Cooing with bangles from Kui : SHGs from Nagpur beyond Oranges

Cooing with bangles from Kui : SHGs from Nagpur beyond Oranges

Bangles are an integral part of women's jewellery. Dazzling gold or bright silver bangles are definitely popular yet lac bangles have their own charm.
Lac bangles are traditionally associated with wedding ceremonies. Plain or studded they never fail to attract. I too was attracted to the variety of lac bangles brought for exhibition at the Gram Vikas Bhavan by Ranjana Ishwar Rohankar and Lalita Suresh Chudhari of the Savangadi SHG from Gothangaon village in Kui block of Nagpur.
The bangles are handmade plain, multi-colored and studded with stones. Ranjana explained that they had learnt the art of making bangles and were into the business for last two years. Initially it was difficult but they soon learnt the art. They got their raw material that is lac from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh. Their group has ten women and together they made the bangles. They had mastered the art of making bangles and now planned to learn to make other jewellery like ear-rings and necklace. The pride in their own efforts and their desire to learn was certainly heartwarming.
Seventeen SHGs have come from Nagpur with a variety of products.
While masala, chilly powder, chutneys and paapad may rule the roost, a variety of chikki, gul patti, jawas patti ( flax seed chili) are certainly mouthwatering. Organic rice is known to us however organic black rice is still a novelty. Black rice is full of minerals and nutrients and extremely good for health. So if you want to try the black rice please do visit Gram Vikas Bhavan. Organic dried mushrooms are also available along with other Millets and grains.
Mosquitoes are a menace and organic mosquito coils would certainly be useful in driving out mosquitoes from your house . Those interested in gardening could purchase vermi compost and liquid bio-manure. Handmade Neem oil, eucalyptus oil is also available.
Kids would be surely happy to visit and purchase colourful handmade wooden toys.
The best way to a person's heart is through the stomach and specially if it is something like 'Ambaadi Bhakri' which one normally does not get here , it feels wonderful. Of course one could also gorge on the pooran polis and other tasty stuff. Nagpur oranges are also available.
The SHGs of Nagpur have brought a good variety of products and your visit to the Mahalakshmi Saras Bazaar at Gram Vikas Bhavan will certainly be enlightening. Mr.Sanjay Yadav, the Chief Executive Officer of Nagpur Zilla Parishad was so   enthused on seeing the variety that he couldn't refrain from shopping. I am sure you will feel.the same. So pick your bags, step into your shoes and indulge yourself in some different shopping

P.S. Tomorrow, 27th November, 2019, the SHGs from Nagpur will be at Mantralay, Trimurti Prangan 

