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Padayatra 8th Jan- 14th 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

08Jan'06 - The Sugarcane cutters

The infamous sugarcane cutters have been migrating to the sugar factories in thousands for years. The Beed district in Maharashtra ranks first in the shear number of sugarcane cutter migrations. But why do these people migrate?
There is heavy sugarcane farming in regions of Maharashtra where plenty of water is available or has been made available. Regions near Kolhapur and Baramati (Western Maharashtra) are famous as sugar belts, with their sugar factories. There are a few sugar factories in Osmanabad and Latur as well. The sugarcane farms need expert sugarcane cutters. It is a tough manual job. Thousands of workers from Beed, Osmanabad, Latur and other places seasonally migrate to these areas for employment. This migration takes place around September- October, after the first Kharif crop is harvested, right after the monsoons. This applies only for those workers that have some land. Usually, they have just a little bit of land, about 2-3 acres, which is not enough for them to sustain themselves. Also, due to lack of water, they don't rely much on the agricultural yield from their land. They could get some employment in the village, but sugarcane cutting is a relatively attractive option for them. Relatively being the key word. So how does the business work?
The sugarcane factory pays a "vahan chalak", a truck driver/coordinator person to get sugarcane from the farms. This is an advance payment, which the driver uses to pay a "mukadam", a contractor. The mukadam uses that money to pay an advance to a "jodi", a couple from the village. Presently, this advance is anywhere between Rs 12-20,000. This advance is one of the attractions to migrate. The couples then migrate to the sugarcane farms, with their little children (usually under 2-3 years) for around 6-7 months. They leave their older children with their grand parents, or sometimes by themselves. Older, here means older than 2-3 years. On the farms, thecouple is paid according to the weight of the sugarcane they cut. Usually, they earn around Rs 250 a day, when they cut 2-3 tons. This gets subtracted from the advance that they had received. Almost always, at the end of the season, there is still some amount of money that is not "repaid" to the mukadam. So these workers end up in debt. This obliges them to go with the same mukadam the next year. And so the cycle continues.
They live in pathetic conditions on the farms, with barely any shelter (in the picture). Their children suffer, miss their education. Some sugar factories have started schools for these children, yet the lack of quality education and disconnect from their original school, cannot mend the loss. Health is a big issue on the farms. Alcoholism is rampant. The workers are picked up at any time of the night to fill up the trucks. Sometimes they end up working the entire night. Young children are left behind with the old, with little or no money. Child marriage is common. Young girls are married at the age of 13-14 yrs, since the parents don't want to leave them alone in the village.
So why is this option attractive?
They don't have many other options. There is no employment in the village. The little employment opportunities that they can get by working on other farms, or under the employment guarantee scheme don't pay them as much. The advance is attractive, even though they are bound to the mukadam every year due to their debt. Most of these sugarcane cutters were farm laborers before they started migrating. They were not treated well in their own villages. Population in these communities has increased, leading to lack of employment opportunities. Most of these households have 4-6 or more children.
Everyone says that migration should be halted, because of all its ill-effects. But traditionally, around the world, people have been migrating to better economic centers. What needs to be done is to create options for these migrant workers. Decent living conditions on the sugarcane farms, if they wish to migrate. Good education for their children. Employment opportunities in their villages, that pay them as much and give them better conditions to live. So they can make a choice whether they want to migrate, and not migrate because they have no other option.

