From Child Labourer to Changemaker: Devendra Kumar, Founder of Ladli Foundation Trust, on Empowering Lives

Devendra Kumar: Foreign.

Ashutosh Garg: Welcome to another episode of the brand called you a vodcast and podcast show that brings you leadership lessons, knowledge, experience and wisdom from thousands of successful individuals from around the world. I'm your host, Ashutosh Garg. And today I'm privileged to welcome a ah, very senior, respected and felicitated professional leader from the social sector from the UK talking to us today from India, Mr. Devendra Kumar. Devendra Ji, welcome to the show.

Devendra Kumar: Uh, thank you so much sir. It's an honor to be with you here, uh, interacting with such personality who have uh, you know uh, immense experience, knowledge and especially uh, you know uh, the uh, life experiences.

Ashutosh Garg: Thank you.

Devendra Kumar: Of others and your own and making such big brands.

Ashutosh Garg: Thank you so much.

Devendra Kumar: Huge. It's huge.

Ashutosh Garg: Thank you. De De is the founder of the Lardle Foundation Trust. Uh, he was a child laborer and he is now a national award winning grassroots volunteer. And given the incredible work he has done over the years, understandably Devendra Ji has been recognized, felicitated and awarded several times. And I can see several awards over his left shoulder. So Devinji, my first question to you. You began life in extremely difficult circumstances. What inner strength helped you to move from survival to service?

Devendra Kumar: Uh, sir, it was totally the blessings of almighty. It was not me that struggle. It was not me who have uh, been privileged from underprivileged. It was completely the blessings of the people of the society who took my hand when I was in need. It was totally that. And that was not my struggle, that was my training. I feel that if I have not been trained in those circumstances, I would have not been empathetic. I would not have been sensitive towards the cause for which I am passionate now. So that passion was ignite at that time of period only Amazing.

Ashutosh Garg: And tell me a little bit about your early years and how did your early years shape your understanding of dignity and opportunity.

Devendra Kumar: So I was 2 years old when my parents abandoned me in slum. And when they abandoned me, uh, I was having three days infant sister on my lap. So when they abandoned me, some of my extended family relatives took me and just to protect me from juvenile delinquency they put me into the selling balloons m so that my spare time should not be targeted by the juvenile delinquents who used to engage the young children or the young people into the substance abuse. So that how my life has started. But when I saw started selling balloons because I was not having the parental control, no safe space. So I was used to beaten by number of gangs and delinquents. So just to seek this safe shelter. I don't know how this idea came in my mind. It was completely. That is why I always say it was completely a blessing that some positive energies have given me a direction to go into the volunteering in the evening hours with the local police where the local police used to engage these kind of delinquents into the sports. How I started volunteering there and then became friend of those boys who used to beat me. Then also to friend with the local police. Then they protected me and given me a safe shelter. And later on this practice has became passion for me.

Ashutosh Garg: Amazing.

Devendra Kumar: Because that is how I have engaged myself into the families of these young boys. And then when I used to took these boys to the sports, incest of substance abuse, instant of drug use. So their family members started liking me and appreciating me. So that appreciation and that uh, food for night in their home have became a uh, fuel for me. M that took me here. So that is something. Yeah.

Ashutosh Garg: Ah, very amazing. And you just mentioned two year old with a three day old sister. Where is your sister now?

Devendra Kumar: Yeah, so my sister is happily married now. Yeah, we, I struggled lot for her only just to protect her from child marriage, protect her from different kind of atrocities and exploitation. That was my struggle and that was my motivation behind founding Largely. So she was my largely because in India, uh, to a young girl or to a girl when you love her and you called a beloved woman called Ladli. So she was my lady. And she's very happy now she has two kids. Uh, yes, she couldn't get education after sixth grade and I couldn't get education after tenth grade. But we both are happy without education.

Ashutosh Garg: I think you have achieved so much uh, otherwise. So let's talk about the Largely Foundation. Devinji, uh, you already told me why you named the foundation. Tell me about the work that you do in the foundation.

