In a new initiative to become more environment friendly Indian Railways' (one of the largest rail networks across the world) passengers would no longer be required to take printouts of their e-tickets (booked through IRCTC website). However, the passengers would have to carry a Virtual Reservation Message (VRM) along with an Identity Card in original.

One of the best TED TALKS ever ... Truly inspiring journey of a man who stood up for his ideas.

In Rajasthan, India, an extraordinary school teaches rural women and men -- many of them illiterate -- to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. It's called the Barefoot College, and its founder, Bunker Roy, explains how it works.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win .. Mahatma Gandhi

Dive Deeper:
- Learn more about Barefoot College
- Barefoot College's Approach
- Founder Bunker Roy in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People 

A series by Nokia called Responsiveness is what inspired me to share this post with all of you.

Many times I try and reflect on who I truly am. Am I an entrepreneur, an activist, a social worker, a marketer, or a coach. We all play several roles in our lives and it is difficult to know why we behave in certain ways to certain situations.

I guess I agree with this statement of "How we respond is who we are" - To know ourselves better, we need to reflect on what we do and how we react to certain situations that life throws upon us.

Have a look at some of my friends and fellows whose lives have inspired me .. and have a look at how they've responded and their journey of knowing themselves better:

Kyra Gaunt Palmer: Singer, Teacher, Anthropologist, and so on ....

Tin Ho Chow: Biker, Designer, Builder, and so on ...

Colleen Flaginan: artist, sea and coral lover, designer, and so on ...

Ever wondered who you truly are?

I think the best way to know yourself is by your actions and how you respond :-)

Watch the multimedia video featured on the left and you’ll begin to understand. The reality is this: we already know what works against hunger. But the world has never made it a top priority. Our objective is to build a critical mass of people worldwide who no longer accept the status quo. To put pressure on politicians – in rich and poor countries alike – to do what needs to be done.

HUNGER: what you need to know. 

Revealed: Why Indian farmers are hungry - Oxfam investigates the broken food system

Wish to learn more? .. visit http://www.endinghunger.org/en/educate/

If you think people need something, make them want it. Make it look "aspirational" - like something they should aspire for ... and not they have to just comply with. That is marketing in development sector.

Have a look at these two wonderful talks sharing some important thoughts about marketing:

Amy Lockwood: Selling condoms in the Congo

Ref: An excellent post by Wild Apricot Blog

Audio is a engaging way to learn about timely topics straight from the experts, but who has the time to search for useful recordings, or tie yourself to your desk for someone else's broadcast schedule?Podcasts to the rescue!

A podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication.  ~ Wikipedia

Think of a podcast as something very much like a radio or TV show, but it's programming that you can enjoy on your own time, whenever it's convenient for you. Better yet, podcasts are almost always free! And you'll find inspiring and educational podcasts (in both audio and video) on every topic under the sun, from social media and nonprofit technology to cause marketing and fundraising ideas. 

To get started, check out these 30 great podcasts for nonprofits:

Magic Keys Radio is a monthly podcast "unlocking the secrets of nonprofit marketing and fundraising" with NonprofitMarketingGuide.com's Kivi Leroux Miller and Claire Meyerhoff.

Since 2006, The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) has been producing a monthly podcast series that discusses key nonprofit issues of the day, including recent research, legislation and policy.

BoardStar's On Being Board is a free monthly podcast that tackles a range of governance topics through inspirational 8-10 minute interviews with nonprofit leaders, helping board directors to learn about their roles and responsibilities, as well as how to strengthen the nonprofit boards on which they serve.

Fundraising is Beautiful : Between them, Jeff Brooks and Steven Screen have more than 35 years of experience in helping nonprofits to raise money for their causes. Their occasional podcasts supply practical tips as well as "inspiration and ammunition" for fundraisers.

Big Vision Podcast is a series of Britt Bravo's interviews with individuals who work to create positive change in the world – a truly inspiring source of ideas for "do-gooders" in any sphere.

CraigList Foundation offers free podcasts of its Boot Camp sessions presented by leading nonprofit experts on a variety of topics around "empowering communities," including Beth Kanter's talk onUnderstanding the Networked Nonprofit.

The Chronical of Philanthropy runs three excellent podcasts at present:

• Social Good: Allison Fine, a nonprofit leader and expert on technology and communications, discusses how charities and foundations can more effectively use social-media tools to spread their messages and raise money.
• Making Change: Hildy Gottlieb interviews leaders to discuss how those who are working for the greater good seek to create social change.
• Philanthropy This Week: Learn about some of the nonprofit world's most important issues fromChronicle editors and reporters. Join us for discussions with the people behind the stories and interviews with some of philanthropy's most prominent newsmakers.

In the GrantWhisperer podcast on BlogTalkRadio, Victoria M. Johnson, CFRE, offers grantwriting tips and advice. Victoria is the author of Grant Writing 101: Everything You Need to Start Raising Funds Today, slated to be published by McGraw-Hill in February 2011.

Making a Difference is a 20-minute weekly program on BlogTalkRadio hosted by Barbara Talisman, who talks to nonprofit leaders, volunteers and donors about the challenges they're meeting to make a difference: "Their lessons provide nonprofit organizations with solutions they can use to cultivate donors and volunteers and raise more money."

For tips on social media marketing, website design, best practices and tools to grow your small business, nonprofit or faith-based organization, check out Professional Mojo's Marketing Podcast, also on BlogTalkRadio.

