By Stephen Knapp

Depression, according to recent statistics, is practically an epidemic, with over 70 million people suffering from its affects, such as a feeling of moroseness, uselessness, lack of energy, inability to sleep, and a poor attitude toward life in general, among other symptoms. Depression causes a pessimistic view of things. It also discourages enthusiasm and stifles one’s initiative. It may also produce despair and bring about sickness in the mind and body. It can make one resort to rash and thoughtless actions that a person may later regret. Much of the time such thoughts are completely unnecessary. Thus, it is imperative that we help cure depression so that people can live with more happiness, ingenuity, energy, and are thus able to reach a higher potential in life.

The reason for depression may be different for each person, and there are a variety of causes. So it must be analyzed and understood. So what can we do to help cure such an attitude, as long as it is not a biological problem?

Spiritually, there are many ways to help take care of this condition. So let us take a deeper look at this.

Causes of Depression:

Physical, Biological or Medical Factors

1. There are physical factors such as digestive problems, diabetes, anaemia, or other diseases which cause discomfort. This will naturally cause a lacklustre mental disposition. Having parasites is another biological factor that will deplete a person of their energy and well-being.
2. Sometimes the diet will also cause depression. There may be a lack of vitamins and proper nutrition. Or there may be too much of something, like sugar, which can also cause highs and lows in blood sugar levels which will certainly create changing mood shifts.
3. There is also the depression that new mothers may feel right after giving birth to a child. The hormones are often quite imbalanced at that time and a new mother may feel a multitude of changing feelings about things.
4. A weak nervous system, or overwork and tension are also causes of a depleted mental disposition. And a negative attitude itself can cause further digression in one’s outlook on life.

External Factors

1. It is often seen that something as simple as the weather or a cloudy day can cause melancholy and depression.
2. One’s social status that may be viewed as unsatisfactory may also cause one to feel dejected.
3. Sometimes a young girl in one ethnic group may be attracted to a boy from another group and then be very depressed and disappointed because such an arrangement would never be approved by the parents.
4. Having a husband that forces the wife to be or remain alienated from their surroundings or from family and society will also cause loneliness and depression in such a woman. This is also found amongst certain ethnic groups or religions.
5. Associating with other negative people or listening to music with dark lyrics or messages, will also cause a person to have a most negative outlook.
6. Being a victim of a burglary or robbery, or losing everything in a fire, tornado, hurricane, or similar causes.

Psychological or Emotional Factors

1. There may also be the recollection of bad habits or mistakes that we wish we could have corrected or had never done that still haunt our memory with guilt.
2. Emotions that are aroused such as anger, revenge, jealousy, and envy will also affect a morbid state of mind.
3. The inability to face difficulties or worries about the future can also bring depression. Unnecessary fear and anxiety will also cause despair.

Metaphysical Factors

1. Other unknown causes such as curses that have been cast can affect one negatively.
2. There are other subtle influences, such as ghostly beings, that may affect a person in the wrong way.
3. Disappointment in, or the perceived neglect from, one’s spiritual master or religious organization that a person may belong to if things do not go well, can also cause deep scars and depression that can affect a person for years.

These are a few of the causes that may bring about a feeling of depression or misery in a person. And what is worse, if the depression is not remedied, then it can escalate to feelings of suicide. When a person in despair feels that all of their basic defences are broken and there is no one to turn to, nor can they find a comforting voice to console or support them, then they may conclude that there is no way out but through death. But it must be understood that suicide is never the end. And suicide, and the state of mind that one has to compel one to commit suicide, is never a way for progressing into the next realm. Death is never the final act. It only opens the door to additional challenges that must be met or endured, depending on how one leaves their body.

Suicide and Reactions that follows:

Depression is very common today, and almost everyone goes through it at some point in life. Many are not able to overcome this negative state of mind. They seek medical and psychiatric treatment, and in extreme cases even resort to suicide, thinking that such a step will solve all of their problems or allow them to escape from life.

All the Vedic scriptures and sages of the East and the West have vehemently condemned the act of suicide. They declare emphatically that absolutely nothing is solved or gained by getting rid of the physical body by force. On the other hand, the results of suicide are disastrous in the extreme.

Scientists and psychologists today, researching in psychic phenomena, have corroborated some of the teachings of the sages. The sages state that at the time when the soul is to depart from the body, the dying person sees, as on a cinema screen, all the actions done by him during the present lifetime, from childhood up to the moment of death. And from all these varied scenes, the most prominent one arrests and engages the soul’s attention, and the soul leaves the physical body in that state of consciousness.

If there is intense attachment to someone or something, then the soul will depart with that person’s image in mind. Intense hatred means that the hated person’s image will remain in the mind as the predominant thought or image at the time of death.

