Do we really know how NGOs work? What kind of an impact they can create? How does an NGO drive a 100 Crore uplift in incomes of street-side ironing vendors? How do they integrate into already existing social, economic, and institutional ecosystems? Should you work for an NGO? What can a young professional look forward to while working at an NGO?There are so many questions that can help change the narrative in India around NGOs. In this episode of "The Thing With This One Is" Krishnan Ranganathan joins Ram Deshpande to bust myths about NGOs. Krishnan is the co-founder and Director of Udhyam Learning Foundation, an NGO active in India. Together, Krishnan and Ram navigate some of the most important and often misunderstood questions surrounding the non-profit and development sector, offering clarity on how NGOs actually function, collaborate, and create sustainable change.Krishnan dives deep into the tremendously successful Istri project, which created an estimated income uplift of ~₹100 Cr over the last six years. Thousands of ironing vendors have benefitted by switching to LPG powered iron-boxes with the help of Udhyam. This project is symbolic of the deep insight-driven work taken up and executed with precision by Udhyam Vyapaar. The commitment to cause is evident in this discussion.Chapters

0:00 Sneak Peek and Intro

01:54 Montage of images showcasing Krishnan's work at Udhyam

02:48 Getting to know Krishnan Ranganathan, the co-founder and Director of Udhyam Learning Foundation

07:25 How a D in Maths in college triggered a desire to improve education

11:29 What is Udhyam NGO? What programs does it run?

16:25 Udhyam is spread all over India with a variety of people across domains

20:04 The thing with how NGOs are perceived by the GenZ

22:51 How ironing vendors replaced coal with LPG; small scale change for big scale impact

27:32 The thing with funding for Udhyam - HNIs and CSR

31:20 Breakdown of micro costing for Ironing in the Istri project - 10X impact

34:55 Scaling up Istri Project with the involvement of petroleum companies and gas agencies

36:32 Urban vs. Rural - how Udhyam helps nano entrepreneurs in smaller cities

41:10 Approach and integration at the ground level

42:55 Outcome focused decision making and consequent impact on emotions of the people involved

46:50 Depth and scalability of NGOs - Potential for large scale impact in India

49:00 Jholaawaala NGO types get a salary! Breaking the social stigmas and busting myths about NGOs

52:48 The thing with professional growth within an NGO

57:01 Why should young people join Udhyam or an NGO career? The thing with a real reward

58:53 Does Krishnan know the best dry-cleaner in Bengaluru? How does Udhyam scale a project?

1:01:15 The one last thing to talk about

1:03:00 Outro

Beyond the Istri project, this conversation also explores how impactful NGOs operate within existing ecosystems, working alongside communities, governments, private institutions, and other stakeholders rather than replacing them. It examines the balance between empathy and efficiency, intention and execution, funding and accountability.

Krishnan has also busted some common myths about working with NGOs, the challenges, the rewards, the thought process behind taking up causes, the phenomenal potential of India, and above all how careers get shaped when people get involved with this work at an early age.

The creators of this podcast hope that this conversation encourages a shift from passive consumption of information to informed participation. A sincere hope is that listeners are inspired to rethink the way they engage with organisations that are creating real impact.

Follow Udhyam

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/udhyam-learning-foundation/

