network - institute of rural management anand · anand. 2. choudhary, kameshwar (ed) (2007)...

NETWORK

Institute of Rural ManagementPost Box No. 60, Anand – 388 001, Gujarat, IndiaPhone : (02692) 260177, 260181, 260186, 260391, 260264, 261502Fax : (02692) 260188Gram : IRMAE-mail : [email protected] : http://www.irma.ac.in

October-December 2008 Volume: 12 • No. 4

Quarterly Publication of IRMA ContentsMy Village Report ............................................. 4 - K.N. Badhani

Financial Devolution to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): Proceedings of a Conference ........................................................ 10 - H.S. Shylendra

Silent Words: An Approach to Understand Individuals in an Organisation .................... 12

- Rachana Sharma

Alumni SpeakPariksha: The Thin Red Line ........................ 16

- Ashutosh Tosaria, PRM-27

FPRM Speak•Balancing the Social and Economic Objec-

tives of Microfinance Interventions ......... 18 - Nisha Bharti, FPRM-4

PRM Speak•The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins

with a Single Step........................................ 20

- Amit Goel, PRM-29•Of White Tigers and Black Fridays ........ 24

- P. Hemant Kumar, PRM-28•Exploring the Grass Roots: My Fieldwork

Experience in Wayanad, Kerala ................ 27

- Gopi Sankar, PRM-29

IRMA NEWS .................................................... 30

Front Inside Cover

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IRMA Silver Jubilee Symposium Publications

The following eight books are outcomes of Symposium on ‘Governance in Development Issues, Challenges and Strategies’, held during 14-19, December 2004 at IRMA to commemorate the completion of 25 years of the institute. The symposium brought together scholars to 16 workshops, which were related to thematic and sectoral issues of governance of rural development processes todiscuss issues related to state,governanceandnatural resource conflicts.

1. Ballabh Vishwa (ed) (2007) Institutional Alternatives and Governance of Agriculture. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

2. Choudhary, Kameshwar (ed) (2007) Globalisation, Governance Reforms and Development in India. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

3. Panda, Haribandhu (ed) (2007) Governance of Rural Electricity Systems in India. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

4. Ballabh, Vishwa (ed) (2008) Governance of Water- Institutional Alternatives and Political Economy. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

5. Narayanan, N.C. (ed) (2008) State, Natural Resource Conflicts and Challenges to Governance: Where do we go from here?. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

6. Panda Mishra, Smita (ed) (2008) Engendering Governance Institutions: State, Market and Civil Society. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

7. Shylendra, H. S. (ed) (2009) New Governance and Development: Challenges of Addressing Poverty and Inequality. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

8. Misra, Harekrishna (ed) (2009) Governance of Rural Information and Communication Technologies Opportunities and Challenges. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with IRMA, Anand.

3NETWORK October-December 2008 Vol. 12 •No. 4

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Coordinator & Editor: Prof. Preeti Priya

Design & Layout: ([email protected]) Network Secretariat: Mr. Mohan Bankapur Ms. Susamma T.

Editorial

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of NETWORK, IRMA.

Dear Readers,

The ten- week long Field Work Segment in our PRM Programme is of great value to its multiple stakeholders; faculty, participants, host organisations, host villages, host families, etc. Field Work does not only expose the participants to the realities of rural life and community work at grass root level, but also develops in them sensitivity towards the concerns of the rural people. PRM 29 returned to the campus with stirring and stimulating experiences from their village stay. We try to bring that flavour of Field Work in this issue of NETWORK. Getting inspired from PRM 29 Field Work presentations; Prof. Badhani pens down his village report. He talks about interplay of livelihood and market forces in the Himalayan village of Falyani. In ‘PRM Speak’ we have two splendid descriptions of village stay experiences by Amit Goel and Gopi Sankar of PRM 29.

IRMA organised a two-days conference on ‘Issues before Finance Commission: Empowering PRIs’, that brought together Chairman and members of 13th Finance Commission, scholars and experts to deliberate primarily on concerns related to financial devolution to PRIs. Prof. Shylendra shares the proceedings of the conference with us.

The remaining part of NETWORK includes brilliant contributions on variety of subjects from IRMA community. While Rachana Sharma underscores the significance of non-verbal communication in understanding human behaviour, Ashutosh Tosaria, an IRMA alumnus presents a critical analysis of National Curriculum Framework 2005 declaration on methods of assessment in our school education system.

