By Chetanpreet K Nilon
Pandwala is a small village located on the outskirts of Chandigarh, a little beyond Zirakpur. Although the approach to this place is through the fast-growing township of Zirakpur with its high-rise concrete buildings, yet this village has retained its rural identity. The Panjab University TIGR2ESS team has chosen Pandwala for its Skill intervention to uplift and empower the village women, especially its bright young girls whose innate talent and a fiesty zeal to hone it further could be experienced throughout the visit.
We were greeted by the sight of 15-17 young females, some of whom were fresh out of school and others in college. There were even some young mothers who had brought their little children along. The rural societal setup in India leaves the entire responsibility of taking care of the children on the mother and hence, these mothers cannot leave them behind at home. It was heartening to see that the TIGR2ESS team acknowledges this fact and encourages, even facilitates, these young women to attend the workshops and sessions along with their children.
Dr. Monika had invited Dr. K.D.S. Bedi, Vice-President of Skill Development Initiatives and Dean – Marketing, Chitkara University, to broaden the horizons of these girls by offering them an exposure to the entreprenurial possibilities that lay beyond their village. Dr. Bedi discussed with them methods to explore and access the market-linkages and buyers for their products. He discussed different ways in which they can build a ‘brand’ of their own and design a logo to establish their own unique identity. Dr. Bedi admired the various products such as bags, pouches, cushion covers, cloth wallets, etc., that were prepared as samples using recycled cloth material. He also used a couple of their products to give examples of how they could be promoted – he asked them to design a few bright red flowers on a denim bag and sell it at as a gift item on a festive occasion like Rakhsha Bandhan, Valentine’s Day or others.
Dr. Monika then invited the girls to come up with their own ideas and collectively contribute to the final decision along with JRFs, Harpreet and Chetanpreet. She led the discussion for logo design and name of the initiative. It was interesting to see how the girls slowly overcame their hesitation and shyness to offer their suggestions and made it a very fruitful and joyful exercise.
It is very satisfying to observe the transition of these homely rural girls into young women who are learning to assert their individual identities and also understanding how they can together help each other in becoming self-reliant and confident personalities.
Food for thought: Towards a Greener Revolution 