X: https://x.com/UdhyamOrg

X: https://x.com/UdhyamVyapaar

Credits

Guest: Krishnan Ranganathan

Host: Ram Deshpande

Photographed, Edited, and Directed by: Kedar Gavane

Location: Udhyam Learning Foundation

How do brands succeed online? Are large online marketplaces helping small brands? How does the online trade work? What are the margins like? How does marketing work on shopping portals? How does an unknown product like a chopper suddenly become a bestseller? How does a new entrepreneur establish her online business? To answer these and many more questions, Indira Raman and Manesh Mahatme joined “The Thing With This One Is” podcast with Ram Deshpande. Indira is the founder of The Yard House, a unique brand selling premium table linen and other home furnishing products online. Indira previously worked with Flipkart. Manesh is a former senior executive from Amazon. Both Indira and Manesh are e-commerce veterans. They joined Ram Deshpande, an ex-Snapdeal executive, to discuss the nuances of e-commerce in India. Between them, they have a wealth of experience that can help brands that are trying to start or sustain or grow their online business. This episode of “The Thing With This One Is” brings both perspectives: one that of the online seller and another of the marketplace. The discussion covers all aspects of e-commerce including topics related to online branding, customer acquisition, marketing, growth, margins, fulfilment, sales, discounts, and more.E-commerce has evolved over the past decade or so in India: earlier a novelty it is now mainstream; started with books is now providing pretty much everything; back then an experiment for some is now the primary business for many an entrepreneur; diluting a brand earlier, now the birthplace of many innovative brands. But, the share of online commerce in overall retail in India is still in single digit %ages. The noise about e-commerce is a lot louder because the growth is massive and rapid. This growth can be seen from the eyes of a seller brand (The Yard House) and also from the eyes of the marketplace (Amazon). This podcast provides both these viewpoints. We also discuss the newest trend of quick commerce. Is it here to stay or is it a passing fad?If you are a seller or want to be one, this podcast will teach you about how to get started, how to build and then how to sustain your business. If you are a customer who shops online, this podcast will give you a peek into what goes on behind the scenes. In addition to the discussion on e-commerce, there is a “very interesting demo” of the table linen we used at the office of the Yard House. Do watch till the end!Episode 7 creditsGuest: Indira Raman and Manesh MahatmeHost: Ram Deshpande Photographed, Edited, and Directed by: Kedar Gavane Title concept and music created by: Ram Deshpande Location: The Yard House, Bengaluru

Vikram Rai joined “The Thing With This One Is” podcast with Ram Deshpande. Vikram is the President of Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF). He also has his own healthtech startup called Vitor Health. In this episode, we focused on Vikram’s work with the BAF.

Urban living in India has transformed over the last couple of decades. Whether we live in apartments or independent houses, there is a sharing of resources that happens. That leads to rules and regulations, which when are flouted there are conflicts. Most places have Resident Welfare Associations or RWAs or societies to take care of these conflicts and ensure a proper living environment. In Bengaluru, all these RWAs have an umbrella body which is the Bengaluru Apartments Federation, led by Vikram.

In this podcast, Vikram has described how BAF

- began and grew on the back of citizens’ agitations

- is not just about agitations though but effectively represents residents’ concern and solves the problems by collaborating with the government, civic bodies, and other entities

- has handled multiple issues in the past and what its current focus areas are

- is also a ready resource for all information needed for better urban living. This includesresources on a range of topics including rooftop solar, water connection, STPs, common area electricity, fire safety, workers training, and many more. Everything is available on BAF’s website and its app.

While many serious topics have been addressed by Vikram, funny yet important topics emanating from RWA or society WhatsApp groups have also been discussed. No topic is off limit. Pets, lifts, parking, business promotions, and many others.

BAF is an excellent example for other cities to follow. Vikramand others at BAF are available to share their expertise with folks from othercities.

Follow Vikram Rai:

X - https://x.com/raizerius

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raizerius/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raivikram/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rai.vikram/

Follow Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF)

YouTube Page : https://www.youtube.com/bafbangalore

Insta Handle : https://www.instagram.com/bafbangalore/

X Handle : https://x.com/bafblr

FB Page :https://www.facebook.com/BangaloreApartmentsFederation/

LinkedIn Page :https://www.linkedin.com/company/bangalore-apartments-federation/

🔔 Don’t forget to like,subscribe, and hit the bell icon to stay updated on all our future episodesfeaturing thought leaders, creators, and industry experts.

