StartupGrind Delhi today hosted Mr. Anshu Gupta (Goonj). Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs, and is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs.
The event was held in IIT Delhi. The attendees had a great session and what can be termed as 'one of the most inspirational talks' held on Startup Grind Delhi till date.
In the event, Anshu shared his success story and talked about the struggles he faced in his journey to come this far. The mindset of rural people he had to change to make them a part of GOONJ. He also told how GOONJ has brought a change in the rural people's lives by providing them full time employment and a means of livelihood through clothing.
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((A little about Anshu & GOONJ))
((GOONJ was founded in 1999 , after Anshu left his a corporate job to start the organisation.
GOONJ started the 'Not Just a Piece of Cloth' (NJPC) campaign, after the 2004 tsunami, when its Chennai centre was flooded with old, donated clothes which were usable. These clothes were disinfected, washed, and recycled into pads which were then placed in cotton bags to make sanitary napkins called "My Pads". By 2014, 2.5 million pads were distributed at nominal cost of ₹2 (3.2¢ US) to the poor who could not afford commercial sanitary pads. The campaign subsequently won the World Bank's Global Development Marketplace Award (2009) and Changemaker's Innovation Award (2009), and was LAUNCH Innovation Challenge in 2012, in "Beyond Waste" theme, which is sponsored by NASA, Nike and US Agency for International Development.
Anshu has also been felicitated with the BEST SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR AWARD OF THE YEAR.))
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His talk about that how India is actually still lagging behind in providing basic need 'cloth' to the majority and especially about the embarassing stat that around 88-90% women in our country don't even have access to sanitary pads was startling and it inspires people to do something for the community especially poor. It makes us realise it is we who have be the wheels of change, we all and not just few have to work towards making India a better place.
He also advised the listeners about how to have a clear mindset in their life, how to go about things in starting a company, how & why one should give back to the community and how not to get bogged down after one faces failure or obstacles in one's path.
His inspirational words 'You don't want to die like a cockroach' forces one to think what he/she is actually doing with their lives and highly motivates one to do something and achieve something substantial in life.
There are a lot of insights and crucial points he talked about, which is very difficult to compile or express effectively in a single article, and that one could experience it live only.
In all, one has to salute Mr. Anshu Gupta's vision and efforts in what he has done for the lives of several rural people and playing his part in making INDIA A BETTER AND HEALTHIER PLACE.
To know more about Anshu and his initiative GOONJ, visit : http://goonj.org/
Review by : Akshat Jain
(Akshat is a commerce graduate (accounts and taxation) from Kirori Mal College,
Delhi University . He loves to explore opportunities in and write about the startup
culture and also motivate and inspire people)
Delhi University . He loves to explore opportunities in and write about the startup
culture and also motivate and inspire people)
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