MAGAN SANGRAHALAYA SAMITI

Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology(Under the Aegis of Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India)

Zone-V-A (Core C), 2nd Floor, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003

Tel.: 2464 2395, Fax: 2464 8607Website: www.capart.nic.in

experiences inpartnership

Prayas

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MAGAN SANGRAHALAYA SAMITI

By Rajiv Gupta

For long, there has been a feeling that there should be an unbiased evaluation of

various successful projects undertaken by CAPART. The purpose of this

evaluation is to inspire other voluntary organizations as well as set an example

for carrying out developmental activities. With this intention, we chose Magan

Sangrahalaya Samiti, Wardha, Maharashtra to study its activities and progress.

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti has been working on a broader platform of Rural

Development and improving methods of agriculture.

In this they have received extensive support from CAPART. This book is an

analysis of Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti’s work. It provides details of the

collaborative approach and activities of CAPART and the NGO have undertaken

to broaden the horizon of development and undertake various activities which

have resulted in community development at grassroots level.

– A Success Story

C O N T E N T SS.No. Particulars Page Nos.

1. Genesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

2. Devendra Bhai : The Crusader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

3. Magan Sangrahalaya – Treasure of Artisans' Creativity . . . . . . . . . 6-8

4. Karigar Panchayat – An Artisan Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11

5. Marketing Framework – The Rural Produce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

6. Greening of Khadi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7. Converting Forest Refuse into Natural Dyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

8. Haats and Bazaars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

9. Promoting Self Reliance through Green Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19

10. Storing Raindrops for Resuscitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-22

11. Private Toilets – A Successful Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

12. Skill Development of Rural Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

13. The Encounter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-28

14. Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

15. MSS – Key Driver of Transformation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

16. Grants Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

17. MSS Team 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33

18. General Body Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

M A G A N S A N G R A H A L AYA

Genesis

Gandhiji settled in Maganwadi, Wardha, after his departure from

Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. He named this Ashram after

Maganlal Gandhi, his close associate and a rural scientist who had

been his right hand in all the earlier three Ashrams but who

suddenly died while working, at his behest, in Bihar in 1928.

Dedicated to the cause of village industries, Gandhiji founded the

All India Village Industries Association (AIVIA) by a resolution of

the All India Congress Committee on 26th October, 1934.

Towering national personalities like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore,

renowned humanist and international scientists like Shri C.V. Raman

and Prof. Jagadish Chandra Bose, Shri P.C. Ray and prominent

industrialist Shri G.D. Birla were part of the advisory board of AIVIA.

Gandhiji himself as the Chairperson, with Kumarappaji as the

Secretary of AIVIA, undertook the foremost All India movement of

revival and expansion of various rural industries, Khadi and artisans

based crafts. AIVIA evolved, developed, and disseminated rural

industries as well as trained several organizations and artisans.

Laying Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development

On 30th December 1938, Gandhi j i

inaugurated Magan Sangrahalaya – the

very first museum of Rural Industries and

Khadi. He wanted it to be a dynamic

window on evolving techniques in rural

momentum to the noble cause of helping

t h o s e b e l o w t h e p o v e r t y l i n e b y

empowering them with the tool of science

and technology.

In 1978, Devendra Bhai (which was his

popular name) made Magan Sangrahalaya

his base and took up the mission to create

a new awareness pertaining to Gandhian

values among the scientists, technologists,

economists, sociologists and experts in

various disciplines all over the country. His

entire life was nothing but a relentless

pursuit to provide a human face to

technology with the dream that no one

slept hungry and every citizen of India

became self sufficient and lead a life of

dignity and honour.

The Thrust – Building Technological Competencies

The main objective of MSS is to bring to

the fore the indigenous skills of the village

artisans, stemming from the accumulated

traditional knowledge, and facilitate its

interaction with the recent knowledge of

science and technology to innovate

technologies that could be converted into

sustainable business opportunities at the

grassroots level. The other objectives are

research, development and dissemination

of Khadi and village industries, agriculture,

dairy etc., along with the display and

demons t ra t i on o f the i r p roduc t ion

processes.

industrialization and a centre of education

for the common person to impar t

information on new modes of production,

which could help the poor of the land.

Dr. Devendra Kumar, a young Oil

Technologist, joined AIVIA from

1949 to 1952 as a scientist and

undertook the onus of provid ing

“I wish you do not consider this Sangrahalaya as a window-dressing for toys,

but a living book of self-education''

M. K. Gandhi

2 3

D r . D e v e n d r a

Kumar, popularly

known as Devendra

Bhai, was hailed as

the doyen of Appropriate Technology in

India.

A sc ience graduate f rom Lucknow

University and an Oil Technologist from the

famous Harcourt Butler Technological

Institute, Devendra Bhai left a lucrative job

to join the Gandhian Movement in 1946.

Influenced by the Gandhian economic

philosophy of decentralization, he joined

the All India Village Industries Association

(AIVIA), of which Mahatma Gandhi was the

President and Professor J.C. Kumarappa

was the Secretary. Prof. Kumarappa was a

great Gandhian Economist, who influenced

Gandhiji to initiate the ‘Namak Satyagraha’

(or the famous ‘Salt Movement’) against

the British Raj.

