LEARNING AND RESOURCE CENTRE

A small resource-cum-learning centre has been set up in Nagavalli (72 kms from Mysore). The centre has a small library and some learning and creative arts resources for children, youth and those interested in sustainable agriculture and resource management. A demonstration plot showcases growing of vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants. Rain water harvesting, compost and natural pesticide production are also demonstrated here. The centre also serves as the classroom and learning site for the Integrated Learning Programme. Over the years, the centre has conducted short programmes for youth (Yuva Chetana) in various parts of the district and in some parts of Karnataka. A small seed bank has been initiated and is now being developed with the support of VANASTREE.

In addition to serving as the office for Punarchith, the learning and resource centre is used to facilitate several out-reach programs. The home garden and its associated work is conducted here and the annual ‘hitala hita’ (or ‘strengthe of the back garden’), an annual open day related to showcasing the home garden and the cultivation of vegetables, herbs etc is held here. In addition, all the community out-reach activities: extension of support to elders (food and health) via the endowment funds; annual health camps; and the children’s programs are held here. Since 2024, we have initiated a program to support small farmers in the area. Support for cultivating food crops with organic seeds, knowledge and training for making organic manure and pesticides etc are also conducted from here. [IN BOLD: Support for the Small Farmers is made possible by Funds provided by YuvaLok Foundation, Bengaluru].

As part of our community out-reach programs we are currently engaged in the following work:

ANTI-SOCIAL BOYCOTT: Action Research and Out-reach:

Based on many years of observations and discussions with several aggrieved families we decided to engage with some public intervention to address the issue of social boycott of persons and couples who were in inter-caste marriages. The practice entailed not only ostracism of couples when one of them was from a ‘scheduled caste’ but also the imposition of hefty fines on the families, performance of purificatory rituals, and a ban on family relations etc. The issue is particularly vexatious among the Uppara, a ‘Backward Class’ community in Chamarajanagar district. We met with the district legal cell, the local MLA (also an Uppara leader), the Superintendent of Police, and with several caste leaders. When all of these seemed to lead nowhere, we contacted the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) team from Bengaluru and they put together a team that visited Chamarajanagar and conducted a ‘fact-finding’ review on the issue of social boycott among the Uppara. On March 15th and 16th 2024, Poorna led a team of four women which included both lawyers and community specialists. The five of them broke into two groups and conducted interviews and discussions with aggrieved families, couples, yajamanas, and also met the Superintendent of Police and the Judge of the District Legal Cell. On March 15th, 2024, Muthu organised a meet with some of the key Uppara Yajamanas at Chamarajanagar and the team met them also. The legal team will now working on a report which will be released in the district and shared widely in the community.

PANCH-PAYANA: FOSTERING WOMEN’S SELF-RELIANCE

Observing the extent to which women’s ‘empowerment’ programs by both government and non-government agencies were concentrated primarily on economic activities, and the limitations of these on the capability and needs of women, we are attempting to articulate a new, integrated approach. Called, “Panch Payana’ (Five Journeys), we are trying to go beyond the excessive finance or micro-finance linked to economic empowerment. Observing that integration into the micro-finance circuits has only made women debtors, the ‘five journey’ approach will emphasize ways by which women can focus on the following:

(1) personal growth and capacity-building
(2) social awareness
(3) well-being that includes health and economic issues
(4) democracy and leadership
(5) environment and sustainability

Priliminary discussions and reflexive exercises among the women of Nagavalli and the surrounding villages indicate some significant positive changes and we hope to sustain this over the coming years.

FOSTERING COMMUNAL HARMONY

In 2023, as part of promoting communal harmony, we organized a series of song competitions in five government schools in the district. Young girls and boys selected songs related to harmony and shared living and sang these in front of judges which included well-known theatre and music personnel from the district. Five children received cash prizes for their performance and all the children received certificates.

As part of our out-reach with women, we conducted two key programs in 2023. On October 19th, Du Saraswathi, a well-known theatre person performed her one-woman play, ‘Sann Thimmi Ramayana’, as part of the celebration of International Farm Women’s day at Nagavalli. The women were very appreciative of the play and its women and humanism-centred messages. Many of the women also spoke about the changes that they had initiated in their own lives. On the 20th, Du Saraswathi also engaged with women from several villages in the Yelandur area and a small prize distribution was held for women who had developed good gardens.