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2.19.2010
Hats Off To All Our Seniors: Batch 11!!
2.16.2010
Pragati 2010 TVC
Thank you Ms. Chaitra for the wonderful narration and Mr. Vishnu for the direction, editing and other technical contributions.
2.14.2010
The Memoirs Of 4 Researchers.
The inaugural of the MR was done 4 days(10-feb) back when 4 students embarked on a journey to a rural with a back pack, a water bottle and a map, apiece. They embarked on the first survey to be conducted by this wing. The village was “Honnebagi” which was tugged away 10 odd Kms from the nearest taluka “Channagiri”.
(Switching over to first person narrative)
It was 8 in the morning. The four of us had assembled at the main gates of the campus after having gone to the temple to take Lord Hanuman’s blessings. We were going on a journey that we knew would be demanding, physically. In a unknown village ,under a hostile environment all we had at our aid was a group member who spoke kannada, Mr Abhayesh-An Andhra joker(Anathram sir Fans please appreciate!!)
20 mints later after having a hard time trying to figure out the appropriate mode of transportation we got onto a bus which the conductor claimed would take us directly into the villages of Karnataka. With a wide grin and a happy heart we flagged off our journey. 2 hours post sitting in a crammed up bus, with a child each in our laps, we were told we would be reaching our destination shortly. The definition of “Rural India” as I knew it was going to change forever!!
After a long and a tiring ride we finally got down at the bus-stand. To cut the long story short we finally reached the village,45 mints hence.(A dosa per person, A piping hot tea, A 6 Km walk, A Tractor lift and A short police inquiry happened in the interim) Our objective was to determine the farming practices of the villagers and the kinds of water pumps that were being used within that area. Our sample size was 50, which we were confident we would be able to cover.
On seeing us in the village some villagers were scared, some worried, some hostile, some inquisitive. We felt like foreigners in Timbuktu(Not quite, perhaps!) Within 30 mints of we landing in the village the news had spread like wild fire. The village being mainly inhabited by the minority community we found it reasonably easy to converse(Mr. Abhayesh, who was feeling very proud of his Kannada speaking skills throughout the journey, was considerably let down as the need-gap for him was growing with every passing moment)The initial 3 questionnaires took us around a hour to complete. This was because the people were wary of us and mistook us to be city dwellers who had come there with the motive of taking over their farm lands. A pen and a official looking paper in hand acted as a catalyst to their fears. As we conversed with one farmer, we were constantly surrounded by around 20 adults who were looking from over our shoulders, 10 children who were peeping from between our legs. We managed to convince them that taking over their farms was not our motive. After thorough interrogation from their side they did start to believe us. (We learnt a lot from their questioning too. How to ask two related questions at different time intervals and interpret answering discrepancies, was one of them. Our questionnaire modeling style was hence improved!!!)
We learnt about the conditions they were living in. Abject poverty, in accessible electricity, insufficient drinking and farming water were their primary concerns. They were ,in short,
Being denied the basic necessities of life. Almost the entire village used electric pumps. Electricity to run them was available only for around 6 hours a day at infrequent times. People had no food to eat, no water to drink, children had no schools to attend. They told us the primary reasons were a non-cooperative government, an uncaring panchayat and a un-educated village population. The purpose with which we had gone to the village had long taken a backseat. There are times when a goal is not everything. This was one of those times!!!
The learning curve came into effect as we learnt which villager to approach, how to approach and how many questions to ask. The questionnaire we had developed had some questions that were not at all applicable in case of the village. (Example :- Income and Education. People were not earning much and many of them were illiterate, Facts they were unwilling to reveal and sometimes even hostile.) We started neglecting such questions and were more concerned in determining how and what can be done to improve their conditions. With a heavy heart I have to admit that there is not much we can do unless we have strong finances. Government cannot be instigated to take any action as any instigation MAY lead to more promises. Promises is the last thing Honnebagi needs today! It cries for action.
By the end of the day we had managed to get only 25 questionnaires filled. But we were least concerned about that . As we started to head back to Harihar the memories held onto us. As we left people with hopeful eyes bid us farewell. There are probably a million villages out there with conditions worse than in Honnebagi. But it gives me no comfort. It only fuels my uneasiness.
As I finish writing this a child somewhere is crying. Not because he did not get his pizza, or because he broke his toy, or because the AC is not working. He cries for he is holding a rug, with an empty stomach, trying to sleep. But the damn mosquitoes refuse him that royalty!!!
2.06.2010
Learning of A Representative
I am not so concerned about the dictionary meaning of the word ‘representative’. On a funny note, it always comes to my mind with a political context, the so called representatives of democracy. Coming to KIAMS I witnessed a similar scenario in case of the selection of our class representatives or placement representatives but the selection of the cultural representatives was a bit different, because it was a selection, and not an election.
My love, my passion drives me in this journey as a cultural rep and I really cherish all the moments. In Samanvay 2010, when our super senior cultural rep Mr. Kishore Kumar Tiwari asked me about the journey and whether it is affecting my studies or not, my answer was a no. Something can affect you only when you actually want to escape from that. The job as a cultural rep effects my studies but does not affect them. Me and my co-rep together organised so many festivals which I never knew about before coming to KIAMS. Experiencing the typical Malayali culture on Onam, having the special dinner on that day or celebrating Lohri in the Punjabi style- each comes with a bouquet of surprises.
Now after through introspection, I realise that how the prestigious cultural events in Operacy or Samanvay taught me the people management skills. Organising the whole programme, assigning the right work to the right person, persuading them, scheduling the time for practice, and getting everything done before the D-day – each time these issues give me tension but I enjoy it. I love taking such tensions where my passion lies. Working on the whole schedule till 4 A.M. in the morning with my friends, having few arguments with the performers never dampen my enthusiasm and when the success comes from all the dimensions it gives the pleasure of a bond which we share here as a family.
I would like to quote Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy- the revolutionary Indian scientist who once said about our education system that “we are just pouring water in the container but we have never tasted whether it is suitable for drinking or not”. Management education is something which cannot be mugged up and applied in your workplace, management education is not a course of two years, it is obviously not the degree you receive after the completion of the course, it is a lifelong journey where you get to learn something new in every station. I am too sceptical about the theories of human resource management but when I discover my learning in the same as a cultural rep I thank KIAMS for giving me the opportunity. Being a member of a cultural committee (which exists in almost all B-schools) and being a representative is completely different and when your senior rep behaves as a mentor who practices the American system of management, which believes that success lies in the extent of empowerment, then you can only inculcate wonderful learning experiences throughout your journey, the memory of which lingers forever.
From now on the word ‘representative’ will remind me something else J
SUDESHNA RAKSHIT
B-12