Transcript from Dentology Podcast with guest Bhavin Bhatt
Episode release date: Monday 3 April 2023
andy___chris:
So here we are. this time got a special episode to be called short episode. So today were joined by Bhavin Bhatt. I just give some background for our regular listeners. We did do an episode with Vin before, when bein talked about his business, a line of outcome, but today we’re talking to Bevan. Me, because, between Christmas and the New Year, they went with their two children to a rural remote village in India to deliver some Water wheels for wheels on wheels and wheels on wheels is the water wheel charity founded by shares. Memon did make doing incredible work and he’s also at the moment forming Document, No Water Land, which is going to share the down, the life of two girls in different villages, and it covers their struggles and dream, dreams and hope for the future, But incredible opportunity to hear your story, Bavin, and mean, and we’re delighted that both of you have joined us today, which is great. We come to th only thing fair, you comers because Bab was a bit boring last time. I,
bhavin_bhatt:
Uh
andy___chris:
so thanks very much. So we’re
bhavin_bhatt:
H.
andy___chris:
only joking, only joking By the way for the medic laugh. Welcome, Bevern and Meg. How are you both?
bhavin_bhatt:
Great, thank you. thanks for having us on the show. As in this is the first for me. I know he’s done this before, but I really, I wanted to be a part of this because it’s a really special special one that you’re doing four well sown welds And you know, being one of the ambassadors on for this charity, I really wanted to also sort of be involved. so thank you so much for having us today.
andy___chris:
No, say it’s great. It’s great to have you like is a great charity. So just over to you guys. tell us why did you feel the need to make a personal delivery? Because I know that through a line of alchemy, you your business, you supported Wilson Wilson the beginning, So just for people listening, this isn’t something that you’ve just jumped into. You were there right from the beginning providing support making donations. And then you read, You joined recently as as an ambassador. Make, but why did you feel this? this need to upyouryour Family with your son and your daughter and head over and deliver wells personally.
bhavin_bhatt:
We could start at the beginning.
andy___chris:
Yeah, please do always a good place.
bhavin_bhatt:
It started with the birth of our daughter in two thousand nine, and her name is Isa. So it’s the first ever word spoken in the world. It sanscrit. and it means the feminine aspect of the Divine, And we gave her that name because we believe she was a gift from God and if she’s coming with that level of energy, it really sort of shapes how you wish to molder as a person. So in a word in which women face various challenge, et cetera it’s how are we as parents going to empower her and for her to be part of something different, So as parents who are looking, sort of to give the children experiences from which they can learn and grow, So it’s more to show them what you can do rather than tell them
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
because you guys agree, but you can’t tell your kids do anything. You have to be the change,
andy___chris:
Hm,
bhavin_bhatt:
And we’re from a part of India, where Magan is from, so he famously said, Be the change you want to see in the world. So we thought we have this amazing gift of this amazing spirit who has greatness inside. Er. How do we not raise with the constraints of perhaps what it means with contented to be a female.
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
So to be part of a charity where it’s all about empowering God. It’s like Wow, from from from from parents from a pure selfish boy. It was like this is cheaper than doing anything else in the world, because
andy___chris:
Uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
everything we
andy___chris:
uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
want impart to her she’s going to learn in this experience, and for my wife, you know, she’s always let her speak about her passions with helping women and such things. So in this
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
this was a great mix as a way for us to start out Pilate Tropic journey. So this week Yeah,
andy___chris:
Right,
bhavin_bhatt:
so I think for me, I was born in India. I was born in mob, actually, And then we moved to the Middle East, so I grew up. My childhood was basically the Middle East, In Baarinit’s, a small island, and from there I then moved on to Canada. I lived there for a couple of years, did my education there and then met Bavin. Lucky, I’ve
andy___chris:
Uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
been living in the U. K. for the last nineteen years. We’ve been married nineteen years now, So for me it was a lot like it’s been a journey through various, sort of like, pretty much very global in terms of my
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
ring,
andy___chris:
hm,
bhavin_bhatt:
and I’ve kind of done different stages of my life in in these different parts, I even went to India for a couple of years and lived in Maarashtra myself. So I was kind of when I, when I came across this charity growing up, it was all about. You know, I was a big fan of Janos, And and sort of you know, when she talked about empowering women and really strong women characters, those are the kind of people that I grew up with reading, and I always sort of you know how do we move away from the norm, So to speak, is
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
something that I
andy___chris:
Hm,
bhavin_bhatt:
always wanted to kind of be involved with, So when when sort of has talked about this? Uh, I think this was years ago when he just kind of embarked on it And then we started talking a bit more, and then I started seeing and understanding what the charity was doing. I knew at that time that we wanted to be a part of this on so many different levels, And how can we kind of almost spread that message across to everybody else to, and make it more sort of relevant. We.
