Chandrakali Markam - A light of Change

Just like other women, born into a poor Adivasi family, Chandrakali Markam didn't have much choices to live until she took the charge of her own life and set an example in her community through the power of micro-enterprise. 

An Introduction

Dindori a small district of Madhya Pradesh bordering Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, is having a large area which is densely forested where one can find mobile network also with difficulty. Moreover Naxalites also pose a greater threat there. In spite of all these difficulties Chandrakali Markam is visiting many inaccessible and remote villages of the area with a motto to make the women of those areas self sufficient. 

Chandrakali belongs to a poor adivasi family of Agariya tribe in Barga, a small village in Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh. Just like other woman she was spending a marginalised ,powerless life with a little connection to the outer world till she joined a self help group run by an organisation "Pradaan" secretly.

Pointing to old days, she reminds" life was actually very hard those days. " She was married at the age of 11. It was just impossible to run the family on low wages of rupees 20 per day. In spite the fact that they had a small patch of land ,still it was left uncultivated because of lack of money to buy seeds. The men travelled for in search of work.

The start of change

Chandrakali left the school at the age of 11 after studying class five. When she protested that she will not leave the school, her father scolded her not to study as she is a girl. When she was 19 years old she joined a self help group secretly. This was the first step towards change. Gradually she started saving Rs 1 every week and also motivated other women for savings. 

The baby step

In year 2006,Chandrakali stepped in the field of poultry farming for landless families by making a Cooperative farm with governments assistance. In the earlier stage, 60 people joined the group. Today more than 500 women across 23 villages have joined this business under the expert guidance of Chandrakali. They are doing business with turnover in crores and were able to save 8 lakh rupees in 2019-20.

Chandrakali only knows how to put up signatures but she is running successfully the -poultry business. She has kept accountants and manager for managing the business and the whole business is being done in Hindi. She has even formed Federation by combining 507 self help groups across 23 villages.

Magic of attitude

Chandrakali is now working towards acknowledging the efforts of women farmers and rewarding them with proper wages." Although women farmers are doing more work than their male counterparts, still they are not acknowledged and given credit. " she says. For this purpose she has made one cooperative society with the name "Halchalit Mahila Kisan". She also advocates higher education for women of adivasi regions. To generate alternate sources of income , she motivates mushroom cultivation and kitchen garden also.

Awards

She bagged numerous awards for her excellence in the field of micro enterprise but the prominent one is women Exemplar award in the category of micro enterprise being awarded by confederation of Indian industries (CII) in 2020.

Chandrakali is the face of change in rising India amidst of all the factors  like poverty and lack of resources. She is a change maker not only for her community but for entire women as she dared to step out in outer world and made her identity.

 Bastar se Baazar tak - The Story Behind

Bastar se Bazaar tak - the name has gained so popularity that it doesn't needs introduction. An innovative startup from Chhattisgarh - a densely forested state from central India which is rapidly making it's identity in the field of startup's and innovations. The social enterprise is aiming to generate employment oppurtunities for the rural women especially to poorest rural women in interior areas of southern Chhattisgarh. The enterprise is managing post harvest produce by making various processed food products after collection from forest and making arrangements for their marketing.

An Introduction to the Founders

Haresh kashyap is a progressive farmer who is a role model for his fellow farmers known for his down to earth nature and progressive practices in farming since 30 years. He is basically a self motivated learner believing in adopting various practices for experimentation. He is the main brain behind this venture and also the founder taking charge of planning and operations of the venture.

An alumni of Azim Premji University and a self inspired, goal oriented person, Satendra Singh Lilhare is the Co Founder of Bastar se Baazar tak. He has an experience of 7 years as a freelancer and possess great zeal to work with marginal farmers, poor and neglected sections of society in the remotest part of the country. He has much experience in working at grassroot level in farming and farm based products and passionate about working in this field. He is managing and executing all the operations at the venture.

Collaborations

Bastar se Bazaar tak has got seed funding from many organizations as well as collaborated with many institutions due to it's noble cause. Upaya Social venture and women on Wings are one of them. Upaya has join hands with the venture to facilitate funds for the expansion of their bussiness whereas Women on Wings has collaborated with them to create more employment opprtunities for poor and marginal women as the venture has mostly poor women workers.

The Working  

The Chhattisgarh based enterprise is working to improve the economic condition of poor forest dwellers and the tribal community by managing the post harvest losses, making of high quality forest produce and providing the same to urban people at reasonable rate. Bastar se Baazar tak is promoting the  high quality, unadulterated products made from Jamun, tamarind ,custard Apple and and make herbal gulal too. The members of the community are collecting custard apple and jamun from forest and prepare products like squash ,slice, kulfi and shots from them in their central processing unit. The products can be consumed upto 18 months from packaging. They claim that the products are free from any chemicals. They will start processing tamarind soon and make products from it.

