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Semelhante a Issue 2 - FY17
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Issue 2 - FY17
- 2. pg. 1 Content ‘Lakshman Rekha’ Page No. 2-3 Pond Pays… Page No. 4-5 Mobile Eye Surgical Unit Page No. 6-7 Harnessing Water Page No. 8-9 Mt. Kanamo Page No. 10 Mastering the Machine Page No. 11-12 Green Therapy Page No. 13 Combating Dengue Page No. 14 Indigenous Peoples Page No. 15 Branching Out Page No. 16 Jyoti Fellowship Page No. 17 Community Football Page No. 18 Hockey Initiative Page No. 19 Battle for Awareness Page No. 20-21 Volunteering for Community Service Page No. 22
- 3. pg. 2 Drawing a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ between disease and wellness “I’ve never been to a cinema hall,” replies 22-year-old Lakshman when asked about his latest recent movie in the theatre. The reticent youth from Sokhandih village loves to play and watch cricket, and football. Eldest among three brothers, Lakshman discontinued his studies after class 10. He started helping his father in tilling the family’s 2-acre farmland near the foothills of Dalma range that surrounds his native village. He would keep busy during the paddy cultivation season and preferred hanging around with friends and watching sports on TV at his neighbour’s place in the limited free time he was left with. Earlier this year, Sokhandih was among one of those villages visited by TSRDS team to mobilise the local farmers for Animal Health Worker (PARAVET) training, which is conducted at Green College, Kolabira. The team members also got to interact with Lakshman, who appeared keen to enrol for the 14-day training. Lakshman’s seriousness was rooted to a nightmarish experience that he had in childhood. Something he could never forget—out of 35 goats his farming family had, 25 succumbed to a disease. That was in 2006! After the training, Lakshman informed all the 55 households in Sokhandih that now he was there in the village for animal health care management and can even immunise ruminants. Aside from the first aid kit he purchased from Green College, he also invested a few hundred rupees in buying vaccines for goats and oxen.
- 4. pg. 3 To capacitate farmers, Tata Steel Rural Development Society has partnered with Welthungerhilfe, an international development organisation. The collaboration resulted in Green College at Kolabira, in Seraikela-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand. Operational since December 2015, Green College has been established to train farmers, based out of the company’s areas of operation, on agriculture and allied sectors. Apart from paravet (animal health workers) training, regular sessions on lac cultivation, its processing and marketing; fishery; System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation are also organised at the College. In the first three months after training, Lakshman organised three camps in nearby villages and administered vaccines to ruminants and hens. He also treated minor ailments and infections affecting animals. Though he has faced some hiccups in refrigerating the vaccines and storing them, he is still to get a refrigerator. “I manage it by borrowing ice from the neighbours. I fill up the ice box to maintain the vaccine vial for 5-6 hours during vaccination camps." However, this summer, he had to discard some of the vaccine vials after running short of ice. “I hope not to face the same problem in winters.” Talking about his experience as a trained Animal Health Worker (Paravet), Lakshman says, “We do not have veterinary doctors within a range of 15-20 km. With the training at Green College, I can take care of the livestock in Sokhandih and nearby villages, and also earn money.” Lakshman has invested in a pair of pigs. “They will grow in six months and fetch a good price that would be utilized in owning the much-needed refrigerator,” he smiles.
- 5. pg. 4 Pond Pays… 4.58 acres, it’s the piece of land that Jai Singh Murmu (50) has always banked upon. But, the family inherited farmland has not always been kind to this farmer of East Singhbhum’s Sungdi village. In 2007, the land did not support enough crop yields, and Murmu miserably failed to garner money for the treatment of his ailing wife. Result: she died. It’s 2016, and Murmu still relies on the same 4.58 acres. Today, the land never disappoints him and gives much more than what he expects! Wondering about the turnaround? The answer to it lies `into’ a pond excavated slightly over a year ago on Murmu’s land, following the intervention of Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) Measuring 200 X 100 sq. ft., the pond is used by Murmu for raising fish, which is proving much profitable than his generations-old venture of paddy cultivation. “The pond has addressed my financial concerns quite well,” shares Murmu. A long pause follows, probably for some mental maths, and he throws up figures to back his claim, “It was a mere investment of Rs. 2,000 over a year ago, and I have already made Rs. 50,000 from it in a year.” It may sound nothing less than hitting a jackpot, but Murmu is just highlighting the profitable margins pisciculture is known for.
