This blog is unique. It offers a question and answer interview format that is intended to show the depth of experience while remaining an informal conversation between two long-term colleagues. For over 12 years Sanjay Gurung and Ruth Allen have worked together in various ways as Sanjay moved from leading 45 fellow ‘national staff’ members implementing a flagship project for Mercy Corps in northern India, to serving as the organizations’ country representative in Delhi, to directing a US-headquarters team supporting global programming with ‘local’ civil society and government leaders around the world (Sanjay Gurung’s bio is provided below). Below are highlights from their conversation that traversed a passion of photography with the ability to capture beauty and leadership in profound ways.
Ruth: As you know, this blog series is about new vantage points on “local” in “local leadership”. You understand these notions from many angles because of your career trajectory. And I also love that you have this really important other lens on our work, in the form of photography. I’ve always been curious how you think about that related to your governance and civil society work. That’s not really a question!
Sanjay: [laughing] No, I think it’s really cool because I’ve never gotten to talk about that particular aspect. It was unintentional, but of course it does matter because it adds that extra dimension to how I can work in a community. There’s this development talk that happens at certain levels and that’s how policy-makers take decisions, talking without really looking. So when you’re engaged in capturing that visual aspect, it helps you understand there’s much that can be unpacked and learned.
This blog is part of CDA’s From Where I Stand series, designed to listen to people most affected by aid as they explore and amplify their leadership experiences, stories, and lessons for the aid sector.
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