vijay

The World Bank’s latest report on India’s dramatic decline in poverty has, predictably, attracted both bouquets from optimists & brickbats from skeptics. Interestingly, even Kalshi, the US prediction market exchange, seems to have found the news worth covering! For me, the numbers offer enormous hope. But 2.6% of 1.4 billion people still means roughly 36 million people living in extreme poverty. More than the entire population of Australia. Clearly, miles to go before we sleep. But let me turn from the cold statistics to the flesh & blood reality of fighting poverty. Yesterday, the Naandi Foundation celebrated its 28th anniversary. Naandi was the brainchild of Shri Chandrababu Naidu, @ncbn, who persuaded the late Dr. K. Anji Reddy of @drreddys to become its founding Chairman. Dr. Reddy brought me on board & before his passing, entrusted me with carrying his work forward. Throughout this journey, @manoj_naandi has provided irrepressibly energetic & imaginative leadership, backed by an extraordinary team. It has been a privilege to work alongside them. I owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for giving me such a meaningful way to give back to our country. Our work through @NanhiKali @arakucoffeein @arakucoffee @UFCo_India & @NaandiWater has brought me a degree of fulfilment that is difficult to put into words. But enough from me. Please watch this short video. Listen to farmers describing how regenerative farming has brought them not just prosperity, but birdsong back to their villages! Listen to young women who now dream not merely of earning a livelihood, but of seeing one of their own playing for India’s national women’s football team. Because poverty is not just about the absence of income. It is also about the absence of opportunity. Of confidence. Of the freedom to dream. And that is what we are determined to change. So while the debate over the World Bank’s statistics continues, my #MondayMotivation comes from something far more tangible. Half a million people lifted out of poverty. The lives of 10 million people touched & improved. And Naandi is just one among many organisations that have been quietly transforming lives across India. The World Bank report is data. The change is real. And that is why my faith in India’s future has never been stronger.