THE BENIGN BHIMA

Bhima – the name evokes images of the Pandava strongman from the Mahabharata, huge, tough and fearless. But this is the story of a Bhima who was, in many ways, quite different.

Bhima was everyone’s Man Friday. Bhima was a young man in his early twenties. He belonged to the Koli Patel community and hailed from Sapar, a village on the national highway that connected Ahmedabad to Rajkot, in Gujarat.

Bhima was a well built, handsome guy. It was difficult not to notice him. His athletic gait, his broad smile, charming demeanour, his twinkling eyes and his thick moustache were quite conspicuous. A hard working, sincere and honest guy, Bhima was quite popular in the village. He was rumoured to have had affairs with quite a few pretty young lasses, both from his Koli Patel community and the Rabari community. (That was quite an achievement considering that the more agriculturally inclined Koli Patels were always at loggerheads with the Rabaris who were cattleherds, with most of the disputes around the cattle of Rabaris helping themselves generously to the crops that were waiting to be harvested in the Koli Patel farms !).

I do not remember when and how exactly we befriended Bhima. Probably it was in his avatar as a tractor driver. When we started work on renovating the Sapar percolation tank in early 1986(this was one of the earlier major projects taken up by AKRSP, an Ahmedabad-based NGO with whom I worked), we also needed tractors to transport earth that was dug out by those working manually with their spades. Bhima was introduced to us by Devchandbhai, Sapar’s respected and clever businessman in his sixties, a hard nosed agriculturalist, the local trader, moneylender, a dispute settler…all rolled into one. The two major communities in the village, the Koli Patels and the Rabaris, could not ignore Devchandbhai. Not because he was popular, but because he was important and influential.

Bhima was Devchandbhai’s trusted lieutenant too. He drove the only tractor in the village that belonged to Devchandbhai. He was a regular on the Devchandbhai’s agricultural lands, spread all over the village. He was some sort of a Jack-of-all-trades, and pretty much a good one in almost everything he did. As the tractor’s driver, he was also a local tractor mechanic. Working on the farms meant that he could repair the diesel motor pumpsets. He could tend the crops and knew quite a bit about fertilizers, pesticides and productivity. He could even do odd electrical repair jobs. But Bhima was only partially literate. He had barely gone to school. Hailing from a poor family, Bhima had started working very early in his life and was quite devoted to supporting his family.

Bhima was, in some ways, quite different from the other youth of the area. Unlike his other companions, he never was idle. He was extremely industrious. He did not smoke, drink or indulge in eve teasing. Though he did love going to the local block headquarters (Sayala) or the nearest city Rajkot, he rarely indulged himself. He often came back with improved seeds of crops or vegetables, or something useful for his family.

Bhima was a regular on the Sapar tank site for the entire duration of its work during most part of 1986. On days when the tractor was not required, he got down to digging the earth or piling up the stones or any work that was available – and you could always trust him with doing a good job. A quick learner, he was often asked to assist with supervision of the tasks along the 2 km bund length and with his unquestionable integrity, he could be assigned with various responsibilities. This virtue of his was of immense value in the corruption-ridden environment that we were working in, and construction sites was one of the easiest to siphon off money.

One thing that was entirely new for Bhima was community mobilization, something that AKRSP often engaged in. This was something he had never done before. Never before had he been deeply involved with such ‘public’ responsibilities. The renovation work often meant that there were frequent meetings in the village. Our trusted Bhima would ensure that the message went round and that all were aware of the timings, the venue and even the agenda ! But that was not all. As a deeply sensitive and an intrinsically intelligent person, Bhima had very useful insights to offer. Often he would articulate what others may want to say, but hesitate to do so in a meeting. Bhima had, through this process, discovered something which he was not aware of – his capacity to represent his community and confidence in his articulation abilities. Gradually, he started functioning like a secretary of the local association called the Gram Vikas Mandal. He even started to learn to read and write (he had some basic literacy skills in spite of not going to school) so that he could take down minutes of village meetings, read out from the muster rolls to mark attendance of people on the sight, and even compute weekly wages.

Bhima set a certain benchmark for us that we kept looking for in village level functionaries in all our project villages with his amazing range of qualities – honest, sincere, hardworking, eager to learn and generally acceptable. That was not easy. When AKRSP started exploring working in other villages in the area, we often took Bhima around with us, so that he could talk about what had happened in his village and so that the village youth could find someone to connect with, someone who understood their environs, their culture and more importantly, their perspectives and aspirations.