D e v e n d r a B h a i h e l p e d h i s G u r u

Kumarappaji for six years in research and

innovative experiments in various village

industries. He also edited and translated

his books as well as articles, which

Gandhiji hailed as the best analysis of the

village economy of India and called

Kumarappa the ‘Doctor o f V i l lage

Industries’.

In 1952, Devendra Bhai opted to live with

the landless poor of a small insulated hilly

village, called ‘Machla’, near Indore in

Madhya Pradesh for eight long years – to

experience village life in the raw. He made

a sea change in the lives of the rural

people of Machla who still revere him as a

saint who changed their lives by making

them self-sufficient to lead a life of dignity

and honour. He was also a part of the

‘Bhoodan’ movement (where big land

owners donated land to the landless poor)

spearheaded by Vinoba Bhave – the

barefoot ‘Saint on the march’. Under

Vinobaji’s guidance, Devendra Bhai acted

as the state level organizer of Bhoodan

and was also active in Sarvodaya and

village movements.

In 1965, Devendra Bhai was invited to

become the Secretary of the National

Gandhi Memorial Trust at New Delhi and

Guiding People to Self Sufficiency

Catalyzing Policy Initiatives

was made the Organizing Secretary of the

National Committee for Gandhi Centenary

of which the President of India was the

President and the Prime Minister of India -

Chairperson. He initiated a number of

institutions and was connected to various

national and international committees on

Gandh ian cons t ruc t i ve movemen t .

Devendra Bhai acted as a vital link

between the grassroots NGOs in the

Gandhian field and the policy makers at

the Central Government level. He was

involved in organizing important meetings

with the Prime Minister and the concerned

ministers on various issues. He was also

instrumental in cultivating a number of

scientific institutions in Delhi to orient them

towards rural needs. Even the concept of

having Rural Development and Appropriate

Technology cells at all the IITs in India,

was the brainchild of Devendra Bhai. Not

many people are aware that he was the

person who helped in the formulation of

the Council for Advancement of Rural

Technology (CART) – the erstwhile

CAPART. He was a member of around 150

n a t i o n a l S c i e n c e & T e c h n o l o g y

committees.

In 1978, Devendra Bhai took up the

mission of his Guru – Kumarappa – of

Transforming Rural Life with Technology

taking the benefits of technology to the

rural poor and initiated the Centre of

Science for Villages (CSV) at Magan

Sangrahalaya, Wardha. With a team of

committed scientists and technocrats, CSV

developed 75 technologies to convert them

into business opportunities for the rural

people and constructed 30,000 low-cost

mud houses, 100,000 hygienic toilets,

20,000 biogas plants and trained around

30,000 rural artisans in improved scientific

techniques ( l ike non-v io lent honey

extraction, gum-collection without harming

the trees, single-bullock driven agricultural

equipment and improved potter’s wheel) .

In fact, he started a major artisan

movement called ‘Karigar Panchayat’,

creating artisan guilds in 22 states of India

with a total strength of 200,000 artisans.

Though Devendra Bhai is no more in this

world, his daughter – Dr. Vibha Gupta – is

carry ing on the torch by creat ing

sustainable livelihoods in Rural India

through technological interventions. She

has been working with Devendra Bhai

s i n c e 1 9 7 8 a n d i s c u r r e n t l y t h e

Chairperson of the Magan Sangrahalaya

Samiti.

Light that Continues to

Enlighten

Devendra Bhai: The Crusader

4 5

T

The Khadi and Village Industries

Wing – Evolution of Khadi

Rural Technology Wing –

Showcasing Development

he institute runs the historical

museum - Magan Sangrahalaya. It

is the only museum in India founded by

Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1938,

dedicated to the Artisans of India

The museum showcases various rural

industries and depicts the development

of Khadi over the years.

Rural Technology wing presents 18

rural based low-cost energy and water

conserving technologies.

Magan Sangrahalaya – Treasure of

Artisans' Creativity

Mahatma Gandhi Wing – Legacy of A

Legend

Gandhi Chitra Pradarshani –

Immortalizing Memories

This wing displays the belongings and the

gifts received by Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi Chitra Pradarshani is run in close

conjunction with Sevagram Ashram. This

photo exhibition of Gandhiji is annually

visited by about three lakh visitors.

Wardha Wardhan – Exposition of Organic

Products

A week long annual fair is organized by the

institute where NGOs, activist groups,

farmers, artisans and artists display,

demonstrate and sell their products. It also

provides a cohesive platform for all these

groups to interact with each other.

Prakrutik Jivan Kendra – Care that Cures

An alternative health centre based on

Nature Cure, Organic Food, Yoga and

Kerala Massage is run by the institute.

Every year around 2000 patients are treated

in this centre.

