initiatives launched by Modi government and, 164–165, 173–174interns and student volunteers, 182–183IRRAD and, 73–74, 156issues in direct implementation of programs, 19–20Jay as Suri’s successor, 255–258, 259–260learn-by-doing process, 168–169linkage with government departments, 65, 82, 111, 160, 163–164maintenance of “brick and mortar” projects, 138Makhija’s leadership style, 212as member of Hybrid Parent Research Consortia on Pearl Millet, Sorghum, andPigeon Pea, 66–67overarching goal of, 80panchayat training project, 132–133partnerships to accelerate development process, 80–81, 112, 129–131partnerships with NGOs, 39, 143, 148, 149, 173–174quarter-century jubilee celebration, 249–251rating as NGO of, 237rehabilitation of underutilized common lands in each village, 48–49resignation of Suri as chairperson of, 254–255Rural Research Center, 81, 82scalability of programs, 70–71, 73, 80, 115–116, 136, 198shift from “needs-based” to “equity-based” model, 101Strategic Development Task Force, 227team members, 6–7, 18, 30–31, 58–59, 72–73, 100, 126, 180–181, 187(See also speci c individuals)training, 59, 60, 102–103, 113, 212–213trust of villagers and, 29–30, 58, 69twentieth anniversary celebration, 213–214in US, 99–100Vikas Patrika, 96–97See also specific programs and projectsSahni, AVM Surinder, 184–185Saiphy, Salahuddinbasic facts about, 119, 244during COVID-19, 221, 222fatwa and, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125
self-cleaning soak pits and, 245–246SMSF projects in South India and, 198–199, 244water filters and, 51, 202sanitationduring COVID-19, 218disposal of household waste, 53in Ghaghas, 19in Mewat, 51–53microplanning projects, 153model villages as open-defecation-free, 158in Notki, 85–86, 154projects to prevent contamination of water, 61–62in schools, 195, 196–198WASH practices, 196, 198as women’s empowerment issue, 243sarpanchesaccountability of, 140mandated vigilance committees monitor food grain distribution and, 174meetings with Poonia, 31–34village selection and, 23as VLI members, 47women as, 152–153Saxena, Niti, 137, 244Schukoske, Jane, 134–136, 145–146, 161, 179, 183, 191Seeds for Change: e Lives and Work of Suri and Edda Sehgal (Cornell), 177–178Sehgal, Eddaremarks at quarter-century jubilee celebration by, 251remarks by, at SMSF’s twenty-year anniversary celebration, 213–214Sehgal, Edda G. and Surinder (Suri) M.basic facts about, 1–2, 177–178, 188, 193influences on, 5involvement in SMSF of, 8Misr Hytech Seed and, 148as motivators, 84–85on new facility, 75principles of, 9
on SMSF at fifteen years, 188–190special interests of, 5vision of, 5visits to villages by, 181–182Sehgal, Rajat (Jay)advice given to, 18basic facts about, 17–18during COVID-19, 220–221fatwa and, 118, 119, 120–121at Fort Myers celebration, 252on impacts of projects, 166–167on importance of community participation, 256as leader, 31meetings with panchayati raj and sarpanch, 31–32Phase 1 construction of new facility and, 75, 77potential partners in US and, 194at quarter-century jubilee celebration, 249, 251on resignation of Suri as chairperson, 255rubbish solution of, 34in SF’s US office, 99–100as Suri’s successor, 255–258, 259–260visits to villages by, 18–19Sehgal, Surinder (Suri) M.on Americans from India as funders, 193–194awards, 163big picture and, 16on “brick and mortar” projects’ appeal, 83, 129on “closing the loop,” 34desire to scale up, 80, 115–116on empowering villagers, 149–150, 188on establishment of foundations, 3factors in evaluating program impact, 14on Family Life Education program, 127fatwa and, 119on improving water situation in Mewat, 13on ISVD, 25–26, 99, 129
lake named after, 169leadership style of, 115, 258–259“loose and tight” organization, 72on making best use of funds, 70on model villages, 84, 140, 165on Modi government management initiatives, 165on nature of rural development, 78–79on new facility, 74, 76nickname for, 36opening of IRRAD, 97on patriarchal culture in own family, 4pyramid metaphor for approach to program development, 77remarks by, at quarter-century jubilee celebration by, 249–251remarks by, at SMSF’s final fifteen-year anniversary celebration, 178–179remarks by, at SMSF’s twenty-year anniversary celebration, 213on requirements of SMSF programs, 81resignation as chairperson of SMSF, 254–255on Schukoske, 135, 191on SMSF’s primary commitment, 163South India team as envisioned by, 199strategy of focusing on programs with greatest community demand, 20sustainability of program interventions on grassroots level and, 101targeted SMSF restructuring by, 161on villagers’ contributions, 36–37Sehgal, Vicki, 253Sehgal/Sehgal Family Foundation (SF), 2, 14–15, 194Self-Help Groups (SHGs)in Jyotisar, 65purpose of, 29UN and formation of new, 65women’s, 56, 63–64, 65–66, 241–242Sen, Amartya, 43Shahida, 53–54, 55Sharma, Amar Chand, 66Sharma, Ghanshyam, 66Sharma, Lalit Mohan