A person who had been strongly addicted to liquor and drugs will leave the body with thoughts of liquor and drugs, or the desire for more intoxication. Sometimes they leave the body while under the influence of intoxicants, which has a most regressive affect on entering the next realm. On the other hand, a person who had lived a pious and virtuous life, with thoughts of God, will depart from the body with thoughts of God. The last thoughts determine the conditions and nature of the next birth. This is what the sages have said about the phenomenon of death.

This argument seems reasonable because the last dominant thought in our mind at the time when we just drop off to sleep can often be the thought that dominates our mind the next morning. It is for this reason that we are advised to sing the Divine Names of God or hymns at the time of death in order to focus the attention of the dying person on holy and noble thoughts.

It is needless to add that if the soul departs from the body with thoughts of anger, hatred, jealousy, worry and fear, or in a state of great mental turmoil, then such thoughts and agitation will be carried over and immediately experienced in that realm also. In fact, this state of mind will help determine which realm we go to next. That is why sages say that suicide does not solve anything whatsoever. On the contrary, it makes the condition of the soul much worse.

They give an analogy to explain this truth. When we experience a nightmare during sleep, we wake up abruptly with a shock. But we feel a sense of relief at the same time, because the consciousness has rushed back to the refuge of the physical body. In suicide the soul does not have a physical body to return to as in the case of a nightmare. Hence, it undergoes great misery and suffering, perhaps more than during its sojourn in the physical body. Furthermore, it is said that such a soul has to roam about as a ghost for a long time contemplating his misfortune for the foolishness of killing himself. Plus, you also leave others, such as parents or your children and friends, in so much pain as you leave them behind to suffer your absence, losing you, wondering what went wrong. This is also your responsibility for which you are accountable.

By Michael Wayland

Last month, we explored making the difficult world of divorce a little more manageable through the use of divorce mediation rather than divorce litigation. This month we are going to explore the polar opposite: Staying together until death do us part. Really!

When we are dating, we see a limited amount of our partner’s true self. Usually it is simply what they allow us to see. Over time, and as a result of shared experiences, we see more of the partner’s true self. It is like we are standing 10 feet from a house and looking through the front window. We have a limited view of what is in that room. As we move closer, say to 5 feet, our field of vision improves. When we walk up and press our nose up against the glass, we can see almost every thing in the room, save for a few pictures on the wall with the window.

Marriage is like pressing our nose against the glass. Eventually we see it all. Often we don’t like what we see and back away from the window. Many states have “no-fault” divorce laws, and many of those that don’t, have defacto “no fault” through case law. The court system allows us to back away and file for divorce easily. But what if we couldn’t? What if we bought the house and had to keep it for the rest of our lives?

We could certainly back away (emotional distance) or have affairs (escape reality), we could kick, punch and scream (abuse), or we could find a way to work with what is in the room.

That is the new wave of marriage. It is called Covenant Marriage. The couple enter into a contract of marriage. Think “pre nup” in reverse. The old prenuptial agreement specified in advance of marriage, how the couples assets would be divided if they split up. It recognizes at the outset that the couple agree the marriage is terminable. Often people manage their marriage accordingly and bail as a result.

The Covenant marriage is different. At the outset the couple agree that the marriage is not terminable except in rare circumstances (abuse, adultery, abandonment and felony conviction with jail time). Some contracts allow for divorce outside of those circumstances but only after significant marital counselling.

The idea was first proposed in France in 1947 by JULLIOT de la MORANDIERE. He posited that for “divorce, which is evidently an irritant, because it touches on the convictions of each of us, the solution is to leave the liberty to each, so that they who want a divorce can profit from it, and those who are against divorce can contract a marriage that will be an indissoluble marriage. This has the advantage of avoiding the deceptions that often exist at the time of the marriage, because often one of the spouses believes they are contracting an indissoluble marriage but the other reserves the exit door of divorce.”

The idea of covenant marriage is to make people think twice before getting married by limiting the escape options. It also causes people to address issues in the marriage more directly and quickly rather than letting them fester and later erupt. It forces people to think of their marriage as a long-term commitment. The belief is that if the problems are addressed contemporaneously with the issues, inevitable conflict will lead to resolution and resolution leads to peace and a successful relationship.

In the US, states are moving to enact covenant marriage laws. Arkansas, Arizona and Louisiana have passed such laws. In those states, a couple getting married can choose a covenant marriage or a traditional marriage. Other states including Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Texas, and others have introduced but not yet passed such bills. Other states are contemplating covenant marriage.

Some churches have introduced private marriage covenants as an option or even a requirement. Dennis Stranges, pastor of the Vineyard church in Delaware, Ohio reports that he has performed over 300 marriages. Of those marriages, there have been a total of zero divorces. You read that right. Zero. The Vineyard requires premarital counselling and a marriage covenant. The contract severely limits the “outs” and requires potential divorcees to undergo counselling. The couple contract that during the term of the marriage, the partners will submit their grievances with each other to mediation. While marriage mediation flourishes in this sample, divorce has been virtually eliminated.

