What’s this brief write-up all about?
MICA has this unique ‘Rural Immersion Programme’ for us students in the second year of PGDM-C. It involves staying in a remote Indian village for at least seven days to observe and experience life in rural India from their own point of view. Along with three other friends in my research group, I went to this village called Dhanori in Navsari district of Gujarat. Though words wouldn’t justify our one-of-a-kind experience, I’m just trying to give you a taste of the juicy Kesar mangoes that Dhanori natures in abundance.
Why did we go to Dhanori village?
For all the groups who go to remote villages in different parts of India, the objective is two-fold – one is to help us prepare a communication strategy that would meet the communication needs of the village;
We were keen to study the cultivation of mangoes in Dhanori and the life of farmers as it revolved around farming. Studying the mango business from a farmer’s perspective seemed to be an apt start to then think about terms like ‘export’ and ‘organic cultivation. Along with this goal, we also became one among the many young boys and girls in Dhanori and tried to understand their aspirations in the context they lived in.
So how was our experience at the village?
Our experience was no less exciting than a Bollywood masala movie set up in an Indian village. Every night as we sat to write down our personal reflections on that day, the speed of our pen was nowhere near the pace at which the mind poured out its emotions. We did not have any point of contact inside the village. Every morning we would just set out, not even knowing where we would get our lunch for that day. Luckily, we’re hosted by a relatively rich farmer family for 2 days; at first it was embarrassing to ask for help, but as days went by, we had become quite shameless when it came to asking for food and shelter!
The village was clearly divided on the basis of different castes and sub-castes. Both
The problems of the Patel community are not just restricted to
What did we learn?
1. Seeking help is a brilliant way to build rapport. At
2. Your perspective changes 180 degrees when you see things at and from the grass-root level.
3. Imagining about ‘organic’ mango cultivation and export is easier when sitting in a MICA classroom than in a farmer’s room.