6 7

For general public, it gives an opportunity to

know about alternative living, eco-friendly

products, ideas and methods to conserve

nature and meet people who have

pioneered to evolve new alternatives. Here,

people are enlightened about the beneficial

use of alternative products and processes

such as organic food, alternative fuel,

alternative sources of energy, herbal

medicines as alternative to allopathic drugs

etc. It inculcates a culture which emphasizes

the use of natural products, their beneficial

properties vis-à-vis chemical based

products.

It serves as a market for ecologically

sound products where competition and

commercialism is replaced by common

sense and compassion.

In the years 2004 and 2005, CAPART

assisted the institution to organize Gram

Shree Mela where 150 organizations from

22 states participated. Around 70,000

people from Wardha and surrounding

villages also visited this exposition.

Karigar Panchayat: An Artisan Movement

Success of Magan Sangrahalaya

Samiti's reach under its Karigar

Panchayat programme saved 200 potters

from starvation. The following story

illustrates how MSS facilitated preservation

of their traditional market.

Ganapati, the most popular god of

Maharashtra State (and all of India) is

celebrated by millions using mud idols

during the September festivities. During the

last decade, the traditional mud idol had

been replaced by the mass produced plaster

of paris idols, which not only pollute the

rivers and water bodies where they are

immersed in large quantities after the

8 9

Karigar Panchayat: A Success Story

festivities, but also rob the traditional mud-

idol artisans of their livelihood.

In Wardha town itself, 200 artisans were on

the verge of starvation due to the loss of

their traditional source of income. Magan

Sangrahalaya Samiti (MSS) worked closely

with these artisan members of the 'Karigar

Panchayat' movement to mobilize the

community, religious groups, governmental

infrastructure and local business groups.

Enlightening all stakeholders about the

ecologically unsound and indestructible

Plaster-of-Paris idols lead to the ban on use

of this material for making Ganpathi idols.

The campaign encouraged the naturally

disintegrating and environment-friendly mud

idols which have bio-friendly solvent

properties, resulting in non-degradation of

water bodies during the immersion process.

This was a remarkable achievement which

led to re-instatement of traditional artisans'

craft and revival of their livelihoods not only

in Wardha but also a large part of

Maharashtra State that followed this

initiative.

Aims & Objectives

1. We must work towards the upliftment,

development and progress of artisans.

2. Artisans should play a complementary

role in environmental conservation

and enhancement.

3. Karigar Panchayat must form an

h o n e s t , b r a v e , h e a l t h y a n d

progressive relationship with the

society.

4. Karigar Panchayat should transcend

the village peripheries to facilitate and

strengthen the culture, art, science,

wisdom and spiritual values of the

entire nation.

5. All the decisions of Karigar Panchayat

should be through consensus.

6. With a collective effort, Karigar

Panchayat members should get rid of

their i l l habits, addictions and

unhealthy customs.

7. Karigar Panchayat should form a

sound understanding of policies, laws,

projects and schemes impacting the

artisans and disseminate them this

information that leads to appropriate

interventions for the benefit of the

ar t isans, the soc iety and the

environment.

Individual Artisans came together and formed collective force

Traditional artisan tools combined with improved tools

New Designs and fabrication techniques introduced

Improved processing for better quality products

Trained rock bee honey hunters in non-violent scientific honey extraction

Created mass awareness amongst 200,000 artisans

10 11

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti is

promoting and strengthening the

market of artisan products,

products of women entrepreneurs

run rural enterprises and organic

farm produce of organic farmers.

To support the sale of organic

products and Khadi, the institution

has opened three sales outlets in

Wardha, Sewagram and Seloo.

The other marketing channels are

the 50 rural outlets in Seloo and

Samudrapur blocks that are

owned / run by women SHG

members that market the organic

produce. The exhibitions organized

by CAPART, DRDA, KVIC and

other NGOs also serve as a

platform for marketing and

promoting the products of SHGs

and Organic Farmers. Some of the

products are finding place in local

Yatras, Haats, Bazaars and Melas.

MSS is presently concentrating on

developing a local market for the

local produce.

Marketing Framework – The Rural Produce

12 13

The Khadi (a hand-woven and hand-spun

cotton cloth) sector is supported by the

Government by providing rebate on the sale

of Khadi. MSS took up the production and

sale of Khadi as a mission to support the

dying weavers & spinners and sell the eco-

friendly cloth to the people without taking

any Government subsidy.

Presently, this self-reliant Khadi unit of MSS

is providing employment to 150 artisans

including sliver plant workers, spinners,

weavers, tailors, dyers and sales persons.

With the collective effort of MSS team and

artisans, the institute annually sells Rs. 50

Lakh worth of Khadi.

To increase the productivity and earnings of

thick-yarn weavers using tradit ional

Charkha, MSS developed a Four-spindle

Magana Charkha, an improvised spinning

wheel. The critical intervention here is the

replacement of the costly multi-national

'Toparm' by an indigenous 'Toparm', which

can be easily fabricated

and repaired in any

village workshop. With

this appropriate device,

the spinner can earn

and produce four times

more than before.

