Reaching for the stars
Young kids, aged between nine and 10 years, make a beeline at a government school in Karnataka. The excitement is worth the wait as they enter a huge, inflated dome-like structure for a number of immersive experiences in outer space. It could be a journey to NASA’s fleet of planets like Mars, or maybe the Moon, or go back in time to the place and day when they were born.
Taare Zameen Par (TZP), a digital mobile planetarium, is offering such cosmic experiences to children from Lower KG to Class 12 in rural or remote areas of India. “We call it the last-mile portable service,” says Dinesh Badagandi, founder and CEO of Bengaluru-based Varnaaz Technologies, the startup behind TZP.
It all started in 2018 when Badagandi switched from his two-decade-long IT/ corporate career to start the social enterprise in Bengaluru. While travelling to Europe, he was surprised to see the massive utilisation of technology and outreach programmes for rural kids, including mobile planetariums and museums.
“Until two years ago, there were only 10 planetariums; now, the number has reached almost 30 in India, including the Nehru Planetarium and National Science Centre, both in New Delhi. They are mostly located in metro cities, but none in rural areas. I replicated them for rural children and areas where there is hardly any Internet connectivity or the literacy levels are very low,” he says.
What most kids learn in theory, Badagandi wanted to adopt a practical approach to make it fun. TZP has managed to reach 1.4 million students in India with 12 planetariums and five science labs as of now.
“My goal is to reach six crore (60 million) students in five years because in the next 20 years, every industry will look at India. We need to bring more rural kids into the mainstream,” he says.
Badagandi had set up a pilot project in government schools in Karnataka in 2017, after which he was awarded a cash prize of Rs 30 lakh by the government of Karnataka under an initiative called ELEVATE 100, for startups, besides funding from TVS Group and Kalaari Capital, among others. In 2022, the enterprise won another grant of Rs 30 lakh. It has so far invested over Rs 1 crore and is now a profit-making venture. The revenue is generated via sale of mobile planetariums, science labs, exhibits and anatomy kits. “From a rental model charging Rs 35,000 per day to private schools plus out-of-pocket expenses, in a day, we can cover around 500 students. For both government and private schools, the charge per child ranges from Rs 80 to Rs 100. For CSRs, we run a year-long activity programme called ‘Spark of Curiosity’ with schools through CSR funds,” he says.
With expansion plan on the cards, in states like Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, the planetariums are currently travelling within Karnataka and Arunachal Pradesh.
Four mobile science labs are also a part of Indian Army’s ‘Operation Sadbhavana’ in Jammu & Kashmir for the benefit of students in Leh’s Changthang region near China border. A lab on wheels, the mobile science lab is a fully customised vehicle carrying innovative science kits that takes students through the basics of astronomy. It also conducts demonstration of applied science, human anatomy, heritage and culture, and shows related to STEM learning.
Taare Zameen Par
STARTED IN: 2018
WHAT IT DOES: Offers cosmic experiences to kids in rural/ remote areas through digital mobile planetariums
WHAT IT AIMS FOR: To reach 60 million students in 5 years
On a literary trail
In a new-age digital world of WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter or Kindle, Prafulla Wankhede has decided to take the traditional path. Providing books on wheels, the idea to start Let’s Read India (LRF), a foundation based in Mumbai, was to recreate the magic of physical mobile libraries.
How does it work? The library has been set up on a mobile van and parked in one corner of a rural area. When a reader comes for books, they are told to submit a 300-word review about a book in order to claim a second one. “Our objective is to ensure that they also read the book,” says Wankhede, founder-trustee of Let’s Read India.
While this service, especially in the rural areas, will inculcate the habit of reading, according to Wankhede, the reading culture should be a part of our lives. Before embarking on this idea, Wankhede, through a survey in 2018 in Maharashtra, found out that serious books were being read only by those above the age of 40 years, while others were using social media or were merely interested in politics. “Though our research and analysis came from social media, we also found out that the Internet and social media had almost killed the physical reading habit. The fact that the reading culture prevailed but was diminishing, books on van could rekindle the habit,” he says.
LRF was started in 2019 with vans travelling to rural areas in Thane and Raigarh districts of Maharashtra. From a few hundreds to more than 35,000 users today, the vans house books on a variety of subjects.
“Our reader base comprises kids who want to opt for an academic career. We also have fiction books which are mostly read by senior citizens,” he says. As of now, there are 4 lakh books, of which a lakh was purchased by the foundation. Many titles are also donated from time to time, he adds.
Other activities like recitation of poems on social media, audio books and podcasts are promoted for people associated with LRF. “We had organised an essay competition last year that received 3,000 entries. Now, we are compiling them into a book,” says Wankhede.
The books can be procured from the LRF website and app, and a QR code for each book helps them to identify the location of the books and the mobile library, which makes it always accessible. Now, LRF has three mobile vans, more than 70 libraries in rural areas of Maharashtra and are coming up with 100 more by the end of the year.