andy___chris:
So Meg, you actually lived in the district where you ultimately ended up delivering the heels to. Then
bhavin_bhatt:
Yes, so I mean, we’re talking about where where sort of the charity goes Is very, very rural, almost
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
tribal. If I can say that, because I don’t think you really understand it until you’re there. And so when we actually
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
went there is what we realized because you know villages nowadays To put into perspective, there’s a lot of villages that are also very town like, If that makes sense, So they still call themselves villages, But you have like basic necessities. you know,
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
suit systems. Things like that. The kind of places that we went to this time. we’re talking about rural of the rural, so I would almost say tribal, Because there isn’t there are basic things there, you know. water, of course, being one of them, but we’re talking about houses and homes that are just made of mud, and there’s
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
they’re there like you know, you think to yourself, Are people actually living there? The village that we actually went to had only twenty houses. So if you think about puttin, And in the perspective were not talking about roads and infrastructure and all of that kind of stuff, this is like tribal areas.
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
So
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
for me it was quite yes, I mean, I’ve lived in Marastra, which is which, which is a state in India,
andy___chris:
Yep,
bhavin_bhatt:
But we’re talking about going into like even the journey like, we’ll talk a little bit more about the actual journey that we made, and it really sort of was an eye opener.
andy___chris:
M. And I mean you charted it very well, Hugh. Social media, with your stories, you know it was. It was great because you kind of felt that you were. You were making that journey with you And that point about the journey how it looked like it was proper
bhavin_bhatt:
So
andy___chris:
dirt
bhavin_bhatt:
hang
andy___chris:
track,
bhavin_bhatt:
on to
andy___chris:
dirt
bhavin_bhatt:
the
andy___chris:
tracks.
bhavin_bhatt:
so. then if you made the journey with us, can we get a rebate on their tickets?
andy___chris:
Oh,
bhavin_bhatt:
I don’t know. You. tell me
andy___chris:
Uh, uh.
bhavin_bhatt:
to be fair, though we, we kind of mapped everything out and I said Okay, this is not so bad like we knew exactly where we were going, but I think it was only when we actually started off and we were getting closer to. There Was a point. wasn’t there where we? we had to stop. so I think I take a step back. It took us two days to drive to the to the newest big city
andy___chris:
Well,
bhavin_bhatt:
From We were based.
andy___chris:
so did you fly into mob or something and then
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah, so basically
andy___chris:
fly somewhere else or train somewhere
bhavin_bhatt:
yeah, So so we flew in. We were doing some family stuff, so then we hired a car, the shoufeur,
andy___chris:
Right?
bhavin_bhatt:
So then we did a little road trip. So to speak, we knew the biggest sort of metropolititity, So the thing with India is, it’s undergoing an explosion, so it’s hard for us to conceptualize. But if you think back to Crocodile Dundee and then there was the Outback And it was remote and there
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
was some aboriginals. that’s literally where we were, so
andy___chris:
Right,
bhavin_bhatt:
it’s hard for us to understand because you know if you’re traveling into cool when you go to a little village, you know
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
we all laugh about how backed or how back was it might be, but it’s still part of the modern British experience. Whereas
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
these villages are so isolated, Literally is crocodile on the kind of stuff. And
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
what happens was that Google thought it was going to be a two and a half hour journey
andy___chris:
Uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
And
andy___chris:
uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
it was only when we start on the road, our show first to speak, said no one in their right mind would go to this location. We would never want to drive in this location at night time, because it’s lawless,
andy___chris:
All right.
