स्पाऊझ: जीवनसाथी का साथ
स्पाऊझ यह मान्यताप्राप्त लेखिका शोभा डे का विवाहसंस्था तथा सह-जीवन इस दिलचस्प विषय में विस्तृत भाष्य है । यह एक विवाह- जीवन की सफलता के बारे में अवगत करनेवाली किताब है । कई मायनों मे यह किताब एक सराहनीय उदाहरण प्रस्तुत करती है ।
मौलिक रूपसे विवाहसंस्था का परिचय, उसमें होनेवाले मानवीय संबंधों की चर्चा एवम् समीक्षा, वर्तमान तथा गतकालीन विवाह परंपरा, बदलते रिवाज, प्रत्यक्ष जीवन के उदाहरण, "ज्ञान की बातें", जेंडर तथा स्त्री- पुरुष असमानता से जुडे मुद्दे, कुटुंबसंस्था, पाल्य- पालक संबंध, जीवनसाथी का जीवन में स्थान आदि सभी संबंधित मुद्दों पर लेखिकाने उपयुक्त भाष्य किया है । कई सारे उदाहरण और उनके साथ सुझाव इनके कारण यह किताब जीवनसाथी को समझने के लिए तथा विवाह पद्धति में प्रवेश करनेवाले लोगों के लिए एक मार्गदर्शक दीपस्तंभ हो सकती है । इसमें केवल संकल्पनात्मक या वैचारिक बातें नही है; अपि तु उनके साथ अत्यंत सराहनीय उदाहरण, सुझाव एवम् सफल- असफल समझ और सोच दर्शायी गयी है जिससे यह एक पथगामी, एक आनेवाली मुश्किलों को और जटिल परिस्थिती को समझने का साधन बनता है ।
आधुनिक मानवीय संबंध तथा "रिलेशन्स" पर इसमें गहन चर्चा है । परंतु गहन होने पर भी वह सरल रूप से कही गयी है । किस तरह मानवी रिश्ते बनते है, बढते है या बिगडते है, इसकी काफी हद तक संपूर्ण चर्चा की गई है । इस किताब को पढ कर जीवनसाथी अपने आप को और अच्छी तरह से समझ सकते है ।
विषय बहोत बडा तथा वैचारिक- नैतिक होने के पश्चात भी किताब रोचक है । हल्की सी पुनरावृत्ती (Repetition) होने के बाद भी यह वाचनीय एवम् मनोरंजक है । हालाँकि इसमें विवाह संस्था या जीवनसाथी सें संबंधित नकारात्मक उदाहरणों का थोडा ज्यादा वर्णन है और इसकी पृष्ठभूमी में सिर्फ उच्चभ्रू- अमीर लोगों का ही अंतर्भाव है जिससे यह वर्णन सामान्य जीवन- आम जिंदगी से पराया लगता है ।
पेंग्विन प्रकाशन के इस किताब के मूल्य कें बारे में भी प्रकाशक को धन्यवाद देने चाहिए । यदि इस कम मूल्य के लघु- ग्रंथ का पठन युवाओं द्वारा किया जाता है तो जीवनसाथी से तथा विवाह संस्था से संबंधित कई सारी जटिलताएं और समस्याएं सुलझनें के लिए सहायता मिल सकती है । इस दृष्टि से यह किताब जेंडर तथा विवाह इन मुद्दों पर काम करनेवाले लोगों को कुछ सहायता जरूर प्रदान कर सकती है ।
Showing posts with label problems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label problems. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Community Audit: A Journey into History of the Community
Introduction:
Community audit is not a new concept. Threre are different forms of social audits that are practised in social sector. Public hearing, scheme audit are examples of social audits. They are largely used in community monitoring programs. Their objectives are to create transparency and accountability in the system. They also motivates the community to take ownership of the development activities going on in their area. Here we are going to talk about community audit with the reference to community history. That is to say, audit of the community itself in the context of its historical activities/ occupations.
Necessity of this type of audit:
Today, when we talk about development activities in developing countries such as India, we see that there are a lot of support schemes (called as affirmative action) which are aimed at providing the vulnerable communities with necessary facilities, concessions, benefits and opportunities. There are a great deal of such schemes and programs which are aimed at helping the poor, the disadvantaged. In this context, now a days, there is growing perception that this kinds of ready-made facilities are making these communities lazy or inactive. It is human tendency, if the things are made readily available; we are likely to become lazy; which is actually happening in many developed countries due to increased mechanisation. In order to locate this, the method of community audit is useful. Moreover, it is not just the audit of this community. But it aims at finding answers of the questions such as what did the generations of this communityactually do to solve their problems in the history- say last 200 or so years. In which way they tried to solve their problems, in which ways they were successful, can these measures be used today? These questions can be answered with the help of such community history audit.
Nature and Process:
Like social audit; or audit of an organization; this kind of audit would talk about the community as a whole and its major occupations, activities, lifestyle trends and patterns. As we can specify about individual life span; eg. during the age of 6 to 22, he studied, then he did 5 jobs till the age of 38 when he established his company etc. This audit would identify such areas in the community's life over the period of around 200-300 years.
In India, we have age- old problems such as open defecation, poverty and lack of employment. Through such audits we can locate the community's effort for addressing these problems. This can be done in collective meeting of community members necessarily with the young and old age persons. Such a group can recall the historical information about such initatives from the community. Sociologists and ethnologists can help for such discussions.
Benefits of this kind of audit:
1. It would bring into light the efforts of the community for solving its problems.
2. It would stimulate the community for solving their problems on their own; as in many canses this audit would reveal idleness on the part of the community to take initiatives.
3. It would answer the great question "What we had done in the past" which the coming generation is supposed to ask all the time.
4. As an introspection; it would provide a lot of insights and learning for the members through the collective reflection.
Conclusion:
Thus community history audit can be a good tool to motivate the community for an active role in solving its problems rather than ready-made spoon feeding.
Community audit is not a new concept. Threre are different forms of social audits that are practised in social sector. Public hearing, scheme audit are examples of social audits. They are largely used in community monitoring programs. Their objectives are to create transparency and accountability in the system. They also motivates the community to take ownership of the development activities going on in their area. Here we are going to talk about community audit with the reference to community history. That is to say, audit of the community itself in the context of its historical activities/ occupations.
Necessity of this type of audit:
Today, when we talk about development activities in developing countries such as India, we see that there are a lot of support schemes (called as affirmative action) which are aimed at providing the vulnerable communities with necessary facilities, concessions, benefits and opportunities. There are a great deal of such schemes and programs which are aimed at helping the poor, the disadvantaged. In this context, now a days, there is growing perception that this kinds of ready-made facilities are making these communities lazy or inactive. It is human tendency, if the things are made readily available; we are likely to become lazy; which is actually happening in many developed countries due to increased mechanisation. In order to locate this, the method of community audit is useful. Moreover, it is not just the audit of this community. But it aims at finding answers of the questions such as what did the generations of this communityactually do to solve their problems in the history- say last 200 or so years. In which way they tried to solve their problems, in which ways they were successful, can these measures be used today? These questions can be answered with the help of such community history audit.
Nature and Process:
Like social audit; or audit of an organization; this kind of audit would talk about the community as a whole and its major occupations, activities, lifestyle trends and patterns. As we can specify about individual life span; eg. during the age of 6 to 22, he studied, then he did 5 jobs till the age of 38 when he established his company etc. This audit would identify such areas in the community's life over the period of around 200-300 years.
In India, we have age- old problems such as open defecation, poverty and lack of employment. Through such audits we can locate the community's effort for addressing these problems. This can be done in collective meeting of community members necessarily with the young and old age persons. Such a group can recall the historical information about such initatives from the community. Sociologists and ethnologists can help for such discussions.
Benefits of this kind of audit:
1. It would bring into light the efforts of the community for solving its problems.
2. It would stimulate the community for solving their problems on their own; as in many canses this audit would reveal idleness on the part of the community to take initiatives.
3. It would answer the great question "What we had done in the past" which the coming generation is supposed to ask all the time.
4. As an introspection; it would provide a lot of insights and learning for the members through the collective reflection.
Conclusion:
Thus community history audit can be a good tool to motivate the community for an active role in solving its problems rather than ready-made spoon feeding.
Monday, March 1, 2010
GOING FURTHER PLACES . . .
GOING FURTHER PLACES . . .
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Critical assessment of models of social intervention
3. Emerging needs of a better model of development
4. Vision of better models of intervention
5. Linkages with market
6. Equitable power distribution
7. Watershed development and alternative sources of renewable energy
8. Epilogue
About The Writer:
• Name:Niranjan Girish Welankar.
• Date of birth: 24th November 1984.
• Education: Master’s in Social Work with Urban and Rural Community Development; Bachelor of Arts with Political Science and French and Diploma in German; Diploma in Teachers Training for yoga.
• Occupation: Currently working as a combination of a social researcher, consultant, documentation expert and translator.
The writer strongly wants to work for benefit of the deprived, poor, vulnerable and needy people up to highest possible extent. This obsession is generated out of sensitivity towards social problems, contradictions, inequalities. The writer strongly wants to contribute for betterment of the people at large who are suffering from problems such as poverty, ignorance, displacement, suppression, lack of opportunities for growth and so on.
The writer has experienced some current practices of solving these issues or problems; and so thinks to work in a better way to get more output. The following discussion is thus the process of visualizing a better set of models and intervention. This is a sequel write up or an advanced version of the write up – Going places (available at www.niranjan-vichar.blogspot.com); hence initial basic concepts are put little aside and the discussion goes to further debate. This discussion has backward and forward linkages from the thoughts expressed in ‘Going places’; so that there are a few repetitions in this writing.
1. Introduction
DEDICATINON:
This sharing, this writing is dedicated to those who have suffered from violence, hatred, suppression, displacement-development, inequalities and negligence and to all those who have sacrificed themselves for the society and the nation. The writer takes the opportunity to acknowledge the support of all including the members of Karve Institute of Social Service.
OBJECTIVE OF THIS WRITING:
In one sense, this is person centered reflection. Through the writing, the writer wants to have better clarity about his effort, to seek guidance from the expert and overall sharing for learning and better understanding. The writer wants to improve his vision, to share his thoughts, to try to improve in his vision as well as to develop a debate in the society for the desired objective i.e. Work for betterment of the needy people at large. Necessity of this writing comes out of progressive journey towards the desired goal. When one tries to move, one comes across different experiences, different perspectives and impressions, they are about problems as well as solutions. This is obvious as the social conditions are so dynamic, complicated, so one has to check for errors or limitations and seek for updates. Such reflective writing and sharing is one good tool to do this. So while writing this, the writer aims to have better clarity, better understanding about his journey towards the desired goal. This is basically a learning exercise. So you are requested for your valuable inputs, feedback and guidelines for fulfillment of the objective of this writing.
Thanking you.
- Niranjan.
March 1, 2010.
niranjanwelankar@gmail.com;
www.niranjan-vichar.blogspot.com;
2. Critical assessment of models of social intervention
Let’s here initially look at what is meant by models of social intervention. Interventions are mechanisms of controlling in a situation in which problems, inequalities or maladjustments exist. Let’s also look at what is meant by development; particularly sustainable development; as the development that is not sustainable; cannot be regarded as development. We can describe sustainable development in the following way:
• It is inclusive of all social and environmental entities.
• It is affordable and accessible to all.
• It leads to rise of all and fall of none; be it human or natural stakeholder.
• It has a lot of value base in form of harmonious social relations (equality, fraternity, freedom and justice)
• It is based on equitable distribution of resources among human and environmental stakeholders. This leads to controlled needs and sensitivity towards others.
Current models of intervention can be in any form such as projects of a Non Governmental Organization or the initiative of the government such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Here we are going to assess these models. The following can be mentioned as some common characteristics of these interventions:
i. They are sponsored externally at a large level; say by a national level or international sponsor or funder.
ii. Their set up is funding driven in nature. The projects or interventions start in general on the funds they have. This sometimes leads to the possibility of hypothetical work; for instance as there are more funds available for HIV; organizations tend to go for HIV AIDS related projects; or if there is the advertisement from the central government; then NGO’s apply for that; that in many cases is regardless of the needs in the area of operations. No doubt; in some cases; such funding or support is so crucial; they can start their activities; but at the same time; there is always a danger that these organizations are struck in the same project. That can become a patch-work; a routine exercise; without much output towards the vision and mission.
iii. As this kind of work is economically mostly unproductive i.e. it does not generate money in itself; the project staff is largely dependent on the sponsor source. It leads to a lot of adjustments at the implementation level. The organization has to sustain all expenses out of the funds it is gaining; it creates a lot of limitations. This limits the economic growth of the workers and slowly can encourage malpractices and corruption.
iv. Importantly; basically; such kind of interventions are necessarily to be so focused and intensive activities against many odds; for example take the example of strengthening of village health and sanitation committees or village mobilization. It requires so much efforts on the part of the members or field workers of the organization and the scarce funds are neither able to compensate for this work nor motivate them. This increases deviation from the visualized output and actual output.
v. This puts breaks on the economical growth of the workers and so they are left with two choices- either leave this position and go for another better or continue adjusting with the conditions. In any case; the strength of the intervention reduces as the better persons leave and the remaining work as a routine activity.
This can be summed up. Models of the current interventions are in a way limited like industries in down market. Everything is not necessarily up to the mark. Only a few are gainful; who are positioned at a higher level or decision- making level. The below the mark phenomena can be observed in all aspects of work-force. There are many organizations which are so rich in experience; but their field level work is so dependent on the funds supply.
Let’s discuss about the committed activists and leaders who work voluntarily and without external support. They do present one remarkable example of genuine work and concrete impacts and output. They can be regarded as the pioneers on the path way of sustainable development. However they are so less in number; that they cannot be regarded as a part of this model of interventions.
We want to understand that as the NGO’s emerge from and are dependent in a way on the current systems; we cannot look at them for a very high level of system improvement. Up to an extent; yes; but not beyond that. As NGO’s are dependent on the funding and various social forces; they are not able to work against that; hence their intervention is cannot be regarded as an independent work in absolute terms. There are NGO’s who work for personality development or career development of the youth. What they actually succeed in doing? They produce the better stakeholders in the system called as a multinational company or a government department. That can give material gains for some; but sustainable development is greater than material development.
We can conclude this discussion here by seeing that the current models of intervention are likely to be stereo-type and even though they produce some initial result; they are likely to deviate from their greater role. This is because any change cannot be said as sustainable until it is a structural change and the political and market systems would oppose such change; so there are market related and power related linkages in that.
3. Emerging needs of a better model of intervention
Here we will try to visualize needs; due to which a better model is required. The following are some needs that result out of the above discussion.
i. Affordability and accessibility for all including the most vulnerable groups (like participation in a Satyagrah of Gandhiji).
ii. It should be need based for everyone; not as an imposed action like an imposed or compulsory participation in a meeting.
iii. Locally built structure and local sustainability and sufficiency.
iv. Uniform or equitable distribution of power.
v. Decentralized and localized decision making structures and methodology.
vi. Individualized methods to include diverse potentialities and characteristics.
vii. Modern values such as transparency; accountability; cooperation and demand driven approach.
viii. Entrepreneurship and orientation to production and more effective and the effect should be displayed practically.
ix. Ability to address structural issues and more severe issues such as Naxalism; terrorism and identity crises and international pressures.
x. Creative thinking and indigenous methods.
These are some attributes of sustainability; we regard these as the needs mostly partially fulfilled by the current models of intervention. Let’s elaborate these needs so we can visualize a framework to fulfill them.
i. If our manner of intervention has to be affordable and accessible to all; it has to be so simple in nature like Gandhiji’s methods. He always used the most practical tools; wherein the most common Indian could participate. If we look at the contemporary methods; they are super specialized; in that sense that they need special efforts; they are not common part of the behavior patterns. In other words; we have to find smart ways for the current trends of hard ways. For example; if we use village meeting for village mobilization; we have to find another more effective tool such as utilization of street play or a film show instead of meetings.
ii. Interest can be created with the help of unexpected things. It can be done through social audit- public hearing which appeals to the emotions of the people.
iii. Instead of going for involvement of external forces; we can organize informal local interventions such as formation of water-shed related constructions with the help of Shramadan or use of local manpower for power generation. Such experiments need to be made a norm and not an exception.
iv. Social power or importance given to a person is like a water tank which contains a lot of water; but it is not distributed where it is required. There are ways which are helpful for redistribution of power. Social audit, public hearing, visual presentation focusing deprived needs are some tools. But they need to be made more appealing and stimulating.
v. Local level initiative means which is self sufficient in itself. Example of this kind of intervention can be village level groups who voluntarily work or a SHG formed by women from their savings and not with much the help of outsiders.
vi. Individualized methods mean the methods which give adequate space to local wisdom; local strengths; human as well as natural. It is closely related with creative thinking and a deviation from the stereo-type thinking. It can be visualized in form of a small scale industry of a tribal handy-craft or tourism development in hilly areas or local level processing and marketing of natural resources.
vii. Transparency; accountability and direct participation can be ensured if the process is at a small level. Once the thing becomes top- bottom or multi-lateral; it gets complicated and these values are blocked. Instead of this; if there are informal functionaries; these values can be observed. That needs organization of community and local level stakeholders; so that they can check malpractices.
viii. In order to make significant structural impacts and improvements in significant issues such as national and international problems; it would require a lot of concentration and focus of power; we will discuss that in a separate discussion once we finish with our draft models.
ix. As we have said; the current models hardly include economically productive activities; activities that can be looked as self- sufficient for the intervention. In order to improve on this; we have to go for entrepreneurship related income generation activities. That would be help to support the organization in itself. Examples of such an activity can be use of soft skills by local youth for income generation and supporting other youth for education.
We have to accept that our new model of intervention is also fully vulnerable to the inadequacies and problems of the current models of intervention. It can also be said that the different between the two lines of thinking is in degree and not in kind; the same processes and subject matter are common in the both. That also holds for some extent; but more will be clear when we discuss our examples of draft models. But for that; we need to try to think out of the room; to think different and without minding the biases of the current framework. This process will open doors for us where we can contribute in more unique and effective way.
4. Vision of better models of intervention
Here we are trying to visualize or simulate better models of intervention. We are trying to find better processes and methods to obtain desired results in less time and with more output. We try to conceptualize a model within the framework discussed above; i.e. which has all attributes of sustainable development. They are applications of creative thinking and uncluttered mind; which is not biased due to the social systems and barriers.
Model I: An informal youth group
This is a visualization of a group of youth; mainly rural youth; who want to do something for their village and locality. Some of them are students and some of them are doing some job. How they can contribute for their community? Like any rural or semi rural community; this community is also in need of knowledge about government schemes; facilities; procedures and agricultural extension services. The youth group decides to work as an informal and mobile resource centre. For that; they are willing to contribute RS 250 per month and give some individual time. This group can begin its activities with the activity of information sharing.
Objective:
To work as information provider in the following areas-
1. Educational and vocational guidance to the rural youth.
2. Various schemes of the government
3. Advanced practices in the agriculture
4. Support for any social or individual problem at the community level.
Methodology
As the members of the group are scattered and they do not live at the same place and already involved in their activities; it is not desirable to form a centre for any work. So the best option is to work without any specific logistics structure. As the members are not available at one place; it is better to work indirectly. The activity of information sharing suits this condition.
For information providing and sharing; there is no need to have a centre or an established structure. It can be done in many feasible ways. Information sharing can be done through phone calls; individual visits; visit to expert; letter, email, blog etc. There is no need for larger investment and compulsion of staying at one location. One thing is certainly required and that is management of necessary information. It can be through any area as mentioned above and any social or individual problem. So the group has to have the networking with the experts in these fields in order to provide appropriate information.
For reaching to the people regarding the service of information sharing; the best and cost effective option is to use ST transport buses, colleges and hotels. If a few information brochures are prepared; then they can be stick into buses, college notice boards, hotels etc; from where its potential beneficiaries would catch it. As the public facility is used; its outreach will be higher. It can reach to all nearby villages. So that way; after some time; the beneficiaries would come seeking required information. Once the need is expressed; then it can be fulfilled within 2 days by using the network of friends in social field.
The group can begin its activities in this way. The monthly contribution would be useful for preparation of brochures, placards, keeping record of all this information sharing, and if necessary, for phone calls and travel. Once this group gets recognition and proper networking across a few villages; it can expand its activities.
Prerequisite and requirements on the part of the members
1. Regular time – say average half an hour everyday with more on week end.
2. Regular monthly contribution.
3. Support in kind i.e. preparation of brochure, giving contacts for some work requirements, phone calls for updating, email correspondence, prompt follow up of needs expressed.
Rationale
Rationale of this activity lies in the fact that it is one of the practical and still very useful activities that the group can undertake. It tries to match with the deliverables of the members and some needs of the community. This way the group can create its identity and networking among the people and then can go for other direct interventions or projects as its strength would increase.
This is one way in which local level activities can begin from zero. As the group grows; its members progress; it can increase its monthly contribution and start running a small supply service. After a few years; it can become a small business.