basic facts about, 7, 34–35Bhure Khan and, 108, 110check dams and, 12on complexities of water projects, 169expansion of role of, 131fluoride contamination in groundwater and, 202–205, 217–218, 248latrine models by, 52as leader of SMSF’s Water Management program, 35, 36, 164on Mewat district culture, 52rooftop rainwater-harvesting and, 50–51water filters and, 202, 203Shekar, Vani, 11–12Sherawat, Kamlesh, 104Singh, N.P., 209skill development projects, 66“Small Interventions, Big Impact,” 14, 58“Small Is Beautiful, But Big Makes Impact!,” 58Soochna Se Samadhan (Information Solutions) program, 112Sreedher, R., 225stonecutters parable, 5Strengthening Village Level Institutions (SVLI), 156Strengthening Village-Level Institutions (SVLI), 159, 176Swades Foundation, 173–174Swaminathan, M S, ix–xSwarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (Golden Jubilee Village Self-EmploymentScheme), 29swasthya sakhis, 64, 65“three p’s,” 9Transform Lives one school at a time, 196–198, 201, 218, 224–225Trees for Life International (TFL, Wichita, Kansas), 15United Nations and SMSF, 65, 67Van Montagu, Marc, 11Vikas Patrika, 42, 96–97village champions (VCs), 59, 60, 69–70, 79
village-level institutions (VLIs)in Agon, 63in Ghaghas, 46–47, 62in Goela, 63as shadow panchayats, 46women as active participants, 54–55Wani, Suhas P., 185–186WASH practices, 196, 198waterawareness march, 108Bhure Khan’s reservoirs, 108–110community audits of, 61Environment Day competition and, 69filters, 202, 203, 205fluoride contamination in, 202–205, 217–218, 248literacy education, 95microplanning projects, 153, 154Modi government management initiative, 165need for management of, 21, 35obtaining clean, 12–13, 19, 35over-exploitation of sweet, 24rainfall in Mewat district, 12, 22rainwater harvesting, 201scarcity of, 25–26in schools, 196security, 169in vision of developed village, 83–84Water Management programsAVM Sahni and, 185award for, 163–164capacitive deionization (CDI), 246complexities of projects, 169during COVID-19, 217–218CSR partnerships, 244development of crop irrigation technology, 49
funding of, 169in Ghaghas, 21, 36–38, 47–48, 60groundwater recharging, 51increase in projects, 107–108latrines, 52, 55, 63linkage with government departments, 82, 163–164modules and implementation of, 170–171multifaceted approach in each village, 49as primary SMSF program, 107Rangala Rajpur dam, 13, 20–21, 48, 60–61replication of, 169–170rooftop rainwater-harvesting, 50–51self-cleaning soak pits, 245–246Sharma as leader of, 35, 36in South India, 199–201, 218success of, 60–61Wani and, 186wastewater disposal, 49–50water-enhancement technologies, 246–248wells dug, 35–36Water User Groups (WUGs), 170, 247William L Brown Center (Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri), 15womenConstitution of India, 4delivery huts as alternatives to home births, 98, 113farmers, 47, 54, 55, 148–149, 235, 236, 240–243fatwa against SMSF and, 117, 118, 122, 124, 125fetching water by, 12–13, 35gliricidia growing nursery and, 63life of Mewati, 10, 53–54literacy of, 10, 53Modi government demonstration villages and, 164–165outdoor urination and defecation by, 51–52, 53patriarchal culture of India and, 4, 18, 53poverty in India and position of, 4sanitary latrines and, 52, 55
women: empowerment ofAgriculture Development Program and, 209AVM Sahni and, 184–185in citizen training groups, 92–93, 103community participation and, 134community radio station and, 141–143, 144, 145effects of, xievery program model related to, 157–159Family Life Education and, 68as field team members, 18, 30–31, 54as FPO leaders, 235, 236increase in confidence, 79“International Campaign on Violence Against Women,” 113Krishi Chetna project, 149Leadership Schools, 230men and, 55sanitation and, 243as sarpanches, 152–153Schukoske and, 135–136SHGs and, 56, 63–64, 65–66, 241–242SMSF partnership with NGOs, 148, 149as swasthya sakhis, 64Unnat Krishi project, 149as VLI members, 47, 54–55
About the AuthorMarly Cornell is an American artist, writer, and social justice advocate. She has a BFAfrom Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and an MA from St. Mary’s University ofMinnesota. For thirty years, she worked in the corporate nonprofit sector in healthcare,mental health law, behavioral services, and physician recruitment. She is the author ofaward-winning books: Seeds for Change: e Lives and Work of Suri and Edda Sehgal(Sehgal Foundation, 2014), which tells the story of the founders of S M SehgalFoundation; Together We Empower: Rekindling Hope in Rural India , previous editions;and e Able Life of Cody Jane: Still Celebrating (LightaLight Publications, 2011). She liveswith her husband Ernie Feil in Minneapolis, Minnesota. www.marlycornell.c om
e child pictured on the cover is Shargundeep Kaur, called Sargun at home in hervillage. Her father, Sunderlal, has worked for many years on the SM Sehgal Foundationteam in Rajasthan. In 2025, now age nineteen, Sargun is an undergraduate studyingCommerce. Having already cleared her Chartered Accountant (CA) Foundation exam,she is preparing for the next steps while continuing her degree.Punjabi and Sikh origin meaning of Sargun: “possessing the best qualities.” Meaningof Shargundeep is associated with “light and knowledge.”