bhavin_bhatt:
So
andy___chris:
okay,
bhavin_bhatt:
hence why I like the crocodaldone de analogy, Which is you realize that it’s almost like the wild West or how cut off they are,
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
And then you know, told us sort of take a turn. It was ten minutes and the driver was like There’s not a chance, just dirt track. He refused to take the car. He was like, there’s no way we’re driving through that and at that point we were like stuck because we were like. What do we do? Now? We were in the middle of nowhere. You get no signal so we couldn’t reach any Buddy. Um, and I think it was about noon. By this time it was really hot We’re talking about like you know, Um, sub continent heat port,
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
forty one, forty two degrees, And I was thinking And I’ve got two kids, so I’ve got a thirteen year old and a fourteen year old and I, and then the drivers thinking, Okay, what do we do now? What’s our back up? and I was like Okay, let’s just go back to. We had to go back a bit and then luckily we had shot Pasha Basoucly. With a choice, We are to return back home.
andy___chris:
All right
bhavin_bhatt:
We take a five hour detour to literally go round the mountains and and go around and then, but that means we have to change all of our plans down the road.
andy___chris:
Right.
bhavin_bhatt:
That was also, or we always thought perhaps we could do a three hour track and walk to the village
andy___chris:
Wow,
bhavin_bhatt:
mountain. But then the heat tired kids, cranky, wife, tree, Loving, respectful, so
andy___chris:
Cranky
bhavin_bhatt:
then
andy___chris:
husband.
bhavin_bhatt:
small like it, I can’t handle the heat. That’s
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
so. then what was amazing was Haz was in Singaporon Holiday, and he project managed the whole thing. Yea, so he said, sit there. sit tight. I’ll figure this out and thinking, I’m thinking, Surely he’s not going to get Andy to send his helicopter.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
The rat, Taylor Helicopis, going to turn up at some think so.
andy___chris:
That was our secret.
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah, So then he actually arranged for four of his team members to go out to a local village, hire some motor bikes, And then they took us on a dirt track down a ravine, then up into a mountain. and
andy___chris:
Oh wow.
bhavin_bhatt:
so there was no other way. There was no other way to get to where we needed to get to. There were only two options We had. We either have to walk and track it or we had
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
to go motor bikes, and at this point you can imagine My daughter. She was thinking there is no way in how I am getting on to this motor bike. I think she’s never. She’s never ridden a motor bike, And it was like with a stranger and I said and oh my god, it took me ten fifteen minutes, maybe just to convince her that we’ve come this far and I really need you to trust me to get on to this bike.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
And it’ll make sense, because everything continue attract. So you teach your children safety.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
The first thing is do not go away with strangers, Strange men you don’t know, so
andy___chris:
Yeah.
bhavin_bhatt:
it’s like I can’t vouch for the kid for this guy. I don’t have a c B check and the next thing is physical safety right where where a helmet. the guy is turned up with multiple helmets and he’s looking down the dirt track, seeing rocks everywhere
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
and it’s like
andy___chris:
I was going to say, Did they have helmets because I sort of think to myself, Probably
bhavin_bhatt:
No,
andy___chris:
not
bhavin_bhatt:
no,
andy___chris:
the reality.
bhavin_bhatt:
no,
andy___chris:
Is that what you’re describing for the village you’re ultimately going to get to this is their daily life. Know the track that you’re going up and down. You describe it in great detail for people who live in the west where we’re used to roads, and the worst we might come across is a pot hole.
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah,
andy___chris:
You know you’re You’re describing what? That’s ther. That’s their path. That’s how they get in and out of their village on a vegatabasis.
bhavin_bhatt:
And to put into perspective, these young girls have to walk this path most of the times barefoot
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
when they are actually having to carry water or find water, or go to the nearest well there, and it’s interesting because this is one of the things that my daughter said she goes, Because it was so hot and we were. We were struggling with the heat there ourselves and I kept telling the kids stay in the sun because I don’t want them to get ill or anything. But yet there were these young kids and young girls walking barefoot, and she said to me, How are they walking barefoot?