Chapters

00:00Intro and sneak peek

04:40 Podcast starts

07:30 How was the Bangalore Apartments Federation formed

14:18 How BAF grew as an umbrella body representing interestsof lakhs of people

19:30 The thing about ‘every vote matters’

21:33 The people of BAF, their corporate professionalapproach, and the structure of BAF

29:45 The thing with Bengaluru

32:58 BAF has an app and it has a lot of useful information

34:22 BAF’s work with Horticultural Producers' CooperativeMarketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMs)

36:43 BAF’s multiple programs – teaching Kannada, MoU withtraffic police, sale of treated water, overall water management, helping newRWAs with many complicated processes

42:40 Training and education of RWA staff, workers, and committeemembers; collab with IIM-B

46:05 The thing with building compliance requirements

48:38 BAF’s work on climate and sustainability issues; theHasiru program

52:12 Issues from RWA WhatsApp groups

53:07 Pets and other animals

58:25 Lifts

1:05:01 Parking

1:07:05 Workers making noise

1:08:09 Trash clearance

1:10:26 Shoes in the hallway

1:14:06 Promoting businesses on WhatsApp groups

1:16:12 Kids

1:17:34 Fire hazard

1:18:32 The thing with lack of courtesy

1:19:55 RWA committee members fighting on WhatsApp; how BAFdoes dispute resolution

1:23:30 RWA WhatsApp providing material to standup comedians

Sattva Consulting founders, Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, Rathis Balakrishnan, and Aarti Mohan, joined “The Thing With This One Is” podcast with Ram Deshpande. They started Sattva Consulting over a decade ago and continue to drive impact by working with clients and partners across corporate social responsibility (CSR), philanthropy, non-profits, social enterprises, government bodies and multilateral agencies. Their areas of work include climate action, quality education, food security, agriculture, gender equality, healthcare, inclusion, livelihoods for economic growth, clean water & sanitation, and many other areas.Krishna, Rathish, and Aarti have demonstrated exemplary leadership in building an organization that is not only driving impact in India but is also going global now. Sattva Consulting is not the usual consulting firm that just provides plans for business problems. They are involved with execution of the plans and also with driving and measuring impact. Started by these batchmates from BITS Pilani, Sattva Consulting is now over 400-people strong organisation with not only a very impressive list of clients but also a diverse portfolio of services & products. Sattva Consulting is a leading impact and CSR consulting firm in India and is considered a leading reliable source of data and knowledge in the domain of impact. In this podcast, the founders of Sattva Consulting discuss how they started the company, how they grew it, and how they are now planning a future with significant impact. They have also shared their views on what impact means and what it takes to drive social impact on a consistent basis. Discussion inlcuded multiple relevant topics such as CSR in India, attitude of young people towards impact driving work, role of the government, and what excites the team about the future. Krishna, Rathish, and Aarti have been devoted to activities that drive social impact from their early corporate days. Even after decades of experience among them, the enthusiasm and excitement for impact work is still clearly visible. They also share an enviable bond as old friends which brings clarity among themselves towards work matters.There are a number of lessons to be learnt from the work done by the founders of Sattva Consulting. Viewers and listeners of this podcast can expect to learn interesting points about entrepreneurship, business growth with clear vision, developing and maintaining trust-based relationships, running a large organisation with an ambition to go global, and above all driving social impact at every step of the way. Chapters00:00 Intro05:25 Origin story – how theatre, dance, journalism, and volunteering built the foundation of Sattva15:05 The Thing with setting up a formal for-profit entity called Sattva Consulting and becoming full-time founders19:55 The Thing about answering “what do you really do”21:48 The Thing about the first client and initial work that set Sattva Consulting on course30:48 Developing the pitch for impact consulting with every engagement35:35 Timeline of growth of Sattva Consulting40:46 The thing about the CSR law in India47:36 Why companies do good52:24 The thing about structuring and running a large organisation 59:50 The thing about trust among founders1:06:36 What can a young person expect while working at Sattva Consulting1:11:16 Role of the government in driving social impact1:13:54 What are Sattva founders positive about in the near future? How’s the mahoul?1:18:53 BTS and bloopersEpisode 4 credits Guests: Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, Rathish Balakrishnan, and Aarti MohanHost: Ram Deshpande Photographed, Edited, and Directed by: Kedar Gavane Title concept and music created by: Ram Deshpande Location: Sattva Consulting, Bengaluru, India