A perspective altering, super eventful, locally flavored, crazy exhaustive three days. Starting even symbolically from the fact that, as I went to each of these places, I realize that all three names now stand changed, as of this year. They are Hubballi, Belagavi and Vijayapura. Talk of change all the way round :)
The 1600 kms of road covered
As I write, I’m hoping I’ll get the entire experience into separate buckets as I’m yet to stop getting flak for long posts .....one long post a while back, and I’m still hearing :).
First, the basic purpose of my trip; it’s a project I’m working on called The Entrepreneur Fund. A fund meant to identify, create and support micro enterprises in the under served segment. You'd think it's easy...I for sure did. But a quarter in, and I realized it’s way tougher than I thought..... so decided to get out there to get a feel from the ground. Nothing compares to being on the field to know and understand....first principles approach :)
In this context I visited our branches at Hubli, Dharwad, Belgaum, and Bijapur and it proved a fascinating learning experience, in more ways than one. Really interesting was how many innovative ideas the sales folk there were able to come up with on the spot, as I spoke to them. For flavor.... a) roadside salon kiosks- they said the barber needs to shut shop at dusk as the kiosks are not lit, and they even wanted the electric trimmers solarized as the barber has to turn away people during power cuts b) a school teacher who wants a solar projector to offer private tuitions in the evening c) ice cream bandis with solarized freezers for interior villages and so on. Fascinating stuff.
Some pics from the trip:
Our office at Dharwad
Our office at Belagavi
Khannavalli, our lunch place
Khanavalli's, a new term to me; they are these little lunch places which serve a standard Jowari roti , two baajis (vegetables), plus a katori (bowl) of rice and saar (like rasam). Wonderfully light and healthy. Some trivia: jowari rotis cannot be made with a belan (rolling pin), they are hand pressed, like playing a drum they said.
Stark and beautiful countryside there
Manually managed rail road crossings...a disappearing sight.
It was sweet waiting for the train to pass with its loud and prolonged hoot through the crossing.
Optimum usage huh?
Our Bijapur office
A pretty house in Bijapur
Prasanna Hegde, who accompanied me from Hubli to Bijapur
An interesting end. I'm drop dead tired and it's late and I hear Prasanna say, 'do you want to have curd? I'm like, I want tea...who eats curd on the highway? And he's like... no no, this is really well known in Kolar, its just very special, you must try it.
I did.....it's set in black mud pots covered with newspaper....just plain yoghurt....subtle sweet, some amount of cream, very rustic, and it was truly heavenly. Loved it. Thanks Prasanna, for the trip, the really productive meeting with the Dharwad, Bijapur and Gulbarga branches and the Kolar curd experience !
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