As our work in Sapar came to an end, our interaction with the village and Bhima reduced. We had more villages to work in, there were more concerns, more projects……But we did make it a point to seek him out whenever we visited Sapar or passed through – and invariably, he would be busy either with his own work or with helping others. Bhima must be in mid-forties now. He is probably married. He probably has children. His ex-girlfriends probably still yearn for him. He has probably joined politics and contested local elections. He is probably a very successful farmer and entrepreneur. And he certainly would continue to be an asset to his village and his people, someone that the younger generation can look forward to for inspiration and emulation.

KESARBAI'S PIONEERING EFFORTS

It was not easy getting to the villages of Chindwada district (in central Madhya Pradesh, India), famously known as ‘Kamalnath’s constituency’. (Kamalnath is a senior Congress leader who is now Union Minister in the Congress-led central government). As we wound our way through the rough tracks, we rocked in the jeep. But Yaseen’s expert driving assured us a safe passage. The landscape was dotted with teak trees growing on forest lands. The streams were running, thanks to the good rains. The fields seemed to be buzzing with activity. The seeds had already germinated and the fresh growth provided these fields with a velvety green cover. A variety of crops were being grown – maize, sorghum, pearl millets, paddy, groundnut and even cotton and sugarcane. There were small beds of vegetable crops too. There was an upbeat mood all around and why not? The rain gods had been generous, ponds and small dams were full of water, people had enough work on their farms and were looking forward to a good harvest.

I was traveling to Chindwada in 1995. One of Actionaid’s partner NGOs, Prayas, worked in a few villages of this district, in the Amarwara and Harrai blocks. As we passed through the villages, girls and boys, women and men waved and shouted out aloud to Sadiq and Seema, who waved back cheerily. “Aren’t you going to stop here”? they asked as the jeep slowed down to acknowledge their greetings. “Why aren’t you coming to our village”? they queried. Sadiq and Seema were a familiar sight in these villages. Both were post graduates in social work and had been working with the local community, predominantly adivasis (tribals), since the late eighties. “No”, they replied. “This time, we are going to Jhirna. It’s a long time since we went there, and, as you know, Kesarbai will be very upset if we put off our visit to her village once again”. “Yes of course”, they nodded knowingly. They knew Kesarbai too, very well indeed. After all, she was one of them.

The people of Jhirna saw the familiar side of the Mahindra Commander jeep from a distance and as we approached the village, we were surrounded in no time. “ Namaste”, they shouted aloud, “welcome, welcome, we were wondering what took you so long to come”, they chorused. As we unwound and tumbled out of the jeep wondering if our backs were alright after the rough drive, we saw a frail looking lady in a bright orange coloured saree with colourful flowers printed all over, coming towards us making her way through the crowd. She had a neat line of vermillion in her parting. Her hair was tied neatly in a knot. In spite of her frame, she seemed to exercise some authority as she surged ahead of the crowd. “This is Kesarbai”, Seema introduced proudly. Seema had been instrumental in working with the women, organizing them into groups and guiding them in managing village level initiatives such as forming grain banks, seed banks and cash savings so that they were not dependent on the local moneylenders who were highly exploitative. She had also trained them in legal awareness and with the help of her lawyer sister Sunita and husband Sadiq, had represented many a case of harassment of the local people by the local authorities.

Kesarbai grinned. She was quite happy to see us. Each time Seema and Sadiq came to her village, there was something to discuss, there was some new information to be gained, there was some more impetus to the village works. This time too, she had something important to discuss, and something else to share.

As Kesarbai called out to the people around her, they started assembling in the courtyard of one of the houses nearby. The women huddled together in one corner of the open space, while the men seated themselves at the other end. Bidis (tobacco rolled in the locally available tendu leaves, for smoking) came out and the air was thick with its smell. There was an excited chatter. It was about 7 in the evening then and the women had ensured that they had cooked their evening meal before coming for this meeting. They wanted to discuss the plans for a new programme in the village that would improve their lands and help them conserve water. The men had some good ideas, but they wanted the women to put these forth, as the women apparently enjoyed better ‘credibility’, largely because of the way their ‘sangathan’ (association) had been functioning ! Also, they had such an impressive record of managing the grain bank, the seed bank and their savings, which the men just could not match up to.

