As most, if not all young people, this guy too had that unnamed restlessness, that fidgety feeling of not doing enough and there was a sense of urgency as this restlessness to do something really substantial for the society had persisted for long. There were numerous thoughts, plans, arm-chair discussions, philosophizing, preparations, entrance exams, friends, foes, books, inspirations, fights, fleeting moments of happiness/sadness which he had gone out to experiment with, in line with his desire to contribute. All this, during his illustrious career starting with IIT-Kharagpur (an undergraduate in mechanical engineering), short stint with the Tata Group, a gold medallist at IIM-Bangalore (PGDM), a stint with Indian Information Services, selection through UPSC’s CAG group Office and a stint with Amazon India, before he decided that there was a need to shape all this numbo-jumbo of various experiences/feelings into concrete, measurable action on the ground to make some change, to contribute something back to the society and in doing so grow!
With this idea floating in the background, Nishant Ojha [LinkedIn], one fine day when visiting his hometown Patna in early May, 2013, while loafing around the streets of Patna and observing the general state of affairs of people deprived of basic human needs, living on the roads and begging for survival, said to himself: enough of day-dreaming, planning & hallucinating ! Let me ACT! He just started with almost no plan but a fiery desire to act.
And what better way to start than with something which does at least a little bit for the section of society which has to fight tooth and nail even for basic needs (like food, health, education and other fundamental rights) to live with a sense of dignity.
Coupled with an earnest desire to create some positive ruckus on the ground to bridge gaps between the beneficiaries (have-nots) and providers (haves) and a strong belief on the presence of enough resources & band-width (if efficiently organized and mobilized) to bridge these huge gaps, he just started with his old school friend Saurabh ready to take the responsibility of earmarked areas in Phulwari block of Patna district, Bihar.
The start was given a name “Seva Setu” and a logo, in-line with the group’s core philosophy of acting as a “Setu” (Bridge) between providers (Government, NGOs, Societies with their plethora of welfare and development schemes which have serious implementation issues mainly because of the absence of communication, engagement & accessibility) & beneficiaries . The emphasis from the very beginning has been on “Action” and “Implementation” by being a bridge through “Communication, Awareness, and Engagement”. The policies/schemes addressing the needs of underprivileged section of society are far too many to list down, but the biggest problem has been action and implementation.
Right from giving a name and creating a logo, at every step there were more Nishants, who joined hands and the group is growing every hour, every day.
Somebody truly said “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. We promise you that first step has been taken, and a step well taken. We need many more of you to continue this difficult but truly satisfying journey.