The Vineyard is on the cutting edge of another trend. Marital mediation. Mediation is different from therapy. Therapy seeks to elicit change and growth in the individuals involved. Although we always want growth from a partner, change might be difficult or unattainable. It can be at least a long journey. Mediation is results oriented. Mediation focuses on the problem and seeks resolutions that both people are happy with. Some couples seek mediation for significant problems, others have bi-weekly standing appointments where they can speak their mind on the little problems at hand and have the mediator work them through to a happy solution so nothing festers. The result is that the bumps in the marital road are much smoother. Marriage, like our highway system, is never free of potholes and bumps. The mediator helps the couple fill in, smooth out and navigate their way to a successful marital journey.

Marital counselling or marital mediation is often an integral part of a marriage covenant agreement. It would be difficult to commit to a 50-year contract without a dispute resolution clause yet marriages do that all the time. Corporations and unions that have to live with each other under a union contract in perpetuity have a grievance procedure. Why not in a marriage? In fact, failure to resolve disputes is a significant precursor to divorce. Failure to view the marriage as forever adds to the divorce rate and a no fault system can make marriage down right disposable. The covenant marriage concept seeks to remedy that.

As chefs get creative, what you get on your platter are dishes that besides being sumptuous are virtually the pieces of ‘art’, finds out N Anuranjani

The visuals of an artistically carved out pumpkin with a burning earthen lamp inside and that of a watermelon with eyes made of black berries and nose made of tomato cherry, are enough to tantalise the taste buds of those passing buy. The aroma of cocoa powder, neatly placed creams, eggs, jars of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, set the mood for the delicious evening. The essence of basil invigorates the air.

I am at Dilli Haat, where the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations is celebrating the International Chef’s Day and Gourmet Specialty Week. Various chefs from all across the capital, equipped with their gourmet expertise, are present to teach people Italian and Mediterranean kitchen skills.

On the very first day of the appetising week, Chef Suman Sharma of Tonino Restaurant opens the session with an Italian salad appetisers called Insalata rucola con pomodoro, avocet arancia e pinoli. Consisting of cherry tomatoes, avocado, orange, pine nuts, light green avocados and a garnish of pine nuts, the salad is eye-pleasing and lush with green rocket leaves. Sharma adds olive oil to it, explaining, that it contains medicinal value.

Too tempted to resist, I quickly pick up my tasting bowl and dig a spoonful. Though the rocket leaves are bitter, honey and orange juice have done their bit just perfectly, creating the right balance and colour. Bread crumbs make the salad taste crunchier as well.

Sharma now dishes out another Italian delicacy, Farotto con verdure out of faro grains. It has zucchini, mushroom, beans, cheese parmesan, cheese pecorino, butter and dry white wine and tastes heavenly.

The real show stealer Tirami-su — a popular Italian dessert — comes at the end of Sharma’s session. Served with espresso dipped cookies, this pudding is just apt for eating after a sumptuous meal. Made of egg whites, cheese, creams and soft dough, it tastes exactly like vanilla ice cream but is not too cold. When finished with the session, Sharma says, “The most challenging part of cooking is to make the food look good before one can eat it. The look and taste should compliment each other.”

All game for the next culinary exercise, I now turn to Chef Ashu Chugh from Saffron Hospitality who is ready with his skills of Mediterranean cuisine and has also brought specimens to the venue.

The first on the platter is Zucchini wrap “This wrap is rich in proteins and sugar as the dates are stuffed with feta cheese and clopped almonds,” he informs a very interested gathering of people. The wrap is flavoursome and the olive oil gives it a tangy taste.

While I indulge myself in this lip-smacking snack, the chef places another dish Chicken Tagine with dates and almonds, that has already prepared by his helpers. It has been prepared with dates, saffron, honey and stuffed olive.

The first thought that crosses my mind, after the first mouthful is that it takes only a good cook to prepare a dish so scrumptious.

Aubergine with almond and honey is the next dish he prepares and says, “I am very thankful to Indian Culinary forum and all associated to have come up with such an interesting concept to showcase the talents of the chefs and bring forth our effort as an art.” He adds, “I am happy that so many people have come to learn new recipes.” He smiles.

And indeed, the people gathered for culinary know-hows are the happiest, for now, they will be able to cook Italian and Mediterranean dishes at their homes.

The session finally ends and I realise that sharing the hotel kitchen secrets was unique and Dilli Haat is certainly the appropriate place to showcase presentations.

The Gourmet Specialty Week ends on October 27.

Diwali is the one festival in India which is celebrated by all, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Diwali is celebrated to acknowledge the victory of good over evil. And the lighting of earthen lamps or diyas on a moonless night signifies a new beginning of enlightenment and the end of darkness of ignorance. The very concept of Diwali has hardly anything to do with the fireworks. Here’s some ways to celebrate an “eco-friendly” Diwali:

• Give community celebration a greater preference. With an increasing trend of gated community, all families of the community can celebrate Diwali in the common space. This will ensure reduced cost of celebration; paper pollution in a limited space and as compared to individual celebration and community celebration will cause less air and noise pollution.