Funding and Prizes

Bastar se Baazar tak is the winner of  Tata Social Enterprise Challenge 2020-21, a joint initiative of Tata group and Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata bagging a seed funding of Rs. 5 lakhs at Kolkata Innovation Park. Satendra Singh Lilhare has also won Chhattisgarh MSME Resilience Award 2021 given by Chattisgarh Government in the category of livelihood enterprises for his venture. The Incubation centre of Indira Gandhi krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur has also given a grant of 25 lakhs under Udbhav Yojana for the entrepreneurs working in the field of farming and related products whose products are ready to use.

The venture is not only creating employment opportunities for these poor people in the densely forested area but also making a difference in their lives. The venture is creating employment for nearly 300 women for 90 days and hope to extend these opportunities even more. the headquarter of the enterprise is situated at Lakhanpuri in East Bastar. Hats off to the entrepreneurs and their efforts capable of creating a difference in the lives of the poor people.

 

 Innovative Startups in Chhattisgarh

Namrata Diwakar and Ravikant Soni, these names may not be very popular but soon they are going to be set a benchmark in the field of innovations in textiles and medicated fabrics in Chhattisgarh. This pharmacist couple has prepared a natural scented fabric from waste of lemongrass, citronella and rice hay which is insect repellent in nature. This fabric has a particular smell which is capable of repelling mosquitoes, lizards and other insects. This unique fabric cures depression also.

Journey of Research

It seems to be so lucrative but the journey of the innovation was not so easy. It took almost 6 years research for the production of this fabric. Namrata along with Ravikant are pharmacy graduates. When the idea of making medicated fabric sparked in their mind, there was absolutely no background support for it. After extensive research they were first able to manufacture fabric made of lemongrass and citronella whose smell lasted for one year. Slowly when they advanced in their research, the sweet smell developed in the fabric is now lasting for 3 to 5 years. The cloth is so aromatic in nature that as we enter in a room with curtains or bedsheets made of this material, our mind get refreshed and tension free and there are ample proofs of this research.

The Journey Ahead

After extensive research the challenge ahead was designing an appropriate machine for its production. There was no machine present in the market which can produce yarn for this fabric. They contacted various top engineering colleges and IIT'S of various states for machine design but didn't succeeded. Finally they purchased various parts of machine from various places and assembled them to make the final model of machine. They developed three prototype models before arriving at the final model. The final model is capable of spinning , extraction and smoothening of yarn which is then sent to Rajkot for production of fabric. For developing the machine, the innovators contacted artisans across eight states including IIT Kharagpur experts. The machine costed around 12 to 15 lacs and it can produce about 12000 meters of cloth in a day. They have patented both the fabric and the machine. 

Ravikant told that they are collecting raw material from Pondicherry and Uttar Pradesh ,not limiting their suppliers to one place. The agriculture college has also helped them a lot by setting up a plant in 30 Acres in Koria from where they collect plants.

The Success Story

Namrata while talking, told that during studies she came across medicinal plants. Using this as a core idea, they started their startup of Rayush Naturals. They got a total of 22 lakhs fund from various Institutions like IGKV, Startup India ,Seed Global accelerator Network and others. Ravikant told that their product details are also available at the James portal of Central Government. Also they have got orders for curtains of their fabric for the incubation centre being developed by Gujarat government in association with Central government . At present they are fabricating curtains, cushions and carpets. The prominent dancer Mallika Sarabhai- the daughter of Vikram Sarabhai has also contacted them for ordering curtains. They have also visited Dubai Expo in February 2022 with the help of Central Government where they were contacted by a Hotel Manager. 

At present the innovators are focusing at premium customers as the average cost of fabric is more. They are exploring more options for export. Nature lovers also have an excellent opportunity to try this fabric. 

Innovation is not overnight, it is a journey in itself. The various milestones of the journey are actually the stepping stones of success and the destination is self fulfilling in itself which is shown by the story of Rayush naturals.

 

The proto village of Andhra Pradesh

Tekulodu, a small village near Chillamatturoo in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh is like a dream village for everyone who believe in village empowerment and decentralization for the good of nation. The village has made its identity as a proto village since 2014 as it is role a model showcasing self sufficiency in the field of food ,water, electricity, sanitation and education.

The models developed in Tekulodu  emphasizes on fulfilling all the basic needs along with maintaining the ecological balance which is a beautiful example of self sufficiency along with mutual sharing of resources.

