Rural Research conducted at Khadri Gram Sabha, Shyampura

Transcription

Rural Research conducted at
Khadri Gram Sabha,
Shyampura, Hrishikesh
Khadri Gram Sabha, Shyampura, Hrishikesh District,
Uttrakhand
Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad
Ankur Gupta, Kruti Upadhyay & Nidhi Mehra
Rural Research conducted at Khadri Gram Sabha, Shyampura, Hrishikesh
Table of Contents
ABOUT HRISHIKESH ............................................................................................................................. 4
ABOUT KHADRI .................................................................................................................................... 5
INFRASTRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................ 5
VILLAGE CULTURE & VALUES ............................................................................................................... 7
Aspirations ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Changes in the recent times........................................................................................................... 11
SOCIAL STRUCTURE ........................................................................................................................... 12
VILLAGE LAYOUT (Geographical dimarcations between various castes and classes) ....................... 14
POLITICAL STRUCTURE....................................................................................................................... 15
General Elections: .......................................................................................................................... 15
EDUCATION ....................................................................................................................................... 16
OCCUPATION:.................................................................................................................................... 16
AGRICULTURE:................................................................................................................................... 17
YOUTH:.............................................................................................................................................. 18
Girls: .............................................................................................................................................. 18
Boys:.............................................................................................................................................. 18
BRAND CONSUMPTION PATTERNS: ................................................................................................... 19
MEDIA AND CONNECTIVITY ............................................................................................................... 21
Newspaper: ................................................................................................................................... 21
TV: ................................................................................................................................................. 22
Radio: ............................................................................................................................................ 23
Mobile: .......................................................................................................................................... 23
Internet: ........................................................................................................................................ 24
DVDs.............................................................................................................................................. 24
TRANSITIONS OCCURRED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS ............................................................................ 25
MAJOR PROBLEM IDENTIFIED OF THE KHADRI GRAM SABHA............................................................. 25
COMMUNICATION PLAN TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM: ....................................................................... 26
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 29
APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................................. 30
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PHOTOGRAPHS.................................................................................................................................. 30
TRANSCRIPTS OF INTERVIEWS TAKEN IN THE AREA............................................................................ 31
Mr. Parvin Singh Negi (39 years old, Rajput) ................................................................................... 31
Mrs. Asha Singh Negi (34 years old, Rajput) ................................................................................... 34
Mrs. Meena Chamori ( 31 years old, Brahmin) ............................................................................... 35
Mrs. Rampyari Chamori (66 years old, Brahmin) ............................................................................ 36
Mrs. Radha Devi ( 25 years, Bauxa) and Mr. Balwant singh Gaud (34 years old, Bauxa) .................. 37
Mr. Kuldeep Rawat (17 years old, Rajput) ...................................................................................... 38
FGD with the school teachers (transcript of part of the FGD) ......................................................... 38
SYNOPSIS OF FGD OF TEACHERS AT THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL....................................................... 40
SYNOPSIS OF IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH THE TEMPLE PRIEST .......................................................... 42
DAIRY ................................................................................................................................................ 43
Day 1: ............................................................................................................................................ 43
Day 2: ............................................................................................................................................ 43
Day 3: ............................................................................................................................................ 44
Day 4: ............................................................................................................................................ 44
Day 5: ............................................................................................................................................ 45
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ABOUT HRISHIKESH
The Ganges is India’s holiest river. It descends from the Himalayas and begins its journey
through the plains at Haridwar. This gives the town a unique status of a pilgrimage making it
every devout Hindu’s dream. Hrishikesh is the twin city of Haridwar, situated at the confluence
of the Chandrabhaga and the Ganges. It is located around 25 kilometers away from Haridwar. It
is holy city for Hindus and a famous centre of pilgrimage. Hrishikesh is a municipal board in
Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is also known as the gateway to the
Himalayashikesh as it is the starting point of the holy Char Dham pilgrimage - Badrinath,
Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Its population is 59,671 (2001 census) and is 238 km away
from Delhi.
Hrishikesh is said to be a blessed site since ancient sages meditated at this spot. It is famous for
its ashrams on the banks of Ganga where yoga is practices and taught regularly. Some of these
ashrams are Sivanand, Purnanand, and Shanti Kunj Ashram. Every year many people come here
in the ashrams to meditate and gain peace of mind. The place is also very famous with foreigners
who come to India in search of spiritual quest.
Shyampura
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ABOUT KHADRI
Khadri is at 10 kilometre distance from Hrishikesh. Shampura village is formed by many Gram
sabha units. Khadri is one of the gram sabha unit. There are 1100 households in the village, with
population of 8000-9000. Male to Female percentage ratio in village is 55:45.
Soil type of the land is “Balu”. The land is considered fertile. Most land left is infertile or forest
land and most is privately held. Even the fertile land is available to very few people. At the same
time people’s interest in farming is decreasing, as most people having farm use it either as a
secondary source of income or as an investment.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Khadi enjoys good electricity and water supply. There is good power supply and clean
drinking water available in all the areas. The respondents did not state much problem with the
electrical and water supplies of the area. Power cuts happen but have reduced since the last few
years.
Connectivity by roads is within the village and with the nearby areas is good. Except highways,
roads are not very well maintained, which creates dust problems. Street lighting is inadequate
and causes inconvenience after dusk.
The transportation services available are- Private (cars, two wheelers, tractor), bus, train. Bus
stop is on main road of the village and two railway stations Virabhadra and Raiwala are present
at 5 kms distance. Travel facility from Hrishikesh to khadri is available till Khadri main road
only, that is not adequate and causes inconvenience to people doing daily up-down to reach to
inner areas of village. Thus every transport is available from main road only, which is at 2-3 km
from inner area of village. Currently people either use bus or tempo. In last few years, number of
cars on road has increased considerably, especially due to property dealing in second hand car
market.
One police station is in Shampura and another in Hrishikesh. Khadri Gram SAbha has a post
office right on the village main road, even there is a bank in Shyampura village on national
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highway. Other banks are State Bank of India, Punjab and Sindh Bank, and District co-operative
bank. Gramin Punjab National Bank is in Hrishikesh. Apart from utilizing the services of a
savings account and fixed deposits, people have also started using modern day bank aids like
ATM cards. Almost 30% people either operated ATM frequently or at least knew how to access
it. These people were mostly employee class of the village. Even insurance service are widely
available in the area, so much so that there was a LIC office in the village.
Infrastructure wise khadri lacks the basic amenity of a general hospital. Though the area has
seceral medical clinics, the need of a general hospital cannot be denied. Many of our respondents
right from the teachers and even the Pradhaan stated that there is a dire need of a Hospital,
because in case of emergencies they have to go to Hrishikesh which requires atleast half an hour
which might be crucial in some cases. The general public does not however feel the need
‘emergency cases hote ki kitne hain’ is their response.
NGOs: Almost no NGO visits the village frequently. Sometimes few activities do happen like
tree plantation, polio-drop camps etc. There are almost 10-12 temples in khadri. Most of these
are of either goddess ‘Durga’ or ‘Siddhika’, which are dominantly, worshipped deities in the
area.
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VILLAGE CULTURE & VALUES
People of Kahadri gram sabha seemed to be balancing their exposure to the city life and their age
old tradition. Where one side they have evolved to use modern day services like internet, ATM,
DVDs and likes while on the other hand they believe in orthodoxes like ‘nazar lag gayi’!. Some
villagers think that if things are not working or there is a misfortune prevailing over any family
or a person then probably ‘Bhagwaan Gussa hain’ (Gods are unhappy) in lieu of which they
perform various puja at the temples and around their home to make the Gods happy. The
‘ghunghat’ system has totally be done away with and the women of the village though wear
sarees and salwar suits but do not keep ghughat. There are no cases of sati but wife beating is
prevalent. The reason attributed to these beatings is the drinking problem among people of the
village.
The villagers believe in ‘Bhai-chara’ (feeling of brotherhood) and a very dominant value
noticed is ‘Atithi-Devobhava’ (God resides in guest) No matter wherever we went we were
offered water, tea and snacks etc. There were women who asked their children to touch our feet
(as a token of respect). Family values are very strong in the village, the members make sure that
they have food together. They touch their elders’ feet everyday and opinions of the elders is
taken in high regard so much so that even love marriages, if at all should happen must have
parent’s consent.
