I had heard about Dr. Ravi Chopra and his great work for many years from his niece Archana Uppal who is a Connecticut resident. Yet I was quite taken back when I actually came face to face with this man, fellow IIT Bombay alum who has used technology to bring about sustainable development to many areas in India. His traditional outfit and his radiant face would be something one would expect to see when you meet a Holy man rather than on a technologist.  Yet this is the man who, along with his American born wife Jo McGowan went to India - when it was not quite fashionable to do so - and pioneered great concepts in the arena of using technology for sustainable development that has become a model for others to follow.

Why did he decide to move back to India instead of pursuing a financially rewarding career in the US which was easily accessible to a PhD graduate of the prestigious Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ?
“Since my childhood I always had a dream to do things to transform India. I was greatly influenced by my mother’s uncle who was a freedom fighter and later a Member of Parliament. He was an idealist and despite holding high positions he was extremely simple and very gentle. I saw him in action and was able to learn how to help people in need.

My other major source of inspiration was Lal Bahadur Shastri. I was an undergraduate at IIT Bombay when food scarcity was a huge issue for India. Shastri asked that we miss one meal a week so that we can donate those grains to the poor. We did that and planted a garden at IIT to grow our own vegetables.  Later under family pressure I went to the United Sates and did my PhD. After completion of my PhD , I came back to fulfill my desire to work in India’ says Chopra.

During his ten years at Hoboken (1968-1978) Chopra organized the U.S. east coast chapters for San Francisco area based FREA (Front for Rapid Economic Advancement of India) and ICA (Indians for Collective Action). Also, during the State of Emergency in India (1975-1977) he played in key role in organizing a 120 mile “March for Human Rights in India”. During the march he met his future wife Jo McGowen who was also marching to support another cause.

Jo and Ravi moved to India where he worked with the New Delhi based Center for Science and Environment which resulted in a landmark publication “The State of Indians Environment  - A Citizens’ Report”. This work convinced him about the need for community-directed research initiatives on environmental quality monitoring by credibale, no-governmental organizations. Chopra founded  the People’s Science Institute in 1988 in Dehra Doon. What was the motivation for that?

“My vocation is to use my background science and technology in service of the poor. The mission of PSI is to help eradicate poverty through empowerment of the poor and the productive, sustainable and equitable use of available human and natural resources.  We provide technical and managerial support to communities and organizations that work with us. We implement development programs and undertake public interest research” says Chopra.

What is public interest research? Are not government research organizations doing research to solve the problems of India? “The idea of public interest research is that any citizen can bring a problem to us and our staff, which is well trained in science and technology, will use their skills to analyze the problem. We want to demystify science and technology for the common man.
The Bhopal Gas tragedy brought this need to the forefront. When people where question whether they were exposed to dangerous chemicals like Phosgene, Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) etc, there was no place they could go to get tested. The government was putting some censorship in place. I decided that we need a research center where the common man can come in and get their questions answered. We were able to test hair to understand the exposure issue.  Thus government institutions are not free from the politicians and hence they are always not the right place for this kind of research” says Chopra.

How does the PSI pick its problems and implement sustainable development? “We believe that research, communication training and development are key steps in promoting self reliant development. We let people identify the problem and PSI works with them to analyze it. Possible solutions are researched and the results discussed. Local people are organized into village-level institutions. They are trained to implement consensual development solutions. PSI provides technical and managerial support during implementation and outcomes are periodically reviewed” says Chopra.

What are some of the important projects they have worked on? “PSI is known of its pioneering work in the fields of community-led watershed development, environmental quality monitoring and disaster-safe housing”, says Chopra.

Chopra studies of the water scarcity issue in the Himalayan region has revealed several eye opening facts and has paved the way for some very simple and cost effective solutions.  Traditionally, local communities in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh harvested rainwater in a variety of structures – Naulas, Baoris, Kunds, Dharas, Khals, Chaals, Panihars, Khatris and Charerudus and husbanded it wisely to meet their year round needs.  British administrators systematically replaced community management of natural resources with State management.  

“Sanskars (religious precepts and teachings), Sanskriti (culture and customary practices) and Niti (state policy and administration) were the bases of the longevity of these structures. Sanskars that sanctified water evolved over time. Sanskriti gave a practical form to the Sanskars. Ancient texts emphasized the interdependence of water, forests, land and biota. Mountain communities followed them and evolved integrated approaches to natural resource management to ensure the sustainability of water resources. The British centralized management with different departments for forest, land and water alienated the communities from their resource base and eroded the related Sanskars and Sanskriti causing a disaster in water management” says Chopra.  PSI’s Jal Sankriti program has worked on reviving traditional water harvesting structures. The movement has met with great excitement and many groups are working actively to renovate traditional naulas.

What can NRIs do to help with his work? “I would recommend that people come to India and see our work.  Unless you see what we do you cannot become personally invested in it” says Chopra.
Does he feel confident that India will be able to bring about sustainable development and be transformed? “There is no question in my mind that we will succeed and soon we will become a super power” says Chopra.
To learn more about PSI check out http://www.peoplesscienceinstitute.com/.

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