“We are doing a combination of physical and mobile libraries as one van can accommodate over 6,000 books and the expense per van is close to Rs 40,000 per month. The vans travel from the R&D centre in Nerul to reach people in Navi Mumbai, Thane in Maharashtra, and complete a journey of 70-80 km every day. Apart from visiting places like Belapur, Thane and Beed, we have to pay for expenses of librarians, fuel and books, at times. The idea is not to have any commercial gain. Even if 10% of youngsters read and find their career path by reading our books, the mission is accomplished,” he says. But sometimes, LRF gets irrelevant books, or many people donate after clearance. “Even if it is old, we take it because it could be relevant for students,” he adds.
Let’s Read India
STARTED IN: 2019
WHAT IT DOES: Recreates the magic of physical mobile libraries, inculcate reading habit among the masses
WHAT IT AIMS FOR: With three mobile vans and 70 physical libraries in rural areas of Maharashtra, it is coming up with 100 more across India by year-end
Eating with dignity
“You are cordially invited to have lunch with us tomorrow,” reads the invitation card delivered to nearby shantytowns in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Some hide their face in contentment, others smile ear to ear. It’s a feast for the slum-dwellers and the needy with modern-day meals served on wheels. The mobile truck comes with disposable plates, bowls and delicious home-cooked meals like chhole-kulche, dosa, burger and gulab jamuns, among others.
Manjulaben Kamdar started serving the needy in 2003, which continued till she passed away in 2008. She used to distribute clothes, shoes and food among the poor in Ahmedabad and serve society saying, “no one should sleep hungry”. Today, the legacy lives on in the form of a committed food truck invested by her son Mayur Kamdar, a businessman, and his wife, a homemaker, Pranali Kamdar, called Manjuba nu Rasodu.
This kitchen on wheels now serves 1,000 people every day in 66 locations around Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The idea is to serve food that they cannot afford to buy and let them ‘eat with dignity’. This feeling of equality to all needy/unprivileged community people by inviting them to have fresh hot food at their doorstep is unique to the food truck. There is a count to the number of plates so that there is no wastage and insecurity of not getting any food.
“We send a pre-invite to the residents of the slums so that they don’t have to wait in queues. They should also not feel guilty. It is like they have been invited for a wedding feast. The food truck is parked in the vicinity where they are served fresh, hot and hygienic meals free of cost. We select a different slum almost every day and announce it to the slum-dwellers a day before so that they are prepared and no rush or fuss is created,” says Mayur Kamdar.
A mini kitchen inside the truck has a pre-installed pantry and kitchen to cook meals and the catering staff is trained in home-style cooking. The pandemic halted the venture for some months, but from September 2021 till date, Manjuba nu Rasodu has served 3,60,000 people in Ahmedabad, claims Kamdar.
“Our aim is to work towards making a fulfilling meal every day for the needy,” says the 60-year-old owner of the food truck.
The couple spend about Rs 30,000- 40,000 per day, depending on the slum population. They have hired a servicing staff of 30 members, besides two supporting cars for logistics and operations.
“Last year, we spent Rs 1.78 crore and got donor requests for food to be served on special occasions such as birthdays, death anniversaries, Diwali charity treats,” he says.
By not taking desperate steps for funding or donations, Kamdar is satisfied with an initial funding of Rs 1.3 crore in 2021 and has now started getting requests for donations.
“We have managed to collect Rs 42 lakh from interested people. We charge our donors Rs 45, which is the caterer charge per meal for special occasions. We don’t want to rush into expanding this effort but plan to start serving 1,500 people every day by the end of the year, irrespective of donors. But we make it mandatory for donors to come and serve,” adds Kamdar.
Manjuba nu Rasodu
STARTED IN: 2003
WHAT IT DOES: Serves 1,000 people every day in 66 locations around Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar through a kitchen on wheels
WHAT IT AIMS FOR: Start serving 1,500 people every day by the end of the year
Serving with pride
You cannot miss the colours of the rainbow and a post in striking yellow on the food truck parked at WeWork Galaxy, Residency Road, Bengaluru. It says ‘Fun, Flavours and Freedom’. The menu is priceless and so is the smile of the service staffer who has a host of dishes on the menu— poha, French toast, sandwiches, roti, dal makhani and a red velvet cake as a special treat for Valentine’s Day earlier this year.
“It’s time to bond over food and show some love,” says Shubha Chacko, who runs the Pride Café in Bengaluru, a food truck managed by the LGBTQIA+ community. The idea is unique as it is an exclusively serviced truck to provide employment and visibility to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, she adds.
“The food truck can actually help people understand the idea of gender inclusivity,” says Chacko, the executive director at Solidarity Foundation that initiated this pilot project early this year in partnership with WeWork, Amadeus and Agape Hospitality Consultants.