• Even while celebrating commonly make sure that you limit your celebration to a fixed period of time. Your celebration should last for a maximum of four hours.

• Before selecting the place for common community celebration make sure that it is far away from hospitals. Instead of selecting crowded areas it is better to opt for an open ground.

• Instead of selecting traditional chemical crackers this Diwali, go for eco-friendly ones. Eco-friendly crackers are made of recycled paper and the sound produced by these is under the decibel limit defined by the Pollution Board. These crackers produce paper fluffers and different coloured lights instead of sound on bursting.

• Instead of electric illumination, we would suggest, go for traditional lightening of earthen lamps or diyas. This will not only enhance the beauty of your house but will also cut down the enormous electric consumption. Though earthen lamps need oil but the quantity is less and it gives light for at least 3-4 hours.

• Cut down your shopping list and avoid purchasing unwanted and unnecessary things. Excess consumerism is directly related to the consumption of raw material used to manufacture those things. Excessive consumerism increases the undue pressure on natural resources.

Situated on the west coast of southern Indian peninsula, Mangalore is today more than just a “port-city”. It is a bustling educational center as well as an industrial hub. However, Mangalore happens to have, also, one of the largest Non-Resident Indian (NRI) population in the country. Mangalorean.com, a bustling place on the internet for Mangalorean expatriates is doing a yeoman service in helping those Mangalorean to stay in touch with their roots. Our Features Editor spoke to its founder, Roshan D’souza. Excerpts:

Can you tell us something about your personal background?

I was born and brought up in Ganjimat which is 25 Kms away from Mangalore city. I studied in Aloysius and later moved to Manipal to pursue BE in MIT. After completing my BE I worked few years in Mumbai before migrating to US. It has been a decade since I migrated to US. But more I lived here more closer I have been to Mangalore! I have been working on internet programming and web security engineering; it was easy for me to chase my dream of having one website for Mangalorean community. I developed this website from the scratch and each piece of code on the site has my personal touch to it!

How did the idea of Mangalore come to your mind?

As already mentioned, I was working on web development and as I was single, then, I thought I need to give something back to my community. What more I could do than using my own talents and resources within my capacity to achieve this. I worked nonstop for 6 months to layout the initial design and programming. It was May 10, 2003, all was ready and with support and help of my friends, I announced the launching of this website through email campaign. The site has over 75,000 unique visitors worldwide today and also has loyal band of voluntary writers. Though I took the initiative in creating the site, the site is for mangaloreans, and is run by mangaloreans. They are the real “movers and shakers” of mangalorean.com!

Who are the other members of the team?

I have over 35 members in the team who are living in different parts of the globe. As more Mangaloreans are settled in gulf countries, we have representation in each of gulf country as well as in Europe, US, Canada, Australia and India.

How did people respond you when you started mangalorean.com?

It was not easy to get here where we are today. There were some websites which already existed. Though the community accepted wholeheartedly there were some Mangalorean sites that just wanted monopoly and troubled me as much they could. But readers wanted variety and diverse content. Because I received support from the community from all over we were able to meet their demands. We had a dream and we just followed it without heeding to any of the threats or competition.

What is the monumental moment in the times of Mangalorean.com?

Every day has been party time, trust me! Why I say that ways is because we receive emails and acknowledgements almost every day from our users. There are some who have received financial assistances from readers, and some who have found their soul mates and there are some who have even managed to run their business using free classifieds. I am satisfied with the fact that I have achieved my mere goal of giving service to our community.

What do you foresee for your site in the near future?

I want to bring together a community, I want to provide them a platform for their opinions, their aspirations and ideas, and my endeavor is to empower my readers with the right of expression enshrined in the constitution.

What do you think of the web media?

Web media is coming into prominence – it’s a global phenomenon today; it had never been better before. But with the living standards going up everywhere in the globe, every family has an access to computer, which means they can make themselves heard all over the world with a click of a button.

Though this summer began with ambivalent uncertainty, it ends with fulfillment. Since I was given the extraordinary opportunity to dedicate the entirety of my summer volunteering in both India and Guyana, I was decidedly excited but a tad apprehensive about, everything: could I handle the doubtless myriad issues that daily life in foreign places would entail? As my project mostly involved teaching children English (in India) and Vedic Math (in Guyana), I was also anxious about how it would be—would there be communication issues? Would I be able to deal with them, to reach them? Would they like me?