There was nothing special about Kesarbai, in a sense. Like the other 40 odd families living in the village, hers was also a simple adivasi family. She had been married for about 30 years now. Life had been full of struggles. She used to spend long hours in the farm, alongside her husband. She would tend the cows, in addition to attending all the domestic chores. Like the other women in her village, she took pride in keeping her house clean, applying fresh coats of cow dung in the ‘angan’, (courtyard) making small paintings in bright colours on the walls of the verandah. Her kitchen was bare and simple, but spotlessly clean. Her grains had been stored away with great care to last the whole year.

The monsoon months were very busy with work on the farm. Her husband would often sleep in the farm during the nights when the crop was ready, like the other men in the village. Kesarbai grew vegetables in a small plot of land just behind her house. But once the crops were harvested and stored, there was not much to do. Well, she could still grow some vegetables in her ‘baadi’ (kitchen garden), but that did not need much time. And like other women and men, she too would look for opportunities for employment – on road sites, dam sites, making small bridges and causeways, well, just about any public work that came her way. After all, it meant an additional Rs. 20 per day for each day of work. Even if it was backbreaking, and even if it meant so much of additional work, it was important to keep the family together, ensuring that there was enough for the whole family to eat and making ends meet. She could also not rely entirely on her husband. Lazy as he was, he was not keen to find work for himself. He often found it too much to do. Moreover, even if he did manage to find work and earn something, most of it was spent on buying the local country liquor, like most other men. Most of them would then create a scene in the village, by picking up fights with their neighbours, beating their wives, shouting at their children, cursing the landlord, well, just about anything that they felt like doing that day, promptly to be forgotten at the break of dawn the next day !

In March, Kesarbai, like the other women, would wake up early in the morning, before daybreak, to join a group of women who would go to the forests nearby to collect ‘mahua’ ( found in the spring season) flowers. This would then be bought by local traders and among other things, mahua flowers would be used for making the local brew. There was a good demand for this. They would collect the flowers that were shed, from the ground under the trees. The more enterprising ones would even climb the trees to pluck the flowers. Kesarbai could do that, and she quite enjoyed it also. But it had its own hazards. Many a time, women had fallen from these trees, causing bruises and injuries. The fact that they were climbing the trees wearing sarees did not really help. But then, in the company of the women at dawn, partially assisted by the dark and with no one else watching, they would lift their sarees knee length, take a strand of it between their legs and tuck it at the waist behind, to make it look almost like a dhoti that the men wore, which was more conducive for climbing. But what they feared was the leopards (tendua, as they called them) and the occasional bears that they would encounter. Which is why, they would always go in a group.

The mahua season would last for about 2 weeks. They wished they could store the mahua flowers so that it could fetch up to Rs. 15 per kilo. But then, the need for hard cash during a season when work on the agricultural fields was low, meant that they would sell it to the local traders, who would anyway have done their rounds well before the mahua season had set in and pay them an advance to ensure that the women sell the mahua to them. It was in a way, trying to capture the source. Well, why then would they accept this advance and be bound to sell to the trader, one could ask. The answer was simple – the need for liquid cash ! Most of the families grew crops during the monsoon season and harvest it at the onset of winter. Most of it was kept for their home consumption though. Anyway, it wouldn’t last the whole year. Most would have to buy grains and other food items on credit, paying huge interest, though. There was hardly any marketable surplus. Thus, to them, the local traders came across as being benevolent, for they were advancing money against the crop (mahua flowers) which had not yet been collected. But what they did not realize was that their collection was bought at rock bottom rates, sometimes as low as Rs. 2, when could then be sold for prices that would be 7-10 times more !

Kesarbai had often wondered if there was a way out. Somehow, it was to do with non-availability of liquid cash, she knew. But she was not clear how this could be tackled. And it was also to do with poor yields from their farms. But then, what could be done about that? The mahua season was a given too. No one could extend that!

That was when she came to Amarwara to meet Seema at her office. Seema and Sadiq had, in the mid-eighties, set up an organization, Prayas, to work with the tribal communities in Chindwada district, setting up a small office in Amarwara, about 40 kms from Chindwada. Kesarbai was accompanied by three other women from her village.

“We heard that you are working with women like us and forming ‘sangathans’ (associations) in the village. We want to do something similar so that we can tide over our problems”, she said, very simply. She had certainly come with lot of expectations, but with little hope. Hadn’t she done the rounds at the various government offices – the Block Development Office, the Education office, the Health centre, the Water department’s office, for various purposes? And what the response? Almost always, it was of no use! Which made even the men of her village jeer at her. “We told you nothing will happen in this village. You are being unrealistic by visiting these babus (officials). You need to pay them money, you foolish woman! Only then will they respond to our problems”. “But at least, I try”, she would retort back, “unlike you who are content at accepting things lying down, blowing away our earnings with your bidis and drinking away your earnings with the country liquor” ! Heart of hearts, she knew that somewhere, sometime, her perseverance would pay.

