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Padayatra 31st Dec - 7th Jan
The Padayatra begins on the 1st day of the new year, 2006. We are attempting to log the progress of the Padayatra everyday. There are, however,some difficulties in connecting due to some remote locations, as well as the 12 hr powercuts in the rural areas. We will be documenting various experiences and stories as we go along, in an attempt to create awareness amongst ourselves. If you would like to reach us, please write to grnearth@vsnl.com or if you want to reach Ranjit in the field, write to ranjitster@gmail.com
31Dec'05 - End of 2005, before the Padayatra
Padayatra.
Chala Padayatra. Let's go on a Padayatra. Let's do something about the
drought in Maharashtra. Let's transform these drought affected areas.
But how are we going to do it? What are we going to find on the Padayatra?
With these and many other questions, we reached Kasari village in Beed
district, eastern Maharashtra, on the last day of 2005. The first thing
that struck us in Kasari - 60% of the village had migrated for employment,
mainly sugarcane cutting. These people usually migrate for 6-7months of
the year. The remaining few tried to cultivate their crops. They tried
planting, not once but twice and failed due to lack of water. We asked
them, what did they do for a living? Cattle herding, milk and small work
here and there. Why don't they migrate with the rest of the villagers.
"Saheb, we are college graduates. How can we cut sugarcane?"
We could hear the loud rumbling of a bore well being drilled. It was its
third attempt to strike water. The end of 2005. Start of the "Dushkaal
Hatavu, Manus Jagavu" campaign - Eradicate drought, save humanity.
01Jan'06 - A Padayatra begins
New year.
A new beginning. A new movement. Through a Padayatra.
People from various places, from far and wide came to join us on the Padayatra.
We want to shake people up. This movement has to come through the people.
We want to understand their problems. We want to talk to them. We want
to live with them. We want to support them.
There
were about a thousand strong peoples who started with us. Rajendra Singh,
our drought warrior from Rajasthan joined us for the first two days. For
those of you who do not know him, he is called "Paniwala baba - The
waterman". He transformed the water situation in Rajasthan, made
green fields possible in the driest of areas. A lovely man to meet and
a very interesting man to know about. "Hame bazaru kheti nahi karani
hai - We do not want to farm according to what the market wants."
We have to farm according to the land, the climate, local conditions.
The Padayatra has begun. Next stop, Jamkhed, a 25 kms walk away.
After a long walk, we reached the rural health center of Dr. Arole. another
extremely interesting and amazing person. He transformed the rural health
situation in this area. "Remove poverty, disease will disappear with
it."
02Jan'06 - Shikharwadi, A village migrates
Shikharwadi,
a small village near Dhangar Javalka village on the padayatra route. Population
- 550. Actual people left in the village - 100. When we reached the village,
there were no men or women to greet us. Only children and their grandparents.
Where were all the people?
We went to a small hut. The sun was setting. There was one light bulb.
Luckily, there was electricity. The 12 hour power-cut was yet to start
that day. Sumantai, an old lady, was holding her granddaughter in her
lap. The little girl was running a fever. We asked Sumantai where the
little girl's parents were. Her son and his wife had migrated to Gujrat
for 6-7 months. Why did they migrate? Werent there any jobs in that area?
Didn't they have land to cultivate? Yes, they have about 5 acre land,
but then, there is no water. Isn't there a small dam, filled with water
because of the good monsoons, right there in sight? Yes, but it benefits
only the people downstream of the dam. Their land is upstream. There is
no money to install a pump and the government charges money for water
from the one tap in the village. So do these migrant workers save enough
money to get back to the village? No, they basely make enough. Then why?
Why do they leave their children and the old by themselves in the village
for months? We asked Sumantai if she was going to take the little sick
child to the doctor. "Kay Saheb, there is no medication and the hospital
is 5kms away. She will get well by herself."
The we met Rekha. She was 10-12 yr old. She doesn't know how old she was
because she didn't go to school. She lived with her younger sister and
brother. Where were her parents? They migrated to Gujrat with their youngest
baby sister. She cooks and takes care of her two younger siblings. What?
A 10-12 yr old girl running her house, looking after her two younger siblings!
Her best friend is her goat "Phutani". She goes to her neighbor
when she is scared.