In the ‘FPRM Speak’, Nisha Bharti shares her views on how to achieve the balance between social and economic objectives in microfinance programmes. We have another very interesting and thought-provoking article from Hemant Kumar in this issue. He calls for actions from the citizens who are otherwise indifferent, disengaged and detached to the happenings around them.

I hope you would enjoy reading this issue of your NETWORK. We look forward to hear from you through ‘letters to editor’.

(Preeti Priya)


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Going through the village reports of students was an exciting experience for me. I felt as though I were listening indirect ly to what other people thought of me. Many participants have experienced the reality of rural life for the first time in their life in the true sense, and I am happy to see the intellectual understanding they have developed and the emotional connection they have made. When you look at something as an outsider, you gain a different perspective, and sometimes this outsider perspective allows you to offer more creative solutions to certain problems. When we live in a society, we start to accept many things as given and stop thinking of alternatives. To encourage you to emerge from this state of mental and intellectual inertia, I want to share with you an account of life in my village. I wish to talk to you about many things my beautiful village, the panoramic view of snow-capped Himalayan peaks, forests and animals, society and culture, politics and the economy. But it is not possible to cover all these topics in the limited space availablehere. So Iwill confinemyself to a subject that IRMANs love to talk about the interplay of livelihood and market forces My small village, Falyani, is situated in the backyard of Nainital, the famous hill station of Uttarakhand. When I was a student, we enjoyed trekking the distance of 15 km from Nainital to Falyani. The nearest town is Garampani

My Village ReportK N Badhani1

about 5 km from Falyani. Garampani was also the nearest road head until fiveyearsago,whenthevillagefinallygot road connectivity. Garampani valley is known for its off-season vegetable cultivation. This is the story of how the local farmers adopted commercial vegetable farming, the role of market forces, and the challenges facing the farmers of Uttarakhand today.Farming in hill regions is subsistence in nature. Terrace cultivation (step farming) makes it possible to do farming on the gentler slopes of hills. Land is generally available (there are very few cases of landless labourers in hill villages), but it is not irrigated and is usually fragmented. Land productivity is quite low. Farmers traditionally cultivated local varieties of wheat, rice, millet, and pulses. Vegetable farming began in this area about a century back when some entrepreneurial farmers seized the opportunity to sell vegetables in Nainital, a small town that was then emerging as an important local centre of power under British rule. Vegetable farming was initially limited to the villages adjacent to Nainital. It spread gradually to other villages as farmersfounditmoreprofitabletogrowvegetables than the conventional food grains. Supply soon exceeded demand, and a marketing centre emerged at Garampani, where traders started procuring vegetables and supplying

1 Associate Professor, Area Finance, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Email: [email protected]


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them to different parts of northern India. Since most vegetables in the hill regions are grown during those seasons when vegetables are not available in the plains, they fetch better prices. As this was a profitableventureforbothfarmersandtraders, vegetable and fruit cultivation became very popular in the Nainital area. Market growth and commercial farming were interdependent on and supported each other. I remember the mounds of capsicum and tomatoes at the collection centres of traders at Garampani during my childhood. Now vegetables are grown throughout the year, during all the seasons capsicum, tomato, and brinjal in early kharif; beans, cauliflower, and cabbage in latekharif; and peas in rabi.Vegetable cultivation is a highly labour-intensive activity. Leave aside irrigation, even drinking water is hardly available in most hill villages. It is a great irony that the Himalayas are the source of water for the whole of northern India, but water is not available to the people in Himalayan villages. Agriculture, including vegetable cultivation, is not possible without water, of course. Whatever little water is available in the small mountain rivers and streams is collected in tanks. In March and April, when capsicum and tomato are planted, everyone men, women, and children carry water from the tanks to thefieldsandwalkfromplanttoplanttowater each one. Vegetable farming also requires regular weeding, which is again a highly labour-intensive activity. My village was not connected to roads, so the people used to carry the vegetables on their heads or on mules and horses to the market. Despite all this hard work and intense labour, they were not able to get an equitable price for their produce.

