07/15

01:24 (writing this on 07/18)

Mushy. I am not really great at good-byes. Sometimes I hide behind the amount of work that must be done so I do not think about people leaving. And, that's exactly what I did.

Before Caleb left in the afternoon, Sundhya came to dress me up. 

Photo with Sundhya

Swathi and Pallavi even lent me bangles and earrings to match the saree. They were my fashion designers! When I walked down from the room, I heard compliments after compliments. I wore the saree to adjust to the culture and they accepted me even more!

Then, I conducted 2 interviews in the morning. I found out that my sample for the successful SHG-leaders provided me with very similar information. When I talked to Nagama and Nilama, I was in complete awe. Sure, they talked about very similar experiences, but they communicated the information in such strong manner. They were confident and strong women. They were empowered.

Photo with Shankaramma

Photo with Nagamma

Photo with Nilamma

After these interviews, I ended up forming more questions. I needed to know the loan procedures, the list of SHG benefits, the different government rules, the list of leaders and their castes and so many more! My to-do list just got longer! Since, I ended up getting more information, I jay wanted to sit and synthesize my thoughts. But, I ended up going to the paddy fields and learning about transplanting.

I never knew the real impact of droughts until I got to Dokur. People really do not have any work unless there is no rain. Dokur has borewells and a watershed project that needs rain to work. The borewells depend on rain because it feeds of the groundwater. And, many farmers share the same borewell and they sometimes they pump excessively which cause the borewell to dry up. Because there is no rain, people cannot get access to adequate water for their crops therefore putting them in a state of poverty. Semi-arid tropic places need to grow drought-resistant crops (sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, and etc.) but even if they do, they might not necessarily eat it or sell it. Dokur people grow paddy because that is their main source of consumption, but that requires so much water usage. Unfortunately, you cannot just tell a bunch of farmers to grow certain crops because their culture and their lifestyle has been focused on eating paddy and growing paddy. I am currently still in the process of thinking of an answer to this problem.

In the meantime, I took precious photos by the paddy crops!

After our detour to the paddy crops and our festive lunch, we went to the marketplace to show Caleb around. I just stayed in the car because it was extremely humid! So, I showed Shankur how to make movies on my phone, and I am currently in the process of creating 3-4 short movies about my adventures in India.

Then, Caleb stopped by to say good-bye and that honestly made me sad. He taught me so much about being a PhD student to leasing in land to outputs in marketplaces to water irrigation to being a great parent. I can't believe that I am just going to be by myself again in my office. It bummed me out to see him leave, but we all have to do it sometime (as realistic as that sounds).

Before our successful SHG-leader focus group discussion at 7, we interviewed two more people, Kamalamma and Sujatha.

Photo with Kamalamma

Kamalamma was the fastest interview that I had so far because I actually got the hang of my research tool. And, it went by quickly because there were no other people interupting or pitching in their thoughts. Again, I noticed the calmness and eloquence every time she spoke. I think I am beginning to differentiate between successful and failed leaders because of the way the communicated.

After my lovely conversation with Kamalamma, we immediately went to interview Sujatha.

Photo with Sujatha

Sujatha was quite different from everyone else. When I asked her questions, she listened intensively and tried to understand my English. She would occasionally nod, but the language barrier proved to be extremely difficult in fully understanding her. But, my translators summarized the information extremely well. I just couldn't help but realize how much words were lost in translation.

After the interview, Sujatha showed me sarees. She wanted to sell me some, and I knew I was going to buy one because I wanted to help her out. While I was picking one out, she would tell me that she wanted my saree in such a joking manner. In response, I would compliment her saree because she wore a much beautiful saree than mine.

By the time I picked one out, we had to go. We only had 30 minutes to prepare for the Focus Group and we all needed a break. I extremely worked Pallavi and Swathi because I need the responses! But, I love how they were very focused and helpful with everything I needed to create a successful project. 

At the beginning of the focus group discussion, I was not prepared. People were talking on top of each other, so others did not speak up. In order to prevent that, I would raise my voice to quiet everyone and ask the same question but to a different section of the group. After two to three questions, people spoke up one at a time, but again it would get carried away. It felt just like a Boys and Girls Club Keystone meeting! Nonetheless, I made sure that I got everyone's opinions because that is the entire goal of a focus group! Many of them said the same information, but they justified the importance of Self-Helped Groups. 

Photo with the successful SHG-leaders

Then, we interviewed Lakshmi. She share d really personal information that just made me all mushy. Throughout the entire interview, I just thought about how

strong she was! She had gone through so many obstacles just to stay in her group, and I believe that if you do not let a barrier overpower you, then you are a leader. And, Lakshmi is a leader.

Photo with Lakshmi 

The best part about my work so far is seeing the smiles in people. Before every photo, I obnoxiously tell them to smile because they all look extremely beautiful when they show their happy, jubilant faces. And, it warmed me to see them listen to me and look straight at the camera and smile! 

By the end of the night, Pallavi, Swathi and I even did our own photo shoot!

We accomplished so much in one day, and I am proud to say that I have such a driven and dedicated team!