While the Solidarity Foundation provides support to sex workers and sexual minorities by building leadership, supporting livelihood initiatives and strengthening community organisations, Chacko feels the need to create an inclusive society can help the community participate in an enterprise/initiative like in the hospitality industry. “This will endeavour to increase their income, possibly pave the way for building sustainable businesses in the future and have a positive impact on their quality of life,” she says.
Currently, Chacko has one café in Bengaluru, but plans to cover other cities, including tier 2, in the coming years. “We have invested close to Rs 40 lakh to launch and start operations of two trucks. We are fabricating two more trucks and are looking for safe locations to park and run them,”
she adds.
Creating a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQIA+ community in the city, the café is not just about offering breakfast, lunch and snacks to those working and passing by the area, but also about engaging members to learn skills and management, and in other allied events and activities, train and place members in the hospitality sector and start producing food products.
“We look to upturn traditional notions about the LGBTQIA+ community. They will cease to be victims and instead become agents of change—of their lives and those around them. Employees can also be trained in skills related to mental health care and hospitality. We also plan to increase the number of trucks and services from our cloud kitchen. This, in turn, demands skilling and employment of members from the community making them economically stable. Increasing the number of trucks will also give more visibility to the notion of an economically stable LGBTQIA+ community, thus changing the narrative,” she says.
Currently, there are over 14 community members trained for the kitchen and the truck. Two non-community members work as professional head chefs to train and anchor the operations. The café expects a sale of over Rs 85 lakh this year and Rs 1.18 crore next year.
Pride Café
STARTED IN: 2023
WHAT IT DOES: A food truck managed by the LGBTQIA+ community to offer employment and visibility to its members
WHAT IT AIMS FOR: With one café in Bengaluru at present, it plans to cover other states in coming years
A reel deal
‘How’s the josh?’ goes one dialogue from the film Uri: The Surgical Strike in 2019 that inspired many Indians. In fact, the film was a resounding success at the box office and earned adulations even from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The enthusiasm still continues in the suburbs of Mumbai—Chembur, Worli and Kurla—because the movie is being played at an Aadhaar update and modification camp organised by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
“The footfall is quite decent in such camps as people come to update Aadhaar and watch the movie played in the background on the big TV screen. It’s a dual-purpose activity, and there is a kiosk to facilitate Aadhaar services to anyone who walks in. It attracts people to come to update their cards and even get entertained,” says Pradeep Shetty, COO of UFO Moviez.
UFO Moviez has a team of over 40 dedicated personnel who acquire film rights both for UFO Moviez and Caravan Talkies, a mobile van that runs the movie-on-wheels concept wherein popular films are shown free of cost. Caravan Talkies is not just a synergetic business initiative that leverages on the strengths of UFO to access movie content, but the mobile LED screen-fitted vans are used for branding exercise for Dabur, Cadbury’s, Hero Honda, Pepsi, ITC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and more for audio announcements, digital distribution and advertising campaigns or simply watching movies on wheels, to target audiences in low-screen-density areas in the rural and media-dark areas. “Cinema is very impactful in our society, and most people relate to and prefer this form of entertainment especially the small towns that have limited television penetration or do not have avenues for entertainment,” says Shetty.
UFO Moviez started Caravan Talkies in 2015. The caravans are equipped with an LED screen and sound systems, and do not come with in-built seats. It currently operates 114 caravans across over 40,000 villages in states like UP, MP, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, to name a few. With 55 LED and 59 non-LED screens, the vans are a modified TATA 407 equipped with V-SAT, HD digital cinema server, audio announcement, generator, camera, UPS and more.
“This has also empowered rural advertisement by creating high brand and activation recall. By identifying villages where cinema penetration is low, mapping various circuits in the country, it allows media penetration where promoting products via traditional mediums to rural consumers is challenging,” adds Shetty.
Even if the show is free-of-cost, Shetty tells us there is a massive investment in the infrastructure like LED, generators, UPS batteries, equipment that can cost anywhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh per van.
But along with the open-air screenings and 360-degree brand activation, the vans are also GPS enabled for tracking, to tap the number of villages where the activity is conducted. Shetty quotes a recent example of BookASmile, the charity initiative of BookMyShow, through which more than 72,000 men, women and children in over 350 villages watched popular regional movies such as Bhirkit (Marathi), KGF: Chapter 2 (Hindi), Lekh (Punjabi), Tu Mora OK (Odia), My Dear Bootham (Tamil), Malayankunju (Malayalam) and Acharya (Telugu) in a specially-curated open-air setup.
Caravan Talkies
STARTED IN: 2015
WHAT IT DOES: A mobile van that runs the movie-on-wheels concept for branding exercises, digital distribution, advertising campaigns in low-screen-density and media-dark areas
WHAT IT AIMS FOR: Currently operating 114 caravans across 40,000 villages, Caravan Talkies plans to add more such units in the near future
