Talking with a TED Fellow- Gangadhar Patil
Staring at a computer screen surrounded by dozens of papers and smeared ink, I remember being in the process of researching the main problems surrounding the oral health care policy in India. Oceans away, the only connection I have to the population I am serving are academic journals. After hearing stories about children who have suffered and passed away from “street dentist” malpractice, I know I needed to do something. Here I am today, after six months of planning and sleepless nights, with my running nonprofit. Yet something was missing. Mr. Gangadhar Patil helped me find what was incomplete about my work; he has taught me a lesson I needed to learn to be a better leader of Muskaan.
I had the privilege of speaking with accomplished TED Fellow and President of 101 reporters (see more information about him below), Mr. Patil, who directed my efforts in helping Muskaan’s outreach. He talked about the importance of a successful and moving story- it does not necessarily what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. My generation gets so wrapped up in the celebrity world that we do not go beyond our bubbles. Mr Patil helped me to open my eyes to not only the underlying local issues, but also global problems that need attention.
My missing piece is: connection. Mr Patil taught me about the importance of not being withdrawn from the community that I am donating to. I am guilty of not being able to be close to the children we are giving toothbrushes to; but I know that to be able to better serve, I need to really immerse myself in the field. Mr. Patil challenged me to go beyond just the role of product management I have now and actively dig deeper into the communities I want to help.
Mr Patil is the perfect example of someone who has really exemplified this lesson to me. Like I mentioned before he is the CEO of 101reporters https://101reporters.com/. His company focuses on helping grassroots journalists to publish stories in mainstream brands. He recognized the discrepancies in mainstream media because no rural stories or issues are represented. So he did something about it. In fact, he said he started working when he was 20, my age. This really inspired me because he gave me a boost of confidence. Even though I am considerably younger than a lot of nonprofits working on a global scale, my work and my mission are still extremely valid.
Although Mr. Patil gave an inspiring TED talk and has countless impressive interviews, simply talking to him in conversation was incredibly helpful. Not only is he professional, but he also has a passion to tackle problems at the core. Our simple conversation was filled with so much wisdom and I could definitely tell that he is a leader. It is no surprise that he has accomplished so much and will continue to impact the world in profound ways.
I hope that one day I can be like him and truly guide Muskaan into establishing more personal connections with the children and communities it is helping. Mr Patil’s advice was invaluable and I hope to learn more from him in the future. For more information about this accomplished leader, check out https://www.ashoka.org/en-US/fellow/gangadhar-patil