One day, when I was studying in class 6 or 7, I went to Garampani with my father. Our pony carried two baskets of plums. My father negotiated with the traders and finally the price was settled at 50 paise per kg. When the trader was weighing the plums, a tourist arrived and purchased some fruit. The trader charged him Rs. 1.50 per kg. I was surprised to see how a trader, just sitting there doing nothing, could earn two times the sum earned by the farmer who had cultivated the fruit using his own land and hard labour. Later on, as a college student, I tried to understand the economics of vegetable farming in the area. Before the adoption of commercial vegetable farming, the level of monetization in the local rural economy was quite low. People used to satisfy most of their needs locally. With the adoption of commercial vegetable farming, their dependence on the market increased. They needed money to purchase food grains, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, etc. and also to support their changing consumption habits. Vegetable farming is a seasonal activity, but farmers required money to finance their needs throughout theyear.Thetradersstartedfinancingtheseneeds by supplying goods to farmers on credit. In turn, the farmers were required to supply their entire produce to the trader who had provided them credit. Although the traders did not charge interest directly for this credit facility, they applied differential prices for the goods sold and the vegetables procured. In 1987, I analysed this price differential by taking some price quotations from the open market and by studying transact ions in the credit -based marketing system. The analysis revealed


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that traders were charging a hidden interest of about 70 per cent per annum. The interest was inversely correlated with farmers’ income, reaching as much as 120 per cent per annum in the case of poor farmers who possessed small landholdings. However, most farmers have now escaped from this vicious circle. The credit-based marketing system still exists, but it is not as exploitative as it was earlier because farmers now have more options. These options did not emerge as a result of collective or institutional efforts. Rather they were created by the ‘invisible hand’ of the market. Theprofitability of vegetabletrading attracted competition and diluted the exploitative practices. At the same time, as the production of vegetables increased, farmers found it moreprofitabletoconsigntheirproduceto the regular mandi in Haldwani rather than selling it locally. Farmers now send their produce to commission agents, who sell it on their behalf in the mandi. Money is remitted to the farmers on a regular basis and accounts are settled at the end of the cultivation season. However, farmers are cheated in these mandis also. I have noticed that when a farmer accompanies his consignment to the mandi, he gets a better price. The commission agent does not disclose the true price when the farmer is not present at the time of the auction. But it is not possible for the farmer to escort his consignment to the mandi every day. Here is room for farmers to develop a collective mechanism to check this malpractice of the commission agents. Institutional and collective efforts did not have much impact in this area. Cooperatives are viewed as government

organisations and seen to work as agencies distributing subsidies and relief. There are a number of fruit and vegetable marketing cooperative societies, but all are dysfunctional. In 199697, Mother Dairy attempted to procure vegetables from the area for its Safal outlets. Although they offered good prices, they failed to appeal to local farmers. Mother Dairy was interested in only graded vegetables, but the local traders were not ready or willing to purchases low-grade vegetables from the farmers who were selling their better-grade vegetables to Mother Dairy. Despite this, vegetable farming was more remunerative for farmers in comparison to the cultivation of traditional food grains. In 1996, as part of a study sponsored by the International Centre of Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), I conducted a cost benefit analysis of these two options. I found that vegetable farming generated about 2.75 times more income in comparison to traditional farming, but at the same time it also consumed 2.70 times more labour. This implies that farmers earn more income for more labour expended, but per unit reward of their labour time remains the same. However, it provides employment to farmers and checks out-migration from the villages to some extent. I found that the rate of migration from the villages under vegetable cultivation was lower in comparison to other villages in Uttarakhand.However, there are many costs associated with the commercial farming of vegetables. It has displaced the cultivation of traditional crops, which although did not have high commercial value nevertheless had high nutritional value for the hardworking people of


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the hill villages. Initially, farmers did not replace traditional crops with cash crops entirely, as the traditional crops provided them with insurance in case of crop failure. However, gradually the area under traditional crops declined. Many crops and their local indigenous varieties have now become extinct, causing a great loss to regional biodiversity. You can no longer easily get madua (fingermillet, Eleusine coracana), jhangora (barnyard millet, Echinochloa frumentacea), kauni (foxtail millet, Setaria italica), gahat (horse gram, Macrotyloma uniflorum), black bhatt (Glycine soja), and other traditional millets and pulses in Uttarakhand today. The famous aroma red rice of the hills is no longer available. Animal husbandry is an inseparable activity associated with farming. Farmers getmanurefortheirfieldsfromthecattleand fodder from their fields for their cattle.Cattle’s rearing is verydifficultin the hill regions because of scarcity of fodder. I still remember the hard work my mother used to do to collect green fodder from forests during summers. Scraps from crops are also used as fodder. However, unlike food grains, vegetable farming does produce scraps, which can be used as cattle fodder. This hasmade cattle rearingmoredifficult.Due to changes in life style also, cattle rearing is not a preferred job in the villages. Educated boys and girls of the new generation are not interested in this dirty job. About twenty or thirty years back, my family used to have about a dozen animals, including one or two milching buffalos and two or three milching cows. Selling the milk or the milk products of one’s animals was not common during those times (indeed, it was socially unacceptable to do so). Hence, all the milk produced

