Do you often feel upset when you hear about car accidents caused by potholes and bad infrastructure? If you’re nodding along, then you might wanna check out PotholeRaja. A social venture with a mission to make India’s roads safer and more accessible for all.
As common as this unfortunate mishap may be, accidents always leave us uneasy and disturbed. While most of the time what happens is that we’re moved by some personal tragedy to start taking action towards a social cause, Saurabh did not wait for the tragedy to come to him.
From IT Job to Co-Founder of PotHoleRaja
Meet Saurabh, a young entrepreneur from Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand, India. After completing his engineering degree in Bangalore, Saurabh started working with HP as a software developer. He gained valuable experience working in the IT industry, but his attention was soon drawn to news of pothole-related accidents happening across the country.
When Saurabh heard about the death of a young woman after her 2-wheeler ran over a pothole, he couldn’t accept the loss of human life, which could have been avoided with better infrastructure. He did something most of us might not have the guts to do. He left his full-time job to solve the issue of potholes in our country and do something about it.
Journey with PotHoleRaja
How many times does it happen that we complain about a problem only to conclude that it is someone else’s responsibility and return to our lives? For some people, it’s not that easy. Saurabh continued to do research on potholes and related issues and possible solutions while also continuing his job.
One random day he decided to fix his first pothole while volunteering. “When a person came and thanked me for it, I had goosebumps,” Saurabh said.
No doubt there are challenges in every journey but when each step feels as fruitful as this, the journey onward can only grow more and more productive. Even more so when he came across an initiative by PotHoleRaja and started his journey there as a volunteer.
Have you ever experienced the frustration of hitting potholes while driving on the road? It can be a jarring and sometimes dangerous experience, not to mention the damage potholes can cause to your vehicle. That’s where PotholeRaja comes in – a social venture dedicated to promoting road safety and reducing accidents on Indian roads.
The Solution Provided by PotHoleRaja
Potholes are a common problem on roads and highways, and as someone who’s experienced the frustration and danger of poorly maintained roads firsthand the idea of this social start-up really resonated with me.
One of the focuses of PotHoleRaja is to provide more permanent employment for underprivileged and transgender communities. For decades, the transgender community has faced immense discrimination and exclusion in society. This has led to a lack of opportunities for them to earn a livelihood and lead a dignified life.
To support them in their endeavour of making roads free of potholes, this social start-up makes use of public-private partnerships, engages people, employees, and the transgender community. Initiatives like CSR and private road projects are some examples.
Making use of plastic and other eco-friendly methods, PotHoleRaja fixes the potholes and condition of Indian roads with sustainable material that requires less maintenance.
Challenges and Future Plans
Life is all about challenges and PotHoleRaja’s journey wasn’t without one either. In fact, there are many challenges that you can face especially when working towards a social cause starting from family. In our Indian culture, every parent wants to give their child the best education that could help them pursue a top-notch profession. But who imagines their child will fix potholes after completing an engineering degree? Something similar happened with Saurabh when his father asked him, “What am I going to say when someone asks me what my son is doing, that he fixes potholes?”
Despite the efforts made by the platform, many people in India are still not aware of the risks of potholes and how to avoid them. To address this issue, Potholeraja.com is planning to launch a comprehensive awareness campaign across the country, including digital and traditional media channels.
Potholeraja.com has come a long way in creating awareness about road safety and pothole-related issues in India. While they still face several challenges, their future plans sound exciting and promising, and we can expect more innovative solutions to road safety issues from them in the near future.
A Word from Mad4India
Through his hard work and determination, Saurabh has created a solution to a problem that affects countless people on a daily basis. His efforts have been recognized and appreciated by many, and he continues to work tirelessly to make India’s roads safer and more accessible for everyone. But, is this initiative on Saurabh and PotHoleRaja’s part enough for a country of over 1 billion population? No, right?
That’s why, whether you’re a driver, pedestrian, or just someone who cares about creating a safer, more sustainable future for India, one thing we all need to realize is that we need a Saurabh in every part of the country. Together, we can help make our roads safer, our communities stronger, and our future brighter. It’s a mission that we can all get behind, and one that we should support wholeheartedly.
Feature Image – Instagram
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