One of the most
striking points that has emerged during the first 30 days of the walk is the
ease of our interactions with the people. If we had imagined that we would face
difficulties in entering the villages, to gather people together, to initiate
dialogue and to enthuse people to action, we were wrong.
All the villages had
been intimated about the Walk and their consent obtained prior to the Walk. The
consent indicated that they were open and willing to check this out, rather
than an acceptance. In most cases, people were not really sure what to expect,
and had agreed to take care of the logistics – food and lodging. Not an easy
task, since none of the villages have any facility to put up visitors except
the school, the condition of the school being suspect.
But the degree of
enthusiasm has pleasantly surprised us. The first welcome to both the
assessment teams and the Padayatris has been tentative to enthusiastic, but as
the discussions proceeded and as the purpose of the Walk became clearer, the
enthusiasm and the voluntary participation of people in the process grew
noticeably.
We tried to understand
why, and what we learnt in the process has been enlightening to us. I am sure
you will also be interested.
People want to
tell: there is no one to listen.
And the Padayatra is all about listening and understanding. There are only the
occasional politician or the government officer that visits the village, but no
one who listens.
People have lost
faith in anyone and everyone: yet, they were more than willing to believe and
trust in all of us who reached out to them. Every institution – be it the government, politician, administration or
the media, has lost credibility. People have observed us quietly, and when they
were convinced that we were simple people with no ulterior motives, they
accepted us.
There are no role
models for the villagers to emulate and get inspired from. There is no one to guide and rally the
whole village together. There is no social mechanism to ensure both positive
and negative reinforcements.
The long and short of
it is that there is a
complete leadership vacuum.
There is a
need to identify, promote and nurture leadership that will look at the village
as a whole and not in compartments – of communities, projects or sectors. We
need to encourage leadership that will be clean, uphold moral values and will
look at the larger public interest rather than that of the individual. We need
to build social institutions that will undertake development work for the whole
village.
There are
wise people in every village. We met them in every one of the village we
visited. What is needed is to bring them together and provide the motivation
for them to perform. Facilitators are required to undertake this process. The
Padayatra has identified and announced Gram Mitra –Friend of Village – in 6 of
the villages it has visited so far. We need ‘Friends’ for other villages too.
Any
takers?
The MAHARASHTRA
VIKAS NIDHI (MAHARASHTRA DEVELOPMENT FUND) awaits contributions from all of
you… Watch this space for further updates. Do also watch the updated
blog at www.greenearthconsulting.org/padayatraprogress.htm.
Also read a compilation of some stories on www.empowerpoor.org
grnearth@vsnl.com, 020-25466103,
09422521703
Dushkaal Hatawu :
Manoos Jagawu
(Eradicate Drought :
Save Humanity)
February 11, 2006