I was extremely privileged to commence my sewa experience at the Maitreyi Gurukula in the village of Moorkaje (located in the south Indian state of Karnataka). The Maitreyi Gurukula is a free boarding school, funded by the Ajaya Trust, for exceptional girls between the ages of 8 and 16 of rural or impoverished background—brilliant and talented girls who would otherwise never receive the opportunity to realize their potential. Many of these girls would have been married off at a young age simply because their families could not afford to keep them, let alone give them the education their talents merit. The purpose of the school is to educate these girls so that they can go back and educate others in their villages, as well as properly educate and bring up their children with Satvic values—a sort of intellectual trickle-down. By giving these girls a holistic and well-rounded education, it is ensured that not only is an individual being helped but also the next generation has a greater chance of being raised with strong, positive morals and ethical values.

It is simultaneously heart-warming and wrenching to see them. Though a delight to watch them flourish in the wholesome and intellectual environment in which they clearly belong, it is beyond heartbreaking to imagine how many such children are languishing in surroundings undeserving of their ability. I am immeasurably lucky my project teaching English allowed me the opportunity to interact with these girls on a very familiar level.

The very first thing I noticed about everyone—not just the students—at the Gurukula were their profound contentment, unfaltering joie de vivre, and absolute graciousness. Despite being afforded but the barest minimum of luxuries, they are utterly satisfied with their lot. They are uprooted from their native villages and families at the age of 8, schooled in a wholly different language (the medium of instruction is Sanskrit; they are taught upon arrival and become fluent in usually a year or two), wake up at 4:30 in the morning, and—in addition to classes—daily clean the buildings, tend to the gardens and do all the required upkeep themselves. The Mathrushris (the teachers) are all absolutely wonderful women for whom my respect knows no bounds. As their title suggests, they are all extremely nurturing, caring and devoted; these brave ladies have literally dedicated their whole lives to improving the world by beginning at the foundation of society: caring for the wellbeing of less fortunate children.

My weeks at the Gurukula were among the most fulfilling and inspiring of my life. Seeing the simplicity of these girls, how happy they were even though they woke up at the crack of dawn every morning, swept and mopped the whole school, had three pairs of clothing (two for everyday wear and one for special occasions), washed their clothes everyday by hand on a stone, slept on straw mats atop the concrete floors in their classrooms with all their possessions placed in one square foot’s space on a communal rack—this was indescribably inspirational to me! I experienced a complete paradigm shift.

It is commonly thought that people lacking material luxury are unhappy, but it seems to be the very opposite to me. Too often people look to material goods for fulfilment and validation. The means become the end, and people attach their identity to transient things; they become their statuses, their possessions. And since things are ephemeral, they find no fulfilment or joy in their lives. Those who do not have the crutch of material comfort find their value and happiness in the internal, the intangible, and that which can never be taken from them.

My experience in Guyana was markedly different. At the Gurukula, I was more of a friend to the girls, and treated as a respected peer rather than as an authority figure, but my role in Guyana was decidedly that of a teacher. Teaching math is far different from teaching English. At the Gurukula, my English classes were mostly teaching conversational English and improving pronunciation, resulting in an informal and casual atmosphere where I learned as much (if not more) from the students than they from me. I had no challenges teaching because the girls didn’t require any disciplining: there was nothing for me to control or to do besides presenting the coursework, which the girls dutifully followed.

In Guyana I taught at the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School, a Hindu school taking inspiration from Vidya Bharati in India. It is located in Cornelia Ida and serves to educate Guyanese Hindu children (who are fifth or sixth generation Indians) on Hindu values, and to experientially teach them their cultural heritage. Here, I did a lot more teaching and a lot less conversing. I learned to control a classroom of noisy adolescents who are but a few years younger than I (asking nicely, speaking sternly, yelling a bit, and issuing ultimatums of extra homework—in that order), and how to command authority. Whereas at the Gurukula, all my classes consisted of between twelve and twenty extremely respectful girls who viewed being educated as a high honour and privilege and firmly practiced acharya devo bava (treating the teacher as god), at SVN, I had classes of thirty normal kids. Of course, it was a mixed bag. Some classes were a real pleasure to teach: one of my classes asked me if I could come teach them every day (I taught five grades, each twice a week) and if I could keep teaching through the next period as well, and the youngest class was so unabashedly enthusiastic, sweet and eager that they would beg me for homework and further practice! Only one class (the eldest students) was unruly. The rest were more than manageable. In Guyana I learned to deal with the disciplining aspect and leadership that is part and parcel of teaching.

Both of my projects were deeply satisfying, albeit in completely different ways. I loved almost everything about both of the countries I had the honour to visit. Though I suppose my original trepidation was not baseless, I fortunately experienced no insurmountable difficulties. Sure there were cultural differences and quite a bit of miscommunication (the supreme irony that I had no problem communicating in my second language, Kannada, but I could not for the life of me discern what was being said to me in English-speaking Guyana), but even that which was originally unpleasant became wonderful. I would not change a single detail of my experiences during this internship.

Apurva is an undergraduate student at Case Western Reserve University, majoring in philosophy.