Rhapsody in MSRLM with Sheetal More's melody

Rhapsody in MSRLM with Sheetal More's melody

It was about nine in the morning when I entered Kari Village in Dharur block of Beed district. The day was bright and fresh with the morning glow, as if in sync with the mood of the women form the village organisation, Adarsh Gram Sangh. Bright and cheerful they greeted me with great warmth.
Their enthusiasm was palpable because they were taking me to see the custard apple processing unit which they had set up. This project is the first of it's kind in their locality and I could guage their sense of pride.
Shital More , their leader was not only a member of their group but also the Deputy Village Head, Upa Sarpanch. Her journey from being a housewife , to being a member of the SHG and the Upa Sarpanch and now an entrepreneur along with several others women was like music to my ears.
Custard Apples are jungle fruit, plucked by the locals and barely fetch a market price beyond a eight or ten rupees per kilo. Their shelf life is less as they are easily perishable on ripening. However their life can be increased by months by making it's pulp and preserving it. This pulp is in great demand for ice creams and dessert. Two years ago during my interaction with Mr. Ved Arya of Srijan, we realised that SHGs in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were processing the custard apple into pulp, freezing it and making great profits. Based on their learnings we decided to pilot the project in Maharashtra and tap the districts which had abundance of the fruit. 
The SHGs of Kari village were oriented for the same by the district administration and Sheetal More became its motivating force.
The village has 27 self help groups out of which 10 SHGs showed interest to get involved in the activity.
Together began their journey in setting up the custard apple processing unit. They identified a location and took it on rent and equipped it with all the things needed like crates to collect the custard apples, weighing machine, vessels for sorting out the fruits and grading them, spoons to scoop out the pulp, gloves and plates to segregate the pulp, pouches and a funnel for filling the pouches with pulp, a sealer to seal the bags, a deep freezer to store the pulp which was later shifted to a cold storage with minus 40 degrees centigrade to preserve the fruit.
The technical.support is provided by the team members of Srijan and I was pleasantly surprised to meet , Mr.Lakshman who had been staying in the village for about a month to provide every little handholding support.
About two hundred women were involved in the process . This included thirty five of them who were directly involved with day to day work on payment of wages of Rs.100 to Rs.150. Women young and old happily responded to my query about their joyful experience in the project. They all were happy to be earning almost Rs.150 everyday.
When they began the previous year they could barely make twenty kilos of pulp chipping in their own contribution. However this year due to the support of district administration which released their community investment fund they could purchase 2000 kilograms of custard apples and produce over seven hundred kilograms of pulp. They would be processing another seven hundred kilograms of pulp this season.
The pulp had market in Nashik, Pune, Nanded, Hyderabad and would fetch them Rs. 160 to Rs. 225 per kilogram for the pulp.
The group expected to make a profit of Rs. One lakh in one month.
The progress was better than the previous year but was not very big on scale because they could get only one month for planning. They could neither talk to the forest department for support in collection of the fruit nor give any advances to purchase custard apples. The ladies had also not gone any exposure visit . However next year they hope to grow and process over five hundred quintals which would establish them in the market.
As the women offered me freshly scooped up pulp my mouth filled with sweetness. The enthusiastic jabbering of the ladies, the Sarpanch, Smt. Aruna Fartade , the president of the VO, Aadrsh Gram Sangh, Smt. Aasha Panchal filled my ears with joy. Sheetal More's voice and smile created a melody mixing it with the sweetness of the fruit. For me this wasn't the first rhapsody with the SHGs of MSRLM. I knew there are many more to come.

Latur SHGs at Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar till 21st November.....

Latur SHGs at Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar till 21st November.....

Hello, Navi Mumbaikars, this time MSRLM Umed is presenting to you products from SHGs of Latur. Like everytime, it has been exciting for me to see different products and delicacies of rural Maharashtra.
Keeping in mind the upcoming winter season SHGS have brought mouth-watering Coconut Ladoos and different varieties of Chikkis like coconut and groundnut, sesame ( Til) and mix dry fruit. Their traditional Spices like Turmeric, Masala Powder and Garam Masala are a class apart.
Latur is traditionally a farming cimmunity and hence few shg’s have brought their self grown organic pulses like tur , chana, moong whole and split and other food grains. They have also got a variety of healthy fast food like soya nuts , chana and peanuts to be be savoured at snack time.
Art never goes out of fashion and some SHGs have aslo brought creative art and handicrafts for gifting and personal use. And surprisingly you could also end up buying the LED bulbs made by one SHG.
These women have come all the way with a heart full of hope and enthusiasm to the Big city of Nav Mumbai. For most of them it is their first opportunity to be displaying and selling their products at Gram Vikas Bhavan which has become the platform for such first timers. Their dream of transforming into entrepreneurs of repute begins here. 

 The seventeen SHGs which have come from Latur have already done a business of over Rs. One lakh in the last 7 days.
They will be here till the 21st Novemebr and their only desire is to reach out to more residents of Navi Mumbai.
The products brought by them are certainly of better quality than what we get in the malls or health food marts. It is therefore a great opportunity for the residents of Kharghar to purchase authentic food grains and health products from these SHGs.
One visit to Gram Vikas Bhavan and am sure you will become loyal customers for life.. So do visit Gram Vikas Bhavan for this rural experience. The products of Mother earth iare waiting foe you..... 

