. Kids are coming home from school, some are just laughing, others are crying, others are skipping stones on the water on the street :-). Just a normal day in Kolkata!
Not content enough from over-overcharging me (1 time because it's raining and 1 time because I'm a gora, a foreigner), the rickshaw driver decided he can't drop me off at my exact location. Instead he stops on Sudder Street, Kolkata's most touristic street (photo #2). That's not so far from my meeting point, but with water to my knees it takes time to move around (I'm afraid of falling in a hole!). I pause to look at Sudder Street and think "no wonder Kolkata doesn't attract that many tourists". I finally reach Saurav. 1h30 late, sorry man!
So I'm on my rickshaw and decide to take photos and videos, you know, because this is crazy. That's when the rickshaw hits a bump in the road and plouf, my backpack falls in the foul, dirty water. I yell "SIR, SIR, STOP, STOP", jump out of the rickshaw and run to get my backpack, which is already soaked by the time I drag it out of the water. People are laughing at me. I am 1h15 late. I'm happy I wear shorts all the time in this country.
I get back on the rickshaw and just observe. People are getting out of their office in a suit. Not looking surprised, just a bit annoyed, they take off their fancy shoes, roll up their pants and start walking home. Kids are coming home from school, some are just laughing, others are crying, others are skipping stones on the water on the street :-). Just a normal day in Kolkata!
Not content enough from over-overcharging me (1 time because it's raining and 1 time because I'm a gora, a foreigner), the rickshaw driver decided he can't drop me off at my exact location. Instead he stops on Sudder Street, Kolkata's most touristic street (photo #2). That's not so far from my meeting point, but with water to my knees it takes time to move around (I'm afraid of falling in a hole!). I pause to look at Sudder Street and think "no wonder Kolkata doesn't attract that many tourists". I finally reach Saurav. 1h30 late, sorry man!
Baba, I need my knife sharpened
No comments, this guy is just awesome!