In the past couple of decades, social entrepreneurship has become very popular and a potential career option for youth across the world. Social entrepreneurship is the work of a social entrepreneur. While entrepreneurs in the business sector identify untapped commercial markets, and gather together the resources to break into those markets for profit, social entrepreneurs use the same skills to different effect.

For social entrepreneurs, untapped markets are people or communities in need, who haven’t been reached by other initiatives. Though they may have different goals, social and business entrepreneurs have a lot in common. They build something out of nothing. They are ambitious to achieve. They marshal resources to meet their needs. They are constantly creative. And they are not afraid to make mistakes.

“Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” – Bill Drayton, CEO, chair and founder of Ashoka

Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, social entrepreneurs find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps.

One well known contemporary social entrepreneur is Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and its growing family of social venture businesses; he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The work of Yunus and Grameen echoes a theme among modern day social entrepreneurs that emphasizes the enormous synergies and benefits when business principles are unified with social ventures.

What Social Entrepreneurship is not?

Nonprofits are primarily reliant on philanthropy, grants, voluntarism, but social entrepreneurs, just like business entrepreneurs rely solely on their business model (and not just on philanthropy, though it could be a source of funding etc). Social activism is not social entrepreneurship. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi was a social activist, but not a social entrepreneur. Social activists create (or attempt to create) change through indirect actions, mostly by influencing others (like NGOs, government, customers etc). However, the main difference is that social activists do not necessarily ‘execute’ – they are mainly influencers.

Wealth is just a means to an end for social entrepreneurs. With business entrepreneurs, wealth creation is a way of measuring value creation.

Social Enterprises

Social enterprises are businesses run by social entrepreneurs. Their aim to accomplish targets that are social and environmental as well as financial is often referred to as having a triple bottom line. Social enterprises are profit-making businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need. They often use blended value business models that combine a revenue-generating business with a social-value-generating structure or component. Many commercial businesses would consider themselves to have social objectives, but social enterprises are distinct because their social or environmental purpose is central to what they do.

Dr. Yunus, a key proponent of the social business model, argues that capitalism is too narrowly defined. The concept of the individual as being solely focused on profit maximizing ignores other aspects of life, religious, ethical, emotional, and political. Failures of this system to address vital needs, that are commonly regarded as market failures are actually conceptualization failures, i.e. failures to capture the essence of a human being in economic theory.

Example of Social Enterprise:

Grameen Danone Foods, popularly known as “Grameen Danone” is a social business enterprise which, launched in 2006, has been designed to provide children with many of the key nutrients that are typically missing from their diet in rural Bangladesh. This is run on ‘no loss, no dividend’ basis.

Grameen Danone Foods aims to reduce poverty by creating business and employment opportunities for local people since raw materials including milk needed for production, will be sourced locally. The companies that make up Grameen Danone Foods Ltd. have agreed not to take out any of the profits out of the company. Instead they will invest these for creation of new opportunities for the welfare and development of people. Hence it is called ’social business enterprise.’

Grameen Danone Foods Ltd. produces a special yogurt called Shakti Doi from pure full cream milk that contains protein, vitamins, iron, calcium, zinc and other micro nutrients to fulfil the nutritional requirements of children of Bangladesh and contribute in improving their health. While ‘Shakti Doi’ (which means ‘power yogurt’) is primarily intended for children, it is also appropriate for adults. The price of each 80 gram cup of yogurt is $0.05 only. It is an affordable price even for the poor people of Bangladesh.

Social Venture Capital:

Social venture capital is a form of venture capital investing that provides capital to social businesses. These investments are intended to both provide attractive returns to investors and to provide market-based solutions to social and environmental issues. Among the several firms that deploy “social venture capital” is: Acumen Fund and Bill Melinda Gates Foundation. These firms identify innovative social enterprises and support them to become financially sustainable and scalable.

Conclusion:

Social enterprise gives people jobs. It empowers local communities. It builds skills and capacity. It creates mechanisms of ownership. And, perhaps most importantly, it gives people a sense of control over their own destinies. For example, VisionSpring, which recruits local “Vision Entrepreneurs,” who are trained to operate a mini franchise, travelling from village to village and conducting vision camps checking eyesight, has also developed a low-cost pair of reading glasses. One pair, with case and cleaning cloth, costs from $2 to $4. Locals are trained as entrepreneurs, with a steady stream of income, and those with poor eyesight can once again earn a livelihood. Everyone benefits!

If our primary motive is to lift the “bottom billion” out of poverty, social enterprise is a way forward. It is a proven approach through which we can make lasting improvements in the lives of the poor, which is critical for the world, critical for the world economy, and critical for humanity.

First published in Tattva

The seal of Manchester United.

