DISCLAIMER: As is the case with the mirrors in any vehicle (even that of life), objects/observations are closer to reality than they appear. Any seeming romanticizing of the following reflections is purely intentional. The experience might actually be a lot more and difficult and far less cinematic.I have seen more green in the last 8 weeks than I did in my entire life(and I hope to see some more in the eyes of the people who read this).
We(me and my partner) arrived at the NGO’s office in the tiny town of Kagaznagar,A.P (it is on the Chennai-New Delhi train route) on September 29 at around 10pm. We were to reach our village next morning and as it turned out, ours was just 8km away from this ‘city’(as the people there call it).
On the auto that we got, it took around 30 min. The road turns into a dirt track for the last two kms and feels like a TORA-TORA towards the end. Our Rs 2500/head/month lodging,boarding was in a two room house with a labourer and his family consisting of his wife,his mother, 2 sons and a daughter. The flooring was kuccha and cow dung coated and the roof was tin. There was a single plug point and a bulb on the switch board itself like in the hardware shops which is used for testing. There were enough mosquitoes to fly me back home for free as well and the accommodation did not include a king size bed. So we went and got ourselves plastic mattresses and a jumbo tube of Odomos (we did not want to separate ourselves from the ways of the family no cotton mattresses either).
Again, as a part of the ‘live’ with them rather than ‘stay’ with them, we declined offers for getting the food that we preferred and proclaimed that we’d eat what they eat and sleep where they sleep-if we wanted it any other way, we’d have stayed in a hotel and not with them.No sanitation here meant we visit the open fields to relieve ourselves and take bath in the backyard in the open. Now, although the bulb and the ceiling fan were within our reach and although the village itself was electrified,power supply and mobile phone connectivity were erratic. This meant the use of laptop,music player and their like would limited.
It was all a little trying but WE HAD ARRIVED....!
The NGO I was linked to was promoting organic farming in the area-mainly cotton. This region and the adjoining Maharashtra is the primary cotton growing belt of the country because of the black soil. I can now identify all the crops grown here- toor,cotton,jowar,maize etc. :) . Luckily,I was there when the cotton ‘picking’ season started, so I got to try that as well..it was back breaking work and I did for only about 20 min and got bored/gave up. I managed to pick around 250 gms. Expert pickers(normally the ladies) can pick upto a quintal a day!
Since the place was bordering Maharashtra,out of the 250+ households,only 4 were Telugu,rest were all Marathi, although everyone spoke it. Telangana telugu here wasn’t as hard on the ear as the one in Hyderabad. Anyways, time seemed to stop here. People who went to the fields,did so in the morning and returned in the evening. So any surveys or questioning with them could be done only after sundown. Our host was a special guy,he didn’t work too much in the 1 acre field that he had. He was always busy attending meetings as a farmer leader,when he wasn’t drinking his time away that is.
You see, many of us have this feeling that while the urbanites have all the amenities and comforts, the rural folk who sweat it out to bring us the food have nothing. Although,this is largely true, what I found in course of my stay was that they are pretty laid back-atleast the people in this region. I mean,there are 25 year olds who just brush for 4hrs in the morning and then sit at home doing nothing just because their parents are there to feed them. Apparently they either have no work to do or the work that they have doesn’t interest them much. There’s just so much manpower idle and they’re so indifferent about most things in life.
It’s hard to not be irritated after hearing them complain about their hardships and difficulties in the face of this passivity. But in their defense, I guess they could be a little better off if they’re motivated and shown what to do and how. The kids went to school only for the free mid day meals served upto 10th std which is the reason for dropouts after that.
Another thing that struck me was how impossible their lives are. How many of us need a loan to keep us going..and at around 35% interest at that? And this concept of SHGs where people in a group save a little to collectively better themselves, normally through loans which are got from banks. But here’s the catch, they all have equal access to the collected account and to the loan amount that this money can bring. To make it clear, can you make a list of 10 people(family,friends…anyone) in this world who you share your bank account with(meaning everyone has equal right with whatever money in it). I’m guessing you can’t. So if it is that difficult for us who aren’t even completely dependent on the money in that account,imagine the plight of a daily wage worker whose income itself is marginal and the others who’re equally poor. Maybe it’s things like this that makes trust a part of their lives…so much not a part of ours.
On the flip side,I found the definition of BPL pretty hazy. There are stats which say 30% of India is BPL and we are appalled. The whole village I was staying in was Below Poverty Line and people had mobiles,dish tvs etc. and surely did not fit my(our) perception of people eating plain dry rice in twisted aluminum plates. Also, the villagers are not entirely innocent ,they are chaalu in their own way though that doesn’t normally save them from being exploited or helpless.
While I have never cared too much for food, the initial few days of having to eat just one item-either dal or sabji with rice was testing. Believe me, the stuff given as ration for BPL people isn’t too great. The rice was so bloated I initially thought it was par boiled rice!
Anyways, with time,we got used to it and our hosts were kind enough to get us curd whenever possible and make rotis now and then. Water was from handpumps and frankly, I have drunk it enough to not care for mineral water for the rest of my life.
In my effort to be a part of family, I also took opportunity to advise when one of the kids was not doing what he was supposed to or was doing it wrong. It was a little humbling to note that just the fact that I was more educated and older was enough to make them listen to me!
Our routine was 615 am get up,brush,business,tea, and laze till around 9am when the breakfast(read UPMA) would be ready. Shower,book,laptop,music,chat till 130pm when lunch would be ready. Siesta/music/book/laptop. Tea at 5pm,walk,vist houses/official sounding questionnaires/surveys,
The initial days were when I very desperately tried to get seduced by the books. I went prepared for no electricity and so books ranged from ‘Tinkle Digest’ to R.K. Narayan to Osho’s book on Krishna and his philosophy etc. I read a couple of the small ones and managed just around a hundred pages of Osho’s drab.Apparently,I didn't need them with so many new things around me.
The highlight in the timepass dept I’m proud of though(apart from the 2 months of growing a beard), is that I learnt ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’-thyagaraja’s most famous pancharatra krithi all by myself in just 2 days! Dr. Balamurali Krishna played Dhronachaarya while I was Ekalavya :). You can call and try me!
I also found time to visit AP's highest watefalls-Kuntala, another named Pochera, Nirmal(of paintings and handicrafts fame) and Basara(the only Saraswati temple in the world) while i was there..all these were in Adilabad district and the rides on the bus were adventurous and uncomfortable..had to switch 5 buses on the way back. I didn't know there were so many places in A.P itself!
I could go on and on about this most different study/vaction of my life,but I’ll stop here.
Though the fieldwork segment was a part of the coursework and had grades linked to it, I was looking at it as an experience and everything else was incidental. Whatever else it did or it did not, it sure did build character.
