Sudha Nagavarapu : In Search of Relevance-My Journey towards and reflection at the grassroots

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Title
Sudha Nagavarapu : In Search of Relevance-My Journey towards and reflection at the grassroots
extracted text
In search of relevance
My journey towards action and reflection at the grassroots

CHLP Report 2008­09
Sudha Nagavarapu

Table of Contents
Those who made it possible ­ acknowledgements...............................................................3
A brief overview.........................................................................................................................5
My personal journey.................................................................................................................7
A balloonist's view of agriculture..........................................................................................12
Our health in our hands – learning about community health in Sitapur dt......................20
The nitty­gritty and politics of technology...........................................................................29
How to work with a community – lessons and challenges................................................33
Future steps.............................................................................................................................38
From long­distance to on­the­ground: my field experience...............................................40
CHC Orientation......................................................................................................................46
Itinerary of visits and field work............................................................................................50
ANNEXURES............................................................................................................................53

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Those who made it possible ­ acknowledgements
Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you
are, you need one. ~Jane Howard
Embarking on the journey to a more socially relevant life is supposed to be challenging, full of
risks and likely to bring on opposition from family and disconnect with one's peer group. So
far, my journey has been challenging but I haven't encountered any risks. And I have been
immensely fortunate in the support, advice and encouragement received from my network of
family, friends, mentors and peers.
I would like to thank CHC for conceptualizing and setting up the unique Community Health
Learning Program and Sir Ratan Tata Trust for funding it. Every member in the CHC team has
taken time out of their busy schedules to advise, encourage and support us. Special thanks
are due to Sukanya and Eddie Premdas, who have managed the CHLP and provided valuable
mentorship to me. The openness with which staff members, past fellows and associates have
shared their positive and negative experiences, their mistakes and corrective measures and
their approaches in dealing with their frustrations and disappointments along the way was
eye­opening. I have learnt to look for the silver lining in every dark cloud, and for this I thank
the CHC family.
My fellow travelers – Varsha, Adithya, Lakshmee, Savitri, Ria, Karibasappa and Jeyapaul ­
and those with whom I have shared part of the journey – Sabyasachi, Vashti and Sapna –
have provided friendship, entertainment and inspiration. Some of their stories have brought
me to tears, yet others have made me laugh, wince, reflect and provide feedback. We have
had fun on our collective journey and I will always treasure the time we have spent together.
My journey towards an alternate paradigm began with my involvement with the Association for
India's Development (AID) in the US. Through this involvement, I have been exposed to
movements, campaigns and grassroots organizations throughout India. Fellow volunteers in
our local chapter in Minnesota and throughout the world have provided valuable insights that
helped build my perspective. In recent months, the friends made through AID have provided
hospitality during our travels, served as sounding boards for thrashing out issues and
provided guidance and direction where necessary. I am very thankful to be part of the AID
family.
All the activists, academicians, journalists etc. that I met through AID have provided valuable
mentorship. But I owe a special thanks to Richa Singh, Richa Nagar, Surbala, Reena, Mukesh
and all the friends of Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS) in Sitapur, UP. The lessons
they are teaching me cannot be captured in books or lectures and I look forward to further
learning and sharing with them.
Coming from an engineering/technical background, it has been a pleasant surprise to find
childhood and college friends exploring alternate paths in life – civil service, wildlife protection
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and waste management, to name a few. Even those firmly ensconsed in the corporate world
and with different political views have helped me develop – if I can convince them of
something, I know I have done a good job! I am glad to have them as friends.
And last, but definitely not the least, I owe an immense debt of gratitude to my biological and
marital families. The support and encouragement my parents and in­laws have given me is as
rare as it is valuable. Growing up with my brother, who is mildly autistic, has helped me
appreciate and embrace difference. My life­partner, Dwiji, provides challenge and comfort in
equal measure. I am grateful to have found him and treasure his companionship. We have
traveled together to all the groups mentioned in this report and our discussions are central to
the observations and analyses I have presented here.
With the wealth of human support that I have, I hope to be able to weather the challenges
ahead of me and contribute towards building a more equitable, just and healthy world.
Sudha

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A brief overview
My education has been in the areas of engineering and biomedicine. What I knew about
community work, community health etc. was picked up from a random selection of books, field
trips and discussions. My main objective in joining CHLP was to develop some foundation and
rigour in these concepts. The orientation session was an invaluable help in that direction. It
gave me insight into the community approach, some background into community health in
India and across the world and detailed understanding in topics such as health systems,
disparities due to caste, class and patriarchy etc.
Following the orientation, my learning objectives were two­fold: to develop my understanding
in agriculture (particularly sustainable agriculture), appropriate technology, sanitation etc. and
to build a better perspective about my field area in Sitapur dt., UP. My future work would be in
collaboration with Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS), a grassroots organization
working on rights and livelihoods in Sitapur, therefore my field trips and learnings were largely
geared towards ideas that could be implemented there. We also visited a number of
individuals working in different capacities with communities or on rights­based campaigns to
get an insight into their role within these groups, the politics of their engagement as outsiders
or members of the community itself and their personal approach and motivation.
I have learnt a lot about myself in these months of discovery. These learnings have been laid
out in detail in Chapter 1. My understanding in specific issues are described in Chapters 2­5.
Plans for future work are elaborated in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 provides an overview of my field
experience. Chapter 8 describes the CHLP orientation and my learnings from it in detail, while
Chapter 9 provides an exhaustive list of all the organizations and individuals I have visited
during my fellowhip. The annexure contains a writeup about the Kunwarapur dairy in Sitapur
dt., materials used for workshops and miscellaneous articles written in this period.
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of all the issues that I've discussed, reflected on
and read about in the past few months. While I will not be able to do justice to each of these
topics in this report, I hope to touch on as many points as possible.

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6

Marginal
farmers

Disasters

Malnutrition
& anaemia

Energy

Inter­caste
marriages

Sanitation

APPR. / RURAL
TECHNOLOGY

GENDER / CASTE

Declining sex
ratio

Seasonal
migration

Marketing

Labour issues /
labour
management

Figure 1: Issues of interest

AGRICULTURE

HEALTH & HEALTH
SYSTEMS

Informal
practitioners

Personal / social
implications

Sustainable
techniques

Environment

My personal journey

Fertile ground – where I started...
When my husband, Dwiji, and I returned to India from the US in March 2008, we had reached
a critical point in our journey towards a more socially relevant life. Since 2001­02, we had
been volunteers of the Association for India's Development (AID), a volunteer­run nonprofit in
the US that supports developmental activities in India. Through this organization, my
understanding of the issues of displacement, corruption, gender­biased violence and the
concerns of marginalized groups in India had crystallized into meaningful engagement and
support for grassroots organizations.
Our chapter in Minnesota was committed as much to building perspectives as to supporting
projects in India. So we convened discussion groups on the history of communalism (after the
2002 Gujarat riots), globalization etc., organized workshops on gender, peace, theater and
more and performed plays on social themes. In later years, we initiated local volunteering
efforts individually and as a group. We engaged actively with grassroots organizations and
activists in India, learning from them about their work and philosophy and were even exposed
to critical analysis of their and their peers' work.
The impact this volunteerism and learning had on my life was immense – I left my job in the
corporate sector, realizing that even a company whose mission is to save lives was not
improving the lives of the poor. I worked with an environmental advocacy group, Clean Water
Action, as a canvasser. This work involved going door­to­door signing on members, collecting
donations and educating people about current environmental concerns and legislation. This
work helped me develop my communication skills and persuasive abilities. I eventually learnt
to be true to myself – to not overstate the criticality of the issue and yet convince people about
its importance. Simultaneously, I interned with a State Representative, Karen Clark, during the
brief 2006 session of the Minnesota House and Senate. During that experience, I gained a
little perspective on the complexities of passing legislation without it getting subverted or
distorted.
I have always been keenly interested in agriculture. Almost all of us can trace our families
back to the land – in my case, my mother's family is still involved in farming. Further, it is
central to human existence. During my stay in the US, I was connected to local food
movements and worked part­time on a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm for two
seasons. I read extensively about the global agricultural situation and met activists working on
issues as diverse as sustainable techniques, rural credit, farmer suicides and GM seeds.
We planned to return to India after my husband's graduation to work at the grassroots level
and finally managed to do that in 2008. Why return? It was an emotional as well as a logical
decision. There were enough issues to work on in the US, but we felt a visceral connection to
the land where we spent our formative years. Also, we felt that we had more to offer to
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communities in India in terms of our understandings and access to resources. Finally, it
seemed an easier way of reducing our ecological footprint!
The questions in our mind were the following:


Could we live together in small­town or rural India?



Could we contribute meaningfully to grassroots work?



How would we earn our livelihood?

We first spent some time with Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS), a group based in
Sitapur, UP, whom I had been associated with since 2005. This group works on mobilizing
rural communities to fight for good governance in NREGA, BPL programs and other
government projects. They have also been working to develop viable livelihood options. Six
weeks with SKMS helped answer some of our questions, but threw up a lot more. What would
our role be within the Sangathan? How could our skills be utilized in the best manner? And
how could one contribute to improve SKMS's strength in agriculture, livelihood projects, health
etc.?
The Community Health Learning Program came along at an opportune time in my exploratory
phase. I knew about CHC and had attended PHA­II in Cuenca, Ecuador in 2005. I did not
know what the fellowship program would entail, but felt the need for some structure and
conceptual understanding. And thus my journey merged with countless others on the path to
community health...
Learning objectives
When joining CHLP, I was quite clear that my field organization would be Sangtin Kisan
Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS), UP. Dwiji and I plan to live in Sitapur for a few years and work
with various communities that are part of SKMS. I would like to help build capacities in the
areas they are already working in and with some they have expressed interest in. These
include a co­operative dairy, appropriate technology for power generation and sanitation,
sustainable agriculture techniques and improving livelihood generation activities. With this in
mind, my learning objectives were as follows:


To develop a better understanding of agricultural issues, particularly different
approaches towards sustainable farming, and to build enough confidence and
knowledge to start an initiative in this area.



To visit some cooperative dairies and learn about their strategies for increasing
members and revenue. Simultaneously, to get a better picture of the problem in Sitapur
and brainstorm on some strategies



To explore various alternative energy options such as gobar gas, pedal power and
solar for use in Sitapur
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To develop better perspectives on the issues of sanitation – why it has been so hard to
implement in India, what are the different approaches institutions have developed to
work on this issue etc.



To begin discussions on health in Sitapur to gauge the issues on which a campaign
could be initiated in the future



To organize a trip with SKMS members to some people's movements and
organizations in Badwani MP and engage in collective learning

Many of the areas in which I plan to improve my knowledge may not be eventually tried out in
Sitapur, but I hope to make a good­faith effort in each of them in the coming months and
years.

Introspection and self­discovery
Being part of the CHLP challenged me to examine myself thoroughly. While I have been
introspective in the past, the orientation brought such musings to a new level of intensity. I had
to ask myself what my core motivations were and to assess my strengths and weaknesses.
This exercise would help me overcome or compensate for my shortcomings, build on my
strength and develop new skills.
The orientation made me realize that my lack of patience could hinder working with the
community. A community is made up of disparate individuals, each with their own point of
view, each thinking and working at their own pace. To respect their individuality and yet weave
them together to achieve their goals is a challenge that requires patience, humility,
commitment and humour. Hearing various CHC staff and associates talk about their
experiences that spanned decades, the importance of incorporating these attributes within
myself was underscored.
Given my socioeconomic and educational background, I will always be privileged compared to
the rural poor with whom I want to work. How can I bridge this gap and make it irrelevant?
There is still a part of me that hesitates when stepping into the poorest of hovels or when
interacting with children in dusty rags. That hesitation can develop into a divide. I hope to
overcome it through sustained engagement and by challenging myself to take the extra effort
at every step.
While in the field this July­August, I realized the importance of observation and analysis in
understanding the basic problem. The case in point was the cooperative dairy and its future
plans. Earlier, in April, I had gained a superficial understanding of the problem and the way
forward as suggested by the dairy committee. But in the second round of discussions, I
realized that I had failed to understand some important aspects of the problem, which
radically altered the scenario. In the face of these discoveries, the suggestions Dwiji and I
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made were quite different from our earlier suggestions. This incident has further emphasized
the importance of sustained discussions and thorough observation of the situation before
proposing solutions.
I have also gained confidence to speak up in large gatherings and to facilitate workshops and
discussions among my peers. During July­August, I seeded discussions about health in
SKMS regional meetings that were attended by 60­100 villagers. In September­October, Dwiji
& I facilitated discussions among AID volunteers in chapters across the US. There are a lot of
things I still need to learn, but have taken the important step of trying out my ideas and
learning from my missteps.
In the journey to community health, one's own community of friends, family and peers should
not be forgotten. In the past few months, I have found it easier to communicate ideas and
philosophies to those in the mainstream. It is essential to present these views in a non­
threatening manner to people who have grown up thinking of development as roads and
cities, community work as charity and so on. But, interestingly enough, I have learnt a lot in
recent months from people I would have earlier labeled as ignorant about grassroots issues.
A doctor spoke to me about his rural service in the 60s with nostalgia, a friend discussed her
fledgeling initiatives for waste management in cities and my mother shared her memories of
her father and his work to conscientize privileged families in his village. Communication with
my peers who are beginning their work with grassroots organizations has improved – we are
having more in­depth discussions about the politics of community work, our role etc. Finally, I
have met a number of people who are beginning their explorations. I have been trying to
provide guidance, support and friendship to these travelers on their journey.
The cycle of reflection and action that has been emphasized at CHC has struck a chord with
me. A number of people involved in campaigns, activism and with community groups do not
take the time to reflect on their actions and are caught up in day­to­day demands of their
work. I hope to avoid this in my future work. In that, I have found support and guidance not
only at CHC, but among my Saathis at SKMS. For that, I am thankful!

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A balloonist's view of agriculture

Since 2004, I have been building my understanding and perspective on agricultural issues in
India and throughout the world. In the last few months, I have met a number of groups and
individuals working on this issue and have had extensive discussions with them. Following is
a brief description of each of these visits:
I. LEISA project – connecting the dots
In December 2005, Dwiji and I had visited Motaganahalli, a village in Bangalore rural dt.,
where Prasanna Saligram and others were working through AID India with locals on a LEISA
(Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture) intervention. Back then, their focus was more
technical – they were looking at how much biomass was required, what crops to grow together
etc. Now, with the implementation of NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in
all districts of the country, the social aspect of this program has increased to getting
Panchayats involved and using NREGA funds to pay for some of the off­farm activities such
as composting and preparing biosolutions. A new field area: Dhanametapalli in Kolar dt. has
been added.
The basic model is as follows: a group of 4­6 landless women are selected to work on leased
land to improve its fertility and organic content. In the process, they receive a share of the
produce and valuable training that can allow them to become resource­persons or workers on
organic farms. The philosophy of work is inspired by Mr. Dabholkar's ideas and practitioners
like Mr. Renke. The current conceptualization with the social components was done by Mr
Datye, an eco­construction, agriculture and energy expert who passed away recently.
The challenges in this work are immense, the extremely low levels of the water table,
shortage of biomass and good quality seeds, dependence on the goodwill of the leasing
farmer and now cooperation of the Panchayat and so on. But there has been progress – local
leaders have been created at the village level and the project has continued due to their
commitment. The women of Dhanametapalli, in particular, were enthusiastic and enterprising.
At one point when work was delayed due to non­availability of seeds, they took the initiative to
find out who farmed organically in the area. They visited these farms, learnt some farming
approaches and procured seeds themselves! Because of the proximity to Bangalore, selling
their produce has been relatively easy as well.
In conclusion, this initiative is worth supporting and learning from. It has pitfalls and
inconsistencies, but it has also provided valuable capacity­building. Also, from the beginning,
importance has been given to replicability and the larger picture, something that is lacking in
many agricultural interventions.