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
So it’s yeah, it was. It wasn’t
andy___chris:
At
bhavin_bhatt:
interesting,
andy___chris:
this at this time Were you were you ever concerned about your personal safety? Were you ever? did you have a moment? You thought this could kind of take a turn not be good? Or did you always feel like there was a plan and things were moving in the right direction?
bhavin_bhatt:
Have you? so? from your question, I can see you’ve never been to India.
andy___chris:
I haven’t been to India and I’d love to go, but now I’ve not been.
bhavin_bhatt:
It’s organized chaos. The minute you are about safety, you’re gonna get on the plane. I come straight back, but to
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
be fair, though, like the people that came, they were all well zone Wheels volunteers. So the one thing
andy___chris:
Right.
bhavin_bhatt:
that we knew was they all had their tee shirts on. They all had their hats on, so we knew that they were the right people, so we knew we
andy___chris:
There
bhavin_bhatt:
were
andy___chris:
was some.
bhavin_bhatt:
on
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
that erect.
andy___chris:
some authority there.
bhavin_bhatt:
Yes, exactly so we knew that we were safe, but I think just getting there Seven minutes journey was was was definitely an experience.
andy___chris:
Yeah, what was he? What was the reception like when you arrived in the village?
bhavin_bhatt:
Oh, it was. it was completely unbelievable. I mean,
andy___chris:
Did they know you were coming?
bhavin_bhatt:
they knew that there was going to be a distribution. They knew, sort of the village. The team was so organized that they were already there beforehand. They knew there was going to be something happening in the village, So there was to be fair. There was an entire sort of ceremony that they did for us. So there was a traditional folk dance which is very sort of, which was so touching and so welcoming for us. I mean, I don’t Kids have ever seen anything like it. So it was like, Um, so things, so put this into context. If a king or a ruler was to go somewhere, there would be a procession. So they had a procession for us.
andy___chris:
Oh, wow.
bhavin_bhatt:
He would be singing and dancing to celebrate the occasion. They were singing and dancing,
andy___chris:
Wow,
bhavin_bhatt:
And it wasn’t sort of five minutes. and we’ve done. They kept going and going and going, And for us, because we have Indian ancestry, We understand the significance
andy___chris:
Significance
bhavin_bhatt:
and
andy___chris:
of
bhavin_bhatt:
the
andy___chris:
it.
bhavin_bhatt:
symbolism
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
of it.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
So it’s almost for them the pomp and pageantry of the king and Queen or someone coming
andy___chris:
And can
bhavin_bhatt:
on
andy___chris:
you
bhavin_bhatt:
that?
andy___chris:
communicate? Is it the same dialect? Can you? Could they understand or did you have that as an
bhavin_bhatt:
No,
andy___chris:
added complication
bhavin_bhatt:
no, we did it. I mean, I spoke a little bit, so I actually went and I wanted to speak to some of the girls and some of the young women there, so I could just about sort of in my broken marat, which is what they speak there, which is the local dialect. Um, get a couple of words out because I wanted to speak to some of the girls myself to see how
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
this is going to change their lives. But no, there wasn’t but I think I think for the kids as well, it was more the you could just feel the love You could feel, the respect you could feel. the fact that
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
this was going to change their lives. And I suppose you didn’t need language. I mean, it wasn’t a barrier or anything like that. We didn’t feel,
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
you know we didn’t. We could feel their feelings what they were sort of going through, which isn’t symbolic within the culture. When you perhaps were to welcome a king or someone, you would offer them. Just like a garland of flowers. You give them a coconut, which represents prosperity, Good fortune, and then symbolically you would place a shawl over their shoulders or their head. So these are symbolic things that have happened for thousands of years, which esteem normally to sort of kings, queens, or you know, people of high nobility, so speed,
andy___chris:
Hm.
bhavin_bhatt:
and for my kids to experience that it was just absolutely unreal.
andy___chris:
And and what was there? What was their? take? your, your son and daughter? How did they react to the whole the whole experience?
bhavin_bhatt:
I think so, If we do with it with individually, so my son goes to grammar school is very academic. Takes after me Now his mom, come on,
andy___chris:
Uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
Andy. You’re
andy___chris:
uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
greig on that one sitting on the fence. That’s all it. Well,
andy___chris:
No,
bhavin_bhatt:
let him,
andy___chris:
I was going to say, I’m just going to sit here quietly and listen to you dig
bhavin_bhatt:
Poor
andy___chris:
your
bhavin_bhatt:
guys.
