Towards Shared learning
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Towards
Shared
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Ill III
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Towards
Shared
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Nonformal fldull’ Education
for Marine Fisherfolk
I
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BAY OF BENGAL PROGRAMME
BOBP/MAG/2
i
4
Development of Small-Scale Fisheries
(GCP/RAS/040/SWE)
1
1
J
lbwarcte
Shared
learning
Discussion Guide for Animators
Using a Participatory TeachingLearning Approach :
Nonformal Adult Education
for Marine Fisherfolk
♦
Evaluated and Revised at a
Workshop Conducted by the
Bay of Bengal Programme:
November 14-20, 1983.
Executing Agency :
Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations
Funding Agency :
Swedish International
Development Authority
Development of Small-Scale Fisheries in the Bay of Bengal
Madras, India, June 1985
Mailing Address : 91, St. Mary’s Road, Abhiramapuram, Madras 600 018
Cable : FOODAGRI
Dr. V. Benjamin
8t Cline Road
Co ok Town
- geo oos*
Telex MS-311 FISH
Phones: 71294, 71296, 71587, 77760
lii
r
I
ConTenfe:
v
Preface
vi 1
Nonformal adult education for
Tamil Nadu marine fisherfolk :
the BOBP experience - by Patchanee
Natpracha
xvii
Workshop to Evaluate the lessons in
the Animator's Guide : List of
participants
1
Introduction
3
Area 1 :
Community
21
Area 2 :
Occupation
47
Area 3 :
Health and Nutrition
71
Area 4 :
Social Problems
83
Area 5 :
Leadership
95
Area 6 :
Income and Saving
109
Area 7 :
Cooperation
119
Area 8 :
Education
123
Annexure : Guide to Make Your Own Sketches
Sketches <£ Layout:
Mr E Amalore
Mr V S Murugaraj
Ms Sylvia Doss
V
Preface:
This guide is intended for animators or teachers in Non-Formal
Adult Education (NFAE) centres for fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu,
India. It is part of a pilot project being executed in Tamil
Nadu by the small-scale fisheries project of the Bay of Bengal
Programme in cooperation with several government agencies.
The "animator" is a person hailing from the village where a
NFAE centre is located; he helps the "learners" acquire know
ledge, attitudes and skills relevant to recognising their own
potential in improving their environment and occupation.
The Animator's Guide covers eight major subject areas -community, occupation, health and nutrition, social problems,
leadership, income and saving, cooperation and education. In
each of these areas, problems relevant to the fisherfolk, who
constitute the learners, are highlighted and approaches to
analysing them outlined. Background material in the form of
discussion papers, statistical data,stories and case studies
is also provided. The animator is expected to design suitable
lessons for the learners using the materials provided in the
guide as reference and the conditions and the probelms of the
community in which he functions.
BOBP commenced its NFAE work in Tamil Nadu under a pilot
project in Adirampattinam, a fishing village in Thanjavur
district. The fisherfolk of Adirampattinam accorded a high
priority to education and requested that an education programme
be initiated in their village. Since the fishing occupation
makes regular school impractical, the idea of an NFAE programme
was born.-
Available materials for an NFAE programme for fisherfolk were
found inadequate. BOBP, therefore, in close cooperation with
the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Nonformal and Adult Education, the
State Resource Centre and the Tamil Nadu Directorate of
Fisheries., developed a model curriculum. This guide is one
component of the package. The other components include a
trainer's manual, a numeracy primer and an animator's edition of
the numeracy primer, literacy primer and workbook, supplementary
readers.
VI
The Animator's Guide was evaluated and revised by experts
in the fields of nonformal education and development in a
workshop held in Madras, 14-20 November, 1983.
The preparation of this guide is an activity of the smallscale fisheries project of the Bay of Bengal Programme
(BOBP). The project is funded by SIDA (Swedish International
Development Authority) and executed by the FAO (Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), and covers
five countries bordering the Bay of Bengal -- Bangladesh,
India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The main goals of
the project are to develop, demonstrate and promote appro
priate technologies and methodologies to improve the condi
tions of small-scale fisherfolk and boost supplies of fish
from the small sector in member countries.
This document is a working paper and has not been formally
cleared by the Government concerned or the FAO.
Monformal /Idull’ Education for
Tamil Nadu Marine Fisherfolk:
The 'BO'BP Experience
How did BOBP's small-scale fisheries project get involved in
non-formal adult education (NFAE)? The marine fisherfolk of
Adirampattinam, Tamil Nadu are responsible. They were parti
cipating in another BOBP project (described in BOBP/WP/17).
They said education was on'e of their prime needs, and requested
an education programme: BOBP sought the cooperation of two
local authorities -- the Directorate of Non-Formal Adult
Education and the State Resource Centre. The idea was that the
NFAE centres would be closely related to other activities of
the Adirampattinam project. The NFAE centres were also
intended as places where fisherfolk could discuss problems
and plan action.
It was found that existing material for a NFAE programme for
fisherfolk was inadequate considering the type of approach
that was necessary.
This led to a programme wider in scope
than what was originally envisaged at Adirampattinam. The task
was nothing less than the development of an entire NFAE
curriculum for marine fisherfolk in all Tamil Nadu coastal villages.
1
Non-formal adult education is essentially a process of learning
through reflection and through sharing of experiences by partici
pants. Both learners and animators (teachers) need to be fully
involved in cooperative learning to solve the problems of their
village. This is the essence of a ’participatory approach'.
Such an approach will be found valuable for any development
work -- in fisheries or any other field -- that focuses on human
resource development.
The concept of non-formal education is generally intellectually
appreciated by all those in the field of adult education.
However, the operationalization of this concept has always been
difficult. Even one involved in the development of this curri
culum tried his/her best to evolve a tool for operationalising
the concept and translating it into reality. The curriculum
development process was genuinely participatory. Constant
interaction at all levels was the norm.
viii
Such interaction had a direct impact on the quality of the
material developed. The result was not merely a package of
educational material but also an experiment in turning the
concept of non-formal adult education into reality. The entire
venture was long and collaborative, and ensured both the
suitability of the package and its quality.
The curriculum package developed consists of:
★
Animator's Guide
*
Literacy Primer and Workbook
★
Numeracy Primer and Animator's Edition
of the Numeracy Primer
*
Trainer's Manual
*
Supplementary Readers
Here's a brief description of each component of the package and
how it was developed.
Animator's Guide (for the animators)
(June 1982 - February 1985)
An "animator" in a NFAE programme is a person Who organises the
local NFAE centre and works with the target population of
"learners" -- in this case the fisherfolk.
The Animator's Guide developed by the project is a handy
illustrated booklet. It consists of a set of 33 lessons dis
cussing eight areas of life in Tamil Nadu coastal villages:
community, occupation, health and nutrition, social problems,
leadership, income and savings, cooperation, education, The
guide lays emphasis on the awareness and functionaliity
objectives of the Government of India's National Adult Edu
cation Programme. It helps the animators to encourage
learners to discuss their lifestyle, workstyle, environment
and attitudes,and actively involve them in their own learning
process. It is also intended that the animator, over a period,
will himself be able to develop new lessons to suit local
needs and situations.
*
Evolution of the Animator's Guide: A few animators were
recruited from the local community with advice and help from
the State Resource Centre for Non-Formal Education and the
Directorate of Fisheries. They were trainedfirst by personnel
from the State Resource Centre. The training emphasized
skills, in organizing adult education centres, motivating
learners, developing curricula, and using the participatory
IX
approach. A second training exercise was organized by BOBP
specially to develop discussion skills. Emphasis was on the
use of techniques such as role plays, pictures and questioning
,
’■
. A third training
that would enhance learner participation.
exercise was held to review the topics identified and prepare
lessons and teaching aids. Following this third exercise,
several efforts were made to develop appropriate lessons.
The draft lessons and the participatory approach in using them
were then tested at a few non-formal education centres opened
in Adirampattinam. Animators and learners in these centres
were aware that they were taking part in a test activity. The
level of content and presentation, and the quality of teaching
aids, formed the criteria for testing the lessons; while the
performance of the animator, the comprehension and involvement
of the learners and the atmosphere were the criteria for
testing the approach.
Two animators were attached to each test centre, taking turns
to teach and observe. Three field workers of BOBP and the
Directorate of Fisheries provided support and supervision.
The result of the field-testing showed that the animators
and learners took a keen part in the discussions and enjoyed
them. The animators would be able to facilitate the discussions
among learners with sufficient training and field support.
In all, 54 lessons in 10 areas such as "community", "occupation",
etc., were prepared by several small groups at a number of
sittings. These lessons were reviewed and analysed at a week
long national workshop held in November 1984. Fifteen experts
from India and Bangladesh with experience in non-formal edu
cation evaluated the lessons. The comments made by the experts
were about the format of the questions, the attitudes implied,
the participatory nature of the approach, the relevance and
the level of content in relation to the needs of the
learners. The lessons were revised on the basis of these
comments.
Literacy Primer and Workbook (for the learners):
(November 1983 - February 1985)
The Literacy Primer is an attractive publication titled
Elelo Eilasa (a theme song of fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu coastal
areas). It has 16 lessons that introduce the 147 functional
letters of the Tamil alphabet; the theme of each lesson is
illustrated by 12 drawings in colour on fishing village acti
vities. The letters of the alphabet are taught through words
and pictures. The learner’s workbook contains exercises that
enable the learners to practise reading and writing at home.
X
The November 1983 national workshop that reviewed the
Animator's Guide also provided some guidelines for the develop
ment of a literacy primer for the fisherfolk. Workshop partici
pants suggested that the primer being developed should concentrate
on the "functional" letters of the Tamil alphabet; that each
lesson should stress a single concept or issue; that the primer's
vocabulary should be confined to what the fisherfolk know and
to words found in the lesson plans.
A study was made of daily newspapers and magazines available in
the village to arrive at a set of functional letters. A week
long workshop was held in December 1983 with eight participants
drawn from BOBP, DNFE/AE, SRC and university linguistics experts
with experience in teaching Tamil to adult learners. A literacy
primer and a workbook were developed.
The literacy component of adult education is seen here as a book
of information or knowledge to help improve the quality of the
learners over a period of time.
Numeracy Primer and Animator's Edition of the Numeracy Primer
(for both learners and animators):
(March 1984 - February 1985)
Titled Andradakkanakku (day-to-day arithmetic), the Numeracy Primer
has separate sections that focus on the counting of numbers and
the derivation of numbers from numbers (about addition, sub
traction, multiplication, division, etc.) There are chapters on
how villagers tell the time; money and currency; measuring
length; measuring volume; measuring weight. A special animator's
edition of the Numeracy Primer was also produced, to enable
animators to use the primer effectively.
Counting and arithmetical skills form an integral part of daily
life.
In preparing the numeracy primer, the stress was on
understanding the basic concepts of numeracy and their relation
ships in real life context. It was believed that such an under
standing would give the learners confidence to handle numbers
as part of their written culture -- at present they do calcu
lations mentally.
The numeracy primer draws on the author's extensive experience
from her study of the day-to-day practices on the use of
numbers and arithmetical calculations in rural Tamil Nadu.
Besides, a brief study was specially undertaken in coastal
villages for the purpose of the primer.
XI
Trainer's Manual (for the trainers of animators):
(March 1984 - February 1985)
The Trainer's Manual contains profiles of the animators, a
description of the participatory training approach, its beliefs
and assumptions, and notes for trainers, besides a 12-day training
model (suggested daily exercises for the training of animators)
divided into five stages. These are:"Understanding oneself
and others"; "Understanding the community"; "Understanding the
present education system and its relevance"; "Practising the
role of the animator"; and "Designing the workplan for NFE
centres."
The Trainer's Manual contains easy-to-use step-by-step expla
nations for trainers in their conduct of various sessions. A set
of questions for each session serve as guidelines. "Support
papers" or essays on subjects like "Poverty" and "Health problems
in India" are meant to help both trainers and animators.
As part of the preparatory work for a workshop on developing
the Trainer's Manual, a field survey was undertaken. This was
meant to acquire a better understanding of the social, cultural,
economic, health and educational life of fisherfolk along the
coastal areas of Tamil Nadu.
The week-long workshop in April 1984 was attended by 14 parti
cipants representing the Directorate of Fisheries, the Directorate
of Non-Formal Education, the State Resource Centre, the NCERT
(National Council of Educational Research and Training),
voluntary agencies working in the field and BOBP. The participants
reviewed the curriculum already developed; familiarised them
selves with learner's and animator's profiles made available
from field studies; identified the training requirements of ani
mators; and developed an outline for the trainer's manual.
Subsequently, a training model was worked out in detail during
May 1984 by a committee of four members, as a follow-up to the
workshop. A draft copy of the Manual was circulated for comment
to over 150 agencies and individuals engaged in education and
training in India and abroad.
A system of proper evaluation is built into the whole process
of training by making the participants conscious of their
learning. It is ensured that learning responsibility is shared
between the trainers and animators and then between the animators
and learners. It is hoped that the manual can be adapted for
training field workers in many other areas of development as well.
xii
Supplementary Readers (for animators and fisherfolk):
(September 1983 - March 1985)
These are easy-to-read, well illustrated booklets. They
provide the fisherfolk with reading materials to sustain their
interest in reading, enhance their knowledge and self-awareness.