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II. Revathi and TOFARM ­ where there is no alternative
I first met Revathi in early 2005 in Tamilnadu, while helping her draft a proposal for
rejuvenating agricultural land damaged by the tsunami. At that time, agricultural university
professors were saying that it would take 3­7 years for the land to return to full productivity.
Revathi, along with Nammalvar and other people involved in organic farming, wanted to prove
them wrong and they did.
Since then, Revathi has continued to work on training farmers and trainers and on setting up
a model farm near Thiruvarur. More recently, her group has worked with Oxfam in Ampara
province in Sri Lanka. The entire province has turned organic, in large part due to the
difficulties of supplying fertilizers, pesticides and seeds in this conflict­torn region. A huge
challenge from an organic farming standpoint was the lack of domestic animals, again due to
conflict. But by using techniques such as green manuring with 15­20 seed varieties, they have
been able to make the land productive again.
The model farm that Revathi is setting up near Thiruvarur is only a year old, therefore it was
an excellent point in time to observe her
planning. The land she and her husband
purchased is low­lying and often gets
waterlogged, so it was sold at a low rate.
Revathi and her team are trying out many
innovative techniques to compensate for this. A
number of ponds have been dug and the mud
from them has been used to elevate certain
fields. In another place, a zigzag system of
trenches has been created with the dug­out soil
elevating the space in between them and
creepers planted to reduce evaporation in
summer. Fish have been introduced into the
trenches and ponds – their sale provides
income as well.
Revathi's mentor is Nammalvar, one of the pioneers in the Tamilnadu organic movement. He
once very beautifully explained to us how it is essential to tailor farming practices to the local
conditions. Seeing Revathi's work underscores those principles and provides inspiration for
coming up with such approaches wherever we are.
III. Farming in Auroville
Around the time we were to visit Auroville, we found that some friends from ReStore, a
Chennai collective that fosters consumer­producer links, were attending a 10­day workshop at
Solitude Farm. We decided to attend part of the workshop while visiting other groups at
Auroville. The parts we attended included discussions on Fukuoka's methods, digging a soak
pit with banana saplings and other seeds and processing of traditional grains. I also briefly
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participated in making seeds pellets – encasing them in clay to prevent being eaten by birds
and insects when broadcasting (no­tilling sowing).
Solitude farm fits seamlessly into the Auroville ethos of living in harmony with the earth. Also,
since Auroville markets and consumes a huge amount of organic produce, the market does
not seem to be a problem. The farm, like everything in Auroville, seems quite disconnected
from the surrounding population. The cook, who comes in from a nearby village, told us:
'What is the point of going through all this trouble to pound, clean and then cook these
grains?' Perhaps, because the farming and food practices are so rooted in spirituality, the
residents of Solitude Farm and Auroville are willing to work harder, and pay more, for this
lifestyle.
IV. BAIF Karnataka – tree­based dryland cultivation
BAIF is one of the oldest NGOs in the country, set up during Gandhiji's lifetime by Manibhai
Desai. It works in many states across the country. BAIF Karnataka works on a number of
issues, but we were primarily interested in the agricultural aspects of their work. They have
been promoting tree­based farming as the best solution for dryland areas. We saw two types
of interventions. One was with individual farmers, where, over a 3 year period, BAIF staff
trained the farmer and helped him with organic practices such as trenches filled with organic
matter, biosolutions etc. A lot of their work has been with mulberry growing in this silk­
producing area. Through use of biomass, they have cut down on water consumption
significantly.
Another effort has been to rejuvenate huge tracts of land, such as a 100 acre barren area that
was distributed among landless families. BAIF provided training, support and funding for 3
years, at the end of which the land is productive and covered with trees. This is quite an
achievement, given that many such projects are not successfully implemented. The BAIF staff
told us that they paid people to water saplings in the summer
and extensively monitored to ensure that they were doing so.
In the words of their director, 'such work requires commitment
over long periods of time'.
The work that BAIF does requires a lot of funding. They have
even signed MoUs with the government in order to implement
some of this work, and advocate similar styles of functioning
for other NGOs. They do not have faith in local government
functioning in an honest manner without inspection by NGOs,
but NGOs can be as susceptible to corruption as a local
official, in my opinion.
V. Bhaskar Save – the voice of natural farming
In 2007, Bhaskar Save, a famer who has grown using natural
methods for decades, wrote an open letter to M.S.
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Swaminathan about the agricultural crisis in the nation. That letter was an inspiration and we
were keen on meeting Bhaskarbhai. We met him a couple of days after Diwali at his farm near
Umargaon. A number of pilgrims seem to have found their way here and he has now
developed a 2 hour session for visitors! He talked about realizing that he was losing money
rather than making a profit through chemical farming by spending so much on seeds,
fertilizers etc. The understanding that he needed to bring down costs led him to Fukuoka and
natural farming. Since then, he has not looked back. His son, Nareshbhai, is also farming
organically – the premium these products fetch in the market is also attractive.
Sadly, the area around Umargaon is rapidly getting industrialized. Land prices are shooting up
so has pollution. It will be sad if the land that was nurtured carefully for all these decades will
be impacted by these new developments.
VI. Becoming the change – individual experiments in farming
A significant path for people aiming to lead more meaningful lives has been agriculture. I have
heard of and met people both in India and the US who have given up professional careers,
bought land and begun growing their own food. It is an option we have considered too. In
early November, we met Smitaben and Dhirendrabhai, a couple who were professors in
Baroda. Through a process of reading, discussions and reflection, they decided to live a more
sustainable life and moved to Sakvi, a village near Rajpipla. They learnt traditional farming
methods from their Adivasi neighbours, who have now ironically moved to chemical farming.
The couple educated their children at home, allowing them to learn what they were interested
in. They grow all they need on one acre of their land. The other acre is devoted to trees and is
almost like a forest. They provide mentorship and guidance to others interested in taking up
farming. If there is regret, it is that they have not been able to do more work with the villagers.
But they feel that such efforts would lead them to neglect the land for which they came here in
the first place. It was really nice meeting them and their older son. However, I think I would
need a lot more patience and humility than I have to live life as simply and steadily as they
have!
VII. The farmer­labourer connection
In more than one place, we have heard
farmers talking about how hard it is to find farm
labourers. 'People don't want to work hard',
'Men are addicted to drink' etc. are some of the
comments I have heard. On the other hand,
we know that many in rural areas are poor and
underemployed. So why does this situation
persist? Visiting Subhash Sharma's farm near
Yavatmal might provide some of the answers.
The first thing he has done, which is simple yet
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profound, is provide employment for his labourers all year round. Conventionally, agricultural
work has been seasonal, with a lot of demand during the sowing and harvesting times, but
little in between. Subhashji has planned his farm so that there is somthing or the other to do
throughout the year. He provides food and accomodation to his employees and even takes
them on yearly vacations! These systems have allowed him to not only farm successfully on
his own land, but also lease others' and make them productive and profitable.
Subhashji mainly grows greens, vegetables and pulses. He sells almost all his produce in
Yavatmal, with only a few items sold to dealers in Nagpur. He firmly believes in selling in the
open market as close to the farm as possible. I agree with him on this – food that is labeled
organic and sold in the export market defeats the goal of sustainability. Subhashji has been
able to make good profits by timing the arrival of his produce in the market ­ for example, the
first methi in the market always fetches a good price, so he plants an early crop even though
the yield is low. By incorporating natural farming techniques, Subhashji has been able to
reduce his costs and his water usage. The tree cover on his land provides a haven for birds,
which naturally control pests. He leaves some land fallow every year to let it 'rest'.
After touring Subhashji's farm, I was stuck with the uncomfortable thought that this kind of
planning and practices would be possible only on a large landholding. One would need atleast
a few acres to allow some of it to remain fallow, to plant trees etc. Would the labourers on this
farm follow these practices if they owned the land? I talked to some of them who have land
back in their native village – one said that his son, who farms the family land, grows cotton
using chemical methods. I was left wondering how to incorporate some of Subhashji's
approaches in a collective of marginal farmers.
VIII. 10­gunta farming, rooftop gardening – a model for Indian farmers and cities?
I have recently read 'Plenty for all', a book on how everyone can enjoy a good quality of life
with just half an acre of land. The author, Dabholkar's describes Prayog Parivar, a network of
people who learn from and teach each other and collaboratively build on existing knowledge.
Dabholkar passed away recently, but many people inspired by him continue to work on and
refine the techniques he propounded. Even the aforementioned LEISA project draws on some
of these techniques, though one problem that
the group faced was the huge biomass
requirements in the first year or two.
Anyway, we heard of a rooftop garden
experiment by the manager of a Bombay Port
Trust canteen, Preeti Patil. The approach taken
by her is inspired by the Prayog Parivar. She
has been able to convert all the organic waste
produced by her canteen into compost and her
team grows a number of vegetables using
them. While nowhere near producing the
15

vegetables needed daily in the canteen, this effort effectively manages waste and is a green
oasis in the dreary Port area.
We also visited Deepak Suchade in Bajwada, MP. Deepakji is Dabholkar's protege – he is
documenting many of these approaches and providing training and workshops. His farm is on
the banks of the Narmada and is a beautiful place. Over the past two years, he has
transformed his land and laid out a model of a 10­gunta (quarter acre) farm that will provide
for all the food a family needs. Another model that is called the Gangamaa mandala uses all
the household wastewater and provides enough fruits and vegetables for a family.
While these techniques are worth learning, the earlier mentioned drawback of huge amounts
of required biomass still exists. Further, the principles that Dabholkarji laid out and which
Deepakji advocates seem a bit unrealistic. For example, they say that the Gangamaa
mandala would yield atleast 2 kg of vegetables every day. One kg. can be used for domestic
purposes and another kg. can be sold. In my opinion, selling 1 kg. of vegetables every day
does not make business sense unless one belongs to a cooperative that sells produce from a
large number of people collectively. To set up such a cooperative is not a trivial task and many
such efforts have failed in the past, but the Dabholkar school of thought does not seem to give
much importance to this problem. From a personal nutrition point of view, this approach is
very useful, but I am not convinced that this can provide a livelihood for a marginal farmer, let
alone a middle class lifestyle. But, all said and done, these techniques and approaches
provide valuable insight and inspiration for anyone interested in organic/natural farming.

All these visits, combined with my learnings in the past have now given me the confidence to
begin some work on agriculture in Sitapur dt. The farmer­members of SKMS hold small tracts
of land, many under an acre. Some have access to irrigation and therefore grow 3 crops a
year. The rabi crop is usually wheat, followed by lentils, corn or vegetables (if there is water
available). In the monsoon, some grow paddy, others groundnuts etc. A lot of sugarcane is
grown, though receiving prompt payment from the sugar mill has been a challenge in the past.
Monocropping is prevalent and soil erosion is extensive. On the nutrition front, there are high
levels of malnutrition and anaemia.
During January­March 2009, we made some preliminary visits to get a better understanding
of the circumstances of the Sangathan farmers. One active Sangathan Saathi had started
composting and vermicomposting on his land just this year and we had a few discussions with
him. He had received training and a subsidy through the Krishi Vigyan Kendra for this
initiative. We visited older farmers in the area to find out what was being grown in the past in
this region. Also, we have been keeping informed about the agricultural work that is being
taken up through NREGA. External support is essential for marginal farmers to change to
more sustainable practices and getting some work done through NREGA seems only logical.
So far, in Sitapur, NREGA has been used to level fields belonging to Dalit farmers (necessary
to improve water retention and yields) and for tree plantation. In one meeting, we discussed
16

how tree plantation is often done – haphazardly and without any follow­up watering to ensure
that trees survive.
An initative that we are exploring is to work in one Gram Sabha to improve the quality of the
work that is being done under NREGA and push for further involvement in land­related
activities along the lines of what is being tried out in the LEISA project in Karnataka. Another
possibility is to work with the Sangathan to get more people growing vegetables and planting
fruit trees for domestic consumption. We will explore these and other ideas that come up in
the following months and years.

17

Our health in our hands – learning about community health in Sitapur dt.

The orientation at CHC had given us a thorough introduction to community health. I realized
that health was not just doctors and medicines, but all the factors that can impact health
positively or negatively.
But health systems are important, as I realized in Sitapur during my first long visit in April
2008. A young villager had had an accident that damaged his spine.It was possible that he
would not walk again. Since he was working for a prominent landowner at the time, SKMS
tried their best to get the young man some support. The plan was to send him to Lucknow,
which is the closest place where facilities for rehabilitation are available. A private vehicle
would be needed to transport him, plus some living expenses, and the man's family were
extremely poor. But the SKMS team were unsuccessful and the man was taken back home.
I. Initial forays and dealing with a disaster
When we returned in July­August, I planned to discuss what I had learnt at CHC with a few
core members and brainstorm on some activities that could be taken up. However Mukesh,
who serves in an advisory role with SKMS, suggested that I speak about health at the
regional meetings using one or two talking points, thus starting the thought process in a wider
circle on this important topic. Other SKMS members concurred, so I raised the issue at the
Aug 10th and 11th meetings in Aant and Qutubnagar respectively. We discussed why it is
easier, or rather more natural, to work on livelihoods, BPL etc. than on health – we only think
about the health system when we are sick, knowledge and power are concentrated in the
hands of medical professionals etc.
I asked the assembled people, about 100­150 in each meeting, to think about health­related
issues and come up with one or two that they would want to work on. While everyone was
mulling over this, Reena and Surbala who are founding SKMS members, raised the issue of
malaria. At this, a lot of people began speaking up about their own and their village's situation.
From there, matters progressed very quickly, and before I knew it, plans were being made to
prepare lists of people affected by malaria and to demand action at the block level.
I was not sure what to do with the information being collected, so contacted CHC. Sukanya
advised me to talk to the doctors in the area, both government and private, nurses and lab
technicians to get a sense of the impact of malaria in the region. She also suggested that I do
a survey in a few villages to get some preliminary data. Swami promised to send me Hindi
pamphlets on malaria that cover prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Armed with their advice, I went to meet Richa Singh, the SKMS representative in Sitapur. She
was quite concerned about the various illnesses prevalent in SKMS villages this monsoon –
the rains had been particularly severe this year. She felt that camps should be organized in a
few central villages so that all the sick could easily access health services. We decided that I
18

would meet the chief doctor in Mishrikh where a CHC (Community Health Centre) is based.
A brief description of the area: Mishrikh block is served by the Mishrikh CHC and 2 PHCs
(one of which is in Naimisharanya, a pilgrimage site). The SKMS villages are all served by the
Mishrikh CHC, with some villages as far as 20 km away. The average cost of travel one­way
to Mishrikh is Rs. 10. If the patient needs to be escorted, travel costs for the day could be as
high as Rs. 60. Further, patients need to reach the CHC before noon to get a 'parcha' or token
that would allow them to see the doctor, get medicines etc. Transportation in the form of
tempos is not very reliable and if one is late, the entire day is wasted. In contrast, Qutubnagar,
one of the big villages, is more accessible for the people in that area and has one MBBS
doctor who charges ~Rs. 40 per diagnosis and a couple of 'jhola chhaap' doctors who charge
even less. There is an ANM that serves the villages around Qutubnagar, but I could not
contact her the 2 days I tried. It did not help that the rains and resulting emergencies occupied
everyone's time.
I visited the Mishrikh CHC on August 19th. The chief doctor was not available – he was on
leave till the 28th, the day after we were scheduled to leave Sitapur. On further enquiry, I found
the junior­most doctor on service. He was swamped with patients. I managed to speak briefly
to him and asked him what planning the Health department did for diarrhoea, malaria and
other diseases in the monsoon. He looked at me like I was delirious – 'We are here treating
patients – that's what we do!' I then asked what would warrant a personal visit by a team of
doctors to a village. 'A serious outbreak of diarrhea or something equally contagious and life­
threatening' was his reply before he was engulfed by patients again. I talked to the staff nurse
as well, but she did not have much to share.
Given the lack of progress at Mishrikh, I went to the District Hospital in Sitapur the next day
hoping to get more answers. Here, I was luckier – the additional CMO (Chief Medical Officer)
and the Deputy CMO were both in the office and the latter was in a chatty mood. He talked
about the staffing problems in the district – there was a shortage of at least 30 doctors.
Currently, even C­sections had to performed in the District Hospital as there was no
anesthesiologist at the CHC. They were under­equipped for normal times, let alone
catastrophic situations. He then went off on a slight rant about how ignorant and lazy villagers
were and how hard it was to treat them.
When pushed on health camps, the Deputy CMO said that a team would visit a village only in
exceptional circumstances. Usually, there was a good reporting structure in place and news of
outbreaks almost always reached them. In fact, in some situations, they had gone to villages
and found that the situation there was not as dire as expected. Such visits were detrimental
since the team could have spend their time better in the hospital treating the patients who
arrived there.
After this discussion, I came to the conclusion that it would be very hard to get a medical team
to visit any of the SKMS villages. Nevertheless, I communicated this information to the SKMS
team and they tried to get a team to visit Kunwarapur. The entire Dalit 'basti' in Kunwarapur
19