MSS is manufacturing

'Organic Khadi', utilizing

the organic cotton from

organic farmers of

CAPART-sponsored

Watershed Project villages. Using the high-

tech, decentralized, sliver plant developed

by Dastakar, Andhra Pradesh, MSS is

producing the best quality eco-friendly

organic sliver. At the same time, it is also

recycling the organic cotton seeds back to

Development of Improvised Spinning Wheel

MSS has laid emphasis on environment

conservation and optimized the use of bio-

friendly forest refuse. In place of chemical

dyes used by the textile industries, which

are major environment pollutants and also

hazardous for the artisans working in these

units, MSS developed 200 hues of organic

dyes, most of which are made from

unutilized local forest produce like Aam

(Mangi fe ra Ind ica) , Pa lash (Butea

Monosperma) Pakpu (Antigonan Leptopus),

Behada (Terminalia Bellerica),and Bibba or

Bilwa (Semicarpus Anacardium)

With the support of Department of Science

and Technology, Govt. of India, MSS has

developed new improved tools and

techniques of natural dyeing and effective

ways of recycling the effluents of a natural

dyeing unit.

Greening of Khadi

Converting Forest Refuse into Natural Dyes

Innovative Block Printing Technique

As a low cost alternative to block printing, MSS has developed

an innovative printing technique by

using fresh leaves whereby a single

leaf can be used for printing at least

200 motifs.

14 15

MSS has been regularly participating in

various local commercial gatherings such

as haats and bazaars with the objective

of achieving larger acceptance of its

products. This also helped in furthering

the fine tuning of production process and

has helped in establishing linkages at

local level. Its efforts have achieved high

percolation level, with more number of

people joining the movement and taking

active part in development of local

entrepreneurial skills.

! In villages, 90% water goes for irrigation.

In the CAPART watershed project – the

challenge was enhanced availability of

water in the command area. The problem

was its excessive use and chemical

contamination by farmers. So the focus

was shifted from water to Natural

Farming – an improved farming and

irrigation practice that focuses on soil

health; combats water waste and

contamination. It focuses on increasing

soil humus by scientific introduction of

cow dung, cow urine and biomass. The

use of organic inputs – indigenous seeds,

bio-diversity and multi-layer cropping –

helps earthworms, bees and birds to

contribute in controlling pests, enhancing

pollination and improving soil health.

! If properly adopted, Natural Farming

technology reduces water requirement

by 20 to 30%. The Natural Farmer can

make his own seeds, pesticides and

manure, minimizing the cost of farm

input. The uniqueness of this innovation

is its acceptability and adaptability by a

large number of farmers.

Natural Farming: It is a farming practice that uses less water, less energy and low cost organic agriculture that protects environment, earth, water, bio-diversity, livelihood, and promises sustainability.

! To prevent farmers from polluting and

misusing water, MSS introduced Natural

Farming to 2000 farmers in 20 villages.

MSS also wanted to free the farmers

from the clutches of money-lenders and

banks from whom they had taken heavy

debts to purchase hybrid seeds,

chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

! Unable to cope with constantly rising cost

of farm inputs and decreasing crop

yields, farmers are unable to pay back

their debts and are compelled to commit

suicide. In the state of Maharashtra

since 1995 - 35,000 farmers have

committed suicide. This year, 712

farmers of Vidarbha region have

committed suicide. Knowing that degree

of dependence equals degree of

exploitation, Natural Farming frees

farmer from dependence on exploitative

market and commercial interests. Hence,

MSS volunteers initiated an awareness

campaign regarding the same.

! In last two years, 60% to 80% farmers

adopted Natural Farming. Now these

farmers are a proud self-rel iant

community, free from debt, dependence,

domination, and disease.

Haats & Bazaars

Karigar Panchayat Artisans at Rural Haat

Networking with other NGOs

Sale of artisans' products

at Gram Shree Mela

Promoting Self Reliance through Green Farming

16 17

! In the first year, the productivity

remained constant whereas in the

second year, the production per acre

increased by two to seven quintals.

! The soil quality in all the 2000 farms has

shown considerable improvement.

! For the first time, 50% farmers planted

vegetables.

! Initially by the month of January, the

water sources use to dry up, which

affected the winter crop, whereas now

with ample availability of water, 92%

farmers had bumper crop.

! Instead of one or two crops, 30 %

farmers cultivated 10 to 15 varieties of

crops.

! All the farmers prepared farm inputs in

their own farms, kept away from buying

chemical farm inputs from the market,

and saved Rupees 25 million.

None of the Natural Farmers borrowed

money from Bank or moneylender.

A l o n g w i t h g a i n i n g s e l f -

sufficiency in farm inputs it was

equally important for organic

farmers to be self-reliant in terms

of energy usage. Therefore, to

overcome the crisis of long and

Bullock – operated Water Pump

! The 2000 farmers, who shifted from

chemical farming to natural farming, did

without buying 2.5 Crore rupees worth of

chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Instead of filling the coffers of corporate

sector, this money was recycled back

into the village economy. The farm

product iv i ty increased and none

bo r rowed money f rom bank o r

moneylender. As never before, farmers

not only used the water optimally but

also prevented it from pollution.