About 40 such booklets have been prepared at three levels.
Picture content is the highest in the first level and the
lowest in the third level.
The supplementary readers deal with the subject areas indi
cated in the Animator's Guide. When topics were identified,
popular authors were contacted for writing them up. Some of
these booklets were also tested with the learners, Currently
the printing of these materials is being undertaken by the
Directorate of NFE/AE, Tamil Nadu.
In conclusion, it may be stated that in the evolution of the
curriculum package a great deal of effort has gone into
thinking through the basic NFAE approach, in the hope that it
would enable people going through the educational process to
acquire better control of situations that affect their lives.
The package lays stress on human development.
The Directorate of Non-Formal and Adult Education, Tamil Nadu,
agreed to publish the package and use it in adult education
centres in the coastal villages of Tamil Nadu. It was thought
possible that the Trainer's Manual and the Animator's Guide
could be adapted for use in many other areas of development.
The BOBP therefore decided to bring out English editions of
these manuals.
The development phase of the NFAE curriculum package for
fisherfolk has concluded. An "implementation phase" is
essential before it is applied on a wide scale. The mecha
nism for an implementation phase is presently being finalized
by the Directorate of Non-Formal/Adult Education, and it will
soon begin. During this phase the package will be used in
fishing villages throughout a district/area. This experience
will enable everyone interested in NFAE to learn about
practical difficulties before the project is expanded.
Finally, the success of development programmes based on the
participatory approach depends on a firm belief in the basic
ideas of the approach.
xiii
These ideas are:
- people have a deep understanding of their needs and
problems;
- if they are provided with better opportunities, people
are capable of solving their problems,
- education/development is an internal process;
- education/development is possible only through equal
partnership, never through hierarchial imposition.
/Icknowledgements
i deeply appreciate the close collaboration with the
Tamil Nadu Directorate of Nonformal/Adult Education and the
Directorate of Fisheries. The whole package was translated
into reality and made applicable to a government set-up with
their collaboration. Further, their readiness to implement
the project and set up non-formal adult education centres
all along the Tamil Nadu coast was crucial. The project has also
been an excellent manifestation of cooperation between the
education and development department.
We are thankful for the cooperation extended by the Tamil Nadu
State Resource Centre for Nonformal Education (SRC) and the
evaluation cell of the Madras Institute of Development
Studies (MIDS).
We deeply appreciate the contribution made by all workshop
participants. Their talent, their vast experience and their
commitment considerably influenced the package. We also would
like to thank those individuals who gave us their comments
on the curriculum materials in response to our request.
I would like to thank in particular Mrs B Williams, a former,
colleague, for her constant moral support and encouragement
besides her valuable suggestions.
We are indebted to Mr R S Anbarasan who assisted us at an
early stage of the project, in testing the NFAE approach in
Adirampattinam, and continued to provide assistance later.
We especially appreciate Dr A K Jalaluddin, Joint Director,
National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT),
for his inspiration, encouragement, and guidance throughout
the development of this curriculum.
/
xiv
l
Most of all we are deeply indebted to Dr L S Saraswathi and
Ms Valli Seshan, who have been the real strength of the project,
and the key to the curriculum development process. Their
intellect, their practical acumen, and their deep concern and
sincerity for the rural poor have been highly inspirational and
educational for me in particular.
Finally, we would like to extend our warm and heartfelt thanks
to the marine fisherfolk of Tamil Nadu -- especially those in
Adirampattinam who gave us the initial inspiration, and those
in Tiruchendur where the NFAE materials were field-tested. The
knowledge gained from them played a vital part in the development
of this material.
PATCHANEE NATPRACHA
Sociologist
BOBP
TOWARDS SHARED LEARNING : EVOLUTION OF CURRICULUM
1. Numeracy in day to day life —
study
2. Development of material —
experts
3. Inputs from the field — field
staff
4. Printing.
□ c
1 Functional alphabet identifi
cation — studies
2. Development of material —
workshop
3. Inputs from the field — field
staff and learners
4. Printing.
LITERACY
PRIMER
J
1. Testing lessons and approach
in the village with animators
and learners.
2. Development of material — A
team
3. Analysis and feedback from
national experts — workshop
4. Inputs from the field — field
staff and learners
5. Translation
6. Printing
NUMERACY
PRIMER
WORKBOOK
for
learners
& animators
for
learners
(practice
and notes)
Animator's Edition
LITERACY SKILL
TRAINER'S MANUAL
for training of animators
c
1. Field survey — life of potential
learners and animators
2. Outlining by national experts
— workshop
3. Development of material —
small committee
4 Field testing/training animator
— a team
5. Revision — A team
6. Translation
7. Printing
J
x vi i
Workshop to Evaluate the lessons in the Animator's Guide
November 14-20, 1983
List of Parlicipanfs
Mr R S Anbarasan
Social Worker, Madras
Ms V Bhavani
Documentalist
FAO/BOBP, Madras
Ms Freda Chandrasekharan
Deputy Director
Directorate of Fisheries
Tamil Nadu
Dr Anita Dighe
Joint Director
Council for Social Development
New Delhi
Dr Sharada Jain
Visiting Fellow
Institute of Development Studies
Jaipur
Rajasthan
Mr S A Karim
CONCERN
P 0 Box 650
Dhanmondi, Dhaka 5
Bangladesh
Ms Patchanee Natpracha
Sociologist
FAO/BOBP, Madras
Dr A Pitchai
Head of Material Production Dept
State Resource Center, Madras
Mr V L C Pietersz
Sr Development Advisor
FAO/BOBP, Madras
Mr K Ramakrishnan
Adult Education Evaluation Cell
Institute of Development Studies
Madras
J
XVi i i
Dr Om Srivastava
General Secretary
Seva Mandir, Udaipur
Rajasthan
Dr L S Saraswathi
Freelance Researcher
Madras
Mr S H Talukder
Chief graining Unit
Bangladesh Rural Advancement
Committee
Bangladesh
Dr P B Tripathy
Under Secretary
University Grants Commission
New Delhi
Mr R Venkatachari
Technical Officer
Directorate of Non-Formal
and Adult Education
Tamil Nadu .
I
Introduclion
Objectives
1.
To create a "learning atmosphere"
2.
To get to know one another better
The learners are at the NFAE (Nonformal Adult Education)
centre for their first session. They should be helped
to feel comfortable so that they may participate actively.
First, participants should know each other well. Though
they belong to the same community, they may or may not
know one another well. This activity could be arranged
to help them feel at home.
r
Ask the participants to choose partners. Suggest that
each pair then talk to each other for about 15 minutes
with a view to finding out about each other; e.g., name,
length of stay in the village, education, the reason
for dropping out, some of the best characteristics of the
individual, etc. When they assemble again after 15
minutes, each one would introduce her partner to the
total group. The introduction can be in any way they
like; soeech, mime, etc.
The session could be lively when they are allowed freedom
to introduce the partner the way they want to.
f This exercise should be used at the first
j session of the NFAE centre.
It can be
I followed by the lesson selected for that
s
Area -1
Communify
l
/i
\
7
Fww
gWw
m f-
5
Our Communily
Objectives
1.
To help learners analyse their community
2.
To familiarise learners with the general
situation of marine fishing communities
in Tamil Nadu
Start the discussion by asking :
What are the main activities we perform?
Encourage participants to give answers regarding all activities:
economic, social and cultural.
-A
.»1
71
8
Who /Ire We 7
Objective
To help learners understand their own ideas
of progress in life through a historical
overview of their community
Use the following questions to start discussion on the changes in
the villages where the learners live.
What is the present condition of our village
compared to the time when we were young ?
Have any of you spoken to your parents, grand
parents about their younger days as compared
to the present ? What do they think about it ?
If the answers are general, such as good, bad,
etc., try to raise the following specific
questions :
1
\
1
/
Was more food, of good quality and in sufficient
quantity, available in the past than now ?
How healthy were the people then ?
Were people more healthy then than now ?
Was the available clothing adequate then ? And
now ?
What was the condition of housing then ?
Did they have occupational problems ?
present compare with the past ?
And now ?
How does the
What were the possessions of people which were
valued and preserved in earlier days and what are
the possessions valued by us today ? Is there a
difference ?
What were their attitudes towards helping others
(relatives, friends, and others who needed help)
in the community and what are our attitudes today ?
M
I
9
These questions may elicit varied answers. Some
may feel that their forefathers lived a better
life than is available today, while the others
may feel that their lives are better than those
of their forefathers. Whatever the views, the
learners could be asked to specify reasons for
their views. It is possible that some learners
will opt for an older lifestyle in which peace
and harmony prevailed because of traiditional
trade practices which did not give any importance
to competition.
The entire catch was shared by all the villagers
as though the whole village were one single
family. Those who feel that life is better
today than it was in the past may do so
because of the scientific progress made in
contemporary times and the availability of
a multitude of gadgets and machines like
transistor radios, bicycles and electricity.
The discussion could be led further by asking :
What are the essential things in life ?
What do we consider progress in life ?
What should our goal in life be ?
I
The answers could be anything and would reveal
what these people consider as progress in life.
Some may think cooperative living is important
some that having stainless steel vessels is
important. The issue could be left for them
to reflect upon. There is no need to come to
any conclusion.
1
ID
People In Our Lives
Objective
To help learners critically analyse relations
with people who are closely associated with
fisherfolk and to understand the meaning of
those relationships in terms of the develop
ment of the village community
Start the session by passing around drawings of various men and
women, figures depicting fisherfolk's family, and the people they
deal with.
The animator then starts the story by saying "This is Sushila. She
is 40 years old and is a fish vendor, Now, who else is there in
her family?" Continue asking until you have a picture on the
board showing the whole family. Continue the discussion by asking
about the important people the family members deal with.
If it is a centre for women, the animator should start
with the picture of a woman, and in a centre for men with
the picture of a man.
Example of how the story might run;
Sushila is a 40-year-old fish vendor. Her
50-year-old husband, Raman, works in Balakrishna's boat as one of 5 fishermen.
Raman has 5 children: Anbu 11 years, Karuna
8 years, Satyan 5 years,Ammu 3 years and
Dilip 10 months. And Sushila is two months
pregnant.
r
II
The people who play an important role in
their lives are :
Shanmugam and Latha : Raman's parents, who
own the house that the family lives in.
Shanmugam was a fisherman himself and he
helps Raman repair nets while Latha takes
care of the children, the house, and the
cooking sometimes, when Sushila is out
selling fish.
i
Balakrishna : Boat owner with whom Raman
has been working for a long time. He gives
loans to Raman when he needs them. Raman
is grateful to him for this, even though he
thinks that by working on other boats he may
earn more. But Balakrishna always helps out
with loans.
■ If/ •
Abdul : Fish merchant. He is another person
Raman borrows money from and this compels him
to sell his share of fish to Abdul at the
price Abdul quotes.
,
■
.7
______
Sundaram : The auction man, who has been
doing this trade for many years, gives quite
He also
a lot of money to the village fund. IL
takes a bit too much fish from each basket.
Ramani : Wholesale fish processor in
the village, Ramani is the wife of a
well-to-do boatowner. Whenever there
is a big landing from her husband's
boat or other boats, she buys their
cheap fish, dries them around her house
and stores them. She then sells them
to vendors like Sushila when they do
not have fresh fish to sell. They buy
dry fish from Ramani or 9 other wellto-do women who also wholesale dry
fish. Ramani often lets Sushila take
the fish first and pay her at the end
of the day/trip when the fish has been
sold.
>7'^^
o(
c-
; {i
T
12
Prami1 a : Sushila's fish vendor friend.
Pramila also lives in the same village.
She is younger than Shushila and has only
two children. Her husband is also a
coolie and works on Balakrishna's boat.
Pramila has always been a good friend
and gives moral support to Sushi la when
Sushi la feels low and depressed with the
family situation. Pramila, however poor
she may be, lets Sushi la borrow a few
rupees when she does not have anough
food to cook.
Manickam ; Chit man Manickam visits the
village roughly every week to collect
from women in the village who have taken
utensils from him. He carries a big load
of all kinds of kitchen utensils which
look good and tempting and which he sells
on instalments. Sushi la and Raman bought
an aluminium cooking pot from him two
months ago and have still not finished
paying for it. The pot is much more
expensive than what can be bought at the
market, but since they do not have enough
money to buy utensils outright, they buy
it from him. He is useful to them this
way.
Kadi resan : Quack doctor. Everyone in
the family and almost the whole village,
goes to Kadi’resan when they fall sick.
Besides being a doctor, he is respected
by all as he is very kind and does not
ask much money when he treats the sick.
Present the story with the aid of flannelgraph pictures and allow
the learners to add more characters who may play an important
role in their lives. Once they complete this work, a discussion
could be conducted with the following questions :
Who are the different types of people with whom
we come in contact in our day-to-day life ?
How do we relate to each of them ? Is it in an
over-friendly, friendly, matter-of-fact, or
unfriendly way ?
)3
Can we improve our relationships with those
with whom we come into contact ?
How can we improve our relationships with
others ?
Do we know their abilities and feelings ?
Can we mutually help each other ? To
what extent ?
(c) Do we differ from each other ? To what
extent ?