The idea behind this visualization is that instead of taking external money and other help; let’s try to arrange and manage things at local level and start growing in terms of socially (i.e. through the intervention) and economically; through the supply service and later on the business. This approach has entrepreneurship related aspects and it is something like 50% NGO; 50% business model. If proper methods and approaches of business are followed i.e. control on expenses and building of assets; then the business can grow; making this model effective. The basic idea is to start production and earning; sooner or later; so that the members can strengthen their position and take it further.
NGO and business
This raises a classic debate on NGO and business. There can come up many perspectives. Some would say that NGO people have different perspectives; they know how to work in the field; how they can go into business. Another perspective suggests that NGO people are capable of doing many complicated processes such as handling of legal cases; organizing public hearings; mobilizing communities; so how they cannot effectively work in business. For some; it would raise ideological questions. NGO’s and movements work on specific ideologies; how can they indulge in business? These perceptions are largely part of the stereo- type thinking and system biases. Practically; NGO people are well able to do business. In fact; in many cases; work of NGO has become like a business; they purchase projects and give services in form of commodities to the beneficiaries. NGO work is said as non profit (even if it many times has profit motive) while business is clearly aims for money.
Another debate can rise and that is ethical and environmental. It is perceived that the business involves malpractices or illegal practices. If NGO’s also start doing it; it would bring NGO’s ethics and quality. This is one angle. The other angle is that we can go for more rigorous efforts and use our critical and creative thinking for bringing the same results for which one might need malpractices. Another approach would suggest that it is easy to work with the help of projects and so difficult to earn through business for working. Again; there are ways and ways; but that need unbiased and uncluttered mind. If an organization develops local sources of income through entrepreneurship or business- like activities; then that is a great asset; it would qualitatively help itself. This line of thinking also gives rise to many WH questions. Their answers are case- specific and situation specific. It is dependent on the skills and capacity of the organization; its area of operation; market analysis of that place. In any case; there are likely to be many alternatives and options if they are identified and recognized.
Model II: An Independent worker
This is another visualization of a better model of intervention. Here we are not thinking purely from the NGO perspectives. We are now combining many different things to make a better impact and difference. We are visualizing an independent worker who can contribute a lot by working in the different way. Generally there are not opportunities of great economic growth in an NGO. Hence a person who has fairly good competence in documentation; writing; research; training and field work can go for independent work or free-lance consultancy. When he/ she works in one organization; the growth opportunities are limited and the area of his/ her contribution is also limited. But if the same person works as an independent writer + worker + researcher + documentation expert + resource person etc; then he/she will earn more and contribute far more. This has been possible with the help of modern technology – computer and internet. Now in terms of soft output (e.g. which is given on computer); one can work for as many organizations as one can. This opens doors for those who can work with the help of computer. It includes a lot of writing related and computer related jobs. With their help; earning also can be done; income also can be earned and many organizations can also be supported. Social networking sites and blog are also useful for lobbying and identifying strategic partners apart from knowledge explosion. This way; there are ample opportunities for the skilled persons to earn more and contribute more (in form of documentation; initiating for PIL- Public Interest Litigation, reporting; sending news; article writing and book writing for awareness and stimulus etc). What really needed is to take a non conventional stance.
Model II: 50% NGO and 50 % business = 100% influential.
Let’s now visualize a model which we discussed. The following example would clarify what means by a combination of an NGO and business on equal terms. Lets’ take an example of a small society registered under the society’s registration act 1860 in a small village. How this can be evolved as a combination of business and NGO? Any business requires a set of assets which can be delivered and sold into a proper market. We would need to see for that in the context of the organization. We need to look and answer these questions –
i. What are the strengths of the members of the organization?
ii. What forms their core competence?
iii. What material resources the organization has?
iv. What are the overall market conditions; what are trends in that; for example; level of consumption; class of commodities and services required and level of its supplies.
v. In terms of the deliverables on the part of the members of the organization; there would be need of a market assessment; regarding feasibility of that in the market.
These steps can be helpful to decide a model of business. It can be any entrepreneurship activity such as tuition class; establishment of a computer centre; formation of a centre for legal advice and career guidance and so on. The following can be important and necessary conditions.
i. Any venture should be low- cost and without much inputs (e.g. loan; grants) from outside. The activities should be managed in such a way that many tasks would take place without much effort such as use of stickers/ posters on public transport buses for publicity and outreach rather than village- to village visits and meetings.
ii. The organizations economic activities should follow the norms of – 0% Non productive investment, 25% saving; 25% investment; 25% for intervention (Expenses of NGO activities); 5% share market investment and 20% reserve. This will be useful to grow sustainably.
iii. The organization should focus on genuine and vital activities only and avoid unnecessary stuff such as impractical and irrelevant research/ surveys and ineffective intervention such as imposed meetings; compulsory events and get- together.
iv. Continuous efforts to upgrade competency levels of the members of the organization. Depending on the aptitude, competence and interests of the members; they can undergo further trainings and capacity building. For example; if there is a member who is interested in hardware and computers; then he can go for a training on hardware and networking and can become a professional in that field within 6 months; so the organization can also run a centre for hardware related services.
The idea behind all this is to make money out of small money; be it in any legal and socially acceptable way. Money is not everything; but it is something and something very effective. Apart from money- making; the model also needs to have adoption of social values; human rights; equality; principles of self control and mutual respect along with the practices such as Vipassana and Yoga. In terms of cricket; scoring runs can be compared with earning money through entrepreneurship while actual field work is staying at the wicket and building partnerships. It is remarkable that modern cricket matches are won with the help of best combinations of scoring runs and staying at the wicket. The same applies to NGO field also. This is not so untouched or novel. There are many efforts; many experiments which demonstrate the model of locally sustainable agencies. Here we halt the discussion of better models and go towards structural issues involved in them.
5. Linkages with market
Here we will discuss various market related dynamics. Whenever we try to start an intervention in the field or any social situation; we need to think on the structural aspects related to it. Greater social changes or reforms can be obtained with the help of structural issues rather than a few case- interventions. For example; if we work on the issue of child labor in 5 villages; then we might be able to improve the situation up to those 5 villages. But; if we work structurally; then we might be able to improve the situation in the state or in the region; say with the help of advocacy led by scientific research and concrete substitute arrangements. Market is one significant and universal entity which we need to intervene in at many times and with different approaches. It is not irrelevant or out of our purview. Let’s take the example of salary given to employees in an organization. It has a lot to do with the market situation. Market is practically a driving force; a strong social system; as strong variable which affects every social circumstances.
Let’s go into what we need to do with this structure. For that; we need to take a look at the market situation in brief. The following are highlights of the market situation:
i. Market is controlled and dominated by a small group of affluent people like industrialists; big political leaders.
ii. Market variables such as agricultural prices or remuneration to the unskilled workers are controlled by this group.
iii. The role of government as a regulator and a stabilizer has been reduced significantly; as after 1991; government is stepping down from many of its responsibilities and failing to complete the minimum requirements and that is resulting in marketisation of services and commodities; for example; if the government is unable to provide adequate transportation facilities; private players come in the picture and facilities/ services provided by them are not for all and with all or the inability of the government to generate required electricity leads to the emergence of inverters; UPS which are market commodities and the rich only can PURCHASE that.
In this context; the following can be areas of intervention.
i. Evolution and development of locally comfortable and compatible mechanisms of income generation and production of various commodities or services. Its example can be entrepreneurship of Self Help Groups that generate money and they are economically gainful activities.
ii. Assistance to the marginalized groups to strengthen themselves in the market. Its example can be a support in kind and in money given to youths from a nomadic tribal community for undergoing hardware and networking courses with the help of which they can sustain themselves economically.
iii. Creation of alternatives and parallel framework so as to avoid exploitation and malpractices. For example if the engineering colleges are few and they also need high donations; we can initiate for a people run engineering college or short term courses to impart the practical vocational knowledge. Another example of this kind can be to develop competent model of non- formal education to avoid marketised education; to invent and utilize local method of power generation to avoid market rates. Of course; all these mechanisms need long term participation from a significant number of people.
The best of its kind of model would be invention and production of technological tools which will empower the rural masses. Such a technology should have the following qualities-
a. Affordable and accessible to all – i.e. its investment cost should be minimal; e.g. a zero cost participatory nallah bunding; training on Yoga.
b. It should generate concrete production that has respectable value in the market; so that it can gainfully economically empower its users.
It should use local wisdom and indigenous knowledge; it should use creativity and individual competence rather than copy paste and stereo-type methods.
iv. To create awareness about fair and legal practices and advocate the issues of deviation from the constitutional norms. For example; a public hearing on child labor in sugar cane factories can be helpful to address the issue; for the workers as well as the media; or a study on transportation practices in rural areas can help for increasing quality of services given by public transport and thereby free the local people from the private transporters.
These modes of intervention are not different from the traditional methods. The difference is not in the process; but in the approach. Now let’s discuss another all- influential; significant crux of social interactions i.e. political situation or power related social circumstances.
6. Equitable power distribution
Power here is referred as the capacity of influencing or the extent of importance one person has in the society. Our better models of intervention would not function properly without properly addressing the power related issues. For example; let’s recall the example of remuneration issue of the sugar cane workers. We can do awareness generation; we can make the legal bodies aware about that. But would the situation change without support of the landlords or the big political leaders who control these factories?
It is said that development and under-development is not so ad- hoc or spontaneous; it is a political process. "Women are dying, not because diseases we cannot cure, but because, societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
It is a matter of debate to decide how much this analytical statement holds true. But no doubt, there is reasonable meaning in it. The message of that statement is that social problems are more to do with inequalities related to power than to facilities or services. Most of the social problems are rooted in inequalities and suppression. So as long as these inequalities remain, any solution will not be long lasting. Because most of the problems are due to inequalities and so till inequalities remain, they will also remain. So there is need to address these inequalities firstly. All inequalities are so strongly related with power inequality. Hence we need to discuss power dynamics.
Power can be referred to as the ability to influence others, ability to influence decision making. It is related with importance one has in the community. Power dynamics are inter- related factors which are related to power. Power can be referred as social money i.e. what money is in economy, power is in the society. Power is exerted or applied through one or more of the following channels-
1. Money
2. Property
3. Social status
4. Education
5. Occupation
6. Knowledge
7. Understanding and insights
8. Physical health
9. Relations with the powerful group or hierarchs, such as leaders, landlords.
10. Social relations and connectivity with the community and society.
11. Numerical strength.
In this context, power inequality can be said as instrumental to social problems. Power inequality indicates lack of equality, lack of balanced social relations. This leads to one's domination over another and so all the stuff of exploitation, suppression, negligence begins. Conversely, if these inequalities are removed and all are brought to one level, there will be hardly any scope for exploitation, suppression as it would be immediately opposed, checked and neutralized. This is nothing but situation of 'haves' and 'haves not' according to Marxian analysis of dialectical materialism. Let's visualize this with an example. Let's take any example of social problem caused by inequality. Let's take a case of a doctor demanding money from a poor woman for checking up her. As long as that woman is socially less powerful and the doctor is more powerful, he can take the money. But if both become equally powerful, he would not be able to take the money easily. This theme of thinking indicates the need to work on power inequalities rather than on facilities or services. We will discuss this line of thinking and try to analyze it, to visualize better ways emerging out of it.
The biggest problem in this approach is that power cannot be equated without having high or concentrated power and concentration of power leads to corruption. It is rightly said that “POWER CORRUPTS.” The question is of making such an efficient arrangement in which the power would be concentrated; strengthened; but it would be used or executed only in the interest of the disempowered. Power dynamics can be compared with a power tank. The power is concentrated in the tank at a height of 100 metres and the pipes are connected to distribute that power to the lower areas; but the water has not been filled into the pipes as its gate- way is closed. The moment we open the way; water is bound to distribute evenly. The same can be said about power. As long as it is detained; it is blocked; it is concentrated and works as a depriving force; but the moment it is open; it spreads uniformly and equitably.
The problem in realizing of this is that then the political influence of the current landlords or power holders would be reduced a lot. So in any case; they would not support such a thing. This is the basic issue. The constitution reads all are equal; but in practice; not all are equal as if all are to be equal; a few would have to reduce.
What does mean by concentration of power to reduce power inequality is a question to be answered now. As we have discussed; power is expressed through several channels. Concentration; let’s say; positive or distributive concentration of power is becoming strong in that areas – knowledge; income; land; social relations etc. If we are not politically strong; no one would listen to us. This discussion suggests that we should become politically strong as well as distribute it properly; so that we would not be victims of the power concentration. It is very tricky; something like going from the market and not doing shopping.
One of the best options is to build network of local groups of people without doing it in the name of an individual. It can be described as a decentralized and localized manner of political mobilization. If a group of activists or a network of social organizations becomes powerful in this way; it can influence decision making at a large scale also. For example; if there are good number of supporters and scientific base; such a cohort can influence national; international relations and factors. Let’s take the case of complicated issues involved in social problems in Kashmir and the North East. Any grass root level organization is unable to influence it; but if a network of local and regional groups come forward; does some homework in form of a research on grass root problems in Kashmir/ North east or any naxalite area in the country; its suggestions are bound to be ‘powerful’; any government cannot deny them or rule them out so easily.
This is true with all structural issues. Issues such as disputes between India and China or between India and Pakistan are not issues of awareness; development or social relations; but they are the issues of political strength and political strength ultimately lies in decentralized political association. If that is built; greater structural issues can also be solved; worked out.
7. Watershed development and alternative sources of renewable energy
Now we discuss the picture of overall social problems in the light of watershed development and renewable energy. As we have discussed in the beginning of the discussion; when we try to think holistically and synthesize various social problems and their root causes; we start understanding that these problems are basically results of a wrong model or paradigm of development. This model is based on material growth, need fulfillment and expansion. But the sustainable method of development is different. Many thinkers and development reformers have advocated this vision. Today we can see a lot of hazards of development in form of increasing social inequality; social tensions over limited resources; natural and environmental hazards and shift from equilibrium. These signs and symptoms signify that we need to adopt a paradigm shift in our methodology of development as well as its social linkages and values. Watershed development and alternatives of renewable energy are examples of key- issues for this.
Current methodology of development is market- driven; production and expansion oriented. Its sustainable substitute can be methodology advocated by Gandhi ji in his Hind Swaraj; development based on Antyoday (Empowerment of the most deprived) and Sarvodaya (Empowerment of all); the development based on decentralization; local sufficiency and need- centrality rather than material expansion and greed. Let’s see how watershed development and alternative sources of renewable energy are ways to strengthen this.
Migration is a central process to the traditional methodology of development. Migration is resulting in huge concentration of population and many social problems thereby. Decentralization is possible only if we reduce our dependency on cities and urban market. Watershed development is one channel to promote this. Watershed development when is achieved up to a minimum extent; reduces migration and provide a strength to local economy and agriculture. There are examples of model villages where migration has stopped and the migrated persons also have returned to the village as they found the village conditions better than the urban life. Watershed development strengthens the village as a unit of development from inside out; right from strengthening natural resources and providing the community with work to do and minimum facilities that are really necessary or ‘needed’. Watershed development is a tool which is applicable almost everywhere. Now a day even it has been replicated in urban areas. Hence a movement focusing on watershed development activities can be a better model of intervention.
The same can be said about alternative sources of renewable energy. The difference is that the technology processing part is extensive. Now days; the government has proved to be inadequate to fulfill its policy commitments regarding electric supply. Hence the best option would be to build local level projects of renewable energy. It might be difficult at the beginning; but in the long run; it would work as the ‘power’ empowering the local people. Current methods or traditional forms of energy such as patrol; gas; coal and even atomic energy have proved unsustainable. In the case of atomic energy; if we look at the total cost- benefit ratio and its socio- environmental hazards; we come to know that it is not a sustainable form of energy.
We have to take a diversion from these methods and go for other non- conventional and renewable forms such as biogas; wind energy, water energy and solar energy. Here; there is an ample scope for technology development and its conversion into replicable models; hence a lot of work needs to be done; enabling this method suitable for producing employment opportunities of every kind.
These are attributes of vision of better intervention models or better methods of sustainable development. Only a few of them cannot work alone. For example; there have been successful experiments of local energy generation projects; but they never got recognition and they were rejected. Another example is the ethanol as a fuel. These innovative methods were rejected as they would reduce monopoly of current methods. This clearly indicates that we would also need to work on market and political linkages associated with this issue. Hence what we require is a combination these and even better methods or models; so that we can make a significant impact.
What the writer wanted to share ends here. Now the discussion is open and anyone interested can contribute.
8. Epilogue
Here we close this discussion for now. There are so many questions unanswered, many points need to be clarified. Hence your additions are vital. Your contribution would make this process going even further and farther places.
The repetition in this discussion is regretted, the writer wants to apologize you for imposition of thoughts, also in case something has hurt you, something which you felt threatening. Such writing is mere one way, so incomplete. You can complete this, make it more meaningful by giving your guidance and inputs and continue the discussion.
Thanks a lot.
Niranjan,
1 March 2010.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Critical assessment of models of social intervention
3. Emerging needs of a better model of development
4. Vision of better models of intervention
5. Linkages with market
6. Equitable power distribution
7. Watershed development and alternative sources of renewable energy
8. Epilogue
About The Writer:
• Name:Niranjan Girish Welankar.
• Date of birth: 24th November 1984.
• Education: Master’s in Social Work with Urban and Rural Community Development; Bachelor of Arts with Political Science and French and Diploma in German; Diploma in Teachers Training for yoga.
• Occupation: Currently working as a combination of a social researcher, consultant, documentation expert and translator.
The writer strongly wants to work for benefit of the deprived, poor, vulnerable and needy people up to highest possible extent. This obsession is generated out of sensitivity towards social problems, contradictions, inequalities. The writer strongly wants to contribute for betterment of the people at large who are suffering from problems such as poverty, ignorance, displacement, suppression, lack of opportunities for growth and so on.
The writer has experienced some current practices of solving these issues or problems; and so thinks to work in a better way to get more output. The following discussion is thus the process of visualizing a better set of models and intervention. This is a sequel write up or an advanced version of the write up – Going places (available at www.niranjan-vichar.blogspot.com); hence initial basic concepts are put little aside and the discussion goes to further debate. This discussion has backward and forward linkages from the thoughts expressed in ‘Going places’; so that there are a few repetitions in this writing.
1. Introduction
DEDICATINON:
This sharing, this writing is dedicated to those who have suffered from violence, hatred, suppression, displacement-development, inequalities and negligence and to all those who have sacrificed themselves for the society and the nation. The writer takes the opportunity to acknowledge the support of all including the members of Karve Institute of Social Service.
OBJECTIVE OF THIS WRITING:
In one sense, this is person centered reflection. Through the writing, the writer wants to have better clarity about his effort, to seek guidance from the expert and overall sharing for learning and better understanding. The writer wants to improve his vision, to share his thoughts, to try to improve in his vision as well as to develop a debate in the society for the desired objective i.e. Work for betterment of the needy people at large. Necessity of this writing comes out of progressive journey towards the desired goal. When one tries to move, one comes across different experiences, different perspectives and impressions, they are about problems as well as solutions. This is obvious as the social conditions are so dynamic, complicated, so one has to check for errors or limitations and seek for updates. Such reflective writing and sharing is one good tool to do this. So while writing this, the writer aims to have better clarity, better understanding about his journey towards the desired goal. This is basically a learning exercise. So you are requested for your valuable inputs, feedback and guidelines for fulfillment of the objective of this writing.
Thanking you.
- Niranjan.
March 1, 2010.
niranjanwelankar@gmail.com;
www.niranjan-vichar.blogspot.com;
2. Critical assessment of models of social intervention
Let’s here initially look at what is meant by models of social intervention. Interventions are mechanisms of controlling in a situation in which problems, inequalities or maladjustments exist. Let’s also look at what is meant by development; particularly sustainable development; as the development that is not sustainable; cannot be regarded as development. We can describe sustainable development in the following way:
• It is inclusive of all social and environmental entities.
• It is affordable and accessible to all.
• It leads to rise of all and fall of none; be it human or natural stakeholder.
• It has a lot of value base in form of harmonious social relations (equality, fraternity, freedom and justice)
• It is based on equitable distribution of resources among human and environmental stakeholders. This leads to controlled needs and sensitivity towards others.