SBI Chaawdi : Loan Camps for Self-help Groups....

SBI Chaawdi : Loan Camps for Self-help Groups....

MSRLM works for the empowerment of women through self help groups. Social inclusion is the base or the foundation which enables the poorest or the most vulnerable women of rural India to become members of community based organizations like the self help groups, village organizations or cluster level federations. Coming together and saving for thrift maybe the first step. SHGs go much beyond that since they follow "Dashasutri" the ten cardinal principles which include five economic aspects of regular meetings, savings, internal lending, repayment of loans, writing books of accounts and five social aspects of health, nutrition, sanitation, education, participation in panchayati raaj institutions, getting their entitlements and sustainable livelihoods. 

Following these ten principles for three months enables the SHG to become a financial institution by itself because it is then that they receive their revolving fund of Rs.15,000 /- which they use for internal lending on payment of interest. This way every member gets out of the clutches of the moneylender and also gets the opportunity to set up some small enterprise. Ten to twelve SHGs congregate to form a Village organization and 15 to 20 Village organizations form the Cluster level federations. 

Another important aspect is the preparation of the micro investment plan or the MIP which captures the desire and need of every member of the SHG to set up an enterprise. The cluster federation receives Rs.60,000 as community investment fund for creating better enterprises by the community. 

This too is a fund which remains with the community and is circulated among groups on payment of interest. So the SHGs and CLFs not only have a corpus but already have an experience of playing the role of mini-bankers by themselves before they approach the banks for linkages. 

Almost 30 years ago, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) had initiated this concept of Self-Help Group Bank Linkage Program (SBLP), revolutionizing the outlook of the country towards rural women. Banks started opening accounts in the name of women and they were channelised for creating sustainable livelihoods. 

This initiative was strengthened further through DAY NRLM which has taken the SHG Bank linkage to new heights. 

Self-help groups are now recognised as entities and entrepreneurs engaged in sustainable livelihoods and also promoting community development programs. 

Banks are coming forward to support their enterprises as can be seen in the increase of Bank linkage from Rs.500 crores in 2016-17 to over Rs. 1400 in 2018-19. Till date over 15 lakhs households have received loans over Rs.5700 crores. Maharashtra has a target of Rs.2400 crores for SHG bank linkage in 2019-20. While continuous sensitization and follow up with the banks has led to increased loans for SHGs yet hurdle-free access to finance still remains a challenge. The average size of loan and the timing is another major problem along with the delays in opening bank account of SHGs. There are instances of bankers asking for uneccaasry documents despite clear cut guidelines and instructions by the Reserve Bank of India. 

Committees have been set up at the state, district and block levels to monitor and support SHG financing yet field level realities are sometimes in contrast. It is often observed that SHG financing does not receive as much attention due to the small size of loans and the efforts needed for processing the same so there is a tendency among bankers to neglect this sector. Surprisingly, the private sector banks, largely ICICI and HDFC to some extent have made great strides in financing the SHGs. 

Studies conducted by MSRLM have clearly indicated great improvement in health, education, food security, savings , income and expenditure among the SHGs who have accessed finance and manage enterprises. Therefore financing of SHGs can be a good catalyst in transforming society. 

State Bank of India has certainly recognized and understood this aspect and has been working proactively for providing SHG finance. 

Last year they had conducted many SHG Bank loan Melawa and have grown phenomenally in increasing SHG bank linkage. 

Now, they had graduated and come up with a new concept for the year 2019-20 known as the SBI Chaawdi which was a unique blend of exhibition of SHG products and bank loan products. 

I had the fortune to attend two such SBI Chaawdis at Latur and Nanded along with the bankers and district administration. 

