Profiles

Shrashtant Patara was not in a very expansive mood when I first caught him for this profile - rather unusual for a person always willing to talk about Development Alternatives.  My second attempt met with more success and this architect spoke up then.  He joined Development Alternatives in February 1988, prior to which he had done a six month stint in '86 as a student trainee.

Pat, as everyone calls him, co-ordinated a training programme on mud block construction a month after joining Development Alternatives.  He went on to work on  Indira Awas Yojana houses for western U.P. and helped to supervise construction of the Development Alternatives Headquarters building.  His biggest responsibility so far has been being Project Coordinator for the 'Kala'  exhibition structure at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

Pat believes that a Development Alternatives staff member should be a team player.  Over the years he has been involved with much more than just the activities of the Shelter Group.  Last winter, he worked with the Communication Unit on the scripting, filming and editing of a video film on construction with compressed earth blocks.  Visitors have a good chance of being shown around the building by Pat.  He is also a member of the editorial board for the newsletter.  Teaching is one of his strong points and Pat is a regular facilitator in training programmes and workshops, be they in Delhi, Nagaland or Germany.  In addition, he is taking an under-graduate course on 'Buildings and the Environment' at the Sushant School of Art and Architecture.

In many ways, Pat is still searching for answers to what appropriate architecture should be and what delivery mechanisms cna bring it about.  He fells that the recipes taught in technical colleges are largely irrelevant to the realities of our country.  It is important to combine traditional knowledge with modern science, and to evolve methodologies and techniques that fulfil people's needs without compromising the sustainability of life.

Pat is proud to be a development professional.  He feels that the state of shelter in India is not satisfactory and looks forward to undertaking research on improving housing at the district level in India.  Having understood how the system works, he wants to design strategies so that organisations, or individuals like him, can accelerate the transformation process.  We wish you success!

Renu Jain joined Development Alternatives five years ago as a Conference Officer and has not looked back since.  Professionally and personally, she has come a long way - the scope of her work has only been broadening.  Besides conferences, her activities include public relations, organising exhibitions and training programmes, networking with NGOs, designing publicity materials, making slide presentations for visitors.......you name it!  Renu has done her masters in English Literature and is currently doing a Business Management course.  She has also attended a short course in Norway on International Development Studies.

Today, Renu is much more aware of the dynamics of independent sector organisations and the challenges of environment and development.  She has had a lot of interaction within and outside Development Alternatives with professionals from varied backgrounds, including science, architecture, engineering, social work, marketing and communications.  As a committed professional, she takes a no-alibi approach to her work.

Renu has networked actively with NGOs in India and abroad.  He experiences have convinced her that the voluntary sector has great potential (and hence responsibility) for improving the quality of human life on this planet.  She believes that Development Alternatives offers unlimited opportunities for professionals - a diverse range of projects, a multidisciplinary team, excellent professional exposure, information-sharing and more.

Renu was at Rio de Janeiro in June this year to work with the '92 Global Forum, though she admits "I still don't believe I was part of this historic and unprecedented event."  Working in Rio gave her valuable experience in organising large-scale conferences, and she looks forward to being involved in similar initiatives in the future.

A professional and a workplace have a give-and-take relationship - it's a social contract.  And Renu has certainly kept her part of the bargain!


by Radhika Ranjan

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