Kalyan Akkipeddi, till 2008 was just another corporate employee trying to earn as well as he can. But once he turned 30, he decided to take a halt and look back and retrospect. That is when he started to think of doing something different and set off to explore the country to understand poverty and the people who are affected by it. But with one condition - that throughout his whole journey, he shouldn’t have to pay for his food or accommodation. So for this, he chose to travel the rural India which changed his whole perspective on life.
His travel lasted for two and a half years, through which he made many friends who provided him with food and accommodation. That’s when he discovered how contented they are with their lives. Then he realised that instead of spending energy on eradicating poverty, we should work to create abundance. After travelling around 166 villages, he finally chose to settle in Tekulodu village of Andhra Pradesh where he began his work.
First he worked on blending in with the villagers and started documenting their lives. When the villagers noticed his plights of arriving early in the morning and leaving late at night, they offered a place for him to stay. He made it a habit of eating in a different house every day. This helped him in the better understanding of their state and necessities. His earnings were from working in the fields of villagers. His earnings thereby increased from Rs. 6,500 per annum to Rs. 14,000 per month.
This gave Kalyan hope and he purchased 12.5 acres of land to set up a demonstrative rural community that is ecologically sustainable on their own. He thought that this has to be built by the villagers for the villagers. Initially ten families joined his endeavour. Soon this initiative caught everyone’s attention and development sped up to the village being self-reliant, WiFi enabled, and has consistent water supply. They started growing their own food. They also planned a biogas plant and with one of his friend’s help he is setting up a wind turbine. The villagers are now technologically trained to install their own systems themselves. This is what they call the ‘Proto Village’.
This whole crowd-funded project also includes building homes for themselves. This is a 1095 day project which started in 2015. Kalyan’s story proves the measure of difference an individual can bring about with one game changing thought. His visionary brought change in the whole face of the village. Let's hope many such Kalyans come forward for the betterment of rural India.