The sound of the blaring speakers fill the air as a thick cloud of smoke covers the goal post. A faint outline of a man starts to form and the smoke begins to clear out. A man togged up in a Manchester United jersey appears from nowhere, as in a magic trick. What is startling though is not his appearance, but his distinctiveness. A familiar face emerges out of the smoke and there he is in front of you — Baichung Bhutia, sporting the Manchester United colours.

What seemed like a dream sequence straight out of an Indian football fairytale was, indeed, rooted in some kind of reality, and that reality stemmed from the launch of India’s first ever Manchester United Restaurant and Bar in Delhi.

Manchester United, as we all know, is not just a football club, it is a brand. Right from the football field to the living rooms of millions of its fans, this one name has created ripples amongst the football fraternity all over the world. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938.

It has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club, since the 1990s, and is currently ranked as the most valuable club in any sport, with an estimated value of £1.136 billion as of April 2009.

Manchester United has evolved over time to meticulously craft a euphoric milieu which generates a strong sense of football patriotism among its supporters. So it does not come as a surprise that Man United has one of the most popular and highest selling merchandise in the world too. “Jesus Saves, But Rooney Nets The Rebound” conceitedly proclaims a Man United t-shirt. ‘United, kids, wife (In that order)’ says another, with the famous red devil sitting on top. Manchester United means many things to many people: Fashion, lifestyle and above all, the power of supremacy. It is true — whatever Manchester United does… it does in style. And one is left with little doubt after witnessing the beguiling launch of Manchester United Restaurant and Bar (MURB).

“India is a great and promising market. You have people looking for new ideas and concepts. I am confident the Manchester United thematic restaurants and bars will bring you the best moments of a new and special dining and entertainment experience in North India,” says Andy Yun, CEO, Manchester United Food and Beverages (Asia).

“The Manchester United bars are based on the fusion theme concept. Every ManU restaurant in the world has its own special features and we will maintain that individuality in India as well,” he adds.

MURB launched its first endeavour in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2006. The grand opening was attended by Captain Marvel, Sir Bobby Charlton himself. After which the chain went on to spread over other Asia Pacific regions like Singapore, Korea, Japan, China, Thailand and now India, in collaboration with the F Bar and Lounge. But what is remarkable is not the pace with which this concept has taken all fans in its stride, but the way it has maintained its individuality region wise.

While the Jakarta restaurant boasts the popular Managers Bench, a replica of the area where coach and players meet at the playing field, the restaurant in Bangkok flaunts a statue of Sir Alex Ferguson in its VIP room. But what will interest Indian fans is the South Korean restaurant which offers Indian cuisine on its menu. “Indian food is popular the world over, especially in South Korea and so it made it to our menu card,” says Andy, who, without revealing much, assured the Indian fans that even the India Manchester United restaurant will have its uniqueness.

“The whole idea is to create a stadium-like effect. The fans would no longer have to just sit at home and watch the game on television. Now they can enjoy the vibes of an actual match with a state-of-the-art facility. We will use hi-tech equipment to create that excitement, which would be the next best thing to a live match in the stadium,” he promised. The Man United bar will also feature a photo gallery with pictures of all the recent matches.

With such an exhilarating experience, it is not just the club or the restaurant that gets promoted but also the game of football. Hence, Indian skipper Baichung Bhutia urges the corporate to step forward and take the lead in promoting the game.

“Clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Dempo are struggling to find training grounds and time has come to launch initiatives such as this one by Manchester United to make  the game profitable,” Bhutia, a self confessed Arsenal fan, said.

“It is a big boost for the fans as they have an environment where they can truly enjoy the game. And with the IPL coming in, football has a long way to go. But with such endeavors, things could be made much easier,” he added.

In fact, MARB is making special efforts to increase the popularity of football in India by roping in Man United coaches to hold camps for school kids here. “We intend to make football the next cricket,” says Puneet Nath, executive director, F Bar and Lounge.”We will hold special summer and winter camps for school kids, who will be trained by Manchester United coaches,” added Ranjan Madhu, director, F Bar and Lounge.

Ranjan also feels that once people start coming to the bar, even if they aren’t football buffs, they will fall in love with the game.

“We intend to bring you the energy, the passion, the madness right here for the Manchester United fans. And not just that, it will also promote football among the youngsters,” he says. “Our aim is to mix lifestyle, leisure and sports to create the kind of environment which is unprecedented,” he adds. However, while this kind of an ambience may heighten one’s experience of watching a football match, there are concerns over the growing violence owing to clashes between football fans, the most recent one being the violent row between West Ham and Millwall fans in UK. But Puneet feels that such instances do not occur in India and that they would anyway be avoided by scrutinizing each and every person who enters the bar.

“Indian football fans are never violent, such incidents are restricted to England, I may say if I be pardoned,” he says. “Profiling of people would be done. Every person who enters the bar would be properly screened to keep the funny elements at bay,” he further stresses.

However, while getting past strict security might not be the most exciting thing one can do, Puneet assured that this bar would excite people of all ages. Right from children to adults, this bar is the kind of place where one needs to fulfil only one criterion to enter – Readiness to watch a game of football.