andy___chris:
own
bhavin_bhatt:
You’re
andy___chris:
whole
bhavin_bhatt:
going
andy___chris:
Bain.
bhavin_bhatt:
to put them in such a deep possession.
andy___chris:
You just keep digging. We got sons and daughters,
bhavin_bhatt:
I’m
andy___chris:
so we
bhavin_bhatt:
good
andy___chris:
got foot
bhavin_bhatt:
thing
andy___chris:
in both.
bhavin_bhatt:
is were
andy___chris:
Uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
so
andy___chris:
uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
so my son is very academic. Goes to a school full of bookworms. So for him to go and see, this was amazing because it was not only from an E que point, he was able to see the impact that had, and how,
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
even though he couldn’t communicate with them, gestures and other forms of communicator so powerful, And
andy___chris:
It’s amazing.
bhavin_bhatt:
he learned so much from that point because he saw young kids happy than him and his friends at grammar school and he’s wondering what he said to me. You know, other than drugs or something, What do you mean there? all laughing and they’re happy they got nothing
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
and that I was like this is Christmas Eve. And what bigger gift can we give you one?
andy___chris:
That experience in it makes a difference we. we. We have a charity that we worked within South Africa, and when all our children have been to the charities, and it does make a huge impact upon people. And remember, we did a trip once to Mose Beak, which was very interesting. You know, Don’t step on that path. Don’t step off the path Because it might be a land mine and it’s a whole level, isn’t it? It makes sure is one of those great things, isn’t it? When you’re Parent, you so wish you could tell your kids things that they don’t never listen to you. but when they experience or someone else suddenly they get it and I think something like that like your trip. You never be able to teach that without that actually happening. Amazing.
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah, it was like So so my son had to change his t shirt. He goes into someone’s house and he’s like, Where’s the changing room? Where’s this look? They have
andy___chris:
Uh,
bhavin_bhatt:
a monofuinmultiu space, Literally, one, which is which is smaller than your bedroom, And this is where the cook clean live, do their home work and he just couldn’t fathom.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah,
andy___chris:
it’s fascinating because you know you look at the what I can’t remember now, but the line they declare as poverty in the U. K, and then when you look at people who are living in one room, and it’s really hard to say to people unless you experience now you know this is what it’s like to live from day to day almost sometimes. But it’s interesting that you say you stop it right back and your sons take on it. was that they were. They were still happy and it does Make you kind of appreciate that happiness isn’t about things, and
bhavin_bhatt:
Absolutely
andy___chris:
we think
bhavin_bhatt:
absolutely
andy___chris:
that quite often happiness is about because it’s stuck with the things cause it’s stuck with them.
bhavin_bhatt:
So like. like, Like my daughter, she talks about all the time, Because my daughter takes after my wife. She’s really high on her que. And so my daughter loves watching the apprentice, so she’s entreprenerally minded like my wife. So the gift for her was innovation and hard work over here that she is doing, and our hard work means you can change the lives of people and give them a chance.
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
And she really got that and we really involved with what we were doing and how we were doing it, so for her
andy___chris:
Hm,
bhavin_bhatt:
to go out first hand and see it, and to see young girls her age who don’t have I paid, and all these things that she has,
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
but for her to know that the material cost to make a drum with a handle is a huge,
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
but just that innovation and that vision and entreprenurely. it’s ignited something in her.
andy___chris:
And so they become. Have they become champions of wheels on wheels? You know,
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah,
andy___chris:
their friends and schools and stuff like that,
bhavin_bhatt:
Well, yeah, I mean, yes, my son. our son talks about it all the time. He’s very much involved with a lot of sort of eco projects and things like that at school, So he talks about it often and he’s very much. He’s very local, so he will talk about it to everybody, and
andy___chris:
M
bhavin_bhatt:
I think for Isa, it was more being able to see the girls herself to be able to, because we even spoke to the head master of the school there, and he kind of explain
andy___chris:
Right,
bhavin_bhatt:
as to how these schools these girls will attend school now, and I’ve got a chance to see the school. so I think for her it was more wow. They’re actually going to going to get a chance
andy___chris:
Wow,
bhavin_bhatt:
doing something. Yea, and I kind of involved in one of the conversations I had with one of the young girls called Durga there, and she was about seven, eight years old, I think, and I said to her, What do you want to be when you grow up? What are you going to? You know, how are you going to? And her answer was she wanted to be a doctor because she wants to help people. and I think for is to hear that For my daughter to hear that. it was like Wow that you know this young girl seven eight years old. You know. I mean we’re looking around thinking. Oh my God, stuck here has has these inspirations and these hopes that she’s going to one day help other people, So I think
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
I think for that that for us was huge.