(d) Can we accept their abilities and
feelings ? Appreciate our mutual agree
ments and differences ? *
(e) How much efforts do we make in terms of
a, b, c, d ?
(a)
(b)
The answers could bring out the following :
the quality of relationships determines
the quality of a community;
one's relationships with others can be
improved through one's own efforts;
efforts should be in terms of under
standing what others have to offer,
appreciating similarities and differences
in views and attitudes, and acceptance
of those as reality and identifying the
extent of mutual help possible.
NOTE TO /ANIMATORS
To make your aids help discuss this lesson and other lessons,
please refer to the annexure at the end of this book 'Guide
to make your own sketches'.
14
Our Dependency
Objective
To help learners be critically aware of
the situation in which they live, one
of dependency on people in privileged
positions
Present the following incomplete story (or any similar true story)
in a way that touches the learners and ask them to complete the
story :
STORY
Kandan is a fisherman. Vaili is his wife. They have four
children. Kamala (8), Vimala (6), Anna (4) and Sivaji (2).
Kandan knows nothing but fishing as it has been family’s
traditional occupation. He has only one old net, which he
has repaired in several places. He does not own a kattumaram/boat. He works for Krishnan, an owner of five boats
and a dozen good nets. Krishnan hires Kandan to fish for
him. Krishnan pays wages according to the quantity of fish
Kandan brings in from the sea. When the catch is brought
to the shore, it is Krishnan who assesses the quantity and
fixes the wages to be given. It is never more than Rs 5
per day. If Kandan is unfortunate enough not to catch good
quantity of fish one day, he goes home without any wages,
but occasionally with some money given as loan by Krishnan
for which he will have to work the next day or in coming
days. With his meagre income, Kandan is not able to feed,
clothe and educate his children. His health is also not
good. Vai 1i does some coolie work, carrying headloads of
fish for some auctioneers. The eldest girl helps the
mother. The other children are too young to do anything.
In this condition, Kandan has to attend a close relative's
marriage, for which he needs money to buy a gift. From
whom can he get the required money and under what
conditions?
15
The story may be completed in a variety of ways.
Examples :
.
Kandan could go to Krishnan and get indebted
further. The money will be given at a rate
of interest specified by Krishnan. If
Kandan does not repay in time, the further
action to be taken would be decided by
Krishnan. He could make Kandan a bonded
labourer, which might worsen the quality
of life of the family.
.
Kandan can get some money from his friends.
.
Kandan can get some money from community
funds (if available).
Once the story is completed, lead the group to discuss the situation
in their village community with the questions that follow:
How many families are there in our village like that
of Kandan's ? (What proportion of families ?)
How many families are there in our village like that
of Krishnan’s ? (What proportion of families ?)
Who are the people (types of families) who are
dependent and on whom (which types of families) are
they dependent ?
Can the condition be changed ?
What are some of the measures that we could take ?
What are some of the measures that should be taken
by government or any other agency ?
There could be a large number of families like
that of Kandan's, and a small number of families
like that of Krishnan's.
Usually Kandan-like families are always dependent
on Krishnan-like families.
16
The condition is difficult to change.
Probably, the idea that one individual cannot
do anything about the situation, but together
they could make some efforts by the creation
of community funds through small savings, may
emerge. Similarly, contacting government and
other agencies to get the benefits of schemes
which will improve their occupational status
and thus their economic conditions may also
be identified as possible actions to come out
of their state of dependence on other, more
advantaged, groups.
17
Our Polenlial
Objective
1
4
To help learners recognise the qualities they
have and their potential and to understand
the qualities that help in keeping their
solidarity and those that divide them
I
if
<
I
\
■
I
i
" i
,
/
I
Parur Kuppam village is known for its temple festival in the
month of Adi.* Everyone in the village starts preparing for
the festival from Vaikasi.* Elumalai, Raman, Krishnan,
*
Months in the Tamil year
Adi - July-August
Vaikasi -• May-June
18
Subramani, Jayaraman are all fishermen in the village
who possess extraordinary skills in identifying the
time to go fishing and get a big catch whenever they
go to the sea.
Their adventures and catches are the
talk of Parur Kuppam and neighbouring villages. Fisher
men with lesser skills join them for 2 to 3 months to
increase their catch and allocate a substantial portion
of the catch for two months towards festival funds.
Murugan, Irulappan and his friends, are good at talking
to everyone in the village and help in collecting the
contributions of the people for the festival.
Sundaram and his troupe, whose 'Theru Koothu1 (street
drama) is an important item of the festival, start their
practice early. Most children and some adults find time
to go and watch the rehearsal and start feeling the joy
of the festival early. Kanagamma, Matsya Kanthi, Surya,
Ramani are busy with Kummi and kolattam (folk dances).
The small vendors who go around the villages during
festivals, start coming in to find out the mood of the
people for the coming festival and to study their
preferences.
The children ask for new clothes or other tidbits for
the festival. They also try and collect some coins
to spend during the festival.
Thus, one may list endlessly the tasks and people’s indi
vidual and collective efforts to make the occasion
enjoyable.
Present the story and conduct a discussion with the following ques
tions.
Does this story depict the situation in our
village also ?
What are the roles played by everyone or every
group in creating an atmosphere for the
festival ?
When and how do we create an atmosphere for
the festival ?
What should be our attitudes in the creation
of the festive atmosphere ?
Try and bring out here that the festival
becomes enjoyable only when the atmosphere is
one of
Mutual trust : people trust one another to
carry through their own responsibilities
Sharing : people in groups and individuals
in a mood to help each other to move towards
the goal of the festival - 'joy*
Bringing out their talents : each group
bringing out their ability to collect funds,
organize cultural programmes, plan and utilize
the funds for various things that are neces
sary during the festival, decorating the
temple, the home and the village.
Carry on the discussion further with the following questions :
What are our experiences in making an unhappy
situation a happy one ? What are the things that
cause unhappiness and what are the things that
bring about the change ?
What are our experiences of a happy situation
turning into an unhappy one ? What are the things
that can cause unhappiness or happiness ?
Can we have control over our life situations and
make them happy or unhappy by our own efforts ?
Allow free discussion of the questions and
help the gathering to see the underlying
values of mutual trust, sharing and willing
ness to give their talents for the good of
the community.
flrea - 2
Occupahon
NOTE TO ANIMATORS
5
The first two lessons in this area are
designed to help the animators appre
ciate the learners knowledge and ability
and their environment. This will build
more self confidence in learners and
strengthen trusting relationships.
23
How bo We Go Rshinq ?
Objective
To help learners appreciate their
environment and their occupation
Begin the session by asking learners to think of the environ
ment in which they live and work : the sea, the community,
things which surround them. Then ask each of the learners
to say quickly one word about it. The animator writes these
words on the board.
NOTE
jo prepare for this lesson and bring
variety and life into the discussion, the
animator can collect pictures concerning the
fisherfolk's environment, e.g., sky, moon,
stars, sea (calm, rough), sea wealth (fish,
clam, sea weed, pearl, etc.), boat net, etc.
Those animators who can draw can use their
skill to produce these pictures. Put these
these pictures up on the board (flannel) as
the learners name them.
I
\
/■
1
L■
ji.
24
What do you feel about these things ? What
do they mean to you in relation to your life
and living ?
Can you imagine a life without these ?
What are our beliefs regarding sea and sea
wealth ?
Do we consider the sea to be something
alive and close to us?
Do we give any form to it, such as
’kadal kanni?'*
What are our beliefs about kadal kanni?
How do we express our beliefs related
to these ?
Do we have celebrations ?
What are our beliefs regarding the relation
ships between the movements of sun, moon,
stars and fishing?
How do we use the sea and the sky to our
advantage ?
What are the man-made devices to get the
wealth of the sea ?
What are some of the beliefs regarding craft
and gear ?
The answers could be in terms of:
(1)
(2)
*
The sea is their very life, it means
everything to them ;
They may conceive the sea as a mermaid
or sea-nymph -- or believe in the
presence of sea-nymphs in the sea, their
movements within the sea, towards the
shore or away from the shore -- festi
vals related to these ;
1Kadal Kanni1; literally, sea nymph
25
(3)
They may have beliefs or observations
related to celestial bodies in the
sky and fishing procedures in terms
of time and operation and the quantity
of haul -- for example, sunrise, sunset,
amavasai (new moon), Pournami (full
moon), the thithis (the days in terms
of lunar phases), the stars, effect of
each one of these on fishing and the
haul ;
(4)
The man-made devices to get wealth from
the sea are the craft and the gear. The
beliefs regarding these could be in terms
of the presiding deity of the boat, the
festivals associated with the first float
ing of the boat in the sea, disasters to
the boat and beliefs associated with them,
the number of meshes in the net in rela
tion to the birth rasi (sign) of the
owner, the time a net is made ; rituals
associated with starting to make a net
and net taken for the first time to the
sea, days considered auspicious for making
and floating the boats and nets.
The answers should be obtained and recorded, never
suggested. Participation of the village-folks
should be actively encouraged.
26
fin*
Our Knowledge
OF THE FISHING
Objective
ENVIRONMENT
To help learners review comprehensively
their knowledge of the directions of the
wind and the flow of water in relation to
fishing operations
Marine fisherfolk live with the winds and the
flowing water. They fish with their knowledge
of directions of winds and of the flow of water.
They have come to some conclusions about these
through their observations. They relate these
to their fishing operations. Helping them
organize the knowledge they have in a consoli
dated and comprehensive manner may help them
further their knowledge and also help them gain
confidence in themselves and their abilities.
Start the class by asking the fishermen to describe their
experiences in the fishing that day with reference to the types
of wind and the directions of the flow of water they had to
negotiate..
Allow them to speak for 15 to 30 minutes,
individual to speak about his experience.
Encourage every
Each one may come out with the directions of
wind he faced and the directions of the flow
of water and how he steered the kattumaram
through and what the catch was like.
Help the discussion further by suggesting the following questions :
Can we name the winds that we have faced during the
last year ?
Can we name the direction from and to which each
type of wind blows ?
27
Can we talk about the usefulness of each type of
wind to fishing ?
Which are the winds which are unfavourable or
dangerous while fishing ?
Can we predict the change in the direction of
wind ?
Lead the discussion about
the following questions :
direction of flow of water by suggesting
Can we name the different directions of the flow
of water which we have faced ?
Can we name each one of them ?
Can we talk about the usefulness of the direction
of the flow of water and fishing?
Which directions of flow are useful or
favourable?
Which directions are unfavourable or
dangerous ?
Can we predict changes in the direction of water
flow ? How much ahead of time can we predict ?
As the responses are given by the participants, the picture may
emerge on the board, (pages 24, 25)
Information about the wind directions and the
directions of the flow of water, collected from
a village in South Arcot district in Tamil Nadu
are presented here for reference :
The wind that is favourable is Kodai Katru
(wind blowing from East to West) and the
cyclonic wind is Kunnanda Katru (wind
blowing from North East to South West)
The favourable directions of the flow of water
are Vada Uzhani (from South East to North West)
and Themma Uzhani (from North East to South
West). The unfavourable directions of the flow
of water are Vanni Memari (from West to East)
and Soni Memari (from South West to North East).
The net does not stay in its place. It gets
rolled preventing the fish from entering the net.
\WINb DIRECTION
CA1
NE
NW,
VAbAl
KATRU
A
KUNNANbA
KATRU
VAMI
KONbAL KATRU
£
W
KOMI
KACHAN*
MELA
KONbAL KATRU
KATRU
KObAl
KATRU
V
GHOZHA KoNbAL
J£
S\N
THENbRAt
KACCHAN
KATRU
<$
tAVOUMBLt
CYCLONIC
KATRU
&
WdTER FLOW
N
NW
NE
SONI
VELLAM
SONI VAbU
VAi>A
SON/
UZHANI
MSMARI VELLAM
VAbU
>E
W ^■
VANNI /UEMAW
VAbU_
rHJEMA UZHAAH
V
SW
vanni
VADU
SE
s
FAVOURABLE
unfavourable
30
Our (Stalin
B0AT3 ANb NET<S
Objective
To analyse the existing pattern of owner
ship of boats and nets, utilization
pattern of boats and nets, the extent of
difference of owning boats and nets and
working as a coolie
Begin by getting the learners to talk about the different kinds
of boats found along coastal Tamil Nadu by using the following
questions :
What are the types of boats available in our
village ?
How many of each kind of boat identified are
there in the village ?
How many fishermen can go fishing in each type
of boat identified ?
What is the loading capacity or the maximum
weight of the haul that could be carried by
each type of boat identified ?
Who makes these boats ?
Where are they made ?
How meh does it cost to make each of the
various types of boats identified ?
31
How many in the village own boats ?
What is the distribution of the number of boats
among the owners ?
How many in the village do not own a boat ?
How do fishermen in the village use the
limited number of boats available ?
What is the general pattern of rent for the
boat (each type) ?
Generally, what are the minor and major
repairs that need to be carried out ?
Who does the repairing ?
How much is the cost of repairing per season,
or per year (for each type of boat) ?
Get the learners to talk about the different kinds of nets by using
the following questions :
What are the types of
nets used in our village ?
How are these nets made ?
Who makes them ? Where
are they made ?
How much does it cost to
make each type identified ?
How many of each type of
net identified are there
in the village ?