Devendra Kumar: Yeah, so, uh, LARGELY is currently uh, India's largest grassroots implementing organization. We call ourselves a volunteering organization. We call ourselves uh, a social organization. We are not a development organization. So we are not behind seeking funds. We are not behind seeking grants or donations. On our website page in donate section, we also say that we encourage you to contribute through your efforts rather than donating money to us. So what we believe that big changes can only bring through hands, um, not just money. Money is an important part, but the primarily focus is hands. So we want to play the hand part and that is how we are seeking the hands. And that is how in last 13 years we have became the largest volunteering organization in the country. Wow. And uh that is how we have 1.16 lakhs volunteers with us who to whom we have skilled in the volunteering. Volunteering doesn't mean just that we are providing food, we are providing shelter, we are providing clothes. No why we are providing how we are providing to whom we are providing providing and what is the impact and what is the outcome? The measurable outcome. This is what we teach to our volunteers. We make them skilled volunteers. So our vision is to have at least one skilled volunteer in one family. M so this is on this pattern largely is working at a very large scale now uh. We are having our uh projects in 16 states of India. We are having our uh projects in Johannesburg, in South Africa also uh we are in US based also we are a 501c3 organization in US we are a non profit corporation in Africa and in India we are a two time national award winning organization and also having special consultative status with United Nations. Amazing Ladley started from a very small grassroot organization have became an international grassroot implementing agency.

Ashutosh Garg: This is the lad how amazing you also spoken globally about child marriage. What have you learned from working directly with girls who have been at risk of child marriage?

Devendra Kumar: Sir, uh what we see that we should not work in on a paper just you know there are thought I ah don't want to discourage those organization who are working intensively on a child marriage but their approach is not practical. This is what I have understood from my personal experiences right Because I I struggled a lot to protect my sister from child marriage. So the way is being implemented at a by international sector like having a signature campaign to reduce the child marriage or to protect a girl child. This is not a practical approach. How can you protect the girls by having a signature campaign M. Uh the girls who are being having facing the early marriage issues or the child marriage issue parents are not enable eligible or you know able to have the participate in the signature campaigns to get the motivation. We have to understand due to lack of social protection these girls are being trapped and these girls are being forced into the child marriages because if a woman is her husband is drunk yard 24 hour he's just you know lying down in a slum after drinking and that lady who has four or five children she's going out for work for a domestic work and she's just cooking in four or five house he's you know washing the utensil in four or five house so how she will feel safe that my daughter is safe at My home. So the concern arised from her social protection because this is how that we have seen. There are mothers who don't allow their daughters to take bath for 2 months M. They want they looks dirty, they want them to smell so that no one can attempt on her. This is the real situation that we have to understand that child marriage is not just in a concern for development sector in the manner of awareness. No, it is. It cannot be eliminated through awareness generation. It has different constraint, it has different pain which has to be addressed through providing the welfare based approach, not just awareness based approach. We have to give them a social protection. This is how we are working on that.

Ashutosh Garg: Amazing. Amazing. And tell me based on all the work that you're doing in so many countries, you know, you told me in India of course, but in South Africa and in parts of the U.S. how can communities change harmful traditions without losing their cultural identity?

Devendra Kumar: So this is what we have to learn. You know, every demography has a uh, cultural existence. And you know, whenever you want to destroy a nation, this is. Have been told that you destroy their culture, you destroy their civilization and destroy their philosophy. It will destroy. So this is what that if you really would like to protect people of any region, you have to preserve the culture. Um, that is very very important because that has been. That is in their blood. So this is how we did so largely is based out of a uh formulation where we cater the traditional belief for a sustainable development. I will give you one small example of it. So two of our biggest flagship programs are run based off based out of cultural innovations. The one called Samohe Viva and the uh, one called Skanya Pujin. So Samoik Viva is a tradition where you know that young girls are being trapped through marriages m. Through fake marriages, through double marriages. And they are in a very planned way. What they do, the tracks they do, they target these youngs and vulnerable and poor girls. And through fake marriages they take into the forced prostitution. This is how we have reduced. We. I'm not saying that I have eliminated. We have reduced the risk of these kind of practices by organizing the Samohe KVA mass weddings where engaging the community and the influential personalities for taking the oath asank through privileged families for the underprivileged.

Ashutosh Garg: Very impressive.

