Social Entrepreneurs Find Balance In Love And Power

Shridar "The Toxic Reporter"

I’m in southern Kerala, close to the most southern parts of the Indian sub-continent. Today at 8 am our Social Enterprise Study Trip starts – or rather was supposed to start… The driver is (some may say predictably so) delayed! And this offers me the opportunity to finish another chapter of Adam Kahane’s “Power & Love” while we wait at our hotel in the lovely, but busy, Kovalam beach.

I received this book as an early birthday present from my publisher sister, which now seems like a very appropriate gift as I set out on this trip of learning from social entrepreneurs in India. I sense that there was some synchronicity at play here; that it is a meaningful coincidence that my sister gave me this gift of reflection on “Solving Tough Social And Organisational Problems” (as the sub-title explains) while I’m setting out to learn from purpose-driven individuals who are committed to changing and improving the world.

A quote in the book from Martin Luther King Jnr strikes a chord:

“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.“

In the context of our study trip I’m asking myself important questions about love (the intention to improve the world) and power (the ability to make an impactful difference). Will we meet social entrepreneurs on this study trip who understand and have mastered the dynamic balance between love and power? Are we going to find people who are not only driven by a bigger purpose, but who have also created the capacity to deliver sustainable results?

But let me not get ahead of myself!

Of course our driver eventually arrives and delivers the five of us to Aries Travel in Trivandrum, the organisers of our travelling for the next two weeks. This is where we meet our guide for the day. Her name is Catherine Lee, originally from Austin in the US and now living 10 months of the year in Trivandrum as retired journalist. She volunteers at various local NPOs and, while we make our way to our first appointment, she tells us about her experiences in India, the effects of the growth in the Indian middle class and the social challenges the local society and the world at large is facing today.

But soon we found ourselves to be lost in the busy streets of Trivandrum. Rickshaws and scooters are weaving around us, with our driver not sure where to go… as it continued for the remainder of the day! “He is from outside”, explains Catherine, “and he clearly does not speak English!” Thanks to modern technology (in the form of her mobile phone) we get directions (several times over) and finally arrive at an organisation called Thanal (www.thanal.co.in).

In the cool front room of the Thanal office we meet Sridhar “The Toxic Reporter”, as he is apparently known. We each find a seat next to two massive batteries of the solar energy supply, and is served a cup of hot water to cool us down.  And what followed was also full of energy, covering the hot topic of healthy living environments and sustainable food production.

My first observation is of Sridhar’s passion. He clearly believes that chemicals used in industry and farming is causing imbalances, not only for the people who are suffering health problems when exposed to these toxins, but also for sustainable economic activity. His energy is warm and his vibrancy high. He pulls me into his world with stories and statistics. This guy can talk! And he talks with love!

My second observation is of Thanal’s connectedness. As a small organisation of about ten, they are able to not only connect people on a local level through for instance an Organic Farming and Consumer Society; they are also leading in national initiatives such as the Coalition for a GM Free India and are occasionally called upon to provide expert input even beyond the boundaries of India.

My third observation is of Sridhar’s openness. He is not hiding anything. He shares his all and that of the people he works with. His openness allows an easy flow of our conversation, at first focussing on their work in eliminating the use of damaging toxins and their struggle against the spread of GM technology in agricultural production. They are covering a lot… from cotton as the traditional industry of India to organic agriculture as the food security of the future… from advocacy on the international stage, to implementing projects at community level. And eventually the discussion flows away from his topic of expertise towards how Thanal can sustain its work.

Which leads me to my fourth observation. Thanal is totally dependent on the grants it can gather and the time offered by volunteers; and they do not seem to have a plan to become self-sustainable. Yes, they have initiated a drive to receive donations from local individuals and they did sell us some calendars (as they perhaps do with many others), but such efforts are not likely to result in a significant shift towards self-reliance. However, within their current resources they have farm land, which they could use to grow organic foods. These could be sold to retailers supplying middle class consumers who are increasingly prepared to pay a premium for healthy foods. “It would be difficult to do,” Sridhar says. Difficult, but perhaps crucial to secure a sustainable future for Thanal.

As we conclude the inspiring meeting with Sridhar, one of Thanal’s volunteers passes by, which leads me into my last observation about Thanal. The volunteer is a retired military man who is helping out with HR and other organisational administration. I ask him what the difference is between the military and an NPO? He says that in the military everything is structured and you follow your instructions to fulfil your specific responsibilities. In an NPO there is very little structure, he says, and everyone has something to say. It is noteworthy that this systems guy showed up to volunteer his time. He sees that he can make a difference by introducing a bit more organizing into the organisation; but is Thanal ready for the growth pains of formalizing? Are they ready to become more structured so that their impact can increase and so that they can reduce their dependency on donor funding? Thanal has at its disposal some very feasible income streams. But will they be able to optimism this potential towards their own financial sustainability?

After lunch we make brief stopovers at two more projects – the Sakhi Woman Resource Centre (www.sakhikerala.org) and Zero Waste, a Thanal initiative. Again we see lots of “love” but seemingly very little “power”. At Sakhi they empower woman through improved access to information and at Zero Waste the involved woman earn some income through selling the products they make from recycled materials.

The resource centre is 100% dependent on grants and donations; and to make matters worse, they do not seem to have any ideas on how to create other income streams. Zero Waste also has a massive dependency on grant support and guidance from Thanal; however they already have products they are selling – perhaps not through enough channels or at a good price, but at least there is potential in turning what they are already doing into a substantial income stream to support the rest of their work.

Like many NPOs, if not most, the continued operation of the three organisations is fully dependent on donations or grant money.

A shift is needed towards understanding the need for a dynamic balance between their mission (love) and the ability to sustain themselves through entrepreneurial activity (power). They need to start think like entrepreneurs. They need to understand the need for a dynamic balance between power and love so that they can make a real impact as social entrepreneurs.