was inundated with both lake and canal water, the latter escaping through a breach. Many
houses had collapsed and people had come onto the village road with their cattle. Drinking
water was very likely contaminated – the handpumps in the area access water that is about
20 ft. deep. The deputy CMO told me that boiling or chlorination of water was essential in
these circumstances. Boiling was almost impossible, so I decided to strongly advocate
chlorination.
Two days later, we went to visit the dairy group
at Kunwarapur. No medical team had come to
the villages. But we learnt that, in a nearby
village, 7 children had died from diarrhoeal­
related causes the previous day. So much for a
good reporting structure... But, to be fair, the
situation was quite dire throughout Sitapur. The
district is very close to the Nepal border and is
crisscrossed by rivers, all of which were in
spate. In some blocks such as Rewsa, the
villages were completely inundated and
villagers were camped on the highways. Almost
100 people had died in Sitapur city itself, bracing against a swelling Sarayan.
During this little exercise I undertook, I met 2 doctors in Qutubnagar, one MBBS and the other
more 'jhola chhaap'.I asked them about the incidence of malaria, government services, lab
testing etc. Both said that they were swamped with patients and that, when they suspected
malaria, they rarely advised their patients to get tested. 'They are poor and cannot afford it',
was the consensus. Another statement that came out was the inconsistencies between the
government and private lab in Mishrikh – apparently, the government lab records an
abnormally high number of negative results. 'Every sample that I then sent to the private lab
came back positive' was what they said. Whether this reflects underreporting by the
government lab or overreporting by the private is to be studied. In the district hospital, I had
seen some data on monthly malarial cases detected. The numbers varied from ~800 in
summer to ~3000 in monsoon. How that connects to the actual cases in the district is hard to
tell, given the low levels of testing.
II. Becoming a jhola­chhaap doctor
The ease at which one can become a medical authority here was brought home to me during
the regional meetings. Most people said they did not go to the CHC for 'jaada bukhaar' (cold
and fever, the colloquial term for malaria), so I asked them what they did instead. One or two
replied that they go to a 'doctor' in Qutubnagar who injects them with some medicine that
makes them better.
Many situations have come up in Sitapur where people have taken decisions or acted in ways
that I am sure are wrong for them. But I have often kept quiet due to the lack of alternative
20

options for them and because I did not want to get into an indefinite 'lecturing' mode. Even
with friends and family in one's socioeconomic strata, we choose to keep quiet during difficult
discussions to keep the peace. But here, I decided to speak up and told the group that that
was not the right way to treat malaria.
'Then what is the right way, didi?' asked someone. I mentioned chloroquine, the most
commonly used drug for treatment or prevention of malaria. The group talked among
themselves and more people joined the conversation. A little while later, another SKMS
member came up to me and confirmed the name of the drug. By that evening, a number of
people had bought chloroquine tablets to stock at home and had told their fellow villagers to
come to them if they had 'jaada bukhaar'!
This worried me – did I do the right thing? But talking to Sukanya helped – as she put it, 'You
gave them the right information,' she added. 'The need for good health services in these
communities is so acute that any good information they get can only be beneficial. So don't
hesitate to share complete and accurate information – we all have a role to play.'
III. An outbreak and an intervention (or lack thereof)
On March 6th, 2009, when we heard that a young boy, Sanjeet, from Allipur village had died
suddenly while giving his 10th examinations, we weren't shocked. Perhaps he had consumed
something, perhaps he had built up too much stress... His younger brother, who was also
appearing for his 10th exams, returned home from his examination centre. He fell sick too, but
it was assumed that he was just suffering from the loss.
On the morning of March 9th, we heard that the sick brother, Manjeet, had died the previous
night. More people in the village were sick and were undergoing treatment with a private
doctor in Pisawa, the block headquarters. Richa and others immediately contacted the CMO
and demanded that a medical team be sent to Allipur. Dwiji and I decided to go and make
sense of the situation for ourselves. Before that, I called up Sukanya to get some ideas on
how to proceed in a possible epidemiological investigation.
When we reached Allipur, we found a medical team already there – we later found out that it
was just from the CHC in Pisawa. The team collected blood samples in the form of slides and
distributed medicines to family members. When asked what they suspected, they replied that
it could be dengue fever. The ANM was also in attendance – she told me later that she only
visits Allipur once a month, given that she has 12 other villages on her roster as well as polio
work.
Manjeet's corpse was still in the village and people took me to see it. There were black marks
on the face and chest – it seems they developed in the 24 hours before his death. The mother
of the two boys was there and in a state of uncontrollable grief. A pall seemed to have
descended over the entire village.
We found out that the cousin of the boys, Suraj, had also gone with them to Majhiya, a village
21

in neighbouring Hardoi dt., to give his exams. Dwiji began talking to him to get more details of
the boys' deaths. We also talked to other family members and villagers to piece the story
together. Apparently 7 boys who were studying in a private high school in a nearby village had
rented a room together in Majhiya for the duration of their exams. They had reached there on
March 1st or 2nd and had given one exam. On the evening of March 5th, while studying for an
exam the next day, Sanjeet began complaining of a headache and pain. Soon after, he threw
up and was in a lot of distress. The other boys decided to take him back to Allipur, about 20
km away, and got a jeep to transport him. Halfway to Allipur, he passed away. They still took
him to the Pisawa CHC, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Manjeet and Suraj returned to Allipur that night. Manjeet seemed fine, but fell sick with a slight
fever and pain a few days later. On the night of the 8 th, he was in bad shape, with poor
consciousness, convulsions, vomiting etc. His family rushed to the Pisawa CHC with him and
went to rouse the doctor there, Dr. P. K. Singh. But it seems the doctor refused to open his
door, even after the group nearly broke it down. The villagers then went to the police station to
file a complaint, after which the Inspector contacted the doctor, who finally came out and
examined the patient. The doctor said that the case was beyond his ability to handle. He
claims that he asked the family to take Manjeet to Sitapur, 40 km away. The villagers say that
he told them to go to the Maholi CHC, 12 km away. There is no ambulance available at
Pisawa, so the family had to transport Manjeet on their own.
Manjeet was taken to Maholi where, instead of the CHC, he was taken to a private clinic. The
doctors there told the family that he was in critical condition and needed to be taken to
Sitapur. On the road to Sitapur, Manjeet passed away.
What about the other 5 boys? Suraj, the cousin, seemed fine, but his father was being taken
to Sitapur – he was semi­conscious, possibly due to shock, but nevertheless... We suggested
that they take Suraj along to be examined and thankfully, they had thought of the same thing.
Another boy in the village had dropped off some food for the boys in Majhiya. He had been
complaining of neck pain and had been taken to a private doctor the previous night. The
treatment consisted of some injections and a saline drip and had cost Rs. 1200! The father of
the boy said that this doctor had saved his child's life and urged us not to investigate him. We
asked him to be alert to his son's condition and to immediately take him to Pisawa or even
Sitapur if he developed a fever, had vomiting or convulsions etc.
Another boy out of the 7 lived in Allipur – Dwiji went to meet with him while I provided updates
on the situation by phone. By then word was out that a boy from a nearby village Basi, who
was among the group of 7 and had been hospitalized in Maholi, had died. Apparently, he was
being taken to Lucknow but died on the way. His brother had also been among the group
giving their exams.
We decided to visit the last boy among the group, who lived in a nearby village, and to also
meet the doctor of the private clinic in Maholi where the boy from Basi had been admitted.
Finding this boy, Anoop, turned into a slightly amusing situation. We asked around in his
22

village and one boy told us that Anoop's house was on the main road a km away. We reached
that house only to find out that the boy who directed us was himself Anoop! Apparently, he
had become scared with our enquiries. His mother was not willing to talk to us at all – she
seemed more angry than afraid. I didn't quite understand what she had to say – between
referring to how boys were not giving exams that they had paid for because of this fright to
referring to Dwiji as a 'messenger of death', she worked herself to quite a state! After a little
while, we were able to talk to Anoop's father and tried to convey what we had learnt in as
reassuring a manner as possible. He assured us that he would take his son to Pisawa for
treatment if necessary.
In Maholi, we were in for a surprise. The doctor there, a Dr. Gupta, told us that Saurabh, the
boy from Basi, was still in his hospital. He had advised the family to take him to Lucknow, 110
km away, but that was a big step, financially and otherwise, for them. He had sent blood
samples to Lucknow for testing and would get results by the next day – he suspected
something viral.
We went to meet Saurabh and his family – his mother and brother Deshdeepak were with
him. Saurabh was in bad shape – he had to be escorted to the bathroom and back and was
not fully conscious. There were black spots all over his body which had apparently developed
in the last 24 hours. Then followed the most difficult part of the day for me as Desdeepak and
his mother asked us what they should do. We knew that this disease was dangerous, but
could they afford to take Saurabh to Lucknow? I talked to Richa and found that the district
administration would send an ambulance to bring Saurabh to the District Hospital, but would
that be enough? We tried to lay out the options before the two. Since Dr. Gupta had already
advised them to take him to Lucknow, we didn't have to override his orders, at least. While
talking to Deshdeepak and his cousin, Dwiji found out that the former's father had gone to
mortgage some of his small landholding in order to raise the money for the expenses so far.
Incidentally, a recent UP Planning Commission Report has revealed that 34% of Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families, such as this one, have had to sell their assets or take on crippling
debts for medical expenses. Also, Lucknow Medical College is supposed to provide free
treatment for BPL patients, but rarely does. In such a scenario, a family's choice of medical
treatment is far from trivial. An operation can save a life, but bankrupt a family.
We tried to be honest, yet reassuring, with Saurabh's family. Deshdeepak, when seeing us off,
broke down talking about how he had to pick up the corpses of two of his friends and didn't
want to have to do the same with his brother. What could we say to him beyond the
platitudes?
The next few days passed by with Saurabh admitted to Lucknow Medical College and the
district administration agreeing to bear the costs for his treatment. The diagnosis of the
disease also came out – it was meningococcal meningitis, a particularly dangerous form of
meningitis that is bacterial and droplet­transmitted. Family and neighbours from Allipur were
admitted to the district hospital and some were treated as a preventive measure. Two children
23

had died in Majhiya and the Hardoi CMO was apparently monitoring that situation.
Talking to the CMO, additional CMO and deputy CMO (who is also the District Surveillance
Officer) was an interesting and frustrating exercise. Our small efforts in tracking down all the
boys who had stayed with Sanjeet and Manjeet and interviewing them was more than the
CMO or his deputies had done. The CMO claimed to be paying for Saurabh's medical
expenses in Lucknow due to 'humanitarian reasons', but these are costs the administration
should cover and apparently a budget had been submitted to the District Magistrate for them.
The Health Officers had prepared a convincing report for the state Disease Surveillance Unit.
They conveniently attributed the delay in intervention to villagers seeking private instead of
government treatment for their children.
There were no more cases in the following days, thankfully. But I could easily imagine how
different the story would have been with a more dangerous disease. Just a few years ago, in
2005, Japanese encephalitis had claimed more than 300 lives in UP. The list of dangerous
diseases affecting communities only seems to be growing...
IV. Future steps
Following the outbreak in Allipur, we organized a meeting there to share our findings and
discuss them and other health­related issues. An important point that we wanted to stress on
was the impact of mobilization on the district health services. The persistence of the villagers
in Allipur and that of other Saathis in Sitapur resulted in a medical team sent to the village, a
number of people admitted to the district hospital and support for the boy admitted to Lucknow
General Hospital. This would not have been possible in a less vocal community.
But where do we go from here? The meeting brought out the glaring faults in the Pisawa CHC
and the government health services available in the block. Children were not being
immunized. There was only one doctor in the CHC and he spent very little time treating
patients. Medicines were in short supply and there was no refrigerator in the hospital or
ambulance to transport patients to Sitapur. In effect, very little was available at the CHC and
the population of Pisawa was almost fully dependent on expensive private doctors with
varying levels of competence.
There was a strong desire among the people gathered in the meeting to take up the issue of
improving the Pisawa CHC. I mentioned that there were risks in such a campaign – they could
lose the few facilities that they had if no health professionals were willing to come to Pisawa in
the future. Already Pisawa suffers from neglect by the district administration – it does not have
its own BDO and is served by the BDO of neighbouring Maholi who comes once a week. To
which some people responded 'So be it'. The CHC would be shut down and there would not
be the pretense of a functioning hospital! As it is, they did not depend on it now – if a
campaign could improve the facilities to some extent, it would be worth it.
We also discussed what communities themselves could be doing to improve their health,
specifically nutrition. What foods promote good health? Where could food for domestic
24

consumption be grown? And what foodgrains, vegetables etc. were grown in these parts
earlier? There was talk about how elders were much tougher because they ate more oats etc.,
processed their food at home and grew things that required less water.
As this writeup indicates, there is scope to work on health issues in Allipur and neighbouring
villages in the coming months and years. I would like to work with the Sangathan to develop a
campaign to improve government health facilities in Pisawa. Further, like in many parts of
India, anaemia and malnutrition levels are high here. Whether through discussions, setting up
kitchen gardens or other means, I would like to support the Sangathan in their efforts to
improve these indicators of their overall health.

25

The nitty­gritty and politics of technology

During our travels in November, Dwiji and I spent a few days in Rajpipla, Gujarat and visited
the nearby Sardar Sarovar dam. Looking at the huge structure that has devastated so many
lives, I was struck once again by the thought that our urban, high consumption lifestyles have
made more such mega­projects inevitable. Appropriate technological solutions for power,
water management etc. are not just beneficial for underserved communities, they should be
promoted as a solution for all communities – urban or rural, rich or poor.
Following is a brief description of some innovations we learnt about, classified according to
topic:

I. Biogas, gobar gas etc.
Renewable energy is a major area of focus worldwide and many of the centres we visited had
various models of using biomass (leaves, twigs etc.) or cowdung to generate gas that is used
for cooking or to generate power. Gobar gas units are quite
prevalent in villages and families that install these units
receive a subsidy from the government. However, we have
seen that most stop working after a year or two due to
poor maintenance or some breakdown. Due to low
availability of service and repair, they are often
abandoned. Apparently, some groups have combined
installation with training of a local mechanic – that seems a
model worth exploring.
At Centre for Science in Villages near Wardha, we saw a
gobar gas plant that generated enough gas to power a
bank of lights using an old Fiat engine coupled to an
alternator. As was explained to us, the old motor was used
because it is easily available, cheap and can be repaired
by a small­town mechanic! The amount of cowdung
required was a small fraction of what is usually available in
a village with cattle. As with any gobar gas installation, the
cowdung slurry can be used in a vermicompost bed or directly on farmland.