Devendra Kumar: And have been provided a shelter to them. And this is now recently on the 30th of March I did a big mass wedding where 51 is IPS officers were present there and they took the responsibility being a yajman and a social parents of these 51 vulnerable girls and now they are in contact. This is how we are doing from last 12 years and 21 more than 2100 girls have been married with through us and only three or four divorce cases that we have been reported it. I'm not saying that these practices can reduce the risk of domestic violence or other risk. No, no, I am not guarantee for that. But yes, we are reducing the risk of trafficking. We are reducing the risk of gang rapes. We are reducing the risk of forced prosecution. There are number of exploitation of heinous crime that we are, we are successfully reducing. At the same time we have another intervention called Kannaya Pujan. Every year two time Navaratras come, people call the young girls at home and they feed them and give the five rupees coin and bless to seek the blessings. I said no, this is not Kanya Pujan. You have to make it sustainable. Then we invented such, uh, sustainable Kujan. If a girl is. We, we. We created awareness through big influential leaders. Like if a girl is coming to your home, do not call 9 girls, 10 girls, 20 girls. Call one girl as per your capacity. If you have a capacity to invite 10 girl, then invite 10. But at least promise them that you will invite them till nine years repeatedly. So every year they will come to Europe twice in a year. And every time what you are giving them? Not just food, give them health kits, give them health insurance, give them promise of their education. If they are not able to, uh, you know, deposit their fees into school that they do not have tuition fees, please help them into that. Do not give the direct money to them. So this is how that we have created and now people have believed that we are following our cultural rituals also. At the same time we are providing direct benefit. So this is what we say that do is better than donate. So this is our.

Ashutosh Garg: Interesting. Yeah, I love this line. Do is better than donate. Fantastic. Devindraji. Uh, your work also combines compassion with execution. How do you convert empathy into measurable impact?

Devendra Kumar: Sir, compassion is not in the hand of human things. Compassion is something that drives you through positive energies only. I can't be compassionate till the time I have not been chosen for that. Till that time my purpose is not aligned for that. Till the time I am not passionate for that. So this is something, uh. You know, I really want to say this is so this. For to experience this, you have to acknowledge that this is not you. M. So the moment you are saying that you are doing this, if I will say that I am doing this, I cannot be compassionate. M. That compassion will not be there. This is something where I have been chosen. This is something that I have been empowered for that. If I have not been empowered by almighty for this, this if a child laborer, a person born in slum now running an organization that has a turnover of 100 crore rupees and have impacted more than 90 million USD. So it cannot be me. It is not at all me. It is not at all me. If I'll say this is miracle, yes, it can be say a miracle. But it is completely a positive energy. The good synergies, the people around you, when they feel that yes, you are, you have a good intent, then community comes to support it. M. So this is what I say. That you may not have received much in your legacy, but the society will be with you with greater things. Be willing to accept. And you have to have patience and dedication and determination for that. This is the only thing that you can do.

Ashutosh Garg: Very, very interesting. You have worked in education and digital inclusion. How can technology reduce inequality? Uh, and help you to in all the causes that you are working on?

Devendra Kumar: Sir, I say that uh, currently when I'm working in India. So this is the biggest divide of this decade. Um, digital divide is the biggest divide of this decade. So I just give you an example. In 2020, when we all suffered from COVID pandemic, 1.6 billion students were out of school across the globe.

Ashutosh Garg: Yeah.

Devendra Kumar: So the students who were having the computers laptops in their family, they continued their education. But the underprivileged students who have never been taught on the laptops, on computers, on a phone. So they were far behind. They There is a big gap has been created. And after the COVID what happened? We were the one who introduced the premium digital subscription in the phone of the marginalized students parents M that has enabled them to continuing their education and to, you know, bridging the gap. I just give you one recent example. This what we have done. We have provided 400 computer labs in the government schools of Delhi. Before two years there were not even a single school were having the computer lab. M. And there is a mandate by the government that the students who wish to seek the admission in the central universities they must comply or qualify the computer based testing. Now tell me the girl who have never been touched the keyboard, who have never been touched the mouse, how she can give the exam in the computer. So this is what that these kind of gaps we are trying to bridge. So not just providing the software, we also have to provide the hardware. We also have to provide that kind of infrastructure, this is what we have provided to the government as per our capacity and without seeking a single money from anyone, without seeking a single rupee from the government that we are trying to bridge this and this is very very important because if a girl is not getting their higher education she will get uh married at an early age.

Ashutosh Garg: Correct?

Devendra Kumar: This is one girl told me while crying sir, uh, even after bringing the 99% marks I will not get admission in college because I have to qualify a computer based test for that and I have not been taught for that. I have no experience in hand experience to how to use the computer. How can I compete with those children who has a 50% but they, they have laptop, they are pro. So this is a big big gap sir. This is a big gap.