But Seema’s response took her by complete surprise – a very pleasant surprise. “We are willing to help those who help themselves”, Seema told her- which was something that rather baffled Kesarbai. Seema continued, “We don’t want people to depend on us. We believe that you all have the power within to change your lives. Why don’t you organize the women in your village and start a group activity, like initiating savings. You could save in whatever form and in whichever way you want. You can save through cash, food grains, seeds, and even mahua flowers. One of you should take the responsibility to keep track of who has saved and how much has been saved. We will help you with that”, she said. Kesarbai shook her head vigourously in agreement. This was certainly making a lot of sense to her. But she looked at her friends who had accompanied her, seeking their endorsement. “If you have understood what madam said and if it is ok with you, it is ok with us too”, they had said. They had faith and confidence in Kesarbai. Many a time, Kesarbai had come up with simple solutions to complex problems. They were sure that this time too, Kesarbai would come up with something useful.

Kesarbai did not lose much time in organizing a women’s meeting. Not that it was easy. She still staved off delirious comments from the men, including her husband. Some of the other women were admonished by their husbands when they said they were going for a meeting. Some were horrified that their women also seemed to go the Kesarbai way ! But then, the women were undaunted. The first meeting had over 20 women, just a little over half the number of women. But it was a good start, they thought.

“If we consume all that we have, all that we produce, we won’t have anything when there is a crisis. So let us kept aside a little of what we have, each day, day after day. One of us will take the responsibility of calling meetings of our group, someone will take the responsibility of maintaining accounts”, Kesarbai explained. There was quite a bit of animated discussion around the group. “Kesarbai, what are you talking about? Don’t you know about us already? We barely have enough to eat and feed the family. How do you expect us to save from this”? It was indeed a sobering thought. “We have to save”, Kesarbai said slowly, with determination. ”Sisters, there is not way out. We need to sacrifice. I know it’s difficult. But we won’t die if we eat a little less, each day. After all, it is for a better future. Each day, when you sit down to cook your meal, keep a ‘muthi’ (fistful) of grain aside in a ‘kothi’ (an earthen storage bin). Let me tell you, it won’t hurt…at all ! Slowly, start talking to your husbands. They also need to know, to understand, and to co-operate. And every week, let us deposit the grain thus saved into a common kothi. I will ask one of the men to spare their kothi. Ramlal has some spare kothis. I will talk to him”, she said. “What will we do with the stored grain?”, one of the women asked. “When our own kothis are empty, we will take some grain from the kothi and put it back with some extra quantity when we can repay. If we borrow 1 kilo, we will repay a kilo and 200 grams. That way, our stock will increase. And then, no one will go hungry in our village”.

The women brightened up. It certainly sounded very interesting. “Why don’t we also save some cash”? one of the women suggested. There were soft giggles of disbelief around. “Hey you, do you have that much of extra cash for you to save” ? The women laughed ! But not Kesarbai. She said, “Jamna is not wrong. Can we not think of saving a couple of rupees a week ? If 20 of us save Rs. 2 per week, we will have Rs. 40 each week in a common fund. And that will become Rs. 160 per month. Now, isn’t that a decent amount? If someone falls ill and wants some money urgently, or wants to buy food urgently, can we not lend at an interest rate which is lower that the local sahukars’(traders) ”? she asked. The women were quiet. This too made sense. “Okay sisters, it is getting quite late and before our husbands start shouting and abusing us for what they would call gossiping, let us get back to our homes. I am sure we all have work to do. But think about what we have discussed carefully and let us meet again next week, may be the day after the weekly haat (market)”, she said. The women dispersed. But there was a strange sense of excitement. As they wound through the dark lanes in twos and threes, they could not conceal the excitement. They felt that they were embarking upon something that would change their lives. Even the thought of an angry husband or hungry, squealing children waiting to be attended to did not seem to dampen their enthusiasm!

