Balancing Equity, Ecology, and Economy Through Antyodaya Leadership: A Case Study of SELCO

Shahaab Javeri (), Harish Hande () and Babita Bhatt ()
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Shahaab Javeri: SELCO Foundation
Harish Hande: SELCO Foundation
Babita Bhatt: Australian National University

A chapter in Social Entrepreneurship and Gandhian Thoughts in the Post-COVID World, 2023, pp 277-295 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to provide access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all. However, the conventional energy model based on fossil fuels has worsened environmental and social crises. Scholars argue that social enterprises can offer alternative solutions based on the Gandhian development philosophy. We present Solar Electric Lighting Company (SELCO), a social enterprise based in Bangalore, India, that aims to address poverty through decentralized renewable energy. We illustrate how SELCO’s aim to address structural inequalities by recognizing the needs of the marginalized and designing customized solutions that balance material, social, and ecological concerns, align with the Gandhian principle of Antyodaya. Relatedly, we demonstrate that guided by Antyodaya, a social enterprise can increase its reach, impact, and potential to address systemic problems. Further, by applying Gandhian theory, we also contribute to the extant research on social enterprises which largely has Western philosophical foundations. Our study call for increasing engagement with indigenous theories that have the potential to generate more novel insights. The Gandhian perspective on Antyodaya leadership is one such approach that offers holistic, decentralized, and grassroots solutions to achieve SDGs.

Keywords: Antyodaya leadership; Self-reliance; Village development; Care; Gandhian enterprise; SGDs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-4008-0_13

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