Aspirations
The aspirations of village dwellers can be categorised as per genders, castes and age. Men and
Women are quite different when it comes to aspirations; women are more home-centric and men
are status concious. But it differs from family to family like people who are quite influential and
politically active, are more conscious about status and family name and they pass on the same
thing on to the next generation. Even when it comes to the children of these influential families,
they also has aspirations which are quite big like going abroad and working there. When it comes
to kids, they aspire to become cool and more like metro. They imitate latest bollywood styles and
use products like hair colour, gels and deodorants to match themselves more with the metro
youth; in essence they want to be impressive and well-presentable. If we look at castes, the
aspirations of upper castes are more status and power related whereas aspirations of the lower
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castes are money and survival related. Educated section aspires to grow in terms of career and
status, whereas the uneducated class aspires for better life but they prefer to remain complacent
and out of the rat race. When it comes to the gender differences, no such difference exists
between boy child and girl child. Both are encouraged to study further, but aspirations of boys
are much higher than that of girls and parents also play a major role in supressing the aspirations
of girls.
The women of the village have started to contribute in the household earning. They usually take
academic tuitions or take tailoring or embroidery classes at home. Very few go out and work and
most of these work in government offices. The parents of young girls have no problem with their
girls working but insisted that it should be government job.
The people of the village lay very high emphasis to education. Girls and boys of every house
are sent to school and encouraged to study. However although the boys are sent to cities a little
far off like Dehradun for studies,yet girls are sent only to Hrishikesh.
The Khadri enjoys many festivals like Diwali, Holi, Karvachauth, Dusshera and Durga Pooja.
Bakre ka Tyohaar. Durga Pooja is one event that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and
participation from all the castes. It is celebrated for 9 days and then on the last day people sit
together in the pandaal and have food together, people of all castes sit together without any
prejudice and celebrate Durga Pooja. There is another festival which is celebrated, that is Bakre
ka Tyohaar, which is celebrated on the last day of Navratre. This is one event which tells us
about the God-fearing as well as superstitious nature of the villagers. Long time back there was a
fire in the village and due to stampede there was lot of destruction to lives and property in the
village. That is why villagers cut a goat and offer it to the goddess to make her happy and ask for
the happiness and prosperity of the village.
These festivals are looked as major socializing opportunities, where people visit each other’s
homes, join for Maha Pujas at temples etc. We had the opportunity to be a part of the Dussherra
celebration of the area. We witneed the ‘Ramleela’ (Stage play based on Ramayana).
Many staunch believes came out of the Ramleela experience. We notice that there was not even
one women in the actor band or the crew side. The female roles were performed by Men dressed
as women. The Ramleela has also been commercialized. It had Bollywood songs and there were
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breaks after each act. In the breaks there were item songs again performent by males dressed as
females. On being asked why aren’t women part of the crew tha came ‘Ladies ko toh stage main
nahi utarenge’ (Ladies will not to be brought on stage) shows that stage is seen as a medium of
exposure and women are not to be exposed! Even the seating area of women and chilfren vis-àvis men were separate but women did enjoy the ‘nautanki’ (play) till late in the night as the men
did.
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The other socializing events are marriages. They are usually a week long affair where most of
the families of the village are invited (who are either higher in class or of the same caste!).
Marriages are arranged with great pomp and show. Things like cocktails have also become a part
of this village culture. The marriages are encouraged in the same castes but preferably outside
the village. The brides are preferred educated but in the long run should give priority to home
and in-laws than job. Dowry system has taken a turn, the boy’s side, do not directly ask for cash
or kind but then it is understood that some furniture item, a vehicle, TV or music system and
some cash should be given to them. The marriages happen with great pomp and show lots of
Gaana-bajaana and dance happens, the marriages are seen as nice time out from the routine life.
Maximum age for girls to get married is 20-22 years and for boys it is till 30-32 years. People
spend a lot of money in marriage, keeping in mind the social status. For common man average
expenditure in marriage is around 1.5 lacks. This can go up to 5 to 10 lacks according to
economic conditions. Love marriage also happen, though in rare cases. Marriage ceremony lasts
for 3-4 days. Though no dowry system is prevalent to greater extent, some people still can
demand it. In hill areas, dowry is almost non-existent. Marriages are mainly done to a boy or girl
of a nearby village itself. People consider ‘Jati’ or ‘Gotra’ (form of caste) before
Changes in the recent times
When it comes to major changes in the way people think the changes are seen in the peoples’
lives in terms of social behaviour and status. People have started celebrating birthdays which was
not a part of the village culture as blowing up the candles was not considered a good gesture in
the village. Again this change has come because of the people going out of the village and
interacting with the people who are not part of the same culture. Then people have also started
spending lavishly in marriages with the inclusion of “Cocktail” as one of the functions during the
course of 4-5 days.
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SOCIAL STRUCTURE
The social structure in Khadri Gram Sabha consists maily of five castes:
Rajput
Brahmin
Bauxa(OBC)
Chamaar
Shudra
Of which Rajput and Brahman are considered the most influential ones. On the onset there is
no discrimination between the people like the children study together, even the ‘Madhyaan
Bhojan’ (afternoon meals) also is served to all the students at the same place together, all people
are allowed to purchase articles from the same shop, worship at the same temple and have food
together in the same hotel but, there is a catch! Although superficially the people have no
discrimination among various castes but there are observations which deny that the age old
tradition of caste system i.e. has totally died out from the area.
For instance the village layout itself says a lot, the village starts at the main road where there are
small eateries and shops, then comes the main road of the village which begins with the
Pradhaan’s house and some huge mansions. These are owned by of course either Thakurs or
Brahmins. Then is the area which has houses which belong to the service class people. Then
there are small lanes which have relatively poor people living and then adjacent to it is a very
small dingy lane whch has small thatched houses of Harijans. Whenever asked people could
clearly demarcate the area and say that the Harijans or lower caste people stayed there.
Even the temple priest did not sound very happy with the fact that now all castes people are
allowed inside the temple. In his word ‘haan aate hain… par ab kya kar sakte hain’, shows that
the religious sect is showing the tolerance because times have changed but they don’t do so
willingly.
At the consumption side not much difference was noted between the two; except that the
general store near the Harijan area stocked products priced at lower price and the once near the
main lane had more high end and branded products. Moreover there were no eateries near the
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harijan lane whereas as there were quite a few food joints on the main lane. Though the
respondents of all castes served us water (at times tea and food) but the houses of all harijans
were in more shabby state that the other castes. They usually have ‘charpai’ in the courtyard, the
male member of the house was shirtless and the girls were wearing salwar kameez. The homes of
Brahmins and thakurs or even the lower sub-castes of these had some religious symbol (like
‘Swastik’ or ‘Om’), but none of the harijan homes had such symbols.
In general the Harijan caste seemed very complacent, they have very few aspirations and do not
look up to a decent lifestyle. The people work on their small land and produce enough to keep
their living. On being asked as to whether they want to go out and earn more they sound
reluctant and uninterested.
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VILLAGE LAYOUT (Geographical dimarcations between various castes and classes)
Main Road to Haridwar from Hrishikesh
Juice shop & small eating joint
Way to the khadri gram
Pradhaan’s
house
Bigger
mansion
s of
higher
strata of
the
society
Residential society
being bullt up
Khadri main road
Small fields
where some
vegetables
are grown.
Host of
semipukka
houses
Lane where service class
people reside
DVD shop
Way to the
Panchayat ghar
School and
playground
Lane where Brahmins and Thakurs live (relatively poorer families)
Durga
temple
Lanes where harijans live
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POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Khadri is looked after by ‘Khadri Gramsabha’. According to one of the respondents, this
structure is very similar to ‘Nagarpalika’ in cities. Gramsabha is made up of 15 ward
members,which consists of ‘Jilla Panchayat’, ‘Gram Panchayat’, and ‘Kshetra Panchayat’
and ‘Gram Pradhan’. There is 42% reservation for women, which turns out to 8 female
members out of total of 15. ‘Panchayat’ is a form of justice committee for villagers which is
headed by the ‘Sarpanch’. Unlike earlier days, Panchayat just solves smaller level problems or
quarrels of villagers. Bigger issues get resolved in district court itself. Block Development
Officer (BDO) is appointed for every block in Dehradoon, Khadri being one of the blocks.
Elections are held every 5 years. Though elections can be declared early if need be of change in
authority. There are total of 5344 voters in year 2008.
Men, who are keen on sitting for election but can’t qualify as election candidate, used to use
reserved election quota for woman and make their wife stand for the post. So though woman
wins, indirectly her husband works on her behalf, which a common trend in the village.