This meeting had indeed changed the perspective of these women, most of whom had always believed that nothing much could change in their lives. Slowly, but with determination and amidst a great deal of cynicism especially from their men folk, the women started meeting regularly, saving fistfuls of grain and a little amount of cash. Seema and Sadiq were impressed. In a short span of 6 months, the women had not just shown their desire to take control of their lives, but had been very systematic about it. They would travel to Tinsai, a village a little away from theirs, where the women had initiated something similar a couple of years earlier. They wanted to learn. They wanted to know more. Keeping accounts was their biggest problem. They got the primary school teacher to help them and hoped that over a period of time, one of their school going girls will be capable enough to take on this task. They had also managed to impress upon their men to think of other ways to develop themselves.

The men, not to be left behind, started discussing about the prospects of improving their lands and constructing small earthen structures to conserve rainwater, which could be used when their wells had gone dry or the monsoon had receded. Seema and Sadiq had agreed to send their engineer over to their village to firm up their plans.

As the mahua season approached, Kesarbai and the rest of the members asked Seema if her organization could lend them money equal to what they would otherwise have earned if they had sold the mahua produce to the local traders. It did not amount to much, but it was a critical need. Seema agreed. The women got some liquid cash, which enabled them to store the mahua flowers. They could now wait for another 3-4 months for the prices to rise and then sell it at a profit. Which they did, and in style! Each time one of them went to the market, they would check out the mahua prices. As the mahua season receded, the price started going up. Then, in the month of June, they decided to sell the mahua flowers. The prices had gone up considerably by then. Moreover, they had the additional problem of storing the flowers through the monsoon, which was difficult. On one of the market days, the women took their produce to the market in bullock carts and weren’t they proud to be a seller in the off-season rather than a buyer, something which they had never dreamt of? And they had reasons to be happy, because their men folk had also been equally enthusiastic and supportive, casting away their skepticism as they had now begun to see a reason behind what they were doing !

They came back from the market, with Kesarbai securely tying up the cash with a knot at the edge of her saree which she then tucked it safely round her waist. It was not just her money – it belonged to many of them and she had to be doubly careful! Before doing so, she had made sure that the women who accompanied her had counted the money and knew how much they had made. Next day, in the afternoon, they sat with the school teacher to work out the economics of this ‘enterprise’. They calculated the costs of the gunny bags which were bought to take the flowers, the amount they paid for the bullock cart, and even the couple of teas and snacks they had while trying to sell their produce. The result – a net profit of a little over 100%, something that the best businesses would envy them for! It was time for celebration. That evening, they had a feast. It was a community event. Some made maize rotis, some cooked the rice. There were brinjals, potatoes, onions and green chillis for the vegetables and the curries. And there was chicken … hot, spicy chicken! The local brew made from mahua was quite prominent too! Men and women alike indulged in celebrating this important event. For once, no one was complaining about drinking!

FOSTERING - WITH LOVE AND CARE

For time immemorial, mothers have been epitomes of love and sacrifice. Ancient mythology and modern literature alike are full of stories of mothers whose boundless love for their children instilled humane values in them. While we do see mothers in our daily lives, in the family, among friends, neighbours, I have also met several women whose lives were full of challenges that would seem insurmountable – women with difficult husbands who are alcoholic, drug pushers, petty criminals, women who were widowed or deserted or abused, women who were engaged in backbreaking jobs on roads and buildings. But wherever they were, their primary concern was their children, most of whom would accompany them to places of their work. The challenges were multiplied if they had children who needed special attention – children with disabilities, children who were abused, children who were ill and malnourished.

It was this ability of women to love and care for children that Bro. Kimpton had faith in. He used to come in regular contact with children who were orphaned and abandoned, children in dire need, with nowhere to go. There was no way, in many cases, to trace their antecedents.

It must have been in the late-sixties. One day, someone approached him with five children, siblings, who had lost their parents. They hailed from Kodaikanal, a beautiful town nestling in the Kodai hills of Tamil Nadu in south India, 60 kms from where Bro. Kimpton lived. He met them at the church, about 10 kilometers from where he stayed, where he used to go for his morning and evening prayers. When asked if he could take care of the children, he had no hesitation in refusing. He had a home for poor boys who lived in small cottages. All of them were poor, many of them were either orphans or had only one parent. They were aged 6-14. He had made arrangements for their stay and for them to go to the nearby government school. But here were five children, 2 of them girls, both of whom and a boy were below 6. They all looked very under nourished. They apparently had not been going to school. There was no way in which he could take care of them. But he prayed for them in the hope that some kind soul would take care of them. Somewhere in his mind though, the thought of these children troubled him. They looked so sad and miserable. But then, there was only this much one could do, he comforted himself.