andy___chris:
And it’s amazing, isn’t it to think that these water wheels they create the time and the capacity for the girls to now study, whereas
bhavin_bhatt:
Yes,
andy___chris:
their whole day would have been spent collecting and delivering water. they’ve now can do it much more quickly, which mean they’ve got time to study, which gives them you know, going back to documentary that working on No water End, it’s hope isn’t about delivering hope, so that
bhavin_bhatt:
It’s a chance.
andy___chris:
the next yes,
bhavin_bhatt:
It’s giving them a chance. And I think because I interview Chase a while ago with regards to why he kind of started, I wanted to get to know a little bit more about why
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
you know he would come up with something like this and I think his thing was. Um, He wanted. He wanted these girls to know that there is somebody out there and that we are there to help and give them a sense of hope, like you said, And I think
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
I did the interview and that time it was just you know, these are words and text, but actually going there I think I kind of when I saw the girls there and I saw the young women there, and I saw just look on their face when we showed them, Because you have a wheel demonstration.
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
So we showed them how to use the wheel, how to look after the wheel, and then we did a dame with them, So you know, like literally, all of them got to go to the nearby well. We showed them how to fell, showed them how to fill the water. bring it back,
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
and how easy it was now For them to be able to do
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
this, And I think just the look on their face could kind of you know, just tells you what a huge difference this is going to make
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
for them. And
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
what with the incredible opportunitity to actually go to see, it is other untold stories, Chris, right, so we wouldn’t clock in our head that there in August the world will fill up but be one soon season this year. the challenge was a very dry and arid period, September, so like we went in December with is technically winter and they’re still like thirty eight to forty one degrees. So
andy___chris:
Wow,
bhavin_bhatt:
early January that well is almost already drained.
andy___chris:
Wow,
bhavin_bhatt:
So now their local well, which is, let’s say two or three kilometers is going to become barren. So before shades
andy___chris:
Flip
bhavin_bhatt:
innovation, they now realized this arid path that we had to take. They’re going to have to do four times that to get to the other nearest were, And all other communities will be searching for other wells.
andy___chris:
M
bhavin_bhatt:
What you don’t realize is that in a twelve month cycle they allas have to write, or four months where they’re going to have to walk further distances. And the gift of the well
andy___chris:
As
bhavin_bhatt:
is you could have just one. You know, these girls over. taking like a wrote. So rather me every day have to go with the thing ahead, one person goes
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
with with their will,
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
And then
andy___chris:
hm,
bhavin_bhatt:
when you think about that, here’s anyway, Talk to them and you really understand what’s happening. Do you realize how profound this is Because
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
the four months of the year is written off if they’re having to walk twenty kilometers one way just to get to a well at a village far away.
andy___chris:
That’s so hard, isn’t it to? to get that into the realism of someone having to walk that distance to get water? You know people, people don’t really walk much in the U. K. anyway, you know, and they think twenty kilometers in a car. You know. it doesn’t take very long, but you walk twenty kilometers with. you know. that sort of stuff is invaluable, isn’t it? Because you get people actually to try and see it. What’s lovely as a story? It’s life changing and not just for the people in that village, but for you and your family as well, and that that’s incredible that you know. there’s so many beneficiaries going through this process and the adventure that you had. It’s an amazing story in its own right, but you know for you to carry that forward that experience and the impact it’s had is wonderful.
