Date of Birth
31 March 1943
Place of Birth
Lisboy, Killykergan Coleraine Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland
Nationality
British. Residing in India and working since 1986
Marital Status
Married to Dr.Janak Palta McGilligan, an India citizen, on 27th November 1988, residing with her and working as
manager of Barli Development Institute for Rural Women.
Other
Holds Northern Ireland, International and Indian driving license with no convictions.
No health problems.
Education
• 1948 - 1954 Garvagh Primary School, Northern Ireland.
• 1954 - 1959 Garvagh Secondary High School Northern Ireland.
Work Experience
- 1964 -1986 Self employed as Land reclamation and drainage contractor which involved the following:
- Reclamation and drainage of marginal farmlands and wastelands.
- Landscaping and drainage of sports fields.
- Designing and landscaping of private gardens.
- Excavating and laying of large, medium and small diameter water supply pipelines.
- General excavations (foundations, sewers, tanks, etc.)
- Drainage and reclamation of most types of wetlands.
- Construction of farm roads and lane-ways.
- Sub contracting on larger road construction works.
- Experienced in operating most types of heavy earth moving equipment.
- 1961-1964: Worked on Family farm (72 Acre mixed arable farm)
- 1959-1961: Worked as a farm labourer Gaining experience on a mixed arable farm.
Volunteer experience in India
1986-1988 Reclamation of saline effected soils and designing and laying irrigation system at Rabbani School,
Gwalior. Forestation, land development and fencing after installation of underground pipeline irrigation system at
Rabanni School's 72-acre farm.
Member of ad-hoc committee for the development of Rabanni School farm.
Status
- 1988 until 2011 served as manager of Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, Indore and heads
Environment and Rural Technology.
- Asia and Australasia representative for Solar Cookers International Association affiliated to Solar Cookers
International.
- Working as resource person as School of Energy and Environment Studies DAVV in Indore, conducting
technical sessions and practical demonstrations for: Principles of Schools; Religious Heads; M Tech
students Research Scholars; Participants of Farmers groups and women's self help groups.
- Was Head of audio-visual aspects photography and documentation at Barli Development Institute for Rural
Women.
- Was Head of all science and technology developments, appropriate technology transfer, non-conventional
energy developments and computer training and development at BDIRW.
- Was Researcher and manufacturer of rural technologies
- Supervisor and manager of National and International volunteers and interns who work under him for
research and development of rural and solar technologies
Research Papers/Articles/Presentations at National and International Level
- Invited by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to the SAARC Conference on “Micro-Finance
and Womens’ Economic Empowerment”, 27 July, 2007
- Briquiting machine inaugurated at Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, June 7, 2007
- Presented paper; ‘Empowering Users to Efficiently Use and Maintain The Solar Cookers: Hands On
Experience at Barli Development Institute for Rural Women In Central India. Kathmandu, Nepal. 16 – 17
April, 2007.
- Chief guest at inauguration Medicaps Akshay Urja Club, a renewable energy society set up by the
Medicaps Institute of Technology and Management, Indore, in Indore, March 28, 2007
- Solar dryer and 2.7 square meter Solar Dish inaugurated at Barli Development Institute for Rural Women,
Indore under Divisional Commissioner Ashok Das, March 20, 2007
- Participated in Regional Test Center cum Technical Backup Unit for Solar thermal Devices, Devi Ahilya
University, Indore. March 21, 2007
- Presented the Success Story of Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, an Indo-Swedish
Partnership in Working to Achieve Millennium Development Goals by Empowerment of Young Rural and
Tribal Women in India Gotenborg, Book Fair. World Culture Museum, Gothenburg Public Seminar
(Sweden). Sept 23, 2006
- International Book Fair, Gothenburg, Sweden. Talk on “Barli - an Indian success story” and “An indo-
Swedish partnership in Barli, India, is working to achieve millennium development goals by educating rural
and tribal young women at the Institute for Rural Women in Central India”. Sept 22, 2006.
- Talks in secondary schools in Falkenberg, Sweden, on “Indo-Swedish Partnership in Empowerment of
Rural and Tribal Young Women in India”, Sept 19-20, 2006.