General Elections:
Khadri Gram Sabha saw recent Panchayat elections. Their were eight candidates, of which 3
were Brahmins, 4 Rajput and one representative from Harijan. What was a surprise is the number
of Women representation in the election, there were in all seven women and just one male
candidate. The election was won by Sunita Rawat, a Rajput. The day we reached was the day
when she was to take the charge officially at the Panchayat ghar.
The women representation was just taken as a compulsion because of Government rule of 42%
female representation in Panchayats. As was evident that Although Sunita Rawat was elected as
Pradhaan, the husband was the key decision maker in the Panchayat matters. She had little say
and was a mere face with little freedom in any active participation.
Her being Pradhaan is again a very overt representation. When we reached her house she was
working in the kitchen. As any other housewife, she was preparing lunch and even when we
were interviewing her husband she interrupted saying ki ‘khaana khaane ke baad kar len??’
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clearly stating her priorities. As another respondent clearly stated ‘haan, mahila toh bani hai,
lekin kaam toh aadmi hi karenge’!
Even the Harijan representation is just an eye wash, because whoever we asked about the
candidate, could not give a clear answer. They did not even know the candidate’s name. This
clearly shows that though the people do not follow caste system stringently but deep within, the
lower castes are still kept away from being part of the decision making posts.
EDUCATION
Education till schooling is provided in Khadri. Number of students going to school is increasing.
Most students, who don’t want to go far for studies, prefer poly-technique course in Khadri itself.
To pursue further study, people usually go to Hrishikesh, which is the nearest degree college.
There are 3 government schools. In schools boys to girls ratio is 40:60. Importance of degree
education is not much prevalent amongst girls. Most girls studying further than school prefer
either B.A. or do course of nursing in Hrishikesh paramedical college. There is a medical
institute in haridwar named ‘Shantikunj’.
Many youngsters go out looking for better options and jobs. Girls usually don’t go far from
Hrishikesh compared to boys who even prefer going out of state.
OCCUPATION:
Apart from farming, there is large chunk of people working for private or public labels. Some
people work at factories. Most of the factories are closed except a few like glass and steel.
Average salary structure there is from 2500 Rs to 6000 Rs. A few people own grocery shops, but
not many people invest in business and rather prefers job. Most of the low caste people do labour
work. Many people work at factory in Haridwar, including 400-500 outsiders. Women generally
work in farms or work from home itself and are not much preferred working outside. Some other
form of employment is available like teaching, banking and government jobs, etc. Other income
options are different professions and tuitions or coaching class, etc.
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AGRICULTURE:
One of the means of earning is agriculture and farming. Very few people do farming as their only
or primary means of earning. Most people having farm, do farming along with some other job.
Farm is mainly handled by women and elderly of the house. People, who own farm, do
farming till noon and then go to their regular job which is the primary source of income for them.
This does not affect the quality of the crop but to finish the same amount of work, it takes more
days as compared to what it used to take in earlier days. Some people give their farm on rent to
other farmers and some just hire farmers to do the job and provide wage in form of vegetables or
cash.
3 main crops produced are: Wheet, Rice and Sugar cane. Some of the other crops are ‘Mandva’, ‘Koda’, ‘dal’, ’Makka’, ‘Adrakh’. There are two type of farming techniques:
‘Sinshit’ (with availability of water) and ‘A-sinchit’ (without water). Tube well is used for
provision of water to the farms. There is lot of unused land available which is neither used for
farming nor for any other work. Those lands are mostly privately owned, and its not very fertile
so cannot be used well for farming. Average price for this land is quoted Rs. 4000 per square
feet. Some ‘forest land’ is also available on outskirts of the village.
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YOUTH:
The youth of the village are too influenced by the urban lifestyle and ape it to a large extent. No
wonder the retail stores stack all the latest and stylish brands be it Set Wet the styling gel or
Garnier shampoos or Garnier Hair Colors. The Girls are not far behind they are abreast with
the fashion and use cosmetics liberally. Though the girls wear skirts to school, informally jeans
and t shirts also but still the dominance of salwar kameez in their lifestyles cannot be denied. The
boys on the other hand adorn all the modern styles be it sunglasses, jackets etc. They use styling
gels and ride motorbykes in style.
Girls:
For the girls, education is a boon and they take full advantage of the opportunity that they are
being allowed to study. They aspire for higher studies and good jobs. Apart from schools and
tuitions their most of the time is spent at home. They help their mothers in the household work
like attending the guests, helping in the kitchen and likes. The parents also make use of their
more liberated girl child, so now getting groceries or paying bills which were majorly a boy’s job
until now are at time done by the daughter of the house. The girls are generally encouraged to
study in the medical field; as there is a nursing school in Hrishikesh and another polytechnic by
Himalaya companies is coming up near Shyampura. They are sent to study in the nearby towns
Hrishikesh or Haridwar Girls are also made to learn stitching, embroidery, knitting and likes as
these ‘Guns’ are considered good talents for girls at the time of marriage.
Boys:
The boys of the village are very inspired by the movies and city lifestyle. They get haircuts
similar to what Hrithik, Shahrukh or Salman adorn in their latest flick (One of our respondent got
spikes the one like Aamir in ‘Taare Zameen Par’). They gel their hair and try to be stylish with
denim jackets, fashionable shoes and also accessorize themselves with bracelets and chains.
They ride bikes and aspire the more costlier ones like Yamaha R15. The boys are not very
inclined towards studies (since last three years girls are the top rankers in the school), but they do
want to go for higher studies and settle abroad. In their pursuit of aping the city culture they are
very obedient to their parents and always want to take care of them by sending money from
abroad. What is to be noted that they don’t want to take their parents with them but will not
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forget to take care in their old age! When it comes to marriage the boys want an educated girl
and even if love marriage has to happen it should be with the permission of the parents. Overall
they want to lead an upper end lifestyle but will stick to their roots.
BRAND CONSUMPTION PATTERNS:
The Khadri Gram Sabha came as a very modern village. The retail stores follow the ‘one stop for
all policy’, they keep a range of products from soaps. Shampoos, detergents, chocolates, toffees,
wafers. It was good to see that they also keep products like styling gels, Chinese decorative
items, cosmetics and junk jwellery The shops stalk all the latest brands right from Garnier,
Sunsilk, tide, surf excel, dove shampoos, Dettol and the regulars like Unilever and P&G brands.
Gone are the days when women used to wash their nhair by shikakai, the Khadri women use
shampoos regularly and experiment with the new brands and products. Small samples are
important in this regard. To experiment they prefer buying a small sample like of a conditioner,
or entangling serums and if they like, they continue the usage.
When it comes to chips, wafers and toffees there are lots of me too brands. In this kurkure tops
the list. It has its me too brands like Churkure, Fata fat, Tana tan The other me too barnds are as
follows
Original Brand
Me too Brand
Kurkure
Churkure, Fata fat, Tana tan
Perk
Park
Lays
Hot Chips
Darbur
Sharbar
Popular (garment Brand)
Pature
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In the midst of all the shops which stacked the me too brands there was a relatively new shop(
one year since its establishment) that stacked all the original products. This shop had all big
brand products like Garnier, set wet, dove, Lays, etc. The reason he explained is that he bought
most stuff himself with sheer understanding of brands, and these products are used not only by
rich people of the village, but by average households also, difference in these two purchases is
just in terms of frequency of usage. Apparently the packages are of smaller sizes, for keeping in
mind the economic perspective of villagers.
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MEDIA AND CONNECTIVITY
Newspaper:
Mainly read daily newspaper is ‘Amar Ujala’. Other well read newspapers are ‘Dainik Jagran’
and ‘Navabharat Times’. There are around 500 news paper subscribing households. Most people
subscribe Hindi newspaper. There are two main newspapers in English – Navabharat times and
newly launched Hindustan Times. These are subscribed by only 8-10 households, in those Hindi
newspapers are also used. Teachers, government officers are most likely people to read English
newspaper. News paper is delivered to a distributor in khadri itself at around morning 4-30 and
he delivers them to all village households till 7-30. There is not much of a practice of asking
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newspapers from neighbours and if so it happens on a very rare occasions. Women also read
newspaper but not necessarily in morning, and rather prefer reading in noon time when they are
little relaxed. They go through headings generally and spend more times on female oriented
supplements. People are usually not inclined towards discussing newspaper details to one
another as such, but definitely current affairs and discussions take place quite often.