Organic Farmers covered under the project : 2000

Villages : 20

Total Area under Cultivation : 4678.83 acres

Total Area under Natural Farming : 700 acres

Crops sown in organic fields : Cotton, Tur,

Soyabean, Linseed and Gram

! In these villages, 60 to 80% farmers

shifted from chemical farming to Natural

Farming.

! Presently, 700 hectares of land is under

Natural Farming.

! These farmers use no chemicals and

optimally utilize water.

Benefits of Natural Farming

frequent power cuts, MSS installed a

Bullock Water Pump. This bullock-operated

pump (with three horse power capacity per

hour) draws 12,000 litres of water from a

depth of 30 feet. Eight water sprinklers can

operate with this bullock pump. Apart from

lifting water, the prime mover of the pump

can also be used for running other machines

like a grinder, chaff cutter or generator. This

pump is a combined effort of Mr. P. L.

Sharma, Sultan Asalam and Mr. Vivek

Chaturvedi of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Organic Turmeric Crop

Felicitation Function for Organic Farmers of Samudrapur Block

Meeting of Organic Farmers

18 19

In the summers of 2002, Dr. Vibha Gupta

met the women from Girad village of

Samudrapur Block, Wardha, who informed

about the acute water crisis in their village.

In addition, they explained how a mass

exodus from the adjoining three water-

scarce villages has aggravated their crisis.

On reaching Girad, she found that the wells

were drying. Ugly fights and violence at

water sources ended in police station. The

local farmers were undergoing a terrible

economic crisis as 80 percent farmers were

reeling under heavy debts taken for

purchasing chemical farm inputs.

In search of water, tigers from the adjoining

forest moved down to these villages.

Outside villages refused to marry their

daughters to men of these villages; and

liquor booths were outnumbering food stalls.

The famous pilgrimage Farid Baba Dargah

annually attracted 15-20 lakh pilgrims,

whose water needs also added to this water

crisis.

With the help of the local community, MSS

led an anti-liquor campaign and succeeded

in banning its sale. Then, a detailed

watershed action plan was prepared and

CAPART agreed to fund it.

In three years, watershed structures and

36,000 new trees planted by community

started showing results. The level of

groundwater and well-water in the village

rose by 5-6 feet. Initially during summers,

these villages were supplied 2.4 crore litres

of drinking water through water tankers,

costing Rs.10 lakh. Now a regular supply of

tap water has replaced these water tankers.

Currently, seven community ponds and 50

farm ponds provide irrigation to 1,000

farmers. Farm bunds and drains brought

200-acre additional land under cultivation. A

total of 5602 Metric Ton soil is also saved

from erosion. MSS conserved a total

watershed area of 2500 hectares. It has

Conserving Water – Preserving Soil Erosion

Storing Raindrops for Resuscitation

constructed 36 kilometre long Continuous

Contour Trenches (CCTs) to check

rainwater from flowing down the Girad Tekri

(or hillock), over which is situated the Farid

Baba Dargah. It has succeeded in

conserving 9000 cubic metres of water

during every monsoon by constructing

Gulley Plugs, CCT stone bunds and several

other measures to catch every raindrop

falling on the hillock.

To prevent farmers from polluting and

misusing water, Natural Farming was

introduced to local farmers. These farmers

use no chemicals, optimally utilize water,

show noticeable rise in productivity and

have saved the expenditure on chemical

farm inputs, amounting to nearly Rs. 2.5

crore.

Collective Farm Pond for Small and Marginal Farmers

Before After

Farm Pond under construction

Farm Pond after completion

20 21

Bhavanpur Village is one of the watershed

villages with 100 households, where every

household is member of a Self Help Group.

Like other villages, the sanitation condition

of the village was pathetic two years back

and the local people resorted to open

defecation on the village roads.

After a series of meetings, all the

households were motivated to construct one

toilet and one bathroom in each house.

Each of the 100 households of Bhavanpur

Village collected Rs.1,000/- and deposited a

total sum of Rs.1 lakh in the State Bank of

India, so that each household gets a loan of

Rs.10,000 to construct a bathroom-toilet set

from, SBI, Girad Branch. Under a new

scheme initiated by NABARD, SBI offers a

soft loan for construction of sanitation units

to SHGs at 11% interest to be paid back in 5

to 7 years. Field workers and masons of

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti were trained by

Gram Vikas, Orissa in construction of

sanitation units and pre-fabricated cement

doors. Fifty households got bank loans and

MSS built sanitation units for them.

For the first time, without any financial help

from the Government or any other agency,

rural people built neat and hygienic toilets

with their own resources. Bhawanpur is no

more the same. In fact, it is a model village

which has proved that 'when there is a will,

there is a way.

Farm Pond before and after

Baba Farid Tekri: Focus of CAPART Watershed Conservation Project

Preparing a series of CCTs for rainwater harvesting on Farid TekriContinuous Contour Trenches

during monsoons

Private Toilets – A Successful Initiative

22 23

Magan Sanghralaya Samiti mobilized

women in 100 villages of Seloo and

Samudrapur blocks of Wardha District,

Maharashtra and formed 600 Self Help

Groups. Majority of these women are farm

labourers, daily wage workers, manual

labourers, and many subsist below the

poverty line.

