Making a Difference in India

Shifting power from the centre to the edges

The latest episode of the Edgy Ideas Podcast is out now. In this episode, I welcome Sudarshan Suchi and Shweta Malhotra, key figures at Bal Raksha Bharat (also known as Save the Children India). 

Sudarshan and Shweta generously share their thoughts and experiences in their leadership roles at the organisation. Their approach is inspiring and enlightening, and it aligns closely to the Eco-Leadership Institute approach. They focus on shifting power from the centre to the edges.

Their humanitarian work aims to create capacity, but not only through raising funds from external resources. They see the recipients of the aid they provide as key to creating capacity, as the children and citizens they support are full of potential that they aim to resource. They also look for long-term solutions and focus on moving away from crisis reactions and reliance on external funding, to build sustainable capacity through civic and state collaboration.

Sudarshan and Shweta discuss some of their pioneering approaches to humanitarian aid and development and what is striking is the emphasis on deep caring and holistic approaches. They have to constantly adapt to the fast-changing landscape. Key to their work is what we call LEDGE approaches - leadership from the edge, and they focus on bringing people from the edge to make their contribution heard and relevant. Whilst they face many challenges, they see their ecosystems are filled with resources. At the heart of their work is hope, fuelled by a collaborative and generous mindset.   

Sudarshan is a strong advocate of developing a learning culture in the workplace. He shares insights from Bal Raksha Bharat’s most recent annual ‘Knowledge & Learning Exchange Week’ which focussed on ‘failing intelligently’; to remove any blame culture and learn from both the successful and unsuccessful initiatives. India is a place of diversity and challenges for them, but from this podcast, you can feel the power of their hope and the energy they have to create a good society.

You can listen to the full episode here, and check out this and other episodes on our website.

I hope you enjoy!

Simon