How many fishermen are there
in the village who own nets ?
What is the distribution
of fishermen owning nets
according to types of nets ?
How many do not own any nets ?
32
Which particular type (or types)
of net is (are) most useful in
your village ?
How many of the type most needed
are there in the village ? How
many more would increase the
catch ?
How often are the nets repaired ?
Who does the repairing ?
What is the cost of maintenance
of nets in terms of time and
money ?
How are nets preserved ? What
precautions are taken to preserve
them ?
How many nets does each fishing
unit take ?
Help discussion further with the following questions :
How many people own boats
and nets and thus have
easy access to the sea and
its wealth ?
How many of those who own
boats and nets go out to the
sea for fishing and how
often do they go ? In other
words, how many days do the
owners go to the sea in a
month ? How many days do
the coolies get to the sea
in a month ? Is there a
difference ?
33
How is the haul shared ?
What proportion is taken by the
the boat/net owners and what
proportion is given to the
coolies ?
What is the yearly or monthly
income of those who own boats
and nets and those who do not ?
(The previous week's income
could be added up if the
learners are not able to give
a consolidated figure.)
What was the yearly or monthly
income of the owner and coolie
fishermen 5 or 10 years ago ?
Is there a difference ? (If
the learners do not know, they
may be encouraged to get the
information from older members
of the group.)
How many coolie fishermen
have earned enough to buy
boat or nets ?
How many of the owner
fishermen have lost their
boats and nets and become
coolies in our village (in
the last 10 years)?
What is the bond between
the owner-fishermen and
the coolie-fishermen ?
Do the coolies continue
with the same boatowner
for a long time, or do they
change frequently ? Under
what conditions do they stay
on ? Under what conditions
do they change ?
34
What are the conditions of living of the coolie
fishermen today ?
What are the possibilities of their improving
their conditions ? What should they do about
it ?
DISCUSSION /AID
Animator can use the different types of shells
found in the area to represent person, boat,
net etc. According to the numbers of persons
boats and nets revealed during the discussion,
pile up the shells representing each group.
This may help the learners to see clearer the
situation of the village regarding ownership
of means of production, such as boats. Most
probably it will show that a majority of people
own very few production assets. They have to
depend on the few persons who own assets.
PEOPLE ->
WATS —>
C- •'
H
NETS
35
Fishmarkeling
Objective
To analyse the existing pattern of
marketing the catch from the sea
Present the following case study :
Veerampattinam is a coastal village.
The catches that land on the shore
from the Kattumarams are immediately
surrounded by a group of fisherwomen
belonging to the village, and male
traders who come from non-fishing
villages. There appears on the
scene an auctioneer, who has leased
the auction rights in the village
for a few years by paying a specified
amount of money to the village common
fund. He starts his job by shouting
the price specified by a starting
bidder. He repeats this several
times. He continues shouting
the price till it reaches a peak
beyond which no one bids. If the
price is acceptable to the fisher
man, then this highest bidder gets
the quantity auctioned. (It may or
may not be the whole catch.) The
buyers, if they get the quantity
required at a reasonable price, move
out to sell their lot. The women
who do the marketing, carry the loads
of fish in baskets either on their
heads or in a cycle rickshaw. Those
who carry it as head-load, walk two
to four kilometres to the nearby
villages and sell it either door to
door or in a small market place in
those villages. From Veerampattinam,
they go to Ariankuppam or Vamba
Keerapalayam. The women who carry
their loads in a cycle rickshaw go to
Mi
( J?
36
Pondicherry (8 km), Mudaliarpettai (6 km), Murungapakkam (5 km),
Nellithoppu (15 km). Gingee Road (10 km). Usually three or four
women, each carrying a basket, take one rickshaw and they pay
Rs 10 or Rs 12 per day for this transport. There is a total of
about 50 women who do fish marketing in a village with 1500 houses.
These women have to wait on the shore for hours before they can
buy their requirements of fish.
Besides these women, about 200 cycle traders come to Veerampattinam
almost every day from distant non-fishing villages within the
district of South Arcot. These cycle traders cover about 18 coastal
villages to buy fish. In a day, they may cover a few villages or
all villages -- depending upon the quantity of fish landing in
these villages.
The cycle traders come from scattered interior villages in the
district. They cycle a distance of 20 to 40 miles one way. Each
pays Rs 0.30 to park his cycle at Veerampattinam. (The right to
collect this money and pay it to the temple fund is again leased
out to a villager for a few years for a specified amount.) On an
average, each trader buys fish worth Rs 150 to Rs 200 and up to a
maximum of Rs 450 to 500. They generally bring Rs 200 in cash and
take the fish on credit for the balance amount. Soon after getting
the catch, they rush to their villages. The sooner they get there,
the better the price. If three or four traders come from the same
village, they come together, but when they get back, they try and
get back fast. The competition is stiff. They prefer selling fish
fresh as they will get cash for the next day’s investment. If they
cannot sell the fish fresh, they could sell them after drying, but
then they will not have enough money for the next day.
All these 200 cycle traders operate
individually. The average income
per day is around Rs 5. There are
wide fluctuations in their earnings.
Some days they may return without
any fish. Some days they may get
a profit of Rs 10 to Rs 30. The
whole process takes them 12 - 14
hours every, day.
Besides these fish vending women
and cycle traders, there is a third
category : big traders who come to
Veerampattinam for buying prawns
only. A big processing company has
taken the right to every prawn brought
in from the sea to coastal village of
37
Veerampattinam. A van with cold
storage facility comes here every
day and takes the prawns. The
company has paid a lumpsum lease
amount to the village.
Ask the learners to respond to
the case study in their own way.
Allow 5 to 10 minutes for such
free comments. If they have
interesting comments, it could
continue for another 10 to 15
minutes. Record the comments,
edit them and sum up.
They may comment on the similarity or dis
similarity of marketing pattern, comparing
it to their own village, or on the luck or
ill-luck of Veerampattinam people, or they
may want to hear some parts of the story
again.
After the free session, help the discussion along with the following
questions :
What do you think of the pattern of marketing in
Veerampattinam ?
Is it the same in your village ?
different ?
Or is it
What are the similarities and what are the
dissimilarities ?
What problems do women face in undertaking the
marketing of fish -- from the time of buying at
auctions to the time they bring money back home ?
How much time, energy, money, etc., do these
women spend, and what is the return ?
What problems do cycle traders from non-fishing villages
face in procuring and selling fish from the time they
start on their trips to the coastalvillage till the
time they get the benefits of their labour ?
What do you think about the prawn dealer and his
type of marketing ?
What advantages and disadvantages would this imply
for the trader and the people ?
Can the trading by women be improved in terms of
saving their time, energy or alleviating any
hardships they may face ?
Can they get themselves organized to increase their
efficiency ?
In what ways could this be done ? Can they think
of ways to increase their income as a group and not
as individuals ?
Can the trading by cycle traders be organized so
that as a group, even if not as individuals, they
gain ?
Do these people have to wait for long on the seashore
to get Rs 5 or Rs 10 at the end of the day ?
How does the presence of these traders help the
fishermen ?
To what extent is the trading of the big company to
be allowed ?
Should it be allowed at all ?
Can we evolve a system of marketing which would benefit
the fishermen, women traders, cycle traders ?
Can we try out that system and see how it works ?
I
The women and the cycle traders face problems
of spending long hours on the seashore. There
is a very strong competition at fish auctions,
in getting to the market, selling and earning
their living. They all operate individually
and face all the problems alone. Very few
emerge as successful traders.
There can be ways of cutting down the long
hours and high competition through organized
purchasing, preservation and distribution
among the traders by a body consisting of
fishermen in the village, through the use
of available technology, such as preservation
of fish with ice.
tw
■".'3
w
wgg
-
42
Marine Fisheries
Objective
To help learners get a general idea
of marine fisheries in Tamil Nadu,
India
Start the session by saying "To-day let us look at the situation
of the marine fishing community as a whole." Then read the
following paper to the learners. Read slowly, stop for questions
and clarification.
1
Marine Fisheries In T/smilNanj 2* India
(SOME BA6IC INFORMATION
COAST LINE
The Bay of Bengal coastline in Tamil Nadu is about 1,000 km long.
This forms about 13% of the total coastline of 7,514 km in India.
COASTAL DISTRICTS
Of the total of 16 districts in Tamil Nadu, 8 districts are coastal
districts. They are Cheng^lpattu, Madras, South Arcot, Thanjavur,
Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. There are
about 59 coastal districts in the whole of India, covering eight
States (West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gurajat), and the Union Territories of
Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yenam, Goa, Daman, Diu.
COASTAL VILLAGES
Altogether there are 422 marine fishing villages in Tamil Nadu. This
forms about 17% of the total number of 2,500 marine fishing villages
in India.
For the 422 villages in Tamil Nadu, there are 375 landing centres.
The maximum number of fishing villages and landing centres is in
Thanjavur district, being 87 and 84 respectively. Ramanathapuram
comes next with 80 fishing villages and 64 landing centres, followed
by Chengalpattu with 65 each. In all the other districts, the
number of villages and landing centres is less than 60.
T-
43
POPULATION
There are 76,000 fishermen households in Tamil Nadu, with the
total marine fishermen population of 3.96 lakhs. This forms about
21% of India's 3.67 lakh fishermen households and nearly 19% of
the marine fishermen population of 21 lakhs in India.
The maximum number of marine fishermen households in Tamil Nadu is
in Kanyakumari District (25%) followed by Thanjavur (20%), Ramanathapuram (17%), and Tirunelveli (10%). In the remaining four districts,
the percentage is less than 10. The average number of fishermen
families in the village in this State works out to 179, varying from
77 in Pudukottai to 387 in Kanyakumari.
Of the total fishermen population of 3.96 lakhs in Tamil Nadu, 25%
is in Kanyakumari, followed by Ramanathapuram and Thanjavur each
18% and Tirunelveli 11%. In the remaining districts the percentages
are less than 10.
4VER/1GE rauity SIZE
The average family size is 5.2, which is less than the national
average of 5.7.
PROPORTION OF MEN , WOMEN
CHILDREN
Adult males apd females comprise 32% each and 36% are children in
the marine fishing villages of Tamil Nadu.
The national figures for marine fishing villages show 31% each of
adult males and females and 38% of children.
education
Of the total fishermen population, 15% have completed primary school,
3% secondary school, and 1% beyond secondary school. These figures
match exactly the all-India figures for fisherfolk.
FOPULZ1TION tfCCORNNG TO RELIGION
Of the total fisherfolk population in Tamil Nadu, Hindus constitute
54%, Christians 40% and Muslims 6%.
The Christian fisherfolk are concentrated in Kanyakumari and Tirunel
veli districts, where over 95% of the fishermen are Christians,
while the Muslims are concentrated in the districts of Pudukottai
and Ramanathapuram.
44
FISHERMEN ENG/KJEb IN ACTUAL FISHING
The total number of fishermen engaged in actual fishing in the State
is 96,500 forming about 24% of the total fisherfolk population. Of
these, the number of fishermen engaged in full-time fishing forms
91%, part-time and occasional being 4% and 5% respectively.
In the whole of India, the fishermen engaged in actual fishing
form 23% of the total fishermen population. Among those engaged
in actual fishing, 82% come under full-time, 11% part-time and 7%
occasional categories.
Besides fishing, these people engage actively in fish curing, drying,
net-making, and marketing.
FISHING CRZJFrs
There are about 46,000 fishing craft in Tamil Nadu, of which 94% are
traditional and non-mechanized. Of these, 73% are Kattumarams, the
rest being plank-built boats and canoes. Kattumarams form the major
fishing craft in all the districts in Tamil Nadu, except in Pudukottai
and Ramanathapuram, where plank-built boats are predominant.
Kanyakumari district possesses the maximum number of non-mechanized
boats (29%), the corresponding percentages for the districts of
Chengalpattu, Thanjavur and Madras being 20, 15 and 5 respectively.
In all the other districts, the percentage is less than 5 each. Of
the 46,000 craft, 2,750 are mechanized.
Ramanathapuram district has the maximum number of mechanized boats
(38%), Thanjavur district comes next (21%), followed by Kanyakumari
(19%) and South Arcot (11%). The percentage is less than 5 each in
the other districts.
Out of a total of 1.57 lakh units of fishing craft in the whole of
India, of which 1.35 lakh units, or 86%, are traditional and non
mechanized, 55% are kattumarams and the rest plank-built boats and
canoes. Of the 1.57 lakh units of crafts, approximately 19,000 are
mechanized.
OWNERSHIP OF BO^TS
It has been estimated that about 40,000 fishermen of the 96,500 in
Tamil Nadu, do not own either boats or gear, 60% of the earnings
goes to the owners of the craft and the gear, and 40% of the earn
ings to the crew.. Of the 2,750 mechanized boats 150 are owned by
outsiders. Of the approximately 19,000 mechanized boats in India,
about two-thirds of mechanized boats is not confined to fishermen
i
45
alone. There are mechanized boats owned by industrialists who do
not reside in the marine fishing villages. Statistics of owner
ship outside the fishing community are not readily available.