The SHG programme has also assisted in

capacity building of rural women, raising

their technical skills and managerial

Nurturing Capabilities

capability, accounting and management

skill, general confidence, interactive

capacity, creativity and raising their social

and political status. Twelve SHG women are

elected as Sarpanchs, Gram Panchayat

Members and Zila Parishad Members.

In four years, the meager savings of SHGs

have increased manifold and now their

total saving in 15 banks amounts to

Rs. 1,00,65,000/- and their total monetary

transactions have crossed the figure of Five

Crore rupees.

If women have money,

the living standard of

the household is bound

to improve. To earn

more money, these

women had to break

away from the status of

l o w p a i d m a n u a l

labourer to technically

skilled entrepreneur.

To meet this objective,

M S S t r a i n e d 7 6 0

Building Entrepreneurship

Women SHG members in the manufacture

of 120 products at 50 technical centres,

including Regional Research Laboratories.

The enthusiasm and confidence of the

trained skilled women groups lead to

establishment of 34 new enterprises in 30

villages of Seloo and Samudrapur blocks of

Wardha district.

Skill Development of Rural Women

Mr. S. Maria Desalphine, DG, CAPART addressing Rural Women Entrepreneurs of MSS

These enterprises produce vermi-compost,

herbal pesticides, banana fibre, solar dried

food products, soyabean products, spices,

brooms, milk chocolates, wooden toys, utility

products, soaps, detergents, Liquid Blue,

phenol, lantana furniture, agro-waste

24 25

briquettes, paper products, neem and cow

dung products, leaf cups, Khadi (cotton)

yarn, carpets (Dari) from waste cloth, herbal

medicines and products from Amla, Imli,

Ber, Bel, Mahua, Mango, Chilli, Papaya,

Tomato and seasonal vegetables.

It is heartening to note that at present, these

micro enterprises are giving subsidiary

employment to 875 rural women.

Some of the women are raised from the

status of a daily wage earners to an

entrepreneur. Women who never stepped

outside their villages, participated in 15

exhibitions in four

states, organized by

CAPART, DRDA,

NABARD and State

Bank.

Th i r t y members

have opened their

own shops to sell

products of women

enterprises along

with other daily use

items.r. Vibha Gupta is the Chairperson of DMagan Sangrahalaya Samiti (MSS).

She assisted her father, Dr. Devendra

Kumar, in founding the Centre of Science for

Villages in 1978. Since then she has been

working for development of appropriate

technologies for rural population in areas

such as renewable energy, rural artisans,

housing, sanitation, forest and agro-based

rural industries, health and women-oriented

technologies. Qualified as an economist, Dr.

Gupta earned her PhD from IIT, Delhi, with a

focus on ‘Transfer of Technology Amongst

Rural Women’. She also took her

postgraduate degrees in Social Science in

Canada and the Netherlands. Dr Gupta is a

recipient of a number of national and

international awards, apart from being a

member of various national committees,

including CAPART.

Refusing lucrative jobs nationally and

internationally, Dr. Vibha opted to work for

the emancipation of rural folk living in our

villages, especially for the women of Rural

India. With her unique combination of high

academic training, grounding in Gandhian

philosophy and close linkage with the

villages and grassroots movements, Vibha

brings in the inspiration, administration and

successful implementation of programmes

for enhancing entrepreneurships in rural

India. We interviewed Dr.Gupta regarding

her work pertaining to rural women and her

philosophy of life. Presented here are a few

excerpts from her interview….

I hail from a Gandhian background as my

father spent his entire life to convert

technologies into trades and processes into

professions to create sustainable livelihoods

for the millions of rural folk subsisting below

Q: Why did you choose to work in this

field of rural development and that too in

a place which is considered as one of the

poorest areas in India?

The Encounter

26 27

the poverty line. My father being my

inspiration, I chose this field to make his

dream come true – the dream of bringing a

smile on the countenance of the people

living in the mud hut, especially the rural

women, who are the most deprived lot.

Our vision is to empower the people of rural

India through the micro-enterprise route to

create sustainable livelihoods. And, our

dream is that every villager has work in

hand, has a roof over his or her head and

does not sleep hungry. As you know, India’s

73% population lives in villages, of which 80

percent are farmers and 20 percent are

artisans, of these 50% are women. These

subgroups are in dire need of alternate

means of sustenance, given the market

forces and today’s economic policies.

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti’s mission is to

address these critical needs by creating

sustainable, low-cost, environmentally

sound and socially just interventions.

CAPART has been and is extending

tremendous support in fulfilling our mission

t h rough i t s p ro j ec t s t ha t we a re

implementing in 120 villages of Wardha

District of Maharashtra, especially in terms

of watershed harvest ing and rural

Q: What is the vision and mission of

MSS?