- 6. pg. 5 Tata Steel Rural Development Society works to bring large areas of land under irrigation by developing new water harvesting structures and renovating the non-functional irrigation systems. TSRDS has partnered with village level organisations, i.e. ‘samitis’ for pond deepening, village infrastructure development and water management. So far, TSRDS has allocated watershed projects to its village level organisations in the Kolhan region of Jharkhand, i.e. East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharsawan districts. In the last three FYs, more than 600 ponds have been constructed through the village level organisations. Murmu’s recent earnings out of the land get reflected in his lifestyle. A gleaming motorbike awaits him at his doorstep. Cold water from a refrigerator greets him after a tiring day. “Both (fridge and bike) are barely two months old,” giggles the class-12 dropout, whose daughter is pursuing MA and son BA. “Spawn and some fish medicines were bought for Rs 2,000. Fingerlings and small-sized fish that I got from spawn were sold for Rs. 50,000 in phases,” explains Murmu, adding in the same breath, “There’s still at least 3 quintals of fish in the pond. It would fetch close to Rs. 40,000.” Wait, Murmu’s pond economics is yet not over. Earlier left to the mercy of the rain gods for paddy cultivation, Murmu is getting more `out’ of the pond. Thanks to creeper vegies and arhar he now grows along the banks of the water body. He recently sold a lot of bottle gourds and arhar for Rs. 16,000. Some quick movements of his fingers and Murmu gets virtually lost, again for some calculations that are going in his mind. He resumes the conversation, this time smilingly, “So, all put together, it would come to over Rs 1 lakh.” Interestingly, this income has come from only 10 per cent share of Murmu’s total land—the share given to the pond—and is much more than his annual paddy benefits. “When rains didn’t play truant, I used to have an annual income of Rs. 70,000 through paddy,” he adds. Paddy still covers majority of his land. Earlier, it was cultivated traditionally, but now he follows SRI for the same. With a pond at his disposal now, he no longer has to worry about irrigating the paddy filed. Nearby farmers, which Murmu put to five, too, use his pond for irrigating their fields.
- 7. pg. 6 Inauguration of Mobile Eye Surgical Unit ~A unique initiative for state-of-art cataract surgery in remote areas~ Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU), a medico-engineering marvel and ‘one-of-its-kind in Asia’ operation theatre on wheels, has now arrived in Jharkhand. A collaborative venture between Sankara Nethralaya and IIT Madras—MESU has been rolled out in this eastern state, with support from Tata Trusts and Tata Steel. MESU’s first eye camp in Jharkhand has started from Seldauri, Chaibasa. The camp began on Sep 11, 2016. On July 31, 2016, Shri Raghubar Das, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Jharkhand inaugurated MESU during a function at Tata Main Hospital (TMH), Jamshedpur. Padma Bhushan Dr. S. S. Badrinath, Founder of Sankara Nethralaya Academy, Mr. Sunil Bhaskaran, VP (Corporate Services), Tata Steel, senior representatives from Sankara Nethralaya, IIT Madras and TMH were present on the occasion. Inaugurating the MESU, Shri Raghubar Das, Hon’ble CM, Jharkhand said, “It will be a boon for the poor people, seeking eye care services, in remote areas of Jharkhand. This will become a pioneer in eye care treatment in the region. I am thankful to Sankara Nethralaya, IIT Madras and Tata Trusts for this noble initiative.” Talking about MESU, Dr. S. S. Badrinath, Founder of Sankara Nethralaya Academy, said, "It takes the most advanced cataract removal process right to the doorsteps of economically and socially backward people living in the remotest of areas."
