Mr. Siddhartha Das (PFM 2002-04) is presently working as the Regional Coordinator: Asia & Pacific for Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) which is one of the leading global platforms on high-level WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) advocacy. His work entails ministerial and high-level bureaucratic engagement with nodal ministries working in WASH across different Asia & Pacific countries and helping them draw commitments in achieving SDG 6 targets.
Earlier, he was leading the India Sanitation Coalition Secretariat which is hosted by FICCI. Prior to that, he had a short stint with Sesame as the Director of Programmes. Siddhartha has previously worked with WaterAid where he was leading the policy aspects on Rural WASH. His primary role was to lead and support the advocacy and policy initiatives of WaterAid in close coordination with the Government of India and other leading sector players. He has worked for Fresh Water Action Network South Asia (FANSA) as the Regional Coordinator for South Asia providing policy and advocacy inputs to FANSA programmes across the South Asian region. Siddhartha has also worked for the UNICEF India Country office providing leadership support at the national level for the implementation of the Link Workers Scheme (a rural based HIV prevention programme) across the UNICEF-supported districts.
Siddhartha has played a key role in the planning and preparation of high-level global advocacy initiatives like Sector Ministers’ meetings and Finance Ministers’ meetings organised by SWA. He was part of the Working group inputting into the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, which has been the flagship programme on sanitation in India. During his stint with the India Sanitation Coalition, the organization was conferred a special award by the Government of India for its initiatives in corporate engagement as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Working on developmental issues has been his passion and he has been able to further harness his skills by being involved in high-level policy initiatives.
Details of Siddhartha’s present organization can be accessed using the website link www.sanitationandwaterforall.org . Currently, Siddhartha is based in New Delhi.
Social Media:
Twitter: @ronsid2000
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhartha-das-79b14914/
Email: [email protected]
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. Post my IIFM days, I worked for the Indian Institute of Bio Social Research and Development (IBRAD) and was posted in the Adilabad district of the then Andhra Pradesh. This was followed by a five-year stint with the International HIV/AIDS Alliance working for the BMGF funded Avahan programme which was the world’s largest prevention programme on HIV. My stint with Alliance gave me immense learning by being exposed to Monitoring & Evaluation, programme implementation, and social research. This was followed by a stint with UNICEF India Country office with its HIV section giving me an opportunity to work at the policy level and engage closely with the government. From there I got an opportunity to work at the South Asia regional level with FANSA in the field of WASH working closely with country governments in South Asia on WASH Advocacy.
It was a conscious decision to move out of HIV/AIDS where I had worked for almost 7 years and try out a new field. I was lucky to join WaterAid almost at the time of the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission which gave me an opportunity to get very closely involved in framing its national guidelines, implementation of the programme and being part of different national committees.
From WaterAid, I moved to Sesame as its Director of Programmes. While being there, I was offered the opportunity to lead the Secretariat team of the India Sanitation Coalition(ISC) hosted by FICCI. ISC was founded by the famous investment banker and Padma Shri Awardee, Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai who is also the Chair of the coalition. Working closely under the mentorship of Ms. Kidwai was a great learning experience. All these diverse ranges of experiences in different aspects of development, leadership experience, experience in strategic facilitation levels, high-level policy, and advocacy helped me to get my present role as the Regional Coordinator: Asia and Pacific of SWA.
My present organisation SWA is a global partnership of over 70 governments, external support agencies, civil society organizations, and other development partners working together to 1) catalyze high-level political leadership and action for sanitation, water, and hygiene, and 2) improve accountability and use human, technical, and financial resources more effectively. Partners work towards a common vision of achieving the SDG 6 targets which deal with water and sanitation. You can get to know more by visiting our website www.sanitationandwaterforall.org .
I work closely with around 18 country governments across the Asia & Pacific region helping them to frame their national programmes in achieving the SDG 6 targets and implementation of SWA framework. This year, we have plans to work with different country governments in integrating WASH and Climate Action. I am lucky to be part of a brilliant team here in SWA.
Overall, the combination of my experience in grassroots, implementation, monitoring, social research, and advocacy has given me a strong foundation to work at the strategic facilitation levels and contributing to the highest level of policy.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. Well, there are many milestones to share but I would like to highlight one which happened very recently (maybe because that is fresh in my memory !). I was recently part of a (virtual) panel discussion which also had the Bangladesh Minister of Rural Development, Local Government and Cooperatives, Mr. Tajul Islam. The topic was focused on WASH Financing. While I have been part of many panel discussions during my professional career, this was the first where I got to share the stage with a senior minister. Obviously, I had some butterflies in my stomach which eventually led me to prepare even better than I normally would! More so, because I had personally met the same minister last year in Dhaka and he came across as a very knowledgeable and focused individual. Finally, the discussion went off well and for the greater part of the discussion, I spoke in my mother tongue, Bengali! The discussions were telecasted live by a leading radio channel in Bangladesh.
