An electrical engineer-turned- social activist, Micheal has been living in Juna Mozda, a tribal village in Gujarat, India for the last 14 years. An enthusiast in the field of alternative technology and renewable energy, Michael has been working with the tribes for a sustainable lifestyle, on alternative technology. He was one of the key participants in the pedal power project funded by AID (
http://www.aidindia.org/projects/illus/pedal.html) and has been instrumental in erecting a 1200 watt windmill that brings light to 40 homes in Mozda for five hours daily (
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=71685). He is the recipient of the 2002 Rural Development award given by the Development Support Center in Ahmedabad for his work in watershed management.
Michael and his wife Swati Desai are founders of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS), an organization fightining against environmenral and pollution in the Industrial estates in Gujrat PSS. They actively campaign against industrial pollution in Gujarat by conducting investigations involving scientists and experts for technical guidance and site inspections, by initiating dialogues with concerned industries and government regulatory authorities and by occasionally supporting public interest litigations
Michael is involved in the struggle against the eviction of forest tribes from their homelands where they have been living for centuries. He organizes various village-level and state-level meetings to network with local groups to campaign the fight for the forest lands. In Mozda, Michael and Swati have been involved in
- Soil and water conservation (watershed management)
- Organizing a women's co-operative to
- Process organically grown pigeon peas (tur, arhar) to make dal
- Run a savings program
- Run a small dairy of indigenous breed cows
- Primary health care on a small scale
- Training local youth to carry out the above activities
Members of the PSS have made a conscious effort not to start new activities by themselves but to motivate the villagers to initiate discussions among themselves to find solutions to their everyday problems.
Since 1998, Association for India’s Development (AID) has recognized his outstanding contribution to the community. Michael's commitment, organizational abilities and his anti-communal stand are crucial to furthering AID's education in various developmental issues. Michael and Swati were recently elected as AID Saathis. Michael's talk will be tailored to the interests of the audience. Please make use of this excellent opportunity and participate in what promises to be an interesting discussion.
