Milan Mela: An
Attempt to Connect the Community Based Organizations with the Rural Consumer
Market Segment in Sagar Block
Livelihood development for the disadvantaged sections in Sagar Block interlinked with robust market channels is one of the focus areas of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project in West Bengal. The entire livelihood component may be classified into three main sub-components e.g.
• Capacity Building on trade specific skill sets along with institution building for the coastal community at large.
• Construction of Micro – Coastal Infrastructures as part of Entry Point Activities and
• Promotion of Income Generation Activities through various trade specific livelihood options
Consultant NGOs engaged under ICZMP had been acting as facilitators to the CBOs to undertake the above-mentioned activities. The success of any livelihood development programmes depends to a large extent on the magnitude of integration of the CBOs’ mainstreaming with that of market dynamics. Stability in livelihood will not only generate income for consumption and production over a period of time, but in the process it may contribute in enhancement of asset ownership, self-esteem, social participation and recognition of the CBO members in perpetuity. Integration can happen only when linkages both forward and backward with respect to different trades have been established and are deeply entrenched. Both the Entry Point Activities and Income Generation Activities are being/to be directly financed as the case may be from the State Project Management Unit to the contracted CBOs, whose members are mostly in an economically disadvantageous position. Capacity building programmes organized by the consultant NGOs had capacitated to a certain extent the community to do justice to their contractual obligation for execution of Entry Point Activities and Income Generation Activities along with other bank/ MFI financed or with own equity backed Income Enhancement Plans.
Paribesh Unnayan Parishad (PUPA), consultant NGO mentoring Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat on the basis of the understanding that its mentored CBOs needed market orientation in an organized manner had organized a CBO/ SHG fair entitled “Milan Mela” on 21st- 22nd February, 2015 in the premises of Mahendragaunj-Nagendragaunj Abaitanik Prathamik Vidyalaya, Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat, Sagar Block, South 24 Parganas.
The fair was inaugurated by Sri Asok Kr Jana, Karmadhyaksha, Sagar Panchayat Samity. Sri Tapan Kr Sardar, Panchayat Pradhan, Sri Ajit Das, Upo-Pradhan along with other members of the Gram Panchayat namely Sri Anup Bera, Sri Pashupati Ari, Smt. Shankari Bayen, Km. Gouri Ghosh graced the occasion. Leading face of Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat on social issues e.g. Smt. Sagarika Das and Sri Tarun Kr Patra (Headmaster of Mahendraganj – Nagendraganj Primary School) were also present during the inauguration of the fair. Dr. Santanu Mitra and Smt. Sunita Das, Lecturer of Women Polytechnic and Sri Kanchan Majumdar, Block Welfare Officer, Sagar Block also graced the fair on 22nd February, 2015.
The fair was the culmination of the different Training and Capacity Building exercises (e.g. SHG management, bank linkages, business & entrepreneurship development, vocational training: poultry, pisiculture, betel leaf cultivation, organic farming, paper made crafts, tailoring, food processing, Batik printing and so on targeted especially towards the SHG women) organized by PUPA under ICZMP for the last two and a half years. These types of fairs showcase the various livelihood opportunities that are being explored by the CBO/SHG members e.g. Batik printing, food processing, production of fancy domestic items from low cost material and etc. Milan Mela provided the SHG/CBO members mentored under ICZM Project the much needed exposure to a slice of rural market segment coupled with in subjective terms the qualitative contribution of the NGO namely PUPA in CBO based community development and skill enhancement. Members of SHGs/ CBOs from the six revenue villages of Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat had got the chance in Milan Mela to initiate dialogue for ways of augmentation of their well-being through sustained livelihood options.
The said fair was a collaborative effort of over 75 SHGs covering six revenue villages with nearly 1300 participants. The CBOs had participated either in trade or in cultural cum sports meet or in both. The fair provided the members of these CBOs to know each other’s domain of expertise, trading patterns, requirement of working capital etc. The series of incessant interactions amongst the SHGs created the much needed trust, social bonding and networking which had paved the way for expansion of social capital formation in the Gram Panchayat.
The two day fair had put on display a plethora of hand made products and edibles straight from the coffers of the village women. Apart from agricultural products, craft items were also showcased. One of the primary objectives of the fair was to exhibit and promote women empowerment and their cultural products manifested in the form of traditional arts and crafts, apart from the sale of farm and non-farm products. There were 12 out of 16 stalls (Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat has 16 sansads) which were allotted to the 14 CBOs to showcase their products and services.
