In an interview with Venkatraman Ganesh

United Nations Development Programme needs no introduction. Aiming to curb poverty, diseases and hunger, UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. As a promoter of human rights and women empowerment, UNDP is a unique organization striving to make the world a better place to live in. Venkataraman Ganesh, a Humanities student pursuing Development Studies completed an internship at UNDP and talks about his experience there. Read on to know more about what UNDP does, the selection procedure, 4-star hotel stays and why techies should try this out.

Venkatraman Ganesh with IITM Director

Why UNDP?

I am a student of Development Studies. What else is better than the UN Development Programme when it comes to development studies? It is equivalent to what techies will consider their dream core internship!

How does UNDP select interns? Why do you think you were selected?

United Nations Development Programme has its website where you have to fill an application form. The form is very detailed – it includes a Statement of Purpose, your CV and your academic transcript. UNDP stores your application form in its database. When a project is available, the HR manager searches through this database using keywords and shortlists candidates. In my Statement of purpose, I wrote about why I am interested in development. I mentioned those PoRs of mine which showed my understanding about rural India. Most development work involves field work. Having lived in a city all through my life, I had to show that I had some idea about conditions in rural India. I also emphasised on my theoretical knowledge on the matter and pitched how I could utilize this to carry out field work and analyse the inputs I gather there. You should ensure that your SOP is within a page, for no one wants to read more than that.

UNDP also takes interns from many other fields. My co-intern was a programmer from IIT-BHU. They wanted him to create a database for their projects. UNDP, just like Saarang needs publicity strategists, media people etc. There are a wide variety of opportunities and people who are interested in these areas can also apply. 

Having lived in a city all through my life, I had to show how I could adapt to the conditions of a rural field work.

Which project of UNDP did you work on?

There is a scheme called Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana, which helps rural people build pucca houses. It grants them Rs. 75,000 and assistance under MNREGA for skilled labour. However, this is insufficient to build a RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) house. The villages do not have skilled masonry to work with RCC. Also, the transportation of RCC from cities incurs a lot of expenses. The UNDP and the Ministry of Rural Development are hence working on alternative construction materials and construction techniques. We try to use materials available in the neighbourhood, and indigenous building techniques (with which the locals are familiar) to build these houses. This resolves the shortcomings in labour and transportation. We send architects and designers to the field to account for these factors and the local climatic conditions and develop housing models which are viable. This project was started in 13 states which were divided into blocks and UNDP developed a comprehensive compendium of the ideas that can be implemented in each block.

What was your role in this project?

My role was based on development communication. In Jharkhand where I worked the project had reached its implementation stage. The models were ready and I had to put forth these ideas to the bureaucracy. The problem was that this idea was quite demanding for them. If it had been just concrete, all they had to do was allot the funds, but now they had to select a model which would suit their area. So, UNDP held a meeting with all the Block Development Officers, the Minister for Rural Development and the Secretary of the Ministry in Ranchi, Jharkhand. My team had to present the various models and get suggestions from the officials. We had to find out about the implementation issues which might arise, and opinions on how to carry forward. I had to prepare a concrete plan to take the idea in terms of publicity. I had to prepare separate strategies for all the stakeholders to ensure their participation. I also had to reach out to corporates to get further benefits of collaborating with them. I had to publicize the idea to gain the interest of all parties concerned and make it self-sustainable.  

How was this different from an ordinary publicity strategist?

It was mostly publicity strategizing, but it differed in the fact that it had a development angle to it. I had to account for other social factors too. For example, in some villages people belonging to lower castes have been traditionally living in mud houses. Science has shown us that mud is a good thermal insulator which keeps the house from getting too hot or cold. But if we advise them to continue using mud in their house construction, it hurts their sentiments. For them, living in a cement constructed house is a status symbol and advising them against it, makes them feel deprived of their social privileges. These were the aspects I had to bring in as a student of development studies.

Who mentored you?

I was working in the poverty unit of the UNDP headquarters in Delhi. Here I was mentored by 2 people. Mr Suneel Padale, an expert in this field with several years of field experience was one of them. He had worked in NGOs in Gujarat, before working in the UNDP. My other mentor was Mr. Yash, a youngster who too had several years of experience in this sector.

How is the working environment at UNDP?

The working environment was excellent. It was a luxurious kind of life. The UN headquarters is in Lodhi Estate , which is one the posh areas in Delhi. When I travelled to Ranchi, I was set up in 4-star hotel all by myself! Even the work was relaxed. I was given broad deadlines and there was no one to check how I do my job. There was a weekly review, where you have to show your progress.

Takeaways, lessons learned?

I learnt to think out of the box. I had to think of different ways to publicize the idea to each stakeholder. I had suggested that the PM could be involved in the publicity strategizing of alternative construction material through his Mann Ki Baat programme. So, I learnt to think of publicizing in lines of development.

I also learnt how different organisations collaborate to bring forward an idea. I had initial opinions that my project would probably involve only the Ministry of Rural Development. But I learnt how we needed varied people and agencies to make it successful. We had to involve the Ministry of Sanitation, the Ministry of Information and Broadcast, block development officials and village panchayats. All of these had to work in a cohesive manner.