- 8. pg. 7 MESU: At a Glance Equipped with the state-of-the-art eye care facilities MESU is the only project where the Government of India has allowed ophthalmic surgeries in camp mode Jamshedpur will be the base for Jharkhand’s MESU facilities, catering primarily to rural patients in remote locations MESU takes the most advanced cataract removal process deploying suture-less, phaco-emulsification methodology which is on par with the cataract surgery performed at most advanced eye hospitals Equipped with the state-of-the-art eye care facilities, MESU is the only project where Govt. of India has allowed ophthalmic surgeries in camp mode. MESU’s launch in Jharkhand will unarguably give a fillip to Tata Steel’s on-going eye care interventions being carried out in some of the poorest and tribal-dominated areas. The steel city Jamshedpur will be the base of Jharkhand’s MESU, which will primarily cater to rural patients in remote locations. MESU takes the most advanced cataract removal process deploying suture-less, phaco-emulsification methodology which is on par with the cataract surgery performed at most advanced eye hospitals. With MESU, eye surgeries will be performed right at the hamlet where the patient lives. The post-operative examination after a week is also carried out right at the patient’s doorstep.
- 9. pg. 8 Harnessing Water to Irrigate Parched Land One Natural Water Source : Two Check dams : Canals (Length~1,000 Metres) 70 Acres of Land Irrigated : 100 Farmers : Paddy Yield 108 Tonnes Increasingly erratic rainfall is resulting in lack of adequate cultivation, loss of crops and livelihood for farmers. Large patches of land lie barren due to lack of irrigation facility. Farms in Noamundi also face an acute shortage of water, which, if countered, can yield rich harvests. Surrounded by lush green hills, Noamundi receives above-average rainfall that needs to be harnessed for irrigation. Realising this Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) constructed two check dams —one each in the villages of Daladiri and Kolahundla—in FY16. Water is further channelized through canals, irrigating nearly 70 acres of land in these two villages. Water running through the canals comes all the way from a natural source located atop one of the verdant hills. Consistent supply of water has enabled farmers like Luknath and Saluka to take the initiative of growing paddy, at the onset of summer. Paddy, conventionally, is sown during monsoons. Over the last two seasons, nearly 108 tonnes of paddy has been harvested in the four villages—a significant benefit from the canals. Aside from paddy, seasonal vegetables are also grown and utilised for domestic consumption.
- 10. pg. 9 In FY16, around 30 farmers were engaged in vegetable cultivation and there was an incremental income of Rs 10,000 (average) per farmer. On an average, every farmer had grown vegetables in 10 decimal of land. About 100 farmers were engaged in kharif paddy, of which 15 farmers adopted SRI system of paddy cultivation. In FY16, the MSP (Minimum Support Price) by Government was Rs. 14 per kg of paddy. So, on average, the incremental income per farmer was around Rs. 21,000. Paddy is cultivated in the rainy season. Due to uneven terrain, this farm would be flooded during rains. Two years ago, we could not even think of growing paddy here during summers. This canal has ensured a constant supply of water that irrigates my farmland. It enabled me to sow paddy even during March. Luknath Munda, Daladari Village, Deojhar Panchayat, Joda Due to this canal, irrigation has been possible. It has helped in paddy cultivation in summer. We could not have thought of a different approach, had we not been supported by TSRDS to visit Agriculture Research Centre at Plandu, near Ranchi, and PRADAN’s intervention in Khunti. Saluka Munda, Daladari Village, Deojhar Panchayat, Joda
- 11. pg. 10 Kalinganagar Youth Scale Mt. Kanamo It was a lifetime experience for five youth of Kalinganagar who went on a 15-day expedition to Mt Kanamo in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, on August 7, 2016. They were part of a 33-member team, including people from different countries, which scaled the 19,500 ft Mt Kanamo under the leadership of Ms Bachendri Pal, Chief, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF). The youth, consisting of three boys and two girls, were selected for the expedition on the basis of their performances in the outdoor leadership camps organised in Jharkhand and Uttarkashi. Two of them had also attended a basic mountaineering course at Darjeeling, organised by Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. Telling his experience, Dumbi Khuntia, one of the five youth, said, “The journey from the base camp to the summit will be a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. When one of my team members fell down and decided to quit, I motivated her, and urged her not to quit, and finally she made it to the summit.” Adding to this, another youth Nirmal Kumar Mohanta, said, “Only a few in my village could understand where I had been to and how adventurous was my trip. I was lucky to be selected for the expedition, otherwise, a boy from a small village could reach there (Mt Kanamo) only in dreams. I enjoyed seeing apple orchards on the way. For me, it was a dream which I lived.”
