Two innovative Bihar youths impress Obama
08 Nov 2010
Two young social entrepreneurs from Bihar were lucky enough to be invited to meet US president Barak Obama in Mumbai on Saturday.
They were 28-year-old Irfan Alam of the Samaan Foundation, which looks after the welfare of rickshaw pullers, and and Gyanesh Pandey from Bettiah, credited for generating electricity through husk.
Pandey and his team have provided electricity to more than 200 villages in Bihar through this clean energy source.
The two were invited by president Obama to meet him and were among the delegates of a small group of young Indian entrepreneurs.
During the 75-minute meeting Obama had with the delegation, which including top American chief executives and high-ranking officials, Alam apprised Obama regarding the development of entrepreneurship in Bihar.
The US president had met Alam earlier during the Washington Summit held in April this year, and remembered him. IIM alumnus Irfan began the rickshaw revolution in Bihar in 2008, and now his company has converted this humble means of transport into a powerful marketing tool.
"I was there in Washington for the summit. It was a dream come true to see him in front of me. But this time I am going to have more detailed discussion. He is meeting a very small group, so we'll have more opportunity for interaction," Irfan said before leaving for Mumbai.
Pandey and now his idea of clean energy is have also impressed Obama, as has the duo's experience in not just surviving but also growing in the underdeveloped state of Bihar. Meeting the US President himself will be a lifetime experience for both the men.