Fl SHING GErtRS
There are about 6,200 trawl nets in Tamil Nadu, Ramanathapuram,
accounting for the maximum (49%), followed by Thanjavur (24%),
South Arcot (9%) and Kanyakumari (8%). Of the total of 1,70,320
non-mechanized gears in the State, 1,18,300 are drift/gillnets,
followed by hooks and lines (22,111), traps (8,919) and boat
seines (7,220).
Drift/gillnets form the dominant gear in all the districts, hooks
and lines forming the next important gear, except in Pudukottai.
Relatively higher proportions of shore-seine are seen in the
districts of Thanjavur and Ramanathapuram. Traps constitute an
important gear in Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari
districts.
In India, there are about 14,000 trawl nets and 240 purse seines.
Among other gear, drift/gillnets are of the order of about 2.16
lakhs, hooks and lines being then next major gear with 57,000
numbers. The other gear includes bagnets (49,900), boat seines
(30,000), shore seines (19,000), scoop nets (6,000) and Rampans
(190).
Out of the 2.16 lakh drift/gillnets, Tamil Nadu accounts for 55%.
Of the 30,000 boat seines, Tamil Nadu accounts for 24%.
FI3H PRODUCTION
Marine fish production in Tamil Nadu increased from 45,000 tonnes
in 1951/52 to 212,000 tonnes in 1968/69 - a 400% increase in 17
years. In the next 12 years, the production fluctuated between
192,000 and 224,000 tonnes. In the year 1979/80, it was 216,000
tonnes. This is 15% of the nation's marine landings. It is also
57% of the State's total fish landings from inland and marine
waters.
The non-mechanized craft of the small-scale fisheries sector
accounted for 70% of the total landings in 1978/79; the rest
came from the mechanized sector.
FISH CONSUMPTION
About 80% of the population in Tamil Nadu consumes fish. The
annual per capita consumption of fish works out to 7.5 kg.
4b
About 65% of the total marine fish landing is consumed in fresh from,
28% is salted and dried, and the remaining 7% is either frozen or
reduced to fishmeal. This is mainly for export packing of prawns,
lobsters, cuttie fish, etc. Tamil Nadu is India's third largest
fish exporting State, accounting for about 11% of India's total
value of fishery exports in 1979.
FISH
MARKETING
Fish is generally auctioned on the beaches by traditional auctioneers
on a commission basis. These traders also take the responsibility
for realising the sale proceeds.
About 25% of the marine fish production is marketed directly through
local retailers near the landing centres. The major part is taken
to private stalls or markets situated in the cities and towns.
SOURCES
1.
Marine Fisheries Information Service. Technical and Extension
Series. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin,
India, ICAR. No.30. August 1981.
2.
Directorate of Fisheries, Census Report on Narine Fisheries
Government of Tamil Nadu, 1982.
3.
Marine Small Scale Fisheries of Tamil Nadu, A General
Description, Development of Small-Scale Fisheries in the Bay
of Bengal, Madras, India. December 1983.
Area -5
Health M
Nulfilion
Ijlll
4^
Food We Eaf-i
Objective
To help learners analyse their food
intake and its adequacy for good
health
Ask the participants the following questions :
What do you usually eat ?
Bring samples of food items, which are locally available, which are
required for energy, for building up and maintaining our body, and
for protecting us from illness. (We may give examples like locally
available cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables that are inexpensive)
When the participants respond to the question on their daily food,
list them down. Take out from the food samples brought, those items
which the participants consume.
Once this is done, tell them about :
FOODS TMT GIVE ENERGY
Cereals and grains : rice, ragi,
jowar (type of millets), wheat,
maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
tapioca, bananas
FOODS THAT GIVE EXTRA ENERGY
oil, butter, ghee, jaggery, sugar,
honey
FOODS THAT ARE BODY BUILDING
Pulses : tur dhal, beans, bengal
gram dhal, black gram dhal, green
gram dhal, groundnuts, milk, curds,
eggs, meat, fish
^0
FOODS TMT PROTECT THE BODY FROM ILLNESS
dark green leafy vegetables - drumstick,
amranth, spinach, fenugreek and corriander leaves,dark yellow vegetables,
tomatoes, fruits: papayas, ami a (goose
berry), orange, mango, lemon; meat, eggs,
fish, chicken, jaggery, tamarind, ragi
(a millet), and seaweed.
Arrange the four food groups. Ask the learners to take a look at
these and compare them with what they eat -- whether all the four
food groups are represented in what their family eats. If some
are missing, identify them. How often do they miss these foods?
The food intake may show more of staple
foods, that is Group 1 and less of protein
foods and foods rich in vitamins and
minerals.
Ask the following questions :
Are we eating right ?
How many of us are eating right ?
Almost all may not be eating right.
If none of us eats right, what could be the
reason ?
Help them discuss and come out with the causes of malnutrition (not
eating right).
51
Reasons could be :
lack of knowledge of nutritious foods;
low or irregular income of the family;
high food prices;
spending on foods and drinks which are
harmful/buying wrong foods;
non-availability of essential food
items in the market;
trouble in selling their produce -food or handicrafts;
faulty habits in feeding children;
certain taboos, long-held beliefs;
intra-family feeding practices
Carry on the discussion further :
What actions can be taken to improve nutrition ?
What are the actions that could be taken on our
own ?
What are some of the actions that we need to take
with the help of other agencies such as the
government ?
Actions that may be possible by people
themselves :
- organising nutrition Centres ;
- improving storage facilities ;
- growing nutritious fruits and vegetables
in home gardens where possible or even
as community gardens where possible.
£2
Food We Eaf-z
Objectives
1.
To help the learners analyse the
difference in food intake of male
and female members of the family
2.
To plan some action to share food
according to requirements
Kt
Ask the learners the following questions :
What is our practice in taking food ?
Do men and women eat together ?
What are our expectations from women, especially
about preparing and serving food ?
Whose tastes, in general, prevails when deciding
what to cook -- men's or women's ?
Who serves food - women or men ?
Can women eat before men do ?
When the quantity of food is less, who (men/women)
get the larger share of the food ?
Are children given their due share ?
What are the beliefs/customs in this connection ?
1
a
53
It is the normal practice in the Indian
homes for women to serve the available
food to elder male members first, then
children and others and then if anything
is left, they get to eat it.
Discuss further with the following questions :
What do you normally eat ?
What did you eat yesterday ?
What does your husband/wife eat normally ?
What do(es) your son(s) eat ?
What do(es) your daughter(s) eat ?
What does your father-in-law eat ? What does
your mother-in-law eat ? What does your brotherin-law/sister-in-law eat ?
Put down the responses in two columns :
Men/male children
Women/female children
Are there any differences in the variety and
quantity of food consumed by male and female
members in a family ?
If yes, why do we have differences ?
What do we think about activities and food
requirements ?
E
54
What are the beliefs regarding feeding
children ?
What are the beliefs regarding feeding
pregnant women ?
The findings, most probably, may show differences
in intake of food between male and female members
in a household. The more vigorous and strenuous
the activity, the more is the food that is needed.
Similarly, growing children need more food.
Discuss further with the following questions :
What are the activities of men ?
What are the activities of women ?
What are the activities of boys ?
What are the activities of girls ?
Who does strenuous work ? Do women perform work
as strenuous as that of men ?
List the various activities of men/boys, women/girls, e.g.
Men/boys
Women/girl s
Fishing
Repairing nets
Marketing fish
Marketing
Preservation of fish
Cooking
Feeding the family
Looking after the
children
55
Ask further questions :
Should we really differentiate between men and
women in the intake of food ?
Do women need less food than men ?
What should we do about it ?
What should men do ?
What should women do ?
.
Men should get to know what is really
available for women
.
Recognising women's needs
.
Sharing the available food according to
the requirements
.
Special stress is to be laid on food
needs of growing children
.
Children should be introduced to weaning
foods from the fourth month onwards
5b
How Should We EaT?
Objective
To help learners identify deficiency
diseases and know the food require
ments for prevention of the diseases
Prepare a food chart with pictures
of the four groups of foods - foods
that give energy, foods that give
extra energy, foods that are body
building, foods that protect the
body from illness. Show learners
the chart and ask them to identify
what they eat daily. Or ask them
to identify the ingredients of their
daily food intake.
Ask them to observe how their daily
food intake is distributed under the
four groups
Show them the pictures/cases of deficiency diseases and ask them to
identify the characteristics of the diseases.
Characteristics :
M/1R/1SMUS (c^tO^lE bEFICIENCy)
- very much underweight
- very thin
- always hungry
- pot belly
- face of an old man
•57
KWASHIORKOR (PROT/EN LEFIC/ENCy)
- swollen hands and feet
- thin upper arm
- colour loss in hair and skin
- sores and peeling skin
- miserable looking
- swollen 'moon' face
- stopped growing
-■’T
V/TOMIN A bEFIC/ENCy
- cannot see in the dark
- white of the eye loses its sheen and
begins to wrinkle
- cornea becomes dry and dull
/INdEMId
- pale and transparent skin
- pale insides of eyelids
- pale gums
- shiny smooth tongue
- pale finger nails
- weakness and fatigue
- swollen face and feet
- rapid heart beat
- shortness of breath
- feel like eating mud, dirt, chalk, etc.
V/T/IMIN B bEFIClENCy
- sores or cracks at the corners of the
mouth
- skin dry and cracked
VITAMIN C bEFIC/ENCy
- bleeding gums
- red, swollen, painful gums that bleed easily
58
At the end of each presentation or at the end of all the presentations
conduct a discussion with the questions that follow :
What is the disease called in the local dialect ?
What, according to the people in the area, are
the causes of each one of the diseases ?
What are the practices of people in curing or
preventing each of the diseases ?
A comparison of the learners' food intake and the intake necessary to
avoid food deficiency diseases may be brought home to them (sufficient
quantity-quality).
i
Calorie
ii
Protein
deficiency
Vitamin A
deficiency
iii
iv
Anaemia
v
Vitamin C
deficiency
- eat energy foods and
energy foods in suffi
cient quantity;
- foods that build the
body ;
- eat dark green leafy
vegetables, yellow or
red vegetables, milk
eggs ;
- ragi, green leafy
vegetables, (drumstick
leaves), jaggery, fish ;
- beans, dark green leafy
vegetables, lemons,
tomatoes, seasonal fruits.
The animator may help the learners understand that
they can fight deficiency diseases by eating dif
ferently with what they can easily get in their
village.
In their menu it is necessary they should have
i dark green leafy vegetables ;
ii milk, fish, (eggs, meat, when they can) ;
iii jaggery, (brown sugar);
iv seasonal fruits ;
v seasonal vegetables ;
vi cereals ( ragi, rice, cambu, maize, etc), pulses (dais),
oils.
Pregnancy
Objectives
i.
2.
3.
For learners to understand the
importance of the health of mother
and child
For learners to be aware of the
importance of pre-natal care
To help learners know about the care
needed by pregnant women
Ask learners these questions :
Do you think that pregnant mothers need special care ?
What are some of the problems pregnant women face ?
(>0
Common problems in pregnancy are :
- Nausea or vomiting - morning sickness
during the second or third month of
pregnancy
- Burning or pain in the pit of the
stomach or chest
- Swelling of the feet
- Low back pain
- Paleness and weakness (Anaemia and
malnutrition)
- Swollen veins
- Constipation
Continue the discussion by asking :
How can one deal with these problems ?
What do you (women) do to tackle these problems ?
The animator could go to a health clinic and gather information about
this, so that the correct answers could be given.
Some of the general answers are given below :
Nausea and vomiting : It helps to eat some
thing dry before getting up; eat small amounts
of food several times a day, avoid greasy
foods.
Burning or pain in stomach or chest : Small
amounts of food at a time; sucking hard candy;
sleeping with chest and head lifted up.
Low back pain : Can be helped by exercise;
keeping the back straight.
61
1
Anemia and malnutrition : The pregnant women
undergoes a lot of physiological changes and,
hence, needs foods that help body-building,
to build up the baby, foods that protect her
from illness. She should eat beans, fish,
groundnuts, chicken, milk, eggs, meat and
dark green leafy vegetables. She needs iron
pills with folic acid and vitamin C, especially
when she cannot get enough food.
Swollen veins : This is due to the weight of
the baby pressing on the veins in the mother's
legs. By putting the legs up as often as possi
ble, this could be taken care of.
Constipation : Drinking plenty of water. Eat
ing food with lot of fibre, like fruits, bran.
Getting plenty of exercise.
Rest : Pregnant women need more rest than
other women.
Continue the discussion with the following question :
Is there any other care that needs to be taken ?
Other care needed are :
Generally it is better to avoid taking any
medicines unless absolutely necessary.
Pregnant women should get immunised against
tetanus. If the vaccination is given in
the first month of pregnancy then it should
be repeated in the 6th, 7th and the 8th
months.
If a pregnant woman has had vaccination
before, a booster in the 7th month is
sufficient.
Checking weight gain : There should be a 8 10 kg weight increase during the nine months
of pregnancy.
Keeping good hygiene : Bathing regularly and
keeping clean.
6Z
Our Family
Objective
To help learners look at the family
resources, family needs and desires
in relation to the concept of a
‘planned family'
F
Start the discussion by saying : "Today let us discuss about the
'family'. What comes to your mind when we think of 'family'?
Ask the learners to respond to the question quickly and write
their responses down on the board.