09Jan'06 - Ganjpur and Malkaranja, Model schools

Maharashtra ranks amongst the top three states of India in terms of school education. The state has one of the most numbers of children enrolled in schools.
It's been ten days on the Padayatra and we have met several students on our way, from various grades. We always asked them some questions. One of our favorites was 981/9. This was aimed at the grade eighth onwards students. The question should be answered by a much younger child, but nevertheless, we tested the older kids with this simple math problem. None of the kids had been able to answer! We also asked them the square of 25. We got answers from 68 to 1000. And this was in almost 15 occasions. All these students were from government schools.
This makes us question the quality of education that is being imparted to the students. If a ninth grader cannot do a simple multiplication, why is he going to school? Is he wasting his time? Are the government schools only worried about the "quantity" of students enrolled and not the "quality" of education imparted to them? We asked some of these students why they go to school. None of them answered. Then one of them said shyly, so they don't get swindled by the local money lender. Guess the money lender is one person who wouldn't want the education quality improved.
Then we arrived in Ganjpur. We were welcomed by a troop of "lejhim" dancers (in the picture). Lejhim is a traditional Maharashtrian dance.The primary and middle school in Ganjpur is one of the best government schools we have seen. What makes it so special? One of the reasons is an extremely involved principal, Mr. Munde.Munde sir is from the same village and has been running this school since 2000. He has got an excellent team of seven teachers. These young teachers are very enthusiastic, and believe that primary education is the base of any child's education. Hence they concentrate on language and math from the early grades. A local army officer has donated for the development of the first grade classroom (in the picture), and now the classroom has several props and education material painted on the walls. The children are constantly exposed to the learning material. The local villagers all support the school wholeheartedly. The proportion of girls and boys is equal.Almost all the children in the village are enrolled.Munde sir arranges competitions between the students, several times in the year, and pays for their prizes from his own pocket. We did ask them our infamous math problem 981/9, this time to sixth graders. 24 out of the 26 students answered correctly. Indeed a model school!
The government of Maharashtra is also taking some steps to improve the education system. They have introduced a star system to rate every school. The schools are to calculate the average percentage of marks of all the students in the school. This includes the students that are absent as well, which puts pressure on the teachers to reduce absenteeism. The last exam is cross checked by outsiders, from other schools. That average percentage from the last exam is compared with the first average percentage from the previous exams. The difference cannot be more than ten percentage points. Otherwise, the school is scrutinized. This system will ensure that the teachers are at the top of their jobs, and could lift the quality of education in the state, if implemented correctly. This system has been introduced from last year.
In picture: Teachers and students in front of the Ganjpur school
The school in Malkaranja is also a model school, with another outstanding principal. The school is a five star school, meaning the average percentage is over 90. They recently received five computers, for being a five star school (in the picture). Unfortunately, due to the frequent and untimely power cuts, they are not able to use them. There is a need to provide an alternate source of electricity. Overall, the school and its students are excellent.
Let's hope other schools follow the Ganjpur/Malkaranja model, and that we see the quality of education improve rapidly. The kids deserve a decent chance in life, and they will grab it with both hands.

10Jan'06 - Malegaon, Farmers with No Say

Balu Bappa Dodke. A farmer in Malegaon. In June, Balu bought three bags of hybrid sunflower seeds from a shopkeeper in the nearby town of Kalam. It cost him Rs 300 a bag. The seeds were Mahabeej from the government run Mahamandal seed company. The seeds turned out to be bogus. There was no yield.
About 7-8 farmers shared Balu's fate. When these farmers went to the shopkeeper to complain, he said, "Mi kay pishvit shirun basaloy ka?" - Am I sitting in the seed bag to know if they were bad seeds? Such is the attitude of the shopkeepers. That particular shopkeeper replaced the seeds with another company, Bioseed. By this time, the time or season for sunflower seed planting was passing. The second yield was one-fifth of what was expected. The farmers suffered losses, and the issue died at the shopkeeper's. The fact that the shopkeeper replaced their bags for free means that he makes enough margins on the seed bags. Sources say his profits are almost 150%. And this is not the first time the farmers experienced this attitude. If they raise any issue, the shopkeeper refuses to sell them any seeds. Same thing with pesticides. There were cases where the pesticides that the farmers bought were fake ones. They had no effect on the pests. But again, they couldn't complain because the shopkeepers didn't need to sell them any.
Even in the market, the shopkeepers or traders buying their produce would change their rates at random. When asked why the previous farmer got a better rate, they are rudely shown the door. The produce is perishable and needs to be sold that same day. So the farmer always succumbed.
The main reason for this is because the complaints are being voiced by individual farmers, or in small groups. The traders or shopkeepers are holding the power to refuse them business. Farmers are being exploited openly. Bogus seed and pesticide companies are flourishing unchecked. The "drought" would never end without putting an end to this. Unless the farmers come together to voice their concerns and complaints, this exploitation is bound to continue. There needs to be an organized voice representing the farmers, not to bully the traders and shopkeepers, but to ensure fair trade. There are hardly any such organizations and the need to unite is greater than ever.

11Jan'06 - Padayatra enters Osmanabad district

The Padayatra completed Beed district and entered Osmanabad today. We have walked around 200 kms so far. Walking has become a breeze, and everyone is in high spirits. The enthusiasm to create something good is addictive.
The local organization "Paryaay" had a big welcome in store for us. Around 15-20 bullock carts were waiting for us with a huge crowd, just across a beautiful river.

Paryaay works with the disadvantaged society and their rights to "Gayraan" (the area of the village that is usually unclaimed). They work under the PACS (Poorest areas civil society) project. Unfortunately, they had got the bullock carts and trucks on rent, spending quite some money. The Padayatra is about meeting people, understanding the drought situation and working for the people. It is not about shows, which was the feeling we got from the local organization. Paryaay's Vishwanath Todkar criticized the government and other leaders, and blamed them for the drought. The Padayatra is not about conflict, not about blame. It is a constructive effort to pull people together and work towards a common goal. Again, the need to transform local organizations was felt strongly. Incidently, the Padayatra had to change the next village because the villagers had conflict with the local organization. However, our assessment team had a good response from that same village earlier, and we would be following up with that village.

Standing in the hot sun, I looked at the bullocks. The poor fellows were pulling the traditional wooden Indian bullock cart. If you have never seen one of these, it is a very poorly designed cart for these times. The bullocks waste a whole lot of energy in overcoming the frictional forces and pulling the wobbly wheels. I wondered when these beautiful creatures would be free from human atrocities and bonded labor, when their "drought" would end?