TV:
TV is available in many households, though cable and satellite is not affordable to some.
Average bill of C&S is Rs.150 and almost all the channels are accessible including the latest
ones. Almost all households have colour TV but not necessarily branded. Some households have
two Television sets, especially those where number of people living in a house is at least 6-7. In
almost all households TV was kept in main room. At dinner time around 8-30, all family
members watch TV together. Youngsters and male of the house usually watch TV in evening
only. Women especially housewife watch TV in afternoon, while working women (outside or
from home) usually don’t get much time for TV.
Male of the house usually watch comedy programs, news channels and sometimes soaps.
Women usually prefer soaps and family drama programs. Most people are not fond of watching
movies – either at home or in theatres. Kids generally see cartoon or sport channels – One of the
popular kids’ channels in Khadri is ‘Nickalodean’. Youngsters usually prefer to watch sports
channel, WWF, reality shows, or music channels. They prefer watching movies more compared
others as mentioned earlier. Even they don’t have much craze of watching newly released
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movies.
Radio:
Almost all households have radio. Listening radio is no more a community thing and rather is
becoming a personal entertainment medium, especially for youngsters. Surprisingly many people
prefer radio to TV. Youngsters usually listen to radio in morning before going to school or
college, and while travelling to Hrishikesh for college. Men listen to radio in evening time or at
late night, housewives in afternoon, while working women usually don’t listen to radio. Women
are the least users of radio compared to others. Program priority or preference wasn’t observed
much as listening to radio was more dependent on the availability of time rather than choice of
program.
Mobile:
Almost 80% people have Mobile. Mostly male of the house have cell phones and otherwise
BSNL Landline is available for wife and kids. Though many people use branded cells, main
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usage is in terms of making and receiving calls, and at max use bollywood ring-tones, or listen to
radio while other value added services are hardly accessed.
Internet:
Very few people have computers. Computers are available mainly at school or in houses. It is
mainly used by kids who are pursuing their higher education or working people whose work
requires computer job. Internet is used especially by working people or youngsters.
DVDs
There was a DVD shop in the area wich stacked all the latest movies. Apart from popular Hindi
movies, it all kept English film dvds also. There were DVDs titled ‘Meri saas ko tune kyun
maara’ with foreign face.
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TRANSITIONS OCCURRED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS
The Phenomenon
Its Antecedents
The youth of the village want to The reasons are:
move out and settle in cities
1) The compensations of work
in the village are low
2) The dwindling land holdings
which have left people with
few opportunities to earn
money in the village
3) Massive exposure to city
lifestyle
4) Not many different options
of work in the village
Its Consequence
The consequences are:
The older generation is renting
out Agriculture land
1) Agriculture is left only for
the poor to do.
2) Sky high prices of land in the
area
3) Encroachment of Agriculture
land
4) People becoming very money
minded
1) When it comes to day to day
behavior between castes
there is no difference.
Superficially there are no
problems
2) It helps hide the difference
between various castes in
Panchayat, though they are a
part of the Panchayat but not
involved in Active decision
making.
1) Children working in Cities
send money to their parents
2) The money is enough to
lead a good life (TV,
vehicle, garden)
3) At times they use their land
to build big houses
There is no difference between 1) The higher castes have
the castes in the village in an
evolved
overt fashion
2) People are more educated
now and consider such
believes as outdated
3) Rising income of the
Scheduled and lower castes,
which has led them to gain
the respect of the people in
the village
1) Agriculture as an occupation
is dying.
2) The boys do not work in
fields and get into bad habits
like smoking and drinking at
an early age
MAJOR PROBLEM IDENTIFIED OF THE KHADRI GRAM SABHA
Drinking seems to be dominant problem of the area. The main reason of this problem being so
centric to this area is because Haridwar and Hrishikesh are ‘dry area’ so the only place where
liquor can be sold is in the shyampura area. Mostly the liquor is sold on the highway connecting
Hrishikesh and Haridwar, and Khadri is located very near to the highway. Due to the available of
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liquor in the close vicinity the drinking problem is at its peak in this village. The most affected
are the worker class who usually earn Rs 100-300 a day and spend 80% of it in buying liquor, at
times even 100% is spent on the same. The liquor sold in the area is usually the local ‘dharra’ as
the locals say. This liquor comes cheap as it is prepared in the local ‘bhattis’. The branded liquor
is drunk by people who can afford it.
The problem is not only financial, because of spending so much on liquor, the woman of the
house is burdened by the extra load of earning along with doing all the household work. In turn
their health deteriorates. Also the health problems and work overload leads them to revolt their
husbands, who indulge in violence. The wife beating is very prevalent in the area. In most houses
husbands beat their wives and sometimes their children too. This domestic violence is not only
prevalent in the lower classes but also the higher classes.
These domestic violence cases are not reported to the police and thus its difficult to get the
numbers of the household affected by domestic violence. The awareness of the laws against it is
also very low.
The most affected by this phenomenon are the children who too start drinking early and thus by
the time they grow up, its impossible for them to leave the habit. These kids think drinking as a
style statement and another way to ape the urban lifestyles. Not only drinking, the boys start
smoking and taking drugs like ‘hari buti’, ‘ganja’ too. Though drugs was not stated as a concern
but if the rate goes on then it will also turn out to be a major problem
The drinking problems are not only with the uineducated but educated ones too. During our stay
we got to know that one of the doctors of the area died recently because of drinking. Now if a
doctor who is supposed to be advising people of the adverse affects of drinking gives in to the
bad habit little do we expect from the worker class.
COMMUNICATION PLAN TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM:
The problem should be nipped at the bud. Therefore, the schools should well educate students of
the adverse affects of Drinking, smoking and drugs. Including such issues as part of the
curriculum makes the whole thing seem as a compulsion and the age at which the student indulge
into these habits, is when they hate been given order or being told what to do. A better and
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probably more effective way is to start a forum which involves students who pledge not to
indulge in these bad habits.The forum members are recognized by giving away badges and small
stationary items customized in the forum’s name. Being part of the forum will not only help
them keep away from these habits but also make them feel above average (a way to fulfill their
aspiration of being modern ans stylish) The forum can be promoted by telling the student how
student group in the cities form similar forums for all societal problems. This way the students
will be more interested since they are too influenced by city life. The faculty and especially the
principal should ba part of the forum and make sure that some or the other activities keep the
interests of the members alive. Activities like poster making competitions, or cleanliness drives
around the village etc would also do the village a general good.
The other part of the plan is to make the women aware of their rights against domestic violence
and to encourage them to file complaints against their husbands. A little revolting way which can
be looks at is the drive taken by women in the Nainital area. Where women used to beat their
husbands with broom made out of leaves called ‘Bichchoo’ the characterstics of these leaves is
that when they touch the human skin, the area pains and becomes itchy for a while. The practice
was so effective that the drinking problem in the area has almost come to an end. A similar
approach can be taken in this area too. The problem with this method would be to convince the
wives to hit their husband which is a very strong step to be taken by a wife. The approach should
be to tell them how their one strong step will lead ato a prosperous life and a better future for
their kids and their husbands. They should be told how alcohol is slo
The other way o tackling the drinking problem can be to keep the men away from liquor. Having
educated women on how to report dometic abuse cases, what the Panchayat can do is to keep
track of such cases. Any man accused of domestic violence should be sent to a re hablitation
cetre for a week or two. This will ensure that he is away from the liquor and will also help him
cope the addiction. The rehabilitation cetre should make use of meditation and yoga to help
people do away with the drinking problem. The rehabilitation cetre should be established inside
the village so that the person can be close to his family members too. The Panchayat should also
have a special post for hearing the domestic violence and drinking related cases. This post should
essentially be held by a woman because it will easier for a woman to explain things to another
woman rather than to a man.
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CONCLUSION
Khadri gram sabha changed our perspective of a village, it showed us that how much has
globalization hit the interiors of India. The people of the village have definitely evolved and
there ready to change for good attitude helps them cope with the superstitions and orthodox
traditions sooner. The people of the area are very adaptive, friendly and helpful. Most of them
are educated and aspire to lead a decent lifestyle.
The caste system is not followed very strongly but it still prevails. Though people don’t despise
the lower caste of the people but still have their reservations in sitting together and having food.
Though they do eat at hotels and do not mind who is sitting nest to them but at home it’s a strict
no no. The Brahmins and Rajputs are in a constant tussel to out do each other but when it comes
to village matters like election of Pradhaan or other administrative posts, people decide
judiciously and vote only for the candidate whom they feel is fit but still a lower caste member is
out of their consideration set.
