Innovation...Akshaya Patra... and .. Dr JJ Irani Live!

I was attending the 36th Annual conference of AIMA in Chennai last week. Second day morning session was interesting. This was a session on Innovation chaired by Dr JJ Irani with presentations from Akshaya Patra Foundation and NOKIA. Looked promising!
Dr Irani started the proceeding with a easy flowing introduction explaining how innovation was forced on many including TATA Steel post liberalization. In a mischievous tone he noted… before the economy opened up all had freedom to heap substandard products on customers including steel of course.
After narrating the evolution and relevance of innovation he introduced Sreedhar from Akshay Patra Foundation. Sreedhar – a career Sales professional turned philanthropist started narrating the vision called Akshay Patra – No child in India should give up education due to empty stomach!....Education alone can change financial status of a family even in a first generation of education… He narrated true story of a boy studying in one of the Government schools scoring at about 45% marks on an average…. Problem very simple …. One full meal was a luxury…never had one! As he started getting his one full meal a day – performance improved …. 90%+ in 10th and eventually working in an MNC…. Sreedhar presented some statistics on reduced drop-out ratio at schools due to Akshay Patra and it was quite touching…. Then came the innovation piece. He just ran thru the videos of how the whole machinery runs like any corporation to feed 1 million + children every day! It was amazing to see rice cooked in tons and curry by barrels in most aseptic conditions. Then he came to the “assembly line” of chapattis – production of 10,000 chapattis per hour on one assembly line - the dough kneaded without touch and then stretched like a piece of cloth in a mill – this sheet is then stamped by round moulds to cut chapattis that go for oven – Rest of the sheet of dough (after circles being cut for chapattis) is recycled again for next round…. As Sreedhar stopped his presentation there was a spontaneous applause from the audience… As Sreedhar started to move away towards his seat Dr Irani interrupted…. “Mr Sreedhar, just a minute .. just one suggestion”.. I strongly felt that after such a wonderful experience even Dr Irani should maintain the silence… but what he said after that was perhaps a glimpse of characteristics that made him Dr Irani the great… “Why don’t you just make square chapattis instead of round – that way the recycling of the dough can be almost completely avoided” … Sreedhar almost froze in his steps and as he smiled at what now looked the most obvious innovative solution…. There was another thunderous applause… even louder than the original!!!