In this episode of Grassroots Nation we hear from Dr Ravi Chopra is the founder Director of the People’s Science Institute in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Through his career he has helped establish several pioneering organisations in the social and development sector, from livelihoods, disability rights, human rights, water resources management and much more.

Born in 1947, the year India gained her independence, Dr. Chopra was one of the country’s midnight children. After earning a B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from IIT Bombay in 1968 he went on to complete his doctorate in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey.

Dr Ravi Chopra has always been guided by his keen interest in the interactions between technology, society and the environment and his unwavering belief in the role of young people in nation building. He has spent his entire career of over fifty years committed to improving the lives of his fellow Indians and has been associated with many different organisations and projects, from FREA,to helping produce the first citizens' report on The State of India's Environment in 1982 to working with pani panchayats, PRADAN, and finally establishing the People’s Science Institute in Dehradun in 1988. PSI as it is commonly known has pioneered work in water resources management, environmental quality monitoring, disaster mitigation and conservation of rivers, particularly in the Himalayan region.

From the optimism of the 50s to the tumultuous years of the Indo-China War and the Emergency, to more recent upheavals in the nation, Dr. Chopra recounts the story of both his life and that of this nation. Both are deeply intertwined.

Dr Chopra lives in Dehradun with his family. His wife, Jo Chopra Mcgowan, is the founder of the Latika Roy Foundation.

In this episode, Dr Chopra is in conversation with Suchitra Shenoy, a non-fiction writer who has worked extensively in the social sector. Suchitra is a founding member of the Inclusive Markets team at the Monitor Group, that examines market-based solutions to poverty.

This conversation was recorded at the People’s Science Institute in Dehradun.

For more information, go to www.rohininilekaniphilanthropies.org