Anil K. Gupta
Honey Bee magazine – India
Anil K. Gupta is an Indian scholar and pioneer in the area of grassroots innovations. He is the founder of the Honey Bee Network, now in it’s 28th year. He is also a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. His contribution includes documenting people’s knowledge with the help of teams of volunteers spread across India. He helps grassroots innovators and communities build on their knowledge systems by providing help in filing patents, promoting scientific validation of these innovations by involving government scientific institutes and private individuals and bodies, and facilitating tie-ups with entrepreneurs and industrial groups.
Gupta is known for crafting innovative courses for students at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. One of his most popular courses included shodh yatra (meaning ‘research walk’), under which he took management students to different parts of the country to learn from local communities and study their knowledge systems. This course was derived from his larger concept of walking through the length and breadth of the country, interacting with farmers, traditional knowledge holders, grassroots innovators, innovative students, etc., which he named shodh yatra. It started in May 1998 in the western Indian province of Gujarat.
Upon finishing his bachelor’s degree (Hons) in Agriculture, he went on to complete his Masters in Sciences (Biochemical Genetics). He is now retired as a full-time professor. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004 for his contributions to management education. His primary focus is on ensuring recognition, respect, and reward for grassroots inventors, and protection of their Intellectual Property rights. His other research interests include the amalgamation of formal and informal science, ethical issues in conservation, and the prosperity of biodiversity. Every summer and winter for more than twelve years, he has spent more than a week walking approximately 6000 km across India to learn from grassroots teachers. He is a Coordinator of SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiative for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions). Since 2011, he is an advisor on issues pertaining to innovation, environment, and sustainability to Fair Observer, an online magazine covering global issues.
“Is experience worth one year, multiplied by ten years, good?’ He meant that if we could do the same thing repeatedly, for a long period of time, we don’t necessarily become wiser at it or in general.”
Websites:
1) http://www.honeybee.org/
2) http://www.sristi.org/hbnew/
Video1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1KiaMz3mJo
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bKUzQSK3kQ
Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-8ie1f8b7I
Video 4: TED Talk