The infrastructure of Khadri is better than many villages around. Electricity, water, roads,
schools and now a new polytechnique depict good facilities in the village although the problem
is with the transpostation from the village interiors to the main road. The distance is too long and
people do feel the inconvenience.
Apart from drinking and domestic violence which is caused dur to excessive drinking, the area
doesn’t semmed to be ailed from any major issues. The people themselves are cooperative to the
offices and do no complain much for instance on being asked the need for a genral hospital their
reply was that there are no major casualities that happen in the area so there is no dire need of a
hospital, the one in Hrishikesh is enough in general.
The girls of the village are given enough freedom so that they can stand for themselves in future
and will not have to depend on anyone in future. Parents send them to school and colleges.
Though apart from academics it is made sure that they learn basic household work for them to
find no diifculty being a housewife post marriage.
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APPENDIX
PHOTOGRAPHS
The DVD shop.
The shool bus inside the village
Pradhaan Sunita Rawat with her husband (extreme right) and two sons
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TRANSCRIPTS OF INTERVIEWS TAKEN IN THE AREA
Mr. Parvin Singh Negi (39 years old, Rajput)
Me: Aapki umar kya hai?
Respondent: 39 saal.
Me: Is gaun mein kab se reh rahe hain?
Respondent: 30 saal se.
Me: Aapne kahan tak padhai ki hai?
Respondent: 1992 mein 12 th pass ki thi aur phir ITI-Dehradun mein padhai ki.
Me: Ab kya karte hai?
Respondent: Mere paas do dukaane hain- stationery aur cycle parts.
Me: Aapne padhai ke baad bhi ye dukaane kyun shuru ki, koi naukri kyun nahin ki?
Respondent: Computer aur nayi technology ke aane se main naukri nahin kar saka, isiliye 1995
mein apna kaam shuru kiya.
Me: Kya value hogi aapki do dukaano ki? Aur kitni aam dani hoti hai?
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Respondent: 4-5 lacs. 6-7 hazzar rupaiy dono se mil jaate hain har mahine.
Me: Ab apne parivaar ke bare mein kuch bataiye?
Respondent: Mere pitaji, biwi aur 3 bachche. 3 ladke- 13 saal, 10 saal aur 5 saal.
Me: Aapke paas koi zameen hai aur koi aam dani hoti hai
Respondent: Ji haan, mere paas 18 bigha zameen hain. Meri patni us par kaam karti hai. Ganna,
chawal aur gehoon ki kheti-badi hai. Ganna saal kata jata hai aur gehoon aur chawaal 4 mahine
baad. Teenon mila kar 24 hazaar ki saal ki aam dani hai.
Me: Ab iss gaun ke bare mein kuch bataiye – kitni jaatiyan hain yahan
Respondent: Yahan par 4 jaatiyan hain- Bauxa(OBC), Chamaar, Rajput aur Brahmin. Rajput
mein bhi bahut hai – Chauhan, Negi, Jethri aur Brahmin mein bhi- Rayal aur Kodiyal.
Me: Aap kaun si jaati ki hain?
Respondent: Main rajput hoon.
Me: Yahan par ladka ya ladki ke paida hone par koi fark samjha jata hai?
Respondent: Ji nahin, aisa nahin hai. Lekin ladki paida hone se pareshani toh hoti hi hai.
Me: Bataiya agar ladkiyan zyada paida hoti hain toh is se kya pareshani hai?
Respondent: Pareshani yun hoti hai ki aage vansh chalaane ke liye ladka hi chahiye. Ab ladkiyon
ko toh paraya dhan samjha jata hai. Jab ki itna khaas fark nahin hai par phir bhi thodi maanyata
toh hai hi. Is wajah se thodi si pareshani hoti hai.
Me: Par yahan dahej ko lekar kuch...
Respondent: Nahin aisa koi problem nahin hai yahan par. Nahin dahej ka koi problem nahin hai.
Me: Lekin log apni taraf se dahej dete hain?
Respondent: Haan.
Me: Kyun? Agar koi maangta nahin hai phir bhi log dahej kyun dete hain?
Respondent: Apni ladki ko aadmi chahe kitna marzi de. Maan lijiye, aaj kal ke time mein
government ne ladki ko bhi barabar ka hissa diya hai...paitrik sampatti ka barabar ka hissa hai,
agar maa-baap apni marzi se de rahe hain toh usme toh koi kharab baat nahin hai.
Me: Main ye jaan na chah rahi thi ke maa-baap apni khushi se dete hain ya darr ke dete hain?
Respondent: Nahin darr ke nahin, khushi se dete hain.
Me: Toh yahan dahej ko lekar bahut zyada problem nahin hai?
Respondent: Ji nahin.
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Me: Aur shaadiyon mein koi naye reeti-riwaaz jo pehle nahin hote the?
Respondent: Baaki sab toh pehle jaisa hi hai, par pichle 8-10 saalon se cocktail ka riwaaz aa
gaya.
Me: Ab thoda mandir ke bare mein bataiye. Yahan pe kitne mandir honge?
Respondent: Hammare gaun mein 6 mandir hain.
Me: Kya aisa koi ek mandir/ bhagwaan ho jinhe bahut pooja jata ho?
Respondent: Nahin aisa toh koi nahin hai. Sabhi ko maana jata hai.
Me: Aur kya sabhi log mandiron mein jaate hain?
Respondent: Ji haan. Sabhi jaate hain.
Me: Kya yahan caste ke alag-alag area hain – jaise chamaaron ka ek, rajput ka ek..?
Respondent: Haan, hain.
Me: Aise alag-alag area kyun hain?
Respondent: Woh isliye hain ...jaise bauxa(OBC) jaati ke log jo yahan par the..woh ek samuh
mein the. Woh usi samuh mein reh gaye, idhar-udhar chidra ke nahin jate. In logon ka aisa hai ki
yeh log sirf khane main dhyaan rakhte hain- becha aur khaya. Inke paas zamin khatm hoti chali
jaati hai aur yeh choti se jagah main simat jaate hain. Yahi baat chamaaron mein bhi dekhi jati
hai. Woh log bhi isi tarah simat jaate hain, ek hi samuh main ikattha ho jate hain. Ye inki sabse
badi woh hai ki yeh bech kar kha jaate hain. Jab ki pehle saari zamin unhi ke paas thi aur aaj
unke paas zamin hi nahin hai.
Me: Jaise log alag-alag area mein rehte hain, madir kaun se area mein hain?
Respondent: Aisi koi baat nahin ki madir kaun se area mein hain. Sabhi sarvjanik madir hain.
Jaise ek bauxa jaati ke area mein hai-shiv mandir hai, phir do mandir aur hain-durga mandir hai
aur shiv mandir hai, phir aage ja kar ek jagah plotting hui hai wahan bhi durga mandir hai, phir
aage Chopra farm mein pehle shiv mandir hai phir durga mandir hai.
Me: Toh aisa kuch nahin hai ki sirf Rajput area mein hi mandir ho?
Respondent: Ji nahin, sabhi jagah mandir hain.
Me: Koi aisa tyohaar hai ya aisi pooja jo gaun ke log khoob manate hain?
Respondent: Ji haan. Durga pooja.
Me: Kab se mana rahe hain?
Respondent: Pichle 8-10 saalon se. Tab hi gram panchayat ne paise ikattha karke mandir bawaya
tha.
Me: Bataiye Durga pooja kitne din tak chalti hai?
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Respondent: Durga pooja 9 din tak chalti hai.
Me: Kya hota hai usme?
Respondent: 9 din tak pooja-archana hoti hai. Haridwar se jal aata hai. Aur phir nau din tak pooja
hoti hai.
Me: Toh sabhi alag-alag...
Respondent: Ji nahin. Alag nahin, poore gaun ki saamuhik pooja hoti hai. Poora gaun usme
sahyog karta hai, apne-apne astar se. Kisi se ye nahin hai ki itna hi karna hai, jitni jiski shamtaa
hai, usi ke hissab se wo pooja denge wahan pe aur phir last mein bhoj hota hai. Bhoj mein bhi
saare aadmi, poora gaun bhoj mein aata hai. Chamaar, Bauxa..sabhi jaati ke log ek saath baith
kar bhoj karte hain.
Me: Brahmin aur Rajput bhi...?