Another great learning for me was when I got the opportunity to work with Prof. Robert Chambers whom we all know is a Development stalwart. I was working with him in framing the implementation of Rapid Action and Learning Units (RALU) across few states in India. RALU is the brainchild of Prof. Robert (that’s how I address him), something linked to the Swacch Bharat Mission. I was amazed by the dedication, commitment, and clarity of thoughts of this icon who was in his 80s, but his energy levels could be compared with a person in his 20s! I remember once going to meet him at his hotel room at Sundar Nagar in Delhi. He was working on a concept and I was stunned to see hard copies of countless books and publications opened and spread in his bed and parts of the floor! Apparently, he was simultaneously referring to all those while working on his concept. Such is his passion and commitment. I felt so lucky to be working and learning from this legend! I have one of his yellow-colored pencils nicely preserved which he forgot to take back after a meeting in our office. ?
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. The most satisfying part is the opportunity to work directly with key decision and policymakers in improving the WASH situation across different countries. Engaging with ministers, senior bureaucrats and other key sector players from different countries, knowing and adapting to the country-specific dynamics (and sometimes politics!) is both exciting and challenging. The key thing is learning never stops irrespective of the position you hold and the organization you are working for.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. A Big YES, without any doubt! For any smooth career progression, foundations remain critical and I can’t thank IIFM enough for the wonderful platform it has provided me. Interaction with the faculties, batchmates, alumni, and the conducive environment the institute creates has played a big role in my personality development, something which has helped immensely in shaping up my professional career.
Not sure if it continues to happen now, but during our time we used to have 2 different Organizational Trainings (OT) and one Field trip component. For the field visit component, we were divided into groups of 5-6 people and attached to a state forest department for 2 months. These exposures were immensely helpful both in terms of learning and developing the right attitude.
Academically, I was pretty average but what has probably helped me is the willingness to learn and being ambitious! The routine presentations and opportunities to interact with external stakeholders given by IIFM made me more self-confident and it helped me in tackling stage fear.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers. What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A. My advice to freshers would be to work on their personality development and develop the right attitude. It is ideal to score good marks and CGPAs, but don’t run after those. One will always learn on the job and that is never-ending! A professional career is a long-drawn path and what matters a lot, in the long run, is hard work, humbleness, and integrity. The right attitude will allow you to respect people, learn on the job and make you a good professional. It will also allow you to deftly address occasional setbacks. Yes, there could be occasional setbacks in professional life, but always take it head-on as a challenge and deal with it (Remember, dealing with challenging situations unknowingly helps in personality development).
Regarding influencers, there are many and I am grateful to each one of them. But I would like to mention the contribution and mentorship of two of my former bosses; Mr. Shumon Sengupta and Mr. Neeraj Jain. Shumon is an IIFM alumnus from the PFM 1991 batch and has held several global and regional positions for key developmental organizations and continues to hold one. A very humble person having immense knowledge on a wider range of issues. He was the Director at Alliance while I was working there. He is now leading a major consortium project in Bangladesh having more than 20 organisations through a big funded USAID project. Neeraj is now the Country Director with PATH in India and has held several leadership positions with reputed corporates and INGOs; a perfect example of a person who made a seamless transition from corporate to the development sector. Just watching him on a day-to-day basis helped in my leadership development and honing up my relationship management skills. He was the Chief Executive of WaterAid while I was working there.
The mentorship I received from both these fantastic individuals have helped me to develop both personally and professionally. I continue to reach out to both Neeraj and Shumon for focused advice as and when required.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. I have fond memories from my OT-II and its fieldwork in the rural areas of Karnataka. My good friend and batchmate, Vaibhav Gupta was my OT partner and we were attached to SDC-IC in its Watershed project. We had some wonderful moments together across different rural areas in Karnataka.
We also encountered a scare while we were staying at an NGO campus in the villages of Tavaragera. That campus was in the middle of a forest area and a Cobra had once entered a dormitory of the campus and took the entire campus by storm. The reptile was ultimately dealt with but just can’t forget the panic which gripped Vaibhav and myself. Both of us still talk and laugh about it! Vaibhav is now an established professional in the corporate sector. Our seniors, Nelson Royal (PFM-97) and Devanshu Chakraborti (PFM-98) were working with SDC during that time, and both turned out to be great mentors during our OT.
Another fond memory was the breathtaking view of sighting a tiger inside the Ranthambore National Park during our field visit component with the Rajasthan Forest Department. We were a group of 6 during that field visit and were just spellbound to see a tiger live, walking like a king inside its territory. It was like a dream come true for the entire team comprising of Niraj Bansod, Soumya Guha, Sachin Badkas, Shobhana Boyle, Rita Nag, and myself.
I remember going to nook and corners of Rajasthan during those 2 months of the field visit component starting from Jaipur, Alwar, Sariska, Udaipur, Banswara, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Pratapgarh, Chittorgarh, Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambore), Bharatpur (Keoladeo), and then back to Jaipur for the final presentation.
