When we were planning
the Padayatra, we looked at it not as a mere event but as an experiment, a
method of social mobilization. As the Padayatra enters its last fortnight after
46 days and over 700 km of journey we are in a position where we feel that the
experiment has been successful..
·
Over 4000 people
have been associated with the Padayatra directly.
·
We have
interacted with the communities in 102 villages / towns and met and spoken to
(and heard) over 100,000 people.
·
The assessment
teams have had close interactions spread over 3 days with people in 44
villages.
·
The follow-up
teams have re-visited 8 villages on the Padayatra route where social action has
started already.
In Sonmanjari, a village of around 500 souls, in Nanded district the
assessment team and the Padayatris managed to mobilize and energize the people
to such an extent that on the evening the Padayatra reached the village (29th
January) everyone assembled in the temple and took a vow of developing their
own village through their own efforts. It was a dramatic moment made more
exciting by near total darkness punctuated by kerosene lanterns.
The villagers swung into action the next day by cleaning up the entire
village through Shramadaan. The follow-up team arranged to get a environmental
sanitation expert into the village. He demonstrated how a soak-pit has to be
dug and within 3 days all the houses had soak pits.. A volunteer from Pune went back to Sonmanjari with the follow-up
team. She was an expert on the PDS… In her interactions, she explained the
provisions of the PDS and the system of getting grain, sugar and kerosene… the
result was fabulous… the villagers summoned the PDS shop owner to the meeting
and asked him to explain why they were being denied their due.. after hemming
and hawing the PDS owner confessed to selling off their quota in the market for
profit… he has now vowed to make amends… the people have warned him that they
are watching…
These and other
stories are emerging from the villages… We are now sure that this method works.
We feel that development actors have a lot to learn from this experiment of
ours. In order to effect a change in lives of people, the poor, one needs to
·
Get close to
people, love them, live with them.
·
LISTEN.
·
Be honest and
transparently so.
·
Address issues
that people think are important.
·
Follow-through
with any and all promises that we make.
Elementary one would
think… … You may be surprised at how many development actors forget the basics…
it is time we returned to the roots…
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 18, 2006