A village the world should be proud of: Popatrao Pawar at TEDxGateway 2013

Due to a lack of groundwater and the failure of successive monsoons, the people of Hivre Bazaar Village in Inida have been able to grow nothing but bajra. Of course, that was only until Popatrao Pawar became the Sarpanch/Village Headman. As agricultural incomes fell, villagers migrated, unemployment rose, crime became commonplace and illicit liquor-making flourished. Conditions deteriorated to such a level that no government official wanted a posting there. When Pawar, a budding cricketer, was elected as the sarpanch in 1989, his family urged him to stay in the city. "But I felt that I needed to make my village better," he said. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)