Last but not the least, the wonderful and picturesque eco-friendly IIFM Campus! I believe that it’s an absolute fortune to be housed on that campus for 2 full years.
Q. The best friends/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A. Niraj Bansod who is now an IAS and Mission Director with the Chhattisgarh Health department was my roommate. An amazing singer and I remember his melodious voice being viral across our batch and campus. Vaibhav Gupta and Ravi Prakash were in our adjacent rooms and all 4 of us used to have endless chats mixed with lots of fun.
Pramod Choudhury who is now a General Manager with an established paper manufacturer and I used to exchange some serious banters and we continue to do so through our occasional conversations and WhatsApp chats! A very nice person by heart and a great friend.
Another fond memory was my occasional visits to Chin Chin restaurant with my good friend Alok Dhuria. Chin Chin used to be a very small restaurant serving amazing Chinese cuisines. Don’t know if that restaurant still exists. Alok is now with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
Q. As an alumnus, what is your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. I would start by saying that the Development Sector is just wonderful! Its diversity and the wide range of choices it gives are very exciting and help a lot in the career progression. It provides ample opportunities for innovation and allows you to exercise your wisdom. Finally, you need to trust your choice and interest, but in case you have even a slight inclination for this sector, just go for it!
My message would be to enjoy your two years in IIFM. The wisdom you will develop at IIFM will remain a lifelong asset. Be ready to deal with the occasional slogs in professional life and keep learning on the job. Like I said before, a positive attitude along with being a good team player are the keys to success. Work on your personality development and self-confidence, interact a lot discussing a wider range of topics among your batchmates, keep improving your presentation skills, have healthy debates, and keep working hard.
Do not hesitate to reach out to the wonderful group of faculties that IIFM continues to have. My Go-To faculty used to be Dr. Amitabh Pande who was always approachable and willing to share his ideas. I still remember his wonderful pep talk during a short period of struggle after I passed out from IIFM. I was also very comfortable approaching and speaking with Dr. P K Biswas, Dr. Suprava Patnaik, Dr. Rekha Singhal, and Dr. A K Bhattacharya. What helped also was the fact that Dr. Pande, Dr. Biswas, and Dr. Bhattacharya were avid sports lovers; something which gelled very well with me, as I am myself a huge sports fan!
Q. What is your typical day at the office?
A. Blame it on Covid, my home has been my office for the past year! I start my day responding to emails followed by virtual meetings. Meetings can be very early in the morning if it involves the East Asian and especially Pacific countries. It’s a transition between meetings, working on documents, conceptualization, analysis, etc. Time and again I also need to keep myself updated with the policy developments in different countries and therefore reading becomes very crucial. Since my headquarters is based in New York and many of my colleagues are based in Central Europe, internal meetings often get scheduled during my evenings.
My work involved frequent international travels during pre-Covid days. Visiting new countries used to be exciting but also very hectic. Being confined to work from home for the past few months, I partly miss this travel component. But more important is for all of us to stay safe and continue with our Covid prevention behaviors till the situation normalizes. Overall, I can say that I love my job and feel fortunate to be working with a wonderful set of dedicated colleagues.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add
A. Covid has changed a lot of things. My wife (who is a successful Human Resource professional and is working with a US-based corporate) and I inevitably used to watch at least one Bollywood movie every weekend in one of the multiplexes of Delhi. However, as you can imagine, this has now stopped completely! I love driving and we step out for aimless long drives with occasional stopover at one of the Starbucks.
I am a huge sports fan and love watching different kinds of sports on television. I am very passionate about football and follow the EPL, Serie A, and La Liga very closely. Sports reminds me of the Badminton court and Table Tennis table at IIFM; two sports I used to play regularly during my stay at IIFM.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. As I said, I love watching Bollywood movies and itching to get back to theatres once things normalise ! Presently I am reading a very interesting book called “Factfulness” authored by Hans Rosling, a book gifted to me by Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, our CEO in SWA. Very interestingly, the book gives reasons how our perceptions about the world can be wrong and that things are better than we think!
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. The list could be long, but let me zero down on the following three:
Manjeet Singh Saluja from my batch who is now working with WHO as the Environment and Public Health Specialist and has created his own niche in various sectors. Both of us frequently discuss on different developmental aspects and exchange our ideas (of course mixed with some leg pulling and banter ?).
Vinay Tiwari from MRM-2004 who is an Associate Director with KPMG and attached with the Ministry of Jal Shakti. He has played a key role in Swachh Bharat Mission BCC component and is also known nationally for his work on Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). His work has been acknowledged by none other than the former Secretary of the ministry, Mr Parameshwaran Iyer.
Alark Saxena from PFM-03 batch who is a Professor with North Arizona University and a former Professor from Yale University. A successful academician and a wonderful personality.