- Talks on “Indo-Swedish Partnership in Women’s Education Aid and Sustainable Development” in the
Seminar “Eradicate poverty-educate a woman!” on aid, education and sustainable development as well as in
schools and press conference, in Umea, Sweden, Sept 14-16 2006.
- Visit of schools and university, talks given on “Indo-Swedish Partnership in Empowerment of Rural and
Tribal Young Women in India”, Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 10-11, 2006.
- Seminar "Combat poverty-educate a woman" at Culture House Stockholm, Sweden, Sept 09, 2006.
- Lecture on “issues of sustainable development”, in the teacher education course Malardalens Hogskola
University, talk given on “Indo- Swedish Partnership in Sustainable Community Development Through
Empowerment of Rural and Tribal women in Central India”, Eskilstunia, Sweden, Sept 08, 2006.
- Solar Cooking and Food Processing International Conference in Granada (Spain). Presentation on
“Establishing first solar kitchen in Madhya Pradesh and centre for the awareness generation and
dissemination of solar cooking technology among rural women of central India”; July 12-16, 2006.
- Conference on “Partnership in Transfer of Solar Cookers in Rural and tribal Communities of Central India”
by Barli Development Institute for Rural Women Indore, and PLAGE, presented at Solar Cooking
Conference, Salzburg (Austria); July 1, 2006.
- Partnership in Transfer of Solar Cookers in Rural and tribal Communities of Central India by Barli
Development Institute for Rural Women Indore, and PLAGE, presented at Christian Doppler Gymnasium,
Salzburg (Austria); June 29, 2006.
- Powerpoint presentation on “Introducing Barli Development Institute for Rural Women” to Francofonian
International School, Herzogenaurach, Germany; June 26, 2006.
- Three talks on “Introducing Barli Development Institute for Rural Women to Berufsildende Schule Technik
Lankumer Feldweg,Cloppenburg”, Germany; June 23, 2006.
- Presentation on “Experiences with Empowerment of Women in “Tribal” and Rural India Working amongst
Bhil in West Madhya Pradesh”. at Department der Historischen Ethnologie, J.W.G., University Frankfurt,
Germany; June 21, 2006.
- IV th International Congress on Women Work & Health November 27th – 30th, 2005, New Delhi,
cosponsored by National Institute For Working life, Stockholm, Sweden and presented a paper
“Community Health Education through Taining of Rural and Tribal Women: A case Study of Barli
Development institute For Rural Women , Indore”.
- International Seminar on “Growth Strategy and Environmental Issues” November 18 –19 2005,
Indore School of Economics and Baha’i Chair in Development Studies and was held at Devi Ahilya
University, Indore.
- A Paper Presented in National Meeting, Organized by PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education,
(NCERT), at Dr Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Feb 23-25-2005.
- Delegate of Indian Science Congress Pune, 2000, Delhi 2001, Banglore 2003, and Chandigarch 2004; made
a poster presentation on Renewal Energy.
- Presented a paper entitled 'Managing the Functioning of Parabolic Solar Cookers at Barli Development
Institute for Rural Women' at the National Renewable Energy Convention 99 at Indore on 20-22nd
December, 1999.
- Presented a paper on the operation and collection of cooking data of Parabolic Concentrator solar cookers
at a workshop on Solar Concentrating and Community Cooking Systems, organised by the Ministry of
Non-Conventional Energy Sources, New Delhi and World Renewable Spiritual Trust Mount Abu at Mount
Abu on November 2-3rd 1999.
- Made Joint presentation with Mrs. Janak Palta McGilligan at a Seminar on Overcoming Constraints in
Economic Empowerment of Women, organised by PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education on 8-
10th December, 1998, at Bhopal.
- Participated and made a joint presentation with Janak Palta McGilligan entitled 'Gender Equality. An NGO
experience of Training Panchayats' at a Conference on Community Initiative and Panchayat Institutions
Organised by Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi at Bhopal on 11-12th January 1998.
- Presented a paper and slide presentation at the annual meeting of the International Society for Agriculture
and Rural Development in Oxford U.K. 23 -25th September, 1997.
- Attended the NGO forum at Hauriu China, a Forum running parallel to the Fourth World Congress for
Women in Beijing as a delegate, and gave a slide presentation and talk at one of the sessions on 4-15th
September, 1995.