was consumed within the village itself. Even if a family did not have a milch animal,itusedtogetsufficientmilkforits own consumption. Now when you visit a family in this area, you will most likely be served tea made with Amulya (the milk powder). This situation has, in turn, affected the sustainability of vegetable farming. Vegetable crops need more nutrients, a requirement that is now supplemented by chemical fertilisers because of the scarcity of manure. However, chemical fertilisers are not suitable for non-irrigated land in the hill regions, and their use has severely affected land productivity. This fact has now been recognised by scientists. But about thirty years back, agriculture extension workers promoted the use of chemical fertilisers (and also pesticides). My parents often argued over this issue. My mother was deeply opposed to the use of chemical fertilisers and insecticides. Now I realise how right she was. The indiscriminate use of these chemicals has not only badly affected agricultural productivity and the quality of agricultural produce but also poses a threat to the sustainability of vegetable farming.Another threat comes from the changing environment and climate. The fragile ecosystem of the hill regions is a good indicator of the changing world environment. When I was young, we had apple orchards in our village. Then slowly the apple trees became diseased and died. They were replaced by apricot and plum trees. Then these too disappeared. Today you can see many mango trees in the village. All these changes have taken place within a period of thirty years. This indicates the severity of global warming.


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Similar changes have taken place in forest vegetation also. The village was earlier surrounded by broad-leaved trees such as oke (querqus spp.), buransh (the state tree of Uttarakhand, rhododendron spp.), and kafal (Myrica esculenta). These trees were very useful for water conservation and soil fertility. Today the rhododendron, the symbol of the beauty of Himalayan forests, is on the verge of extinction. With changes in the environment and climate, these beautiful plants have gradually disappeared and are being replaced by conifer forests comprising mainly pine trees. During my childhood, my village was surrounded by mixed forests of broad-leaved and coniferous trees. Now broad-leaved trees have completely disappeared. Many beautiful herbs, shrubs, lichens, mosses, ferns, and wild fruits (such as hisalu and kilmora), which were my childhood companions, have disappeared. In their absence, I feel alienated in my own village. Now lantana (Lantana camara) is replacing even the pine forests. This newvegetationiscausingdesertificationand affecting the hill farming system adversely in many ways. The most severe impact is on the availability of water. Streams and small rivers are now drying up. The rivers, which used to be full of water the whole year, now carry water only on rainy days. On the way to school from our home there was a stream. In the summer, on our way home from school, we used to swim in the ponds of this stream to get relief from the heat. Today this stream has turned into a river of sand and stone. Vegetable farming needs water, and the farmers of this water-scarce region have developed a system of micro irrigation to meet this need. But now water is no longer available for even vegetable

cultivation. Broad-leaved forests were also a source of green fodder and dry leaves were used for the preparation of manure. Hence, the disappearance of broad-leaved forests is a serious threat to the sustainability of both cattle rearing and vegetable farming. Over the years, the weather has become increasingly unpredictable, and hence the timing of agricultural activities has becomeverydifficult for farmers. Forthe last three or four years, July and August are going dry and there are heavy rains in September and October. The temperature goes up in January and snow falls in March. This kind of erratic weatherisverydifficultforthefarmersto handle, and at the end of the day all their hard work goes to waste. However, the biggest and most serious threat to the sustainability of vegetable farming (or indeed to farming of any kind) comes from the changing job preferences induced by “so-called education”. Schools are opened by the government on a large scale. Buildings are made available, but not teachers. The government has money for constructing buildings and for setting up computers in schools where electricity is not available. But it has no money to hire teachers. The regular teachers do not want to work in villages and hence ‘manage’ their transfers to so-called villages in the proximity of big towns. Most of the schools are run by para-teachers. A single teacher is expected to teachfive classesandalsobe involvedin other work like taking the census (of both humans and animals), conducting immunisation activities, and updating electoral rolls. The result is that students learn nothing. In a study in which I was involved, evidence was collected from


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all over the state that showed that many class 7 students cannot write the alphabet and cannot read a book in any language. Theynevertheless get certificates anddegrees without any obstacle. These so-called educated youths do not want to be involved in farming and cattle rearing. They prefer migrating to big cities and taking up menial jobs. The education system is diverting young people from the traditional occupations of their

forefathers but without equipping them with alternative livelihood skills.

