*Here is an attempt to present a detailed step by step field immersion venture, as part of our fellowship induction program. Hope it ignites some curious questions for you.
Surrounded by the beautiful Aravali patch named Tiger Hills, Katara is a small village in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. I along with my four colleagues went to visit the village and draw a participatory map.
Initiation
We started off on our journey at around 10 o’ clock in the morning and were expected to stay in the village till 5 o’ clock. The first part was straightforward – not to leave until the time is up. Additionally, we had to find a few people from the village to draw a few maps for us which we would later combine into one. While covering four kilometres to reach the village, we witnessed a lot of construction work was in progress.
As we entered the village, we searched for a place where we could find people to interact and help us figure out the places to visit in the village. We went and sat outside the temple as suggested by a woman. The majority of the village women were waiting for others to join them in the shared bus. They were headed to worship Shiva in the city’s biggest temple on the eve of Ekadashi.
Meeting With Vidhushi
Fortunately, we met Vidhushi, a resident of this village. Vidhushi who had completed her masters and now stayed at home, helped us draw a map. She also shared various details about the diversity of her village.
She told us that there was at least one government retired person in each family in the village. Many have established their own business in other cities like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Jaipur, etc. and others move to cities in search of work and come back on festivals and occasions. She also shared that there was one government and a private school till primary education; and students had to leave for cities in order to complete their higher education. However, rich families either shift to cities or send their kids to school in metropolitan cities ensuring that they receive quality education and make their careers.
We expressed our gratitude to her for sharing some good information and left to explore other parts, which Vidushi told are a few highlighting spots of the village.
Rakhis And Difficult Questions
At a temple, we met a group of women who were purchasing Rakhis for Raksha Bandhan, sitting at the entrance of their house. The late morning sun was making it harder for us to find people walking on the street. The conversation at the hawker’s they were purchasing the Rakhis from, was dominated by an old lady wearing a traditional Rajasthani attire, while the other three young women in were making their choices. Their faces covered by veil and spoke very politely and softly – so that we could barely hear.
While we tried initiating a conversation with them to know a little more about the village, we felt they couldn’t answer our question, which we required to draw the map of the village, but smiled and said that they haven’t yet done their job of cleaning their house. We moved ahead expressing our gratitude for telling the way and happily offering us for their hospitality.
Surprise, Surprise!
I was surprised to see that a four wheeler was parked in front of the majority of the houses and each house was built like a deliberately designed fine architechture bunglow – complete with a small garden in front of them and plenty of open spaces.
As we moved ahead, we met a middle aged woman, who was going to her field to bring fodder for the cattle. We inquired about spots we could visit in the village to figure out the map of the village, while accompanying to reach her nearby field. Secondly, she shared that she got married at an early age therefore she couldn’t continue her study even after being a high school topper and now she is a housewife. Highlighting her financial status she said that one of her two sons was working in the finance and marketing department in a company and another was an engineer. Her husband runs his own business.
What About Agriculture?
We inquired about the water availability and crop that they grow in their fields and related knowledge. She said it’s becoming harder for them to grow any crop because of water unavailability. Therefore, they completely rely on other sources for livelihood, outside agriculture now. This conversation made us curious and we went on to explore more.
Nearby fields were flourishing with crops like maize, okra, soyabean, eggplant, etc. and few shared that they use modern techniques of farming – fertilizers, pesticides et al. We reached the temple and interacted with a few primary school children going back to home after attending classes. We asked, “aap kahan ja rahe ho?”. They responded, “apne gaon jaa rahe h.” We had a follow up question, “aap itni durr se iss gaon mein padhne aate hai?”. One of them said, “haan, kyun ki humare gaon mai school nahi hai.”
Right To Education
It made me think of the ‘Right To Education’ and of the struggles these children encounter. Having to come to another village for the entire academic year is cumbersome. Influenced by them, we went to the school. Some students were still sitting inside the classroom because their parents didn’t come to take them back home. Their teacher asked students to touch our feet and we were asked to shared our journeys, in short. I wondered why.
The classroom had students from diverse backgrounds i.e. a son of a ‘Thakur’ family considered richer and from lower income background as shared by their teacher. She also shared that three of her daughters are educated and are working in the government sector while her husband is an anchor and painter by passion.
In search of more people who could draw maps for us, we continued further. I saw a boy, fourteen years old, named Sagar. A few questions, and we knew he was interested in our conversation. I shared about our visit to his village and asked him if he could draw a map for us. He agreed and asked if he could get his friends to help him. He guided us to his friend’s home. It was a beautiful Villa where an Audi car was parked in the lobby. A few boys came out. Fortunately, they agreed and drew two maps for us. Eventually, we learned that these kids were studying in Ahmedabad. So, we wished them the best for their studies and moved on.
Wrapping Up
As we were going back to our starting point, a man who kept an eye on us perhaps, came on his bike and asked if we were to spend some funds on some project for development. He said he would suggest how we should do it. And then he left. This was abrupt and disappointing.
We decided to visit the government school. An old aunty was the caretaker of the school and was paid by the principal. She offered us tea and opened up the conversation about her life’s journey. Her husband had died and her two sons are earning but none of them speak to her. She lives alone. Her daughter-in-law doesn’t allow her to use the bathroom. The two thousand rupees given by the new principal is not enough for her to survive. Her voice fell while sharing this final bit.
Around 6 o’clock, and we were now returning to Krishi Vigyan Kendra. We met a shepherd accompanied by his son and herding a big flock of sheep. The man was in a torn attire with an attractive red turban. We complimented him for his turban and asked if he could click a picture with us. He agreed. Excitedly, his son asked one of my cofellows, “aapki jaati kya hai?”
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