In 2008, Advait Kumar, a Penn State electrical engineering alumnus, saw something that changed his life.
"One day I went to the backyard and I saw all these house workers queuing up to get their turn to fill water from our home," Kumar said. "I didn't understand why they were there."
The problem, hidden behind ancient, turquoise temples, is that scores of Indians are barely surviving life in terrible slums that are not recognized by Indian society. "The government," explained Kumar, "isn't even responsible for sending water or electricity or sanitation."
The situation is grave in Kanpur, Kumar's hometown. An industrial city with a population of more than 2 million people, it has carved out a niche in tanneries. Most of the factories line the Ganges, which, in addition to being the holiest body of water in the Hindu religion, is where they discharge their waste unchecked.
"The dumping is mainly unrestricted by the government," Kumar said.