The same evening, a frail young lady, probably in her mid-twenties, came to meet him. She had a child with her. She had been deserted by her husband or was probably a widow. She had nowhere to stay. Could she be accommodated somewhere? Could Bro. Kimpton take care of her? Well, the answer was simple. He couldn’t. He just couldn’t! He did not have a programme for destitute women. There was also the question of money. These were early days when he had not yet been able to identify enough sources of funds to support his activities on a regular basis.

He was perturbed. Something told him that he had not taken the right decision. He got on to his motorcycle and went to the top of a hillock nearby. He sat, lost in his own thoughts. An inner voice seemed to tell him, “Go, bring the children back with you. Keep them with you”. His restlessness grew. He stayed on, trying to concentrate, to meditate and overcome his restlessness. A little later, he came down, got on to his motorcycle and went back to the church to meet the parish priest and tell him that he would take care of the children.

The priest was delighted. He accompanied the children to Bro. Kimpton’s place, 10 kilometers away in his jeep and saw off the children, content in the knowledge that they would be well taken care of. He then asked the woman who was still waiting in the hope of getting some help from him. “Can you take care of these children if I give you a place to stay here”, he asked. “Oh yes, readily”, the woman replied, her eyes lighting up with joy and expectation. She saw a ray of hope in this unexpected question. If she had a place to stay, she could also see to it that her own child was secure! “But”, Bro. Kimpton said, “I want you to be a mother to them. It’s not just taking care of them, feeding them and attending to their needs. It is about giving them love. It is about caring for them as your own children”, he said. She agreed readily, once again.

And that was the modest beginning of the foster family programme. As he got more support for the programme, he built small little houses as a dwelling unit for a woman who was called a ‘foster mother’. These women came from poor backgrounds and were invariably single – widowed or destitute. Some of them also had their own children with them, and in addition, they cared for children who found their way to RTU – abandoned, orphaned, sick, disabled. Most children came at a very young age. In the area which was notorious for female infanticide, it was no surprise that most of the children were girls. Some of them were just a day old.

But however weak or disabled or difficult a child was, the foster mothers welcomed them happily and soon got down to the task of settling the children in their new homes. They would go about the usual ceremonies with great joy – naming ceremony, feeding ceremony, ear piercing, tonsuring….well, just about anything. And more importantly, they gave them love. They would often reflect on their past, about the difficult circumstances that brought them to RTU and feel content about the security of their new abode. When the children went to school, they would spend time in learning a new skill. They also got counseling support on parenting, as some children were indeed very difficult because of the traumas or shocks they had faced in their lives. And as the children grew into adolescence, there were new challenges to be faced. They also were conscious of the high degree of accountability expected of them, for they were dealing with the lives of these children. The way they brought them up and instilled values in them would ultimately determine the type of human beings they would grow up to in life.

Many children ‘graduated’ from the programme. Most of the teenagers, and especially the boys, moved out to a hostel as they were now old enough to take care of themselves. Eventually, the children who moved out of the programme got married, had children. But they could never actually sever the bond that existed between them and their foster mothers. Each vacation, they came home, to spend time with their mothers. Each time they came, they brought with them nice little gifts that their pocket money could afford. Each time their mothers fell ill, they would come to visit them. Marriages were of course only with the blessings of these foster mothers, who often then took leave to oversee the delivery of their daughters or daughters-in-law.

It may sound like romanticizing. It may also seem like ‘gender stereotyping’, of women being seen prominently as ‘care givers’. But then, this was different. These were women who were not just doing a ‘job’, which they could well get away with. Most of them had invested much more into this ‘job’. They had invested tons of love and volumes of care, a true tribute to humanity !

SAMUBEN SOWS AN IDEA !

It was in early 1986 that the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme-India (AKRSPI) started working on renovating the Sapar percolation tank (for conserving rainwater) in Surendranagar district of Gujarat. I had joined this team towards the end of 1985. Surendranagar was an arid area and often suffered from drought. Agriculture was certainly not an assured source of income. In fact, more often than not, people depended on the state government sponsored drought relief works for employment. Working conditions used to be terrible, payments irregular, corruption rampant and worse, such works caused disputes within the village, among families, between people of different caste or social groups….well, just about everyone, and for just about everything. If nothing worked, migration to the far off southern districts of Gujarat was the only way out.