bhavin_bhatt:
I think that was the whole purpose as well, I wanted. I mean we were. We were supporting the charity, like you said from the very beginning, When it kind of like started,
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
I wanted a line of alchemy to be very much involved with the project as well, and but for us to do this, it was more of the fact that all of our delegates, everyone who’s connected to a line of alchemy, Um, or the academy, or anyone, for that matter, who has
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
even outside of a liner, Come in some way donated and supported well on wheels, needs to feel and know where where their money is going. What they’re actually
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
helping. Because sometimes
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
it’s hard, isn’t it for us sitting here
andy___chris:
yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
and
andy___chris:
definitely,
bhavin_bhatt:
when we donate, like you know, Pavin and I support a lot of other causes too, But sometimes it’s hard because you want to. You don’t know what’s happening on the ground and
andy___chris:
Yeah. where
bhavin_bhatt:
you
andy___chris:
is
bhavin_bhatt:
know
andy___chris:
it going?
bhavin_bhatt:
exactly and you know in your mind that you’re doing a good thing, and you know your conscience is clear, But this was our chance to also Able to show everybody that this is what’s happening on the ground. And I think
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
you know the fact that everything that we make as well, in terms of a line of alchemy, we always kind of part, donate everything to Wilson Wheels Is it’s our chosen charity, but I wanted everyone to feel a part of that through our story.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
You know we used.
andy___chris:
I think you’re right. I think that is an issue with with charity in donations, isn’t it? You know, it makes us feel good, but if we see the good, you know you showed us the good that happens. It’s not just feeling good that the diatdemic goes out and somebody
bhavin_bhatt:
Yeah,
andy___chris:
somewhere benefiting you actually see it’s giving. As you see kids in the villages benefiting
bhavin_bhatt:
And the thing is,
andy___chris:
that
bhavin_bhatt:
the thing is, I don’t know if you know Sandy, but ever since I’ve been spong to the charity, she seems to be buying more and more expensive clothes, so I wasn’t quite sure if there was a link there,
andy___chris:
We can all ask him next time we see which embarrass him hugely.
bhavin_bhatt:
But the thing is, from our point we want to do our diligence.
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
The dens was that houses working. Is it efficient on the administrative cost? You know, let’s be honest. Shares could be taking eighty per cent of every pond we
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
put. Because some charities do that and we realize
andy___chris:
Yes,
bhavin_bhatt:
he’s not
andy___chris:
yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
from the bottom of his heart. This is like a zero cost administration kind of thing. I, han’t got it. So then how his team working? So then we saw how they were logging. ledgering Accounted for every well. That’s pretty cool. But what if they sold these on bay? I mean, there’s a number of things that could happen so
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
then
andy___chris:
yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
as he then got a follow up system where his team wild, then go back to the village after three months and make sure that the world is still there. They accounted for. They’re bin used, And then what you realize is he’s created this system where you know that every pound you give goes in The charity, But he’s looked at the different aspects where perhaps things would go astray
andy___chris:
M
bhavin_bhatt:
and he’s
andy___chris:
hm.
bhavin_bhatt:
on those gaps, and that was pretty amazing to see, and really
andy___chris:
That’s good.
bhavin_bhatt:
such a dedicated team like these are people. These are the locals. I mean, I got to speak to a lot of the volunteers there, as well the Well on Wheels volunteers, and most of them have degrees. Most of them do this on the weekends, so they have Monday
andy___chris:
Wow,
bhavin_bhatt:
to Friday day jobs Like us, and then on the weekends they take time out to do this and it usually
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
one wheel distribution usually takes them a whole day, So we had to. We planned it on a Saturday, because that was their day off and they said Okay, this works for us. but they basically leave early in the morning, so they have to make sure that the wheels are delivered. And like I said, these are not people. These are people with degrees. They have day jobs.
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
But and for them to travel because they’ve got to travel to, they’re all based in mob or Naiad, major cities within
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
Mark within
andy___chris:
but
bhavin_bhatt:
this,
andy___chris:
yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
But they’re having to travel too, so I mean their dedication as well. I have to say, hats off to the local ground team there That
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
actually put all the sort of logistics in place was fantastic. I suppose
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
what really struck me, which I think you get from a business point is if you think shares as the c e O is able to sprinkle his magic of what he does remotely internationally
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
without being at that side.
andy___chris:
M,
bhavin_bhatt:
It was the taken for me that I do to teach of our programs is how has he done that, Because he’s not met most of the team apart from zoom and everything,
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
And yet from what they did how they did it, there was Chase’s footprint Throughout the whole thing.