Little Chandrakant aka Chandu, lives with his grandfather. He studies
in 3rd grade and his sister is in 8th grade. Sister cooks and looks after
him.
Sitabai.
An old woman of about 60-70 years. Her son migrated to Gujrat leaving
his two children behind. Her granddaughter Savita is in 6th grade and
cooks for her. Savita's brother, Ramchandra till their 5 acre land. He
is in 8th grade.
What kind of injustice is this where school going children have to take
care of their grandparents and siblings, when this is their age to play,
learn and be kids? The situation has forced the kids into adulthood.
We told Sitabai about the padayatra and our attempt to understand the
drought and hear the people's voice. We invited her to the gathering at
Dhangar Javalka village. She said she was too old to make it. She paused,
then said she would send little Ramchandra to the gathering. Living in
her village for years, surrounded by misery, there was still hope in her
eyes.
In picture: Sitabai and her grand daughter
03Jan'06 - Employment Guarantee Scheme - Exploitation under this revolutionary act
EGS - Employment
Guarantee Act. One of the most progressive acts not just in India, but
the world. This act guarantees employment to each and every person in
the state of Maharashtra. The projects that are carried out under EGS
are of "Kachcha Bandhkaam", as in work related to dirt, soil,
rocks etc, and not cement. So projects like breaking rocks for road work,
transporting rocks and dirt for building percolation tanks etc come under
EGS. So basically, it is extremely labor intensive hard work. The terms
of EGS are written, quite in detail. There are rates for what kind of
dirt, soil, rocks are being dug (approx. Rs. 45-60 per hour), transportation
rate if it is more than a particular distance, rental rate if the workers
bring their own tools, sharpening rates for their tools. The rates are
to be displayed at the project site. A formal muster records the names
and details of the workers, their wage rates and expenses. Drinking water
has to be provided by the project management. There needs to be a first
aid kit available, as well as a safe place for children. The EGS projects
can actually be suggested by the village people themselves through the
Gram Sabha for the development of their village, which can also serve
as employment for the unemployed in the village. It's a well thought out
scheme.
What actually happens?
During
our stay in Dhangar Javalka and Naygaon, we came across two different
EGS projects. Both these projects were constructions of percolation tanks
("Pazar Talav"). The percolation tanks were necessary for these
drought affected areas. At the first site, there were about 50 people
and about 20 at the second but the number varied everyday. There was no
EGS notice or rate plans displayed at the site. The workers were not being
paid according to the EGS scheme. There was a completely different system
of payment. They were paid by the number of boxes (a 5'X2.5'X1' measure)
they filled during the day. The rate was Rs 7-8/box.A pair of workers,
usually, a couple, filled around 25-30 boxes in a 6 hour shift. This resulted
in less than Rs 25 rate, as opposed to the stipulated Rs 45-60 rate. There
was no extra payment for the tool rental, even though they brought there
own tools, no sharpening payments, nothing according to the scheme. On
top of this, there were no formal muster at any site, only a small chit
of paper with scribbled numbers. There were several children under 3 yrs
sitting in the sun. The final over the top finding was underage girls
working at these sites. Kisnabai (in the picture) at the site near Naygaon
was 14years old.
The project near Dhangar Javalka was overseen by the sarpanch (the village
head) and his appointed Mukadam (supervisor). The musters that are actually
submitted, were made up, and the expenses are formulated. Extra numbers
of workers were recorded. These projects are to the tune of 40 lakhs (Rs
4 million). Where does the money go? And does it stop at the sarpanch
level? Sources say it doesn't.
After talking to several social workers in the area, we found out that
the findings at these sites were the reality in 99.99% of the EGS projects.
Here's something to reflect on. The budget for the EGS scheme comes from
the professional tax that you and I pay. Maharashtra has around Rs 10,000
crore available for EGS. This money is yours and mine. We have the right
to ask our government where this money is spent. Is it spent for somebody's
huge house or somebody's personal wealth? Are the projects funded by our
money exploiting the common people? Denying their basic rights for a decent
living? Are these projects actually helping the development of the village?