Ashutosh Garg: I agree, I agree sir. And therefore a follow up question to you Devendraji is what misconceptions do privileged people have about poverty?

Devendra Kumar: Sir, it is not misconception sir, it is a reality.

Ashutosh Garg: Sir.

Devendra Kumar: Um, it is 100 reality and one we you what? I always say that whenever you see the reforms it doesn't come from downside to upside, it is always comes from up, um, south towards downside. Whatever privileged people do we underprivileged follow that. If I'm saying a Shoshe Baji in a marriage, the big fat wedding, why a uh, underprivileged girl is suffering from not getting married at right age. It's just because of that privileged people is showcasing this wedding like anything and it's being broadcast at the tv. So this is what that every girl has that aspiration. Every family, every boy that has aspiration that I should also have that kind of Bigfoot wedding. So this is what that society once we say the privilege section we have to make a slogan like Nokia has made connecting people. It is not like that. It should be connecting privilege with underprivileged. This is very very important. And this is why our interventions are designed where we say that do not donate to us direct, take a responsibility of one underprivileged family and we are there to help you how to design the intervention and how to implement that. And we will measure the impact and we'll give you a report that how impact you have created. This is kind of platform that we are creating.

Ashutosh Garg: Um, amazing. Can you share one? I'm sure there are many, many success stories but can you share one success story that reminds you and my viewers and listeners of why the amazing work that you're doing is actually mattering a lot?

Devendra Kumar: Sir, in 2000. Uh, once uh 2012 we found largely so we were just doing only uh mass weddings every year. Then we realized that not just marriage is important. We have to uh. Empower these girls who's killing the then if they will they can become self reliant. So we have tried and we have opened a skill center where we were used to provide computer not as a language. Sorry computer as a skill and the English training as a skill not as a language. So that those girls who watch the utensil in the domestic help they used to work. We invited those girls to be a part into our activities in a training. This is what that we started where one girl her family uh were stopped her education after 12th. She belongs to a scheduled caste family. A very young girl after 12 with her education and came to us that she wanted to complete her education in a college. So we were not having. Were giving any kind of direct benefit because we were not having. Because lacks of girls are like this. So we. We said that we cannot give money to you. So she insisted that I am ready to give my skill to these lower students. I will give coaching to them for a computer or English instead. In lieu of that you just bear my tuition fees or the college fees. So it shocked me. Mhm. Uh. I'm. I, I thought of that. She's not asking money from me. She's saying that I will teach your beneficiaries. In lieu of that you give this, this too directly to the. And that is how I shocked and I'm just. I have a goosebumps of that. So that girl uh we enrolled with, we given her a small uh stipend and her college fees. Then two years she worked with us. She got education, she got admission in the college. She topped the college.

Ashutosh Garg: Wow.

Devendra Kumar: Then after college she joined Ladley as a volunteer. Then after one year she joined as an employee. She became chief coordinator in Laly. And I am proudly. I'm proud to say that she is the trustee of Ladley. Uh and she's a two time national award winner. She's one time international Dinah award winner and she's the owner of Ladley. Trustee means owner of land. So that is the success story that I see that success story. Where am I? One of my beneficiary who came to me just to seek a help and now she's leading and running the organization at international. So this is, this is what I have.

Ashutosh Garg: Fantastic. I have time for two more questions now. If you were given one hour with India's top policymakers. What three changes Would you ask for?

