Living in Kanakanala II
Narinal: How to make it to the news

To make headlines you need dead people. A lot of dead people that is. With a flood, or an earthquake or a drought. Just a few lives won't make it to front page. Except when they are important people. Or ordinary people who died in a way that scares the few important people. That's what must be the case in the village of Narinal, a village tucked away and forgotten in a corner of booming new-rich Karnataka. The killer was malaria, the dead people ordinary. On 14th of November 2003, Narinal made the news. Not exactly headlines, but on page 3 in the Deccan Herald the article "DENGUE STRIKES KOPPAL" mentioned 5 malaria related deaths in Narinal. It said now that malaria and gastroenteritis are barely under control, dengue fever was found. Malaria killed the youngest and the oldest. Narinal is just a few kilometres away from MUNJAVU's offices in Tavargera. If the journalists would actually visit the village they would see much more than headline making malaria stricken people. They would see malnourished children (blond hair from vitamin deficiency and if they looked carefully at their teeth, they might even see the brown line, the mark that high levels of fluoride in groundwater leaves). They would notice 8 or 9 year old children wearing a black necklace: the sign of a married woman. They would see faces marked by the nature's forces, forces of arduous Deccan plateau; farmers' faces, rough yet gentle and kind. So are their lands. The gentle rolling hills give an illusion of serene quietness. But zooming in closer reveals rocky soil, fields almost barren now: Bajra is as scarce as water in the Nalas, in a time where harvest lifts the spirits of farmers across the country. After all it is in a season where their newspapers are full of stories of an India blessed with a good Monsoon. Some areas were less lucky it seems. Anyway the journalists won't come to Narinal.

[Actually 7 children died, and two elderly. Sangappa, a young villager working as "village animator" for MUNJAVU, had Malaria himself. He said "after 2 children died, the doctors came. They came from Bellary and Bangalore. They took blood from everyone and tested Malaria. They left medicine and treated people. Then they left and said all is under control". Back to work for the village people, back to managing their lives. Lives without doctors, without tap water, without fodder for their livestock, without proper drinking water, without proper harvest this year. And without newspapers. So the people of Narinal will have to be told by someone else that they were in the news…]

This case does not suggest that watershed engineers should become doctors now, but rather bring the attention to one of the many challenges people face, and the lack of livelihood security. Health services are, after all, a basic entitlement of people anywhere in the world, and Narinal's inhabitants are partly deprived of this entitlement, Malaria being a disease which can be prevented without huge investments involved.

Living in Kanakanala III:
Umalirampur: Sitamma, 10 years, married…(names changed)

On a bullock cart it takes 45 minutes from Narinal to get to neighbouring Umalirampur, a village falling under the same Gram Panchayat. The children gather and shout "Vani, Vani". But on the back of the motorcycle it is not Vani, the MUNJAVU organiser, but Renuka, the research assistant and translator. Slightly disappointed but excited and curious they think: what has this white man come for? We sit down in the village temple. Here the journalists would meet the skinny old Baba with leather skin sleeping in front of the temple. An old farmer explains he has no one to look after him so he comes here to sleep. One farmer brings him chai and biscuits, for which the Baba is paying 2 Rupees after digging in his pockets. He moans, sips his tea, asks if there is any biscuits left and tucks away under his blanket. Among the children several girls are wearing the black marriage necklace. Child marriage is banned by law but common practice in this area.

We ask her name. Very shyly she whispers "Sitamma" "Who is the child in your arms?" "my little sister" "Who is your mother?" "I don't know" "You don't know your mother?" (She laughs) "I don't know her name. My father is Shernabasava" Later we meet her father. He explains that Sitamma is married since two years. Now she is 10, her husband is from Kilarhatti (a neighbouring village) and is about 19 years old. He is the son of Sitamma's sister!

