Diary of a traveler - Day 1 at Ibtada, Alwar

Diary of a Traveller – My visit to Ibtada – Alwar

We live in a free country today. Our ancestors fought for a long time before we could breathe the free air that we breathe today. We fought for freedom against slavery and oppression. We wanted our rights to be able to think and choose. We wanted independence. Yes, India did get its freedom on the 15^th of August, 1947. But even today, there are millions in this country who have not got theirs. They are still slaves to poverty, illiteracy, oppression and slavery, in ways that you and I would never imagine. Coming from the commercial capital of India, I hardly ever felt bad about being a woman. My parents have 2 daughters and they never let us feel that we could not do something because we were girls. I have seen equality and at times I have even felt sorry for the one off man who stands up for the woman in the bus when he happens to be sitting on the ‘Ladies Seat’. The working women of Mumbai, who travel by the Air conditioned buses, yes, I am aware of the amount of work that you must have done in the whole day. You must be so tired! Having spent the whole day chatting over the phone, answering calls or even for that matter taking life changing business decisions, but well, I do know for a fact that all of this can be done by just sitting on the same chair that you sat on from 10 am.

I am not trying to belittle women and their roles in society today. Don’t get me wrong.  I am proud of all the women out there making decisions side by side with their male counterparts.  It is just the blazing difference in the word tired used by these women I’ve met recently and the ones I am normally used to meeting that is making me say all this. Men, well, men all over the world, this visit has only made me feel that you are officially the worst thing alive! I am not generalising here and I have met some really good men too, there and here, but there are just too many bad ones running amuck who ruin your name all over the world! When are you going to grow up and stop behaving like life is a 2^nd standard class room. Women are not your slaves, never were. Stop treating those who can’t raise their voice or stop you from hitting them as slaves. It has to be understood by you at least now that being a little physically stronger than the other sex is not going to prove that you are superior in any way.

This is where organizations like IBTADA come in. They ensure that women living even in those rural parts of India, which you and I have never been to, sleep a little less scared at night.

 The rising of the sun sees these women running to their cattle to milk them. They then proceed to fill water for their families and cook for them. The day just keeps getting harder on them with the rearing of their cattle, cleaning and the farm duties. The farm work involves these ladies getting themselves in muck and doing every little activity from sowing, nurturing, reaping, husking and even selling their produce. And god help them, if they have a small child to look after, in spite of all these other chores they have to do. The men come back in the night from wherever they have been the whole day to demand, abuse and torment them.

This is the life of the women in rural India.

For the women of Alwar, an organisation like Ibtada brings a lot of hope and gives these hard working souls a sense of belonging. Ibtada gives these women a reason to smile and a reason to sleep well at night. Knowing that their daughter is being given a basic education and might not lead the life that she is leading now provides these women a sense of hope. Knowing that their hard work and all the money that she earns need not go to the man who beats her every night, gives her a sense of security. Above all, a hope, that she can learn, whatever age she is and maybe tomorrow change the way the world looks at her. This sums up the essence of Ibtada.

            I am in Alwar as I write this, visiting various places all over, with some amazing people who are working to help these women and give them a better life. The places I visited were all in the Mewat region of Rajasthan (Rajasthan is divided into 5 blocks and one of them is Mewat).

On the first day, I was a part of two Self Help Group meetings in Pratapgarh(75 kms from Alwar City), one in Ramdas ka Guada and the other one in Govndpura.

Shiv Shakti - The first group was called Shivshakti group. This SHG has been functioning since three years.

Well, let me try and explain to you what I have understood from the term SHG. It is a group of women who come together on the basis of some common ground(geographical location being the reason here). They go on to save a little money together and try and help each other out as a community, a very localised bank of sorts which caters to their immediate needs. These women together over the years save a lot of money and this becomes a security deposit for them. These SHGs can be used by these women in any other way they wish. As a group, which is quite a power in itself in a small village owing to the number of people involved, they can bring about any change if they want to or stand for some decision which they want to support. As far as my understanding goes, the concept of an SHG plays a lot on the psychology that human beings are social animals and enjoy a sense of security when they are together. The 11 women of Shiv Shakti welcomed us with a song and with the traditional ‘Tikka’ on the forehead. This was followed by a round of introductions where the women stated the name of the group they belonged to as also the cluster and the federation. The women then proceeded to talk about the problems they were facing and gave explanations about what they had done with the amount of money they had taken from the group. There was an accountant present who tallied all the amounts which had come in and gone out and he maintained the savings of the group as well. He also acted as a convener of the meeting. This made me think a little bit. The women seemed to respect this man a lot, almost as if he was their employer. The fact of the matter was that, he was actually their employee. They paid for his service meeting wise. I decided to dismiss this as my reading into things a little too much. The meeting ended with all the women giving their respective savings to the accountant who safely put all the money aside.