I know that many things are required to be done to save the Indian village, but what exactly I don’t know. I am putting this story before you in the hope that rural managers and development experts will come up with a good plan of action to provide sustainable livelihood alternatives to the people in the hill villages of Uttarakhand and elsewhere.

Prof. Sony Pellissery (Associate Professor, Social Sciences Area, IRMA) is organising a panel on ‘Partnership of Leaders and Professionals for Social Change in Local Communities’ during the International Rural Network Forum, “Development Dialogues and Dilemmas” at Udaipur (August 23rd-28th 2009). Concept Note: “There is a frightening lack of leadership” (KofiAnnanon15November,2006).Leaders make a difference for the communities, than policies, growth and any technique of intervention. However, in the competitive and specialized world, professionals are attributed to have technical soundness required for the knowledge-based economy. The fact is that it is the partnership between professionals and leaders, which have made substantial and enduring difference for local communities. Passion, commitment and value-orientation are the key assets that leaders bring to the development in addition to the technical expertise that professionals may be possessing. In the case of rural development, leadership is critical from two points: First, traditionalism suffocates new leaders to emerge and thus reproduction of social structure happens. Second, leaders act as central points connecting rural communities with wider civil society, state and market. Despite of this importance, since leadership is not systematically nurtured, sporadic leadershipemerges,andoutcomebenefitsforcommunitiesarealsonotsystematic.Whatgood practices are helpful to nurture good leaders sensitive to social justice in the rural areas? What are the socio-cultural determinants of successful partnership of leaders and professionals? From limited knowledge available and patterns observed, what scalable programmes can be designed to ensure such partnerships make difference? This workshop aims to bring evidence-based generalizations from different rural contexts, and to document success stories as to how leadership patterns have created historical discontinuities towards development. The workshop is interdisciplinary in nature. We are interested in local level leaders giving guidance for development in their socio-cultural milieu. Wherever culture and economic development are cross bred will be particularly encouraged.Those desiring to present case studies or analytical papers may get in touch at the earliest on the email at: [email protected] Last date to receive full paper is June 15, 2009. Details of the conference are available at: www.international-rural-network.org

Call for Papers


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Financial Devolution to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): Proceedings of a Conference

H.S. Shylendra1

A two-day Conference on ‘Issues Before the Finance Commission: Empowering Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs)’ was organised during December 22-23, 2008 at Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). Dr. H.S. Shylendra and Dr Vivek Bhandari were the co-ordinators for the conference. The Conference was attended by the Chairman and members of the 13th Finance Commission, scholars and experts in thefieldandrepresentativesof the State Finance Commissions.

The Conference deliberated on issues concerningfiscaldevolutiontoPRIsasrelevant for addressing the TOR given to the Thirteenth Finance Commission (TFC) namely, the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State. The Conference reviewed the past experiences and tried to identify ways and strategies which could help in arriving at an effective financial devolution mechanism toPRIs and municipalities. The major themes covered in the conference included: a) Review of the Approach and Recommendations of the Previous

Finance Commissions; b) Financial Devolution to PRIs and Incentivising States; c) Issues Concerning Broader Decentralisation; d) Capacity Building and Accounting and Auditing Practices of PRIs; e) Analysis of the Constitutional Asymmetry in Devolution between Centre and State, and State and Local Bodies; f)Financial and Functional Devolution of Urban Local Bodies; and g) Working of State Finance Commissions (SFCs).

The Conference majorly brought out the issue concerned with the approach of the earlier Finance Commissions in dealing with the local governments being largely adhocist which is based on wrong assumptions treating decentralization as azero-sum-game.Thelocalbodiesfindthemselves severely constrained by the inadequacy in the devolution leading to poor governance and delivery of services. It was strongly felt that the TFC need to take a more bold approach in restructuring the federal public finance architecture in the country bytaking into account the presence of the thirdtieranditsneeds.Aseparatefiscaldomain could be worked out for the third tier of government by following an empowerment approach.