Stanford Social Innovation Review's Nonprofit Podcasts and Social Innovation Conversations (from Stanford Graduate School of Business' Center for Social Innovation) brings you social change ideas through audio lectures, panel discussions, audio interviews, and conference recordings. In the Social Innovation Conversations series, you'll find a motherlode of educational podcasts on:

• Social Media for Social Good
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Responsible Investing
• Philanthropy
• Nonprofit Management
• International Development
• Human Rights
• Health and Medicine
• Government
• Environmental Sustainability
• Energy, Environment
• Education
• Disaster Relief
• Corporate Citizenship

Some of the Stanford resources linked here are archived episodes rather than current programming, but don't discount the wealth of knowledge and insight you can find in those archived podcasts!NetSquared: Remixing the Web for Social Change and 501c3Cast podcast archives, for example, offer loads of evergreen value for nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers.

New to Podcast Listening?

Get new podcasts delivered automatically as they're published — you'll find an iTunes or "Subscribe" link on most podcasts' web pages. If you don't have iTunes installed, look for download link to get audio files for the individual episodes, or try one of the many alternative podcatchers (podcast receiver software) such as Juice, a free GPL-licensed tool that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. Another useful tool is Adam Schlitt's Feed Flipper, a free online service that converts any iTunes podcast audio feed into a standard RSS XML feed to subscribe to in the reader of your choice.

Wantrapreneur, the Business Plan Competition for social entrepreneurs is an annual affair hosted by Villgro. Wantrapreneur is about identifying and recognizing  innovative social enterprises that have the potential to transform rural lives. It is an amazing opportunity for all those who have a social enterprise that can change lives. The finalists get an opportunity to pitch their plans to social investors and win cash prizes. Wantrapreneur is now calling for entries under the following categories:

In fact, we’d love to give you a rare opportunity share your story with others.

Eight young changemakers will be chosen as winners of our annual Staples Youth Social Entrepreneurship Competition and invited to present at the first TEDxYSE event in Washington, D.C.
How do you qualify? Just fill out the short >entry form. You can also nominate an inspiring young leader (age 12 to 24).

NEW YORK, May 25 -- Organizers of the TED Conference announced today the 23 Fellows who will participate in TEDGlobal 2010, TED's annual conference in Oxford, UK, July 12 – 16, 2010. The 2010 TEDGlobal Fellows join the TED community as the most recent additions to the TED Fellows program.

The 2010 TEDGlobal Fellows reflect both geographic and discipline diversity. From Venezuela to Ghana to Brazil to Costa Rica to Sri Lanka to Yemen, these pioneers are breaking new ground in technology, engineering, programming, biology, genetics, environmental science and invention. Fellows also are innovating in filmmaking, photojournalism, architecture, music, poetry, entrepreneurship and activism, among other disciplines.

Meet the 2010 TEDGlobal Fellows:

Aircraft engineer

Nigerian aircraft engineer who, at 24, built a homemade helicopter out of car and motorbike parts

Anti-censorship activist

Yemeni programmer and founder of Yemen Portal and alkasir -- software that gives individuals access to blocked websites

Filmmaker

Costa Rican writer and director (her most-recent film tells the story of atomic bomb-survivors aboard Peace Boat)

Ecological networks scientist

American ecologist and entrepreneur researching networks and environmental sustainability

Environmental chemist

Brazilian chemist developing methods to detect emerging contaminants in the environment

Science facilitator

American geneticist and CEO of Seeding Labs, an organization providing up-and-coming researchers with lab equipment and other resources

Sustainability designer

Israeli designer and artist incorporating indigenous knowledge into sustainable design

Sculptor

American artist, living and working in China, whose work bridges gaps between East and West

Installation artist

San Francisco-based installation artist whose work makes invisible events (such as seismic data from nuclear testing) visible

Culture curator

Venezuelan editor, writer and co-founder of The Gopher Illustrated magazine and the Plantanoverde Foundation, a platform for emerging artists

Citizen journalist

Sri Lankan human rights activist and founder of Groundviews, a citizen-journalism initiative

Organic industry entrepreneur

Kenyan entrepreneur promoting the development of an organic food industry in Kenya

Crisis photographer

American photojournalist covering humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and Iraq

Performance + media artist

American dancer, choreographer and filmmaker exploring the intersection of the human body and digital media

Open manufacturing evangelist

Open-source fabrication advocate, product designer and founder of The Humblefactory, a product-development consultancy

Photo-activist

Kenyan photojournalist and founder of Picha Mtaani, a youth-led national reconciliation initiative in Kenya

Biotechnologist

Venezuelan writer and scientist working on LavaAmp, a pocket-size thermal cycler for rapid PCR

Bio-energy inventor

Nigerian biotechnologist inventing new means of alternative energy production from organic waste

Poet + recording artist 

Nigerian-American poet and recording artist currently based in Boston

Grassroots architect

Ghanaian-American architect and co-founder of DSGN AGNC, an activist design think-tank, and Low Design Office, an architecture studio

Architectural activist

Ecuadorian architect working in sustainable design and low-income housing

Arts + science collaborator

Mexican scientist, filmmaker and gallery founder focusing on human health, biodiversity and cross-cultural collaboration

Documentarian

Founder of Women at the Forefront, a multimedia company that examines the challenges faced by women living in conflict zones