The answers may include the following :
nice place, warm, noisy, food, children,
fighting, husband, wife, worry, illness,
father, mother, parents, rest, sleep,
grand parents, marriage, etc.
I
I
|
I
J
Lead discussion to bring out
'meaning' of family by the members
of the group. Go on to ask :
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Who are the members of your
family ?
How many of them earn ?
What is the contribution
each member makes to the
family ?
How many are dependent on
others (for food, shelter,
etc.)?
Who share the major burdens
in your family ?
Would you consider your
family too large/small ?
What is the advantage of
having a big family or a
small family ?
Q
1
J
The answers on the advantages of big and small
families may include the following :
Big family
. warm feeling and fun
. security through each
of the members taking
care of one another
. many people to help
in work/occupation,
thus increase in
i ncome
Small family
. manageable
. not much food and
clothing to buy
. less noise and
argument (probably among children)
. less food to cook
. less work
. fits in a small
house better
The discussion should bring out the point that
each family has its own preference depending
on its situation.
Continue discussion with these questions :
Did we plan the size of our present family ?
Is it possible for one to plan the size of the family
according to ones desire ?
What would be the difficulty ?
$
Some of the traditional views that go against
small family :
.
early marriage
.
parents' wish
.
children are god's gift
.
male children are preferred to female
children
.
.
infant mortality
big family is a status symbol -- more
working members in the family
children give security
.
The animator can continue discussion by asking what a 'planned
family' can probably bring about ?
Some of the possible responses are :
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
improved health
improved education
improved health of women
availability of adequateresources
better food and clothing
better achievement of goals in life
reduced infant mortality
better understanding between busband
and wife
w
r
Planned Family
Objective
For learners to critically look at
problems which may arise from an
’unplanned family’
1 This lesson should be preceded by
I the lesson ’OUR FAMILY’
1
I
Read out the story of 1 Prema1 given below to learners :
STORY
1
k
1
Prema, the first daughter of Munuswamy and Manonmani, married Sunder
at the age of 15 against her parents' wishes. The objection of the
parents was that Sunder did not have a steady job and also that he
belonged to another caste. It is now 3 years since Prema got married.
She had her first child, a girl, within a year of her marriage. She
gave the baby artificial feeds from birth and the child became
malnourished by the time she was 4 months old. She conceived within
6 months of the birth of the first one. The second child was breast
fed for 3 months and later fed on artificial feeds. Soon after the
66
birth of the second child, the first daughter was sent to Prema’s
mother, as Prema found it difficult to manage both the children.
But the child was not well taken care of there and its health
worsened. Prema had her third child in the next year. Both the
first and the second child were severly malnourished by then. The
second child died at the age of one because of malnutrition, and
diarrhoea. Prema's husband deserted her after her third child
was born. Now she works as a maid to earn her living. Prema
was hesitant to undertake family planning measures even though
she knew all about them. She felt insecure and that her husband
would not take care of her. She thought that the children were
her only future.
Read slowly and stop or reread if the learners ask.
with the story ask these questions :
When finished
How do you feel about the story ?
What were Prema’s problems ?
What caused her problems ?
What do you think could have saved the family from
those problems ?
1
The discussion should have brought out these
important points :
Prema probably married too young, when
she and Sunder were not ready, He did
not have a job, she was not physically
and mentally mature.
She and her husband had children too
early when they were not mentally and
financially ready.
She had too many children in too short
a time. She could not, therefore, take
good care of them. She had to send
away the first one who was not, there
fore, well taken care of.
Her own health was poor because of too
many pregnancies, too close to one
another, too much work, etc.
r
67
What could have saved her from all these
problems ?
The answers would probably include :
She could have waited until the job was
firm so that she could have been sure
of having enough resources to take care
of her family.
She could have probably used some family
planning measures to prevent her from
having children until she was ready.
She could also have adequately spaced the
children so that they could have had
enough food (breast feeding and supple
mentary food) and attention needed to
grow up healthy and strong.
Continue discussion by asking the learners to think about the previous
discussion on "family" and the story of Prema and ask :
Do you see the relationship of Prema's story and the
idea of a 'planned family?'
What do we mean by a planned family ?
The discussion should gradually bring out some
of these points :
.
.
.
.
.
the number of children should be
according to the need to fulfill the
task the family sets out to do ;
the number of children should be within
what the parents can afford -- for food,
clothing, shelter, education ;
children should be so spaced that the
health of mother and child are not
affected ;
the balance between the available
resources and needs of all members of
the family should be maintained.
marriage should take place when the
couple is physically and mentally ready
for it.
Health Clinic
Objectives
1.
To help learners be aware of the
importance of health in the community
2.
To help learners realise that the
health services organized by the
government are for their welfare and
that they are delivered to them free
of cost
)■
Present this true story :
Malar, a girl of 12, was limping along the village street.
Seetha, who was a newcomer to the village (she was visiting
her relative in the village for a few days), met her and
was concerned and asked her what was wrong with her. Malar
said that a sharp thorn pricked her on the right foot the
day before and her foot was swollen and she was finding it
difficult to put her foot down. Hence the limp. "Why did
not you go to Guna, the health worker, residing in the
village?" asked Seetha. Malar quickly said, "We do not
have the money to give her." "Does she charge you for
examining and treating the foot?" "Yes, she does. We have
to have at least two to three rupees."n H"Yesterday, Ramakka,
your neighbour, delivered a baby. She was there. Do you
think she would have charged them?" Malar replied, "Yes, she
charged them Rs 50. Otherwise, she would not have attended."
At that time Kathayi came along and enquired about what was
going on. She narrated her experience in the Primary Health
Centre, where she went to get her daughter deliver her baby.
She had to pay everyone around. It cost her more than
Rs 100. Seetha asked, "Everyone's experience seems to be to
pay for the medical services given at the PHC level or at the
village level. Don't you know that the services are free?
The health workers are there to look after your health and
that of the village community?"
i
Raise the following questions for the learners to discuss:
Do you seek medical help from health workers ?
How frequently do you go to them ?
Do you think what happened to Malar and
Ramakka happens to all ?
What have been some of your other experiences at
the health clinic ?
The learners could be asked to role-play here
the various kinds of experiences they have
had at the health clinic
Do you know the responsibility of the health personnel
in the PHC and of the health workers at the village
level ?
Responsibility of the health personnel : A primary
Health Centre (PHC) is meant for the popu1 ation
(about 100,000) of a block. The health worker is
for a population of 5,000 and his/her job is to help
people :
1. To prevent diseases through promotion of nutri
tion education and immunization programmes ;
2. To help carry out deliveries in the village look after pre-natal and post-natel mothers ;
3. To prevent illness through helping people main
tain personal and environmental cleanliness ;
4. To treat illness which are mild and to refer to
the doctor those illnesses that require special
attention.
16
The doctor in the PHC and his staff, the pharmacist
the nurses, the laboratory technician, the health
inspector, the block extension educator, are there
to serve the people in prevention of diseases,
treatment and cure of illness and promotion of
better health care in the community. The services
are free to all people. Pepple need not be afraid
of asking for medical help as and when it is needed.
Do you know your rights in relation to the health services
available in PHCs and at the village level ?
What can we do to ensure that the medical services are made
available to us ?
.
You could organise meetings of the village
health committees and invite doctors of
the PHC or the Health Supervisor/worker to
come and talk to the villagers.
.
Use these opportunities to get such
programmes as health check-up, immunization,
etc., done.
4
.
Request house visits by health workers.
—SLijhHd
1
/Irea -4
(Social Problems
73
Excesses In Life
(hRINKING HABIT)
Objective
To enable learners critically think and
discuss ways to help reduce or stop the
excess, with follow-up plans
Begin the session with a role play.
Tell the learners that you need 2 or 3 volunteers to perform a role
play. Once the volunteers come forward, explain to them that they
are to enact a couple of scenes to portray all that happens when a
person gets home drunk. Encourage them to discuss and decide what
are the various things they would depict and how would they go
about enacting. Do not give suggestions. In case they do not
perform well, ask a few other volunteers to perform.
After that ask the learners the following questions (encourage them
to answer) :
What do you think of the scene enacted ?
Do such things happen in reality ?
Who are the ones that are affected/suffer ?
Is it possible to stop/reduce drinking ?
Those who drink certainly know that :
- it is bad for health;
- it involves unnecessary expenditure;
- it puts others in difficulty.
But they still drink,
for drinking.
I
Each one has a reason(s)
76
FMow ask the following questions :
How did Kathiravan start gambling ?
Is it good to gamble ?
Are there persons like Kathiravan in our village ?
many ?
How
T ‘
What can happen to Kathiravan next ?
After eliciting answers from the learners, continue to read the second
phase of the story.
Gambling took much of Kathiravan’s time. Though he earned
from fishing, he did not give the income to his parents,
but spent it on gambling. His father was very upset and
often scolded him. Whenever he did not have enough money
to gamble, Kathiravan began stealing goods from home. He
either sold or mortgaged them. He was of no help to his
parents but only a source of problems. His parents thought
that he would become responsible once he got married and so
arranged his marriage. For a couple of weeks following the
marriage Kathiravan remained in the house. But soon his
friends pulled him out to play cards. Kathiravan was once
again busy with his regular gambling schedule, He became
the father of two children, His wife tried her best to
make him forget gambling, but failed, Soon the family was
in ruins.
LU
Now ask the following questions :
What happened to Kathiravan’s family ?
Have you come across such families in our village ?
not in our village, elsewhere ?
Guess what can happen next.
What implications will gambling have for Kathiravan’s
community ?
Why was his community unable to stop people from
gambling ?
If
LU
LB
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77
Divide the learners into small groups and ask them to discuss :
What could be done to reduce gambling in our community ?
- action to be taken by the individual ;
- action to be taken by the community.
What difficulties could you face in limiting gambling and
how would you like to overcome such difficulties ?
Attention could be drawn to organizing games such
as kabbadi, volley ball, football, etc., cultural
programmes, such as street plays, villupattu,*
kathakalakshepams,*dramas, songs, folk dances and
puppetry, which provide entertainment and educa
tional value as wel1.
a
- iff
* Villupattu, Kathakalakshepams - both are story telling by singing
using different local musical
instruments
Fairne&s
Objectives
1.
To help learners look at the real
situation regarding the status of
women
2.
To visualise a fair or just situa
tion with respect to women
Present the following true life situation :
Nagakanni returns home tired after a long trek with a
basket full of fish to the market. Her youngest child
aged two runs up to her and wants to be breast fed. After
about 10 minutes of sitting, she goes to the corner where
she cooks food. She spreads the plates and serves food
for the other four children who are all half asleep. They
hurriedly eat and go to sleep. She puts the young one to
sleep and then goes out to the open and joins a group of
women.
She comes to know from them that a panchayat meeting is
being conducted and the men are attending it. The women
are not aware of what is being discussed. None of the women
dares question why women are not allowed to participate in
the meeting.
7<I
After an hour, her husband returns. She serves him food.
After he finishes eating, she hurriedly eats the remain
ing rice. Her husband does not tell her what was discuss
ed at the panchayat meeting. He just tells her that
she should arrange for a loan of Rs 50 to be paid to the
cooperative society as share capital. She tries to explain
that she has already had to borrow some money for her
mother who is ailing. Her husband gets angry and tells
her that she should somehow arrange for the Rs 50 and then
attend to her mother’s illness. Fearing that he might get
angrier and beat her if she persists, she remains silent.
After some time, she hesitatingly asks her husband for
Rs 2 to buy notebooks for her son who is attending school.
Her husband refuses to give the money and asks her to buy
the books from the money she has earned that day. She
explains that she has money just enough to buy 1 kg of rice
for the next day. Her husband is not bothered about this
and he walks out of the hut. Nagakanni is left to plan for
the next day with her meagre resources.
Give some time for the learners to think about the situation and ask
them to describe the situation in a typical family, especially about
the daily routines and celebrations.
Discuss the situation presented and the situations described by ask
ing further questions, such as :
What are the roles of men and women in each of the
situations ?
Who is given the pride of place, man or woman ?
What are the decisions taken by men and by women in
these situations ?
Who has the final say and why ?
How are women treated in the community ?
How could opportunities be created for women to play
an active role in the community ?
80
bowry
Objective
To help learners to critically analyse
the system of dowry
Present the following story to the learners :
Kamalayee and Vadivelu are to be married in another ten
days. Vadivelu's father Arumugam has demanded of
Kamalayee's parents a dowry of Rs 1000 for Vadivelu and
gold jewellery worth Rs 5000 for Kamalayee apart from
the regular gifts of utensils for the kitchen, a steel
locker and a cot with bedding, all to be given at the
time of marriage. Kamalayee's father, Periakali, wants
his daughter to be treated well in her husband's house.
So he agrees to give the money, jewels and other arti
cles. Arumugam, as per the custom, has agreed to meet
the marriage expenses because Periakali has arranged
good food at the engagement (pariyam) ceremony. But
Arumugam warns Periakali that if the bride's family
members attending the wedding exceeded 200, then Peria
kali should share a part of the food expense.
Periakali makes arrangements for the money and the pur
chase of gold jewellery and other articles.