The major items that were put on display:
• Handmade Batik printed sarees and dress materials
• Paper made tray, lamp shades, wall hanging, notebook holders, bags, photo frames.
• Organically cultivated vegetables and cereals
• Soft Drinks (without preservatives) made of Amla; Banana pepped with Mango flavour and etc.
• Organic manure
• Capacity Building on trade specific skill sets along with institution building for the coastal community at large.
• Construction of Micro – Coastal Infrastructures as part of Entry Point Activities and
• Promotion of Income Generation Activities through various trade specific livelihood options
Consultant NGOs engaged under ICZMP had been acting as facilitators to the CBOs to undertake the above-mentioned activities. The success of any livelihood development programmes depends to a large extent on the magnitude of integration of the CBOs’ mainstreaming with that of market dynamics. Stability in livelihood will not only generate income for consumption and production over a period of time, but in the process it may contribute in enhancement of asset ownership, self-esteem, social participation and recognition of the CBO members in perpetuity. Integration can happen only when linkages both forward and backward with respect to different trades have been established and are deeply entrenched. Both the Entry Point Activities and Income Generation Activities are being/to be directly financed as the case may be from the State Project Management Unit to the contracted CBOs, whose members are mostly in an economically disadvantageous position. Capacity building programmes organized by the consultant NGOs had capacitated to a certain extent the community to do justice to their contractual obligation for execution of Entry Point Activities and Income Generation Activities along with other bank/ MFI financed or with own equity backed Income Enhancement Plans.
Paribesh Unnayan Parishad (PUPA), consultant NGO mentoring Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat on the basis of the understanding that its mentored CBOs needed market orientation in an organized manner had organized a CBO/ SHG fair entitled “Milan Mela” on 21st- 22nd February, 2015 in the premises of Mahendragaunj-Nagendragaunj Abaitanik Prathamik Vidyalaya, Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat, Sagar Block, South 24 Parganas.
The fair was inaugurated by Sri Asok Kr Jana, Karmadhyaksha, Sagar Panchayat Samity. Sri Tapan Kr Sardar, Panchayat Pradhan, Sri Ajit Das, Upo-Pradhan along with other members of the Gram Panchayat namely Sri Anup Bera, Sri Pashupati Ari, Smt. Shankari Bayen, Km. Gouri Ghosh graced the occasion. Leading face of Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat on social issues e.g. Smt. Sagarika Das and Sri Tarun Kr Patra (Headmaster of Mahendraganj – Nagendraganj Primary School) were also present during the inauguration of the fair. Dr. Santanu Mitra and Smt. Sunita Das, Lecturer of Women Polytechnic and Sri Kanchan Majumdar, Block Welfare Officer, Sagar Block also graced the fair on 22nd February, 2015.
The fair was the culmination of the different Training and Capacity Building exercises (e.g. SHG management, bank linkages, business & entrepreneurship development, vocational training: poultry, pisiculture, betel leaf cultivation, organic farming, paper made crafts, tailoring, food processing, Batik printing and so on targeted especially towards the SHG women) organized by PUPA under ICZMP for the last two and a half years. These types of fairs showcase the various livelihood opportunities that are being explored by the CBO/SHG members e.g. Batik printing, food processing, production of fancy domestic items from low cost material and etc. Milan Mela provided the SHG/CBO members mentored under ICZM Project the much needed exposure to a slice of rural market segment coupled with in subjective terms the qualitative contribution of the NGO namely PUPA in CBO based community development and skill enhancement. Members of SHGs/ CBOs from the six revenue villages of Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat had got the chance in Milan Mela to initiate dialogue for ways of augmentation of their well-being through sustained livelihood options.
The said fair was a collaborative effort of over 75 SHGs covering six revenue villages with nearly 1300 participants. The CBOs had participated either in trade or in cultural cum sports meet or in both. The fair provided the members of these CBOs to know each other’s domain of expertise, trading patterns, requirement of working capital etc. The series of incessant interactions amongst the SHGs created the much needed trust, social bonding and networking which had paved the way for expansion of social capital formation in the Gram Panchayat.
The two day fair had put on display a plethora of hand made products and edibles straight from the coffers of the village women. Apart from agricultural products, craft items were also showcased. One of the primary objectives of the fair was to exhibit and promote women empowerment and their cultural products manifested in the form of traditional arts and crafts, apart from the sale of farm and non-farm products. There were 12 out of 16 stalls (Dasparasumatinagar I Gram Panchayat has 16 sansads) which were allotted to the 14 CBOs to showcase their products and services.
