Birth of an idea

Yesterday evening I looked at Chethan and said,"You know, we need to do something about children in India." "What do you mean?" asked Chethan. "Children who cannot afford to go to school. To keep children who go to school in school. Someone needs to start somewhere. Someone needs to help women. Help them support families and themselves."

"Nice thought!" was Chethan's reply. Yesterday was not the first time Chethan and I have had this conversation. I always start the conversation which starts with Chethan pausing Two and Half Men which he watches avidly and ends the minute I am done talking. Yesterday I started the conversation and kept talking. Chethan was annoyed a little bit but then four years of married life does create a fear inside spouses. A fear that says,"Ok! Today nodding my head won't suffice. She needs an answer.If I don't talk then there will be war. A painstaking cold war which will lead to no food, no talking, no her doing grocery, laundry, or talking to me." I guess that did the trick.

Chethan promptly paused the TV with the help of the remote, folded his hands and looked at me. He nodded his head and said,"Hmm, OK, Yes," wherever and whenever it was appropriate.After I was done talking he went,"We need experience. How can we do anything without any experience? Let's join a NGO first and then start on our own."

I replied,"But getting into an already established NGO will be hard. Plus most of the volunteer positions ask for fund raising help. That's not exactly any experience. Also winning trust of any NGO will take an awful lot time. As entrepreneurs we will have to take some calculated risk and start on our own.Maybe we will be wrong but we will learn from our mistakes."

Again a nodd and clucking of tongue which implied that I was not getting his point. He insisted,"Let's figure out what NGO to join this weekend and we will go from there."

I opposed,"I have an idea. Atleast listen to it." "Ok,Go ahead," replied Chethan reluctantly thinking how much more boring an idea could it be? I said,"Let's ask someone back home in India to identify children who are struggling to meet ends. Lets find out what is that they need. We will list the needs of the children and post it on the website along with their pictures. Meanwhile we can circulate the idea among people we know and explain it to them. We can tell them that they can adopt any child listed on the website and provide for the needs listed. They can choose what need to provide for and get full update on where their money is being spent. The child will be sponsored throughout his/her life and the people here or anywhere will be their virtual parents. Similarly we can slowly encourage micro-finance for women and so on."

Chethan really liked the idea but found it a little overwhelming to deal with. He said,"Yeah, but who do we get in touch with in India? How do we know where the money is being spent? What if people here detest the idea?"

I replied,"Every idea looks deemed for failure. We have to make it work. Of course once the process starts maybe the idea will change and attain different face but it will atleast help us start somewhere." This time the head nodded in my favor. "OK said Chethan. Let's get working on it."

So there just like that over an episode of two and half men, with the help of fear factor and nagging I pushed and delivered an idea. An idea that, was finally born, amidst strong opposition. An idea that Chethan finally approved of and vowed to lend me labor to help it nourish and grow. To hold its fingers along with me, when it cries, to teach it to walk, play, and talk. To help it reach its teenage and then adulthood. To watch it mature when we grow old together. To make it self reliant when finally we are no more.

And just like that an idea was born.