II. Solar power
Solar photovoltaic panels as well as concentrators are being used in a number of places to cut
26

down on electricity or fuel consumption. Solar panels are now part of the mainstream and
used widely for water heaters, to charge lanterns etc. However, they are expensive and their
repair and service seems to be a challenge, especially in rural areas. Solar concentrators are
convex mirrors that concentrate solar energy to produce steam or to heat food directly. They
are widely being used in solar cookers. We saw various forms of solar cookers, huge such as
the one in Auroville, as well as small portable ones. In the portable models, there are newer
versions that have tracking technology – they tilt the mirror according to the time of day to
maximize solar input. This process is a little more vulnerable to breakdown. Overall, those
who have been using simple models (and who have the space to set it up) seem happy with
their performance.
One must not forget, however, that all forms of energy on this planet are a direct or indirect
result of solar energy!
III. Pedal power
I had heard of pedal power in the past due to some projects in the Narmada valley that were
funded by AID. During our visit to Centre for Sustainable Technologies in Auroville, we found
an engineer designing a setup that uses pedal power to charge a battery and power a
refrigerator. During discussions with him, we realized that we could use pedal power to
directly compress a refrigerant, a more efficient process. Such a setup could be used to make
ice, which is a requirement for the SKMS dairy. We had planned to work on a prototype in
Sitapur in July­August, but were hampered by rains and logistical problems. It is on our list of
activities for the future.
IV. Construction technology
Across India and throughout the world, today's landscape is cluttered with houses that are
badly designed, energy­inefficient and inappropriate for their environment. On the other hand,
there are a number of individuals and groups working on building structures that use local
materials and are naturally designed to be cool during summer and/or warm during winter. I
have seen or stayed in such buildings in the past at Timbuktu collective, Navadarshanam etc.
During this trip, we learnt about alternative building techniques at IISc, Auroville, CSV (near
Wardha) and THI (Tribal Health Initiative), Sittilingi. We witnessed some simple innovations in
a number of private homes that increase light, conserve water and power and reduce the use
of harmful materials such as paint. While I have no immediate plans to use any of these
approaches, I hope to share these ideas with as many people as possible and eventually
implement them in my own surroundings.
V. Waste management
Solid­ and liquid­waste management is missing in most parts of India. Getting rid of garbage
means dumping it in the nearest empty site and wastewater treatment is cursory at best.
There are so many ways of reducing, reusing and recycling within the home itself as we
discovered in the past few months. By recycling grey water to flush toilets, one can reduce
27

domestic water consumption. With soak pits and other forms of using water to irrigate plants,
domestic water is used to the fullest. And by composting or growing plants in organic waste,
one can cut down household waste significantly.
VI. Sanitation
On the sanitation front, India has ambitious goals. It seeks to provide access to toilets for 50%
of its population by 2012 and 100% by 2015 (Total Sanitation Campaign). The reality is bleak –
only 28% of the population has access to improved toilets. And throughout the country, one
can find toilets being used as cowsheds, for grain storage or as an extra room. The question
in my mind when I started looking at this issue was: what are the crucial components that
make for success or failure in a sanitation project?
My conversations with women in Sitapur, plus the experiences of the monsoon where it was
hard to find a dry place to defacate and water­borne diseases were rampant, convinced me of
the importance of the issue. The few women I talked to were not interested in a dry pit toilet –
they felt that cleaning of such a toilet would fall
on their shoulders and if so, they would rather
deal with a wet model. We visited two centres
working on Sanitation – Safai Vidyalaya near
Ahmedabad and CSV near Wardha. The staff
there agreed that wet toilets were more
acceptable. Both have been working on toilets
that require very little water and that have leach
pits rather than septic tanks. Leach pits allow
the human waste to compost into rich manure.
Each organization has also come up with
unique designs geared for particular needs,
including a joint human and animal waste
composting unit, a compact bathroom cum toilet design etc.
What about the implementation and usage at the village level? We had a chance to visit one
village near Sewagram where Dr. Ulhas Jajoo, in partnership with CSV and a funding agency,
had helped the villagers all build personal toilets. From the villagers' explanations, it seemed
that the subsidy they received from an external funding group, plus their confidence in Dr.
Jajoo, helped seal the deal. Once the toilets were in place, their good design went a long way
towards building acceptance. A few people still defacate in public, but that is now increasingly
frowned upon.

With the understanding I have developed on this issue, and with the aid of some reference
material, I hope to start some conversations and perhaps organize a site visit to a group
working on sanitation in the near future.

28

We have also had a few interesting conversations on technology with friends and
acquaintances that have helped strengthen our perspective. An important aspect of the work
of appropriate technology groups that they have either ignored or choose not to project is the
inherent decentralization possible with these alternate approaches. When generating one's
own power, one is not dependent on the government to put up transmission lines and supply
electricity and thus one is more self­sufficient. Unfortunately, with the Nehruvian mindset of
our government, top­down approaches have been favoured and promoted. If our government
and thinkers had instead truly promoted 'Grameen Swaraj', what would our nation look like
today?!
Another crucial area of work which very few people are engaged in is promoting appropriate
technology in urban and affluent centres. As one of the experts in this field commented – a
surefire way of dooming any innovation is to project it as an innovation for the poor! Further,
power and water conservation, waste management etc. are as important, if not more, in
dense urban areas. We came across some innovations and efforts in Mumbai, Bangalore and
other cities and hope that these efforts gain in volume and popularity. For better or for worse,
urban centres are trendsetters in today's India. And it is necessary to have them on board if a
different lifestyle is to be adopted.

29

How to work with a community – lessons and challenges
Over the past few years, I have been exposed to the world of activism, people's movements
and the sociodevelopmental sector in great detail. I have always wondered about the process
by which a movement/ campaign/ organization succeeds or fails. The external factors were a
little easier to understand – macroeconomic policies, corruption, market forces, vested
interests etc. But what are the internal factors on which its success depends? And how does
one quantify success or failure?
As a volunteer with a funding organization, I soon realized that our cycles of fund approval
and release were so drawn out that, by the time a grassroots NGO received funds for a
project, the work would have been completed some months earlier! So it would often use this
money for some other purpose. Even if funds were released in a timely manner, a project plan
would often be abandoned mid­course because of lack of local participation, absence of
some key resource, change in the government schemes available etc. I learnt to make
decisions of fund approval based on the organization itself – on its past history, the
composition of the group and their ideology, recommendations from other activists in the field
and some independent research. There were gaps in my understanding of local dynamics that
I hoped to improve after returning to India.
Parallely, we were also concerned about our role within or as partners of a grassroots
organization. Given our background, it would be very easy for us to create a hierarchy of
resource and knowledge and thereby a power imbalance. The sociodevelopmental sphere is
littered with groups that have a controlling centre of power, that lose their relevance once their
founders have left and so on. We were keen on developing skills that would help us avoid
such pitfalls.
During our travels, we met individuals who have found a place within large institutions or who
are part of radical unions or loose collectives that would not become institutionalized. Yet
others work independently, either in collaboration with grassroots organizations or as
consultants with them. Each of these individuals had perspectives to share about the
relevance of institutions, hierarchies and democratic functioning within organizations and the
approaches we should take while engaging with communities.

I. Listening to the community
While seemingly trivial, listening to the community involves a lot of skills and orientation as I
have experienced. When in the US, I used to advise newer volunteers on how to
communicate with partners in India, on how to get information without taking an inquisitorial
tone etc. We used to talk in terms of respecting our partners and building a relationship of
equals. But now, I am beginning to realize that the gap in communication is more profound
because both sides speak a different language.
30

In Sitapur, especially in the dairy initiative, I have learnt the importance of listening, asking the
right questions and having sustained discussions. The understanding of the situation that I
developed in the first round of discussions was transformed in the second round when we
began putting numbers into the picture. We had to come up with different ways of getting the
information we needed. Now, we find that communicating our analysis of the situation is
equally challenging.
We have met friends and acquaintances who have found themselves out of organizations or
at a distance from communities primarily because, I think, the communication was not
established or maintained.

II. Democratic functioning within organizations
Closely associated with the issue of communication is democratic functioning within an
organization. We have heard of many a movement or campaign that starts off in a very
participatory manner, marshalling local support and fighting for the issues that matter for the
local population. But as time goes by, the movement sometimes turns more radical than the
population it represents. Often, a leader receives the spotlight of media and opponents and
she/he becomes more autocratic. How does one recognize such pitfalls and steer clear of
them?
Two perspectives were very valuable in building our understanding: one, of a grassroots
activist and the other of a couple who consult with a number of grassroots organizations. The
first one said that the outside world looks for a 'leader' or representative in an organization,
because mainstream society and media have become individual­oriented. This individual
them receives immense focus and attention, is deified and villified in equal measure, and
becomes susceptible to bribes, threats, undue fame and other forms of pressure. Thus, an
organization should resist the pressure of naming a single spokesperson. It is a hard task for
an organization to develop a wide leadership, but it is worth it in the end.
The other perspective about democratic functioning within an organization was with regard to
the tough battles many movements are facing. When there is an approaching 'disaster' such
as an eviction notice, some emergency steps have to be taken, which do not allow for
participatory planning. Such decisions then need to be shared within the community and
enough time and energy expended in reaching common ground. If not, the core group or
leadership will continue to make such decisions and the distance between them and the
community will increase. In some situations, the community is ready to compromise while the
leadership is determined to fight on. Such situations are inevitable with this gap in
understanding and compromise within the organization.
These insights have found fertile ground with me, given my 'middle path' attitude. I have
always found it hard to agree wholeheartedly with any one view and believe in the process of
arriving at a solution with fair and commensurate representation of many views. The
31

conversations of the last few months have underscored the importance of sustained and full
engagement, even if progress seems slow and external market and mainstream forces seem
to have so much more of an impact.

III. Institutional hubris
Many organizations started out within a radical framework. But as they became bigger and got
caught up with salaries, yearly targets and the like, they became more institutionalized and
out of touch with their original mandate. During our in­class discussions, we talked about how
a number of mission and charitable hospitals have fallen into this trap. And during our field
trips, we witnessed this quite starkly with Gandhian institutions in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
While many of the older generation of Gandhians continue to live simply and abide by
Gandhiji's edicts, their beliefs and approaches seem disconnected with today's realities. And
most of the younger generation, from what we could learn, is either professionalized, running
a mainstream NGO, or disillusioned with Gandhian thought. And yet, Grameen Swaraj and
other Gandhian beliefs still seem relevant in our time.
Of course, these institutions are serving a valuable role, providing education, health care and
development to rural populations. But because there is so little political and ideological
content to their work today, their role can and has been taken up by mainstream and right­
wing organizations. Further, many big organizations have been antagonistic to rights­based
groups, considering them as troublemakers who are opposing development.
On a positive note, some big organizations are becoming supportive of rights­based work. At
a national and international level, the need for empowerment of local communities has been
recognized. Work such as training of women Panchayat members and health activists, RTI
workshops etc. has become mainstream and is receiving plenty of funding and support.
As an activist who is now managing the branch of a large NGO said, “I have recognized the
need to support some inefficient or bad work in order to fund the groups that matter!”
Perhaps, if big institutions can gear themselves to include some radical work in their mandate,
they will prove to be beneficial to marginalized communities in the long run. After all, today's
radical is tomorrow's social worker!

IV. Sources of personal income
The question of our income has been an important one that we hoped to find some answers
for in our first year back in India. We knew that we could not expect a salary with SKMS, given
their lean budget and their goal of providing livelihoods for the local community first. While
there were some options of funding available to us, we did not like the baggage that came
with it. The CHC fellowship was a welcome opportunity because it combined rigour and
32

expectations with flexibility in the right balance. But what happens after the fellowship is
complete?
The individuals that we talked to about their livelihood choices fit broadly into three categories
– those who are directly funded by institutions or run their own, those who are indirectly
funded with fellowships etc. and those who choose to support themselves by other means.
The first category is what the majority of people in the sociodevelopment sector seem to be
opting for. It offers security and possibly more ability to influence policy. The second category
seems designed for people who are still exploring or for those who do not want to be
associated with any organization and its politics. I found the second reason, which was cited
by many of the individuals we met, to be a little problematic. Even the fellowship programs
that they were availing of sprung from organizations that have the same politics and
shortcomings. So all they were doing was creating degrees of separation from problematic
situations and saying, 'That is not my problem.'
In the third category, we found people who are supported by their spouses or family members
working in mainstream jobs, those who worked part­time or on a consulting basis (which is a
challenging task) and those who have found a livelihood based on their principles, such as
owning an organic/sustainable farm. Among those involved in agriculture, we found generally
high levels of satisfaction, but also an acknowledgement that they were not able to engage
with local communities as much as they had planned initially. This was due to the timelines of
farming that cannot be postponed.
To sum up, the different approaches of earning livelihoods all have their benefits and
shortcomings. But the bright side of this kind of work seems to be that we can craft our very
own model of individual income generation!

While I was involved in all these discussions and brainstorming at an individual level, I re­
connected with a group of friends, mostly AID volunteers, embarking on similar journeys. We
are trying to build an informal network where we can share ideas, provide feedback and
support each other on this journey. Similarly, among our current CHC fellows batch, we have
been sharing information and brainstorming on approaches to finding livelihoods that resonate
with our beliefs and goals. From all the people we talked to, we realized further the
importance of a peer group and a support network and will continue to work to keep such
networks vibrant and useful.

33

Future steps

Over the last few months, I have learnt a lot about communities, the social, political,
economic, cultural and environmental aspects of community work and the manner in which
we, as activists, can engage with communities and the system. With these understandings, I
hope to work with SKMS (Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan) in Sitapur, UP on a variety of
issues and initiatives as listed below.
I. Agriculture
My plan is to initiate discussions on agriculture in the SKMS villages. Among some SKMS
members, especially those in the core committee, there is an understanding of the ill­effects
of pesticides, the limited diet of people and resulting undernourishment, the need to manage
village waste etc. Depending on the interest and available resources, one or more of the
following can be attempted in the future:


Composting / vermicomposting



An exposure trip to get a detailed understanding of some aspect of sustainable farming,
marketing etc.



A model plot in a borrowed or leased piece of land to experiment with some alternative
agricultural techniques



Revival of traditional foodgrains that are more nutritious than rice or wheat



Wastewater management techniques, kitchen gardens etc.

To implement any new initiative, it is essential to have a team of committed people who will
work on the issue. I will work to identify such people. Further, SKMS has always tried to
develop a larger understanding of the issues that affect the rural poor. I will attempt to do that
by conducting discussions on GM seeds, food security, agricultural policy etc. Finally, SKMS
has supported developing new livelihoods among its members. With interested people, I will
explore if any avenues for developing agricultural products are possible in Sitapur dt.
II. Community Health
Some areas in which I foresee future work on health with SKMS are:


A campaign to improve government health services in Pisawa block and the Pisawa CHC



Discussions and initiatives to improve nutrition in the Sangathan villages



Exposure trips to develop an understanding of community monitoring of health services,
training of community health workers etc.

Engaging with the health system is unavoidable in community work. I expect that as I get
involved in the work of SKMS, more challenges and approaches to tackling them will become
34

evident.

III. Technology and Sanitation
With the dairy cooperative, we plan to explore various modes of power generation for the
purpose of heating/pasteurization and refrigeration of milk. These include gobar gas and
pedal power. We plan to have discussions on technology and work with children on some
simple projects that demonstrate some simple concepts.
On the sanitation front, there is already interest among a number of Sangathan Saathis in
building toilets. I hope to work with them to get the most optimum toilets built for their needs. If
these individual efforts are successful, more wide­scale initiatives can be planned.

IV. Other activities






Organization of exposure trips for SKMS members to learn about new issues, to build
networks contacts and to inspire and be inspired


Planned: NBA, JADS, CEHAT Saathi in Badwani, MP



Possibilities: Groups working on herbal medicines, agricultural techniques etc.

Continuation of work with cooperative dairy to expand its membership and revenue


Working with dairy members to develop a comprehensive understanding of planning,
accounts, marketing of new products etc. before launching new initiatives



Purchase/design of equipment for making cream and ghee, refrigeration etc.

