Empowering Change: How a 17-Year-Old Is Tackling Inequality in India While the pandemic is over, its repercussions in India are certainly not. For unorganized sector workers, poverty, unemployment, and under-nutrition have only been exacerbated.

While the pandemic is over, its repercussions in India are certainly not. For unorganized sector workers, poverty, unemployment, and under-nutrition have only been exacerbated. COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the Indian economy, pushing 230 million Indians into poverty and dropping the country further down on the Global Hunger Index. Anant Bhartia, a 17-year-old student from Mumbai, has leveraged his interest in developmental economics to bridge this inequality gap in India.

Anant's story starts in Jabalpur, where he stayed through the lockdown with his grandparents. As migrant workers struggled to return to their hometowns, food and health crises were at an all-time high. Keen to find lasting solutions, Anant worked with various organizations before starting Ram Roti, an initiative that provides nutritious food for free.

Today, Ram Roti provides 2,000 free meals daily to the families of patients admitted to two government hospitals in Jabalpur. It has provided over 600,000 meals since its inception in 2020 to families of unorganized workers who lack funds, food, shelter, and travel lengths for medical care. "Living with my grandfather changed my perspective on success. I defined success as academic and career growth before. I learned to look beyond myself. In tier 2 cities like Jabalpur, the hunger crisis was massive. Ram Roti was born out of the desire to aid the community around me", remarks Anant. Completely CSR and crowd-funded, Ram Roti has raised approximately $160,000 since it started.

Rural and migrant women were especially hard hit during the pandemic. Observing his grandmother's love for sewing inspired Anant to start a sewing school to increase financial independence for these women.'Weaving Futures' has helped over 1,200 underprivileged Indian women since 2020. "We operate in a space taken from an NGO, have a hired teacher, and a few crowdfunded sewing machines. We charge a nominal fee to ensure attendance, which also pays for any costs we have; the initiative now completely runs itself. Other social entrepreneurs can easily replicate it in India's urban and rural setups."

When Anant returned to Mumbai to continue schooling, he quickly recognized urban India's infrastructure and livelihood gaps. Anant undertook research with a professor from Columbia University on the state of Dharavi, the world's largest slum. "While working on the Dharavi project and administering surveys to 500+ families, I realized that research reports aren't emotional enough to drive change. I wanted people to see Dharavi the way I did. I am passionate about photography and decided to make a documentary on the people of Dharavi." Anant's documentary on Dharavi is now live on YouTube. "My goal with the Dharavi project is to encourage the youth to volunteer, increase ground-level awareness and registrations for government schemes" he adds.

One of Anant's personal goals involves using his platform and knowledge to bring more of his peers into the field. "Our ancient culture is one of service to society and collective growth. I know that like me, my peers are probably more career and academic-focused, but it's important to recognize the power and privilege you have. We are far more resourceful, adaptable, and resilient than we think. Moreover, I don't want them to be held back. If you like an idea or a project, pick it up, the skills will come to you."

Despite 248.2 million Indians escaping multidimensional poverty recently, India still ranks low on the GHI and has an alarmingly increasing rate of unemployment. "Hunger is a persistent problem. The demand for food is always increasing. I aim to increase the number of hospitals and beneficiaries covered by Ram Roti. Similarly, Weaving Futures is running over capacity. My goal here is to purchase more sewing machines and expand to more regions," Anant comments.

When he isn't juggling between multiple high-growth projects, Anant mentors upcoming social entrepreneurs and constantly engages in various economics research projects. He has been felicitated for his efforts in Ram Roti by the Dean of Jabalpur Medical College. His work in the Dharavi project and Weaving Futures has received local and national recognition. Anant aims to continue learning and leading through his initiatives and hopes to form global networks for social entrepreneurship and development.