Q: How is CAPART helping MSS achieve

its mission?

enterprises. CAPART-funded Watershed

Management and Development project has

helped us bring water to ten arid villages by

recharging their groundwater aquifer and

rejuvenating the natural resource base

through implementation of appropriate

rainwater harvesting technologies. Now,

there is water in every home and every field,

whereas previously there was none. This

intervention has also helped mobilize 2000

farmers to do natural farming, saving a total

of Two Crore rupees annually on chemical

fertilizers, resulting in an increase of 25 to

50 percent in the crop yield. Regarding the

Rural Enterprise project of CAPART, it has

helped us form around 600 Self Help

Groups (SHGs) with more than 10,000

women members. In fact, we have set up 34

rural micro-enterprises that provide

subsidiary employment to 1000 rural

women.

CAPART, with its vast network of 4000

voluntary agencies including Technology

Resource Centres, Support Voluntary

Agencies, specialized technical teams,

should work towards evolving alternative

i nnova t i ve mode l s o f sus ta i nab le

development and help multiply and replicate

them across the nation.

Q: What should be CAPART’s role in

strengthening the grassroots movement?

VOICES“This CAPART-sponsored project has

brought a big difference in the life of my

whole family as we, especially the

womenfolk of the household, do not have

to go out in all kinds of weathers,

especially during the monsoons”

Narain Rao Satpute,

Bhawanpur Village

“I own 100 acres of farmland and am

saving four lakh rupees annually by not

using chemical fertilizers and pesticides,

after switching over to natural farming,

thanks to the mass awareness created by

MSS volunteers”

Ravi Kiran Telrandhe,

Village Arvi

“My crop yield has doubled in just one

year of natural farming after I have

stopped using chemical farm inputs since

last one year, thanks to the CAPART

Watershed Project run by Magan

Sangrahalaya Samiti”

Harish Chandna,

Village Arvi

“CAPART Watershed Project provided us

water for both drinking and irrigation

purposes, whereas there was none prior to

the project”

Sheikh Israil,

Village Sakhar Bawli

“I am running my own shop and am self-

sufficient, thanks to CAPART”

Neelima Bajhore,

Village Girad

“With CAPART's assistance, I am planning

to get an educational loan of 2.5 Lakh

rupees from SBI for an animation course

in Hyderabad that my son is keen on,

since I am running my utensil shop

independently and earning enough money

to take care of my family.”

Rekha Rohankar,

Village Girad

“We are not forced to go out anymore to

answer nature's call in the dark since we

now own a toilet that is right inside our

house, that too with an attached

bathroom”

Sudhakar Madhav Rao,

Village Bhawanpur

28 29

Building Self Reliance

Initiative for Sustainable Development

Mahatma Gandhi founded the concept of

'economy of permanence', the basis of

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti's foundation.

MSS is physically and principally acting as

the nodal centre for all such Gandhian

activities related to the principles of

decentralized development and self-reliance

of the micro rural enterprises as the basis of

rural India's holistic growth, whether through

the “Karigar Panchayat” movement or

'Organic Khadi' units.

Vidharbha region of Maharashtra, where

MSS is functioning, has had the largest

number of farmer suicides in the past one

year, due to their inability to meet the high

capital investment in chemical agro-inputs

and costly hybrid seeds. So, MSS

introduced new techniques of low-budget

natural farming, without external inputs in

terms of chemical pesticides and fertilizers,

to 2000 farmers in Samudrapur Block of

Wardha District. This organic intervention

made them aware of working with nature to

improve their crop yield and soil-productivity.

In last year alone, this effort has resulted in

doubling their crop yield and saving on two

crore rupees worth of chemical farm inputs.

CAPART and Department of Science and

Technology of the Govt. of India have been

the key supporters in most of MSS ventures

and have traditionally funded their initiatives

to upl i f t the rural masses through

the micro enterprise route. For long term

sustainability, MSS plans to generate

revenues through the marketability of their

enterprises and initiatives.

Local SHGs are the real strength of MSS as

they are expanding every day both in terms

of human power and market credibility. All

this is not a smooth sail as there are hurdles

in these efforts, like the threat of open

Catalyzing Transformation

Expanding Horizons of Growth

market economy and the influx of foreign

goods, lack of infrastructure facilities in rural

area, and socio-cultural taboos for women.

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti is working on

all these fronts, including influencing policies

in favour of micro enterprises, farmers and

artisans; encouraging women leadership

and collective works; building awareness in

village systems to empower these weaker

sections; and working with the scientific

community and technical institutions to

provide appropriate solutions to rural

problems.

Empowering Women Enterprises

One of the main contributions of the MSS

Chairperson, Dr. Vibha Gupta, is her effort

to integrate women in this process of village

transformation. Her major mission has been

empowerment of women and reduction in

household drudgery. So, she trained women

in various techniques like organic manure,

herbal medicines, plant nurseries, natural

pesticides, gum collection, soapmaking and

Lac tree plantation. In order to make rural

women self-sufficient, she got the village

women trained as mechanics, masons,

pathologists and veterinarians.