Respondent: Brahmin ho, rajput ho...sab ek saath pangat mein baith kar bhoj karte hain. Aisa
nahin hai ke rajput ke liye alag, shudra ke liye alag...sab ek saath hi baith kar bhoj karte hain.
Me: Wakai mein aisa koi bhed-bhaav nahin rakhte??
Respondent: Ji nahin, aisa koi bhed-bhaav nahin hai.
Me: Is gaun mein kitne log padhe-likhe hain?
Respondent: 70% log padhe-likhe hain.
Me: Koi aisi bimaari ya buri aadat jo yahan phaili ho?
Respondent: Bimaari toh nahin hai par haan sharrab zaroor hai. Jagah-jagah par sharaab ke adde
hain.
Mrs. Asha Singh Negi (34 years old, Rajput)
Me: Koi bhed-bhaav hote hain aaj kal alag-alag jaatiyon ke beech?
Respondent: Hamare sasural wale toh chamaaron ke wahan paani bhi nahi peete the, lekin nayi
peedhi aisa nahin maanti.
Me: Lekin woh kyun nahin maante?
Respondent:Pata nahi... ...ho sakta hai yeh shiksha ka parinaam ho.
Me: Yahan ke reeti-riwaazon mein koi fark aaya hai...shaadi, tyohaar ke manane main?
Respondent: Shadiyon mein riwaaz toh hindu dharm ke hi hote hain, lekin shaheron jaise ek
mahine pehle sab kuch shuru nahin hota, hame kheti-badi se fursat hi nahin milti. Yahan
shadiyon mein TV programmes ki wajah se parivartan aaya hai...pehle ladki ghar par hi tayyar
hoti thi, lekin ab parlour jati hai.
Me: Jaise aapne TV ki baat ki....aur koi parivartan jo TV ki wajah se ho?
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Respondent: Aaj kal log sirf 2 hi bachche paida karte hain, kabhi-kabhi sirf ek bhi karte hain.
Kahin na kahin isme TV ka yogdaan hai.
Me: Kapde pehen ne mein koi parivartan?
Respondent: Haan, ab ladkiyan jeans pehenti hain. Main nahi pehenti, par mujhe bura nahin
lagta, agar meri ladki hoti toh main bhi mana nahin karti. Lekin bade-boodhe achcha nahin
samakhte.
Me: Tyohaar manane mein koi parivartan??
Respondent: Logon ne ab milna-julna kam kar diya hai. Pehle holi pe log dal bana kar ghoomte
the ..lekin ab aisa nahin hota. Bhaichara kam ho gaya hai. Ho sakta hai dange-fasaad ki wajah se
kyunki log aksar pi kar ladaai karte hain aur kuch log in cheezon se door rehna chahte hain.
Me: Marne par kya riwaaz kiye jaate hain?
Respondent: Maran par Brahman jammate hain, 13 brahman, 13 prakaar ki sabziyaan hoti hai,
halwa, puri. Aaj kal tehrvi par card bhi chapte hain jo ki pehle nahin hota tha. Ek Brahman ko
kapde, bistar, charpai, joote , aur bacchdi ka daan kiya jaata hai. Agar marne wala aadmi ho to
aadmi ke kapde diye jaate hain aur agar aurat ho toh aurat ke kapde diye jaate hain.
Me: Aapke gaun mein aisi koi khaas baat hai jo aur kisi gaun main nahin?
Respondent: Ji hai ke aaj bhi hum ghar ke bahar soote hain aur din mein bhi apne darwaaze
khule chodd jate hain.
Me: Aap rasoi mein kaun si companiyon ka maal istmaal karte hain?
Respondent: Namak aur Chai toh TATA ki. Tata ki quality achchi hoti hai aur baaki masaale
Goldie ke istmaal karte hain. Wheel, breeze, LG TV, LG fridge. LG TV aur fridge toh humne
apne padosiyon ke ghar dekha tha, achcha laga toh le liya. Masaale ek baar istmaal karke pata
chalta hai. Sabun mein hum koi fark nahin karte lekin bachche breeze lane ko kehte hain aur
lifebuoy istmall karna pasand nahin karte.
Me: Aur khaad main?
Respondent: Khaad mein hum urea istmaal karte hain...lekin company mein fark nahin karte.
Waise toh gobar ki khad sabse achchi hoti hai- krishi darshan mein batate hain, koi side effects
nahin hote. Urea 2-3 km door milta hai
Mrs. Meena Chamori ( 31 years old, Brahmin)
Me: Apne bare mein kuch bataiye.
Respondent: Main 31 saal ki hoon, maine MA ki hai, mere do bachche hai-ek ladka aur ek ladki.
Mere pati army mein hain. Ab main boutique chalati hoon.
Me: Ye boutique shuru karne mein aapne kitna paisa lagaya?
Respondent: Maine 55 hazaar rupaiye lagaye thi jo main eek saal mein hi vasool ho gaye the.
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Me: Yahan ke reeti-riwazon mein koi fark aaya hai?
Respondent: Haan, bahut badlaav aaya hai. Pehle shaadi mein ladka paalki mein jaata tha par ab
ghode, rath ya car mein jaata hai. Mama ko shaadi mein ladke jaisa barabar sammaan diya jata
tha lekin ab aisa nahin hota. Pehle shaadiyon pe chawal ki mithai banti thi lekin ab nahin banti.
Aaj kal janam din manaya jaata hai, jabki pehle moom-batti bujhana ashubh man jata tha; lekin
aaj kal bachche aur reeti-riwaaz dekh rahe hain kyunki woh ab un schools mein padhte hain jo ki
gaun se bahar hain. Ab politics college aur pados mein bhi hone laga hai.
Me: Aur kaise riwaaz hote hain?
Respondent: Shrad mein ladkiyaan jamaate hain aur dikshana dete hai. Balraj, jo ki diwali k ek
din baad manaya jata hai, us din gau(cow) aur bael(bull) ki pooja ki jati hai aur hal nahin jota
jata. Makar Sakranti manayi jati hai- khichdi banayi aur baanti jati hai, haridwar jaake snan kiya
jata hai.
Me: Koi andh-vishwaas jo yahan ho...
Respondent: Ji haan, jaise kisi ilaake mein laal kapde pehen na achcha nahin samjha jata, taveez,
kali billi....yeh sab toh hai hi.
Me: Auraton ke bare mein kuch bataiye, rehna, pehnawa?
Respondent: Aurtein kheti badi se badkar teaching, office, tailoring jaise kaam bhi karne lagi
hain. Ladkiyan jeans pehenti hain lekin agar transparent, sleeveless pehne ya phir baal katwayen
toh bade-boodhe naraaz hote hain, baatein banate hain.
Me: Koi bhed-bhaav hain yahan jaatiyon ke beech?
Respondent: Ji haan. Brahmin log Raput ke ghar chawal nahin khate. Brahmin aur Rajput SC
/Bauxa ke ghar khate-peete nahin hain. Aur ek saath uthte-baithte bhi nahin hai.
Mrs. Rampyari Chamori (66 years old, Brahmin)
Respondent: Main 66 saal ki hoon, anpadh hoon, chaar bachche hain. Mere pati IDPL mein kaam
karte the aur 140 rupaiye mahina kamate the.
Me: Pehle aur ab mein is gaun ke reeti0riwazon mein kya fark aaya hai?
Respondent: Shadiyaan itni dhoom-dhaam se nahin hoti thi jitni ab hoti hain, ab logon ke paas
paisa hai, aur agar nahin bhi haitoh bhi woh log kharch karte hain. Logon ki khwaishen badh
gayi hain. Ladke aur ladkiyon ko ek sa samman milta hai. Pehle bahu aur betiyon ko chai,
mithai, gehoon ki roti nahin di jati thi...par ab aisa nahin hota.
Ab logon ke paas achcha pasia aur khana hai...pehle aisa nahin tha.
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Me: Aur koi bhed-bhaav?
Respondent: Kuch bhed-bhaav toh abhi bhi hai. Jaise, janm ke baad havan hone tak maa ko
apavitra/aswachch mana jata hai.
Me: Aur maran ke samay kaise reeti riwaaz hote hain?
Respondent: Bada ladka baap ke marne pe namak aur maa ke marne pe doodh 13 din ke liye
chodd deta hai.
Mrs. Radha Devi ( 25 years, Bauxa) and Mr. Balwant singh Gaud (34 years old, Bauxa)
Respondent: Mera naam Radha hai, main 25 saal ki hoon, 12th pass ki hai.