Kalyan Akkipeddi, a name well known to every social entrepreneur in the country - a former engineer who quit his job to make a barren land an ideal village. The story itself sounds like dream come true. The village has gained immense popularity over a span of four years due to the vision of this young entrepreneur.

The  Stunning Story

About 120 km from Bengaluru, lies the village Tekulodu in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The model of self-sufficiency along with ecological sustainability which the village presents surpasses the glory of many social movements. Since the village is a prototype of an ideal village hence it is named as proto village.

The proto village emphasizes on 9 basic elements or needs as a foundation for community development – food, shelter, water, healthcare, clothing, energy, education, trade, connectivity and disaster management - all in communion with nature. Sustainability and self-sufficiency is their main motto.

Kalyan Akkipeddi, inspired by the simple living of innocent tribal people, decided to took up this barren land for his social experiment. He purchased some land, a few kilometers from Tekulodu near his hometown and started doing organic farming on it. He chose one of the farmers as intern for this experiment.

Within a short span of time, the farmer witnessed a rise in income nearly 20 times of the previous income which inspired other farmers to work on this project. The farmers started using solar pumps for irrigating the fields along with practicing organic farming under the guidance of Kalyan Akkipeddi. The rainwater draining down earlier was now collected in small Ponds in low lying areas and stored for community use. Very soon village became popular as the prototype of a model village.

The Ideology of Village

The proto village has its roots deeply inserted in the field of community service and eradication of racial discrimination. The village has its own community kitchen in which both men and women cook the food without worrying about caste and creed. The women especially are so happy and satisfied here as they enjoy equal rights and opportunities and have ample time to learn something new of their choice.

The learning centre of the village is named after the Japanese philosophy of life called Ikigai. Ikigai emphasizes on earning livelihood which not only generates income but gives a sense of lifelong satisfaction. People here in the village are indulged in farming, poultry, soap making, furniture making and collection of forest produce. The level of satisfaction in the people here is so high that they never wish to migrate to cities for any luxuries.

Education as a Pillar

Tekulodu has a strong vision for education. Its quest for education can be seen from the fact that it has its own Wi-Fi network with the self made syllabus affiliated by IGCSE board with children studying there without being distributed in any specific class or standard. Education model of village relies on sharing of intellectual resources. The children here are experts in various subjects from coding to Japanese language only because of the fact that village welcomes many volunteers who live in village for some time and offer a kind of training or intellectual sharing to the children.

Employment

The village is self sufficient in terms of survival and meeting their own needs however Akkipeddi and his wife Shobhita are working on a three-stage plan called “Grammam Yojana” which will be implemented till 2024.The plan includes developing a Swadeshi or local brand by joining about 8000 women from nearby villages and generating employment by making soap and many food items. In this plan, women will be involved in each step and in every activity- right from horticulture, soap making and marketing food items.

Entertainment

The village has its own Open Theatre in which various cultural programs are being conducted at the village level periodically.

Very soon proto village is going to offer intern program for village youth to learn and implement the same in their villages as a part of Social entrepreneurship. What a miraculous and noble effort by a single man who not only transformed a village but the lives of people. Tekulodu  picturizes the real image of an ideal village in India.

 

The Little Entrepreneur – Anand Panchbhai

Yet another fascinating story to be mentioned from Chhattisgarh- outshining in the sky of startups.The name of the entrepreneur is Anand Panchbhai who is the alumni of IIT Bhilai 2017 batch. Anand laid the foundation of his company during his student life only. At present he is employing 25 people in his company out of which 20 are his juniors only.

An AI startup in health Sector

The story of Anand is really miraculous. During his student life in IIT Bhilai, Anand was determined to do something for the nation. He was determined to do something which can transform the lives of people on mass scale. He started his company Logy.AI through his pocket money with a thought that instead of working from someone else it is better to be self-employed. Through proper time management, he started his venture keeping time for studies as well. Apart from Anand, his two friends Priyajeet and Vinay also played an important role in laying the foundation of company.

AI in medicine and Health

Anand was deeply interested in research work based on artificial intelligence so he opted for the application of artificial intelligence in the field of medicine. His company Logy.AI works in the field of artificial intelligence and research based products, apps and devices. The Government of India along with state governments and various other companies are continuously approaching Anand's company for his valuable research, products and data in the field of medicine and health.

Valuable works

Industrial Research 

 The company got a big grant Biotechnology Industries Research Assistant Counselling in 2020 for industrial based research in the field of AI.

Malaria Detection

Anand’s  company has made a device through which one can detect problems like Malaria, dental problems and other diseases only in a nominal amount of rupees 15. This device is being used in naxalite areas of Bastar now.

Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer

In 2018 Anand and his team made an app and introduced a technique for detecting Cervical Cancer in women. IIIT Hyderabad made a grand to Anand for discovering this technique. Even Government of India has accepted this technique and ground level work has been started.

No words can explain these nobel efforts done for the welfare of humanity and society. We salute the spirit of generosity and innovation ultimately contributing to the well-being of the citizens of the country.

 

Entrepreneurs of Chhattisgarh

Who is not fond of chocolates? On the occasion of chocolate day, when sharing of chocolates is at the peak , who bothers that most of the chocolates contain excess sugar which is not good for health. The sugar free chocolates available in market have also added Chemicals and preservatives in them.

Ever thought of a sugar free chocolate made up of immunity booster herbs? If not, here is the moment to feel proud. Three youngsters of Raipur City - Gaurav Kumar, Amrit Nahar and Anand are together, making sugar free chocolates with natural herbs. Other than that, they are also making 50% sugar free candies. The uniqueness of the project is that they haven't used any chemicals to make these candies. For sweetness they are using Stevia which is multiple times sweeter than sugar.

The Journey of Herbal chocolates

For raw materials they have chosen suppliers from different regions of the country like cocoa powder is being ordered from Kerala and rest of the materials are purchased from farmers of various districts of Chhattisgarh like Bemetara ,Raipur and Bastar.

They stressed that these chocolates are not only immunity boosters but also helpful in increasing eyesight and memory. There startup JORCO has been funded by GEC Surat for further development.

Using herbs in chocolate

In a short talk Amrit told that they are using about 14 herbs like ashwagandha, Tulsi ,badi elaichi ,Giloy, Pippali, clove, cinnamon, mulethi, javitri, black pepper, nutmeg and Kasturi turmeric in making chocolate. It is an interesting recipe not only for children but for elderly and diabetic patients also.

Success story of making of herbal chocolate it is not so easy. The team is working on this project since 6 months and they finally succeeded to make the chocolate after 25 failures. The main problem in making chocolate was the sweetening agent. When dried stevia leaves were initially added along with cocoa powder, nuts, milk solids and green foods, the chocolate became bitter in taste. Then they  tried using stem and various parts of stevia plant and finally succeeded.

The chocolate is available in different flavours like Leechi, orange, herbs, Kacchi keri, mango and jaljeera. The story is in itself an example for all young entrepreneurs who wish to do something innovative as well as inspiring for society also.

 

The Women Carpenters of Manipur

 The Vibrant Carpenters of Manipur

Whenever we think of word carpentry the picture which immediately comes in mind is of a male dominated industry but what a beauty of the fact that women in Manipur are equally participating with their male counterparts to make furniture with equal ease and expertise. About 32 km from Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, the women in Kairembikok village of Thuobal district are taking up carpentry profession and breaking all kinds of stereotypes. The village is having a population of 1500 people and 80% of village women are working as carpenters here.

The courageous starting

Being a tough job, carpentry has always been forbidden for women. This chance was brought about by a kind and courageous person - Kangjam Inaboi, who runs a furniture unit in the village.  He tells that ever since when he started his furniture business she observed that there were a lot of unemployed women in the village. They were having no options for employment excluding the time of paddy harvest in fields. They were unable to support their family financially even when they wished.

The story started from a lady called Ahomsangbaam Radhamani who stepped out to Kangjam and ask for job in the factory. She started working with her carpenter husband in the factory. Within a week, 5-6 more women joined the factory and in today's scenario 80% of women are working in in this furniture unit. Hats off to the first step  taken by Radhamani as this was the desired action taken to initiate women employment in the village.

The positive Change

The women here are generally working in two shifts either between 7 to 10 am or 11 to 5 pm after getting freed from household work. The village is retaining its identity as unemployment hub as no one in the village is unemployed and due to working of both husband and wife, income has also doubled .A woman carpenter is earning 8000 to 10000 rupees per month raising the family income to about 20000 to 25000 per month.

Although many women have not got formal education but this work has filled them with a sense of pride and dignity. They also are able to pay their debts which they have taken from self-help group of village. Due to increase in income, they are now able to give better up bringing to their children. Every child of the village is now going to school and the village is totally addiction and drug free. They have admitted their children to boarding schools however previously it was impossible for them to admit their children in private schools.

Kangjam tells that these women have never thought that this profession is a man dominated profession. Sometimes the finishing touch given by them is even better than their male counterparts. It shows an inspiring picture of women empowerment in the small village of Manipur. An excellent example of willpower and determination shown by these women.