Visiting Kiosks in Panipat

"Connecting India Village by Village" is the Drishtee slogan and I got to see it for myself yesterday. Along with staff and other interns, I visited two computer kiosks near Panipat in Haryana. After hours of beeps and bumps, we arrived at the first kiosk. Like in rural Africa, these villages are extremely difficult to get to! And, for the first time since arriving in India, it was actually quiet. Weird.

Krishan, the Drishtee entrepreneur, showed us his shop. In a small concrete building, he has two computers, a printer and a small photo studio, complete with fancy lights. He offers the typical Drishtee services but computer classes and digital photography are his specialty. Thanks to renovations, his storefront looks very professional but has cut into his profits. To survive, he and his brothers also earn income through agriculture. Along with a beaming smile, Krishan impressed us with his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to learn (and earn) more.
Here is a snapshot from Davender's kiosk, the second visit. Davender is sitting in the back in the middle. He is a 22 year old Drishtee entrepreneur who teaches computer classes. The three boys in the front are current students who ably demonstrated how to use Microsoft Office. They were also very excited about Microsoft Paint - they drew a Indian flag for us.

In addition to teaching 10 students about computers, Davender sells auto batteries, battery-powered lights and mobile phone recharges. He especially enjoys teaching and wishes he could learn more about computers so he could offer higher-level classes. Davender also keeps it in the family - his dad helped him start the business and the kiosk itself is located in the basement. Because he does not have to pay rent, Davender does earn enough to sustain himself...and a potential family. He is single and looking...
Throughout the day I was impressed with how welcoming the communities were. Like this boy (who was clearly amused with us!), many of people we encountered were friendly and helpful. They also made me realize that family and community are very important components of this business.

By visiting the kiosks, I received a unique glimpse of how people live. Though these two villages felt remote to me, things are getting better all the time. There is concrete everywhere - which means that permanent houses are being built. There were electricity and cell phone towers. And there was even a bit of traffic, though most was caused by large herds of water buffalo. The irony is that these things - concrete, cell phone towers, congestion - are all things that we detest in the West. Maybe we should not always take them for granted.