What do you think of a career at UNDP?

UN selects only people with very good experience. It is prestigious to work in the UN and moreover, it pays very well. Also, the income is tax-free. You get access to different levels of government with relative ease. This is crucial in development and resource gathering. UN has an extraordinary reputation associated with it and this  makes companies prefer associating with it. So, there need not be any doubt about its lucrativeness of its  career option. However, I am not sure of the on-field experience I can expect. Initially in my career, I want to work on-field, interact with people and get a first-hand experience of their problems., I will probably not take a career at UN immediately. But maybe at a later point in my career, after I have gained sufficient exposure, I could try.

What was the best part of your internship?

The best part was the trip to Ranchi. The way the officials looked at and responded to our proposals was interesting. Some of them were interested to try new ideas in their areas, while others seemed like they had come only because they were called by the government. Their suggestions, expressions and responses were interesting to analyse and understand.

The society will benefit a lot if IITians decide to explore these areas. This kind of work is satisfying and is a way to give back to the society.

Would you suggest this internship to techies?

This a thing that techies can try out to gain a different experience. Most techies who choose non-core internship go for corporate sector. But I am pretty sure that techies have a lot to contribute to this field. There are very specific areas which require technical specialization, to make development accessible to all. The society will benefit a lot if IITians decide to explore these areas. This kind of work is satisfying and is a way to give back to the society.

Authors: Renganathan S (BT-CH ’20) & Hari Ramachandran (DD-MM ’20)

A yearly report of an about to become second year...

Before coming to IIT M, there were a lot of doubts in my mind as to whether to join this course or not, like many of you possibly do. My reservations were mainly an inability to trust myself alone, a reluctance to leave home and wanting to stay in an inertia… well, I haven’t gotten rid of the last one yet!! However, on seeing my local options and realising that they weren’t the best anyways, and on some good parental advice and counsel, I decided to cast my lot in with the Humanities department of IIT M. It has been a tremendous voyage through some rough seas of German (and French for the other half) the placid and dreamy oceans of History, the thunderstorms of Philosophy, the fast winds of Economics and many others.

I was expecting my friends to be good and they are for the most part GREAT!!! I am glad that I can call all my batchmates as friends, and for the first time in a long time I was one of many achievers… not the one of a very few!! You could compare me now to a fish being swept along with the tides and not one out of water. Many of you might be worried about the relations between the would-be engineers and us, well to say the least the relationship is one of mutual friendship and respect! Contrary to what many might think, many of the engineering folks actually are on very good terms with us, with few inter stream disputes or prejudices as such, some even say that we HS guys have our own charisma and feel and therefore , are like a breath of fresh air!!

One of the things you will have to get used to is TRASHY weather! Seriously Chennai’s climate makes you feel like you are in hell, being baked in an oven with steam pressure close to a 100%, and the recent lack of rain doesn’t help matters much either!! It made me believe that Mysore and Bengaluru were heaven, frankly!! (they were my hometowns, afterall ;) )

The outside of Chennai has a spectrum of aroma ranging from sewage to steaming masala dosa! In the IIT campus, however, it is quite pleasant – even the weather maintains a sense of moderation.

A truly good thing about Chennai id the MRTS (the metro)! It's almost comparable to the Old Faithful - practical to an astonishing degree, so much so that any other modes of transportation feel redundant! From the railway station, you can reach IITM by a few methods, but the MRTS is the fastest and the most convenient, by far and saves you a lot of hassle. It enabled me easy access via two stations -  Taramani and Kasturba. It's also the most feasible option for backpackers planning to go city hunting.

The professors who I met, have been better than any of the others who had taught me thus far. They have varied teaching styles and unique methods . The tid bits of wisdom I got from here is certainly a more mature view of the subjects I was taught in earlier classes as well as one that  helps in broadening my perspective.

Until now , I had no particular political opinion, but after coming , came to realise it is good and fine to have one. Which brings me to my final source of sorrow… the insane number of Malayalis!! I have nothing against them, but when you are surrounded by them in the department, you might feel quite like an outsider initially! With a lot of chatter out of the class being Malayalam, it can drive someone like me crazy, not being able to make out the head or tail of the chatter. Add to that, even many of the profs are Malayalis, making you feel like being in IIT Malayalis rather than IIT Madras , but once you get used to them , they make you feel quite welcome (which is rather soon)and can prove to be great friends.

Finally , it isn’t all academics here , you get to do a lot of stuff outside of the department too. The extra curricular activities I found here were quite good and competitive. I am a football fan , and the football scene here is amazing with fans of all kinds jostling for space. I took part in the NSO Football team (National Sports Organisation)  and the standards are high with a lot of emphasis placed on physical fitness , as well as skill with the ball. Adding the institute wide NSO is our own department based football tournament, which is an excellent event.

The department has all sorts of sports fanatics, so you won’t be missing out on much, if that is your worry.

All in all, I have felt at home in the department, and found it to be a great place for academics . I am sure all of you freshies and potential future freshies will find it to be the same too. Looking forward to meeting all of you, someday.

Simha.Y.N