- 12. pg. 11 Mastering the Machine Watching Tanuja working with a piece of fabric on an industrial sewing machine makes stitching look so easy. Tanuja trains young girls at the Industrial Sewing Machine Training Centre, Berhampur, run jointly by Tata Steel Skill Development Society (TSSDS) and Shahi Exports Private Limited. A native of Jharakani village in Sundergarh district, Tanuja did a one month Industrial Sewing Machine Operator (ISMO) course at Tangarpali, in 2010. As she completed the course, a job offer from a Kerala-based leading garment manufacturer came her way. For someone who had not ventured out of the district, Tanuja had to persuade her parents to let her go to Kerala. After a lot of hesitation, her father allowed her to accept the job. She moved to Kerala and worked in Cochin for two years. “I would have continued further. But my father was seriously ill and I’d to return. His kidneys had stopped working,” recalls Tanuja. Not able to arrange for the money required for his kidney treatment, Tanuja’s father eventually succumbed to the ailment, leaving behind three young siblings and his wife.
- 13. pg. 12 Pressure was building on Tanuja to take care of her family. After remaining jobless for nearly a year, she applied for a position with Shahi Exports. She got the much-need job in the form of Industrial Sewing Machine Trainer. Her first posting was at Bhubaneswar. Later, she also got deputed at training centres in Kalahandi and Koraput districts, run by Shahi Exports. Posted at the Berhampur centre for almost a year now, Tanuja has trained scores of young girls. “In the last three years, I have trained nearly 300 girls,” says Tanuja. Her confidence and calm demeanour has a rub-off on her pupils—young girls from Ganjam, Puri and other parts of Odisha. They pick up the threads calmly and gradually master the machine. Tanuja takes pride in the fact that she has got an opportunity to train young girls from rural areas. She is also pursuing higher secondary (Plus 2) from National Open School. “Due to financial reasons and my father’s death, I could not study beyond class 10. Now, I’m pursuing higher secondary in Arts.” Asked if she would go for graduation, Tanuja smiles and nods in affirmation. Tata Steel Skill Development Society (TSSDS) in partnership with Shahi Exports offers Industrial Sewing Machine Operator (ISMO) course at Berhampur in Odisha. Designed exclusively for girls from poor families, all the trainees after successful completion of training are gainfully employed by Shahi Exports at its Bengaluru-based garment manufacturing facility. For girls from humble backgrounds, the course offers an opportunity to stand on own. Over the last one year, more than 100 girls have been trained and gainfully employed through training at the Berhampur centre.
- 14. pg. 13 ‘Green Therapy’ With an aim to promote the proven age-old medicinal practices, Tata Steel organised a workshop on tribal medicinal practices `Green Therapy’ at Katepurty Auditorium, on Aug 9, 2016. About 300 people, including local residents, students, experts on traditional medicines and employees of Tata Steel, participated in the workshop. On the occasion, chief guest Mr Parmanand Patel, an expert on tribal languages from Bhubaneswar, said, “Tribal people know many things and skills. We need to learn from them. People have now started consuming food grains like raagi and baajra—staples for tribals, or indigenous people.” Food grains which had become outdated or symbol of poor are now becoming necessities of rich and well-off people. So, we are going back to them (indigenous people) even after making so much progress in different sectors. They have rich knowledge of nature. They know the use of plants and their medicinal values. We should learn from them.” Following the talks by resource persons and guests, some villagers were invited to the talk about medicinal values of different plants. Mr Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Professor of Gopabandhu Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital shared findings of scientific research on various medicinal plants.
