Topic > Analysis of Manoj Bhargava - 1307

Sixty-three-year-old Manoj Bhargava was born in 1953 in Lucknow, India. The Bhargavas were a wealthy family from Lucknow, living comfortably until the family moved to the United States in 1967 ("Drink Billionaire", n.d.). In the city of West Philadelphia, the Bhargava family lived in poverty. As a child, Manoj Bhargava was proficient in mathematics. After a long series of interviews and exams, Bhargava received a full scholarship to an Ivy League secondary academy, the Hill School. After graduating from the Hill School, Bharagava enrolled at Princeton University in 1972 (“Drink Billionaire,” n.d.). Bhargava dropped out of Princeton after his freshman year because he believed he was not challenged in school. BharagavaBhargava is working on inventions that can ameliorate global suffering. These innovations could provide safe drinking water, healthcare and access to energy. Bhargava explained his inventions in a forty-two minute film titled Billions in Change. Bharagava states in his film, “The title of the film does not refer to billions of dollars. It means that people working together will have a significant effect on billions of lives (Tom Walsh, 2015).” Bharagava has a genuine desire to see people participate, play a bigger role and work together to change the condition of poor countries. Walsh continues to express how important improvements in underdeveloped countries would be to the entire world: “The inventions that really matter for our future are those that will help the poorest half of the world” (Tom Walsh, 2015). Technology has transcended time and continues to impact people's lives, but the underdeveloped world still struggles to have access to basic technologies. The documentary showcases the inventions created by Bhargava to reduce pollution, decrease energy poverty, advance medical technology and produce cleaner water in underdeveloped countries. Recognition does not reduce crime rates or increase food production, but it requires action. Bhargava states at the beginning of the film: “If you have wealth, it is a duty to help those who don't have it” (Tom Wash, 2015). Before the film, he made a donation to some hospitals in India; as many live below the poverty line, countless people have poor sanitation and health facilities. Diseases are common in people living in poverty due to a lack of resources to maintain their bodies in the fight against disease. People living in poverty have to deal with inadequate sanitation and this is usually the reason why many of them contract diseases. Malnutrition can also be a major cause of further health problems. Many poor people still live on levels closer to $2.40 than $10 a day (Ritika Katyal, 2015). Therefore, many cannot afford the healthcare or prescriptions they are prescribed. Bhargava has created a medical device called Renew ECP (for external counterpulsation). ECP promotes good blood flow. “It's safer than a treadmill,” he said, referring to the ECP device, which works like an auxiliary heart to assist blood circulation. The individual lies with cuffs around the calves, thighs, and hips, programmed to inflate and deflate between heartbeats (Tom Wash, 2015). Therefore, ECP pulses blood from the legs down the center of the body to the heart, while the heart is resting. While the heart rests, the arteries widen, allowing positive effects to occur throughout the body. Having good blood circulation can prevent strokes, leg ulcers, blood clots, organs