12Jan'06 - Darkness

Have you ever experienced a 12 hr powercut? We have been experiencing it from day one of the padayatra. But these villagers have been experiencing it for months.
"Arre, light aale!" - Yay, the electricity is here! This is what you hear every time the power is turned on in the village, every day.
The cities experience only a few hours of power cuts, but rural Maharashtra gets 12 hour ones. And they happen at any time, be it night or day. There is a schedule for each village. We have been having our dinner in the dark every single day. And I am sure we will continue to do so till the end of the Padayatra. But the poor villagers have to live with it for much time to come. They need to operate their grinders late at night. Farms need to be watered in the middle of the night. There is water this year because of the good rains, but no electricity to operate the water pumps. Crops are being damaged. Children cannot study in the dark. Their education suffers. A lifestyle is compromised. Why?
The Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) is bankrupt. Several reasons, some unknown to me have contributed to that, right from mismanagement, the Enronfiasco, to an aging grid with 40% transmission and distribution losses. But the fault is not entirely MSEB's. They simply don't get paid for their services. "Akada takna (Hooking up)" (in the picture) is a common practice in rural India, as well as some places in the cities, where a wire is connected to a live electric grid using a simple hook, and voila! The house is lit! We have been seeing this practice everywhere. Even three phase motors are connected using a three hook contraption. The surprising fact was that people are not even shy or ashamed to admit that they are drawing electricity for free.
The MSEB simply cannot stop people from stealing power because they don't know who is consuming and not paying. Actually, this statement is not entirely true. Sources say that many MSEB officials or linesmen are involved in scandals. Bribes are common. A fifty rupee note in the meter box can ensure that a lower meter reading is reported. Meters are slowed down using magnets. The MSEB employees working on the field have setups for this extra income. No money for the MSEB coffers. Power shortage. Power cuts.
The MSEB does evaluate every village on a case by case basis now to provide 24 hr electricity to those villages that are "Akada free", as in free of hooks and power theft. There are of course, loop holes in this evaluation.
The MSEB and the people need to get their act together. The MSEB needs to enforce work ethics in each of their employees. People in the villages need to come together to eliminate power theft. If people want their rights, they have to fulfill their responsibilities.

13Jan'06 - Arni, complete failure of a DRD project

The Department of Rural Development (DRD) has "developed" a project for up to a hundred families in the village of Arni.The project is about a kilometer from the main village. Concrete houses with two rooms each have been provided. Toilets have been provided, that are connected to "gobar gas" (biogas) tanks. These would facilitate cooking using biogas. A bore well was to supply water to the entire project. One water connection has been provided between two houses. A solar windmill hybrid project (in the picture) has been installed to provide for street lighting. The people were to be provided with cows to start a cooperative dairy business. The idea was to provide families with employment and income, as well as create a sustainable society that uses clean renewable energy. So what went wrong?
The pump on the bore well doesn't work. So no water is pumped in the water tank. Because there is no water, people do not use the toilets, since toilets take up more water than what they need to go out in the open. The toilets are used to store "sarpan" or dry wood for cooking and sometimes, even to cook (in the picture). Of course they need wood for cooking, since there is no biogas due to lack of toilet use. Since wood is used, the people have made makeshift kitchens outside their houses. The stoves are smoky. No, they don't use smokeless "choolahs" or stoves. People have constructed extensions to their houses using the traditional mud coated twig structure, for their kitchens and cattle (in the picture). No, these cattle are not provided by the government, it is their own. So no employment has been provided. The solar windmill hybrid project doesn't seem to be running since none of the streetlights work. The 1 year warranty has expired. The project engineer doesn't take interest. There is only one hand pump operated bore well. Even that hand pump is on the verge of breakage.
Only half the houses are occupied. People who had their farms closer to the project moved from the main village in the hope of being closer to work, and live a sustainable life. Now they face more problems than before. Each one of the promises has failed. A project started with good intentions has failed due to bad implementation.

14Jan'06 - Wastage Galore, Do we have shortage of water here?

Drought. Shortage of water. Is'nt that the story in these villages? Almost all the villages are dependant on tankers for their water supply during the scorching summer months. Yet, in most of the villages, we saw overflowing water from the village tanks.There were no taps or faucets, but makeshift wooden pieces stuck in the pipes in an attempt to stop the water flow. In one instance, there were coconut fibres stuck in the pipes. People have not bothered to replace or repair the taps/faucets, and let the water run without an ounce of concern. Same is the case with electricity. When there is electricity, the street lights remain switched on through the day. Why do these people complain about water or electricity shortage? Are they just used to complaining and want other people to fix their problems? Have they been groomed to be that way? This Padayatra is to wake people up from their slumber and take matters in their own hands. Make people realise their responsibilities and take charge. Question the status quo and march towards a better life. A change in attitude - that's the biggest challenge we face today.