- 15. pg. 14 Combating Dengue Following the outbreak of dengue in Barbil, an adjacent town of Joda, in mid-June, there was an alarming situation in the area. Initially, about 100 positive cases were reported but in a week's time, the number rose to more than 500. To deal with the situation, Dr N. Thirumala Naik, Collector, Keonjhar conducted a review meeting at Joda. It was decided that the government in collaboration with Tata Steel and other civil societies would initiative a massive dengue prevention drive A total of 47 teams were formed for the 14 wards of Joda Municipality for carrying out tasks related to reduction of sources, creation of awareness about dengue, dissemination of do's and don'ts for preventing dengue and taking corrective measures on the spot. Officials of TSRDS in association with staff of Joda Municipality began an awareness campaign against dengue through public announcements, rallies, distribution of leaflets, banners and staging of street plays. In this way, hundreds of residents were covered. A total of 40 shows of street plays were staged at different parts of Joda and Barbil. Participation of the locals, especially youths, played an important role in the campaign against dengue. Fogging and spraying of larvacides was also done in the 14 wards of Joda. A team of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, New Delhi, praised Tata Steel’s fight against dengue.
- 16. pg. 15 International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples Observed Tata Steel observed the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at different locations in Odisha and Jharkhand, on 9th August 2016. More than 3,000 people participated in the programmes held to observe the international event. This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was devoted to the right to education. The right of Indigenous people to education is protected by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, according to which indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning. Keeping the theme of the year in view, the day was observed on the campus of Sukinda Government College in Kalinganagar. A large number of students from tribal communities study in the college and they actively participated in the celebration. In Sukinda, a workshop on tribal medicinal practices was held. In Joda, Tata Steel celebrated the day at Central Playground in association with Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Mahasabha, an organisation of tribal people. Likewise, celebrations marked the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, in Noamundi’s Kadajamba village, where Tata Steel held various programmes. For the first time, Tata Steel celebrated the event at a central location in the village acknowledging the `Akhara’ concept of tribal community.
- 17. pg. 16 Branching Out for a Cause Sharda Devi may be a mother of three, but the 45-year-old woman in Ramgarh’s Basantpur hamlet has also to look after thousands of her `little ones’. From taking care of their feed to the daily sunlight dose, Sharda ensures they grow well and `branch out’ for a green cause! Sharda has been raising saplings for over last eight years through Parvati Mahila Samiti (PMS), a self-help group constituted by Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS). “Generating an income for village women and promoting greenery, this activity is serving a dual purpose,” shares Sharda, president, PMS. Saplings raised by the 12-member SHG are procured by departments of Tata Steel, majorly for conducting plantation drives, both in West Bokaro and outside. Ever since PMS branched out to the sapling business from their regular venture of soap making, orders have been coming to them regularly. “Every year through TSRDS we get our orders. The flow has been regular since we started in 2007. As per the latest order received from Tata Steel, we are raising as many as 8,000 saplings,” adds Sharda, not allowing her sari pallu drop from the head during the entire conversation. For every lot of 8,000 saplings, PMS generates an income of nearly Rs. 35,000. Inter loaning by the SHG also contribute to the members’ income. Both Sharda and her husband, a labourer, are school drop-outs. Sharda left her studies in class 9th , her husband slightly later, in 10th . Ask what changes she has witnessed out of the nursery, of course, other than the expansion of green cover, Sharda replies, “It has empowered me to help my husband in meeting the family expenses…in supporting my children education, something we couldn’t pursue owing to financial constraints.” While one son of Sharda is married and settled now, the other is a 12th grader at an English-medium private school. Sharda’s daughter is in class 11th . Neatly arranged in rows, the 8,000 `tiny ones’ sit inside small packets, which are almost half-filled with a mixture of mud and manure. Sharda ensures a right mix of mud and cow dung is used for raising saplings. To lower the input costs and maximize the profit margins, SHG members attempt to raise such seedlings that can be readily availed from forested areas. “We go for plants like jungle jalebi (sweet tamarind), neem, ber, karanja. This way, we evade spending on procuring seedlings from the market,” reasons Sharda.
