India trip 2004
www.infrasys.biz
FEBRUARY 01, 2004 � ODHIYUR, KANCHEEPURAM DISTRICT, TAMIZH NADU
I traveled to this village with Renuka and Balakrishnan. They are
founders of Center for Women's Development and Research.
Visit http://cwdrindia.org/.
This is an NGO that has been primarily working with the social problems of slum women in Chennai and they are presently expanding their work to rural areas and they had "connected" with Odhiyur.
Odhiyur is hamlet of about 300 hundred families set on the coast side of the East Coast Road. It looks and feels like a Kerala village-
cocoanut trees, mango trees and jackfruit trees. Looked idyllic...
neat clean very comfortable thatched roof homes.
The village - primarily women- gathered under a shady tree for a
general session of discussion. The village leaders also arrived. It
was sort of mini Grama Sabha.
The topic Renuka and Balakrishnan introduced for discussion was
income generation. After the initial shyness, thoughts flowed and
suggestions were made. Young girls spoke of aspirations and young men spoke of their frustrations.
They spoke of making appalam (pappad), pickles and even the
cultivation of mushrooms - all for sales to the cities.
I posed the question if they themselves would buy what they made -
say pickles. They said that they would prefer to sell it the cities
for a higher amount. The culture of "export" - be it garments,
software or jewelry is alive even in this tiny village!
I took the opportunity to introduce Kumarappan economics by asking them how much soap each family used. Between washing and bathing each family currently spends Rs 100.00 per month on soap- that is Rs 30,000 per month from this tiny village. Okay let us say that their estimate is off...let us settle for Rs 20,000.00! No wonder the Proctors & Gambles are marketing so much in the villages!!!
I then challenged them by asking them if infraSys would help them set a soap-making unit in the village, whether they would buy their own soap (at a cheaper price) or would they still buy LUX "used" by some film star.
The concept was new to them and it took a while for this possibility
to register.
I am more and more convinced that (KUMARAPPA was right-
"Economy of Permanence by J.C. Kumarappa) the first step for a village economy is to produce something (that they all use) as
locally as possible. Secondly, this is something that they must want
to do as opposed to infraSys wanting to do it.
I left Renuka and Balakrishnan with the thought that infraSys will
consider investing in a soap-making unit for that hamlet- if the
resolution to produce and use what they make is made by the village.
I am seeking help from anyone with some knowledge on this subject.
What a fantastic day... and the Bay of Bengal and its breeze a
bonus!!! NEXT TOP