Current models of intervention can be in any form such as projects of a Non Governmental Organization or the initiative of the government such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Here we are going to assess these models. The following can be mentioned as some common characteristics of these interventions:
i. They are sponsored externally at a large level; say by a national level or international sponsor or funder.
ii. Their set up is funding driven in nature. The projects or interventions start in general on the funds they have. This sometimes leads to the possibility of hypothetical work; for instance as there are more funds available for HIV; organizations tend to go for HIV AIDS related projects; or if there is the advertisement from the central government; then NGO’s apply for that; that in many cases is regardless of the needs in the area of operations. No doubt; in some cases; such funding or support is so crucial; they can start their activities; but at the same time; there is always a danger that these organizations are struck in the same project. That can become a patch-work; a routine exercise; without much output towards the vision and mission.
iii. As this kind of work is economically mostly unproductive i.e. it does not generate money in itself; the project staff is largely dependent on the sponsor source. It leads to a lot of adjustments at the implementation level. The organization has to sustain all expenses out of the funds it is gaining; it creates a lot of limitations. This limits the economic growth of the workers and slowly can encourage malpractices and corruption.
iv. Importantly; basically; such kind of interventions are necessarily to be so focused and intensive activities against many odds; for example take the example of strengthening of village health and sanitation committees or village mobilization. It requires so much efforts on the part of the members or field workers of the organization and the scarce funds are neither able to compensate for this work nor motivate them. This increases deviation from the visualized output and actual output.
v. This puts breaks on the economical growth of the workers and so they are left with two choices- either leave this position and go for another better or continue adjusting with the conditions. In any case; the strength of the intervention reduces as the better persons leave and the remaining work as a routine activity.
This can be summed up. Models of the current interventions are in a way limited like industries in down market. Everything is not necessarily up to the mark. Only a few are gainful; who are positioned at a higher level or decision- making level. The below the mark phenomena can be observed in all aspects of work-force. There are many organizations which are so rich in experience; but their field level work is so dependent on the funds supply.
Let’s discuss about the committed activists and leaders who work voluntarily and without external support. They do present one remarkable example of genuine work and concrete impacts and output. They can be regarded as the pioneers on the path way of sustainable development. However they are so less in number; that they cannot be regarded as a part of this model of interventions.
We want to understand that as the NGO’s emerge from and are dependent in a way on the current systems; we cannot look at them for a very high level of system improvement. Up to an extent; yes; but not beyond that. As NGO’s are dependent on the funding and various social forces; they are not able to work against that; hence their intervention is cannot be regarded as an independent work in absolute terms. There are NGO’s who work for personality development or career development of the youth. What they actually succeed in doing? They produce the better stakeholders in the system called as a multinational company or a government department. That can give material gains for some; but sustainable development is greater than material development.
We can conclude this discussion here by seeing that the current models of intervention are likely to be stereo-type and even though they produce some initial result; they are likely to deviate from their greater role. This is because any change cannot be said as sustainable until it is a structural change and the political and market systems would oppose such change; so there are market related and power related linkages in that.
3. Emerging needs of a better model of intervention
Here we will try to visualize needs; due to which a better model is required. The following are some needs that result out of the above discussion.
i. Affordability and accessibility for all including the most vulnerable groups (like participation in a Satyagrah of Gandhiji).
ii. It should be need based for everyone; not as an imposed action like an imposed or compulsory participation in a meeting.
iii. Locally built structure and local sustainability and sufficiency.
iv. Uniform or equitable distribution of power.
v. Decentralized and localized decision making structures and methodology.
vi. Individualized methods to include diverse potentialities and characteristics.
vii. Modern values such as transparency; accountability; cooperation and demand driven approach.
viii. Entrepreneurship and orientation to production and more effective and the effect should be displayed practically.
ix. Ability to address structural issues and more severe issues such as Naxalism; terrorism and identity crises and international pressures.
x. Creative thinking and indigenous methods.
These are some attributes of sustainability; we regard these as the needs mostly partially fulfilled by the current models of intervention. Let’s elaborate these needs so we can visualize a framework to fulfill them.
i. If our manner of intervention has to be affordable and accessible to all; it has to be so simple in nature like Gandhiji’s methods. He always used the most practical tools; wherein the most common Indian could participate. If we look at the contemporary methods; they are super specialized; in that sense that they need special efforts; they are not common part of the behavior patterns. In other words; we have to find smart ways for the current trends of hard ways. For example; if we use village meeting for village mobilization; we have to find another more effective tool such as utilization of street play or a film show instead of meetings.
ii. Interest can be created with the help of unexpected things. It can be done through social audit- public hearing which appeals to the emotions of the people.
iii. Instead of going for involvement of external forces; we can organize informal local interventions such as formation of water-shed related constructions with the help of Shramadan or use of local manpower for power generation. Such experiments need to be made a norm and not an exception.
iv. Social power or importance given to a person is like a water tank which contains a lot of water; but it is not distributed where it is required. There are ways which are helpful for redistribution of power. Social audit, public hearing, visual presentation focusing deprived needs are some tools. But they need to be made more appealing and stimulating.
v. Local level initiative means which is self sufficient in itself. Example of this kind of intervention can be village level groups who voluntarily work or a SHG formed by women from their savings and not with much the help of outsiders.
vi. Individualized methods mean the methods which give adequate space to local wisdom; local strengths; human as well as natural. It is closely related with creative thinking and a deviation from the stereo-type thinking. It can be visualized in form of a small scale industry of a tribal handy-craft or tourism development in hilly areas or local level processing and marketing of natural resources.
vii. Transparency; accountability and direct participation can be ensured if the process is at a small level. Once the thing becomes top- bottom or multi-lateral; it gets complicated and these values are blocked. Instead of this; if there are informal functionaries; these values can be observed. That needs organization of community and local level stakeholders; so that they can check malpractices.
viii. In order to make significant structural impacts and improvements in significant issues such as national and international problems; it would require a lot of concentration and focus of power; we will discuss that in a separate discussion once we finish with our draft models.
ix. As we have said; the current models hardly include economically productive activities; activities that can be looked as self- sufficient for the intervention. In order to improve on this; we have to go for entrepreneurship related income generation activities. That would be help to support the organization in itself. Examples of such an activity can be use of soft skills by local youth for income generation and supporting other youth for education.
We have to accept that our new model of intervention is also fully vulnerable to the inadequacies and problems of the current models of intervention. It can also be said that the different between the two lines of thinking is in degree and not in kind; the same processes and subject matter are common in the both. That also holds for some extent; but more will be clear when we discuss our examples of draft models. But for that; we need to try to think out of the room; to think different and without minding the biases of the current framework. This process will open doors for us where we can contribute in more unique and effective way.
4. Vision of better models of intervention
Here we are trying to visualize or simulate better models of intervention. We are trying to find better processes and methods to obtain desired results in less time and with more output. We try to conceptualize a model within the framework discussed above; i.e. which has all attributes of sustainable development. They are applications of creative thinking and uncluttered mind; which is not biased due to the social systems and barriers.
Model I: An informal youth group
This is a visualization of a group of youth; mainly rural youth; who want to do something for their village and locality. Some of them are students and some of them are doing some job. How they can contribute for their community? Like any rural or semi rural community; this community is also in need of knowledge about government schemes; facilities; procedures and agricultural extension services. The youth group decides to work as an informal and mobile resource centre. For that; they are willing to contribute RS 250 per month and give some individual time. This group can begin its activities with the activity of information sharing.
Objective:
To work as information provider in the following areas-
1. Educational and vocational guidance to the rural youth.
2. Various schemes of the government
3. Advanced practices in the agriculture
4. Support for any social or individual problem at the community level.
Methodology
As the members of the group are scattered and they do not live at the same place and already involved in their activities; it is not desirable to form a centre for any work. So the best option is to work without any specific logistics structure. As the members are not available at one place; it is better to work indirectly. The activity of information sharing suits this condition.
For information providing and sharing; there is no need to have a centre or an established structure. It can be done in many feasible ways. Information sharing can be done through phone calls; individual visits; visit to expert; letter, email, blog etc. There is no need for larger investment and compulsion of staying at one location. One thing is certainly required and that is management of necessary information. It can be through any area as mentioned above and any social or individual problem. So the group has to have the networking with the experts in these fields in order to provide appropriate information.
For reaching to the people regarding the service of information sharing; the best and cost effective option is to use ST transport buses, colleges and hotels. If a few information brochures are prepared; then they can be stick into buses, college notice boards, hotels etc; from where its potential beneficiaries would catch it. As the public facility is used; its outreach will be higher. It can reach to all nearby villages. So that way; after some time; the beneficiaries would come seeking required information. Once the need is expressed; then it can be fulfilled within 2 days by using the network of friends in social field.
The group can begin its activities in this way. The monthly contribution would be useful for preparation of brochures, placards, keeping record of all this information sharing, and if necessary, for phone calls and travel. Once this group gets recognition and proper networking across a few villages; it can expand its activities.
Prerequisite and requirements on the part of the members
1. Regular time – say average half an hour everyday with more on week end.
2. Regular monthly contribution.
3. Support in kind i.e. preparation of brochure, giving contacts for some work requirements, phone calls for updating, email correspondence, prompt follow up of needs expressed.
Rationale
Rationale of this activity lies in the fact that it is one of the practical and still very useful activities that the group can undertake. It tries to match with the deliverables of the members and some needs of the community. This way the group can create its identity and networking among the people and then can go for other direct interventions or projects as its strength would increase.
This is one way in which local level activities can begin from zero. As the group grows; its members progress; it can increase its monthly contribution and start running a small supply service. After a few years; it can become a small business.
The idea behind this visualization is that instead of taking external money and other help; let’s try to arrange and manage things at local level and start growing in terms of socially (i.e. through the intervention) and economically; through the supply service and later on the business. This approach has entrepreneurship related aspects and it is something like 50% NGO; 50% business model. If proper methods and approaches of business are followed i.e. control on expenses and building of assets; then the business can grow; making this model effective. The basic idea is to start production and earning; sooner or later; so that the members can strengthen their position and take it further.
NGO and business
This raises a classic debate on NGO and business. There can come up many perspectives. Some would say that NGO people have different perspectives; they know how to work in the field; how they can go into business. Another perspective suggests that NGO people are capable of doing many complicated processes such as handling of legal cases; organizing public hearings; mobilizing communities; so how they cannot effectively work in business. For some; it would raise ideological questions. NGO’s and movements work on specific ideologies; how can they indulge in business? These perceptions are largely part of the stereo- type thinking and system biases. Practically; NGO people are well able to do business. In fact; in many cases; work of NGO has become like a business; they purchase projects and give services in form of commodities to the beneficiaries. NGO work is said as non profit (even if it many times has profit motive) while business is clearly aims for money.
Another debate can rise and that is ethical and environmental. It is perceived that the business involves malpractices or illegal practices. If NGO’s also start doing it; it would bring NGO’s ethics and quality. This is one angle. The other angle is that we can go for more rigorous efforts and use our critical and creative thinking for bringing the same results for which one might need malpractices. Another approach would suggest that it is easy to work with the help of projects and so difficult to earn through business for working. Again; there are ways and ways; but that need unbiased and uncluttered mind. If an organization develops local sources of income through entrepreneurship or business- like activities; then that is a great asset; it would qualitatively help itself. This line of thinking also gives rise to many WH questions. Their answers are case- specific and situation specific. It is dependent on the skills and capacity of the organization; its area of operation; market analysis of that place. In any case; there are likely to be many alternatives and options if they are identified and recognized.
Model II: An Independent worker
This is another visualization of a better model of intervention. Here we are not thinking purely from the NGO perspectives. We are now combining many different things to make a better impact and difference. We are visualizing an independent worker who can contribute a lot by working in the different way. Generally there are not opportunities of great economic growth in an NGO. Hence a person who has fairly good competence in documentation; writing; research; training and field work can go for independent work or free-lance consultancy. When he/ she works in one organization; the growth opportunities are limited and the area of his/ her contribution is also limited. But if the same person works as an independent writer + worker + researcher + documentation expert + resource person etc; then he/she will earn more and contribute far more. This has been possible with the help of modern technology – computer and internet. Now in terms of soft output (e.g. which is given on computer); one can work for as many organizations as one can. This opens doors for those who can work with the help of computer. It includes a lot of writing related and computer related jobs. With their help; earning also can be done; income also can be earned and many organizations can also be supported. Social networking sites and blog are also useful for lobbying and identifying strategic partners apart from knowledge explosion. This way; there are ample opportunities for the skilled persons to earn more and contribute more (in form of documentation; initiating for PIL- Public Interest Litigation, reporting; sending news; article writing and book writing for awareness and stimulus etc). What really needed is to take a non conventional stance.
Model II: 50% NGO and 50 % business = 100% influential.
Let’s now visualize a model which we discussed. The following example would clarify what means by a combination of an NGO and business on equal terms. Lets’ take an example of a small society registered under the society’s registration act 1860 in a small village. How this can be evolved as a combination of business and NGO? Any business requires a set of assets which can be delivered and sold into a proper market. We would need to see for that in the context of the organization. We need to look and answer these questions –
i. What are the strengths of the members of the organization?
ii. What forms their core competence?
iii. What material resources the organization has?
iv. What are the overall market conditions; what are trends in that; for example; level of consumption; class of commodities and services required and level of its supplies.
v. In terms of the deliverables on the part of the members of the organization; there would be need of a market assessment; regarding feasibility of that in the market.
These steps can be helpful to decide a model of business. It can be any entrepreneurship activity such as tuition class; establishment of a computer centre; formation of a centre for legal advice and career guidance and so on. The following can be important and necessary conditions.
i. Any venture should be low- cost and without much inputs (e.g. loan; grants) from outside. The activities should be managed in such a way that many tasks would take place without much effort such as use of stickers/ posters on public transport buses for publicity and outreach rather than village- to village visits and meetings.
ii. The organizations economic activities should follow the norms of – 0% Non productive investment, 25% saving; 25% investment; 25% for intervention (Expenses of NGO activities); 5% share market investment and 20% reserve. This will be useful to grow sustainably.
iii. The organization should focus on genuine and vital activities only and avoid unnecessary stuff such as impractical and irrelevant research/ surveys and ineffective intervention such as imposed meetings; compulsory events and get- together.
iv. Continuous efforts to upgrade competency levels of the members of the organization. Depending on the aptitude, competence and interests of the members; they can undergo further trainings and capacity building. For example; if there is a member who is interested in hardware and computers; then he can go for a training on hardware and networking and can become a professional in that field within 6 months; so the organization can also run a centre for hardware related services.
The idea behind all this is to make money out of small money; be it in any legal and socially acceptable way. Money is not everything; but it is something and something very effective. Apart from money- making; the model also needs to have adoption of social values; human rights; equality; principles of self control and mutual respect along with the practices such as Vipassana and Yoga. In terms of cricket; scoring runs can be compared with earning money through entrepreneurship while actual field work is staying at the wicket and building partnerships. It is remarkable that modern cricket matches are won with the help of best combinations of scoring runs and staying at the wicket. The same applies to NGO field also. This is not so untouched or novel. There are many efforts; many experiments which demonstrate the model of locally sustainable agencies. Here we halt the discussion of better models and go towards structural issues involved in them.
5. Linkages with market
Here we will discuss various market related dynamics. Whenever we try to start an intervention in the field or any social situation; we need to think on the structural aspects related to it. Greater social changes or reforms can be obtained with the help of structural issues rather than a few case- interventions. For example; if we work on the issue of child labor in 5 villages; then we might be able to improve the situation up to those 5 villages. But; if we work structurally; then we might be able to improve the situation in the state or in the region; say with the help of advocacy led by scientific research and concrete substitute arrangements. Market is one significant and universal entity which we need to intervene in at many times and with different approaches. It is not irrelevant or out of our purview. Let’s take the example of salary given to employees in an organization. It has a lot to do with the market situation. Market is practically a driving force; a strong social system; as strong variable which affects every social circumstances.
Let’s go into what we need to do with this structure. For that; we need to take a look at the market situation in brief. The following are highlights of the market situation:
i. Market is controlled and dominated by a small group of affluent people like industrialists; big political leaders.
ii. Market variables such as agricultural prices or remuneration to the unskilled workers are controlled by this group.
iii. The role of government as a regulator and a stabilizer has been reduced significantly; as after 1991; government is stepping down from many of its responsibilities and failing to complete the minimum requirements and that is resulting in marketisation of services and commodities; for example; if the government is unable to provide adequate transportation facilities; private players come in the picture and facilities/ services provided by them are not for all and with all or the inability of the government to generate required electricity leads to the emergence of inverters; UPS which are market commodities and the rich only can PURCHASE that.
In this context; the following can be areas of intervention.
i. Evolution and development of locally comfortable and compatible mechanisms of income generation and production of various commodities or services. Its example can be entrepreneurship of Self Help Groups that generate money and they are economically gainful activities.
ii. Assistance to the marginalized groups to strengthen themselves in the market. Its example can be a support in kind and in money given to youths from a nomadic tribal community for undergoing hardware and networking courses with the help of which they can sustain themselves economically.
iii. Creation of alternatives and parallel framework so as to avoid exploitation and malpractices. For example if the engineering colleges are few and they also need high donations; we can initiate for a people run engineering college or short term courses to impart the practical vocational knowledge. Another example of this kind can be to develop competent model of non- formal education to avoid marketised education; to invent and utilize local method of power generation to avoid market rates. Of course; all these mechanisms need long term participation from a significant number of people.
The best of its kind of model would be invention and production of technological tools which will empower the rural masses. Such a technology should have the following qualities-
a. Affordable and accessible to all – i.e. its investment cost should be minimal; e.g. a zero cost participatory nallah bunding; training on Yoga.
b. It should generate concrete production that has respectable value in the market; so that it can gainfully economically empower its users.
It should use local wisdom and indigenous knowledge; it should use creativity and individual competence rather than copy paste and stereo-type methods.
iv. To create awareness about fair and legal practices and advocate the issues of deviation from the constitutional norms. For example; a public hearing on child labor in sugar cane factories can be helpful to address the issue; for the workers as well as the media; or a study on transportation practices in rural areas can help for increasing quality of services given by public transport and thereby free the local people from the private transporters.
These modes of intervention are not different from the traditional methods. The difference is not in the process; but in the approach. Now let’s discuss another all- influential; significant crux of social interactions i.e. political situation or power related social circumstances.
6. Equitable power distribution
Power here is referred as the capacity of influencing or the extent of importance one person has in the society. Our better models of intervention would not function properly without properly addressing the power related issues. For example; let’s recall the example of remuneration issue of the sugar cane workers. We can do awareness generation; we can make the legal bodies aware about that. But would the situation change without support of the landlords or the big political leaders who control these factories?
It is said that development and under-development is not so ad- hoc or spontaneous; it is a political process. "Women are dying, not because diseases we cannot cure, but because, societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
It is a matter of debate to decide how much this analytical statement holds true. But no doubt, there is reasonable meaning in it. The message of that statement is that social problems are more to do with inequalities related to power than to facilities or services. Most of the social problems are rooted in inequalities and suppression. So as long as these inequalities remain, any solution will not be long lasting. Because most of the problems are due to inequalities and so till inequalities remain, they will also remain. So there is need to address these inequalities firstly. All inequalities are so strongly related with power inequality. Hence we need to discuss power dynamics.
Power can be referred to as the ability to influence others, ability to influence decision making. It is related with importance one has in the community. Power dynamics are inter- related factors which are related to power. Power can be referred as social money i.e. what money is in economy, power is in the society. Power is exerted or applied through one or more of the following channels-
1. Money
2. Property
3. Social status
4. Education
5. Occupation
6. Knowledge
7. Understanding and insights
8. Physical health
9. Relations with the powerful group or hierarchs, such as leaders, landlords.
10. Social relations and connectivity with the community and society.
11. Numerical strength.
In this context, power inequality can be said as instrumental to social problems. Power inequality indicates lack of equality, lack of balanced social relations. This leads to one's domination over another and so all the stuff of exploitation, suppression, negligence begins. Conversely, if these inequalities are removed and all are brought to one level, there will be hardly any scope for exploitation, suppression as it would be immediately opposed, checked and neutralized. This is nothing but situation of 'haves' and 'haves not' according to Marxian analysis of dialectical materialism. Let's visualize this with an example. Let's take any example of social problem caused by inequality. Let's take a case of a doctor demanding money from a poor woman for checking up her. As long as that woman is socially less powerful and the doctor is more powerful, he can take the money. But if both become equally powerful, he would not be able to take the money easily. This theme of thinking indicates the need to work on power inequalities rather than on facilities or services. We will discuss this line of thinking and try to analyze it, to visualize better ways emerging out of it.
The biggest problem in this approach is that power cannot be equated without having high or concentrated power and concentration of power leads to corruption. It is rightly said that “POWER CORRUPTS.” The question is of making such an efficient arrangement in which the power would be concentrated; strengthened; but it would be used or executed only in the interest of the disempowered. Power dynamics can be compared with a power tank. The power is concentrated in the tank at a height of 100 metres and the pipes are connected to distribute that power to the lower areas; but the water has not been filled into the pipes as its gate- way is closed. The moment we open the way; water is bound to distribute evenly. The same can be said about power. As long as it is detained; it is blocked; it is concentrated and works as a depriving force; but the moment it is open; it spreads uniformly and equitably.
The problem in realizing of this is that then the political influence of the current landlords or power holders would be reduced a lot. So in any case; they would not support such a thing. This is the basic issue. The constitution reads all are equal; but in practice; not all are equal as if all are to be equal; a few would have to reduce.
What does mean by concentration of power to reduce power inequality is a question to be answered now. As we have discussed; power is expressed through several channels. Concentration; let’s say; positive or distributive concentration of power is becoming strong in that areas – knowledge; income; land; social relations etc. If we are not politically strong; no one would listen to us. This discussion suggests that we should become politically strong as well as distribute it properly; so that we would not be victims of the power concentration. It is very tricky; something like going from the market and not doing shopping.