Drafting proposals and following up on funding for SKMS activities

35

From long­distance to on­the­ground: my field experience
I first heard about Sangtin in 2004 when Richa Nagar, a Professor of Women's studies at the
University of Minnesota, contacted our chapter for support for this group. She had worked
with seven field­level activists and Richa Singh, a district­level coordinator for Mahila
Samakhya, on a journalling project. The project culminated in a book chronicling the lives of
these rural women and critiquing the politics of NGOs working on the empowerment of
marginalized communities. The resulting backlash from NGOs within UP led to Richa Singh
resigning from Mahila Samakhya and devoting her time to Sangtin, a group that had been set
up by local women to campaign for their rights.
I read the book written by this group Sangtin Yatra: Saath zindagiyon mein lipti naari vimarsh
and was struck by the connections they had made between their experiences and the politics
of developmental work. Many of the points they raised struck a chord with me, engaged as I
was in understanding the confusing tableau of movements, NGOs, institutions and the like.
While the struggles each of these women had faced in grappling with patriarchy, caste and
class was inspiring, their vision for their future work was intriguing.
My chapter began supporting their work financially and I visited Sitapur in March 2005 to meet
the women of Sangtin. At that time, their cumulative experience was in the area of women's
empowerment and they wanted to move beyond that. As they put it – 'Jab ghar mein roti nahin
hai, to aadhi roti ki ladai mein koyi mathlab nahin' (when there is no food at home, there is no
value in fighting for half a share) Some women had already left Mahila Samakhya and were
engaged in charting their future course. Meeting these women at the start of their journey and
discussing their vision and plans was an invaluable experience for me.
Over the next few months, Richa, Surbala, Reena and others conducted village­level
meetings and had extensive discussions on the problems faced by the poor in these villages.
While education, health and a campaign against brick kilns were suggested for future work,
the organization eventually decided to work on reviving a canal that had been dry for
decades. In the process, they mobilized in a number of villages, grappled with the district
administration and the Irrigation department and campaigned against the use of machinery in
the cleanup work. The coalition formed with farmers and labourers transformed the
organization into Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS), a people's movement of the
rural poor.
When the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was implemented in 2006,
SKMS had already built experience on the issue of minimum wages. It took on the
administration to ensure proper implementation of the Act, from the issual of job cards to
receiving applications for work and inclusion of women in the workforce. The Sangathan
launched a campaign for unemployment benefits for those who had applied for work and not
received any to test the administration's sincerity in implementing the letter and spirit of
NREGA.
36

I had been following all these events long­
distance through correspondence, phone calls
and occasional meetings. When back in India in
2008, Dwiji and I agreed that Sitapur was the first
place on our itinerary after family visits! The six
weeks in April and May that we spent in Sitapur
were wonderful and provided us with a lot of
insights. I got to see the Sangathan at work and
the various forces that affected it, from the district
administration and local power structures to
natural disasters such as fires during the
sweltering summer. In earlier field visits, I had felt crippled seeing the stark poverty and
wretchedness of the rural poor, especially in Uttar Pradesh. During this stay, I began
understanding agency – the manner in which people and organizations can challenge
themselves and engage with the system to improve their circumstances.
Dwiji and I began making plans to work with the Sangathan for a few years. I wanted to learn
from Richa, Mukesh, Surbala, Reena and the other Sangathan Saathis and develop the skills
to work with grassroots communities. I also wanted to help build the Sangathan's capacity in
new areas. I joined CHLP designating SKMS as my field organization. My goal during the
fellowship was to build my understanding of agriculture, appropriate technology etc. with
SKMS in mind. During the course of my fellowship, I developed many insights and also got
contacts and leads for people who could be approached for assistance. Now how could these
be connected to the day­to­day events in the Sangathan?
I saw January – March 2009 as the period when I would stop being an observer and actively
participate in the Sangathan's activities. Richa Singh, who serves as the Sangathan's voice in
Sitapur city, provided me valuable mentorship during this time. She encouraged me to lead
meetings, discuss issues and take initiative. She advised me to not worry about making
mistakes, but to learn from them.
When we arrived in Sitapur in January, the
campaign for unemployment benefits had
reached a critical point. The committee set up to
investigate the matter had submitted its final
report establishing the eligibility of over 800
families for over Rs. 15 lakhs of benefits. But
there was no progress on the administration's
front. The Sangathan planned an indefinite
dharna from January 16th onwards at the Sitapur
collectorate.
Planning for the dharna (in village meetings) and
organizing during the 5 days it lasted provided
37

me valuable experience. More importantly, I formed friendships with the farmer­labourers from
the Sangathan villages and gained an appreciation for the hardships they face. One Saathi,
Kusuma, was running a fever but refused to leave the dharna site. “We haven't been paid for
our work for months and are tired of fighting with our Pradhan and BDO. We won't leave
Sitapur till our demands have been met.” The dharna site became a place of learning, sharing
experiences and making our presence felt through songs and slogans.
The dharna ended in a victory, with the administration coming up with concrete plans on each
of the demands of the Sangathan. Unemployments benefits to eligible families in Sitapur
district were announced by the Commissioner of Rural Affairs for Uttar Pradesh. Though the
order was challenged in court, it was upheld and the money eventually began reaching the
eligible families. (As of April 2009, the money is still arriving in families' bank accounts)
Concurrently, the Sangathan decided to hold a sammelan, the first such event it had
organized in Sitapur. The goals were as
follows: to share news about their victories
and the possibilities of NREGA with farmer­
labourers from other blocks in the district, to
make their presence felt in Sitapur and to
discuss and reflect on the wider scenario of
problems faced by the rural poor. The
sammelan was to be held on February 24th
and 25th and most of February was taken up
in organizing for this. I helped with planning
for the event, training people to sing, chant
slogans and give speeches and with
discussions on the larger issues such as the
dependence of rural communities on the
government and market, the spirit of NREGA etc. I also helped with making posters and a
photoexhibit for display at the event.
The sammelan itself was a mix of high points of emotional speeches and songs, chaotic times
with food distribution and other engaging moments. Many people did not sleep for the entire
duration of the sammelan – the night was filled with music in the local 'aalha' tradition and
other songs on demand. On the morning of the 25 th, the CDO (Chief Development Officer)
and the PD (Program Director) of Sitapur visited and addressed the crowd. Their comments
were not taken at face value – they were questioned on the assurances they gave and
challenged on their confidence in the district administration. One issue that had been
frustrating the Sangathan Saathis was the delay in payment for wages – while work had
started in a number of villages after the dharna, many villagers had outstanding wages for
work completed months ago. The CDO promised that payments would be done by Holi, a big
festival in these parts.
After the sammelan, some analysis and soul searching was done. What were the goals of the
38

sammelan and were they achieved? One goal, that of attracting farmer­labourers from other
blocks in Sitapur district, was not achieved – there were barely 100 such people who attended
the sammelan. The need for local meetings, preferably at the village level, was underscored.
The goal of making one's presence felt had only been partly achieved – with a turnout of
1500­2000, the district administration and the city did pay attention, but was not shaken.
There was also frustration with how little progress there had been on the issues for which the
dharna had been organized. It took so much effort to get work started in a village and then it
would be stopped after just a few days. With the introduction of direct payment of wages into
labourers' bank accounts, increased complexity was introduced into the process. Now
villagers had to pressure the Pradhan to submit a request for payment, the Block
administration to make that payment and then the bank and Pradhan both to transfer money
from the Gram Sabha account into individual accounts. And if the Gram Sabha account and
labourers' accounts were in different banks, atleast a month was required to realize the
payments! Most Sangathan Saathis see the value of having bank accounts, but when the
supporting institutions are weak, disinterested and uncoordinated, their problems had
increased multifold. So where in 2008, wages had been distributed in cash on the eve of Holi,
in 2009 this was not possible and many people did not receive payments and found
themselves short of money for Holi.
During my field experience, I encountered many such situations that reveal the challenges
and paradoxes of community work. In a Gram Sabha where one village was well mobilized,
the Pradhan had chosen to provide work for them but not for the other villages which were
under his control. Should one devote more energy to work with the mobilized village where
challenges still exist or should one work in the other villages where people were not even
getting applications for work received? Caste politics triumph all else and very few village
Sangathans have been able to mobilize across
caste lines. How much should one try to work on
this issue? The benefits of work being provided
was felt throughout the village, but in some places
Sangathan members were being labeled as
troublemakers and not provided work for which
they had fought. How can we counter such
situations?
In the area of livelihoods through the dairy and
chikan cooperatives, similar questions came up.
Embroidery work does not pay a minimum wage,
but yet it has been providing valuable income for
young girls. The Sangathan, like other organizations working in this area, has been insisting
that the girls go to school and do this work in their spare time, but is that sufficient? On the
issue of milk, if a good price is provided for it, would families keep some for their own use?
And in the absence of common pasture lands, would landless families or those with marginal
landholdings (a majority of the Sangathan) be able to afford the upkeep of cattle? I had earlier
39

realized that providing viable livelihoods for the very poor is extremely difficult – now I saw the
challenges at the ground level.
Inspite of all these problems and challenges, I found the months I spent in Sitapur enjoyable
and meaningful. After a while, I did not need to make a conscious decision to be involved
actively – the opportunities began presenting themselves. We were also able to make
progress in some of the areas we had deliberately planned to get involved in. We had a few
meetings to plan the future direction of the dairy, met farmers in different Sangathan villages
to get an understanding of the agricultural situation and got involved in a few health issues
that have opened up the path for future work in this area. There is ample work to be done –
the challenge of the next few years will be to make progress on issues which often end up on
the back burner while continuing to work on the immediate needs. Thankfully, our Sangathan
Saathis are committed and constantly challenging themselves and others. Hopefully, we can
build on past successes and travel in new directions in the coming years...

40

CHC Orientation

Having only a vague idea about CHC, I started CHLP with very few expectations beyond
getting a grounding in community health. Ravi (Narayan) mentioned in one of his sessions
that he thought of CHC as a 'sarai' that provided some space and time to fellow travellers.
That is perhaps the best way to explain my viewpoint when I started the program. However,
the orientation turned out to be much more than that.
Starting off, the CHLP fellows of 2008­09 couldn't have been better chosen. The diversity in
ages, backgrounds and interests of the fellows was impressive, to say the least. The 'group
lab' session and the group assignments helped build connections and the time spent together
during the field trips also allowed us to interact to a greater extent. We have learnt much more
as a group than we would have individually, I believe, and that has underlined the importance
of 'community' in community health.
The sessions that made up the orientation program could be broadly divided into the following
categories:
Overviews of concepts
We had introductory sessions on some core issues of Community Health: the concepts of
Primary Health Care, history of community health in India, the public health approaches to
disease, the impact of globalization etc. Since most of us do not have a pubic/community
health background, some of these sessions were revelatory. For example, when working with
marginalized communities, it is easy to dwell on the failings of government. But at
independence, the life expectancy of Indians was 42! Obviously, basic health services were
improved dramatically. Also, studying the structural aspects of health once again underscored
for me how it is necessary to analyze the impact of systems beyond individuals – an
organization may be run by sincere, committed people, but often their collective impact can be
more detrimental than beneficial.
Specific health topics of interest
A number of CHC staff and associates are working on specific health matters, for example
tobacco, non­communicable diseases and immunization. From them, we got the micro­
perspective as well as the impacts of these issues on the larger health situation. One session
that I particularly enjoyed was Chander's talk on tobacco and its impacts on society. I had
primarily thought about the issue from the point of view of smokers and secondhand smoke.
The lecture opened my eyes to the problems of tobacco cultivators, beedi makers (primarily
poor women in the unorganized sector), the impact of tobacco curing on the environment etc.
I have learnt to connect specific issues to comprehensive health and to appreciate the
importance of forming broad coalitions of affected peoples for a cause.

41

Personal journeys
We were privileged to listen to people talk about their work in the field. Some examples ­ Sunil
Kaul shared his experiences with the ant in Assam and Lalitha talked about her work with the
Tribal Health Initiative in Sittilingi, Tamilnadu. These talks gave us an insight into how the
concepts we were learning about found practical applications. One hour into Lalitha's
discussion, someone thought of asking her which area she had specialized in. She said she is
a gynaecologist, to our immense surprise! We had been discussing organic agriculture,
marketing, weaving and power looms etc. and somehow hadn't thought of her as a medical
practitioner. But this is how a responsive community health program should be – responding
to the needs of the community.
Field trips
Two field trips were arranged during our orientation – a 3­day trip to Hannur and surrounding
areas in Chamarajanagara dt. and a 6­day trip to Bellary and Raichur dts.
In Hannur, our hosts were the sisters of the Holy Cross Comprehensive Rural Health
Program. They shared the trajectory of the program since its early days of follow­up for TB
patients to its current comprehensive health focus. Community health workers in villages have
been trained in herbal medicines, safe deliveries and basic follow­up. Further, child labour is
very prevalent and the sisters have been proactively involved in combating it. They have
formed alliances with schools for health education and with a local NGO, MyRADA, for
watershed and other developmental activities. We visited the Hannur PHC to get exposure
into some of the process of community monitoring ­ assessing facilities and interviewing staff
and patients. We also visited MyRADA and its field area, met with local communities and
visited a government school as well as a residential school for former child labourers operated
by Holy Cross.
In Hospet, Bellary dt., we visited SAKHI, a group working to improve access to education for
Dalit girls and women. We got a primer on the mining situation in the area ­ mining has
transformed the economy, making some very rich and impoverishing others because of its
negative impact on agriculture. The area has seen an influx of seasonal labourers from
nearby areas – we met some of them at an open­cast mine, typical of mines in the area. The
situation of women, men and children working in these mines was horrific in our eyes – the
tragedy was that they felt the wages and work were an improvement over what was available
in their native villages! We got an inkling into the difficulties in intervening in a situation where
economic and political forces are so strongly lined up in opposition. We also visited a group,
Punyakoti foundation, working on mental health, addiction and with mentally retarded children.
There is a vaccuum of mental health professionals and services in the northern Karnataka
districts – therefore Dr. Ravi, its psychiatrist founder, is working to train the community to
detect and counsel people affected by mental illness. He is also running a school for mentally
retarded children with community support.
We then went to the JMS (Jagruta Mahila Sangathana) headquarters in Potnal, Raichur dt. for
42

an intense 3 days of learning, sharing and living together. The centre houses the Chilipili
residential school, the terracota jewellery group, the clinic and herbal medicine unit as well as
some staff members, so it was always bubbling with activity. We learnt about the evolution of
this group that was set up to empower Dalit women and their struggles for infrastructure, fair
wages, government services and against violence and abuse. We spent time discussing the
greater historical and sociopolitical situation in Hyderabad Karnataka, which was a revelation
to me in terms of the inequities within Karnataka, a relatively better­off state in India. The best
part of the field trip was the day we were split up into 3 smaller groups and sent to meet
different village communities. The pairing of experienced activists and newbies like me helped
us get multiple perspectives when visiting a PHC or talking to a Self Help Group. Sharing
between different groups at the end of the day brought out in clarity what we had discussed in
theory earlier – the stark inequities between castes, the cycle of oppression built between
groups at the bottom of the ladder such as the Valmikis dominating the Madigas and the
modes of intervention with these marginalized groups.
On the final day of our field trip, we visited briefly with Navjiva Mahila Okkuta, a group that has
mobilized vulnerable women – Devdasis, widowed and single women etc. ­ to campaign for
their rights. They have built strong alliances with groups throughout the dt., including JMS,
and this coalition has campaigned effectively for employment under NREGA.
The field trips were a crash course and practical observations of the issues we had discussed
throughout the orientation. I have been on self­organized field trips before, but these were an
order of magnitude richer in exposure to issues, discussions and stirring of thought
processes. During the trips, there were times when I felt mentally and emotionally exhausted,
but it always seemed worth it. Interestingly, I also gained some insights into how, even in the
information­gathering phase of an intervention, one can and should contribute to the local
community through insights, suggestions and other small forms of assistance. These
communities are so deprived that it would be remiss of us to go and just 'study' them without
some interaction and sharing.

