Synopsis "Fifty Percent Near (in English)"
A very nervous Amisha stood on the dais, behind the microphone, waiting for the thunderous applause to subside, before beginning her speech. This was no ordinary moment - on the dais was present the senior staff of MIT and the global CEO of Microsoft. And amongst the audience were present the students and staff of MIT, besides her husband, daughter and old parents - all proud of her achievement and eagerly waiting for her to begin. The occasion? The annual event at MIT and to honor Amisha, the extra-ordinary Odissi dance teacher from California, and originally a resident of Bhubaneshwar, Orissa (India). This teacher had demonstrated to the world how technology could be leveraged to impart personalized lessons in traditional Indian dance form. From a small student base of 5, she had expanded her dance institute to over 150 students nationally in the US, with multiple virtual dance centers! Using social media and collaboration technologies, she had shown how technology can be a distance killer. In a world where dance or any form of art is regarded as highly personalized and high-touch instruction driven, this little-known teacher had made waves by using social media and video sharing technology to create virtual classes with a "secret" recipe. Read "Fifty Percent Near" to learn Amisha's remarkable journey- from a young lass at Bhubaneshwar to an ordinary stay-at-home mom to an extra-ordinary case study at MIT; and her secret sauce to leverage smart and modern social media and collaboration technologies to transform a high-touch art form to a low-touch yet equally personalized virtual reality. This book is for a cause. 50% of the proceeds received from sale of this book will be donated to ALC India, a social enterprise. India's marginalized producers battle formidable odds to eke out a fragile livelihood. Access Livelihoods Consulting India (ALC India), established 2005, is a social enterprise that partners almost 65,000 marginalized producers, including small and marginal farmers, weavers, tribals and small livestock holders. To such producers, ALC India offers professional services delivered by a team of passionate individuals who have graduated from some of India's best institutions and chosen the road less travelled. ALC India's services support economically marginalized communities to turn the odds in their favour and build livelihoods that are more rewarding and certain. To know more, visit www.alcindia.org.