One of the best options is to build network of local groups of people without doing it in the name of an individual. It can be described as a decentralized and localized manner of political mobilization. If a group of activists or a network of social organizations becomes powerful in this way; it can influence decision making at a large scale also. For example; if there are good number of supporters and scientific base; such a cohort can influence national; international relations and factors. Let’s take the case of complicated issues involved in social problems in Kashmir and the North East. Any grass root level organization is unable to influence it; but if a network of local and regional groups come forward; does some homework in form of a research on grass root problems in Kashmir/ North east or any naxalite area in the country; its suggestions are bound to be ‘powerful’; any government cannot deny them or rule them out so easily.
This is true with all structural issues. Issues such as disputes between India and China or between India and Pakistan are not issues of awareness; development or social relations; but they are the issues of political strength and political strength ultimately lies in decentralized political association. If that is built; greater structural issues can also be solved; worked out.
7. Watershed development and alternative sources of renewable energy
Now we discuss the picture of overall social problems in the light of watershed development and renewable energy. As we have discussed in the beginning of the discussion; when we try to think holistically and synthesize various social problems and their root causes; we start understanding that these problems are basically results of a wrong model or paradigm of development. This model is based on material growth, need fulfillment and expansion. But the sustainable method of development is different. Many thinkers and development reformers have advocated this vision. Today we can see a lot of hazards of development in form of increasing social inequality; social tensions over limited resources; natural and environmental hazards and shift from equilibrium. These signs and symptoms signify that we need to adopt a paradigm shift in our methodology of development as well as its social linkages and values. Watershed development and alternatives of renewable energy are examples of key- issues for this.
Current methodology of development is market- driven; production and expansion oriented. Its sustainable substitute can be methodology advocated by Gandhi ji in his Hind Swaraj; development based on Antyoday (Empowerment of the most deprived) and Sarvodaya (Empowerment of all); the development based on decentralization; local sufficiency and need- centrality rather than material expansion and greed. Let’s see how watershed development and alternative sources of renewable energy are ways to strengthen this.
Migration is a central process to the traditional methodology of development. Migration is resulting in huge concentration of population and many social problems thereby. Decentralization is possible only if we reduce our dependency on cities and urban market. Watershed development is one channel to promote this. Watershed development when is achieved up to a minimum extent; reduces migration and provide a strength to local economy and agriculture. There are examples of model villages where migration has stopped and the migrated persons also have returned to the village as they found the village conditions better than the urban life. Watershed development strengthens the village as a unit of development from inside out; right from strengthening natural resources and providing the community with work to do and minimum facilities that are really necessary or ‘needed’. Watershed development is a tool which is applicable almost everywhere. Now a day even it has been replicated in urban areas. Hence a movement focusing on watershed development activities can be a better model of intervention.
The same can be said about alternative sources of renewable energy. The difference is that the technology processing part is extensive. Now days; the government has proved to be inadequate to fulfill its policy commitments regarding electric supply. Hence the best option would be to build local level projects of renewable energy. It might be difficult at the beginning; but in the long run; it would work as the ‘power’ empowering the local people. Current methods or traditional forms of energy such as patrol; gas; coal and even atomic energy have proved unsustainable. In the case of atomic energy; if we look at the total cost- benefit ratio and its socio- environmental hazards; we come to know that it is not a sustainable form of energy.
We have to take a diversion from these methods and go for other non- conventional and renewable forms such as biogas; wind energy, water energy and solar energy. Here; there is an ample scope for technology development and its conversion into replicable models; hence a lot of work needs to be done; enabling this method suitable for producing employment opportunities of every kind.
These are attributes of vision of better intervention models or better methods of sustainable development. Only a few of them cannot work alone. For example; there have been successful experiments of local energy generation projects; but they never got recognition and they were rejected. Another example is the ethanol as a fuel. These innovative methods were rejected as they would reduce monopoly of current methods. This clearly indicates that we would also need to work on market and political linkages associated with this issue. Hence what we require is a combination these and even better methods or models; so that we can make a significant impact.
What the writer wanted to share ends here. Now the discussion is open and anyone interested can contribute.
8. Epilogue
Here we close this discussion for now. There are so many questions unanswered, many points need to be clarified. Hence your additions are vital. Your contribution would make this process going even further and farther places.
The repetition in this discussion is regretted, the writer wants to apologize you for imposition of thoughts, also in case something has hurt you, something which you felt threatening. Such writing is mere one way, so incomplete. You can complete this, make it more meaningful by giving your guidance and inputs and continue the discussion.
Thanks a lot.
Niranjan,
1 March 2010.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Going places
GOING PLACES
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Outline
3. Interventions in Social Problems
4. Efforts of the Government
5. Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s)
6. Social Movement
7. Power Dynamics
8. Intervention Based on Addressing Power Inequalities
9. Model for Ideal or Better Intervention
10. Intervention through Political Party Framework
11. Programmes and Activities of a Better Intervention
12. Examples of Movements
13. Commitment and qualities of the Stakeholders of the Intervention
14. Institutional Setup and Funding
15. Complexities and Diversities in an Intervention
16. Need of Addressing Larger Structural Issues
17. Scope and Limitations of Working with the Existing Structures
18. Working Position
19. Practical Simulation
20. The Central Stakeholders
21. Methodology
22. Development Communication
23. Divergent Fields
24. Epilogue
About The Writer:
Name: Niranjan Girish Welankar.
Date of birth: 24th November 1984.
Education: Masters in Social Work with Urban and Rural Community Development; Diploma in German; Diploma in Teachers Training for yoga.
Occupation: Currently working with Prayas organisation in Chittorgarh.
The writer strongly wants to work for benefit of the deprived, poor, vulnerable and needy people up to highest possible extent. This obsession is generated out of sensitivity towards social problems, contradictions, inequalities. The writer strongly wants to contribute for betterment of the people at large who are suffering from problems such as poverty, ignorance, displacement, suppression, lack of opportunities for growth and so on.
1. Introduction
DEDICATINON:
This sharing, this writing is dedicated to those who have suffered from violence, hatred, suppression, displacement-development, inequalities and negligence.
OBJECTIVE OF THIS WRITING:
In one sense, this is person centered reflection. Through the writing, the writer wants to have better clarity about his effort, to seek guidance from the expert and overall sharing for learning and better understanding. The writer wants to improve his vision, to share his thoughts, to try to improve in his attempt for the desired objective i.e. Work for betterment of the needy people at large. Necessity of this writing comes out of progressive journey towards the desired goal. When one tries to move, one comes across different experiences, different perspectives and impressions, they are about problems as well as solutions. This is obvious as the social conditions are so dynamic, complicated, so one has to check for errors or defects and seek for updates. Such reflective writing and sharing is one good tool to do this. So while writing this, the writer aims to have better clarity, better understanding about his journey towards the desired goal. This is basically a learning exercise. So you are requested to give your valuable inputs, feedback and guidelines for fulfillment of the objective of this writing.
Thanking you.
- Niranjan.
Janurary 15, 2009.
2. Outline
Let's come to basic motive for working for the people. It is out of different social problems and social conditions that this urge has developed. In order to fulfill this, to work for people, it is important to have good understanding of these problems. This is a continuous process. As one lives in the society, one comes across different situations, realities. So the perceptions about problems keep on modifying. Such improvement or maturity comes in understanding. So it becomes necessary to revise our perceptions and concepts.
So let's start with discussing what social problems are. We will then move to their solutions. Here social problems mean social conditions that are harmful for people. They can be anything such as poor education, poverty, violence, exploitation, vulnerability etc. We will start discussing them. Then we will analyze present methods of intervention and try to visualize better ones.
3. Intervention in Social Problems
Firstly, let us make a list of all negative social conditions that are considered as social problems. Such list will give clarity about challenge that is before us. Social problems include larger social conditions such as poverty, ignorance, unemployment, social exploitation of the weaker sections, violence and hatred, social conflicts, lack and low quality of education, less accessible and affordable opportunities and spaces for development, different kinds of vulnerability and so on.
These problems are so inter-connected and intermingled. Though they are larger social problems, there are individual level, family level and community level aspects or attributes. These attributes can complicate and strengthen these problems or even reduce them. E.g. Poverty becomes more severe if the concerned person is a woman or a child. Or the problem of poor education has little to do with the rich people.
These problems may mean differently to different persons. What you perceive may be different than what others perceive. So let's confine our discussion to the effort of working on these problems. So let us not go in depth about roots, reasons, origins of the problems. It may be sufficient here to know that these problems are a continuous result of social inequalities, faults in the social structures and systems. We will start discussing traditional or contemporary solutions or efforts of addressing them. Here we will try to visualize better understanding and better ways regarding these problems. Here we are not going into diagnostic part but are discussing traditional solutions. Major Traditional ways are work of the government, non governmental organizations, work of social movements. We will discuss and analyze each medium or methodology of addressing these problems. Let's begin with the government initiated efforts.
4. EFFORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT
Government is a large machinery, a large comprehensive social system. Government works on social problems by means of different laws, schemes, policies, plans, and protective structures such as police force, legal systems, infrastructure facilities and services. Government is a big system to provide a minimum framework for gratification of basic needs or is supposed to provide. Positive aspects of this way of intervention are as-
* Largest coverage and infrastructure.
* Huge resources and institutional strength.
* Authority of decision making at a very high level.
* Diversity in strategies approaches.
However it has severe limitations too, namely-
• Faulty implementation.
• Rigidity.
• Influence of inter government- political factors and international power factors.
• It is service provider centered and not people centred.
Government is very tricky mechanism of addressing people’s needs. It is like a food packet on an island which is attacked by mice, is out dated and damaged. It has so many structural and procedural problems so that its efficacy is less. Its main reason is that most of the major stakeholders in the government- bureaucrats and leaders- they are not committed to people, but to themselves. So government becomes their private property, almost. In a nut shell, it can be said that government services are like a low cost public train, but its plat form entry ticket is so expensive and troublesome. We will link up this discussion later on when we will discuss power dynamics.
5. Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s)
NGOs are like secondary sector stakeholders for addressing social problems. They are relatively smaller set ups with limited area of work and geographical coverage. Strengths of this medium-
* Local level, conscious efforts.
* Participatory nature.
* More responsiveness to social conditions.
* More flexible methodology and creativity.
* A mechanism to institutionalize people.
Its weak areas are-
• Problematic or defective implementation.
• Framework of intervention is limited.
• Absolutely unable to address larger social system or structure related issues such as terrorism, market crisis.
• Limited infrastructure, dependence on money providers.
NGOs are alternative and supportive mechanism to government in some cases. They can give some preliminary or temporary solutions. But when it comes to address problems over a huge geographical area, they are inadequate as a medium. Its basic reason is that starting such work in a small area- such as a block- takes a lot of time, so it becomes so difficult to extend it to larger areas such as state or national level. Structurally it is not independent, neither in respect of money, nor human resources. Regardless of these weak areas, it has to be admitted that they work better in their area of work and region. Let's halt this discussion till we discuss power dynamics.
6. Social Movement
Social movement is a more dynamic and vibrant way of bringing larger social change. It has the component of mass agitation persuing a change. It can also be regarded as political mobilization of suppressed weaker groups to seek what is right and just. Strengths of this method of intervention-
* Addresses power inequality.
* People centred.
* Aims at structural change.
Social movements suffer from some weaknesses also.
o Difficult to sustain over a period of time.
o Self sufficiency can be even lesser than NGOs.
o Less likely to have structured set of programs and activities.
o Ideology imposition.
The best thing about movements is that they try to address power inequalities in direct manner, through direct action. Now let's come to closure of this comparative discussion of broad ways of intervention. It is necessary to keep in mind that these 3 broad ways viz. Government, NGOs, social movement have lot of commonalities. There is far more diversity, inter linkages in them than we discussed. Based on this comparative discussion we will try to visualise a better broad way or say, express high way of intervention at larger and higher levels. Let's go into discussion on power dynamics.
7. POWER DYNAMICS
This discussion will help us synthesize previously discussed ways for visualising a new better one. It is said- "Women are dying, not because diseases we can not cure, but because, societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
It is a matter of debate to decide how much this analytical statement holds true. But no doubt, there is reasonable meaning in it. The message of that statement is that social problems are more to do with inequalities related to power than to facilities or services. Most of the social problems are rooted in inequalities and suppression. So as long as these inequalities remain, any solution will not be long lasting. Because most of the problems are due to inequalities and so till inequalities remain, they will also remain. So there is need to address these inequalities firstly. All inequalities are so strongly related with power inequality. Hence we need to discuss power dynamics.
Power can be referred to as the ability to influence others, ability to influence decision making. It is related with importance one has in the community. Power dynamics are inter related factors which are related to power. Power can be referred as social money i.e. what money is in economy, power is in the society. Power is exerted or applied through one or more of the following channels-
1. Money
2. Property
3. Social status
4. Education
5. Occupation
6. Knowledge
7. Understanding and insights
8. Physical health
9. Relations with the powerful group or hierarchs, such as leaders, landlords.
10. Social relations and connectivity with the community and society.
11. Numerical strength.
In this context, power inequality can be said as instrumental to social problems. Power inequality indicates lack of equality, lack of balanced social relations. This leads to one's domination over another and so all the stuff of exploitation, suppression, negligence begins. Conversely, if these inequalities are removed and all are brought to one level, there will be hardly any scope for exploitation, suppression as it would be immediately opposed, checked and neutralized. This is nothing but situation of 'haves' and 'haves not' according to Marxian analysis of dialectical materialism. Let's visualise this with an example. Let's take any example of social problem caused by inequality. Let's take a case of a doctor demanding money from a poor woman for checking up her. As long as that woman is socially less powerful and the doctor is more powerful, he can take the money. But if both become equally powerful, he would not be able to take the money easily. This theme of thinking indicates the need to work on power inequalities rather than on facilities or services. We will discuss this line of thinking and try to analyze it, to visualize better ways emerging out of it.
8. Intervention Based On Addressing Inequalities
If we want to create equality, a kind of balance, there are two basic perspectives regarding it. Let's take the case of two buckets, one is full and another is empty. How can we obtain equality? Either by shifting half of the water in the first bucket into the second or by producing water and thereby filling the empty bucket.
Socially, the second perspective is more practical and positive. Because equality does not or should not mean bringing any one down, so that the other can rise. Rather it should mean constructive and positive uplifting of the less powerful. So this way we can think and try to find methods of intervention which would establish power equality.
Let's now focus on interventions which would establish power balance. In order to uplift the power of the less powerful, we need to work on channels or media through which power is exerted or expressed. We had listed such 11 channels. Let's discuss them in brief. Money, land, social status, education and health, these five are first such channels through which power is exerted. We need to work on these in order to improve power exerted through them. This sounds much closer to work of government or NGOs related to education, land issues, health, income generation and social reforms.
Such intervention is supposed to empower weaker groups by giving them opportunities and spaces to participate, training to develop capacity so they can express their potential in each area. By work similar to government and NGO efforts, it means that these efforts are also likely to have similar limitations. These will be long term efforts. Can there be other mechanism, other innovative ways that can give similar results in terms of power balance in relatively short period?
Before looking for such innovative ways, let's think of other power related interventions, interventions based on other channels through which power is manifested. These channels are understanding and insights, knowledge, relations with the powerful groups, connectivity with the community, numerical strength. Let's discuss on interventions based on these. Understanding, insights and knowledge, progress in these areas requires time, no doubt. But there are some innovative ways which fasten this process. Relations with the powerful group are a tricky way, because how would it be logical to align with powerful if we want to create power separately. Also, powerful group is often exploitative, so how to relate with them? Still this can be positively taken up as relations with powerful factors such as movements, network of NGOs, so that association may enhance the power strength of the less powerful and help them to balance themselves. Let's take the remaining two channels, namely numerical strength and connectivity with the community.
With the help of positive social adjustments, level of power expressed through them can be enhanced. If a marginal community is so well mixed up with the rest of the communities in that locality, it would not have any vulnerability due to its low number. Similarly connectivity with the community can be enhanced with positive communication and efforts of community organization. It is again an effort similar to NGO work of construction, would require application of human skills over a period of time. Just we have mentioned some innovative efforts that may be useful to enhance power levels in relatively short time. Let's now focus our discussion thereon.
Let's take the example of Jansunwai. Is not Jansunwai an innovative mechanism which equalises power inequalities, equate weaker groups with the hierarchy? It can be elaborated as follows. Jansunwai can be said as a systematic, organised effort of empowering weaker, suppressed groups through social audit. In a Jansunwai, weaker groups such as tribal women are empowered or enabled to speak up with government officers from the same level, they can dominate officers in terms of power. When during the session of Jansunwai, a tribal woman argues, expresses her frustration, anger about the government officers, it is an empowering and equalising process, is not it? As it breaks power barriers in an innovative manner. So those witnessing it also feel the breaking up of power barriers, are made to think, to know, to relate. This is the carry home message of a Jansunwai. Is not it a good stimulus to enhance knowledge, understanding, Insights and social ties, connectivity with the community? Thus it is an effective way to change power structure, to empower the weaker groups.
Let’s sum up what we have discussed so far regarding power. We thought on the line that power inequality is a key reason of social problems, so working on it is necessary. Then we thought on working on channels through which power is exercised. Now onwards we will discuss on comprehensive interventions based on power equality.
9. Model for Ideal or Better Intervention
What would be qualities of ideal or better model of intervention?
1. It would cover maximum social issues, would be effective for them.
2. It would have country wide spread over.
3. It would lead to sustainable structural changes.
4. It would be affordable, accessible to all.
These are major qualities. We will now discuss to visualize such a model. Here we would not distinguish intervention as government effort, NGO effort, social movement etc. We keep in mind that it has to have positive aspects of all these methods. When we talk about an innovative method, we need to think practically, to simulate in field situation. In order to have such methodology, that it can be implemented across the nation, one has to seek for a different perspective or approach.
It can be something like actually working in a few areas and then devoting time to spread this methodology in remaining areas. If we are to work at high, national level, we have to have mass level, national communication. Then only we can think of making our work that extensive. Naturally, it puts several restrictions on our work; it can not be in depth. It is in one sense like radio waves. If the waves are to reach larger areas, they have to be short waves, means less depth to voice, whereas where deep, enriched voice is required, FM stations are used, but they have so less coverage area. So we have to balance of intensity and extensiveness. So model of actual working at 4 places and communicating it, informing it to 96 areas is useful. If the work being done is so exciting, so innovative and effective, it is easy to reach to other people through all means except not actually doing it. Whenever something exciting and innovative happens; its impacts are manifold. Such things are useful to make more intensive impacts also. So a kind of social action based model is a good option.
Let's take the example of contribution of revolutionaries in freedom struggle, was not it more effective in some cases than institutional efforts ? One demonstration of genuine and innovative work is a great stimulus. Here we are talking about interventions based on power equality. Power comes from thinking, relating, breaking barriers, knowing.. All these get strengthened if they have dynamic, innovative stimulus such as a mass rally, a Jansunwai, a dharna. Such method is sustainable also, as involvement of outsiders is less. Let's again take a look at method of actual working, by a government body or an NGO.
The building block processes in work are so time consuming- rapport building, need identification, study, implementation, monitoring and replication etc. As these processes are so slow, time consuming, it is almost impossible to actually reach to nation wide geographical area. So the strategy of working at four places and communicating that work to entire country sounds more practical. When we talk about power equality and working with the social structure, we have to think on social movement model.
Let's take the example of local level pressure groups or local movement. Suppose an atrocity occurs in the area of work of a pressure group. Then what the group is supposed to do? To investigate, to give social protection to the vulnerable sections, to pursue and follow up with the official procedures, to study entire case, to collect witnesses, to prepare witnesses and victim to speak up, to raise this issue in media. To be able to do all this, that group has to be working in that area for at least a year; in order that it has to have good acquaintance, identity, communication in that area.
Such pressure group need not have its own program or scheme such as NGO has. So it requires less investment as compared to NGO. Members of that group need not be even full time workers. What we tried to see is the reactive or post facto role of such group. Proactive role of such group would be to work as watch dog, to do awareness activities- may be through innovative street plays, Jansunwai, media events, to strengthen intra community relations, to identify vulnerability and so on. This kind of methodology has positive attributes such as- it is open ended, less rigid, less demanding and binding for the members, local level, less consuming. But it has weaknesses also. - If the members are not full timer workers, their commitment could be low, less structural work, intervention may not be well organised etc.
Regardless of these and other weaknesses, this set up has many qualities that our ideal model of intervention must have. It will be matter of practice, application to see how much effective it becomes as an agent of change. Such local level group must be related with national level group or network. It is really difficult to set limit of going into deep for extended replication, as many processes need deep work, like community organisation for strengthening social relations so as to empower the community, to raise power level in this channel. Despite these limitations, local pressure groups seem to present one option for ideal intervention that can be extended to entire nation through presentation and communication. This approach is like teacher's role; teacher does 4 exercises and helps students do 100 exercises. Now we will discuss issue by issue regarding this ideal model of intervention.