At the end of the orientation, I gained a much better understanding of community health as a
concept, a philosophy and a uniting issue for mobilization. The ideas that I had about
livelihoods, education etc. being connected to health have been solidified with data and
examples.
Finally, the positive and can­do attitude of almost everyone we interacted with is heartening.
The road to good community health is littered with failures, unavoidable detours and
roadblacks. Yet those who are working on these issues have not lost their enthusiasm for it
and are motivating entrants into the field. The orientation session left me brimming with ideas
and enthusiasm. My thanks to the CHC team for their untiring efforts!

43

Itinerary of visits and field work
During my fellowship, I visited a number of groups working on agriculture, rural technology
and sanitation. Interspersed with these were meetings with groups and individuals that would
shed light on the structure and work style of grassroots organizations and the modes of
engagement of 'outsiders' with a local community. I also spent a few weeks in Sitapur to work
with SKMS in July­August and later a few months for my field work. Finally, CHLP inspired me
to share my learnings with my peers in AID­US. Dwiji and I conducted a series of discussions
with AID chapters in the US in September­October during a family visit to that part of the
world.
The following table lists the organizations I visited, dates visited and issues that were
discussed.
Table 1: List of organizations/individuals visited
Date(s)

Organization/Person

Issue/Topic

Place

Karnataka & Tamilnadu
th

7 July

IISc

Appropriate technology

Bangalore, KA

NAPM, local groups

Land rights, livelihoods

Nandagudi, KA

11 -12 July

AID India, local groups

Sustainable agriculture,
NREGA

Bangalore rural & Kolar
districts, KA

18th July

Revathi

Sustainable agriculture

Thiruvarur, TN

19th-22nd July

Centre for Sustainable
Technologies, Village Action
Group, Solitude Farm

Sustainable agriculture,
sanitation, appropriate
technology, mobilization

Auroville, Pondicherry

th

10 July
th

th

23rd - 24th July

AID India, Corporate
Education, livelihoods,
Accountability desk, Kalpana (ex- environment, mobilization
TNSF), Chandrika (Construction
workers union)

Chennai, TN

Sitapur & miscellaneous
th

25 July
th

26 July-22

nd

Aug

12 Sept
th

Sambhavna clinic, Eklavya

Health, Education

Bhopal, MP

SKMS

Field work

Sitapur, UP

BAIF

Agriculture, marketing

Tiptur, KA

AID Chapters in the US
25th Sept

AID-Buffalo

Rural livelihoods

Buffalo, NY, USA

27 Sept

AID- Penn State

Rural livelihoods with focus
on JMS & Raichur dt.

State College PA, USA

28th - 29th
September

AID Pittsburgh

Agriculture, Community
Health

Pittsburgh PA, USA

30th Sept

AID Chicago

Informal discussions

Chicago IL, USA

th

44

Date(s)

Organization/Person

Issue/Topic

Place

4 Oct

AID Minnesota

Scale and scope of work

Minneapolis MN, USA

7th Oct

AID Duke

Group dynamics

Durham NC, USA

th

10 Oct

AID Clemson

Group dynamics

Clemson SC, USA

th

AID Atlanta

Rural Livelihoods

Atlanta GA, USA

th

11 Oct

Gujarat & Maharashtra
st

31 Oct

Bhaskar Save, Paryavaran
Suraksha Samiti (PSS)

Agriculture, Industrial
pollution

Umergaon, Gujarat

1st - 2nd Nov

Sarvodaya Parivar Trust

Gandhian philosophy,
community work

Khadki, Gujarat

4th Nov

Dhirendrabha & Smitaben,
Ashokbhai, Ekal Mahila Manch,
Sardar Sarovar

Agriculture, nutrition &
community health,
mobilization, big dams

Narmada dt., Gujarat

5th Nov

Lakhanbhai & friends, Virji &
Sushilaben

Watershed development,
Agriculture

Narmada dt., Gujarat

7th Nov

Janpath, Prasad Chacko, Safai
Vidyalaya

Community work,
mobilization & awareness,
sanitation

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

8th Nov

MARAG, Behavioral Science
Centre

Community work, pastoral
communities

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

10th - 12th Nov

Madhulika & Ashis, Ekal Nari
Sangathan

Community work, rural
marketing, mobilization

Dungarpur, Rajasthan

13th Nov

Vinay & Charul, Trupthi (Sahiyar)
& Rohit (PSS)

Politics of working with
communities, gender
issues, radical unions,
communalism

Ahmedabad & Baroda,
Gujarat

15th Nov

Preeti Patil

Rooftop gardening

Mumbai

th

nd

18 - 22 Nov

23rd - 24th Nov

Ulhas Jajoo, Sevagram Ashram Community health, Gandhi
Trust, CSV (Centre for Science in
& Vinobha Bhave's
Villages), Pavnar Ashram, Magan philosophy & work, Rural
Sangrahalaya, Goras Bhandar,
economy, Agriculture,
individual farmers
Dairy

Sevagram, Wardha &
neighbouring areas,
Maharashtra

Subhash Sharma

Agriculture

Yavatmal, Maharashtra

25 Nov

NBA, Khandwa

Mobilization, big dams

Khandwa, MP

26th Nov

Deepak Suchade

Agriculture

Bajwada, MP

th

Miscellaneous
th

th

18 - 20 Dec

Tribal Health Initiative, TULIR

Health, agriculture,
alternative education

Sittilingi, TN

28th Dec

Madhya Pradesh Vigyan Sabha

Appropriate technology,
livelihoods

Bhopal, MP

14th - 15th Feb

Activists / people involved in
community work

Informal discussions on
politics of community work

Delhi

45

Date(s)

Organization/Person

Issue/Topic

Place

Field work

Sitapur, UP

Sitapur
31st Dec - 27th
March

SKMS

46

ANNEXURES
WRITEUP ON KUNWARAPUR DAIRY (IN HINDI)

Ekfgyk Ms j h & vkxs dk jkLrk
xzke dqaojkiqj ¼xzke lHkk fMf?k;k½ esa laxfru ls tqMh dqN efgykvksa us 2004 esa ,d
lgdkjh Msjh dh LFkkiuk dh tks ijkx Msjh ¼mRrj izns'k dh lgdkjh Msjh½ ls tqM+h gS
A ,d desVh dk xBu gqvk vkSj jhuk Msjh dh lfpo cuh A Msjh dh 'kq:vkr 1@2
yhVj ls dh x;hA Msjh esa vkt yxHkx gj fnu 40 lnL; nw/k ykrs gS vkSj nw/k ogk¡
ls lhrkiqj Hkstk tkrk gSA lnL; jkst & jkst nw/k cspus ds >a>V ;k [kks;k cukus ds
dke ls eqfDr ik;sa gSA ysfdu Msjh dbS fnDdrs Hkh gSA ijkx Msjh dHkh Hkh Hkqxrku
le; ij ugh djrh gS & 2 ls 6 g¶rks ds ckn gh iSlk igq¡prk gS vkSj QSV jhfM+ax
Msjh ds eki ls de crkrh gS A eghus esa de ls de ,d ckj nw/k QVus dh f'kdk;r
feyrk gS vkSj flQZ 1 ;ks 2 :i;k izfr yhVj feyrk gSA
izkbosV eas nq/k cspus eas Òh dbZ fnDdrs gS & dHkh nq/k dk Hkko T;knk rks dHkh de gks
tkrk gS vkSj Msjh ds lkexzh ,ao lqfo/kk,a tSls Vhdkdj.k] izkbosV ls dgk¡ feyrh gS\
fQj Hkh ,d lky ¼2007 & 2008½ esa Msjh dk nw/k ,d izkbosV QSDVjh esa Hkstk x;k
FkkA ml lky Msjh esa cgqr nq/k igq¡pk dqN fnu 1000 yhVj ls T;knk vkSj vkl ikl
ds xk¡oks ls Hkh yksx nq/k cspus vk;s Fks A ml lky 15 yk[k ls T;knk iSlk Msjh ds
ek/;e ls yksxks ds gkFk esas igq¡pkA ysfdu bl dke ds esgur ls vkSj QSDVjh ds
elyks ds dkj.k yksx ihNs gVus yxs A ,d egRoiw.kZ ckr ;g gS fd bruh ek=k esas
nw/k cspus ij Hkh Msjh T;knk equkQk ugh cuk ikbZA Msjh esa dke djus okys lkfFk;ksa dh
etnwjh Hkh ugh fudy ikrh gS] tks fd laxBu ds }kjk mldk ogu fd;k tkrk gSA
ijkx ls Hkh cgqr ncko vk jgk FkkA bu lc dkj.kksa ds otg ls QSDVjh dks nw/k
cspuk cUn dj fn;kA
rks vkxs dk jkLrk D;k gS\ nw/k cspus okyks dh [okbZ'ksa D;k gS\ nw/k ds fy, udn iSls
rks feyus pkfg, vkSj T;knk lqfo/kk, Hkh izkIr gksuh pkfg, tSls fiNys cjlkr eas
tkuojksa vkSj balkuks dks dbZ uqdlku gq,] chekjh vkSj ?kj [kjkc gksus ds dkj.k lc ds
ikl bl oDr pkjk cgqr de gSA vxj Msjh vkSj etcwr gks rks ,sls elyks dk gy
<¡w<+k tk ldrk gaSA
47

Msjh pykus okyksa ds vius dbZ lius gksr gS & i'kq ikyu] tks xk¡o esa de gksrk tk
jgk gS fQj ls c<s vkSj yksxks dks] [kkl dj efgykvksa dks Hkh ?kj esa vkenuh fey
ldrh gSA tks lkFkh Msjh dh ftEesnakfj;ka mBk jgs gS mudh etnwjh Msjh ds gh [kkrs
ls fudysA Msjh dk dks’k gks ftl ls Hkqxrku o vkikrdkyhu [kpsZ fudys A flQZ nq/k
ugh Øhe] ?kh] eðk vkfn cuk;k tk; vkSj xkscj [kkn vkfn Hkh cuk;k tk; rFkk cspk
tk;A lnL;rk c<s vkSj vkl ikl ds xk¡o ds yksxks dks tksMus dk iz;kl djuk
pkfg,A dqoajkiqj Msjh ds vius fu;e cus] flQZ ijkx ds fu;eks ij u pys tks yksx
vkSj laxBu ls fu/kkZj.k gksA ;g fu;e fyf[kr :i eas gksuk pkfg, vkSj Msjh ds
lnL;ksa vkSj laxBu dks bls viukuk pkfg,A Msjh flQZ equkQs ds fy;s ugha cuk gS
vkSj flQZ 1 & 2 yksx gh bldh iwjh ftEesnkjh ugh mBkuk pkfg,A rHkh gh ;h Msjh
lpeqp dh lkewfgd Msjh cusxhA gekjs lkeus dqN jkLrs gS ftu ij ckrphr vkSj dke
'kq: gqvk gSA ftu yksxks dks tkuoj ysuk gS mu dks yksu fnykuk] ;g ,sls yksx gS
ftu dks O;fDrxr tkuoj ds fy, dtkZ ljdkj ls feyuk eqf'dy gksrk gS laxBu
vkSj Msjh ds cycwrs ;g yksx bdðk yksu ys ik;saxsA ;g lc dq¡ojkiqj ds vkl ikl ds
gSA vxj Msjh ds lnL; cus rks nw/k dh ek=k c<kuk vklku gks tk;sxkA
nq/k ijkx ;k QSDVjh eas cspus ls equkQk ugh gS ysfdu vxj O;fDrxr [kjhnkj fey
x;sa rks ckr vyx gksrh gSA fefJ[k tgk¡ Cykd vkSj rglhy ds eq[; dk;kZy; gS
dq¡ojkiqj ls 7 fdyksehVj nwjh ij gSA ogk¡ dksbZ n¶rj ;k Ldwy ls lEiZd djds nw/k
csps rks gekjs ikl lky Hkj dk cktkj jgsxkA rc gekjh pqukSrh jgsxh nw/k dh ek=k
dk;e j[kus esa vkSj gj fnu nw/k lgh lyker xzkgd rd ig¡qpkus esaA
,d jkLrk vkSj gS fd flQZ nw/k cspus ij lhfer u jgsaA dzhe vkSj ?kh ds vPNs Hkko
feyrs jgs vkSj og tYnh [kjkc Hkh ugh gksrs gSA mu ds fcdus ls gkFk esa udn iSls
feysaxsA ,sls dke ds fy, Msjh es vkSj lkfFk;ksa dh t:jr gksxh ysfdu ;g vPNh ckr
gksxh fd dqN yksxks dks jkstxkj feysxkA
;g lc dne mBkus ls igys iDdh ;kstuk cukuk cgqr t:jh gSA bruh gh t:jr
gS desVh] xk¡o ds yksx vkSj u, lnL;ks dh Msjh esa Hkkxhnkjh c<s vkSj le> cusA tc
vkSj lkFkh Msjh ds orZeku dk le> ys rks lkFk lkFk vkxs c<us dh izfdz;k gks ldrh
gSA
daqojkiqj Msjh esa laxfru fdlku etnwj laxBu dh vge Hkwfedk jgh gS ij lkfFk;ksa esa
48

blds ckjs D;k le> cuh gS ? laxBu vkSj Msjh dk D;k fj'rk gS vkSj vkus okys
fnuks esa Msjh essa laxBu fd Hkwfedk D;k jgsxh ? bu lc fo‘k;ksa ij ckrphr ,ao ppkZ
dh t:jr gSA vkt {ks= esa flQZ dqaojkiqj esa efgyk Msjh py jgh gS ysfdu laxBu ds
dbZ xk¡oks esa i'kq ikyu ,ao nw/k dk dkjksckj gks jgk gSA D;k dq¡ojkiqj Msjh dh
lQyrk ls laxBu ds vkSj xk¡oks esa Qk;ns gks ldrs gS\ ;g loky Msjh ls tqMs yksx
vkSj laxBu dks iqNuk pkfg, vkSj vkt ugha rks Hkfo‘; esa bl ds tokc <w<+us pkfg,A

49

US CHAPTERS TOUR, SEPT ­ OCT 2008
Introductory email to chapters
Dear Friends,
For the past 5 months, we have been traveling in India visiting and working with grassroots
organizations. We have discovered a lot about these groups and about ourselves. During our
trip to Canada and the US in September­October (for personal reasons), we would like to visit
AID chapters and reconnect with volunteers.
Our motivation is to discuss issues we have reflected on over the past few months. Some of
them have come up during the course of Sudha's fellowship (Community Health Learning
Program) at Community Health Cell, Bangalore. Others have become apparent during visits.
Rather than a brief overview of all these topics, we would prefer to have an in­depth
discussion on one or two of them.
i. Scale and scope of work: What do we mean when we talk about an intervention at
the district level? At the block level? At the state level? What is the magnitude of the
task being undertaken and how can we gain a realistic understanding of the scale of
the interventions we support?
ii. Appropriate technology: While there are many technological solutions that are not
just appropriate at the margins but also in the mainstream, why have they not been
adopted? Instead, why do we still see resource­hungry solutions such as diesel
generators? Societal acceptance is an important component in the 'appropriate'
aspects of technological solutions – has this not been sufficiently addressed? Are there
other parts of the picture that we are missing?
iii. Rural livelihoods: There seem to be very few self­sufficient models of income
generation. A lot of schemes seem to be dependent on distant, urban markets. Is it
possible to come up with sustainable, local producer­consumer links? How do
livelihoods connect to NREGA and other government schemes?
iv. Sustainable agriculture & food security: There are many roads leading to
sustainable agriculture – environmental, livelihood­related, spiritual, etc. What are the
potentials for scalability for each of these approaches? Is food security for the
producers a natural outcome of such programs? What is the role of the consumer? Fair
wages for laborers is one of the central tenets of progressive thought, what is the
equivalent for the marginal farmer?
v. Caste and gender dynamics: A lot of the interventions we support are with
marginalized communities ­ women and/or Dalits or Adivasis. When we talk about the
50

discrimination that these groups face, we usually externalize it. But how do the
disadvantages these groups face relate to our lives and the visible and invisible
privileges we have received? And what, if anything, can we do about it?
vi. 'Insiders' and 'outsiders' and group dynamics: How does the presence of privileged
'outsiders' impact the functioning and direction of a grassroots organization? What are
the challenges faced when working to create and maintain a non­hierarchical
organization? And why is this important?
We are also open to discuss issues either of us have talked about on our blogs at http://slip­n­
slide.blogspot.com and http://dwiddly.wordpress.com

Notes for Community Health








Individual­oriented vs. community­oriented approaches to health


The medical approach



Cure vs. prevention



Seed and soil



Where does the skill development happen – doctors, nurses, technicians or the
community itself?