- Delegate to the Indian Science Congress - 79th Session in Baroda Gujarat, January 4-8th 1992.
- Delivered a talk, 'Social and Economic Changes in Rural India through the Education of Women,’ at the
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, sponsored by the Baha'i Society, on December 9th 1991.
- Delegate at the 'World Women's Congress for a Healthy Planet' in Miami, Florida, USA , on November 8-
12th 1991, as a prelude to the Earth Summit (UNCED) in Brazil June 1992.
- Participated in Watershed Management training programme sponsored by AFPRO at Agriculture College,
Indore September 16-20 1991.
- Participated in a meeting sponsored by National Labour Institute and District Administration on “National
Labour Reconstruction Development Strategies for Soil and Water Management: The Role of Peoples
Participation” on May 4-6th 1990, at Jhabua.
- Participated in a meeting called by Overseas Development Agency, Indore on a 'Habitat Improvement'
project for 183 slums on April 17th 1990.
- Participated in a workshop organised by Voluntary Health Association of India on 'National Health Policy'
on April 3-4, 1990, in Indore.
- Participated in a workshop organised by National Institute for Rural Development (Hyderabad) on
Maintenance and Operation of Hand Pumps on October 1-4th 1989.
- Participated in a Workshop of NGO Networking for a Low Cost Sanitation Programme, a Suraj kund
(Haryana) organised by Action for Food Programme, CAPART/UNICEF on 22-23 November, 1988.
- Participated in Human Unity Conference in New Delhi on November 11-15th, 1988.
Research and development of Technologies and positions held
- Installed the largest direct reflection solar kitchen in Madhya Pradesh at Chetna High School in Gadwada
village, Jhabua district. 700 tribal children are getting solar cooked food.
- Also in Dattigaon for 400 children in a hostel,one in Dhani for 250 children in a hostel and another far an
orphanage in Indore.
- Testing, evaluating and collecting cooking data on Community Concentrator type solar cookers for the
Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, New Delhi.
- Field testing, evaluating and collecting cooking data on a solar storage cooking system for the inventor and
manufacturer; this is a pioneer project and the only one of it's kind in India. The stored energy is used for
cooking at night.
- Manufacturing and transferring SK14 parabolic cookers, with 300 already in use in rural and tribal
communities in India.
- Running one-month training workshops and hands-on training in manufacturing 10 sq meter Scheffler
solar dishes.
- Designed buildings for Solar Kitchen’s.
- Manufacturing Solar Tunnel Dryers.
- Researching and manufacturing briquiting machines.
- Working on a project to design, manufacture, simplify and innovate labour saving tools and equipment for
the village women, in such a way that they can be eventually made by the village artisans.
- Establishing a model sustainable farm for the production of vegetables, dals, fruits etc. to make the
Institute as self-sufficient as possible, using minimal fertilisers and natural methods of composting farms
wastes, including vermi-composting.
- Setting up sprinkler irrigation systems running on reused wash water and recharging sources of water with
harvested rainwater.
- Tested Led lights in villages for Stanford University, USA.
Present Professional memberships
- Member of Steering Committee of Solar Cooker International Association, representing Asia and Australia
since 2006
- Executive Secretary and founder member of Friends of Mental Health Care Indore, an organisation
established in 1998 to improve the conditions and create awareness about the condition of the mentally ill in
Indore and the surrounding areas.
- Member of the Management and Policy Committee of Rabbani Baha'i School, Susera village, Gwalior.
Publications
- Built and established a World Wide Web site, and launched various other pages attached to this site in 1999.
- Building and establishing web site for Barli Development Institute for Rural Women
Other Interests and Membership
- Maintained and operated an amateur radio station from 1975-1986, making many contacts around the
world on short wave, vhf, uhf and by satellite links.
- Hold a City and Guilds Certificate in Radio Theory and operation and an Amateur Radio Certificate, which
permits me to operate an amateur radio station in most countries.
- While residing in the UK up to 1986 was a member of Amateur Radio Emergency Network and
organisation dedicated to provide communications in times of emergency.
- Member of Madhya Pradesh Voluntary Health Association.
- Life Member of International Youth Hostel Association.
- Life Member of Indian Science Congress.
- Trained in designing and maintaining World Wide Web Publishing and Internet activities.
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