10. INTERVENTION THROUGH POLITICAL PARTY FRAMEWORK
Now we are discussing different issues related to better ways of intervention. Let's begin our discussion by taking up the issue of role played by political parties to address social problems. Partly it coincides with the role of government. Political party can provide resources and mass base to leaders. So this framework, this asset can be positively used for doing people's work. E.g. Effective utilization of funds as member of assembly. Political framework can also be used to reach to more number of people, so to increase extent of work. At the same time, there are some negatives aspects also of political party framework. As we have discussed, social problems are related to establishing power equality, reducing power inequalities. Contrary to this, in most cases, members of political parties are powerful leaders, already power haves. So how these people can be effective to empower disempowered groups? Today most of the parties favour already powerful, affluent leaders like landlords, so how power inequality can be reduced? In fact there are ample reasons to say that political parties increase power inequality, as they go with the existing power distribution (except Bahujan Samajwadi party up to an extent). With the help of similie, it can be said that using political parties for power equality is like working in English bureaucracy to free India. It is itself contradictory up to certain extent. Party system is rigid and defensive. It is likely to deal with lot of un necessary, non relevant ideology and image related stuff.
Hence there are severe difficulties to use political party system for bringing up equality and for working out social problems. Can there still be some method to use political party system? Can party system be made non ideological and egalitarian? Let's think of it. There can be ways to make a system more egalitarian and transparent. Examples are open office functioning system, collective open door functions. There are participatory methods of group building, leadership building, ways like social audit, public hearing to improve transparency and accountability. They can be applied in party framework also. But it all depends on the willingness and commitment of the party leaders.
There is one more way in which political system can be used. It can be described as follows. What intervention through party means is to work as political leaders, to work by being peoples representatives. It is direct party intervention. It is more time, energy and money consuming. So instead of this we can focus on other levels of political participation, apart from leadership. They are voting, pressure groups, informal non political associations. Best intervention would not be done by only working with leadership. Rather, a balanced intervention which works with all levels in political participation would be more effective. This can further described as follows.
Let's take the example of an institute working for awareness about political participation. If we can work for increasing awareness about political role of people, if we can create ice breaking related to that, then would not that be a good option? If peoples participation at all levels increase, i.e. Voting increases, party membership increases, good number of good people come into politics for peoples cause, would not that be good intervention? To stand up and contest elections is a direct approach, less sufficient, as efficacy depends on all levels and not at one level with one person, less effective, less sustainable and more consuming. Whereas non direct political intervention such as training or awareness related work can be more effective, extensive, less consuming and more sustainable. So here are some ways in which effective political intervention can be done.
11. Programs and Activities of a Better Intervention
We are discussing important issues in the context of a better intervention. Programs and activities mean structured course of action of the intervention. It can be implementation of a project, regular meetings, and case- basis intervention. What should be the nature and scope of programs of an intervention that we wish to be so extensive and effective?
We now try to answer this question with the help of some alternatives. Let's again come to the functioning framework of a pressure group or local level small action group. It does not have structured set of activities but runs by regular contacts and awareness and monitoring related activities. It does not go beyond facilitation of people’s organisation, participation into social issues. As its functioning is partly open ended, its members need not be full timers, they can earn elsewhere. It facilitates institutionalization by working in collaboration with government and other organisations.
Such kind of work may sound so general or superficial, but it is good for participation of extremely deprived groups. One thing about Gandhiji can be recalled. He did not use artillery, did not establish giant empire such as Ambani's. What he did was that he used practical methods which the average person could adopt and afford, so he could build such strength and width to his work. It seems that such kind of open structured intervention is good to seek participation by extremely deprived groups such as nomadic tribes or neglected sections such as Kashmiri people or the khasi tribe in Meghalaya. As the process gets complicated, it becomes difficult for extension and the more complicated it is, the less the possibility that the extremely deprived groups would control it. Then can such method be a good model for extensive replication? At least it is good option for local level, as it is less consuming. Of course such work needs lot of support from state and national level....
But how about the idea of establishing such pressure groups and making a national network of them ? This can be used with the technique of 4 place implementation and 96 place communication approach. Of course, such groups, networks are existent today. We will now discuss about them.
12. Examples of Movements
Here we will discuss briefly about movements which are working extensively across the nation. Here we will try to understand their methodology, strengths and weaknesses for enhancing our clarity for a better option that we seek. We will also do a bit analysis of these. Let's take the case of Narmada Bachao Andolan. Actually it is not a national one, but significantly extensive. It is an issue based movement; its objective is to give justice to the displaced people, who are displaced by Narmada water and the Sardar Sarovar dam. Over around 25 years it has advocating this issue. Still its work is going on; it is far from achieving the desired output. It has been strongly opposing the government. From development perspective, this movement is a battle between development and displacement to avoid displacement of the marginalised tribal communities that reside by the river Narmada. According to NBA, the government is claiming development of already rich communities (Gujrati land) at the cost of the poor tribal and not giving them sufficient compensation. According to the government sources, NBA is mere making issue of small displacement and the benefits of the Sardar Sarovar Project clearly outweigh the losses.
When any such big issue is concerned, it is safe to assume that both the parties have some meaning in their saying. However it is exactly what is so difficult to objectively state. We will look at this movement with an attempt of stakeholder analysis. Ideologically who are forefathers of this movement, what are their funding sources and supporters? Then we come to know that ideologically this group is leftist and many of their supporters are foreigners. Let's have another question in mind. If this movement is so strong, it has got so able leadership and strength, why not has it been successful? Would not that indicate a thin possibility that the owners of this movement do not want it to achieve its goals because then they would be in danger of loosing livelihood? Or perhaps due to the fact, that this issue is not entirely genuine or rational as claimed by the movement.
Any way, we need to understand different dynamics with which a movement is built and it goes on. This continuous movement, a conflict between two parties makes us think of some alternatives. We need to discover more and more channels and express ways of sustainable development that would be inclusive; they will be accessible and affordable to all with minimal displacement of any human or environmental stakeholder. Also we need to be very careful about the true objectives and mission of a movement as there are chances that a movement my arise for political interests of a few.
Let's come to another group of movements- local action groups or pressure groups. In many cases, do not we find that work scope of such groups is limited to taking action on certain cases of atrocities, injustice and not beyond that? Not beyond means not towards proactive preparedness and extension in coverage. So one picture of such groups is like a local lobby to fight on small issues; that is to say, in one way, such groups appear to be struck in these activities only. Such activities are quite important and as long as exploitation and injustice continue, they must be done.
But what about proactive; positive and constructive work to eradicate power inequality? How can it be done, through which methodology? We can think of it here. This is the key factor. Lot of thinkers and revolutionaries have thought and worked on it. Establishing equality positively that is to say, without looking up on any one dominantly, involves two aspects as discussed earlier.
One aspect is to progress in the channels through which power is expressed. Second is to establish equality by equal treatment, by unanimous treatment, by removing physical discrimination, by eliminating negative activities and by applying positive activities such as sitting together on one level instead by men sitting on chair and women on floor. Practical concepts or behavioural aspects can be best adopted by practice and not by words.
So equality can be established by such positive actions of giving importance, of facilitating to take decision and not obstructing the way. Another issues come regarding this, can be discussed. If we are taking a meeting with some government officials and women are also there. So how can we make the government officials sit with women on one level? Moreover, would not that make them alienated from us, their attitude towards us would not be affected, if we force them. Here we come across one basic conflict or resistance. It is said that any kind of development has presence of equal displacement factors too, like when a vehicle goes so long, displacement takes in form of fatigue of the driver, consumption of fuel, friction of the tiers. Consider any modern 'development' like construction of cement jungles, where thousands of trees and water reservoirs are destructed. This does warn us of the strong need of reducing displacement factors that obstruct any kind of development. Unless we have set right action plan of positively and proactively adjusting and overcoming such small or large displacement, our any attempt for change or development would not be sustainable.. So, the issue is, how can we introduce and make habitual the small positive activities or actions to imply equality. One thing is for sure, any kind of development does not occur without some or minimum displacement factors or negative impacts...
It is said that any kind of development has many potential hazards and development process has stages of equilibrium and disequilibrium. This discussion tells us the need to plan such small steps, small practice level obstacles and course of the action. Let's come back to our example of field situation. If we are in the situation of a meeting of government officials and women and we want all to sit on one level, we need preparation for that, namely-
1. By anticipating number of participants, to arrange for sufficient number of chair, so no one feels offended.
2. to try to prepare the official staff in advance by stating the need for sitting together and explaining its benefits to the programme.
Such homework would facilitate this step. One would need to reset focus on positive aspects involved in such type of situation. This thing tells us that we would be required to be prepared and ready with lot of homework for facing all these situations.
This planning can be done with the help of anticipation, simulation and visualization. If we are prepared proactively with clarity of how to respond to each possible situation, efficacy of such actions can be enhanced and such more steps would help establish equality. Apart from such behavioural tools, mechanisms such as Jansunwai are also important in this direction and so be used by local action groups. Whatsoever is the method or procedure, we would require lot of planning, planning like that for moon mission; which was completed in four years and it gave out steps and guidelines for each month, week, day, hour and minute of about 14 years for entire mission workforce. Such kind of intense work is required. Then only all barriers and obstructions in the process would be worked up on and the way would be ready, otherwise it would be imbalanced like a vehicle showing speedometre high but fuel level low. Preparing each stakeholder for the process, taking proper care of each critical factor, would not that help for increasing quality and sustainability of the intervention? Let's stop this discussion here where we discussed working of movements, tried to visualize how they function, how that can be made a good model for extension. We then also discussed some steps to establish power equality.
13. Commitment and qualities of the Stakeholders of the Intervention
We are discussing important issues regarding any intervention. Our aim is to obtain clarity about a better method of intervention. Commitment means intensity of desire and qualities means abilities, availability of built assets to address diverse situations, to perform better in them. Every model of intervention has to work up on commitment and qualities of its stakeholders. Here we now try to find ways to ensure high commitment and qualities on the part of stakeholders of our ideal or better intervention.
Commitment of an activist is as important as a speed of a vehicle for its travel is. Commitment indicates the "driven" person. How to make all colleagues or partners highly committed? There are ways in which commitment is formed, factors in it can be understood and analyzed. For example, negative social experiences, vicarious sufferings, pains, childhood impressions in form of reading, exposure to social evils can be reasons or channels for commitment towards social cause.
If it is less, it can be channelised with the help of these channels. Commitment is less means it has some barriers or obstructions which can be specifically identified and slowly worked out. However it is important to note that there are n number of ways in which a person can think, so not all ways are applicable to all. But still, barriers can be removed. May be the techniques would apply differently. Like confrontation with sufferings, interactions with deprived group would help to some persons, some would increase commitment after interactions with the field expert or veteran activists. What we can say is that there are such ways and we need to use them. What necessary is addressing and confronting the obstructions in a straight line, directly.
Let's come to the issue of quality and capacity building of stakeholders. Quality expectations and quality of available workforce may vary, may have large difference. It is due to many reasons. Basically, quality has a lot to do with market linkages. A qualified person would naturally seek for better options, so would go towards such positions. So it is difficult that such persons come to the intervention unless the intervention is very unique and special like Gandhiji's satyagraha during the freedom fight. This means that our intervention model has to work with available qualified persons that it can afford. So it becomes important to find ways in which available workforce can be best utilized and side by side its qualities can be enhanced. Best utilization of available quality can be obtained through proper management of work requirements, clearly defined roles, distribution of responsibilities, avoiding unnecessary burden, open channels of communication for support and monitoring, positive strokes etc. Qualities can be enhanced and updated by giving opportunities and spaces for taking more responsibilities, doing mistakes, with prior guidance and encouragement. Such responsibilities should be moderately difficult so that the persons would not find it too difficult to catch up, to stretch oneself.
As discussed earlier, there are ways or steps in which commitment can be channelized. It is basically application of different view points towards the same thing. How to look at extremely negative things so positively is a skill and with its help, positive commitment or motivation can be channelized. Example of such attitude difference is -negative reaction after poor performance in examination or proactive response to a failure, so as not only to come out of it, but to go beyond it, to higher levels.
We are consistently talking about power equality. So it is obvious that any kind of intervention would not succeed without significant number of deprived people participating in it, involved in it.
A point has to be made regarding qualities of persons from the extremely deprived communities. Qualities are developed, capacity is expressed only when it gets conducive environment and opportunities ! The extremely deprived groups have hardly got it so far, naturally they may need more time and opportunities to perform at expected higher levels. Here We keep one important note in our mind. We have to ensure that our better model of intervention has full involvement and participation of all deprived groups such as nomadic tribes, weaker marginalised groups, weaker and neglected groups from the North East, Jammu and Kashmir and the intervention effort as a whole is sensitive to them and all their requirements are properly and collectively taken care of. Now here we halt our discussion regarding this topic and move to next one.
14. Funding and Institutional Setup
The most important aspects of any social activity are aspects related to human and environmental concerns and needs than any artificial needs or decoration, show. Discussion on funding and institutional set up can not be done without talking about methodology and vision, mission of that intervention. As we have discussed earlier, our model intervention has to be replicable and easy to spread over every where, also conducive to participation by all weaker groups. Hence funding and institutional set up can not be too great. So it is safe to think that we would be required to work in limited funds and institutional set up.
It points towards specific, narrow focus of work with a kind of flexibility like other livelihoods and associations. This also expresses the need for innovative planning and design of the intervention, so as to have pin- pointed activities and not indulging in less relevant activities. Today many organisations are busy in numerical target oriented work and so exploiting their workforce, they are insecure about their funds. So in such situation, focused and open framework of activities can be a good, practical option. Reasonable flexibility would also be useful to keep motivation and performance levels high.
15. Complexities and Diversities in an Intervention
Here we are to discuss complexities and difficulties involved in the intervention. The intervention we are trying to visualize is like a very fine picture that is drawn across several kilometres at a stretch. Or more simply, it is like a very complicated team work where everyone thinks differently and looks at everything differently. So then, how would the focused, integrated effort would take place? That's what we are now trying to work out.
Every one has so much of diversity, so permutation and combination of these diverse entities would be so poly diverse and multi faceted. When, how, which, where, why and what you think is different than myself. A lot of distinction exists between any human expressions. So it is necessary that we find some integrated mechanisms to limit the differentiation and have consistent framework. Actually it is a big exercise. Every one of us does not look at any one thing entirely similarly. So how would the central processes of planning, decision making, responsibility sharing, and implementing take place and how much of time would they take? What we can look up on for support regarding this is the basic needs, drives and characteristics of persons.
Whatsoever be the caste, class, nature, physical, political configuration of the travellers, they all travel by train and be with that framework, that structure. Why? Because that structure has got spaces for each of them that they desire. So if we can construct such kind of inclusive framework with plenty of spaces and gains, why not people would be on board with us? Though there is a lot of diversity across different communities, there are basic common attributes also- like basic needs, similar problems. We need to focus on such practical and acceptable terms only. We can never compromise for basic urges, interests and needs. So we have to create such environment. Innovativeness and dynamic nature can help to attract and withhold people. However all this debate is so hypothetical. We will try to visualize a practical model based on it in next phases of the discussion. Still lot of questions remains clueless. Our intervention would be so focused, objective oriented, so how can it be made inclusive of all these aspects, this qualities? It would require Herculean skill to make the best adjustment with this poli-fold human configuration. It requires greatest analytical, social, relational, intellectual skills to arrange everything, each factor in such a way that the best output is delivered. It is like best utilization of players in a match where every team player plays his or her role as best as he or she can, whatever it may be. Throughout this discussion, though it is very much conceptual, we constantly feel that scope of our intervention is going higher than practically feasible levels. We stop here discussion on this topic and link it later on with other related topic.
16. Need of Addressing Larger Structural Issues
Here we are going to discuss ways in which our intervention can influence social structures and structural issues. Let's take the example of intervention related to child labour. Many organisations address this social evil by the interventions based on case based work, through awareness programs or campaigns. Are these really effective ways? Particularly; if the phenomenon of child labour is likely to be rooted in market structure and social power structure? Would not providing so much of alternative constructive employment options to the poorest of poor help reduce child labour? Whatever the vision of development is, it is said that lack of development is by and large a political process rather than a process of facility fulfillment. Lack of development is more related to exploitation, suppression, whatever may be manner of its expression, than to distribution of facilities. Conversely, this means that by merely providing facilities, fulfilling needs, problems would not be solved sufficiently sustainably.
This reinforces the need to work with the social structures, social systems such as market economy, social conflicts and issues such as terrorism, insurgency, political system i.e. Government, virus of violence. Then only we would be able to say that yes, our intervention is effective on these grounds also. How to make it so? From the perspective of equality, it follows that wherever any negative thing takes place, it should be opposed by an equal and opposite force, so the equilibrium or balance would not be lost. So it directs towards building up a great force, a great strength that can oppose any structural factor if the need be. Such strength would come firstly from its support base, number of people that are together, then by its means, methodology, character of its stakeholders. Let's talk about a great episode of history that was called Gandhiji.
Gandhiji was the unique wizard who has given us many express highways regarding almost all our concerns, right from power equality to sustainable, indigenous and 'true' development. That magician build up so much of strength that he could forge a great battle against one of the strongest structure in the world as well as against many small structures. That kind of thing we should aim at. If that kind of, that level of collective support and unity is obtained to a cause, be it satyagraha or lawful agitation against terrorism or child labour or exploitative foreign laws that threaten our sovereignity, would not that be effective ? At least effective than the spoon feeding and pain killer (those may be intended to kill the pain and not the problem) efforts.
17. Scope and Limitations of Working with the Existing Structures
Now we are to check for suitability of working in the current social structures, with current methods. What attributes have we discussed so far, there are interventions which have these attributes, at least some of them.
Through our better model of intervention, what we are trying to envision is so dynamic, innovative and new, but still there remains some relevance of working with the existing set ups. This can be explained as follows. What our intervention would try to do is to establish entirely new manners, it is like some champion comes to play into a game and s/he changes the method in which the game is played. In game such as cricket, there have been players who have changed the way in which the game was played before they come.
That kind of course of action our intervention is supposed to do. But such kind of superb or extraordinary work is not possible all of a sudden. So there exists need to do ordinary work before going for the extraordinary work. Special work is always so demanding and in order to fulfill that, one has to become enough equipped firstly. That much is the scope and limitation of working with the existing structure. It has a lot of importance as a launch pad, as a plat form, a learning tool a way to understand and analyze social dynamics and their inter linkages, but not much beyond that. Most of the existing efforts are limited in one sense that a high level of strength can not be generated out of them. Qualititative strength is there for sure, but it is not that extensive and quantified so as to fulfill the requirement in totality. Such current efforts by and large would not be able to meet the requirements of entire nation or entire society including all groups and all problems. Hence going beyond that circumference is must, but for that, it is very necessary to reach the circumference. Gandhiji's work gives guidelines even here. He started off as an activist advocate and became a mass leader with respect to time. So our better intervention can be established out of current structures or can work as those in the beginning. But sooner or later it has to take off and reach the distances.
This kind of thinking may sound extremist, ignorant of realities, frustrated with harsh difficulties, but is not it that extraordinary efforts are necessary for extraordinary goals. If objectives are that different, that high, then the methodology also has to follow that direction. There is ample possibility that this perception might be non realistic or fantasy oriented. But if we visualise higher outputs, we have to try to play the game differently. Hence our methodology, techniques should be that effective and innovative like Jansunwai, mass satyagraha, The Long march of Mao, social action like movement for open office collective and witnessed functioning of bureaucracy etc. Innovative efforts have ability to reach to more people than ordinary ones.
This all can be expressed more simply. If we want to reach to population of over one billion, we have to be in direct communication with those many people. Any communication is based on unconditional positive strokes, creativity in approach, consistency of medium and receiver orientedness and mutuality. If those can be applied in communication with those many people, a great strength can be certainly constructed, say after a span of 30 years. Let's come back to our main flow of the discussion. One by one we have discussed important issues regarding any intervention. Let's take up another such issue.
18. Working Position
Here we will discuss positions or locations of members of the intervention. Members of our intervention; at what positions; they should work? Positions means social status, levels in terms of power. Are they supposed to be in powerful positions such as collector, university professor, chief inspector? As discussed earlier, higher power positions can not work better as they distance themselves from the common person. A Position at a powerful post does give some strength, but it is not sustainable and worthy for looking at. It again implies equality by force which is contradictory in itself. Hierarchy dominance is the social history, higher social positions or upper castes dominance; can that be any good option? Certainly not.
Again Gandhiji comes to help. His life suggests that if strength of such great number of people is concentrated, it is superior, higher than any politically powerful position or structure. So why then focusing on gaining higher position? The focus then should be on being in a position to have maximum spaces and opportunities to facilitate equal power distribution and concentration. This is possible only when we live among the people without making any kind or form of inequality and hierarchy.