We visited Ravi, the primary school teacher. He is sitting with his 50 pupils divided in 5 rows (5 classes) outside the freshly painted school building. The columns in saffron, white and green, the Indian flag colours. Standing for a nation that provides the school for them but drives their mothers into working for Rs. 10 per day. Two women are hovering outside, cooking the "Midday School Meal", a government scheme to provide lunch in all the schools. (they are paid Rs 650 per month and consider themselves lucky). These meals (Rice and Dal) help to motivate parents to send the children to school. For more than 10 children (20%) this is not enough, they are kept home to graze cattle, migrate for labour work and watch their small siblings. For married girls like Sitamma parents see no reason to educate them. The ultimate goal of Indian parents is to get the daughters married. Education either promotes that (for husbands who insist on educated women… the newspaper ads are full of that demand) and then the girls are sent to school or it does not (for husbands who prefer to exercise power over their wives and keep them in the kitchen) and then they better not go to school. They might run away to other villages if they are too often out of the house. Anyway, for Sitamma neither case really matters since she is married already, and thus kept home to look after the little sister. We do meet Sitamma's brother though, he is in 3rd class and studying well. Ravi says he is a good student. He makes him say in English "My-father's-name-is-Shernabasava-my-name-is-Sangamesh-my-sister's-name-is…". It comes somewhat mechanic, but well pronounced.

Again, ISPWDK cannot fight child marriage directly, as little as dowry, alcoholism, domestic violence or other family matters. Educated men and women with economic opportunities will not marry off their daughters, thus livelihood interventions might, in the long run, raise people's awareness of such issues and create opportunities for the families.

Portrait I:
Neelamma & Shekar: A family moving up (names changed)

While looking for families on upward and downward paths it was surprisingly easier to find, capture and describe the virtuous trajectory cases where accumulation of wealth was to be observed. MUNJAVU presented some cases that took up successful livelihood activities. But unfortunately that does not mean that there are more successful families. The opposite is the case, but approaching these marginalized people and capturing their living realities is much more complex and difficult. However, the following case shows how simple the better position of the family of Neelamma and Shekar can be captured:
Three brothers inherited 14 acres of land, of which Shekar got 11 for him to tend. They have 4 boys, the youngest in 2nd standard, the oldest in a school in another village. Shekar became a carpenter and blacksmith, as he was taught by his father. This job is quite common among the Vishwakarma caste. He is the only carpenter for the surrounding four villages Kilarhatti, Kilarhatti Tanda, Ramji Tanda and Mampur. He finds plenty of work all year round, however this year there is a little less demand due to the low rainfall and consequently the empty pockets of the villagers. Anyway, he is seldom paid in cash. "Who has a pair of ox pays in kind, Jowar and Bajra. Those who don't have oxen will pay cash. Or they will lend me their tools, I don't keep any. I do all my farming on borrowed equipment." In a good rainfall year they got 50 bags (1 bag = 100kg) of food grains. This third drought year the farmers struggle to pay him. He also gives on credit, allowing his customers to wait until after the harvest. I asked him: "Are you teaching one of your sons carpentry?", he replied: "Let them finish school, and they may get a government job. If they don't find one, then I can still teach them."

His wife Neelamma is preparing her boxes full of bangles. Tomorrow the Valmiki caste are celebrating a harvest festival in Todaki [which we attended but came after the buffalo and the goats were already in the cooking pots. An illegal practice, by the way, but with a high religious, social and spiritual significance. Banning it means discriminating the village on yet another issue]. She expects a good sale there. Sometimes she sells Bangles worth Rs 500 in one day (quite a lot of money in villages with Rs 20 daily wage). She joined Maulaleshwara MUNJAVU Gumpina, one of Kilarhattis 7 Self Help Groups three years back. She wanted to take a first loan and take up sheep rearing, but drought and thus a lack of fodder made this venture impossible. One of her brothers, a goldsmith, suggested she should start a bangles business. So she did. With her first loan of Rs 2000 she went and purchased bangels in Gajendragada. She made profit of around Rs 500 so she had a successful start. Shekar and her brother supported her from the beginning. That motivated her to continue, until she

became quite well known, not only in her own village. Women appreciate that they don't have to travel all the way to Tavargera before festivals and weddings to buy their bangles. If outside bangles salesmen come, the local women refuse to buy from him and prefer to come to Neelamma instead. Now she doesn't exactly know how much profit she makes, but says it's running average. Mainly for festivals and in the wedding season she sells a lot. She took another loan and plans to take yet some more, to buy more bangles and ultimately wishes to start a Kirani shop.