The
percolation tank near Naygaon was the eleventh one in the area, where
the previous ten were all dry in the month of January, right after one
of the biggest monsoons in recent years. Villagers say they dry up in
10-15 days after the last rain. The tanks are not engineered correctly,
and the water runs off in each and every tank. (In picture: A dried up
percolation tank near Naygaon)
Why does this happen? Is it because the workers are not aware of the EGS
details, and their own rights? YES. Is it because the so-called elected
representatives are involved? YES. Is it because there is no pressure
group from the village to stand up against this exploitation, when they
know that these projects could be beneficial for their village if correctly
executed? YES. There are many other reasons, and we need to find out what
they are. Our assessment team with look out for more such projects and
collect more evidence.
The villagers have to come together to keep a check on these schemes.
Projects under EGS can be well planned and executed for the development
of the village. Projects for watershed development and percolation tanks
can solve the issue of drought in this region. It can provide employment
to the local people and stop the seasonal migration for sugarcane cutting.
All the money allocated to the projects can be actually utilized for the
projects. You and I can be satisfied that our professional tax is going
towards real development of our country. We, as a people, need to wake
up!
04Jan'06 - Palvan, A village close to a city
Palvan is
a village close to the city of Beed. It's about 5 kms from the city center,
and is just a couple of kms from the outskirts of Beed. We, the padayatris
had excellent response from the earlier villages of Dhangar Javalka, Naygaon
and even Charata, a village we passed through on our way to Palvan. But
this village was different. Our assessment team was in the village for
three days, and yet they could not collect more than 5 people for a single
meeting. There was complete lack of coordination and cooperation amongst
the people. This was not just our view point, but of the villagers themselves.
The main workforce (20-45 yrs) goes to Beed for work, mostly manual labor.
The fields around the village are cultivated by the old. The conservative
estimate of the alcoholism rate was 80%. Everyone gambles, even little
boys around 10-15 yrs. We saw some of them playing "Surat",
a form of gambling, for hours in the evening. We managed to have a small
meeting and invited the sarpanch. The sarpanch was drunk. He is from the
dalit community, but has no say. There are no gram sabha meetings. The
water situation in the village is grim, but no one seems to do anything
about it. Why? There are tankers supplying water. Who pays for the tankers?
The government. Where does the government money come from? Hmmm.
What is happening in this village and why? Is it because the village is
so close to a city? It would be interesting if we find this happening
in other villages that are close to cities.
How can this village transform itself, when the people don't live a decent
life by themselves, let alone come together in a group to do something?
05Jan'06 - Padayatra reaches Beed
The
Padayatra passed through the city of Beed on its way to Ghodka Rajouri.
The support for the Padayatra is tremendous. Several local NGOs (non-governmental
organizations) and their supporters are joining us on our way. Some of
us have walked from the beginning and have covered more than a 100kms
on foot. We discuss issues while walking, exchange ideas, look after and
encourage each other. And after walking we conduct meetings and discussions
with the villagers. That is something! People are giving their time and
effort for this cause because they believe we can transform our system,
our villages, and be on the road to development. It's important to reduce
this divide between our cities and villages. It's important for us to
develop as a people.
The enthusiasm of the padayatris is amazingly refreshing and it is here
to stay.
06Jan'06 - A need to transform local organizations
The Indian
caste system. It is a very old complex system of identity. In this system,
some castes have been traditionally dominant and some suppressed. In free
India, even in 2006, there is this divide between the people of different
castes, especially in the villages. The identity associated with a particular
caste is in their habits, decisions, opinions and everyday life. It's
in their blood. There are various organizations that have been working
with the suppressed castes to exercise their rights and earn them an equal
place in society. Campaign for Human Rights (CHR) is one such organization
working in the Beed district. They have been doing good work under the
leadership of Eknath Awadh, to get the Dalits their rights in society.
Since the early nineties, they have made significant strides in dealing
with the injustices that the Dalit community has experienced for centuries.
However, the approach to lift the Dalit community from oppression has
led to their exclusion. In other words, there is separation between the
Dalit community and the dominant Maratha community. We experienced this
in the village of Ghodka Rajouri. The separation was there in earlier
times as well. But as a future step or goal, there has been no attempt
to integrate the two communities. Yes, the task is arduous, but there
needs to be an attempt to bring the two communities together to make decisions
and work towards the development of the village. The CHR seems to be more
of a protectionist organization with their Jeeps and heavy funding.
