India trip 2004
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FEBRUARY 07, 2004 �VAVIPALAYAM, TAMIZH NADU
I spent the night at the home of Sundaramoorthy and Sudhamoorthy. Next morning I accompanied Sundar Moorthy to the Panchayat office from where he conducts business. I reunited with my friends Saravanan and Dorai - Pune visit.
I spent much of the day talking to people and observing the business being conducted. Vavi consists of 10 hamlets, somewhat scattered. The area grows onions and coconut and like much of Tamil Nadu is drought prone. Bore wells are reaching over a 1000 feet seeking the sweet nectar of planet earth- water.
The villages are clean and there is not much evidence of trash and plastic. Thanks to the efforts of SSL many trees have been planted
and I am told more will be.
We went to the hamlet where the solar street lights will be installed and it was wonderful to see the residents excited at the prospect of this improvement. The general locations of the lights were determined based on solar exposure and for the maximum benefit for the residents and their movement. Mohanram of TATA-BP was present.
Next we went to see the night school run by SSL. We met many of its students including Parvati, 78, who proudly wrote her name in Tamizh and as a bonus continued to write it in English.
In the evening we met members of self-help groups- of course mostly women. One of the groups was growing/cultivating fish... no not the food variety but ornamental fish (aquaria fish). The consultant who is working with them also showed up and he assured them that this was for "export" and there was a lot of money to be made in this business!
That 'EXPORT" market keeps cropping up!!!!
I posed similar questions to this group as I did to the other group in Odhiyur - regarding making things for themselves first. I am a little puzzled why (and how) the concept of first making what we need has become so alien that it feels new and shocking to us!
At the end of the day ... late into the evening we met for a summary meeting to identify area for infraSys - Vavi collaboration. We have identified the following possible areas.
1.Soap making - and coconut oil production
2.Spinning of coir from coconut fiber
3.Handmade paper from waste fabric
4.Waste management.
5.Tree guards for trees (SSL)
I am confident that with the leadership that is in place, Vavi can start uniting the village citizens in a cooperative mode to make changes relevant to the economy and the potential of this area.
I am leaving Vavi with a very positive feeling. But the decisions need to come from its citizens.
Night in Vavi...a beautiful night... moonlight and coconut groves and the sounds of crickets and stray frogs... Frogs? In a drought-prone area? I guess they too have adapted... Goodnight.
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