- 18. pg. 17 Tabs, Solar Lamps, Bag-cum-Writing Desk… all at Jyoti Fellowship Tata Steel felicitated 464 economically weak, meritorious SC/ST students at its Jyoti Fellowship Award Ceremony organised at JRD Tata Sports Complex, on Sep 8, 2016. An amount of over Rs. 21 lakh towards Fellowship was distributed among the students, enrolled in classes 7-12 at schools in East Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharsawan districts of Jharkhand. Other than the scholarship, top seven performers of Jyoti Fellowship Test—all 7th graders—walked away with a computer tablet loaded with NCERT study material. Moreover, a bag that doubles up as a study table, and a solar LED lamp were also given away to all 145 students of class 7 who qualified for the scholarship support. Chief guest Ms. Santosh Ranjan, Chief, Projects Utilities, Tata Steel, encouraged the students to work wholeheartedly for retaining the scholarship throughout their schooling. “You should take pride in getting this scholarship and must make an all-out effort to fulfill your education dreams.” Ms. Urmila Ekka, Hony. Secretary, Tribal Cultural Society, was also present on the occasion, along with staff members. “I know what all it takes for my father to send me to a private school,” shared Vishnu Kumar Paswan, son of a driver. “I am happy that this scholarship will ease the financial pressure on him,” added Vishnu, a class 7 student of RMS School, Jamshedpur. Expressing similar sentiments, Payes Marshal, a class 10 student of St. Mary’s English High School, Bistupur, said, “The scholarship is a great relief for my father who is a farmer.”
- 19. pg. 18 Penalty Shoot-out Wins at Community Football Tourney After setting the `ball rolling’ for nearly two months, Tata Group Community Football Tournament 2016 drew to a close at Nandup Grounds, near Jamshedpur, on Sep 9, 2016. Chakulia and Simuldanga teams clinched the victory in the Under-15 and Open categories, respectively. Chakulia registered a 4-3 win against Simuldanga in Under-15 category, whereas Simuldanga recorded a 2-0 victory against Manjhari in Open category. Both the teams had a penalty shoot-out win. As players battled it out for lifting the cup, ecstatic shouts and cheers by football enthusiasts, especially youth, turned the atmosphere electrifying at Nandup Ground. Congratulating all the players for putting up their best show, Chief Guest Mrs. Menaka Sardar, MLA, Potka, and Guest of Honour Mr. Dashmath Hansdah, Paragna (traditional leader) felicitated the winning teams. Mrs. Menaka lauded the efforts of Tata Steel for organising the tournament with other Tata group companies. She also appreciated the move to propagate awareness regarding drug abuse and alcohol menace through the community-level sporting forum. This year’s tourney made all the players vow to stand united against menace of drug and alcohol addiction. The fifth edition of the tournament—a joint effort of Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tinplate and Tata Power operating in Jharkhand—drew over 24,000 players from over 1,500 teams that clashed in Under-15 and Open categories’ matches. This year, the tournament was played in 48 areas across five districts of Jharkhand, covering all the blocks and Panchayats of East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharsawan and the mining locations of Bokaro and Dhanbad.
