Anurag Gupta passed his MRM in 2005. He is currently working as State Programme Director for Odisha and West Bengal in WaterAid India. He holds M.Sc. in Environment Management from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. He is known for carrying out innovations in the field of rural sanitation.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurag-gupta-9110769
FB: https://www.facebook.com/anurag.nrm
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. After IIFM, I briefly worked on environment education and biodiversity conservation in Sanjay and Bandhavgarh National Parks in MP (under a project of ICEF). After that worked with one of the leading organizations, GRAVIS at Thar desert in Rajasthan on Natural Resource Management. Following this joined UNDP for a project on capacity building of Panchayati Raj Institutions. In 2011, I joined WaterAid and since then I have been working in the field of water and sanitation.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. The entire journey has been a learning experience. I got to learn new approaches at every step. To mention a few, working at grassroot in GRAVIS helped in developing lot of insights in the traditional wisdom of water and commons management. I could actually test the theories on field which we studied in class. When I joined WaterAid I got to chance to work extensively on WASH which is a less talked about issue nevertheless so significant.
Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?
A. Working in GRAVIS on rainwater harvesting, community pastureland development and drought mitigation had been very satisfying in terms of the benefits to the community. It was a great learning experience to understand how with scanty water resources a very sustainable system of conservation can be weaved.
I was also selected for participating in the Dry Toilet Conference in Finland and SACOSAN in Nepal where I got an opportunity to share my experiences on Ecological Sanitation with the International community.
Also, got an opportunity to work with Robert Chambers on Immersion Studies in Chhattisgarh, which is a prized memory.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM helped in developing the knowledge on contemporary issues and also introduced the tools and skills which have immensely helped on field.
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 driving force has always been my own motivation as I got the opportunity to work on areas close to my heart.
There have been many influencers who not only helped in shaping my career but rather more in shaping my values. Shashi Tyagi (Founder, GRAVIS), G. D. Agarwal (Founding member, PSI, Dehradun), Anupam Mishra and Robert Chambers have influenced me in various stages of my career. I was lucky to work with them and learn the way to develop the approach for any intervention with the community in a very simplistic manner without using very sophisticated tools. My advice to the IIFM graduates who would like to work in the development sector is to always have a community oriented approach. Inspite of recent challenging context, the development sector will hold scope for young professionals for years to come.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Our batch was a well-knit group. I recollect our trips together to New Market on the weekends. We had a few dog lovers in our group and we always used to take extra rotis from the mess for feeding the dogs in the campus. We also did a lot of birdwatching in the campus. Our batch was a diverse group which had Lecturers, Foresters, Nature lovers, Snake handlers, Photographers as well as Music lovers and we had a memorable time together.
I found some great friends and also my life partner from my class 🙂
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. P.K Biswas had been my guide and mentor and continue to be so all these years.
Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. Apart from course, IIFM offers lot of opportunities to explore your interest areas so make the most of it and also interact and make friends from your class as well as senior and junior batch.
Q. What was your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?
A. Typical day at work is spent on coordination with different teams working on different projects. I prefer field visits and spend a minimum of 10 days every month in the field.
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. I spend most weekends relaxing with my family. Currently, I am working on improving my skills on public policy so I dedicate Saturday evening for that only. I enjoy watching web series on the weekend and we also go for outings.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. I am still developing my interest in reading. I am more of a book collector than a reader. Though, there is one recent book which I am reading – Panchajanya.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students? Your engagement with IIFM Placement or OT/SI?
A. I would definitely love to facilitate internships of IIFM students interested to work in WASH.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Jayant Sarma (MRM -2004-05).