Vadivelu's family lives 25 km away from Kamalayee's
village. The day before the marriage, Kamalayee, her
parents, family members, and other relatives take all the
articles, jewels, money and board a bus. On reaching
Vadivelu's village, the bridal party gets down from the
bus.
On reaching Vadivelu's house, a commotion arises because
the trunk containing the money and gold jewellery is missing. The elders blame one another for being careless.
Periakali informs Vadivelu of the mishap. Arumugam is not
convinced. He tells Periakali clearly that the marriage
will be called off if the money and the jewels are not
handed over, as agreed to earlier.
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In spite of pleas and assurances of handing over the
agreed amount and jewellery in a few weeks' time, Arumugam
refuses to accept Kamalayee as his daughter-in-law. At
that time Kamalayee's uncle rushes to the spot with the
lost trunk containing the jewels and cash. On realising
that the trunk had been left behind in the bus, he had
rushed to the main road and stopped a lorry going the
same route as the bus. He explained the problem to the
lorry driver who was sympathetic to him. He allowed
Kamalayee's uncle to board the lorry, drove fast and
caught up with the bus. Fortunately the suitcase was
found.
Kamalayee's parents and relatives were very happy that the
lost property had been found and that the wedding could now
be conducted as originally planned. But Kamalayee has by
now decided differently. She comes up to her father and
says "I do not like those who marry for money. I do not
want to be married to a person whose family does not treat
others as human beings. I would rather remain single than
be in the midst of inhuman people."*
When the story is finished, give the learners time to think about it,
then ask them :
Do we follow the custom of giving jewels and cash
along with other articles described in the story when
our daughters are married ?
What things are expected to be given to daughters at
the time of wedding ?
What do you think of the custom of giving and taking
dowry ?
What is happening in society now-a-days because of this
custom ?
What are some of the consequences of this custom ?
What suggestions do we have to improve, or reduce the
ill-effects of this custom ?
Adapted from a story published in Ananda Vikatan, a Tamil weekly
published from Madras
drea - 5
Leadership
11;
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85-
When I Was
Objective
Leader
To help learners gain confidence in
themselves for leadership
Ask for about 10 volunteers and conduct the following exercise :
Tell the volunteers that they are given 5 minutes to try and
recall their experience of having taken part in :
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
singing at village festivals leading a group,
planning, rehearsing and conducting a kummi,
kolattam,* street drama,
decorating the festive ground with kolam (folk
art by drawing on the floor), coconut leaves,
mango leaves and helping people do it,
conducting chit meetings,
conducting village games,
arranging a public meeting,
planning, gathering materials and cooking a
common meal at a family/public function,
collecting funds and
(h)
helping at the funeral of
a poor person belonging to
the village
Organizing a representa
(i)
tion to the panchayat for
basic necessities, such as
drinking water supply,
any other such occasion
(j)
wherein they felt they had
done something.
Ask them to describe what exactly
they had done which they thought
was quite exciting.
* Dances performed to the tune of beating of sticks
86
Write such actions down on the board, along with the names of the
learners. Lead the discussion further so that they realise that
they have exhibited qualities of leadership.
Continue the discussion with the following questions :
In planning, rehearsing and conducting kummi/drama
what did you do to make it successful ? Similarly,
analyse each activity mentioned by the volunteers
(learners) on the basis of how, with whom, with
what, where, etc., these things were done by them?
Then ask :
Was it because -
you had clear practical knowledge of what was to
be done ?
you had the talent or ability to take the lead ?
you had the courage to try out your capabilities
in certain situations ?
you had an urge to do something good ?
What was it in you that made you do what you did ?
Please describe.
The answers could be one or a combination of several qualities,
(some of which have been given in the form of questions). Then
continue by asking the learners to recall some of their experiences
when they enjoyed being just followers or observers :
watching kummi/kolattam/street drama ;
being just a chit member ;
giving funds when people come and ask for it.
Take note of what they say.
Then ask :
Are we not good leaders in certain things and good
followers in certain others ?
SI
Help the discussion to gradually identify :
It is true that some like to lead more and
some like to follow more, To do one or the
other alone is not good, One should not let
others lead all the time and one should not
try to lead all the time. Those who only
follow will lose their initiative, which in
turn limits their opportunities for develop
ment. Those who lead all the time prevent
others who may be better at leading particu
lar activities. We should ascertain who
among ourselves is good at what activities
and the right job should be delegated to the
right person. Leadership can also be a group
task, as we see quite often.
Discuss the following skills for identifying leadership qualities :
In the previous exercise, what were the actions that
helped the success of the events ?
Are these skills of the leader important for each
successful event :
skill in making people understand the objective
skill in planning the activity well
skill in organising the human, physical and
financial resources
skill in communication
skill in taking appropriate decisions
skill in involving people
Would you like to develop these skills ?
Identify those who would like to develop these
skills and plan a workshop in leadership train
ing for them.
Importance Of J^nchayat
OBJECTIVE
To help learners understand the import
ance of an elected panchayat
Begin a discussion on the experience the learners have of their
panchayats and their panchayat presidents and members. (This
discussion could project a positive or negative image of the
panchayat and its leaders.) Stress the need to have an effective
panchayat functioning. At this stage, tell the learners that they
would now play a ''earning game.
Collect the materials required for the game -- a ball of twine/
tread ; name tags, pen/pencil. Ask for 10 volunteers.
The game :
■
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Ask the volunteers to sit in a circle.
■
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Write names of the participants on the tags according to the roles
given below :
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
President (Head of the panchayat)
Village level worker (Government official)
Panchayat member (community representative)
Village headman
Four poor fishermen
Two middle income level fishermen
Ask each of the volunteers to wear a name tag pertaining to a role.
Think of a development scheme, e.g., getting a
subsidy from the Block Office under the IRDP
(Integrated Rural Development Programme) for
purchase of nets through a bank loan.
Tell the learners that you would briefly explain the various steps
involved in obtaining the subsidy and as you narrate the steps, the
ball of twine/thread should be looped around the finger of the
person who is involved in the action as per the narration.
Start narrating the steps for obtaining the subsidy :
1.
The village level worker gives this information
to the elected chief (president) of the panchayat
union (give the ball of twineto the village level
worker, ask him to hold one end and then pass the
ball of thread to the president).
2.
The president conveys the message to the panchayat
member (the president, after wrapping the twine
around his finger passes the remaining twine to the
panchayat member).
3.
The panchayat member in turn conveys the message
to the village headman.
4.
The village headman informs all the fishermen about
this.
5.
The fishermen approach the panchayat member for the
subsidy.
^0
6.
The Panchayat member sends them to the village-level
worker to submit an application.
7.
The village level worker finds out the economic
background of the fishermen, fills in the details
in the required form and sends them to the presi
dent for signing the income certificate.
8.
The president checks with the panchayat member,
signs and sends them back to the village-level
worker.
9.
The village level worker forwards the applications
to the Block office through the president.
As the ball of twine keeps moving from person to person as per the
narration, a network emerges.
I
I
I
Some more day-to-day activities involving these
people could also be chosen in addition, in
order to increase the network.
Ask all the participants to hold the string firmly,
moving the hands away from one another in order
to stiffen the network.
Request any one fisherman to let go of the twine
held by him and ask everyone to closely observe
what happens. The network now will be slackened a
bit, but will not be affected very much.
One more fisherman may be asked to let go of the
twine he is holding. Again, though the network
will be slackened a little more, the overall
network will not be affected much.
41
Ask the fishermen to take hold of the twine they
had let go and now request the panchayat president
to let go of the twine he is holding; and see what
happens. The network will be dislocated very much.
Then ask the panchayat member to let go of the
twine he is holding; the dislocation will be even
more.
Ask the participants why there is so much disloca
tion caused in the network when the president and
the member of the panchayat let the twine go.
Start analysing. Explain how this educational game is very close to
real life situations; the positions held by these leaders are key
positions and therefore, if we have good leaders, we will benefit by
development activities.
The
STRUCTURE
Objective
4Nb FUNCTIONS
To help learners be aware of the
structure and functions of the
panchayat
This lesson contains a lot of information. To
make it interesting to the learners, it is sug
gested that media such as villupattu, kathakalakshepam, street drama, puppetry, etc., be
used. The animator should train a few persons
beforehand, if possible from among the learners
themselves, to perform the selected folk art.
Begin the session by asking the learners to list the various
services rendered by their panchayat. Take note of their answers
and then explain the functions to them.
Village panchayats perform various functions
such as :
(i)
construction, maintenance and repair of
village roads, bridges, drains, drinking
water tanks, wells and pumps;
(2)
upkeep of cremation and burial grounds;
(3)
provision and maintenance of street
lights, guest house, playgrounds, gardens,
community hall, radio;
(4)
planting of trees along the road.
Apart from the functions mentioned here, the
panchayats may perform various other functions
and render other services if their financial
resources permit.
Initiate discussion on the question : Is the panchayat in your
village taking these actions ? If yes, to what extent, and if
no, why ?
To perform these functions, the panchayat
will need resources. From where does the
panchayat get the resources ?
1. The sources of revenue for the village panchayat
are :
.
.
.
.
income derived from common village lands,
income from the village fisheries,
income from the sale of refuse/cow dung,
local cesses and fees, house tax, profes
sional tax,vehicle tax, property tax, fee
for using the market, etc.,
grants from government.
So far we have discussed the functions of the
panchayat and its sources of revenue. Before we
conclude this session shall we briefly discuss the
structure of the panchayat ? (Find out if any
learner is able to explain the panchayat structure.)
2. The panchayat system has been prevalent in our
country for a very long time, even prior to
British rule. As the name suggests, a panchayat
consisted of five elderly and respectable persons
of the village, This council of five settled all
local disputes. A panchayat commands the respect
of the village folk and its decisions are obeyed
by one and all.
After independence, the Village Panchayat Acts
were passed by all the States of the Indian Union.
The panchayats are elected by direct vote of the
people. Though a panchayat literally means a
council of five members, membership of the panchayat
varies from 5 to 15, depending on the population of
the village. Provision is made for cooption of
women and members of the Scheduled Castes, if they
are not otherwise elected. People elect the
president and vice-president directly from among
the panchayat members.
^4
The president of the panchayat is the head of
the village administration. The staff comes
under the administrative control of the BDO
(Block Development Officer) concerned. The
rural welfare officer helps the panchayat
president and his council of members maintain
facilities and carry out development programmes.
The RWO is appointed by the Government and is
under the administrative control of the BDO.
Ask :
Sometimes when we ask for certain facilities,
we are told to go to the BDO's office. Who is
the Panchayat Commissioner or block development
officer (BDO) ?
Several panchayats together form a panchayat
union. The council of the panchayat union
is constituted from the presidents of different
panchayats in the area. One of them gets
elected as panchayat union president. The
BDO is employed by the Government at the pancha
yat union level as the chief executive officer
of the panchayat union.
drea -6
Income Hnd
Saving
i *’-X
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■
^7
Our Needs
Objectives
1.
To enable the learners reflect on the
community's needs
2.
To help them acquire the skill of
prioritizing and decision-making in
the context of the community
Start the session by asking the group :
What are the basic facilities needed in the village ?
List the facilities needed on the board as they are spelt out by the
learners.
The responses could be:
housing, drinking water, roads, a small hospital,
school for very young children, toilet facility,
drainage of waste water.
When the list is exhausted, divide the learners into smaller groups
of three or four. Ask each group to decide on the most immediately
needed of the facilities listed. Ask each group to select one
person who could observe how the group selects the facility needed,
especially the reasons given for the selection. Give about 15 mts.
38
At the end of 15 mts. ask the groups to reassemble. Ask the
observer to say how the group selected the needed facilities along
with the reasons for their selection.
Raise the following questions and discuss :
Was more than one facility mentioned by the group
members ?
How did your group arrive at the facility reported ?
Did every member of the group express his/her opinion
with reasons ?
How many did not express their opinions ?
Why ?
Discuss the questions to emphasize the
meaning of decision making :
Involvement of all the members of the
group;
Consideration of the different options/
suggestions;
Weighing the suggestions one by one on
some definite basis for selection
(resources available, the degree of
necessity, etc.);
Actually taking the decisions;
All members agreeing to accept the
consequences -- good or bad, resulting
from the decisions.
*
■
Objectives
1.
To help learners identify and
analyse the present ways of saving
2.
To help learners realise the
potential of collective saving for
raising credits (cooperatives)
Begin the session by asking these questions one by one.
answers. Discuss after each question is answered.
Wait for
How many of us save ?
Why do we save ?
List the ways in which the learners save now.
the answers to illustrate the point that :
Gradually organize
We save whenever we can, in one way or another,to meet
some unexpected expenses such as :
illness of a family member
loss/damage of net
Such savings obviate, or reduce to a minimum the need
to borrow. Also borrowed money carries high interest.
Savings also help us in meeting expenses on :
repairing the house,
buying cloth.
children’s education,
marriage of daughters.
Though we earn very little generally, we sometimes
earn a little more than we need. That is the time
to save for the future.
100
Continue the discussion by asking :
What are the problems we face with the existing form
of saving ?
Give the learners time to share information on the ways in which they
save money now. Saving practices vary a great deal, Some of the
saving practices are given in the list below, Go through the list
and identify type of savings the learners do. Help them in discussion to bring out the advantages and disadvantages of their present
saving practice.