AKRSPI had initiated this work in consultation with the local community. ‘Participation’ was still a new concept and certainly on government funded works which were ‘technical’ in nature. We had got commitment for most of the funds from the state government and had agreed to put in some resources of our own. However, it was clear from the beginning and especially to the government, that AKRSPI would do this work using its own methodologies, and hence, in many ways, would be ‘different’.

It was with great curiosity and a great deal of amusement that the women heard it from their men folks that the AKRSPI team wanted them too to be in the meeting. “How could they come for these meetings”? the men wondered. “They have work at home, they need to cook and take care of the children. How would they find time to come for meetings”? one of the men asked. “Even if they come, they won’t be able to say anything, as their men folk would be there. Most of them would be their relatives and elders of the village and hence would observe the ‘laaj’ (meaning, would cover their faces). It is meaningless and rather uncalled for”, said one of the elders who couldn’t understand this fuss being made about meeting and involving women! “Why don’t you tell us when the work will start and how much will you pay and how many people you want on the worksite”? asked one of the younger men. “We will ensure that there is adequate number of people to do your work”.

It took a great deal of Anilbhai’s (the first Chief Executive of AKRSPI and a retired officer from the Gujarat cadre of the Indian Administrative Service) patience and persuasion to explain that this was a different work and it was ‘their’ work. It was something on which they had to develop a stake, take pride in and ensure technical excellence. This was for a long term good as renovating the reservoir would mean plenty of water for the village, for irrigation, for the cattle for several years to come. It would mean recharging of wells and better productivity. It would mean women wouldn’t have to trudge long distances to fetch water or fuel or fodder. And more importantly, since women’s stakes were also involved, it was important that women also took part in all the decisions being made on this work.

The women too were admittedly baffled. Never had anyone sought their opinion even on matters concerning themselves or their own families. No one asked them if they were ready for marriage. No one asked if they wanted to bear children. No one asked them if they wanted to go to school. No one asked them if they were being paid wages for their labour. No one asked if they had their meal. No one asked if they need to take a break from long hours of working. No one just about asked them anything. Just because, they were only meant to do what was expected of them - no questions asked ! Oh well, they did ask them if the food was ready. Their husbands and sons did ask them for that extra bit of cash. They did ask them if they had milked the cows and sold the milk. But that was it.

“What value can we add to these discussions”, they asked innocently. “After all, our men folk know everything that needs to be done. And moreover, we have so much of work to do at home”! “With the older men sitting in these meetings, how do you expect us to talk”, one of the younger women asked. “We will be observing ‘laaj’ or else we will be severely reprimanded by our in-laws and others in the village”. It certainly did not help us that we did not have any woman on our team. (Till a few months later, when Sonal joined, by which time the work on the Sapar reservoir had started. Seeing Sonal as part of our team seemed to boost the confidence of the women, who then seemed to be more relaxed in our presence).

When the work started, it was clear to the people that they would earn more in wages than what they would otherwise have earned, had this been done through a contractor or even directly by the government department. Moreover the process would be very transparent. Anilbhai was therefore keen that a part of the wages, roughly amounting to 10% was set aside as savings. This idea certainly did not appeal to the men. The women, though not very sure, seemed to be willing to consider. Over a period of time, it was clear that the 10% did not really pinch, especially since it was being set aside for some use in future. They were happy that in a drought year, they were earning decent wages, which was much higher than what they had ever earned before with the unscrupulous contractors siphoning off huge amounts from their earnings, or straightaway refusing to pay them for their work ! The working conditions were something that they had probably never experienced before, with a place for people to relax during the hot summer afternoons, regular supply of good drinking water, and more importantly for the women, an ‘ayah’ to take care of their children – an onsite crèche, which was absolutely unheard of. Not that Bharatbhai, our engineer supervising the work was happy about. On deputation from the state government, he often wondered why AKRSPI was hell bent on breaking the norms and spoiling the 'labourers' ! The extreme weather conditions which made him dash every now and then to gulp down a pitcher of cool water was not reason enough for him to consider that those working in the hot merciless summer straining every single muscle of their body may also need a relief. "They are resilient, and are just used to working in these conditions", was his constant refrain, much to my colleague, Shashi's annoyance !

The hectic pace of work during the hot summer months which involved over 500 people saw the work completed by the first week of June 1986, just in time for receiving the fresh monsoon waters. There was an animated expectation among the villagers to see their reservoir fill with water, the first time in several years, which, they knew, would last till the next monsoon. Infact, most people in the village had not seen the reservoir full. Built under state government's drought relief programme to poor technical specifications and implemented by corrupt but influential contractors whom the government officials dared not confront or challenge, each time the reservoir was renovated, it would last only till the following monsoon season before being breached at several places, thus rendering it utterly useless. With the monsoon now approaching and a change in the air the we detected, we decided to have a meeting to discuss how we could use the money saved, which, by then, had amounted to thousands of rupees.