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
He wasn’t
andy___chris:
Yes,
bhavin_bhatt:
micromanything.
andy___chris:
special
bhavin_bhatt:
His coach created something so like, even like his team brought us like pack lunch. So so when we got there they had snacks and food ready, Known that we had. We had a journey, knowing our journey back and how remote the place was That made special lunches respecting our dietary things and everything, And it was like
andy___chris:
A that’s good.
bhavin_bhatt:
that was. Yeah,
andy___chris:
That’s
bhavin_bhatt:
that was
andy___chris:
impressive.
bhavin_bhatt:
very, very impressive, very very impressive,
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
very very
andy___chris:
it
bhavin_bhatt:
good.
andy___chris:
sounds like you’ve had a truly wonderful experience. I pore. I saw what you posted on time when you were out there and impressed me, which is why we wanted to talk about it, but here in the deeper story it sounds like it really has been transformational
bhavin_bhatt:
The incredible thing was probably had fifty and twenty dentists reach out to me. Said, How can we go and do this? And
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
what they were saying was if we put aside going abroad, the charity aspect. We want our kids to experience what your kids experienced,
andy___chris:
But yeah, yes,
bhavin_bhatt:
Because
andy___chris:
powerful.
bhavin_bhatt:
because their thing is, where else can you go? Where else will they see that?
andy___chris:
It’s so true. Actually, I was talking to a couple of dentists we met last week and we were talking about how do you keep your kids grounded when you’ve got what we are so privileged with what we’ve got, and I said to one of the things we did which you do is get involved in charity and then your children can really see what stuff goes on and that helps them become more grounded.
bhavin_bhatt:
Absolutely, I mean, Bab and I, in general, we do a lot of sort of volunteer work at our local temple, as well within the community, and I
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
think it’s really important for the kids to get involved with that, so
andy___chris:
Yeah, definitely,
bhavin_bhatt:
I’ll teach you know, I volunteer and I teach language classes at the temple. I teach. I play classical Indian classical music, So I do music classes and we wanted to get the kids also involved, So the kids also give their time
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
to somethin Like this, So the kids take classes as well. They have different programs that they’re involved with over the weekends, and that’s how they spend their time. so I think in general as parents as well, or even if, even if you’re you know for any kids, any, anyone in the younger generation, I think if we do it ourselves, they’re going to learn from what they
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
see,
andy___chris:
I agree wholeheartedly
bhavin_bhatt:
and it’s about having those conversations as well like we talk about it all the time, whether it’s a dinner or or you know, like even sometime when we’re talking about business. But then we’re talk About. Okay. How can we give back like this is a huge
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
part of what we do.
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
business as well Is giving back
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
Nd. I think it’s having those open conversation with our kids as well,
andy___chris:
Yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
and helping
andy___chris:
yeah,
bhavin_bhatt:
them.
andy___chris:
definitely
bhavin_bhatt:
everything that we do is. you know we are privileged. We are. We are very very
andy___chris:
Hugely,
bhavin_bhatt:
what we have absolutely. And and it’s only going to get better when you actually share that and give that and support. You know,
andy___chris:
M.
bhavin_bhatt:
it’s the community and those that are less privileged, so I think
andy___chris:
Yeah.
bhavin_bhatt:
that I think that’s
andy___chris:
Yeah, well, cheers, but in an thank you both so much is Ben. It’s It’s been a great story. We haven’t done a kind of a special episode like this before, because we normally kind of just stay on the track of life, people, their life stores the business dentistry. But it’s such an interesting story and were big supporters of shouts of wells and Wheels as well, so it pulls it together really nicely. So yeah, now we appreciate your time. We know we both busy. I suppose I could finish anyone listening. If you want to make a donation. Yes, please do. And But it is taxdeductible and we’ll put the. We’ll put the link in the show notes as well as wonderful. thank you. actually, thank you, thank you. it’s been really
bhavin_bhatt:
Thank you
andy___chris:
good.
bhavin_bhatt:
very much. thanks for having us.
andy___chris:
thanks a lot. keep well chairs.