“For instance, if we host a birthday party even for a seven-year-old, we will make it a memorable event. The kids will not return empty-handed. While we will gift them Man United merchandise, we will also offer them the enthusiasm to enjoy and understand the game,” he revealed.

Even women around the town may have a reason to smile as there will be free entry for them. “Single women can enter without any cover charges as we wish to promote the game among women,” he added, picking up the menu to present an interesting range of drinks, inspired by Man United — Rooney’s Crush, Fergie’s Dream and Penalty Kicks.

Indeed, this new chain has brought to the Capital, an interesting mix of lifestyle, leisure and sports. But apart from boasting about its uniqueness quotient, the bar also plans to start a membership club after establishing itself as the ultimate football pad. “The membership for the club will be a privilege which only diehard Manchester United fans will get to enjoy. Members would be those who would know all about Man United, the club’s history, its wins its defeats, just everything an ardent fan is expected to know,” Ranjan Nath said. While the bar, slated to inaugurate by this year end, is hoping to spread its franchise to Noida and Gurgaon by 2010.

All said, and the enthusiasm apart, on the reality barometer India is not wholesomely football friendly. It’s not a cricket bar. It is prohibitive in cost and many of its icons may not be a popular player here. So let’s wait and watch if this sports bar sticks to its enthusiasm down the line — and of course does not succumb to showing cricket live too!

www. RadioIdli.net

By Mumbai Correspondent

It all began with an idea of starting a music band. But, when this idea was proved unworthy, a thought of starting an online platform to share and promote talents was conceptualised and eventually, tasty as it may sound, Radio Idli – today’s promising online community radio service for Konkani speaking Saraswat Community – was started in the January of 2007.

‘Couple of weeks, before we formally started out with Radio Idli,’ recalls Nagesh Pai, ‘I had used two freely available technologies – blogger and esnips – towards dedicating a song to my wife in a distinct way on the net. While Blogger helped me to create a blog instantaneously and at zilch cost, enips helped in hosting and streaming audio recordings on the blog. I had stuck on an idea which was too appealing and I couldn’t resist calling Idli House group to my home, including our star singer – Archana Kamath. We then recorded Archana’s voice on my home PC and then put it up on the blog and made it online in no time. Since then the site has been regularly updated with interactive contents and has been growing ever since. Today Radio Idli is known for promoting talents within the community.’

The Idli (talent) meets Sambar (Media)

Radio-Idli's Co-founder Nagesh Pai.

The site was promoted by the team in a simple, yet smart, way to begin with. Various related community groups on Orkut and elsewhere were mapped and regular updates were sent to them. ‘But’ says Nagesh, ‘the real break through came when the site was noticed by mass Medias like DNA and CNN-IBN’ He also acknowledges the ‘phenomenal support’ offered by community institutions like GSB Sabha Seva Mandal, GSB Sabha Kurla, GSB Sabha Matunga and even to overseas institutions like UAE Amchigele Samaaj.

To identify talents Radio Idli team incessantly communicates with community people in order to convince them to shun shyness and share their talents online. Beginning with group of friends and then through viva-voce the team managed to invite Konkani talents from around the world.

The Idli Making

Krishananand Nayak handles technical side of RadioIdli.net

It’s interesting to note that online model developed for Radio Idli is easily replicable for any group including an ethnic or a religious community. ‘The key to success, however’ says Krishnanand Nayak, ‘is deep passion and commitment towards the community. Besides that knowledge of the community and its cultural heritage is also important.’

Who pays for Idli?

Radio Idli is ‘not-for-profit’ organization. The team is, however, ‘exploring options to monetize the site without distracting from its core objective’. ‘The generated funds,’ Nagesh says, ‘would be utilized towards making the project grow and also to achieve better things.’

Currently all technical costs involved, like domain registration, hosting and maintenance, are borne by Krishnanand Nayak. ‘The radio service also receives’ Krishnanand said to Folks, ‘voluntary donations from generous members of the community, in appreciation of our efforts.’

According to Nagesh ‘We have been running Google Adsense on Radio Idli for a long time, which credits few cents to us when someone clicks it. We are, still, half way from minimum payout needed to receive our first pay check.’ He also adds, proudly, that ‘Radio Idli has also managed to host a music concert, which marked the debut of young singer Balachandra Prabhu in Mumbai. The funds for the same were raised overnight through patrons of Radio Idli spread around the world.’

And Idli Relishes

Radio Idli was recognized as the ‘first community radio’ in Mumbai which used Internet. The concept of using multimedia and online streaming for community purpose was an idea used by very few websites and Radio Idli, they claim, ‘belongs to that league.’

Radio Idli has received encouragement from coveted artist and distinguished personalities including Non-executive Chairman of ICICI Bank, and Director of Infosys Technologies, KV Kamath.