For Gaganpreet Singh, a Hyderabad-based software engineer, quitting a well-paid job in a quest to achieve the greater good, wasn’t a big deal at all. In fact, he found in his new journey the excitement that he felt was lacking in the six years that he spent in his previous job.
A chance trip of 13 days to Ladakh as part of the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) to electrify a village changed his life, and he found his calling. “They chose only 20 people from around the world for this trip, and they charge $3,000 because that is also part of the money used in the process of electrification. I crowdfunded my trip because that was a huge amount for me. I am glad I went because after that, I clearly knew what I wanted out of life,” recalls Gaganpreet, adding, “We are taking rural development to the next level by means of sustainable methods.” After bidding adieu to his job in June 2016, Gagan became actively involved with GHE. While he is part of the electrification of villages, he is now a leader in another parallel social enterprise, Mountain Homestays, which began after he joined. “The process of electrification is not enough because our initiative aims to empower them. And, in a bid to generate income for them, our homestays are a way to bring tourism for them. We have helped every house set up a room for trekkers, who earlier camped whenever they stopped at a point. Now, with electricity available, they look at this as a comfortable option to stop over, charge phones, sleep in peace, get good food and experience the local culture,” he says.
As for their income, he explains, “We organise guided tours throughout the year and make money. But like I said, it’s an enterprise, a business model which supports the social cause.” With their projects falling under the CSR budgets of corporates, Gaganpreet feels things will go global.
“My family and friends were concerned about my decision to quit. But, the risk I took was calculated. I knew I couldn’t be the IT employee forever and had been saving for something like this since a long time. To be frank, if things didn’t work out, I may have gone back. But it’s been nine months and I am happier than ever. I think my path is set,” he signs off.
