What Makes BSF

One of the key elements that has helped shape BSF is its people. Diverse backgrounds, disciplines and experiences – coming together and towards a shared vision for the city.  From believing in the initial idea to engaging in early conversations, facilitating the various engagements, anchoring the different processes and envisioning a future for the city.

While some members of the group have remained constant over the years, others have played a key role and then moved on.

Consistent, Recurring Support from the Wipro Foundation

Offered with the freedom and flexibility to shape direction organically, this support has played a key role in enabling BSF’s convening efforts and in realising several of its ideas and objectives. 

The idea of collaboration has been central to BSF since the outset – from its formation to the different engagements facilitated. Even the BSF Small Grants Programme requires that the project is a collaboration between 2 or more entities.

Working with the intangibles

With its primary role as an ecosystem player, a lot of BSF’s work is about creating opportunities to enable different actors in the city to come together and engage with each other across their silos. Beyond any immediate tangible impacts this may have had in the city, of perhaps greater significance are the connections formed, the ideas sparked and acted upon (many of which may not have found support in traditional grants cycles), projects that evolved in unexpected ways, and an attempt to grow a community that can provide scaffolding support to others in the network, both directly and indirectly. BSF, today, is getting known as a place that can hold space for a multitude of ideas and approaches, grounded in both science and community.

The Definition of Sustainability

This has been a consistent attempt, in the work and approach of BSF, to go beyond just the environment, to include social justice and equity as integral aspects.

Since its inception, there has been an effort to ensure that BSF’s work is determined by an understanding and recognition of the prevalent needs and issues in the city. Consequently, this has afforded a certain flexibility in its approach and functioning, which has played a positive role in being able to respond to what is needed. For instance, the work during the pandemic quickly switched to an online mode while still ensuring the core aspects of collaboration, interdisciplinarity etc. It also allows for the forum to try out different modes of engagement to reach a wide range of audiences.

Read more about

The BSF Story  →

Realising the idea  →

BSF’s Small Grant Programme →

Miles To Go →

LS Shashidhara

Nakul Heble