Mera naam Balwant Singh gaud hai, maine 8th pass ki hai aur main bauxa jaati ka hoon.
Me: Jaise aap log Bauxa jati ke hain, aisa koi bhed-bhaav hai jo aapke saath kiya jata hai?
Respondent: Bhed bhaav ab ki peedhi mein nahin hai lekin bade-boodhe abhi bhi un baton mein
vishwaas rakhte hain.
Waise mere pitaji, Sh. Rai Singh Gaud, 20-25 saal se Bauxa jati ke pradhaan bante aa rahe hain.
Me: Shaadi kis tarah se ki jati hai...dahej, reeti-riwaaz?
Respondent: Ji nahin, dahej toh nahin maanga jaata lekin log apni marzi/khushi se dete hain.
Shaadiyon mein show-baazi bahut ho gayi hai. Mama bahut kharcha karte hain, chahe ladke ki
shaadi ho ya ladki ki.
Inter-caste shaadi karna napasand karte hain. Prem vivah hota hai,lekin phir rishtey daari khatm
ho jati hai.
Me: Aur kisi tarah ke reeti-riwaaz?
Respondent: Shrad aur purvajon ko bahut mana jata hai. Hamare gaun mein April ke navratron
ke aakhri din Bakre ka tyohaar manaate hain, jisme bakre ki bali di jati hai.
Me: Lekin navratre toh bahut pavitra hote hain, usme bakra...
Respondent: aisa hai ki ek baar gaun mein aag lag gayi thi jiski wajah se bahut nukasn hua tha;
isliye yeh bakre ka tyohaar manaya jata hai har saal.
Me: Aisi koi buri aadat ya bimari hai jo yahan ke logon ko hai?
Respondent: Aur toh koi nahin par sharaab peene ki aadat hai. Jaise din ki dihaadi 100 rupaiye
haitoh aadmi 70-80 rupaiye do quarter pe kharch kar dete hain aur ghar ke kharch mein sirf 20
rupaiye hi dete hain.
[Type text]
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Mr. Kuldeep Rawat (17 years old, Rajput)
Respondent: Main 17 saal ka hoon, 10th mein padhta hoon, meri mummy gaun ki pradhaan hain.
TV dekhna aur doston ke saath ghoomna pasand hai. TV mein 10 sports, WWF, Discovery,
9XM dekhna pasand hai. Bike chalana achcha lagta hai.
Me: Bike –papa ki hai ya tumhari?
Respondent: Papa ne gift ki hai mujhe-Glamour.
Me: Tumhe pasand hai?
Respondent: Mujhe toh Yamaha ki R15 pasand hai, lekin yeh bhi theek hai.
Me: Shaadi ke bare mein kuch socha hai?
Respondent: 28 saal mein karoonga, padhi-likhi aur sundar ladki se. Shaadi toh dhoom-dhaam se
honi chahiye. Sabko pata chalna chahiye ki meri shaadi hui hai.
Me: Aur kya karna chahte ho?
Respondent: Bahar padhne jana chahta hoon.
Me: Kyun?
Respondent: Bahar bahut facilities hain, kam pollution hai.
Me: Yeh spikes hairstyle kyun rakha hai tumne?
Respondent: Achcha lagta hai, Aamir Khan ko dekh kar rakha hai. Impression achcha jamta hai
aur stylish bhi lagta hai.
FGD with the school teachers (transcript of part of the FGD)
Me: so the questions were asked as to whether the ladies participated or not?
The respondent 4 said that vyakti aur unki wife main koi bhed bhaav nahi hai’
They also spoke about Brahman and Rajput representation
R4: Vyaktigat Representation
R5: Brahman aur Rajput
R4: Brahman aur Rajput ka tamka alag bataiye’
R2: Jaise maan lijiye yahaan Brahman 40%
Ki: Toh Zyaadtar Brahman aur Rajput hote hain
R2: Adhiktar (R4 nods his head)
[Type text]
Page 38
K: Inme kuchh puratmic demarcation hai alag se ki Brahmin Wagarah ya Harijan koi ho to jaise
ki common jagah par Mandir main ek saath nahi..
R2: nahi nahi aisa nahi, yeh dheek nahi hai
R4: Nahi itna nahi hai, sab mandir jaate hain.
K: Haan lekin chhote chhote level par yeh cheezen rehti hongi
R4: haan rehti hain, par ab yahaan par nahi hain
R2: asal me…. yeh gaaon sahar se juda hone ki wajah se jo ye baat nichle star par hoti hai na
who nahi hai, who toh gaon gaon main alag hoti hai
R6: Yeh pure Uttrakhand main nahi hai is puri jagah main nahi hai.
R2: Jaise gaon main who uske saath paani nahi pi sakta hai , yahaan nahi… yahaan nahi hoga
R5: yahaan nahi.., yahaan nahi… yahaan nahi hoga
R5: yahaan nahi..
R1: yahaan nahi hai
K: Khaane Peene kit oh manayi yahaan bhi nahi hogi
R1 : node in negation
R4: Khaane ki hogi, jaise log aap hotel main baithe hain toh ek saath khaana kha sakte hain, par
ghar main hum ek saath khaana nahi kha sakte , baat koi nahi hai, lekin is tarah ka castsism bhar
diya gaya hai bachpan se hi logon ke dimag main ki nahi kar sakta. Hum kar sakte hain kis caste
ke hain humare liye koi problem nahi hai lekin aam aadmi ke liye shayad sambhav nahi hai, agar
who jaanta hai toh
R6: Farak tabhi padega agar main kisi ke yahaan jaoon baaki sab toh…(just shrugs)
K: Aur caste ke log yahaan padhne ke liye aate hain?
R6: haan haan
R5: yahaan aate hain
K: yahaan koi chus choot ki nahi hai? Alag se baithna..
R1: nahi bilkul nahi
R4: yahaan sab aate hain, khaana ek saath khaate hain
R1: Government deti hai bhojan
R2: yahaan madhyaan bhojan hota hai, saath baitjke khaate hai bachche
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Page 39
R4: eigth tak jo bachche hain, unka din ka bhojan sarkar ki taraf se hota hai, toh saare log baithke
khaate hain.
R1: saath khaate hain.
K: Yahaan pe sabse oonch tabka kinka maana jaata hai; jaise.. jinki maani jaati hai iss jagah
main
R2; Rajput…. Abhi tak yahaan Pradhan Brahman varg ka tha ab rajput hai bhai… toh hum toh
yahi maanenge …
R3: yahaan..
R2: ki Pradhaan ki maani jaati hai
R5: Brahman Thakur 50: 50 hain
R6: 50:50
R5 ( to r4); aur Thakur bhi hain
R4: Matlab yeh hai ki ooncha percentage thakuron ka zyaada hai brahmano se.
R3: haan yeh hai operation ke hisaab se
R1: Ab Pradhaan aa gaya doosri jaati ka
R2: abhi ak yahaan par ek aisa samanjasya aaya hai, ki agar Brahaman Pradhaan ka haitoh
pramukh chatri raha hai, dono ka yahaan tha
R3: Jila Pramukh humaare bagal main hi hai, chunav nahi huye tab tak toh wahi hain
R4: Chaar log maante Pradhaan Pramukh ki hi baat hain
SYNOPSIS OF FGD OF TEACHERS AT THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL
We conducted a Focused Group discussion of 8 school teachers, as teachers are considered a
credible source of information. It brought out many interesting points and helped us understand
village scenario in much better way. The gist of this is described below.
They also talked about different castes in village and informed maximum number of Brhmin and
Rajpoot. They denied much demarcation on basis of lower and upper caste. Still they agreed to
the certain level of caste differentiation like, people can have food at restaurants where all caste
can be present but can’t have food or water at harijan’s place.
[Type text]
In school ‘Madhyahan
Page 40
Bhojan’(which is provided free by government) is served till eighth standard, where students of
all caste sits together.
Teachers informed us that there was no bias in decisions in terms of caste, according to the caste
of the authority and development of all the castes was focused by every ‘Pradhan’ as they
understood the importance of development of the ‘Kshetra’. The educated people usually move
out of the village with family and give the house in village on rent. Many people go out of state
for education or for better job opportunities. Status of woman has improved and her opinions are
considered for household decisions in most houses. Occupation of most working women is in
farming, but no other work opportunities for women are present at this point in time. They also
informed us about the political post structure and breakup of ward member functioning. When
we discussed about how husband of the female ‘Pradhan’ is the actual decision maker, all
confirmed of the fact. But still some felt when female ‘Pradhan’ is educated and is capable of
handling the decisions, than she also decides. But somehow we felt that some people actually
believed in male ‘Pradhan’ being more capable to handle the job.