Durga – The next meeting was in Govindpura with a group who called themselves Durga. This group was 2 years old.  Once again we were welcomed with a folk song and the ‘Tikka’. This group was an SHG and also a ‘Goat Rearing’ group.

What is a ‘Goat Rearing’ group?

Ibtada, along with another organisation called Heifer works with these women by giving them 2 goats per family. They give the women good advice on how to take care of their goats and keep them in a hygienic manner as also help them with the medical facilities if possible. The only thing the women have to promise to do in return is to “Pass on the Gift”. When their goats grow up and produce a young one, the kid is to be passed on to another family. Thus, passing on the good by helping another family in turn.

The Durga group was a second generation Goat rearing community, i.e. they had received the gift from somebody, and the women present had a lot to talk about.

The problems they faced included some of their animals dying as also inadequate milk production. Good advice was given to them about how they should maintain good living conditions for the animal. Also, they were told how they could maximise the milk production by feeding the animal a special kind of mineral feed, one feeding a day. Advice on first aid was also given and appropriate treatment for surface and maggot wounds were discussed. Instructions to vaccinate the animals on time were also given. Women were encouraged to go for the Pashu Sakhi program. Pashu Sakhis are women who receive some extra training in care of animals. They are taught to take care, vaccinate and do minor procedures on the animals. The woman can then help other people in the community besides themselves thus doing good for the community at large. Also, the cost of the vet along with waiting time can be reduced.

The Heifer organisation has 12 cornerstones on the basis of which they practice the “Passing the Gift” program.

The 12 corner stones are listed below from the Heifer site –

Passing on the Gift allows families who received Heifer gifts to become donors as they pass on these gifts to other families in need. Genuine Need & Justice ensures that those most in need are given priority in receiving animals and training. Accountability means that we are mutually accountable to the communities we serve for how we achieve common goals. Improving the Environmentthrough sustainable farming techniques, reforestation, and tree-saving biogas is at the core of our projects. Sharing & Caring embodies the belief that global problems can be solved if everyone commits to sharing resources and caring for others. Full Participation is expected by all participants. Leaders at the grassroots level should involve all members in decision making. Sustainability & Self-reliance is the goal for families we work with so that they will continue to thrive after our support ends. Training & Education are key to ensuring that animals are well cared for and that self-reliance is achieved by project participants. Improved Animal Management means that project participants learn how to keep their animals safe, healthy and productive. Spirituality is expressed in common beliefs about the value and meaning of all life, a sense of connectedness to the earth and a shared vision of the future. Nutrition & Income are the rewards Heifer expects recipients to reap from their gift animal through the consumption and/or sale of products such as milk, eggs, cheese, honey and wool. Gender & Family Focus encourages women and men to share in decision making as well as in the benefits the animals and training bring.

The women were asked if any of them had started practicing any of these in their lives. They were told about these in the initial training program when they were given the animals. Some of the women said that they had adopted Sharing and Caring as a part of their life. All of them agreed that they would pass on their gifts to other families.

Both the groups were extremely loving towards me and requested me to stay with them for a while. One of them even asked me if I would like to go and cut grass with them and they even agreed to keep me there forever with them. Now I know that I have a home somewhere J and all they wanted me to do in exchange for their care and affection was smile and reciprocate. One of the best offers I have ever received in my life.

The day ended with us once again travelling on the muddy roads of Rajasthan through the Sariska Tiger Reserve. The air was so pure, it would have been possible to get high on it I think, a rush of oxygen to the brain. I did not see any tigers in the reserve, but saw a lot of monkeys all around. A good day it was!