I’ll open our blogs by sharing a story that my dad told me – a story that took place over sixty years ago in a poor village in South India. Let me begin by mentioning that this story centers around dowry – money given by a bride’s family to the groom’s family as a condition of marriage. While dowry goes against our cultural norms, I think this story is still worth telling. The story reveals the power of community unlike any story I know.
On a Saturday afternoon in 1955, my dad’s family was preparing for the engagement of his eldest sister. Wedding engagements at the time were social events – akin to a mini wedding. A tent was set up; food was prepared; guests were invited. As part of the celebration, my grandfather would need to give the dowry – 500 rupees – to the future groom’s family. Without the exchange of the dowry, the engagement would not be official. My grandfather went to great lengths to try to secure the dowry in time. But he unfortunately wasn’t successful. So you can imagine what my grandfather felt as guests arrived at his home on that Saturday afternoon. Despite all his efforts, there was no feasible path forward. But unbeknownst to him, hope was awakening. Word was getting around about my grandfather’s predicament. And in a tight-knit community, word traveled fast.
As my grandfather stood outside his home, one of the attendees – a relative – walked up to my grandfather. He told my grandfather not to worry – that the engagement would take place. He then took out some money and handed it to my grandfather. Others gathered for the celebration did the same. The amount received was considerable, but not nearly enough to cover the dowry. That’s when something even more unexpected happened. Neighbors within the community came to see my grandfather – one by one. They also encouraged him and told him that the engagement would take place and then handed him money. Some sold jewelry; others took loans; everyone gave what they could. My grandfather, now with 500 rupees in his hand, was left to wonder how this was possible.
Our company’s vision is to create innovative technologies that harness the power of ‘together.’ Either from stories that we’ve heard or from our own experiences, we know that we can accomplish more by working together. That’s why we’re excited about creating on-demand service apps. On-demand service apps, at its core, try to harness the power of local communities. When we look at a common problem like snow, we wonder what would happen if a community addressed it together. We’re about to find out!