Funding, knowledge production

Techno­solutions to health problems


My experiences with Medtronic



ORS packets for diarrhoea

Social aspects of health


Mobile clinics (Arvind eye hospital) and sanitation programs



HIV detection and impact on women

Meeting community health workers

Notes on Caste and gender dynamics
● Visible differencs





Caste – Wealth, Education, Trade (commerce), knowledge and land ownership



Gender – Wealth, Education

Invisible differences


Caste ­ Written and documented traditions and culture, Lesser trades and service
livelihoods, 'Ghetto'ization in the urban scene
51



Gender ­ Ownership of wealth (Cattle, Seeds, Jewelery)

Caste


Institutional development




Enhanced existing disparities

Gandhi / Babasaheb / Periyar approaches to the caste question


Gandhi












Service of the 'harijan' and Seva towards 'upliftment'

Babasaheb Ambedkar


Rejection of the Hindu religion and practices whole and soul, move towards
Buddhism



Rejection of the village hierarchies and move towards the cities

Periyar


Staking a claim to land and state resources



Fleeing of the brahmanical classes to safer urban centers outside Tamil Nadu

Land redistribution and the caste inequities


How does land redistribution affect us personally?



Who received the redistributed land?

The creamy layer


Less untouchable than the others



Results of economic opportunities and resource access

Partners and saathis of AID


Most of them are upper caste though working mostly with dalit and adivasis



The language of the rights based struggles is something that we have not yet learnt


At the core, rights­based work not funding centric



Engaging and assessing outcomes of these low on monetary and high on
interaction interventions has not yet been taken up on a systemic basis

Gender


Sex Ratio


More skewed in urban areas and developed states
Best in poor & remote areas



Dowry rates


Higher amongst NRI communities across regions and languages
52

Notes on Group dynamics: 'Insiders' and 'outsiders'


Typical binding agents in a group




Language, Education, History, Money, Access to resources, Caste, Gender

Game




Public instructions:


A big NGO is in its last stage of evaluating a proposal for a high school. The
community wants the school.



Each person gets a chit with a talking point



Some chits are blank



You are all villagers (except for the change agents) and each of you can
improvise on the talking points you receive in the chits



There will be two minutes of discussion within the community to strategize



One does not have to reveal the contents of her/his chit



Agents of change have an idea that there is something the community is not
sharing which could impact the success of the project

Individual instructions:




Agents of Change


Agent One: Identify the number of kids that would go to the school in the first
and second years



Agent Two: Identify one person to prepare the mid day meal, and another to
maintain the school accounts.

Community chits


Chit One: Population that would be served by the school: 500 families. You
are illiterate.



Chit Two: Number of kids that would go to this school: 150 kids. You are
literate.



Chit Three: Most girls drop out of school by third standard. but remember,
your community wants this school. You are illiterate.



Chit Four: If this school is opened, your daughter can go to school and you
want her to be well educated. You are illiterate.



Chit Five: Many girls from your village work as agricultural labourers. If the
NGO comes to know about it, the school will not open and your community
really wants to get this school. You are literate.
53







Chit Six: The quality of primary and middle school education is very bad. But
a girl from your village is now an IAS officer. You are illiterate.



Chit Seven: You are illiterate.



Chit Eight: You are illiterate.



Chit Nine: You are illiterate.



Chit Ten: You are illiterate.

Post game discussion


What people chose to reveal (and not) in pre­game discussion



Access to information as an inequity



What kind of hierarchy emerges?

Forms in which an 'outsider' engages with a community






Live with the community


Building a shared history



Developing trust and confidence in one another



Eg. Michael & Swati and Juna Mozda



Takes a lot of time



Scaling challenged



All­round development



Non symptomatic approach

Coalition / Alliance


Retains its 'outsider' identity – allowing the space for the community to
maintain / develop its own identity



An equal partner, typically a complementary partnership



Negotiated common space requires effort from both sides



Tendency to drift towards a hierarchical relationship



Protected in their own comfort zones



Harness 'outside' resources to the benefit of the community



Eg. ICJB

Hierarchical


We tell, you do



Blinkered



Eg. Govt., Big NGOs
54









Resource person


Improvement in certain standards



Typically a short term / visitor relationship



Eg. AID Chennai (Education), Theater trainings



Provides recognized skills/resources for the community



Channelizes passion / energy



Can slip into the 'find a problem to use the solution' model

Funding Organizations


Financial support



Remains external



Could give a lot more (or very little) space for the group on the ground



Changes financial resources within the organization and the community



Eg. AID US

About hierarchies


Greater improvements in a particular developmental parameter



One­way flow of information



Low to absent feedback mechanisms

Hierarchy flags


One point contact



Pay disparity



Travel and training patterns



Parrots – extreme coherence or uniform ideology in communication



No course corrections or reviews since project inception



Planning meeting composition

Notes on Rural Livelihoods



Rural Livelihoods / sources of income


Traditional, Farm labour, Farmer, Village store, Moneylending



Government / Contracts



Commuter

55





Agents / Financial



Seasonal migration / bonded labour



Remittances from family members



NGOs

Why do we need interventions in rural livelihoods?








Lack of livelihood options


Didn't exist earlier, don't exist now



Caste and class hierarchies



Lack of investment in rural sector


Infrastructure development



Differential incentives



What free power?

Eroding of traditional livelihoods


Cobblers, 'lohars', foodgrain processing etc.



Artisans and craftspeople

Shortcomings of commercial sector jobs


Do not break hierarchies because they look for 'qualified' and connected people



Very little capacity building



Only scope for growth is migration

Types of income­generation projects
○ Traditional







the ant, Dastkar



Livestock

Newer, market driven


Products ­ papads, furniture, jewelery



Contracting – running a bus, construction etc.



Skilled trades – radio and TV repair, handpump mechanics, battery
maintenance, drivers etc.

Improving community + personal income


Community health worker



Resource­persons for sustainable agriculture
56





Degrees of sustainability of interventions


Where is the market and how accessible is it?



Training – frequency and duration, distance, cost



Can they run the program themselves after a certain amount of time?



Skill development beyond the intervention

What is the potential of NREGA?


Comparison with an income­generation scheme such as NABARD

Notes on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security
Warm up



Quick fire
○ Seasons and fruits
Geography
○ Soil type
○ Rainfall
○ Crops

Main points of discussion


Livelihoods of landless labor
○ Moving towards landed labor
○ Livelihood through land development
○ Community or leased land
○ Minimum wages
○ Finding alternate employment during lean periods



Livelihood of marginal farmers
○ Where will the money come from?
■ increased production
■ reduced expenses
■ market regulation
■ producer – consumer networks
○ Training and capacity building
■ Rain­fed dry land
○ 'Internalizing' farm inputs



Is it just a money problem?
■ What is the source of the marginalization?
57

Inherited and seeking to break from the mould
Lack of credit
● Focus on cash crops and decreased food security
● Govt. policies
● Agri institutions focus on 'fair weather' crops
US farming sector example






Glossary of terms



Motivations & Approaches to alternative agriculture

Market driven

Individual

Group / NGO

various

various

Cost of farming

ToFARM, Nagai

Food security / Nutrition

LEISA

Spiritual

Auroville, AoL
etc.

Environmental
Traditional


Village

Govt.
Karnataka govt.

CSA, Hyd.
across the
land

antagonistic

GMOs
○ messages that you have heard from the anti GMO campaign
○ how do you contrast GMO vis­a­vis hybrids
■ traditional seeds are hybrids with longer history & following
○ terminator gene and its spread / diffusion


Further externalizing farm inputs – seeds, fertilizers, tools, etc.

Trip report
As communicated earlier, we had planned less of a speech and more of an interactive session
during each chapter visit. So, for each topic, we planned some games, exercises and some
discussion starters to get the ball rolling. Here's a brief description of how the visits went:
1.Buffalo

Topic(s): Rural Livelihoods & general discussions

Buffalo was our first pit­stop, so before going into the topic straightaway, we decided to start
with some 'icebreakers' (inspired by a discussion at Basic Needs, a group in Bangalore that
works on the rights of People with Disabilities). We asked volunteers to say if they agreed or
disagreed with the statements we displayed and why. Some examples:
58

•Residents of a village have been campaigning hard for NREGA work for more than a year

without any success. A contractor offers to intercede and provide work, but will only pay half
the minimum wage. The villagers accept the deal.
•An activist (in India) you know and respect, who happens to be gay, has been arrested on
Anti­Sodomy laws. Would you join the protests against his arrest?
•A Dalit woman is raped in her village. Her family and the rest of the village negotiate a
settlement with the assailant. The woman withdraws her complaint.
The discussion was quite lively. Almost every statement drew responses from both sides of
the issue and in some cases, there was a vigorous debate.
We next moved into the discussion on rural livelihoods. Here, we went through an overview of
rural livelihoods – from the more traditional agriculture­based ones to the newer government
and private opportunities. People did mention that NGOs are now providing livelihoods in
many parts of rural India! We discussed the need for intervention in rural livelihoods – what
are the reasons rural economies are not able to sustain themselves?
A discussion on the need for land distribution and of breaking caste hierarchies that impact
livelihoods led to the question – do you have a Marxist ideology? Is AID red?! It was really
good that the question was asked because we could get to the meat of the problem ­ unless
structural inequities within the community are acknowledged and addressed, interventions
can only be incremental and often are limited in scope.
At the end of the session, the feedback made me realize that we had not set the scene
properly. Folks were expecting photos and personal anecdotes, and while many enjoyed our
non­prescriptive approach, it was hard to get concrete take­home points. However, everyone
seemed to enjoy the session, and that folks were sitting around chatting till 11:30 pm on a
weekday night gave us hope (though it might just have been the pizza!). Our take­home was
that we needed to introduce our format better and be a little less ambitious with the material to
be covered, especially given the interactive nature of the session.
1.Penn State

Topic(s): Rural livelihoods with focus on Raichur dt., Karnataka

We decided to exercise Penn State volunteers' drawing skills by asking them to sketch their
image of rural livelihoods. Since some of us are less adept at this (!), we made sure to explain
what our drawing represented.
I had visited Jagruta Mahila Sangathana, a group in Raichur dt., Karnataka that AID­Penn
State has been supporting for ~8 years and was interested in fostering better communication
between the two. I had sent the chapter my 10­page visit report in advance and decided not to
focus on it unless there were specific questions. Instead, we started a discussion on the
factors that would lead to disparities in development, such as education, caste, gender,
geography (urban vs. rural, state) etc. To get a better picture of these variations, we did a little
exercise. We split up into smaller groups of 2­3 people and each group looked through a
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chapter in Karnataka's Human Development Report of 2003. This report compiles statistics
from the Census, various NSSO surveys etc. to draw a picture of Karnataka's position and
progress in Education, Health, Gender Rights etc. During our exercise, we also kept a focus
on Raichur dt., women and Dalits (that being the target population of JMS). When compiling
the data, we could clearly see that Raichur and the rest of the districts in Hyderabad
Karnataka lagged behind the rest of the state.
The issue of migration and its impact on local communities came up in discussion, as did the
increasing violence and insurgency in many parts of the country. When put thus, the need for
intervention in rural India did not have to be explained further.
The feedback here also included requests for more personal anecdotes. Also, the 'numbers'
exercise had become too long and drawn­out. But the game and exercise were appreciated.
The comment of the day (and perhaps the entire trip) was from a long­time supporter of the
chapter: 'You have the same problem as the groups you work with. You train a set of folks and
they graduate, move to a different place. Its migration!'
2.PittsburghTopic(s)s: Sustainable agriculture & Community Health
We had 2 evenings with AID Pittsburgh volunteers and spent the first talking about
sustainable, or rather alternative models of, agriculture. We talked about the distress in
agricultural communities and the shortcomings of conventional 'one­size­fits­all' approach to
farming. To get a better idea of alternative farming techniques, we discussed the motivations –
environmental, food security, market­drive etc. and the scale – individual, village, district etc.
We also played a clip from recordings we had made while talking to Nammalvar­ji, one of the
leading figures promoting organic farming in Tamilnadu. We discussed self­sufficiency in food
and the need to promote sustainable dry­land farming techniques in India. The LEISA (Low
External Input Sustainable Agriculture) project that AID Pittsburgh supports in Karnataka was
analyzed, especially its incorporating sustainable agriculture in NREGA and village
development plans.
The next evening was devoted to Community Health. Individual and community based
approaches to health were contrasted and examined. Examples of community health
interventions such as nets and cleaning up of water bodies to prevent spread of malaria were
shared. We also addressed the politics of health and health funding – how certain diseases,
age groups etc. get a disproportionate share of research money. Finally, I shared my
experiences meeting community health workers and their direct (improvement in health) as
well as secondary (bridging caste barriers) impacts on communities.
Here too the feedback was that more personal anecdotes would be preferred (!) and that our
attempted classification of alternative agricultural approaches was not helpful. But the
discussions were found to be thought provoking and our general inputs into chapter
functioning, funding etc. were found helpful.
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3.Chicago

Topic(s): General discussions

We arrived in Chicago on a weekday and therefore a chapter meeting was not possible.
Instead, we had general discussions with 4 volunteers. The talk was freewheeling around the
topics of our experiences over the years, the work of the groups we are associated with and
the functioning of AID­Chicago. It was a thought­provoking evening with interested volunteers
who, though their activity levels have gone up and down in the past, continue to be interested
in the issues.
4.Minnesota Topic(s): Scope and scale of interventions, NREGA
AID­MN is our 'alma mater' and there were a few familiar faces. But the chapter has gone into
a dormant stage in the past year. Yet, 7 people turned up and we had a good discussion with
Sangtin Kisaan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS), the group that our Saathi Richa Singh works
with, as the example. We used the map of Sitapur dt., UP where SKMS is based to get an
idea of the distances SKMS organizers travel on a daily, weekly or monthly basis and the time
and money spent for traveling. This led to a discussion of the reach of an organization and its
level of involvement in the local community.
We also discussed land holdings and the impact of NREGA on rural communities. There was
some concern expressed about the increased scope for corruption and we responded with
stressing the need for community mobilization and with examples from the field. The funds
supplied to rural communities were contrasted with the perks given to urban and industrial
projects, SEZs etc. to provide more perspective.
With AID­MN being dormant, we hadn't expected much of a turnout or discussion so were
pleasantly surprised! Hopefully, this is a sign of better things to come for the chapter...
5.Duke

