Breaking biases, building bonds

A three-day visit. A lot of stereotypes shattered. The image of an “NGO worker” wearing a khadi kurta and carrying a jhola, for one. That rural women are meek observers of village activities, for another.

For the 120 scholars of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, a brief ‘rural immersion’ visit to the Pradan campus at Kesla in Madhya Pradesh in February was an eye-opener of sorts. 

“It was really beautiful to see how all the women in the self-help groups (SHG) have been saving money weekly for 15 years and also helping each other financially,” Krish Solanki, one of the participant scholars, said about the experience at Taku, a small village near Kesla.

“We often have stereotypes about women in smaller towns being just homemakers and passive users of their spouse’s income. But I saw how each member in the SHG was financially independent and contributing to the family income by taking up multiple jobs,” Solanki added.

The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women is a unique alternative to the traditional MBA programme that aims to create a cadre of successful women professionals for the contemporary workplace. 

Setting scholars up for success

It is an 18-month full-time residential post-graduate programme that includes in the curriculum a development practice module focusing on combining learnings from grassroots movements. 

The scholars learn leadership and management skills from the rural women collectives promoted by the government. 

The annual three-day rural immersion experience helps them learn about and from different communities and cultures. The trip to Kesla was curated by Pradan, TRIF (Transforming Rural India Foundation) and Village Square.

It offered the urban youth an opportunity to get closer to the rural ecosystem, to empathise with and offer innovative solutions to issues.

Village Square believes that youngsters will be at the heart of resolving long-standing complex rural problems of the country. Without their active engagement with ‘the other 70 percent’ of India, we cannot hope to see sustainable national growth. 

To bridge the urban-rural divide, exposures like rural immersion become important. 

The initiative motivates the scholars to live in villages and learn about the various aspects of life in rural areas through which they can inculcate empathy, widen their thinking process and remain committed to making large-scale impact wherever they go in their professional space. 

It provides a space for building a community of like-minded changemakers, experiencing the joys of shared discoveries, and building innovative solutions to rural development opportunities.

The lush forest-rimmed setting of Pradan campus provides the ideal  ambience for exploring and reflecting upon the rural life while enjoying fresh food and outdoor games. 

Bridging the gap

The first day is all about settling in, with workshops facilitated by Village Square delving into how to be a good listener, taking insights and setting aside biases and preconceived notions if any while having discussions with the communities. 

On the second day, scholars divide themselves into groups and visit various villages. They meet the SHGs and understand the history of the village, and other issues such as means of livelihood, education, health and agriculture. They also visit various government centres like the panchayat, anganwadi and schools to gain more insights from the community.

On the last day, the scholars work together to consolidate their learnings about the SHGs and also about themselves through group presentations. 

“I was often told that ‘your parents would get a mini heart attack if they learn that you want to join an NGO after pursuing an MBA’,” Parul Wadhwani laughed. “But when I met professionals here and saw how they navigated their career trajectories in the development sector, I could see that this is a job that demands perseverance but also gives a heightened sense of purpose.” 

The deep impression that the experience left on the scholars is evident from a poem written by Kirti Wadhwa, a participant this year:

Rural Immersion Module, the study of a self-help group,
Began with the arrival at Kesla, scholars became an observing troop,
The stay looked like nature's bliss, nearly a modern village’s dupe,
Questioning the rural innocents evoked our creative soup,
The trip brought unity, with everyone keeping each other in the loop,
The rural and urban connect bonded the diversity in a hoop
The world has reached the moon but the kind hearts, still pushing away the goop,
A parallel seen in both worlds was friendships rekindled, a strength recoups,
Kesla shall stay in our memories, like the redolent saloop! - “

The lead image at the top shows a regular self-help group (SHG) meeting of Lakshmi SHG (Photo by Sanjana Kaushik)

Sanjana Kaushik is the Manager – Youth Hub at Village Square.