We can discuss one more point here. Our discussion questions us that is there real need for one person or one group to become so powerful or socially so strong, or is there need of establishing better structural linkages among the marginalized people to become collectively strong? What should be the residing place of the power and its density, distribution? Clearly, it should rest with the people, equally distributed. Actually this discussion does point out that there is no need to create a power house or build up an artificial strength but to create better linkages of sharing this power.
Let's take the example of a water tank. Water is concentrated in it. If we want to use that, there is no need to construct another tank superior to it, but just provide ways or channels so that that water can be shared largely. At once water would equally distribute itself that is common sense, common science. Of course, this hypothesis can not be easily related with the harsh realities. We halt our discussion here and move towards more practical and reality oriented thinking and planning.
19. Practical Simulation
After a lot of hypothetical discussion, now let's come to ground reality and try to simulate how we are practically trying to do all this. Let's begin with the planning part. Who are supposed to do planning for this ? Its possible answer can be those who are committed alike and believe strongly in this kind of method for working with the people. No ideological barriers would restrict joining this effort. Even the less committed can also come, in fact all those who are interested can come. Only thing is that they need to have sensitivity. For our convenience, we here assume that there is one group of activist people; it has been working for some time. We simulate its conversion into our desired intervention and the latter course of action.
Planning requires holistic thinking, taking decisions about so many things like vision, mission, time specific progress, methodology, long term and short term objectives, stakeholders etc. So such planning would require lot of time and space, so as to all issues are discussed and common line of thinking is established. The owners of the better intervention would need lot of anticipation and preparation for the planning. Many things such as setting up design of the intervention, methodology, future journey would need to be given a thought. All this requires lot of time. But arriving at collective common line of decision is necessary so that the group becomes cohesive and equally strong. As many people would be involved, the planning would go through a lot of phases of criticization, arguments and even small conflicts. But if the ideas are so genuine and practical, they would succeed in getting settled in the minds of the planners, sooner or later.
Sharing of different thoughts, insights, and attitudes is very crucial as positively it helps to fill up many gaps. I can see only limited things but you can see what I can not, so our discussion becomes vital. In fact, more the diversity, differences, more the holistic the system becomes, if the diversity is processed and responded positively. The planning should be followed by implementation. Whatever structure, decisions, methodology has been decided, following them would indicate a good beginning. As discussed before, if the activists or central stakeholders of our better intervention have prepared themselves, have equipped themselves to complete journey to reach the circumference of current methods, they can take up a good beginning. Once all things are clearly, explicitly decided and settled, there is not many problems in following them, provided all possible obstacles, resistances are given a thought and proactive response has been ready and agreed up on. It is like a kind of social, human programming and involves designing social, human and practical algorithm, so our policy is ready to decide what to do even 'whatsoever' happens. That should be the level of planning, visualization, simulation and anticipation.
20. The Central Stakeholders
For any intervention, its stakeholders and economic resources are categorically important issues. The stakeholders of the model that we try to visualize should be common people. Neither should we expect too many qualities nor too much commitment, but common people who have strengths and weaknesses. Our method and structure should be such that it can work even with common people, like Gandhian methods. If we want wide coverage and mass participation, we should not insist on in depth participation or involvement. If the responsibilities, activities are shared and distributed, it is certainly possible that the sea of common people can also be made itself without depending on expert persons or intellectuals.
But the stakeholders do have the value of equality and commitment. And our mechanism, functions should be such that these attitudes are learned and expressed. It really depends a lot on our methods, techniques, strategies and procedures to create an innovative environment where these things are strengthened and accelerated. If we can do it, we would not need to spend on it separately.
Let's take up the issue of economic resources. We have earlier talked that method of operation of our model can be flexible and not too closed. So we can have many options for economic resources. Our stakeholders can be individual occupants who earn money by their individual occupation, there may be activist groups who work on certain projects to run their machinery, such as local groups who work on CRI projects or government supported programs. Some may be paid by the formal set up of our model. There can be ways to obtain money. But we should have minimum clarity about what the money means to us. It is said that obtaining money is not a problem, but doing that work which deserves economic support, is difficult. Money is something, certainly not everything. Money is a material factor. If we take care of human factors, we need not worry about money requirements, it would come gradually. Still there are innovative ways and techniques in which money can be used, recycled and increased; we need not go into that detail.
21. METHODOLOGY
Methodology is certainly a very important point to be discussed. Before talking about methodology, let's talk about our ultimate objectives. What they are? Let's recall- power equality, everyone gets opportunity and support for ones development and well being. Isn't it? What is meant by the word development? Let's discuss our vision of development. Development can be defined as the comprehensive process of capacity building, capacity expression that is inclusive, participatory, accessible and affordable to all, socially egalitarian and environmentally sustainable and every stakeholder should share its fruits. Such should be development; it can not be mere construction of swallowed cities. It is necessary to have minimum clarity...
It is necessary to have minimum clarity about the concept of this kind of development. Why? Because earlier or traditional development has proved so faulty, it has led to several problems such as increase in social inequalities and disparities, exploitation, social tensions and violence, environmental hazards. So we need to reset our vision of development. Here again the wizard called Gandhiji comes to rescue from this hazard. Gandhiji has given us many ways and guidelines regarding almost all our concerns, but we have not shown full faith in him nor we have gone much distances on that path way. Right from democratic decentralization of Panchayat Raj to small scale industries such as Khadi he has equipped us to fulfill our needs. But we have been more interested in our greeds. And he has warned us that environmental resources are not sufficient to fulfill greeds of a few.
That is to say, Gandhiji has given us ways and ways for sustainable, holistic, integrated, environment inclusive, individualized, practical, and participatory and 'true' development, we need not scatter for a moment, we have so great guidelines. What we need is to give that path in fact, that express highway a try. In short, Gandhian vision of development stresses on certain indigenous attitudes and techniques such as simple lifestyle, need based activities, use of locally available technology, local skills and knowledge, equal distribution of power and decision making. So our better model of intervention can follow this vision and mission.
Now we can talk about our methodology to achieve it, our ways of its application, or our interpretation of this vision in terms of practice. We have said that power is central to our intervention. One reason of it is that many social factors do not have ability to listen, to understand. So they need use of power sometimes. Hence our methodology would be power centred and action oriented. Formal ways like telling, written communication, informing and requesting may not always be useful so use of action based work becomes necessary. So our model can follow the action based methodology, use of techniques such as demonstrations, bandh, strikes, public protests, dramatic mobilizations. Our techniques should be sharp and strong to destroy power perceptions and give the message of equality, e.g. Gherao of women to the liquor shop owners and their license givers, huge demonstrations before parliament for underlining the blunder of signing international pacts. Our model can also stress on extension activities related to political participation and awareness. Also yoga teaching can be integral deliverable as yoga is one good, effective, affordable and accessible tool of capacity building. Also stress can be given on innovative techniques of sustainable and true development. Many similar ways can come up as we go ahead.
Our goal is so high; our field is so vast, that we can not decide any thing as complete and final. Every performance is fresh, new, so our mind has to be open for experiments and receptive to failures. Our model should not be limited to certain methods, but it should have dynamic thinking and readiness for experiments.
22. DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
Let's come to another aspect of our model. We have said that we would actually perform in the field at 4 locations and would spread that technique to remaining 96 places. So there is a need to think about development communication methodology. Development communication simply means the process of communicating development to people. Here it means as our efforts to replicate this course of actions country wide. In 4 places we would be using direct intervention for change. But in other 96 places, we want change through communication.
Any behavioural change comes through ABC sequence. A indicates attitudinal, B indicates behavioural and C indicates cognitive change. This is the process through which any change in behaviour takes place. Any change requires lot of ice breaking and preparation on the attitudinal and cognitive aspects. Here ultimately we look for carry home message as internalization of our model of intervention or positive attributes in it. We so would look for broadcast of our work. If we want to reach to so high number of people, we have to develope n number of channels, media, and diverse delivery systems so that this message can be reached to all, to every subsection in the society.
Communication is strengthened by genuine positive strokes and innovative content and creative use of media. Hence our methodology should have dynamic, special components that would reach to all. We need not depend on existing techniques and tools, but should go for inventing new methods, new styles. Extensive Use of media such as one to one communication, print media, internet, radio, television, magazines would be required. Some would argue, should we focus on actual work or its publicity ? Our focus should be balanced. If we are clear, why we want this kind of propaganda, then we should not worry. We would need to provide utmost care for right individualization of this communication for every individual person, community, place, culture, socio- political situation.
We should translate our message as per situation, particularly while communicating special groups or situations such as terrorist hit Kashmiri people or insurgent groups in Assam who are in search of separate identity. Our entire effort should be so genuine, so focused that it could appeal to even the least interested. There are lots of challenges in this communication based work. We can discuss them briefly. If we look at major media agencies in our nation, we come to know that most of them are owned by foreign people or highly powerful bourgeois groups..
So would that media be very cooperative to us? Certainly not. It would be always better if we assume lot of difficulties and obstructions in our way, because it would prepare us for facing un foreseen challenges. It is a certainty that there would come up lot of forces that would wish to oppose us, to crush us. Its impact on us, our work, would be decided by our strength, preparedness, and approaches to face it. Often power is exerted when there is dependence and conditionality.
If we arrange and design our work such that it is neither dependent on any one group, we are never in position to accept and work within any party's conditions, then we can work as we wish, no factor can restrict or affect us. If our effort has so high strength, then we can overcome all obstructions sooner or later. So let there be any opposition, resistances, barriers, our work can bridge them. In fact, the truth that we are supposed to face plenty of obstructions is a very positive thing. It would only highlight greatness of our efforts.
We would be required to construct our own alternatives, systems to overcome dependence. All these things should be given detail thought. As there are certain channels through which power gets manifest, there are channels with which relations are built and strengthened. So we would need to proactively express our self in these channels such as our actions, our participation, and our attitudes towards opposition. More imagination would make no sense, so let's halt our discussion here. As a conclusion, we keep one thing in mind that every problem or difficulty directs us towards solutions by pointing out our weaknesses and gaps.
23. Divergent Fields
Not all sections, not all parts of our society and our nation are similar. There exists a lot of diversity in some peculiar cases that demand special acknowledgement and attention. Till now we have discussed very generally. Now we can discuss regarding some specific and unique issues.
URBAN SLUMS:
Would our model intervention be implemented in the same way in urban slums or would it require a lot of individualization? Urban slums are so complicated, so compact, so divergent and problematic social structures. They are less conducive for an intervention. While working there, we would require to struggle even for making people spend some time with us, creating spaces and opportunities for our work. This is because, in urban slums, communities are likely to be in the process of disintegration or disorganization, so social relations can be weak and less cohesive. So any work of unification and organization becomes difficult. How can we work in this situation? Every stage involved in intervention- rapport and relations building, gaining confidence, initiating some kind of activity and bringing people together, all these would be slow. There would be lots of threatening factors or opposing agents also. So we would be ready to spend more time and energy there.
In case of slums, we should remember that what we see and face in slums is like an iceberg, that is to say, the visible part of complicated social realities and maladjustments. So we can not work there alone effectively but have to work on the root causes which lies in our social structure and economic life. This reiterates the need to work with the social systems so as to make greater impacts. Here it may be relevant to say that most of social problems can not be dealt in isolation. They are inter- linked and so deeply rooted. So we have to work with the entire system and try to repair basic faults such as inequality, wrong method of 'development'. Then only we can seek for a balanced intervention with some output. Let's move to another peculiar group of social conditions.
KASHMIR and NORTH EAST:
Kashmir is unique in so many ways ! Politically, socially, economically it is different from the rest of the nation. Working there would require a lot of individualization and adaptation, so as to adjust with that environment and make some impacts. There would come up severe difficulties such negative bias on the part of the local people, communication gaps, logistical problems, terrorism and alienation. We should be prepared for all this. We should show positivism and creativity to concentrate on most acceptable, positive attributes and work constructively without any depression and negative response.
Conditions of North East are also different than rest of the nation and somewhat similar to Kashmir. We can identify identity crisis in this unique part of the nation. Identity crisis is basically political and is originated in pursuit of equality and due share. So would not our method based on power equality be applicable and practical there? Also we see political forces so strongly opposing development, so we would need much more strength to fight it and which is so difficult due to heterogeneous and divergent social structures in these areas, particularly the north east. Communication problems, earlier negative impressions, physical and social distances and alienation, insecurity and violence, continuous threat of insurgency and influx of illegal Bangladeshis are some indications of challenging work situation... Thus these areas demand more efforts, more dedication and sacrifice on the part of our better intervention. We would then anticipate all such factors and start planning for that.
24. Epilogue
Here we close this discussion for now. There are so many questions unanswered, many points need to be clarified. Hence your additions are vital. Your contribution would make this process going further places.
The repetition in this discussion is regretted, the writer wants to apologize you for imposition of thoughts, also in case something has hurt you, something which you felt threatening. Such writing is mere one way, so incomplete. You can complete this, make it more meaningful by giving your guidance and inputs and continue the discussion.
Thanks a lot.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Outline
3. Interventions in Social Problems
4. Efforts of the Government
5. Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s)
6. Social Movement
7. Power Dynamics
8. Intervention Based on Addressing Power Inequalities
9. Model for Ideal or Better Intervention
10. Intervention through Political Party Framework
11. Programmes and Activities of a Better Intervention
12. Examples of Movements
13. Commitment and qualities of the Stakeholders of the Intervention
14. Institutional Setup and Funding
15. Complexities and Diversities in an Intervention
16. Need of Addressing Larger Structural Issues
17. Scope and Limitations of Working with the Existing Structures
18. Working Position
19. Practical Simulation
20. The Central Stakeholders
21. Methodology
22. Development Communication
23. Divergent Fields
24. Epilogue
About The Writer:
Name: Niranjan Girish Welankar.
Date of birth: 24th November 1984.
Education: Masters in Social Work with Urban and Rural Community Development; Diploma in German; Diploma in Teachers Training for yoga.
Occupation: Currently working with Prayas organisation in Chittorgarh.
The writer strongly wants to work for benefit of the deprived, poor, vulnerable and needy people up to highest possible extent. This obsession is generated out of sensitivity towards social problems, contradictions, inequalities. The writer strongly wants to contribute for betterment of the people at large who are suffering from problems such as poverty, ignorance, displacement, suppression, lack of opportunities for growth and so on.
1. Introduction
DEDICATINON:
This sharing, this writing is dedicated to those who have suffered from violence, hatred, suppression, displacement-development, inequalities and negligence.
OBJECTIVE OF THIS WRITING:
In one sense, this is person centered reflection. Through the writing, the writer wants to have better clarity about his effort, to seek guidance from the expert and overall sharing for learning and better understanding. The writer wants to improve his vision, to share his thoughts, to try to improve in his attempt for the desired objective i.e. Work for betterment of the needy people at large. Necessity of this writing comes out of progressive journey towards the desired goal. When one tries to move, one comes across different experiences, different perspectives and impressions, they are about problems as well as solutions. This is obvious as the social conditions are so dynamic, complicated, so one has to check for errors or defects and seek for updates. Such reflective writing and sharing is one good tool to do this. So while writing this, the writer aims to have better clarity, better understanding about his journey towards the desired goal. This is basically a learning exercise. So you are requested to give your valuable inputs, feedback and guidelines for fulfillment of the objective of this writing.
Thanking you.
- Niranjan.
Janurary 15, 2009.
2. Outline
Let's come to basic motive for working for the people. It is out of different social problems and social conditions that this urge has developed. In order to fulfill this, to work for people, it is important to have good understanding of these problems. This is a continuous process. As one lives in the society, one comes across different situations, realities. So the perceptions about problems keep on modifying. Such improvement or maturity comes in understanding. So it becomes necessary to revise our perceptions and concepts.
So let's start with discussing what social problems are. We will then move to their solutions. Here social problems mean social conditions that are harmful for people. They can be anything such as poor education, poverty, violence, exploitation, vulnerability etc. We will start discussing them. Then we will analyze present methods of intervention and try to visualize better ones.
3. Intervention in Social Problems
Firstly, let us make a list of all negative social conditions that are considered as social problems. Such list will give clarity about challenge that is before us. Social problems include larger social conditions such as poverty, ignorance, unemployment, social exploitation of the weaker sections, violence and hatred, social conflicts, lack and low quality of education, less accessible and affordable opportunities and spaces for development, different kinds of vulnerability and so on.
These problems are so inter-connected and intermingled. Though they are larger social problems, there are individual level, family level and community level aspects or attributes. These attributes can complicate and strengthen these problems or even reduce them. E.g. Poverty becomes more severe if the concerned person is a woman or a child. Or the problem of poor education has little to do with the rich people.
These problems may mean differently to different persons. What you perceive may be different than what others perceive. So let's confine our discussion to the effort of working on these problems. So let us not go in depth about roots, reasons, origins of the problems. It may be sufficient here to know that these problems are a continuous result of social inequalities, faults in the social structures and systems. We will start discussing traditional or contemporary solutions or efforts of addressing them. Here we will try to visualize better understanding and better ways regarding these problems. Here we are not going into diagnostic part but are discussing traditional solutions. Major Traditional ways are work of the government, non governmental organizations, work of social movements. We will discuss and analyze each medium or methodology of addressing these problems. Let's begin with the government initiated efforts.
4. EFFORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT
Government is a large machinery, a large comprehensive social system. Government works on social problems by means of different laws, schemes, policies, plans, and protective structures such as police force, legal systems, infrastructure facilities and services. Government is a big system to provide a minimum framework for gratification of basic needs or is supposed to provide. Positive aspects of this way of intervention are as-
* Largest coverage and infrastructure.
* Huge resources and institutional strength.
* Authority of decision making at a very high level.
* Diversity in strategies approaches.
However it has severe limitations too, namely-
• Faulty implementation.
• Rigidity.
• Influence of inter government- political factors and international power factors.
• It is service provider centered and not people centred.
Government is very tricky mechanism of addressing people’s needs. It is like a food packet on an island which is attacked by mice, is out dated and damaged. It has so many structural and procedural problems so that its efficacy is less. Its main reason is that most of the major stakeholders in the government- bureaucrats and leaders- they are not committed to people, but to themselves. So government becomes their private property, almost. In a nut shell, it can be said that government services are like a low cost public train, but its plat form entry ticket is so expensive and troublesome. We will link up this discussion later on when we will discuss power dynamics.
5. Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s)
NGOs are like secondary sector stakeholders for addressing social problems. They are relatively smaller set ups with limited area of work and geographical coverage. Strengths of this medium-
* Local level, conscious efforts.
* Participatory nature.
* More responsiveness to social conditions.
* More flexible methodology and creativity.
* A mechanism to institutionalize people.
Its weak areas are-
• Problematic or defective implementation.
• Framework of intervention is limited.
• Absolutely unable to address larger social system or structure related issues such as terrorism, market crisis.
• Limited infrastructure, dependence on money providers.
NGOs are alternative and supportive mechanism to government in some cases. They can give some preliminary or temporary solutions. But when it comes to address problems over a huge geographical area, they are inadequate as a medium. Its basic reason is that starting such work in a small area- such as a block- takes a lot of time, so it becomes so difficult to extend it to larger areas such as state or national level. Structurally it is not independent, neither in respect of money, nor human resources. Regardless of these weak areas, it has to be admitted that they work better in their area of work and region. Let's halt this discussion till we discuss power dynamics.
6. Social Movement
Social movement is a more dynamic and vibrant way of bringing larger social change. It has the component of mass agitation persuing a change. It can also be regarded as political mobilization of suppressed weaker groups to seek what is right and just. Strengths of this method of intervention-
* Addresses power inequality.
* People centred.
* Aims at structural change.
Social movements suffer from some weaknesses also.
o Difficult to sustain over a period of time.
o Self sufficiency can be even lesser than NGOs.
o Less likely to have structured set of programs and activities.
o Ideology imposition.
The best thing about movements is that they try to address power inequalities in direct manner, through direct action. Now let's come to closure of this comparative discussion of broad ways of intervention. It is necessary to keep in mind that these 3 broad ways viz. Government, NGOs, social movement have lot of commonalities. There is far more diversity, inter linkages in them than we discussed. Based on this comparative discussion we will try to visualise a better broad way or say, express high way of intervention at larger and higher levels. Let's go into discussion on power dynamics.
7. POWER DYNAMICS
This discussion will help us synthesize previously discussed ways for visualising a new better one. It is said- "Women are dying, not because diseases we can not cure, but because, societies are yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
It is a matter of debate to decide how much this analytical statement holds true. But no doubt, there is reasonable meaning in it. The message of that statement is that social problems are more to do with inequalities related to power than to facilities or services. Most of the social problems are rooted in inequalities and suppression. So as long as these inequalities remain, any solution will not be long lasting. Because most of the problems are due to inequalities and so till inequalities remain, they will also remain. So there is need to address these inequalities firstly. All inequalities are so strongly related with power inequality. Hence we need to discuss power dynamics.