Topic(s): Insider/outsider and group dynamics

The plan at AID­Duke was to start our discussion at 8 pm after their CSH. We did wonder how
much energy volunteers would have so late on a weekday evening, but folks were ready to go
on. Earlier that afternoon, we had been brainstorming on a game/role­play that would highlight
group dynamics. Once Naga, our host, realized that we were going to do more than talk, he
began calling up people to come to the discussion and that surely helped as well!
The role­play was quite simple – the setting was a village where a new high school is being
planned. Most people in the room would be villagers, while two would be the change agents –
representatives of an NGO that would manage the school. Each person was given a chit with
individual instructions which they could choose to share or not share. The background to the
game was that the change agents are at the final stage of selecting the village as the site for
the new school, but they feel there is something the village is not sharing with them that could
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impact the success of the project. Their goal is to find out what this 'secret' is. On the other
hand, the villagers are vested in seeing the school set up in their village. At the start, both the
change agents and the villagers were allowed time by themselves to strategize – then came
the interaction between the two groups.
The role play worked better than we expected. Both parties took the discussion in unexpected
directions, and the game brought out group dynamics, hierarchies, how negotiations occur
etc. The post­game discussion was quite insightful as well. Parallels were drawn between
what played out and what they experience in the chapter.
From the game, we segued into a discussion of the ways in which outsiders could engage
with a community – from living in it and eventually becoming a part of it to being an external
remote funder. There was a lively discussion on whether AID­US works purely in a funding
mode or provides resources to the community. This led to a brief discussion on how we could
improve our contribution to our project partners.
The chapter found the game a valuable team exercise and I must say I learnt a good deal
about interactions from watching them. The discussion and the analysis of various modes of
engagement were found useful. Again, there was not much time for our personal anecdotes.
But it was felt that the traditional mould of speaker/visitor was broken, which made us very
happy!
6.Clemson Topic(s): Insider/outsider and group dynamics
AID­Clemson was not on our initial itinerary, but since we were traveling by road from Durham
to Charlotte and then to Atlanta (courtesy Gautam), we contacted the Clemson folks. Their
response was positive and enthusiastic – with a single day's notice, 12 volunteers came to
meet us! The topic they chose was group dynamics, which made our work easy.
Here too, we started with a brief introduction and then got into the game. In Duke, Dwiji had
brainstormed with the village while I worked with the change agents – this time we changed
positions. As at Duke, the interaction between the two groups was lively. The change agents
here took a confrontational approach and asked all kinds of questions that we hadn't prepped
for, like the land available for the school, what parents expected for their kids (the answer was
that they'd move to cities and send money home!) etc. The villagers responded with equal
vigor – without lying, they sent the change agents off on the wrong track altogether!
We took another break for strategizing and reconvened. At this point, the village group started
chanting 'We want the school!' Eventually, the change agents decided to recommend against
opening the school in the village, frustrating the village group.
I personally was amazed to find so many parallels between this interaction and those we have
experienced or heard of in the field. But on reflection, why shouldn't it be so? There are basic
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human traits that will surface in any interaction, irrespective of culture, world­view, hierarchies
etc.
We continued the discussion about modes of engagement, hierarchies within and between
organizations and how we can enhance our contributions to the groups that we support.
Finally, we moved into a discussion of AID Clemson. Because they do not have much funds,
they consider themselves a small chapter but we disagreed – their volunteer strength and
enthusiasm tells a different story! We strategized on ways they could be effective – links with
'richer' chapters, accessing common­pool funds, cross­chapter responsibilities etc.
7. Atlanta

Topic(s): Introduction to AID & rural livelihoods

The group we met in Atlanta was truly a new chapter – many had come for the first or second
time. The presence of seasoned volunteers like Gautam and Alka as well as Sachin's
experiences with AID­New Mexico allowed us to have a good discussion on what AID is, the
forum it provides and how volunteers can get connected to campaigns and interventions in a
much deeper fashion. We discussed how the chapter can build visibility in the local
community with tabling, talks, local volunteering etc.
In our discussion on rural livelihoods, we talked about traditional and new forms of rural
livelihoods, the increased rates of seasonal migration and the impact of the failure of
conventional farming techniques. We discussed the importance of food security and briefly
debated the reasons for the current state of agriculture in India. There wasn't any time to
discuss NREGA, so I suggested that the group do it at a later time.
The feedback was that context had been provided to what was discussed in meetings. One
volunteer commented that our anecdotes about SKMS and Sitapur dt. made North India less
terrorizing in his mind! A need to have more discussion on agriculture and health education
was felt.
General comments
We had a great time with all the chapters we visited – thanks for hosting us! Since this was
our first 'tour', we weren't sure how it would go. But from the first evening in Buffalo, the
structured and unstructured sessions went smoothly. Almost everywhere, there was a little
confusion because volunteers expected a talk and more personal anecdotes. But most
seemed to enjoy the discussions, games and the focus on interaction.
Though all the games and exercises were fun, I'd like to specifically mention how much I
enjoyed the role­play on group dynamics at Duke and Clemson. The volunteers took on their
roles with zest and displayed their interpersonal skills as well as their guile and ingenuity. To
me, this game illustrated the challenges faced in situations where information is withheld and
the skill required in conducting successful negotiations.
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We have a lot to learn and hope that you will continue to provide us feedback. About the
almost universal desire for more personal anecdotes and stories, we consciously chose to
underplay the personal in our talks because our experience is not that extensive – other
speakers/visitors have a lot more to share. Further, we are trying to develop an analytical
framework for each topic we presented. It seems to me that we do a lot of storytelling (which
is important) in AID, but not as much analysis of the issue before jumping into the funding
mode. But given the feedback, we might incorporate more of the personal in future sessions.
Lastly, I keenly felt the lack of time. Maybe it was bad planning on our part or just the breadth
of the subject matter, but we never managed to wrap up the sessions satisfactorily. We plan to
coordinate more such sessions in the future and will have to improve our time­management
skills. Also, we'll call them 'workshops' so that people are inclined to budget more time :)

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MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES AND POSTS
Contributions to an online Forum discussion on inter­caste marriages
Hi folks,
It is great to see this issue discussed here. From what I have understood, inter­caste
marriages were actively promoted by radical organizations, movements, Gandhian institutions
etc. a generation or more ago. They do not seem to have the same kind of support or visibility
today. But, in my opinion, caste divides are deepening, not narrowing. Some examples:
1. The recent reports that came out about the treatment of Dalit students in AIIMS – from
not being allowed to play with other students to being forced to live on a separate floor
– show that caste discrimination is strong in the 'educated' elite. The earlier anti­quota
protests by students, which took the form of sweeping streets, were equally horrific in
their implications of students' mindsets.
2. Ghettoization is increasing, not decreasing, in Indian cities. The difficulty of
buying/renting an apartment when one has a Muslim or Dalit name is well known.
Previously integrated localities have gradually become segregated throughout the
country.
3. When mapping a locality, particularly in a rural area, the correlation between caste and
economic status is so high that one does not need to ask where the poor people live –
just ask where the Dalit basti is and you will find the low­lying (therefore vulnerable to
flooding), unsanitary and cramped part of town. This is not a new phenomenon – it is
just depressing to note that this hasn't changed much over the years.
Why are the above points important in the context of marriage? Whether arranged through
parents/family or self­chosen, one's spouse tends to be from one's socio­economic
background. And as the spheres of interaction between communities are reducing, so are the
possibilities of finding common ground and possible life partners. As distrust between
castes/religions are increasing, tolerance for relationships across these divides is going down.
And given how intricately caste is interwoven with class, the challenges of an inter­caste
marriage are not just societal and cultural, they are economic and class­related as well.
When such divides exist in our society, can one take refuge behind the language of choice?
By the same token, dowry should be considered a personal choice – why oppose it, especially
when both parties are willing? The sex ratio is most skewed in rich, educated communities. If
educated, independent women are choosing to abort their female foetuses, shouldn't one
respect their choice? I oppose this, because I see it as a forced choice and am concerned
about its effects on society. Similarly, I oppose the practice of choosing one's spouse within
one's caste, because I see the impacts of such a practice as solidifying caste identities and
deepening divides.
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Speaking to the point Shailabh raised about homogenization, I agree that there is a beauty in
the diversity of food, language, practices and beliefs that exist in various parts of India. But
these differences were not and are not solely due to caste. Geography plays a much larger
role – for example, the Kannada spoken in Raichur dt. is almost unintelligible for a
Mangalorean. Therefore, a marriage between members of the same caste from these two
regions would result in significant loss of idiomatic expression and other aspects that enrich a
language in the next generation. Thus homogenization almost always occurs when marrying
outside one's immediate geographical community.
But more importantly, differences between equals can and should be celebrated as diversity.
However, differences that perpetuate inequities and power balances are hierarchies and
should be opposed.
As should be evident by now (!), I am a fervent promoter of not marrying within one's own
caste. Given how privileged, independent and well­off most of us are, we should be able to
weather the challenges of parental pressure, societal expectations and inertia (it is easier to
search within my community or let my parents find me a spouse!). So many of us are trying to
live an eco­friendly existence, to not pay bribes even though it makes our life more difficult
and to make other personal changes that take extra effort but will ultimately be beneficial to
our planet and society. Should we not make and promote personal changes to combat the
biggest social ill that plagues India?
Regards,
Sudha
Friends,
Two stories about caste and marriage that I'd like to share (sorry, it's a little bit off­topic):
1. During our travels through India, we've been meeting a lot of people and discussing
personal as well as philosophical, organizational etc. issues with them. We met a member of
the Sewagram Ashram Board in Sewagram who is in an inter­religious marriage. She left her
home in answer to JP's call in the 70s and joined a youth group. There, she met her future
husband. When I asked her about inter­caste and inter­religious marriages, she said that she
felt it could not be forced ­ because she and others were in a forum where people met across
caste, religion and class, such associations happened automatically. There was opposition
from family to her marriage, but time healed all rifts.
2. An activist from Tamilnadu shared an incident from a village where he works: they have 2
temples there, one for the 'upper' castes and one for the Dalits. During the temple festival, in
the past, the Dalit temple idol would be paraded throughout the village, while the other idol
would not be taken through the Dalit basti but just be left outside it for a few hours so that the
66

Dalits could pay their respects. As the Dalits in the village became politicized, they began
wanting the non­Dalit deity's idol to be paraded through their streets. Last year, when the idol
had been left outside their basti, they paraded it themselves through their streets. This led to
tension in the village ­ threats between the communities etc. ­ and a peace committee was set
up to calm the situation. The peace committee deliberated and made the decision to
henceforth limit the parade of the Dalit deity to the Dalit streets and the non­Dalit deity to the
non­Dalit streets!
My goal of sharing these stories is to highlight the fact that divides between communities are
increasing. Where are today's equivalent of radical movements, where youth came together
and formed new communities? Even on a website like http://idontwantdowry.com, caste is a
filter.
Madhu made a valid point earlier about class ­ that marrying in our own class does not
diminish inequity. But I am afraid that caste as a barrier often pervades even within the same
class. The tensions in the Tamilnadu village rose with the upward mobility of Dalit families. I
remember visiting a village in Bundelkhand where a Pandit­led mob went on a rampage in the
Dalit basti, killing a few people and burning down homes. The trigger, according to the people
there and the local organization, was that the Dalit community was becoming richer due to
remittances from cities.
So while middle class inter­caste marriages are not very radical, they are a step in the right
direction. As Nishank points out, deadlines and parental thought processes still push youth
towards marriages within one's own caste. Interestingly, the sub­castes that Madhu pointed
out among Rajput­Bhil etc. intermarriages seem to be emerging in middle classes too. My in­
laws have a Brahmin­Lingayat marriage and apparently marriages are being promoted within
this sub­caste!
Further, for good or for bad, urban middle and upper classes are trendsetters for the rest of
the country. With media and popular thought being driven by these classes, any move away
from caste can only be good, in my opinion.
Regards,
Sudha
Not just an unemployment allowance (co­authored with Dwiji)
A milestone was achieved recently in the implementation of the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Uttar Pradesh. The UP govt. approved payment of unemployment
benefits of almost Rs. 15 Lakhs to 826 families in 20 villages of Mishrikh and Pisawa blocks of
Sitapur district.

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A person living in a rural district can apply for work under NREGA with either the Pradhan,
Panchayat secretary, or the Block Development office. If s/he is not given work within 15 days
of filing the application, s/he can apply for an unemployment allowance. If 100 days of work is
not provided to the applicant's family in that year, they are entitled to an unemployment
allowance.
Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan is a movement that came together in 2005 in the Mishrikh
block of Sitapur dt. The farmer­labour movement was mobilized on the issue of bringing
irrigation waters in the Islamnagar Rajbaha (canal). The rajbaha was dry and had been written
off as unusable, even though the UP Irrigation Dept. continued to issue contracts for its
cleanup every year. After a few months of mobilizing in the affected villages and sustained
non­violent campaigning at the block and district offices of the Irrigation Dept., water was
released into the rajbaha for the first time in decades. The success of the campaign is
underscored by the fact that water continues to flow through the canal three years after the
campaign. During this campaign, the Sangathan first took on the issue of payment of
minimum wages and the inclusion of women in the work force.
Sitapur district was one of the 200 pilot districts in which NREGA was launched in 2005.
Realizing the potential of the Act, the Sangathan decided to take up its proper implementation
in the villages they were active in. The non­issual of job cards, illegal charges taken for
photographs, refusal to receive work applications, refusal to provide work, denial of work to
women, illegalities in measurement of work done, payment of less than minimum wages and
various other shortcomings in the implementation of NREGA were taken up. Farmer­labourers
from nearby Pisawa block joined the campaign and became an integral part of the Sangathan
in this period. While tackling these issues at the day­to­day level, the Sangathan decided to
pursue unemployment benefits for those who had applied for work but had not received any.
The campaign for unemployment benefits was launched in Nov. 2007 as a test of the
administration's sincerity in implementing NREGA. It was also part of a strategy to pursue a
targeted campaign while engaged in tackling the various local issues relating to the
implementation of the Act.
The district officials initially refused to acknowledge that the applicants were entitled to
unemployment benefits. In December 2007, after a 10­day dharna at the district collectorate,
the District Magistrate intervened and set up a six member committee, with equal
representation from the govt. and the Sangathan, to investigate the claims. This committee
submitted its report in March 2008. This was opposed by the Pradhan association. In
response, the CDO asked the committee to give them a hearing. He also asked the
committee to calculate the individual payments that were due to the eligible farmer­labourer
families. The committee submitted its final report in October 2008 establishing the eligibility of
826 families to receive Rs. 14,99,340 in unemployment wages. As and when the district
administration used stalling tactics due to vested interests or a lack of initiative, the Sangathan
used non­violent protests involving larger and larger numbers of farmer­labourers to move the
administrative machinery.

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Finally on January 15th 2009, a govt. order was issued by the office of the Commissioner of
Rural Development authorising the disbursal of unemployment benefits. The order also called
for disciplinary actions to be taken against the responsible officials during the time period in
which employment was denied, as confirmed by the committee. The then B.D.O.s of Mishrikh
and Pisawa subsequently filed a writ petition in the Lucknow High court challenging the
constitution and composition of the committee. In a quick decision, the two judge bench noted
that the Commissioner of Rural Development is the responsible and empowered authority
under NREGA and that the appellants should file a representation before the commissioner
within three days of the court's order. It went further and noted that the Commissioner has the
responsibility to ensure that deserving families are not denied their rights in the process of
reviewing the work of the committee.
During the Sangathan's latest dharna in Sitapur between 16th and 20th January, a
representative of the district administation confimed receiving the order for disbursal of
unemployment benefits from the state offices in Lucknow and read it out aloud to much
cheering and jubiliation. The dharna was ended after five days when the district administration
acceded to eight other points on the local aspects of the implementation of the Act and laid
out action plans. Camps at the block
offices every second and fourth Thursday
for issual of new job cards and display of
the revised measurement of work
standards on the walls of the panchayat
and block buildings are a few of the steps
to be taken up by the administration.
It is the first time that the UP govt. will be
disbursing unemployment benefits for
those denied work under NREGA. Beyond Returning to their villages in a Vijay Jaloos (Victory
Rally) on Jan 20th, 2008
this, the setting up of a committee with
equal representation from the Sangathan
and the govt. is a big step in participation of civil society in the implementation of a govt.
programme. Different govt. programmes have incorporated people's participation in planning,
monitoring and oversight as part of their definition. The committee set up by the District
Magistrate of Sitapur to look into the demand of unemployment allowance is in keeping with
this spirit. This decision came about only after sustained campaigning by the Sangathan and
stands testimony to the strength of people's power.
It is also reassuring to see that once again a people's movement has been able to amend the
designs of govt. officials (more than once) and enforce a fairer implementation of a govt.
programme. Each of the voices in the Sangathan has grown stronger as the campaign has
progressed. Questions have been raised and action plans are being charted to tackle not just
the challenges in the implementation of NREGA but also other govt. programmes and
schemes. The coming days will reveal how the strength of mobilization can change the rural
landscape of Sitapur within the existing framework of laws, programmes and schemes.
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