IDEAS Insights Reflections on Social Innovation in Context: India | Page 5

I wanted to explore this idea of the Indian social entrepreneurship mindset further . Following the course , I travelled through the West of India , from the foothills of the Himalayas in Rishikesh , to the tech hubs of Bangalore . In each place I visited , I never failed to meet someone that was passionately innovating to positively impact communities . Concepts such as Jugaad innovation , which I ’ d studied in lecture theatres back in London , I witnessed first-hand .
Jugaad is a Hindi-Urdu word referring to simple , creative , and innovative solutions using limited resources . In the context of management , Jugaad ( or ‘ frugal ’) innovation in countries such as India has led to changes in product design globally , where practices adopted in the face of low resources has demonstrated efficiency yet to be found in other , more resource-abundant communities . It can be as simple as adopting solar-powered lamps to eliminate reliance on dangerous kerosene , or TATA ’ s ‘ cheapest car in the world ’. Jugaad ' s roots in India ( not only in reference to its name ) are undeniable . Authors of a book on the same subject refer to it as the Indian Way of Life : “ It is a common phenomenon observed on the streets of India … like fixing things with safety pins , turning cycles into a mobile shop of necessities , selling clothes by displaying it on the trees and many more .”
In Mumbai , the traditional notion of ‘ slums ’ is challenged through the work of Reality Tours and Travels , a social enterprise that provides experiences to locals and tourists alike , a business that has grown from initially running tours in the Dharavi slum , coordinated by residents themselves . These Dharavi tours challenge the perspectives of tourists and locals alike as to the realities of life in the slum ( home to over one million people , 20,000 businesses , and numerous communities ), which , in turn , fund social projects to support Dharavi dwellers through the profits of slum tourism .
Girl ’ s football team in Dharavi , supported by Reality Gives