Our assessment team had done a good job to involve people from both communities
and have a dialogue for future engagement. When the Padayatra reached
Ghodka Rajouri, the CHR members directed the Padayatra via a shortcut,
when the sarpanch (from the dominant caste) was waiting at the main entrance
to the village. It could have been a mistake. Later, the two communities
were to provide for one meal each during the day. However, when the Maratha
community prepared lunch, the CHR members served it without their consent.
The Maratha community then didn't provide hot water for the Padayatris,
even after they had prepared it. Of course, these actions are from individuals,
but it's a clear indication of one-upmanship. These actions create more
divide between the communities.
If we are to partner with organizations like CHR for the future development
of the village, they have to evolve and take steps to integrate different
communities together in a constructive manner. The Padayatra is about
transformation. Transformation of the people and their villages, so they
have enough food, water and employment. But to achieve that goal, the
local organizations have to transform themselves, and look beyond separate
communities. Work towards a common goal to integrate people and transform
the society as a whole. Working with the Indian caste system is not an
easy task, but it is not an impossible one.
07Jan'06 - Mainda, a village and it's communities in distress
Mainda
is a village that has several classical issues found in the Marathwada
region, especially in Beed district.
The village is made up of the main part, five different 'tandas' and a
settlement called Laxminagar. Here is an explanation of the previous statement,
because it's confusing by itself. The main part of the village is where
the dominant castes reside. There is a separate area for the dalit community.
The 'tandas' are 'banjara' or nomadic tribe settlements. They banajaras
were once nomadic, but have now settled in these 'tandas'. Then Laxminagar,
is the name of a settlement made up of different scheduled castes and
tribes. It has a separate name, because there were some issues about not
including it under the Mainda village. It is however, a part of the village.
The main part of the village is made up of beautiful houses made of stones
and concrete roads. But the houses in 'tandas' and Laxminagar are semi-permanent
and extremely poor.
Sanitation is non-existent, and there is human waste visible everywhere,
even in the main part of the village. There is the usual rural 12hr power
cut, but even in the remaining 12 hrs, the electricity is intermittent.
The
well (in the picture) that the people from Laxminagar use for drinking
water is extremely dirty. That leads to high cases of disease.
There is not much unity between the castes, and all are not included in
the Gram Sabha meetings or decision making.Power resides with a few from
the dominant caste.
Most of the houses in the tandas and Laxminagar are locked because people
have migrated to sugar factories for sugarcane cutting or to cities for
manual labor. 60% of the population has migrated. Nagurao and Gajarabai
Mhomin look after their 10 grandchildren (in the picture). Their 5 sons
and a daughter have all migrated with their spouses to sugarcane factories,
with another 10 children. They migrate seasonally for 6-7 months to earn
money, but end up under debt even after they return. The old couple barely
supports the children, living in a small hut. 
The
children go to the local government school. Luckily, they get meals through
a government scheme for children of migrant workers in Beed. Little Tejas
(2) and his cousin Poonam (2) (in the picture) think their parents will
be back tomorrow morning. They wont be back till March.We asked Tejas
who he likes amongst his family. His older brother? Yes. His cousin Poonam?
Yes. His grand father? Yes. But who does he like the most? Shyly he said,
"Majhi Aai (my mother)". Silence.
Poverty is everywhere. Jayashree (in the picture), a 12 yr old smart girl
had to quit school 2 yrs back, so she can help her mother in her chores,
and look after her father's tyre puncture repair shop, while he is away.
Her mother says, "Why is it that only I have to take care of all
of you?" Jayashree has two younger sisters and a brother. She used
to come third in her class. Now she can fix tyre puctures of motorcycles
by herself. We told her we will follow up with her and get her support
for her education. She said, "But do you think my parents will let
me study?"
Fifteen
days back, a farmer, Suryavam Kasbe committed suicide. He had lost his
land in the percolation tank project in 1988, and had not received compensation
to date. Frustrated in his inability to earn and their poverty, he committed
suicide in the same lake. We met his wife Suman. Hopelessness.
So many issues in a single village. Why is it that these people have to
face so much poverty? How do we as a society care for our own, get them
the basic necessities in life, give them hope to live?