Munnabhai maker wowed by IIM innovations

Blue Star
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Munnabhai maker wowed by IIM innovations

Mumbai: The Aamir Khan- Kareena Kapoor starrer might include various rural innovations discovered by Anil Gupta, IIM-A professor and founder of the NGO SRISTI.

Innovations have a strange way of getting recognised. Not just venture capitalists and angel investors, even Bollywood is going gaga over the rural innovations that have been documented by a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

The much-awaited Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer ‘Idiot', which is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, might include various rural innovations discovered by Anil Gupta, professor at IIM-A and the founder of a non-government organisation called Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI).

The film, based on the education system, focusses on innovating rather than cramming. Sources at the production house confirmed that scenes on grass root innovations have been shot for the film.

The production house, claimed the source, came across the innovations discovered by Gupta during the lookout for innovations to be included in the modern village, which is a part of the film.

The idea is to change the prevailing mindset that money is not an important factor when it comes to innovations, but what is required is to execute what one understands while learning.

Gupta was later approached to feature some of his rural innovations in the film. Gupta feels that the film is a great platform to promote innovations. "We are excited about the possibility of our innovations creating such an impact. The basic concept of the film is that those who are considered idiots are not actually idiots, and focuses on changing the frame of society's thinking. The production house had read about our innovations and approached us to include them in the film," Gupta said.

The innovations are the discoveries of SRISTI, which conducts Shodh Yatras across the country to document, analyse and disseminate technological and institutional innovations by the people from the remotest parts of India.


Source: Business Standard