MSS – Key Driver of Transformation

30 31

GRANTS OVERVIEW

Grants given by CAPART to Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti

Total Projects sanctioned and Completed : Five

Amount Sanctioned for Completed Projects : Rs. 24,33,000.00

Ongoing Project : One

Watershed Conservation & Development Project

Sanctioned Amount : Rs. 1,09,99,370.00

Amount Released : Rs. 71,94,015.00

(All figures are provisional)

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti Kumarappa Road, Wardha-442001, Maharashtra

Phone: (07152)-245082

33

33. Mohanish Poddar

34. Sujeet Kshirsagar

35. Vivek Javatkar

36. Shrilata Nakkala

37. Timothy Nakkala

38. Rajendra Devtale

39. Part Pranab Kuitty

40. Kalpana Dhage

41. Manoj Khatik

42. Gajanan Sonwane

43. Babarao Borkute

44. Suresh Selore

45. Shilas Ganvir

46. Suresh Gurphode

47. Amol Uike

48. Gajnan Garghate

49. Anil Gudadhe

50. Chandrashekhar Kumbharkar

51. Ravindra Zade

52. Shailesh Sajjanwar

53. Promod Askar

54. Shankar Bhisekar

55. Vishnu Brahmanwade

56. Rajendra Fukat

57. Avinash Marghade

58. Umesh Dhomne

59. Dilip Dahake

60. Satish Lende

61. Manik Pendam

62. Shashikala Babarao Bagde

63. Kanta Kelwade

1. T.N. Aglawe

2. Shri D. Sawarkar

3. Shri. S. Prajapati

4. Sau. Shantabai Kumbare

5. Rupesh Sohagpure

6. Sau. Meenatai Harne

7. Sau. Mamata Darne

8. Sau. Manisha Pente

9. M.D. Deshpande

10. Sushama Sontakke

11. Bhavana Dagwar

12. Prashant Gujar

13. Sachin Hude

14. Shri Mohan Khairkar

15. Naresh Sontakke

16. Mahadev

17. Dr. Dhananjay Kutemate

18. Mukesh Lutde

19. Puja Lutade

20. Sonu Bhutada

21. Manoj Atram

22. Sudhir Lande

23. Rajendra Tupat

24. Sunanda Vaidya

25. Shri Baiswar

26. Ajay Deshmukh

27. Prashant Yenkar

28. Mangesh Lonkar

29. Neelima Khairkar

30. Ajay Kshirsagar

31. Vandana Dandekar

32. Shobh Kshirsagar

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti Team - 2008

The aims and objectives of Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti could be achieved by the dedication and commitment of all the members who have risen to the occasion and devoted their time as well as energy for carrying out various activities assigned to them.

32

We look forward to your suggestions and comments.

Please write to us at:

CAPART(Publication Division)

Zone-V-A (Core C), 2nd Floor, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003

Tel.: 2464 2395, Fax: 2464 8607

© CAPART, MAY 2008

Wardha Map

(Sketch map not to scale)

34

WARDHA

AREA OF OPERATION

MSSGENERAL BODY MEMBERSS.No. Name of Members Address1. Dr. Vibha Gupta Chairperson

Magan Sangrahalaya SamitiWardha, MS

2. Dr. Ravishankar Sharma SecretaryMaharogi Sewa SamitiDattapur, Wardha

3. Shri Amarnath Bhai ChairmanServa Seva SanghaMahadevbhai Bhavan, Sewagram, Wardha, MS

4. Shri Satchidanandji Secretary Serva Seva SanghaMahadevbhai BhavanSewagram, Wardha, MS

5. Shri Shivshankar Pente MemberServa Seva SanghaMahadevbhai BhavanSewagram, Wardha, MS

6. Shri Ramchandra Rahi SecretaryGandhi Smarak NidhiRajghat, New Delhi-110 002

7. Dr. Varsha Das DirectorNational Gandhi MuseumRajghat, New Delhi

8. Smt. Kumudbhen Joshi ChairpersonKhadi & Village Industries Commission3rd Irla Road, Vile Parle (w)Mumbai-56

9. Shri Badal K.Das SecretaryDept. of CultureMinistry of Human Resource Development (HRD)502-C, Shastri BhavanDr. Rajendra Prasad RoadNew Delhi-110001

10. Shri Ranjit Desai Paramdham PressPawnar Ashram, Wardha

11. Smt. Rama Ruia Mahila AshramWardha, MS

12. Shri Kanakmal Gandhi Nai Talimi SamitiSewagram, Wardha

13. Shri Gaffurbhai Mohmmadbhai BilkhiyaParishram, Daman RoadWapi, Gujarat

14. Shri Narendra Dube Govigyan BhartiKaryadhakhaD-37 Sudama Nagar, Indore-452 009Email-vinobaji1@yahoo.com

15. Shri K.G. Jagdishan Gandhi Smarak Gram Seva Kendram, Alappuzha, Kerala

16. Dr. T. Karunakaran DirectorMahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation, Wardha, MS