The savings practices listed below are meant to give the animator
some ideas for discussion.
HUNLIE5
Hundies are convenient to use as we can save any amount, anytime, we
can also use them as and when we need it without any difficulty.
However, there are problems with bundles.
SAVINGS
WITH
.
They can be stolen,
.
They bear no interest.
.
Because they are easily accessible,
the temptation to spend is greater
than with the other forms of
savings.
NEIGHBOURS
This form is also convenient and it is our way of helping one another.
The little money that each of us has is pooled together and those who
need money urgently may use it at the time of need. However, because
we do not keep proper records, misunderstandings may arise at times.
Our calculations may differ and probably lead to quarrels.
It may also happen that one of us may need the money suddenly and it
may not be available as somebody else has taken it, and has not
returned it.
> S'
>01
RUCTION CHIT
This is probably a fair way of
deciding as to who will get the
money each time, by auction.
It is a popular system in our
community. The disadvantage of
this lies in the fact that when
we need the money we may not be
successful in bidding at the
auction.
-RAFFLE CHIT
This is another way of saving
in a group. The problem here
may be the same as in auction
chit, because there is the risk that you may not get the money when
you need it. It also requires group responsibility to make sure
that each member continues to pay till the end of the term so that
everyone benefits.
UTENSIL CHIT
This type of chit enables us to buy the utensils we require; it is
usually difficult for us to find enough money to pay for the entire
cost of the utensil we wish to buy. It is clear, however, that the
vessels bought through the chit cost more than they would if pur
chased outright. Also since the buyer's choice is limited, the
utensils procured may not be of good quality. Further, the person
organising the chit might disappear after collecting one or two
instalments and not deliver the utensils.
102.
Objective
To inform learners about other ways of
savings available in the area
Read the lesson carefully for the methods of saving described.
Find out the existing facilities in the area. During the dis
cussion, emphasize only the facilities available.
| It is not suggested that the animator should \
| make the learners adopt saving. However, he i
I informs about new ways of saving to help them I
\decide their mode of saving themselves.
\
Some of the facilities generally available in rural area are :
SAVINGS
STAMP
METHOb
As there are stamps for sending letters, there also are some
special stamps for savings. The post office sells them (Animators
should bring both kinds of stamps and cards on which to paste
savings stamps.) Show the learners the ordinary stamp and the
savings stamps and the card for past
ing the stamps. Tell them that the
card is given free of cost at post
offices. Point out to the learner
that there are 40 squares on the
savings card and one has to paste a
stamp in each square. Stamps are
available at denominations of 25
paise and 50 paise. If the 40
squares are filled with 25 paise
stamps, the total money saved will
be Rs 10, and if we fill the card
with 50 paise stamps, the total
amount will be Rs 20. When the
card is filled the person should
bring it to the post office. The
amount of money could be deposited in the person's account with
the post office savings bank. A new empty card could be obtained
to continue the samll savings.
103
CUMULATIVE TIME
bEFOSIT
Deposits of Rs 5, and multiples of Rs 5 subject to a maximum ot
Rs 1,000, can be made. The deposit amount at the time of opening
of account has to be paid every month for 10 years. The amount
repayable by the post office to the depositor, inclusive of
interest at the end of 10 years on an account of Rs 5 denomination
will be Rs 825.
Two withdrawals in all, at not more than 50% of the balance in the
account are allowed after the account has been in operation for at
least one year. The second withdrawal is not allowed unless the
account has been in operation for five years.
RECURRING
DEPOSIT
The period of operation is five years.
Go slow in discussing each item; make sure the learners understand
them. The discussion can and should bring out the advantages and
disadvantages of each method.
104
^'ikrnaie Incomes
To encourage learners to explore
avenues for generating altervative
incomes and critically evaluate
these avenues
Tell the group : "Today we will discuss the topic ‘alternative incomes'.
We will start with a role play." Tell the group you would like to
have two volunteers. Then spend a few minutes with the volunteers,
help them understand their role and let them make up the conversa
tion themselves.
After the role play is over, ask learners these questions, discuss
questions, one by one thoroughly; do not move too fast. (For role
play, see end of the lesson.)
What is going on ?
What did Hamsavalli and Satya talk about ?
What do you think about the ideas?
are they ?
How feasible
Do you think we could try out some of these ideas ?
What other ideas do you think may be more appropriate
to our village ?
The reaction from the learners could be both positive and negative.
Accept all answers, but always ask the learners : Why? What are
the reasons for them to say what they said ?
IOS*
The possible negative and positive reasons may
be as follows :
Positive reasons
. We should try all
possible ways which
may help us;
. We want to do some
thing better than
selling fish;
. If we stick to only
what we are doing
now, we are limiting
ourselves against our .
own growth and oppor
tunities .
Negative reasons
I do not have money;
I do not have time;
I have not done it
before;
We are fisherfolk,
how can we do other
things ?
Continue the discussion by posing these issues :
We sometimes get more fish, sometimes less,
We may lose our net.
We may not sell fish and it gets rotten and we lose.
Wait for answers, discuss them and bring out these points :
When discussing points on food and health refer
ring to earlier lessons on the subjects, use the
occasion to reinforce that learning.
Trying new things on a small scale means taking
small risks but may mean big results.
Trying new things means learning, more knowledge,
/06
A small-scale effort may be a step towards
a bigger scale effort (provided the result
is good).
A little more income may mean more food for
the family.
The new activity may itself directly provide
food for the family.
Better food means better health.
Better health means a lot more capability to
do much better things.
Things may then keep improving and it is quite
possible that in the long run it may mean a
big improvement to the family’s health and
economic status.
ROLE
FL/^y GUfbELINES
For female centre
Hamsavalli
Hamsavalliis originally from the neighbouring district
but she got married' to
-- Kuppan a fisherman of this village.
five years ago. f
She has just come back from the first visit
to her parents after marriage.
In this role play, Hamsavalli is telling her neighbour
Satya about the new activities she saw in her village
that help bring more income to the fishing families there,
and is wondering if these activities could be introduced
here too.
107
Satya -
Satya is Hamsavalli's neighbour. They are good friends.
Satya's husband is also a fisherman. They have five
children. Satya sells fish caught by her husband or buys
it from other fishermen. She carries head-loads and
walks to a few nearby villages. In the conversation she
expresses interest, but also worries about the idea of
trying new things that she does not know about and is
also afraid of losing money.
(Ideas for income earning activities may be used in the role play.
Let the learners select or come up with new ideas on their own:
chicken raising, goat raising, bee keeping, etc.)
For male centre
Murugan Murugan is a fisherman of this village^.. He has gone to
visit his sister in another fishing village where she
has been staying after marriage. He has just come back
and is excited about some income-earning activities he
saw in that village, and is telling his neighbour
Krishnan about it.
Krishnan Krishnan is also a fisherman, a very good friend of
Murugan. They go fishing together on Balamohan's boat.
He listens to Murugan with interest, but he too is worried
that the new activities may fail, leading to loss of money.
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Cooperation
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Group /Iclion
Objective
To help learners analyse group actions
undertaken in the village
Present the two case studies given here, one by one. Help learners
discuss the first before presenting or discussing the second.
I
CASE
study
1
Chettinagar is a coastal village in Tamil Nadu. The village
has a nice, fairly big, temple for the Goddess Sengazhani
Amman. The temple surely is a centre of attraction in the
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village, as is the case with all coastal villages. The
people in the village maintain the temple, arrange for
the daily rituals of worship of the Goddess and for
celebrating an annual 10-day festival with zeal. This
is a season for enjoyment and the festival is celebrated
on a grand scale.
The case panchayat, an elected committee, is responsible
for the administration of the temple and for settling
disputes in the village. The committee decides on the
modes of collection of funds for the daily rituals in the
temple and the annual festival. The modes decided upon
are :
(a)
The right to auction the fish landings on the sea
shore is leased out and the lease amount is to be
given to the temple;
(b)
The right to collect the tax of 30 paise from each
of the cycle traders coming to the village, is
leased out and the lease amount goes to temple funds;
(c)
Every kattumaram (or boat), or every net that is
spread in the sea fetches a tax of Rs 2 a day, which
again goes towards the temple funds. The right to
collect these funds is leased out and the lease
amount is given to the temple ;
(d)
During festival time, the amount of money to be
paid by each house is fixed according to the number
of members and their economic status.
During festival time, the committee takes the responsibility
of organizing the whole affair with the help of the people.
Generally, there is a meeting almost every week, when all
the villagers meet, discuss everything related to the cele
bration of the festival, etc. The information to be passed
on to the villagers in general is discussed and arrangements
made for communication. Any objections are thrashed out in
the meetings. People abide by the taxes agreed upon.
Generally the temple is well maintained and the festivals are
well organized.
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CASE
STUDY 2
Nanilakuppam is a small village with 300 fishing families.
There are 5 streets in the village and only one drinking
water tap/pump. Therefore, there is scarcity of drinking
water. There is a pond which is used for bathing, washing,
cleaning the cattle, etc. So the water is dirty. Even
then, some of the villagers use this water for drinking
since the only tap available cannot cater the needs of the
whole village. Therefore, many of them suffer from water
borne diseases. In addition, during summer, the pond
dries up completely and water shortage becomes acute.
There seems to be no use in complaining to anyone.
The Government proposed to install two more pumps and asked
the village to decide where the pumps should be installed.
There was a dispute as to which two streets should be
selected. The residents from each street wanted to have the
pump in their respective street. A meeting convenedto
settle this matter did not arrive at any decision, The
villagers started quarrelling among themselves. One day,
persons from the Government came prepared to install the
pumps, but the villagers prevented them from carrying out
their work, as they did not come to a decision about the
place where the pumps were to be fixed. The workers returned
without installing the pumps.
Help the discussion with the following questions :
1 t
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What is the procedure followed in Chettinagar
village and in Nanilakuppam village ?
Do people understand what they did and what others
did in carrying out the work ? What efforts are
made in these villages ?
What are the attitudes of people in the two
villages towards the task ?
What contributed to success in Chettinagar village
case and to failure in Nanilakuppam village ?
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116
i
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Caste feelings, party politics, etc., could
act as divisive forces. Therefore, the
members should not attach any importance to
them.
It would not be healthy to have profit as the
only motive. Of course, whatever profit the
cooperative society makes will be shared by
its members. But then, each member should
put in his best so that the society expands
its activities to help as many people as
possible.
Selection of ineffective leaders will hamper
the functioning of the society. Therefore,
the members should take care to elect its
leaders without any bias.
When elected office-bearers abuse their
positions, every member has the right to,
and should, raise questions.
Following is a case study of Kattur Kuppam.
to discuss about cooperatives :
Animators may use this
Kattur Kuppam village is 9 km from Alandur town, The
village has no shops and its residents have to go to
Alandur for every small purchase. The village is
usually served by cycle vendors who palm of low quality
stuff at high prices.
The villagers.complained about this to everyone who
came to the village.
Explain the situation in Kattur Kuppam to the learners and ask the
following questions :
What is the difficulty in that village ?
What do they want in the village ?
Why are they not getting what they want ?
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117
The animator suggests :
"If each one contributes a little, say Rs 5 and if more
than 10 members join they can raise a loan of Rs 500,
i.e., 10 times their total collection. This amount can
be utilised to start a consumer cooperative society
wherein they can stock and sell their daily require
ments. From the consumer cooperative society they can
get what they want -- good quality and moderate price.
Profit, if any, will also go to the members who have
subscribed the share capital. Out of the individual
savings, a little contribution for a common cause will
generate credit for creating facilities and amenities
for better living in the community."
Questions :
Can we think of starting a cooperative society to
meet any of our needs ?
What are we to do ?
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Education
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121
Childrens Education
OBJECTIVE
To develop positive attitude among
learners towards children’s education
Ask the learners :
Is it true that all parents want their children to be
educated ? Why ?
Encourage learners to react to the question, give them enough time
and discuss.
For those who answer ‘yes', the reasons given
may include:
to get good jobs,
to be able to read and write,
to be bold,
to lead a better life.
For those who answer ’no', the reasons may
include:
education is useless,
the children could help in fishing
operations, fish marketing,
do not want our children to grow
too big for their boots.
Tell the group that there are advantages and disadvantages in
almost everything. What one should do is to think critically for
both aspects. One should also look at both short-and-long-term
results and not decide on the basis of immediate needs. Gradually
lead the discussion to bring out the advantages of having an
education and disadvantages of not having an education.
122
These points may help you in leading the dis
cussion.
Advantages of
education
Disadvantages of loack
education
- When the person can
read and write he
can get more infor
mation. He can
also write and get
help.
- The uneducated person
has to rely on others
for information and
help. The informa
mation he gets may be
distorted.
- Education can change
one's outlook due to
exposure to new
ideas.
- He has less opportu
nity to change his
outlook.
- An educated person
can be more inde
pendent.
- He is dependent on
others.
- In a fast-changing
society, an edu
cated person can
cope better with the
changing environment.
- He is in a less ad
vantageous position.
- The educated person
improves the commu
nity in which he
lives,moves forward.
He is able to parti
cipate in his commu
nity's progress.
- He is backward and is
unable to contribute
to the progress of the
community.
The learners could be left to reflect on the advantages of schooling.
flnnexure
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