As Collector Latur , Mr.G.Shrikanth rightly said, the Chaawdi represented the two sides of a coin, Bharat and India. Bharat was the exhibition of products made by the rural SHGs to increase their livelihood and India was a bouquet of banking services and products which they could access e.g. loans for housing, vehicles and other needs. MSRLM was enabling them to cross from Bharat to India only because of the increase in their purchasing power due to varied options of access to livelihoods. 

Mr.Ashok Kaakde, CEO, Zilla Parishad,  Nanded emphasised on regular repayment of bank loans to get the benefit of interest subvention by way of zero percent interest. 

More than 500 loans were disbursed to SHGs in Latur and Nanded amounting to almost Rs.7 crores. 

The DGM of SBI, Mr.Mohapatra reiterated the confidence they had gained from financing SHGs of MSRLM due to the discipline maintained by the SHGs. SBI had recognized their potential in banking of SHGs as was evident from the special effort being made to organise such chaawdis all over Maharashtra. They were also planting 10,000 trees in Naigaon block of Nanded. 

State Bank of India, has a historical legacy of 200 years and is more like a parent protecting his child. The SBI Chaawdi was an effort to expedite bank loans as well as create awareness about the various loans which are available. 

The whopping presence of hundreds of women at both venues reflected their need and desire for banking finance. SBI had surely paved the way by organising SBI chaawdi. 

Chaawdi is essentially a public place which is the property of the entire community and a place of business transaction. 

By associating the name of Chaawdi to it's loan mela SBI had taken a positive step of taking SHG finance to the next level. Several such Chaawadis have been planned all over the state in the next few weeks by SBI. Thousands of women would be benefitting from it. SBI, had set a precedent which hopefully other banks would quickly follow. 

First time entrepreneurs....SHGs from Kolhapur at Mahalakshmi Saras Mart, Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar....

First time entrepreneurs....

SHGs from Kolhapur at Mahalakshmi Saras Mart, Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar....

About 6.30 p.m in the evening yesterday I went to Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar. Tall and imposing, it stands out in the dark. It is also a witness to the growth and development of the women from self help groups of Maharashtra. Begun ambitiously last year, it has made considerable headway in providing the bare minimum facilities to the SHGs for marketing their products. SHGs from more than 15 districts have been able to come and sell their products in the shops here. 

Of course there have been a lot of challenges, some say the location is not appropriate and others say that the range of products need to be varied and different. Packaging and presentation has also been a major challenge for many.of course, a lot of lessons have to be learnt. Being a first time entrepreneur is surely not easy. However,   for the SHGs who come from far-flung districts of Maharashtra even stepping out of their homes for 12 days is our biggest achievement. 

This was explicitly shared by Rajashri Patil, who is a Wardhini trainer and also one among the ladies who has come to Gram VikasBhavan. She said that most of them had come out of their homes for the first time. Some of them hadn't been stepped out of their villages. Coming all the way to Navi Mumbai, getting an opportunity to exhibit products and sell them at Navi Mumbai and in Mantralay was a learning by itself. They could gauge their skills, the standard of their products and understand areas where they needed to improve. 

This desire to learn and understand and the earnestness to grow was evident in the ladies of all the 14 groups who have come as was reflected in the words of Shoba Sutar.

Most of them have brought different kinds of Masala, chilli powders, chutneys and pickles. One SHG had come with innovative products like jackfruit juice, jackfruit jam not found commonly. The packing was something to vouch for and no wonder D'Mart is keen to keep these products in their store at Kharghar. 

Some SHGs have brought different kinds of flour like Ragi, rice, daangar, a vegetable. . One SHG has brought herbs to drive away pain, piles, kidneystones and acidity. There are some good handmade bags, pouches and purses made of cloth. You can add some sweetness in your life with organic jaggery, pedaas and various barfis brought by an SHG from Narsobachiwadi. Some SHGs have brought unshelled groundnuts, picked up freshly from the farms and also white til, and til laddoos. 