So what is it that lets this family move upwards? Various skills and advantages made their situation much easier than for other villagers:

1. Having 4 boys brings dowry times 4! (and that can be large sums. While we discuss this, yet another 13 year old stands there with her mother, both wearing the black necklace of married women. Her mother said they "only" paid Rs 5000 and 10 grams of gold to get her married. This dowry sum can be up to a Lakh (Rs 100'000) even in these poor villages.

2. As a carpenter and blacksmith his service is always sought after. And the very clever barter and credit system allows a flexible, social and just payment scheme adapted to local needs.

3. The bangles business is especially lucrative during the marriage season, and that happens to be May, the hottest and labour-weakest month. Thus they bridge this income gap elegantly.

4. Shekar lets his sons get an education, respects and supports his wife (she keeps her income for herself) and he doesn't seem to drink or gamble.

This family manages to make a surplus slowly and accumulate wealth. Their path upwards is a ray of light for all the hard working village animators and MUNJAVU organisers and shows it is possible indeed to make positive economic and social progress even in these harsh lands during rough drought stricken times!

Portrait II:
Hanumamma & Durgamma: The Power Women from Sasvihal (names changed)

Hanumamma and her daughter Durgamma are busy preparing chai, 3 village elders came for a cup of tea and some pan with tobacco. Her husband died a few years ago, leaving her with 24 acres of land, which lay fallow for a few years. Hanumamma joined Hanumantha devaru MUNJAVU mahila gumpa, a SHG with 12 women members. Her daughter studied and got a college degree, after which she was trained as a teacher.

Earlier they had a small Kirani shop, which her husband used to look after. 5 years ago the two women started a tea stall business after taking a first loan of Rs 4000. There was only one other tea stall in Sasvihal, so there were customers coming from the beginning. She buys milk, sugar and tea in Tavargera or Mudainoor. In good rainfall years they earn Rs 100 - 150 per day! Now it is lower because of drought, and initially this income was not sufficient for them. But they had a lot of land. However, it was impossible for 2 women to tend this land which was in Mudainoor, 4 km away from Sasvihal. Thus she took a first loan for land improvement. From the SHG she took 6000, while the bank lended her Rs 8000. The money was used to plough with a tractor, cut trees, remove stones and construct field bunds. After spending more than Rs 18000, including sowing, she is now growing sunflower, wheat, pulses on the dry rain fed soil. This year she invested Rs 5000 in seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, rent of bullocks and labour. At the same time they sold all of their animals.

Recently her daughter was selected as a village volunteer teacher in the SAMUHA/Government of Karnataka literacy programme. In December SAMUHA will organize training for the chosen teachers.

They are Lingayats, and portraits of Sai Baba, Basavanna and a local Swamy from Mudainoor decorate the door frame.

This case again demonstrates that it is possible to enter a positive poverty trajectory, if the conditions allow to invest and to take risks. The death of her husband was a shock, from which it can be very difficult to recover. Widows in rural India have a very tough stand, they are outcasts of society. Hanumamma proves that widows can look after themselves and develop successful livelihood strategies. Her advantage was that assets were there (with 24 acres she falls under the "large farmer" category) which gave them a certain security while venturing into new businesses. Such material advantage is one aspect, the courage, energy and enthusiasm the other. In the presence of these two women, there seems to be a lot of joy and laughter, which doubtless attracts customers. We have spent far more time sitting with them, drinking tea and chewing Betel nut than planned…