Power can be referred to as the ability to influence others, ability to influence decision making. It is related with importance one has in the community. Power dynamics are inter related factors which are related to power. Power can be referred as social money i.e. what money is in economy, power is in the society. Power is exerted or applied through one or more of the following channels-
1. Money
2. Property
3. Social status
4. Education
5. Occupation
6. Knowledge
7. Understanding and insights
8. Physical health
9. Relations with the powerful group or hierarchs, such as leaders, landlords.
10. Social relations and connectivity with the community and society.
11. Numerical strength.
In this context, power inequality can be said as instrumental to social problems. Power inequality indicates lack of equality, lack of balanced social relations. This leads to one's domination over another and so all the stuff of exploitation, suppression, negligence begins. Conversely, if these inequalities are removed and all are brought to one level, there will be hardly any scope for exploitation, suppression as it would be immediately opposed, checked and neutralized. This is nothing but situation of 'haves' and 'haves not' according to Marxian analysis of dialectical materialism. Let's visualise this with an example. Let's take any example of social problem caused by inequality. Let's take a case of a doctor demanding money from a poor woman for checking up her. As long as that woman is socially less powerful and the doctor is more powerful, he can take the money. But if both become equally powerful, he would not be able to take the money easily. This theme of thinking indicates the need to work on power inequalities rather than on facilities or services. We will discuss this line of thinking and try to analyze it, to visualize better ways emerging out of it.
8. Intervention Based On Addressing Inequalities
If we want to create equality, a kind of balance, there are two basic perspectives regarding it. Let's take the case of two buckets, one is full and another is empty. How can we obtain equality? Either by shifting half of the water in the first bucket into the second or by producing water and thereby filling the empty bucket.
Socially, the second perspective is more practical and positive. Because equality does not or should not mean bringing any one down, so that the other can rise. Rather it should mean constructive and positive uplifting of the less powerful. So this way we can think and try to find methods of intervention which would establish power equality.
Let's now focus on interventions which would establish power balance. In order to uplift the power of the less powerful, we need to work on channels or media through which power is exerted or expressed. We had listed such 11 channels. Let's discuss them in brief. Money, land, social status, education and health, these five are first such channels through which power is exerted. We need to work on these in order to improve power exerted through them. This sounds much closer to work of government or NGOs related to education, land issues, health, income generation and social reforms.
Such intervention is supposed to empower weaker groups by giving them opportunities and spaces to participate, training to develop capacity so they can express their potential in each area. By work similar to government and NGO efforts, it means that these efforts are also likely to have similar limitations. These will be long term efforts. Can there be other mechanism, other innovative ways that can give similar results in terms of power balance in relatively short period?
Before looking for such innovative ways, let's think of other power related interventions, interventions based on other channels through which power is manifested. These channels are understanding and insights, knowledge, relations with the powerful groups, connectivity with the community, numerical strength. Let's discuss on interventions based on these. Understanding, insights and knowledge, progress in these areas requires time, no doubt. But there are some innovative ways which fasten this process. Relations with the powerful group are a tricky way, because how would it be logical to align with powerful if we want to create power separately. Also, powerful group is often exploitative, so how to relate with them? Still this can be positively taken up as relations with powerful factors such as movements, network of NGOs, so that association may enhance the power strength of the less powerful and help them to balance themselves. Let's take the remaining two channels, namely numerical strength and connectivity with the community.
With the help of positive social adjustments, level of power expressed through them can be enhanced. If a marginal community is so well mixed up with the rest of the communities in that locality, it would not have any vulnerability due to its low number. Similarly connectivity with the community can be enhanced with positive communication and efforts of community organization. It is again an effort similar to NGO work of construction, would require application of human skills over a period of time. Just we have mentioned some innovative efforts that may be useful to enhance power levels in relatively short time. Let's now focus our discussion thereon.
Let's take the example of Jansunwai. Is not Jansunwai an innovative mechanism which equalises power inequalities, equate weaker groups with the hierarchy? It can be elaborated as follows. Jansunwai can be said as a systematic, organised effort of empowering weaker, suppressed groups through social audit. In a Jansunwai, weaker groups such as tribal women are empowered or enabled to speak up with government officers from the same level, they can dominate officers in terms of power. When during the session of Jansunwai, a tribal woman argues, expresses her frustration, anger about the government officers, it is an empowering and equalising process, is not it? As it breaks power barriers in an innovative manner. So those witnessing it also feel the breaking up of power barriers, are made to think, to know, to relate. This is the carry home message of a Jansunwai. Is not it a good stimulus to enhance knowledge, understanding, Insights and social ties, connectivity with the community? Thus it is an effective way to change power structure, to empower the weaker groups.
Let’s sum up what we have discussed so far regarding power. We thought on the line that power inequality is a key reason of social problems, so working on it is necessary. Then we thought on working on channels through which power is exercised. Now onwards we will discuss on comprehensive interventions based on power equality.
9. Model for Ideal or Better Intervention
What would be qualities of ideal or better model of intervention?
1. It would cover maximum social issues, would be effective for them.
2. It would have country wide spread over.
3. It would lead to sustainable structural changes.
4. It would be affordable, accessible to all.
These are major qualities. We will now discuss to visualize such a model. Here we would not distinguish intervention as government effort, NGO effort, social movement etc. We keep in mind that it has to have positive aspects of all these methods. When we talk about an innovative method, we need to think practically, to simulate in field situation. In order to have such methodology, that it can be implemented across the nation, one has to seek for a different perspective or approach.
It can be something like actually working in a few areas and then devoting time to spread this methodology in remaining areas. If we are to work at high, national level, we have to have mass level, national communication. Then only we can think of making our work that extensive. Naturally, it puts several restrictions on our work; it can not be in depth. It is in one sense like radio waves. If the waves are to reach larger areas, they have to be short waves, means less depth to voice, whereas where deep, enriched voice is required, FM stations are used, but they have so less coverage area. So we have to balance of intensity and extensiveness. So model of actual working at 4 places and communicating it, informing it to 96 areas is useful. If the work being done is so exciting, so innovative and effective, it is easy to reach to other people through all means except not actually doing it. Whenever something exciting and innovative happens; its impacts are manifold. Such things are useful to make more intensive impacts also. So a kind of social action based model is a good option.
Let's take the example of contribution of revolutionaries in freedom struggle, was not it more effective in some cases than institutional efforts ? One demonstration of genuine and innovative work is a great stimulus. Here we are talking about interventions based on power equality. Power comes from thinking, relating, breaking barriers, knowing.. All these get strengthened if they have dynamic, innovative stimulus such as a mass rally, a Jansunwai, a dharna. Such method is sustainable also, as involvement of outsiders is less. Let's again take a look at method of actual working, by a government body or an NGO.
The building block processes in work are so time consuming- rapport building, need identification, study, implementation, monitoring and replication etc. As these processes are so slow, time consuming, it is almost impossible to actually reach to nation wide geographical area. So the strategy of working at four places and communicating that work to entire country sounds more practical. When we talk about power equality and working with the social structure, we have to think on social movement model.
Let's take the example of local level pressure groups or local movement. Suppose an atrocity occurs in the area of work of a pressure group. Then what the group is supposed to do? To investigate, to give social protection to the vulnerable sections, to pursue and follow up with the official procedures, to study entire case, to collect witnesses, to prepare witnesses and victim to speak up, to raise this issue in media. To be able to do all this, that group has to be working in that area for at least a year; in order that it has to have good acquaintance, identity, communication in that area.
Such pressure group need not have its own program or scheme such as NGO has. So it requires less investment as compared to NGO. Members of that group need not be even full time workers. What we tried to see is the reactive or post facto role of such group. Proactive role of such group would be to work as watch dog, to do awareness activities- may be through innovative street plays, Jansunwai, media events, to strengthen intra community relations, to identify vulnerability and so on. This kind of methodology has positive attributes such as- it is open ended, less rigid, less demanding and binding for the members, local level, less consuming. But it has weaknesses also. - If the members are not full timer workers, their commitment could be low, less structural work, intervention may not be well organised etc.
Regardless of these and other weaknesses, this set up has many qualities that our ideal model of intervention must have. It will be matter of practice, application to see how much effective it becomes as an agent of change. Such local level group must be related with national level group or network. It is really difficult to set limit of going into deep for extended replication, as many processes need deep work, like community organisation for strengthening social relations so as to empower the community, to raise power level in this channel. Despite these limitations, local pressure groups seem to present one option for ideal intervention that can be extended to entire nation through presentation and communication. This approach is like teacher's role; teacher does 4 exercises and helps students do 100 exercises. Now we will discuss issue by issue regarding this ideal model of intervention.
10. INTERVENTION THROUGH POLITICAL PARTY FRAMEWORK
Now we are discussing different issues related to better ways of intervention. Let's begin our discussion by taking up the issue of role played by political parties to address social problems. Partly it coincides with the role of government. Political party can provide resources and mass base to leaders. So this framework, this asset can be positively used for doing people's work. E.g. Effective utilization of funds as member of assembly. Political framework can also be used to reach to more number of people, so to increase extent of work. At the same time, there are some negatives aspects also of political party framework. As we have discussed, social problems are related to establishing power equality, reducing power inequalities. Contrary to this, in most cases, members of political parties are powerful leaders, already power haves. So how these people can be effective to empower disempowered groups? Today most of the parties favour already powerful, affluent leaders like landlords, so how power inequality can be reduced? In fact there are ample reasons to say that political parties increase power inequality, as they go with the existing power distribution (except Bahujan Samajwadi party up to an extent). With the help of similie, it can be said that using political parties for power equality is like working in English bureaucracy to free India. It is itself contradictory up to certain extent. Party system is rigid and defensive. It is likely to deal with lot of un necessary, non relevant ideology and image related stuff.
Hence there are severe difficulties to use political party system for bringing up equality and for working out social problems. Can there still be some method to use political party system? Can party system be made non ideological and egalitarian? Let's think of it. There can be ways to make a system more egalitarian and transparent. Examples are open office functioning system, collective open door functions. There are participatory methods of group building, leadership building, ways like social audit, public hearing to improve transparency and accountability. They can be applied in party framework also. But it all depends on the willingness and commitment of the party leaders.
There is one more way in which political system can be used. It can be described as follows. What intervention through party means is to work as political leaders, to work by being peoples representatives. It is direct party intervention. It is more time, energy and money consuming. So instead of this we can focus on other levels of political participation, apart from leadership. They are voting, pressure groups, informal non political associations. Best intervention would not be done by only working with leadership. Rather, a balanced intervention which works with all levels in political participation would be more effective. This can further described as follows.
Let's take the example of an institute working for awareness about political participation. If we can work for increasing awareness about political role of people, if we can create ice breaking related to that, then would not that be a good option? If peoples participation at all levels increase, i.e. Voting increases, party membership increases, good number of good people come into politics for peoples cause, would not that be good intervention? To stand up and contest elections is a direct approach, less sufficient, as efficacy depends on all levels and not at one level with one person, less effective, less sustainable and more consuming. Whereas non direct political intervention such as training or awareness related work can be more effective, extensive, less consuming and more sustainable. So here are some ways in which effective political intervention can be done.
11. Programs and Activities of a Better Intervention
We are discussing important issues in the context of a better intervention. Programs and activities mean structured course of action of the intervention. It can be implementation of a project, regular meetings, and case- basis intervention. What should be the nature and scope of programs of an intervention that we wish to be so extensive and effective?
We now try to answer this question with the help of some alternatives. Let's again come to the functioning framework of a pressure group or local level small action group. It does not have structured set of activities but runs by regular contacts and awareness and monitoring related activities. It does not go beyond facilitation of people’s organisation, participation into social issues. As its functioning is partly open ended, its members need not be full timers, they can earn elsewhere. It facilitates institutionalization by working in collaboration with government and other organisations.
Such kind of work may sound so general or superficial, but it is good for participation of extremely deprived groups. One thing about Gandhiji can be recalled. He did not use artillery, did not establish giant empire such as Ambani's. What he did was that he used practical methods which the average person could adopt and afford, so he could build such strength and width to his work. It seems that such kind of open structured intervention is good to seek participation by extremely deprived groups such as nomadic tribes or neglected sections such as Kashmiri people or the khasi tribe in Meghalaya. As the process gets complicated, it becomes difficult for extension and the more complicated it is, the less the possibility that the extremely deprived groups would control it. Then can such method be a good model for extensive replication? At least it is good option for local level, as it is less consuming. Of course such work needs lot of support from state and national level....
But how about the idea of establishing such pressure groups and making a national network of them ? This can be used with the technique of 4 place implementation and 96 place communication approach. Of course, such groups, networks are existent today. We will now discuss about them.
12. Examples of Movements
Here we will discuss briefly about movements which are working extensively across the nation. Here we will try to understand their methodology, strengths and weaknesses for enhancing our clarity for a better option that we seek. We will also do a bit analysis of these. Let's take the case of Narmada Bachao Andolan. Actually it is not a national one, but significantly extensive. It is an issue based movement; its objective is to give justice to the displaced people, who are displaced by Narmada water and the Sardar Sarovar dam. Over around 25 years it has advocating this issue. Still its work is going on; it is far from achieving the desired output. It has been strongly opposing the government. From development perspective, this movement is a battle between development and displacement to avoid displacement of the marginalised tribal communities that reside by the river Narmada. According to NBA, the government is claiming development of already rich communities (Gujrati land) at the cost of the poor tribal and not giving them sufficient compensation. According to the government sources, NBA is mere making issue of small displacement and the benefits of the Sardar Sarovar Project clearly outweigh the losses.
When any such big issue is concerned, it is safe to assume that both the parties have some meaning in their saying. However it is exactly what is so difficult to objectively state. We will look at this movement with an attempt of stakeholder analysis. Ideologically who are forefathers of this movement, what are their funding sources and supporters? Then we come to know that ideologically this group is leftist and many of their supporters are foreigners. Let's have another question in mind. If this movement is so strong, it has got so able leadership and strength, why not has it been successful? Would not that indicate a thin possibility that the owners of this movement do not want it to achieve its goals because then they would be in danger of loosing livelihood? Or perhaps due to the fact, that this issue is not entirely genuine or rational as claimed by the movement.
Any way, we need to understand different dynamics with which a movement is built and it goes on. This continuous movement, a conflict between two parties makes us think of some alternatives. We need to discover more and more channels and express ways of sustainable development that would be inclusive; they will be accessible and affordable to all with minimal displacement of any human or environmental stakeholder. Also we need to be very careful about the true objectives and mission of a movement as there are chances that a movement my arise for political interests of a few.
Let's come to another group of movements- local action groups or pressure groups. In many cases, do not we find that work scope of such groups is limited to taking action on certain cases of atrocities, injustice and not beyond that? Not beyond means not towards proactive preparedness and extension in coverage. So one picture of such groups is like a local lobby to fight on small issues; that is to say, in one way, such groups appear to be struck in these activities only. Such activities are quite important and as long as exploitation and injustice continue, they must be done.
But what about proactive; positive and constructive work to eradicate power inequality? How can it be done, through which methodology? We can think of it here. This is the key factor. Lot of thinkers and revolutionaries have thought and worked on it. Establishing equality positively that is to say, without looking up on any one dominantly, involves two aspects as discussed earlier.
One aspect is to progress in the channels through which power is expressed. Second is to establish equality by equal treatment, by unanimous treatment, by removing physical discrimination, by eliminating negative activities and by applying positive activities such as sitting together on one level instead by men sitting on chair and women on floor. Practical concepts or behavioural aspects can be best adopted by practice and not by words.
So equality can be established by such positive actions of giving importance, of facilitating to take decision and not obstructing the way. Another issues come regarding this, can be discussed. If we are taking a meeting with some government officials and women are also there. So how can we make the government officials sit with women on one level? Moreover, would not that make them alienated from us, their attitude towards us would not be affected, if we force them. Here we come across one basic conflict or resistance. It is said that any kind of development has presence of equal displacement factors too, like when a vehicle goes so long, displacement takes in form of fatigue of the driver, consumption of fuel, friction of the tiers. Consider any modern 'development' like construction of cement jungles, where thousands of trees and water reservoirs are destructed. This does warn us of the strong need of reducing displacement factors that obstruct any kind of development. Unless we have set right action plan of positively and proactively adjusting and overcoming such small or large displacement, our any attempt for change or development would not be sustainable.. So, the issue is, how can we introduce and make habitual the small positive activities or actions to imply equality. One thing is for sure, any kind of development does not occur without some or minimum displacement factors or negative impacts...
It is said that any kind of development has many potential hazards and development process has stages of equilibrium and disequilibrium. This discussion tells us the need to plan such small steps, small practice level obstacles and course of the action. Let's come back to our example of field situation. If we are in the situation of a meeting of government officials and women and we want all to sit on one level, we need preparation for that, namely-
1. By anticipating number of participants, to arrange for sufficient number of chair, so no one feels offended.
2. to try to prepare the official staff in advance by stating the need for sitting together and explaining its benefits to the programme.
Such homework would facilitate this step. One would need to reset focus on positive aspects involved in such type of situation. This thing tells us that we would be required to be prepared and ready with lot of homework for facing all these situations.
This planning can be done with the help of anticipation, simulation and visualization. If we are prepared proactively with clarity of how to respond to each possible situation, efficacy of such actions can be enhanced and such more steps would help establish equality. Apart from such behavioural tools, mechanisms such as Jansunwai are also important in this direction and so be used by local action groups. Whatsoever is the method or procedure, we would require lot of planning, planning like that for moon mission; which was completed in four years and it gave out steps and guidelines for each month, week, day, hour and minute of about 14 years for entire mission workforce. Such kind of intense work is required. Then only all barriers and obstructions in the process would be worked up on and the way would be ready, otherwise it would be imbalanced like a vehicle showing speedometre high but fuel level low. Preparing each stakeholder for the process, taking proper care of each critical factor, would not that help for increasing quality and sustainability of the intervention? Let's stop this discussion here where we discussed working of movements, tried to visualize how they function, how that can be made a good model for extension. We then also discussed some steps to establish power equality.
13. Commitment and qualities of the Stakeholders of the Intervention
We are discussing important issues regarding any intervention. Our aim is to obtain clarity about a better method of intervention. Commitment means intensity of desire and qualities means abilities, availability of built assets to address diverse situations, to perform better in them. Every model of intervention has to work up on commitment and qualities of its stakeholders. Here we now try to find ways to ensure high commitment and qualities on the part of stakeholders of our ideal or better intervention.
Commitment of an activist is as important as a speed of a vehicle for its travel is. Commitment indicates the "driven" person. How to make all colleagues or partners highly committed? There are ways in which commitment is formed, factors in it can be understood and analyzed. For example, negative social experiences, vicarious sufferings, pains, childhood impressions in form of reading, exposure to social evils can be reasons or channels for commitment towards social cause.
If it is less, it can be channelised with the help of these channels. Commitment is less means it has some barriers or obstructions which can be specifically identified and slowly worked out. However it is important to note that there are n number of ways in which a person can think, so not all ways are applicable to all. But still, barriers can be removed. May be the techniques would apply differently. Like confrontation with sufferings, interactions with deprived group would help to some persons, some would increase commitment after interactions with the field expert or veteran activists. What we can say is that there are such ways and we need to use them. What necessary is addressing and confronting the obstructions in a straight line, directly.
Let's come to the issue of quality and capacity building of stakeholders. Quality expectations and quality of available workforce may vary, may have large difference. It is due to many reasons. Basically, quality has a lot to do with market linkages. A qualified person would naturally seek for better options, so would go towards such positions. So it is difficult that such persons come to the intervention unless the intervention is very unique and special like Gandhiji's satyagraha during the freedom fight. This means that our intervention model has to work with available qualified persons that it can afford. So it becomes important to find ways in which available workforce can be best utilized and side by side its qualities can be enhanced. Best utilization of available quality can be obtained through proper management of work requirements, clearly defined roles, distribution of responsibilities, avoiding unnecessary burden, open channels of communication for support and monitoring, positive strokes etc. Qualities can be enhanced and updated by giving opportunities and spaces for taking more responsibilities, doing mistakes, with prior guidance and encouragement. Such responsibilities should be moderately difficult so that the persons would not find it too difficult to catch up, to stretch oneself.
As discussed earlier, there are ways or steps in which commitment can be channelized. It is basically application of different view points towards the same thing. How to look at extremely negative things so positively is a skill and with its help, positive commitment or motivation can be channelized. Example of such attitude difference is -negative reaction after poor performance in examination or proactive response to a failure, so as not only to come out of it, but to go beyond it, to higher levels.
We are consistently talking about power equality. So it is obvious that any kind of intervention would not succeed without significant number of deprived people participating in it, involved in it.
A point has to be made regarding qualities of persons from the extremely deprived communities. Qualities are developed, capacity is expressed only when it gets conducive environment and opportunities ! The extremely deprived groups have hardly got it so far, naturally they may need more time and opportunities to perform at expected higher levels. Here We keep one important note in our mind. We have to ensure that our better model of intervention has full involvement and participation of all deprived groups such as nomadic tribes, weaker marginalised groups, weaker and neglected groups from the North East, Jammu and Kashmir and the intervention effort as a whole is sensitive to them and all their requirements are properly and collectively taken care of. Now here we halt our discussion regarding this topic and move to next one.