The only desire of all these women is getting a good response from the residents of Navi Mumbai. 

Off late there us a great desire among citizens to work for philanthropic causes and support those  who need to grow and develop. 

MSRLM Umed is providing that very opportunity to women from rural areas through its self help groups. You can also get associated in this cause by purchasing the products of the SHGs. Some of you could even guide them in ways to improve on the quality and packaging of the product as per your needs. 

Change is the only thing which is constant in our life. Bringing about that change or being the means of change is perhaps the most difficult thing to do. If you notice our lives deeply, each one of us is instrumental in bringing about some positive change.

Buying products from SHGs and supporting them is certainly a big change. Presently SHGs from Kolhapur are there with their products at the Mahalakshmi Saras Bazaar, Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar. One visit from you and a single purchase can change their lives. So do visit Gram Vikas Bhavan and experience change.  Their products and their smile will certainly make you  feel the change. 

P.S. SHGs from Kolhapur will be at Trimurti Prangan, Mantralay on 8th November 2019. 

KeralaAah.... blissful break at Ashtamudi....

KeralaAah.... blissful break at Ashtamudi....

We are just back from our short sojourn to Ashtamudi, in Kollam district of Kerala. The holiday had been planned in a hurry but turned out to be one of the most memorable ones in my life.
My excitement at the thought of staying in a floating cottage on lake Ashtamudi crystallized as soon we entered the idyllic surroundings of the Club Mahindra Resort.
As we walked down to our floating cottage, we could see the vast expanse of the lake Ashtamudi. No wonder it is the most sought after backwaters in Kerala.
Ashtamudi meaning eight knots or branches draws its name from the eight lakes which are part of the whole. It jostles with the river Kallada and also meets the Arabian Sea.
The floating cottage was as inviting inside as much as it was beautiful outside. The tastefully done wooden interiors with a sit out overlooking the lake almost felt like the sea. The soothing sound of the lapping waves added charm. The waters sparkled in the twilight and twinkled with the stars at night. The cool breeze soothed our minds. Our tranquility increased since the serene waters of the lake was visible from every part of the cottage. 
More had yet to come as we set out on the cruise next morning. As our boat meandered through the waters we explored the breathtaking views surrounding the lake. The vibrant green coconut trees dotted the lake side making it appear like a scene freshly painted. Birds fluttering around made us point at them like gleeful kids. A kite, an eagle, a drongo and some water birds.
Intermittently we found chinese fishing nets along the lake kindling our curiosity. Fishing was one of the main sources of livelihoods no doubts.
Our boat passed a few habitats which also comprised of a single home island. We wondered how the household managed such a tough life. Totally cut off from an urban world their mode of transport were small boats which they themselves had to row. Like a two wheeler in modern houses each house had a small boat tied outside. Blissfully unaware of the modern ways of life they were surviving despite the tsunami. In fact the sailors of our boat had been saviours of the locals from the island during the Tsunami and had been awarded for the same. A Mumbaikar would surely feel like a fish out of water if he had to live forever in such surroundings.
Our boat stopped at the Munroe Island which had about 500 households inhabiting in it. We walked down the concrete path winding its way through the intriguing waterways. As we explored its beauty we also came across a breeding space for tiger prawns. The Island housed an ancient church but had no hospital or police station.

On our onward journey most of us had our fill getting photographed in titanic poses but while returning we got a bonus of posing as captains of the boat.
As we returned to our floating cottage , I wondered how many of us knew about Ashtamudi and its beauty. Holidaying abroad is the most happening thing. In fact holidaying in our own country is looked down upon and causes a lot of heartache for the present generation. However for us, every holiday in India has made us yearn for more. 
Ashtamudi, of course was a dream vacation in the lap of nature, calm, comforting and soothing. I have had my fill when will you have yours?

P.S: Ashtamudi is about 80 kms from Thiruvananthapuram which has an airport.  The nearest railway station and bus station is at Kollam in Kerala.