The major items that were put on display:
• Handmade Batik printed sarees and dress materials
• Paper made tray, lamp shades, wall hanging, notebook holders, bags, photo frames.
• Organically cultivated vegetables and cereals
• Soft Drinks (without preservatives) made of Amla; Banana pepped with Mango flavour and etc.
• Organic manure
Panoramic view of the Mila Mela
Glimpses of the
Items and services that were traded in the Mila Mela
Pickles,
Sauce, Bori and Papad
Organically
cultivated vegetables and cereals
Sarees , “Panjabis” and
handkerchiefs
Opening
of zero balance accounts in Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan
Yojana
Hand stitched textile product
Fruit
Juice - Banana Juice pepped with Mango flavour along with Potato chips, Green
Banana Chips and etc.
Saplings
of Coconut, Mango, Guava, Flower and etc.
Paper
made tray, lamp shades, wall hanging, and notebook holders
Bori
and Papad
Organic
manure
The Milan Mela was further
spiced up with the introduction of a Sport Meet, where women of different ages had
participated enthusiasm. As age was no bar, some elderly women, who could never
imagine of playing outdoor games because of social inhibitions, took part in spoon
race and musical chair.
Some indoor events were also conducted:
• Simple Mathematical problem solving related to revolving of fund and computation interest income.
• Extempore speech
• Drafting of minutes of a SHG Meeting
The evening session of the fair witnessed cultural programmes that included songs, dance, short dramas on child marriage and sweet-sour relationship between mother –in- laws & daughter- in- laws. Members from the SHG/ CBO staged the dramas by themselves in a bid to promote social awareness among the community members.
• Simple Mathematical problem solving related to revolving of fund and computation interest income.
• Extempore speech
• Drafting of minutes of a SHG Meeting
The evening session of the fair witnessed cultural programmes that included songs, dance, short dramas on child marriage and sweet-sour relationship between mother –in- laws & daughter- in- laws. Members from the SHG/ CBO staged the dramas by themselves in a bid to promote social awareness among the community members.
Drawing competition mostly among young women was also conducted. Focus area of the drawing competition was to mine women who can produce aesthetically sound design templates to be used in Batik printing. These latent talents might be harnessed as a skilled workforce for commercial production of colourful batik printed garments, bags, household linens, murals and wall paintings that adds elegance and style not only to an individual persona but also in the realm of interior furnishings and decoration. These talent pools within the community may be extended to the production of handicrafts too.
Major outcomes of the CBO/SHG fair:-
Instilling a sense of collective approach and understanding on the resultant benefits that shared initiatives can accrue to the disadvantaged womenfolk of the area- resonating “United We Stand’.
Providing a platform to the coastal community to showcase their skills in development of various home-based products.
Free consultancy services to the women CBO/SHG members with respect to exchange of technical expertise, development of management and marketing skills and strategies that may yield tangible results in near future.
Committed and synergistic production, marketing and institutional arrangements do offer considerable savings in transaction costs to the participating SHGs/CBOs.
SHG/ CBO representatives’ interaction to identify leverage points for socially responsible business models.
Support in the strengthening of human and social capital integrated with the livelihoods services involving the SHG/ CBO members across the value-chains of key products and services
Achievement of a certain degree of social & economic empowerment by the members of the SHGs/ CBOs.
Promotion of financial linkages for the SHG/ CBO members.
Mining of new talents from the community with reference to the undernoted domains:-
• Illustration
• Mathematical and Logical Intelligent Quotient
• Communication
• Leadership and management of group dynamics
Major outcomes of the CBO/SHG fair:-
Instilling a sense of collective approach and understanding on the resultant benefits that shared initiatives can accrue to the disadvantaged womenfolk of the area- resonating “United We Stand’.
Providing a platform to the coastal community to showcase their skills in development of various home-based products.
Free consultancy services to the women CBO/SHG members with respect to exchange of technical expertise, development of management and marketing skills and strategies that may yield tangible results in near future.
Committed and synergistic production, marketing and institutional arrangements do offer considerable savings in transaction costs to the participating SHGs/CBOs.
SHG/ CBO representatives’ interaction to identify leverage points for socially responsible business models.
Support in the strengthening of human and social capital integrated with the livelihoods services involving the SHG/ CBO members across the value-chains of key products and services
Achievement of a certain degree of social & economic empowerment by the members of the SHGs/ CBOs.
Promotion of financial linkages for the SHG/ CBO members.
Mining of new talents from the community with reference to the undernoted domains:-
• Illustration
• Mathematical and Logical Intelligent Quotient
• Communication
• Leadership and management of group dynamics