1 Professor , Area - Social Science, Institute of Rural Management , Anand. Email: [email protected]


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Itwas identified that there has been avaried response from state governments indevolvingfinancialpowerstothePRIs.The states have failed in developing an ownfiscaldomainofPRIs.Muchofthetransfers to PRIs are also conditional and there are constraints even in internal mobilisation of resources by PRIs. It was also argued in the conference that the problem of inadequate financial devolution is also related to the problem of inadequate devolution of functions and functionaries to PRIs. Incentives apart, strengthening the PRIs’ capacity for revenue mobilisation and creating a clear cut domain for tax and non-tax revenues are among the measures identified to empower the PRIs. Theconference also brought into focus the growing challenges of urban local bodies (ULBs). The states and State Finance Commissions (SFCs) have dealt with ULBs inadequately resulting in continued poor urban governance. The papers called for more proactive measures to strengthen the financial position of ULBs through alternate and innovative mechanisms.

Withincreasedfinancialdevolution,theneed for building the capacities of the PRIs for better financial managementand accountability has become more pronounced. The Conference critically examined issues with regard to capacity building of PRIs. It was highlighted that there are inadequate capacities at various levels in PRIs in ensuring effective financial management and accountability. This is reflected in problems like loss of revenues and

mounting arrears of accounts and audit. More recent efforts in streamlining accounting and auditing practices and building enabling systems have shown good results. Focused capacity building efforts like in Kerala and providing additional staff were suggested to improve the abilities of the PRIs.

About the possibility of more directly devolving funds to PRIs from the Centre and the need for constitutional amendments to rectify the prevailing constra ints , the papers in the conference highlighted the futility and undesirability of such suggested measures. It was felt that local bodies have already been given a clear role and status in the present Constitution which needs to be pursued in strengthening themfinanciallyandotherwise.

With regard to the role of State Finance Commissions (SFCs), the deliberations in the conference clearly identifiedthe constraints being faced by the SFCs including varied treatments meted out by the state governments. It was highlighted that the state governments have not shown seriousness required in a constitutional institution like SFC to make them function effectively. Even in cases where SFCs have come up with useful recommendations, states have shown general laxity in accepting and implementing them. The conference made several suggestions to strengthen the SFCs including use of a template for improving quality of reports by SFCs and creation of an SFC cell.


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Silence is golden. How often have we been told to keep silence or been admonished to shut our mouths or been instructed to stop talking? As children we had to obey our teachers, and even as adults we are bound to follow rules forbidding loud talking in quiet zones like hospitals and libraries. But silence is another form of communication, described by experts as non-verbal communication. Sometimes silence is even more powerful and effective than spoken words or a conversation that requires one to consult a dictionary to decipher the meaning.

I would like others to understand the power of non-verbal communication in an organisational setting, so that they feel comfortable about employing this mode to share their views and concerns with friends and colleagues.

Let’s begin with the smile. There are various ways of smiling, usually measured in terms of degree. For example, a 180-degree smile means that you are saying yes to something; a 360-degree smile shows that you are laughing from within; a 45-degree smile indicates that your personal space is being restricted or invaded by another and the scale moves on. It is important to remember, that these numbers or degrees do not apply in all situations. For instance, all of us at IRMA work and study in an academic institution whereastricthierarchyandwell-defined

Silent Word:An Approach to Understand Individuals in an Organisation

Rachana Sharma1

administrative structure are in place. We know who we are, whether students, faculty, non-teaching staff, technical staff, administrative staff, and, of course, the director of the institute. We have different roles and responsibilities. We exhibit different types of behaviour and attitudes at different times. But despite these differences, we come together to form a cohesive whole, a strong institutionwith awell-definedpersonality and identity, with a clear mission and mandate.

Whena co-worker arrives at the officewearing a frown, is there any doubt in your mind about the person’s mood? Usually we interpret the situation through the intensity of silence and it clearly indicates that silence is more powerful than any other mode of communication. We all need to understand it, whether asking professor for an appointment to discuss thesis or inviting classmates home for dinner. Recall the times when you have lost your temper or been irritated, when you have shouted at your subordinates for delayed project or scolded students for being inattentive in class. More than the speaker’s tone of voice or the choice of words, it is non-verbal communication that cues the listener about what is on the speaker’s mind. The best communicators are sensitive to the power of emotions and thoughts communicated non-verbally. So watch

1 Academic Associate, Area: OB-HR, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Email: [email protected]


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out for signals when you are chatting with friends at lunch, or interacting with colleagues at a colloquium, or meeting a professor in front of the library. These signals are transmitted by all individuals regardless of sex, age, designation, education, status, or background. All human beings working and studying in an educational institute can be an observer and learn to read and interpret non-verbal communication signals correctly. The important thing is to read and analyse these signals in an appropriate manner without disturbing the other person’s concentration.