- 20. pg. 19 Tata Steel and Hockey Australia launch hockey initiative Tata Steel in association with Hockey Australia launched a grassroots hockey development programme, ‘Hooking2Hockey’, in Odisha’s Sundargarh, which has earned the sobriquet of `the nursery of hockey talent in India’. A series of workshops were conducted by a three-member team (Mr James Liggins, Mr Tom Winter and Mr. Oran Aziz) of Hockey Australia, the governing body of the stick game in Australia, from July 5-8, 2016, in 10 schools of Kutra and Rajgangpur blocks. The initiative, coordinated by Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), Gomardih unit, is aimed to attract youngsters towards hockey and teach them basics of the game in a fun filled but professional atmosphere to help them grow up as good players. As many as 300 students in the age group of 7-10 years —15 boys and 15 girls from each of the 10 schools—participated in the workshops. All the students were given individual sports kit comprising of hockey stick, ball, shin-guard, T-shirt, gumshield, etc. More workshops will be conducted in the coming months to cover approximately 200 more students.
- 21. pg. 20 Battle for Awareness Charity begins at home, and Madhu Kumari (17) of Dhanbad’s Bans Kapuria village exemplifies it. Sensitized about the negative impacts of entering wedlock early, at RISHTA meetings she started to attend in May 2014, it was expected of Madhu to spread the word in the village. However, before stepping out, she chose to start off from her own family. She stood against her own parents and rescued her elder sister Rekha, then just 16, from getting married to a guy double her age. Waging her first ‘battle for awareness’ against her parents in 2014, Madhu, then a RISHTA volunteer, relentlessly continued with her sensitization drive. In the same year, she managed to save two more girls of her village—Neelam Kumari and Indu Kumari—from becoming child brides. Rekha, Neelam and Indu, all are now pursing graduation and want to stand on their feet before tying the knot. Breaking through the deeply entrenched traditional mindsets—that believed in unburdening of daughters by marrying them early—Madhu, now a mentor with Project RISHTA, has come a long way. Making her and others’ parents realize the true worth of daughters, Madhu is all set to take admission in BA I. “When I first resisted their move, they, especially my father reacted very strongly. He shouted at me at top of his lungs,” she recalls. My mother did not react so intensely, but she stopped talking to me, adds Madhu, who loves to teach poor children of her village.
- 22. pg. 21 Strained relations between Madhu and her parents continued for over two weeks before the husband-wife duo decided to hear the RISHTA girl. Madhu knew facing her parents would be quite difficult, but she was confident of her RISHTA learning. “Step by step I tried to change their mindset. I cited real life incidents to help them understand the perils of early marriage and discontinuing studies.” Madhu followed the same methodology to make Neelam’s and Indu’s uneducated parents realize how oblivious they were to the biological complications tagged with early marriage. According to her, a pictorial representation on what grave threats early marriage can pose for young girls went a long way in changing the mindset of the three families. “Lack of education, low awareness and orthodox thinking were clouding the parents’ vision. But when they actually got to know the real story, they gave up, and I won,” smiles Madhu. Project RISHTA is a TSRDS-led consortium project being implemented in partnership with 7 NGO partners, i.e. Parivar Kalyan Sansthan (Tata Motors), Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra, Alternative for India Development, Society for Participatory Action and Reflection, Society for Legal Action and Development, Family Planning Association of India and Tagore Society for Rural Development. The project aims to enable adolescents make informed decisions regarding their lives, including sexual and reproductive health.
- 23. pg. 22 Volunteering for Community Service Tata Steel encourages its employees to volunteer for community initiatives. During Tata Volunteering Weeks held under the Group-level Tata Engage initiative, in FY 15-16, nearly 18,000 employees volunteered for a host of community activities – accounting for 26,000 hours. Taking employee volunteerism forward with a focus on more qualitative improvement, various Joint Departmental Committees (JDCs) and Departments have started adopting schools, villages, etc. A total of 6 JDCs / Departments have adopted either a primary school or a village. On a monthly basis, they carry out activities circling around the overall development of students as well as village community. Primary schools in Hariyakocha, Barudih, Bahardari, Chimti as well as Centre for Hearing Impaired Children have already witnessed a host of volunteering activities like health check- up camp, birthday celebration, awareness session on hygiene and washing hands with soap, teaching students, etc.
- 24. pg. 23 content and curation : asit | bhesaja | rishi