They clarified that though there is no dowry system prevalent, every girl’s parents give
her something or the other, according to their financial capability; reason for this being very
culture of the hill area where dowry system never existed. For marriage two very important
aspects need to be considered: caste and ‘Gotra’. Very rich people get their kids married at
‘Shantikunj’, which is considered a prominent place. Even the poor of village spend 1 to 1.5
lacks after marriage.
We also addressed some social evils of village. One of which is drinking habit. They
mentioned presence of two type of alcohol: Branded and Desi, amongst which desi is consumed
more being cheaper. Most of the liquor shops were on the Haridwar – Hrishikesh highway. They
also talked about the presence of domestic violence, which is prevalent at all levels of societal
status. One of the reasons of quarrel in poor family was the drinking problem itself. Many men
spend all money after liquor and in turn women are left with no money to run the house or for the
kids. This results into quarrel or domestic violence in most cases. Another evil we discussed was
superstitions which they claimed to be almost non-existent. A few were present like considering
poor condition of as a result of God’s anger, asking questions to god by various means etc.
[Type text]
Page 41
There are 3-4 government schools. Though girls to boys’ ratio in school are 6:4, teachers
suggested that if all girls’ school will be made, number of girls joining school will also increase.
They also mentioned increasing awareness of education and aspiration of successful life. Though
they denied presence of awareness towards extra curricular activities and of coaching classes
accept that of the education focused. Students usually don’t participate in school sports activities,
but they have a strong team who goes for state level ‘Yoga’ competition.
SYNOPSIS OF IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH THE TEMPLE PRIEST
According to people of village, all castes were equally treated and no major demarcation
between lower and upper caste existed. So, we did an interview of a ‘pandits’ (priest) at temple –
to understand the caste scenario and village problems better. He was working at temple for 15
years. According to him people don’t visit temple very frequently as compared to early days
when people spared special time for worship and most people come during weekends. When he
was asked of different castes in village, he did not mention name of any lower caste unless
specifically asked. He explained that even though presence of Hrijans in temple was not
acceptable; because of the laws in favour of lower caste, he really can’t do much to stop them.
He further added that even other upper caste people who don’t really favour entry of Harijans in
temple, they restrain from objecting. He mentioned that lower caste people usually don’t possess
any farms, so do labour work for other’s farm. He was highly influenced by ‘Balthakare’
(Shivsena ideaology), as he was a part of Shivsena and had taken ‘Diksha’ from Balthakre.
The older Panditji’s major concern was regarding youngsters of village and increasing
drinking problem. He informed that sometimes people stole away the temple bell, but he can’t do
much about it. He was very annoyed by the drunkards in village. He elaborated that youngsters
don’t donate even small amount of 1 or 2 Rs. for temple but do spend lot after liquor. Plus many
people drink just at the entrance of the temple, which he felt was a very disgraceful activity.
Thus by talking to the priest we got a totally different view on different dynamics of caste
demarcation. Though upper-lower caste differentiation has reduced to quite an extent, law has
absolutely played a big role in it.
[Type text]
Page 42
DAIRY
Day 1:
Well! We reached Hrishikesh on the 29th of September late night and decided to proceed with
the research on the 30th of September. We thought that we would go to the Shampur village. We
started from the hotel at 8:30 am and took a tempo, when we asked him to drop us at Shampur he
told us that there are many villages/ gram sabha in the village and as he belonged to a gram
sabha called Khadri, he left us there. We reached Khadri and asked for Sarpanch’s house, but it
was locked. Then we got the information that elections culminated a few days ago and 30th
September is the day when the new Sarpanch is supposed to join the panchayat. So, we started
walking towards the Panchayat office. We noticed that the houses looked very much like cities,
all the houses were either pucca or semi-pucca and we also noticed DISH TV installation in few
of the houses; even the kirana stores are well-stocked with the national as well as local brands.
We kept on seeing the shops and brands on the way. There are a lot of Chinese fast food shops
which offers noodles, mo-mos, soups; we were quite amazed to see that villagers also have such
stuff. Bakery shops were also there. Most of the kirana stores stocks local and “me-too” brands.
By the time we reached the Panchayat ghar, they already left from there. So, we tried to talk to
others available around. There were two guys on the bike who gave us the Sarpanch’s phone
number and lot of information about the village. While coming back, we got hold of two ladies
and talked to them about the village, they told us about the farming and crops, real estate rates
and few more general things. They also invited us to their home for lunch, which was our first
stint with the village generosity. While coming back, we stopped at a kirana store and realised
that the shopkeeper stocked only national brands and no local/”me-too” brands. His idea behind
doing so was differentiation from his competitors and the potential of the market. We kept on
taking pictures and interacted with the guy. Then, it was impossible for us to meet the Sarpanch,
hence we came back.
Day 2:
We went around 9:30 and reached Sarpanch’s house around 10 am. We informed him about our
objective of coming to the village and took his permission of continuing with the research. We
had a general chat with them about the elections that took place few days back. Then we
proceeded towards a school that we saw the previous day to interview teachers. We took
[Type text]
Page 43
permission and entered the staff room where 6-8 teachers were sitting. When we asked them to
be our respondents, all of them were ready to respond, hence we decided to conduct a focused
group discussion and then it went on for the next one hour. After that we tried to find
respondents around the households nearby. We actually entered a household where we found a
woman who was half burnt. She was a muslim lady and was quite educated. Though she was
quite good-looking and well-built, but because of the mishappening she was quite dejected. She
was very happy with her husband but was upset with her parents because they married her off
early in life and she couldn’t plan her career. Then we also interviewed a guy who was the owner
of a Chinese fast food shop about the general eating habits of the people of the village. Then we
asked for the Harijans area and interviewed few of them. Then we went to a purohit of a temple
and interviewed him on the religious and caste issues of the village. After the work of 7-8 hours,
we left the village for the day.
Day 3:
Again we went to the Sarpanch’s house as we identified her son to be our respondent. We
interviewed him and try to gauge the aspirations/lifestyle of the village youth. After that we went
inside the village and interviewed the newspaper vendor, we tried to gauge the reading habits of
the village and get statistical data about the distribution of the newspaper. After that we went to
the cable operator and tried to gauge the interest of the people in the media. After that we went to
the house of an insurance agent, but as he was out of town we met his wife only and had general
chat with her. Village people had this Ramlila celebration in the village, so they invited us to see.
We went to see the Ramlila, though we went there to enjoy but we noticed few things. Village
people don’t consider it good to allow women to be a part of the stage that is all the characters in
the Ramlila starting fromSita to Shrupnakha were played by men only. Women were not even
allowed to be part of the crew in the play. Even the audience were segregated into two
compartments – men and women. It was a complete entertainer as they included bollywood
songs to hold the attention of the crowd.
Day 4:
We reached the village around 10 am and then we started with the motive of interviewing people
of all the castes. We started with a Rajput shop owner who was the resident of the village from
the last 30 years and tried to get information on different castes, temples, values of the villagers
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Page 44
and changes happening in the village. After that we went to his house and interviewed his wife.
Though he looked quite poor but he has very big house we tried to notice the differences of
opinions/information supplied by husband and wife and we also tried to get information on
household expenses, buying decisions etc. Then, we went ahead and interviewed a Brahmin lady.
She has started her own business and opened her tailoring shop. Her husband was in the army
and her in-laws are very supportive. She gave us the information about the dominant values of
the village as well as the changing customs and traditions of the village. She took us to her home
and we interviewed her mother-in-law as well who has been living in the village from a decade
now and gave us her perspective on the changes in the village. Then the same lady took us to one
of her friend’s place, who belonged to the Bauxa (OBC) jati. We interviewed her as well as her
husband to gauge their take on the caste differentiation and whether they face any difficulties.
Day 5:
Again we went to Panchayat so as to collect the statistical information about the village. But we
couldn’t find the guy as it was a Saturday. Then, again we went to the sarpanch’s house and got
the number of Shashidhar Bedvaal, Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari. Then, we called him and
got all the statistical information. We also thanked Sarpanch and his family for all the support
that they have extended.
[Type text]
Page 45

Rural Research conducted at Khadri Gram Sabha, Shyampura

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