“Distribute it equally among us. We will use it for something, maybe we will buy something”, said Nanjibhai. Most of the men seemed to nod in agreement. The women however did not seem convinced. There was a murmur among them but when asked, they just laughed. The discussion kept moving along the lines of ‘distribute it equally’. And we kept on asking them to consider better options. Sonal moved closer to the women, encouraging them too to think of options. One of the women said “As the men say, distribute the money among us and we will buy utensils”. The other women laughed again. They were quite amused at the idea of getting all the cash to get those beautiful brass and steel vessels they always wanted! But the men weren’t amused. “What a waste”, one of them said. That was enough to shut the women. But Sonal persisted.

Rather hesitantly, Samuben, one of the most active women on the worksite stood up. She said, “Get us seeds with that money”, she said, hesitantly. There was a sudden quiet among the crowd. She looked around, unsure of what the reaction of the others would be, rather diffidently. But one could see the resolve on her face. Turning back to us, she said, ”Yes, give us seeds”. She continued, “You see, it is the sowing season now, but most of us do not have seeds. As soon as the first rains come, our men will run around for seeds, but we wouldn’t have enough money. They will then buy seeds on credit from the local traders, which invariably will not be of good quality, as all the good quality seeds would have been bought by the richer farmers prior to the arrival of the rains. We end up getting poor quality seeds at high rates of interest, and that also, late. How can you expect us to reap a good harvest”?

We heard her speak, in amazement. This was a very sensible and relevant suggestion. Anilbhai, listening with rapt attention to what Samuben had to say, smiled. He was delighted. What a productive way on using this money! Samuben had just explained an economic reality so simply, which, if addressed effectively, would provide a very sustainable source of livelihood, year after year. He looked at us and said, “Did you hear what she said? It is very significant. Note it down”, which we promptly did!

He then turned to her and said, “Samuben, you have made an extremely good suggestion”. Samuben blushed. Suddenly, all eyes were trained on her. She was even embarrassed. Pulling her saree over her head consciously and partly covering her face, she sat down hurriedly, wanting to escape from the peering eyes. There was a smile on her face. That one moment of attention meant like a lifetime achievement for her. But she was also apprehensive. Did she say something wrong? Forget the others, but will her husband reprimand her? She darted a glance at Popatbhai, her husband. Popatbhai was smiling. And why not ? The thought of enough money for seeds at the time of rains was something that they could possibly never have dreamed about. We could trace a shade of pride in Popatbhai’s smile. After all, it was his wife’s idea and for once, it seemed he was content for his wife to grab the limelight.

Anilbhai turned back to those assembled and said, “I have an additional suggestion. We will organize to buy the seeds jointly. We will get good quality seeds from Gandhinagar (the capital of Gujarat state), from the State Seeds Corporation. These will be certified seeds which will yield a good harvest”. Everyone nodded in agreement. Samuben’s suggestion had gone down well and so had Anilbhai’s.

“But”, Anilbhai continued, “you will have to pay back the cost of seeds after the harvest”, he said. The group was surprised. Why should they pay back for something which was bought with their own money? “As Samuben said, you need seeds year after year, season after season. If you repay the cost of seeds, we will buy more seeds for the next season. That way, you will have a fund which will be replenished with your own money. Once you are comfortable with the idea, you may even want to charge a nominal interest, so that your fund grows to meet your growing needs. And your money will remain in your own village”.

This seemed to be an interesting suggestion, but not a very convincing one. (Mind you, this was at a time when micro-credit or micro-finance had not yet become popular, nor had the concept of self-help groups emerged). The crowd was quiet. Samuben got up again and this time, with a greater degree of confidence, she said, “Anilbhai, you are very right. We need money for seeds every season, every year. We must create this fund with repayments for the cost of seeds. However, if some people don’t refund, they will not be eligible for this scheme the following season”.

Slowly, there seemed to be a consensus emerging. Little did Anilbhai or we realize that the seeds of a savings and credit scheme which would grow into several millions of rupees over the years across hundreds of villages, had been sown. Samuben had sown the seeds of an idea which was a small revolution for AKRSPI, but a huge step forward for the hundreds of families we worked with!