14. Funding and Institutional Setup
The most important aspects of any social activity are aspects related to human and environmental concerns and needs than any artificial needs or decoration, show. Discussion on funding and institutional set up can not be done without talking about methodology and vision, mission of that intervention. As we have discussed earlier, our model intervention has to be replicable and easy to spread over every where, also conducive to participation by all weaker groups. Hence funding and institutional set up can not be too great. So it is safe to think that we would be required to work in limited funds and institutional set up.
It points towards specific, narrow focus of work with a kind of flexibility like other livelihoods and associations. This also expresses the need for innovative planning and design of the intervention, so as to have pin- pointed activities and not indulging in less relevant activities. Today many organisations are busy in numerical target oriented work and so exploiting their workforce, they are insecure about their funds. So in such situation, focused and open framework of activities can be a good, practical option. Reasonable flexibility would also be useful to keep motivation and performance levels high.
15. Complexities and Diversities in an Intervention
Here we are to discuss complexities and difficulties involved in the intervention. The intervention we are trying to visualize is like a very fine picture that is drawn across several kilometres at a stretch. Or more simply, it is like a very complicated team work where everyone thinks differently and looks at everything differently. So then, how would the focused, integrated effort would take place? That's what we are now trying to work out.
Every one has so much of diversity, so permutation and combination of these diverse entities would be so poly diverse and multi faceted. When, how, which, where, why and what you think is different than myself. A lot of distinction exists between any human expressions. So it is necessary that we find some integrated mechanisms to limit the differentiation and have consistent framework. Actually it is a big exercise. Every one of us does not look at any one thing entirely similarly. So how would the central processes of planning, decision making, responsibility sharing, and implementing take place and how much of time would they take? What we can look up on for support regarding this is the basic needs, drives and characteristics of persons.
Whatsoever be the caste, class, nature, physical, political configuration of the travellers, they all travel by train and be with that framework, that structure. Why? Because that structure has got spaces for each of them that they desire. So if we can construct such kind of inclusive framework with plenty of spaces and gains, why not people would be on board with us? Though there is a lot of diversity across different communities, there are basic common attributes also- like basic needs, similar problems. We need to focus on such practical and acceptable terms only. We can never compromise for basic urges, interests and needs. So we have to create such environment. Innovativeness and dynamic nature can help to attract and withhold people. However all this debate is so hypothetical. We will try to visualize a practical model based on it in next phases of the discussion. Still lot of questions remains clueless. Our intervention would be so focused, objective oriented, so how can it be made inclusive of all these aspects, this qualities? It would require Herculean skill to make the best adjustment with this poli-fold human configuration. It requires greatest analytical, social, relational, intellectual skills to arrange everything, each factor in such a way that the best output is delivered. It is like best utilization of players in a match where every team player plays his or her role as best as he or she can, whatever it may be. Throughout this discussion, though it is very much conceptual, we constantly feel that scope of our intervention is going higher than practically feasible levels. We stop here discussion on this topic and link it later on with other related topic.
16. Need of Addressing Larger Structural Issues
Here we are going to discuss ways in which our intervention can influence social structures and structural issues. Let's take the example of intervention related to child labour. Many organisations address this social evil by the interventions based on case based work, through awareness programs or campaigns. Are these really effective ways? Particularly; if the phenomenon of child labour is likely to be rooted in market structure and social power structure? Would not providing so much of alternative constructive employment options to the poorest of poor help reduce child labour? Whatever the vision of development is, it is said that lack of development is by and large a political process rather than a process of facility fulfillment. Lack of development is more related to exploitation, suppression, whatever may be manner of its expression, than to distribution of facilities. Conversely, this means that by merely providing facilities, fulfilling needs, problems would not be solved sufficiently sustainably.
This reinforces the need to work with the social structures, social systems such as market economy, social conflicts and issues such as terrorism, insurgency, political system i.e. Government, virus of violence. Then only we would be able to say that yes, our intervention is effective on these grounds also. How to make it so? From the perspective of equality, it follows that wherever any negative thing takes place, it should be opposed by an equal and opposite force, so the equilibrium or balance would not be lost. So it directs towards building up a great force, a great strength that can oppose any structural factor if the need be. Such strength would come firstly from its support base, number of people that are together, then by its means, methodology, character of its stakeholders. Let's talk about a great episode of history that was called Gandhiji.
Gandhiji was the unique wizard who has given us many express highways regarding almost all our concerns, right from power equality to sustainable, indigenous and 'true' development. That magician build up so much of strength that he could forge a great battle against one of the strongest structure in the world as well as against many small structures. That kind of thing we should aim at. If that kind of, that level of collective support and unity is obtained to a cause, be it satyagraha or lawful agitation against terrorism or child labour or exploitative foreign laws that threaten our sovereignity, would not that be effective ? At least effective than the spoon feeding and pain killer (those may be intended to kill the pain and not the problem) efforts.
17. Scope and Limitations of Working with the Existing Structures
Now we are to check for suitability of working in the current social structures, with current methods. What attributes have we discussed so far, there are interventions which have these attributes, at least some of them.
Through our better model of intervention, what we are trying to envision is so dynamic, innovative and new, but still there remains some relevance of working with the existing set ups. This can be explained as follows. What our intervention would try to do is to establish entirely new manners, it is like some champion comes to play into a game and s/he changes the method in which the game is played. In game such as cricket, there have been players who have changed the way in which the game was played before they come.
That kind of course of action our intervention is supposed to do. But such kind of superb or extraordinary work is not possible all of a sudden. So there exists need to do ordinary work before going for the extraordinary work. Special work is always so demanding and in order to fulfill that, one has to become enough equipped firstly. That much is the scope and limitation of working with the existing structure. It has a lot of importance as a launch pad, as a plat form, a learning tool a way to understand and analyze social dynamics and their inter linkages, but not much beyond that. Most of the existing efforts are limited in one sense that a high level of strength can not be generated out of them. Qualititative strength is there for sure, but it is not that extensive and quantified so as to fulfill the requirement in totality. Such current efforts by and large would not be able to meet the requirements of entire nation or entire society including all groups and all problems. Hence going beyond that circumference is must, but for that, it is very necessary to reach the circumference. Gandhiji's work gives guidelines even here. He started off as an activist advocate and became a mass leader with respect to time. So our better intervention can be established out of current structures or can work as those in the beginning. But sooner or later it has to take off and reach the distances.
This kind of thinking may sound extremist, ignorant of realities, frustrated with harsh difficulties, but is not it that extraordinary efforts are necessary for extraordinary goals. If objectives are that different, that high, then the methodology also has to follow that direction. There is ample possibility that this perception might be non realistic or fantasy oriented. But if we visualise higher outputs, we have to try to play the game differently. Hence our methodology, techniques should be that effective and innovative like Jansunwai, mass satyagraha, The Long march of Mao, social action like movement for open office collective and witnessed functioning of bureaucracy etc. Innovative efforts have ability to reach to more people than ordinary ones.
This all can be expressed more simply. If we want to reach to population of over one billion, we have to be in direct communication with those many people. Any communication is based on unconditional positive strokes, creativity in approach, consistency of medium and receiver orientedness and mutuality. If those can be applied in communication with those many people, a great strength can be certainly constructed, say after a span of 30 years. Let's come back to our main flow of the discussion. One by one we have discussed important issues regarding any intervention. Let's take up another such issue.
18. Working Position
Here we will discuss positions or locations of members of the intervention. Members of our intervention; at what positions; they should work? Positions means social status, levels in terms of power. Are they supposed to be in powerful positions such as collector, university professor, chief inspector? As discussed earlier, higher power positions can not work better as they distance themselves from the common person. A Position at a powerful post does give some strength, but it is not sustainable and worthy for looking at. It again implies equality by force which is contradictory in itself. Hierarchy dominance is the social history, higher social positions or upper castes dominance; can that be any good option? Certainly not.
Again Gandhiji comes to help. His life suggests that if strength of such great number of people is concentrated, it is superior, higher than any politically powerful position or structure. So why then focusing on gaining higher position? The focus then should be on being in a position to have maximum spaces and opportunities to facilitate equal power distribution and concentration. This is possible only when we live among the people without making any kind or form of inequality and hierarchy.
We can discuss one more point here. Our discussion questions us that is there real need for one person or one group to become so powerful or socially so strong, or is there need of establishing better structural linkages among the marginalized people to become collectively strong? What should be the residing place of the power and its density, distribution? Clearly, it should rest with the people, equally distributed. Actually this discussion does point out that there is no need to create a power house or build up an artificial strength but to create better linkages of sharing this power.
Let's take the example of a water tank. Water is concentrated in it. If we want to use that, there is no need to construct another tank superior to it, but just provide ways or channels so that that water can be shared largely. At once water would equally distribute itself that is common sense, common science. Of course, this hypothesis can not be easily related with the harsh realities. We halt our discussion here and move towards more practical and reality oriented thinking and planning.
19. Practical Simulation
After a lot of hypothetical discussion, now let's come to ground reality and try to simulate how we are practically trying to do all this. Let's begin with the planning part. Who are supposed to do planning for this ? Its possible answer can be those who are committed alike and believe strongly in this kind of method for working with the people. No ideological barriers would restrict joining this effort. Even the less committed can also come, in fact all those who are interested can come. Only thing is that they need to have sensitivity. For our convenience, we here assume that there is one group of activist people; it has been working for some time. We simulate its conversion into our desired intervention and the latter course of action.
Planning requires holistic thinking, taking decisions about so many things like vision, mission, time specific progress, methodology, long term and short term objectives, stakeholders etc. So such planning would require lot of time and space, so as to all issues are discussed and common line of thinking is established. The owners of the better intervention would need lot of anticipation and preparation for the planning. Many things such as setting up design of the intervention, methodology, future journey would need to be given a thought. All this requires lot of time. But arriving at collective common line of decision is necessary so that the group becomes cohesive and equally strong. As many people would be involved, the planning would go through a lot of phases of criticization, arguments and even small conflicts. But if the ideas are so genuine and practical, they would succeed in getting settled in the minds of the planners, sooner or later.
Sharing of different thoughts, insights, and attitudes is very crucial as positively it helps to fill up many gaps. I can see only limited things but you can see what I can not, so our discussion becomes vital. In fact, more the diversity, differences, more the holistic the system becomes, if the diversity is processed and responded positively. The planning should be followed by implementation. Whatever structure, decisions, methodology has been decided, following them would indicate a good beginning. As discussed before, if the activists or central stakeholders of our better intervention have prepared themselves, have equipped themselves to complete journey to reach the circumference of current methods, they can take up a good beginning. Once all things are clearly, explicitly decided and settled, there is not many problems in following them, provided all possible obstacles, resistances are given a thought and proactive response has been ready and agreed up on. It is like a kind of social, human programming and involves designing social, human and practical algorithm, so our policy is ready to decide what to do even 'whatsoever' happens. That should be the level of planning, visualization, simulation and anticipation.
20. The Central Stakeholders
For any intervention, its stakeholders and economic resources are categorically important issues. The stakeholders of the model that we try to visualize should be common people. Neither should we expect too many qualities nor too much commitment, but common people who have strengths and weaknesses. Our method and structure should be such that it can work even with common people, like Gandhian methods. If we want wide coverage and mass participation, we should not insist on in depth participation or involvement. If the responsibilities, activities are shared and distributed, it is certainly possible that the sea of common people can also be made itself without depending on expert persons or intellectuals.
But the stakeholders do have the value of equality and commitment. And our mechanism, functions should be such that these attitudes are learned and expressed. It really depends a lot on our methods, techniques, strategies and procedures to create an innovative environment where these things are strengthened and accelerated. If we can do it, we would not need to spend on it separately.
Let's take up the issue of economic resources. We have earlier talked that method of operation of our model can be flexible and not too closed. So we can have many options for economic resources. Our stakeholders can be individual occupants who earn money by their individual occupation, there may be activist groups who work on certain projects to run their machinery, such as local groups who work on CRI projects or government supported programs. Some may be paid by the formal set up of our model. There can be ways to obtain money. But we should have minimum clarity about what the money means to us. It is said that obtaining money is not a problem, but doing that work which deserves economic support, is difficult. Money is something, certainly not everything. Money is a material factor. If we take care of human factors, we need not worry about money requirements, it would come gradually. Still there are innovative ways and techniques in which money can be used, recycled and increased; we need not go into that detail.
21. METHODOLOGY
Methodology is certainly a very important point to be discussed. Before talking about methodology, let's talk about our ultimate objectives. What they are? Let's recall- power equality, everyone gets opportunity and support for ones development and well being. Isn't it? What is meant by the word development? Let's discuss our vision of development. Development can be defined as the comprehensive process of capacity building, capacity expression that is inclusive, participatory, accessible and affordable to all, socially egalitarian and environmentally sustainable and every stakeholder should share its fruits. Such should be development; it can not be mere construction of swallowed cities. It is necessary to have minimum clarity...
It is necessary to have minimum clarity about the concept of this kind of development. Why? Because earlier or traditional development has proved so faulty, it has led to several problems such as increase in social inequalities and disparities, exploitation, social tensions and violence, environmental hazards. So we need to reset our vision of development. Here again the wizard called Gandhiji comes to rescue from this hazard. Gandhiji has given us many ways and guidelines regarding almost all our concerns, but we have not shown full faith in him nor we have gone much distances on that path way. Right from democratic decentralization of Panchayat Raj to small scale industries such as Khadi he has equipped us to fulfill our needs. But we have been more interested in our greeds. And he has warned us that environmental resources are not sufficient to fulfill greeds of a few.
That is to say, Gandhiji has given us ways and ways for sustainable, holistic, integrated, environment inclusive, individualized, practical, and participatory and 'true' development, we need not scatter for a moment, we have so great guidelines. What we need is to give that path in fact, that express highway a try. In short, Gandhian vision of development stresses on certain indigenous attitudes and techniques such as simple lifestyle, need based activities, use of locally available technology, local skills and knowledge, equal distribution of power and decision making. So our better model of intervention can follow this vision and mission.
Now we can talk about our methodology to achieve it, our ways of its application, or our interpretation of this vision in terms of practice. We have said that power is central to our intervention. One reason of it is that many social factors do not have ability to listen, to understand. So they need use of power sometimes. Hence our methodology would be power centred and action oriented. Formal ways like telling, written communication, informing and requesting may not always be useful so use of action based work becomes necessary. So our model can follow the action based methodology, use of techniques such as demonstrations, bandh, strikes, public protests, dramatic mobilizations. Our techniques should be sharp and strong to destroy power perceptions and give the message of equality, e.g. Gherao of women to the liquor shop owners and their license givers, huge demonstrations before parliament for underlining the blunder of signing international pacts. Our model can also stress on extension activities related to political participation and awareness. Also yoga teaching can be integral deliverable as yoga is one good, effective, affordable and accessible tool of capacity building. Also stress can be given on innovative techniques of sustainable and true development. Many similar ways can come up as we go ahead.
Our goal is so high; our field is so vast, that we can not decide any thing as complete and final. Every performance is fresh, new, so our mind has to be open for experiments and receptive to failures. Our model should not be limited to certain methods, but it should have dynamic thinking and readiness for experiments.
22. DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
Let's come to another aspect of our model. We have said that we would actually perform in the field at 4 locations and would spread that technique to remaining 96 places. So there is a need to think about development communication methodology. Development communication simply means the process of communicating development to people. Here it means as our efforts to replicate this course of actions country wide. In 4 places we would be using direct intervention for change. But in other 96 places, we want change through communication.
Any behavioural change comes through ABC sequence. A indicates attitudinal, B indicates behavioural and C indicates cognitive change. This is the process through which any change in behaviour takes place. Any change requires lot of ice breaking and preparation on the attitudinal and cognitive aspects. Here ultimately we look for carry home message as internalization of our model of intervention or positive attributes in it. We so would look for broadcast of our work. If we want to reach to so high number of people, we have to develope n number of channels, media, and diverse delivery systems so that this message can be reached to all, to every subsection in the society.
Communication is strengthened by genuine positive strokes and innovative content and creative use of media. Hence our methodology should have dynamic, special components that would reach to all. We need not depend on existing techniques and tools, but should go for inventing new methods, new styles. Extensive Use of media such as one to one communication, print media, internet, radio, television, magazines would be required. Some would argue, should we focus on actual work or its publicity ? Our focus should be balanced. If we are clear, why we want this kind of propaganda, then we should not worry. We would need to provide utmost care for right individualization of this communication for every individual person, community, place, culture, socio- political situation.
We should translate our message as per situation, particularly while communicating special groups or situations such as terrorist hit Kashmiri people or insurgent groups in Assam who are in search of separate identity. Our entire effort should be so genuine, so focused that it could appeal to even the least interested. There are lots of challenges in this communication based work. We can discuss them briefly. If we look at major media agencies in our nation, we come to know that most of them are owned by foreign people or highly powerful bourgeois groups..
So would that media be very cooperative to us? Certainly not. It would be always better if we assume lot of difficulties and obstructions in our way, because it would prepare us for facing un foreseen challenges. It is a certainty that there would come up lot of forces that would wish to oppose us, to crush us. Its impact on us, our work, would be decided by our strength, preparedness, and approaches to face it. Often power is exerted when there is dependence and conditionality.
If we arrange and design our work such that it is neither dependent on any one group, we are never in position to accept and work within any party's conditions, then we can work as we wish, no factor can restrict or affect us. If our effort has so high strength, then we can overcome all obstructions sooner or later. So let there be any opposition, resistances, barriers, our work can bridge them. In fact, the truth that we are supposed to face plenty of obstructions is a very positive thing. It would only highlight greatness of our efforts.
We would be required to construct our own alternatives, systems to overcome dependence. All these things should be given detail thought. As there are certain channels through which power gets manifest, there are channels with which relations are built and strengthened. So we would need to proactively express our self in these channels such as our actions, our participation, and our attitudes towards opposition. More imagination would make no sense, so let's halt our discussion here. As a conclusion, we keep one thing in mind that every problem or difficulty directs us towards solutions by pointing out our weaknesses and gaps.
23. Divergent Fields
Not all sections, not all parts of our society and our nation are similar. There exists a lot of diversity in some peculiar cases that demand special acknowledgement and attention. Till now we have discussed very generally. Now we can discuss regarding some specific and unique issues.
URBAN SLUMS:
Would our model intervention be implemented in the same way in urban slums or would it require a lot of individualization? Urban slums are so complicated, so compact, so divergent and problematic social structures. They are less conducive for an intervention. While working there, we would require to struggle even for making people spend some time with us, creating spaces and opportunities for our work. This is because, in urban slums, communities are likely to be in the process of disintegration or disorganization, so social relations can be weak and less cohesive. So any work of unification and organization becomes difficult. How can we work in this situation? Every stage involved in intervention- rapport and relations building, gaining confidence, initiating some kind of activity and bringing people together, all these would be slow. There would be lots of threatening factors or opposing agents also. So we would be ready to spend more time and energy there.
In case of slums, we should remember that what we see and face in slums is like an iceberg, that is to say, the visible part of complicated social realities and maladjustments. So we can not work there alone effectively but have to work on the root causes which lies in our social structure and economic life. This reiterates the need to work with the social systems so as to make greater impacts. Here it may be relevant to say that most of social problems can not be dealt in isolation. They are inter- linked and so deeply rooted. So we have to work with the entire system and try to repair basic faults such as inequality, wrong method of 'development'. Then only we can seek for a balanced intervention with some output. Let's move to another peculiar group of social conditions.
KASHMIR and NORTH EAST:
Kashmir is unique in so many ways ! Politically, socially, economically it is different from the rest of the nation. Working there would require a lot of individualization and adaptation, so as to adjust with that environment and make some impacts. There would come up severe difficulties such negative bias on the part of the local people, communication gaps, logistical problems, terrorism and alienation. We should be prepared for all this. We should show positivism and creativity to concentrate on most acceptable, positive attributes and work constructively without any depression and negative response.
Conditions of North East are also different than rest of the nation and somewhat similar to Kashmir. We can identify identity crisis in this unique part of the nation. Identity crisis is basically political and is originated in pursuit of equality and due share. So would not our method based on power equality be applicable and practical there? Also we see political forces so strongly opposing development, so we would need much more strength to fight it and which is so difficult due to heterogeneous and divergent social structures in these areas, particularly the north east. Communication problems, earlier negative impressions, physical and social distances and alienation, insecurity and violence, continuous threat of insurgency and influx of illegal Bangladeshis are some indications of challenging work situation... Thus these areas demand more efforts, more dedication and sacrifice on the part of our better intervention. We would then anticipate all such factors and start planning for that.
24. Epilogue
Here we close this discussion for now. There are so many questions unanswered, many points need to be clarified. Hence your additions are vital. Your contribution would make this process going further places.
The repetition in this discussion is regretted, the writer wants to apologize you for imposition of thoughts, also in case something has hurt you, something which you felt threatening. Such writing is mere one way, so incomplete. You can complete this, make it more meaningful by giving your guidance and inputs and continue the discussion.
Thanks a lot.
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