... for they have their own thoughts - Multiworld India

482005 Goa, IndiaMOHAN SURVEThis is the story of a Dalit Mahar community inSangola taluka in Sholapur, Maharashtra. DalitMahars are low caste scavengers anduntouchables. They have lived as discriminatedhumans for generations. Untouchability is a seriouspsychological scar that they have to deal with. Theyhave been very influenced by Dr. Ambedkar in thecontext of liberating themselves from untouchability.Kedi soda ani gao chala meaning leave the villageand move towards the city is a slogan that theybelieve will liberate them from all woes.They thought the solution lay in the wisdom ofthis grand phrase.The youth and educated moved to the citiesand formed pressure groups in the cities to demandand provide jobs for the educated dalits. Eighty-fourpersons managed to get jobs. Only four have stillbeen able to retain it. There have been voluntaryretirements but mostly retrenchment because ofmechanization and cost cutting factors. They havehad to come back to the village and seek solutionswithin the community resources. They are weary ofthe scavenging and untouchability stigma.Generations ago it was this very stature in theirlife that provided them with 90 acres of communityland for development – a gift from the then ruler.They are not traditional agriculturists. In ten years thisendeavour of cultivating the community land failed.I have been visiting this village since 1986 and I haveseen this village becoming weak. People lookdesolate, the streets are deserted. The basic problemwas that they were trying to do capital orientedfarming which failed. We thought we should salvagethe situation and hence introduced them to naturalfarming. Someone had to do it. The village chose aboy who had done his B. Sc and moved back to thevillage for a job. He did not find a job and was sellingfish from door to door from a basket head load.Their basic mindset is that they are not capableand think themselves inadequate to deal with issuesthat affect their own life. The police are called in tosettle even minor problems.The solution to this community endeavour offarming the community land lay in uniting thecommunity. We had series of meetings to reach thisend. Through them we realized that people aremade differently. Some have initiative and takeaction, others prefer working in the background. Thecommunity learning took place in the sheti shala(farm schools). Questions regarding issues wereraised and understanding derived.Many things have happened since.The sheti shala has 2 groups; one, an actiongroup and the other is a study group.Understandings have evolved on governmentschemes, common endeavours that benefit thecommunity, the tangible immediate gains that theysee in sand mining and brick making but the longterm losses to top soil and river ecology.In a way the curriculum is people oriented andmethodology an evolving process.