Devendra Kumar: Yeah, there are many changes sir. The one that uh, we have to make a uh, women health ministry separately M. Because current health ministry is not able to cater the whole women centric approach in terms of health. Because women health is not just a women health, it is not related to normal health issues. Women health start from the adolescents. It has, you know, so that is. And we have to have in a women health ministry because number of schemes in women child ministries, number of schemes in um, uh, rural development ministries, number of schemes in agriculture ministries, water sanitation ministries are directly related to women health. I want to centralize those schemes for a uh, women welfare. And I said in UN, in Commission for Status of Women in 2021 in front of Secretary General of UN I said that till that time you will not prioritize the health concern for women. You cannot achieve gender equality, especially in developing nation. You have to cater the health issues of women at a very early stage. Because especially in India when a girl child born, if she is suffering from pneumonia and tbna, their parents are not giving them treatment, they want them to die. So it start from a zero stage. So women health ministry is not a child ministry or not a health ministry. It should be a women health ministry especially for targeting a girl child to a. Elder lady. So m. This is what that one I would like to propose the second I want that segregation of youth ministry M And sports ministry M. Because youth and sports ministries just uh, just a uh, game. Because youth ministry do not have their own budget, all the attentions everything is towards sports ministry because that has a glamour or something. So once you would be having a separate youth ministry, separate minister for that, separate big budget for that. Then from starting from adolescent age you can have some policies related to the volunteering. Uh, currently you have. But that is not effective. You should have a volunteering act like sports quota. How the student is engaged in these sports, they are getting benefit of sports quota to getting the higher education. Then why a uh, young boy who's inclined towards the social cause and providing the direct benefit to the society, why can't be provided quota for that once he's the national awardee or he's recognized by the government and at the same time why he cannot provide those related skills to give them into the entrepreneurship or these kind of wing models where they can facilitate for that. And the third I would want to change the government. The this a kind of an ecosystem government has created for startups. Like young people can come into the startups now they are forming the big companies like they are getting the leverages of tax benefit, they are getting the leverages of funding, they are getting leverages of multiple incubations and all the same thing should be provided to the social entrepreneurs. M Currently the number of people who after leaving the corporate job they wanted to create the social impact at grassroot level because they have passion. And this is, this is, I say this is kind of a virus. This is, you know, social work isn't a virus. Someone is infected with this, they are passionate for this. So there are number of youth who are inclined towards the society and they do not have any kind of platform for that. Um, you have to form in a Section 8 company or a trust or an NGO and you have to struggle for three years for to seek the initial funding and even to get the tax exemption certificate, you have to pay in lakhs. M and they have no mechanism for that. And the CSR is now have become a strategic investment of the company. The companies are putting the CSR into just to getting the benefit from the back doors. So this is not something called ecosystem the way the government has, you know, extremely good work did in the terms of startup ecosystem. The same kind of ecosystem should be created for the social impact organization or the social entrepreneurs who directly would like to give the benefit to the society. Because we have to reduce the administrative cost much. We will be having the bigger organization, they will hire the youngsters but they have an admin cost. What our youngsters would directly able to, you know, implement m the designated programs at the grassroots level or my volunteers would be provided the resources to implement the grassroots. Then it will reduce the administrative cost. Um, it will reduce many other things. So these kind of three policy changes I would like.

Ashutosh Garg: Absolutely amazing. All three are amazing thoughts. And my last question for you Devinji, you know you have been recognized nationally and internationally. How do you say so grounded,

Devendra Kumar: sir? Uh, I always say, uh, one thing. Um, So the one thing is that if you have seen those brandings of Pulse Folio or any other brand that is being printed on balloon. So that balloon visibility is not about balloon. The visibility of balloon. And that ad is based out of that rope that is tied on the ground.

Ashutosh Garg: Correct.

Devendra Kumar: Um, so till the time I am on the ground, sir, ah, I am visible.

Ashutosh Garg: Absolutely.

Devendra Kumar: So my visibility is not based out of that with whom I am sitting now? Yes, it is true that today I am uh, sitting with the policymakers. Today I am sitting with the uh, presidents of India. Then everyone. That, that is completely different things. That is the blessing that I have that access or have been provided that. But till that time I am on a ground, I am visible. The visibility is not based out how upside you are sitting. The visibility is about how lower side you are remained. That is very, very important, sir.

Ashutosh Garg: Amazing. And uh, on that note, I just want to say Devinji, what an amazing conversation this has been. You know, your story, uh, I know has been talked about a lot already, but I'm quite privileged to be able to say that I'm taking your story from the time you were a two year old with a three day old sister to what you have created in the Ladley foundation, empowered so many people, enabled 2,100 girls to get married. And I just love your thoughts on creating a separate women health ministry, a separate youth, uh, ministry from sports ministry, and create an ecosystem for the social, uh, social entrepreneurship as well. Thank you so much for speaking to me and all the very best to you.

Devendra Kumar: Thank, uh, you so much sir. Thank you so much. It was an honor.

Ashutosh Garg: Thank you. Thank you for listening to the brand called you'd Videocast and podcast, a platform that brings you knowledge, experience and wisdom of hundreds of successful individuals from around the world. Do Visit our website www.tbcy.in to watch and listen to the stories of many more individuals. You can also follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Just search for the brand called you.