We a l l k n o w t h a t n o n - v e r b a l communica t ion inc ludes fac ia l expression and the body language, such as gestures, signs, and use of space. Multicultural differences in body language, facial expression, use of space, and especially gestures are enormous and hence enormously open to misinterpretation. If you want to mask your feelings or hide your immediate reaction to certain information or stimuli, pay close attention to your non-verbal behaviour. You may have your voice and words under control, but your body language, including the tiniest shift in facial expression or movement, can give away your true feelings. A skilled reader of non-verbal cues can read most people like the proverbial open book. No matter what your position is in the workplace, improving your skills in interpreting non-verbal communication will only enhance your ability to communicate precisely with another person. The correct and nuanced interpretation of non-verbal communication will add depth to your ability to communicate.

UNDERSTANDING NON-VERBAL CUES

I’m not offering tips and tricks that you need to learn by heart. Of course, the art of understanding non-verbal communication improves with practice. Thefirststepistorecognisethepowerofnon-verbal communication. I’m sure you must have often had a gut feeling when someone says something to you that you know instinctively is untrue. Listen to your gut. Your life experiences, training, and beliefs together constitute your inner expert on non-verbal communication. Based on my own experience as a student and teacher, I know that the range of non-verbal signals sent out by a teacher in the classroom is very large. These signals have a great influence on the classroom atmosphere and also on the students’ mood, perception, and learning. They may eventually even shape their attitudes towards knowledge, education, and the school generally. Yet non-verbal signals are muchmoredifficulttocapture,describe,and explain because we necessarily have to use words to do that, and words are not a sufficiently precise tool for this purpose (just as they are not enough for describing a picture or something visual).

Let’s talk about distance and body-language signals. Please read this section carefully as it will help you in the long run. We divide distance into horizontal and vertical spheres. Remember that it is always a good thing to remain within our own territorial boundaries.

IntImate DIstance from actual touching to 18 inches

This zone is reserved for those with whom one is intimate. At this distance,


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the physical presence of another can be overwhelming for some people. So be careful. Do not cross the line, otherwise you will be called an intruder.

Personal DIstance from 18 inches to 4 feet

This is the ideal distance foran interaction between good friends. This is also the most appropriate distance for teacher and student while discussing matters such as grades, assignments, classroom conduct, personal problems, etc. Most of us observe this distance almost all the time.

socIal DIstance from 4 to 12 feet

This is an appropriate distance for interaction with casual friends and acquaintances. For example, think of the people you meet on a festive occasion like Navratri and the distance you maintain between yourself and others.

PublIc DIstance 12 feet onwards

A distance of 12 feet plus allows the speaker to maintain a formal relationship with the audience. Do not worry if someone describes you as cold and distant for observing this distance. It is better to be on the safe side.

Now let us focus on the signals transmitted through our gestures. Men and women behave and respond to body movements in different ways. So it is crucial that you modify your body language depending on the gender of the person with whom you are interacting or you could damage your relationship with this individual, whether it is personal or professional, without even realising it. Be cautious while making

or interpreting gestures. Make sure that your words do not contradict your body language.

• If you have a habit of touching your nose, people could perceive this as a sign of deception.

• Wide open eyes indicate that you are open to new experiences and points of view.

• Do not speak with your back turned to the listener or while looking at the floor or ceiling. This communicatesyour disinterest in the other person.

• Hands on the hips can be seen as a gestureofdefiance.

• Hands in the pocket convey that you have a hidden agenda or are secretive.

• Picking lint from your clothes indicates disagreement, but shows that you can’t be bothered to argue with the other person.

• A head held up high indicates confidence.

• A head held up too high indicates aloofness.

• Rubbing and wringing of hands together shows anxiety.

• An open palm held upwards suggests honesty and sincerity.

• Covering and rubbing the eyes says: I do not want to hear/see/say this.

• A body that takes up a lot of space or is sprawled indicates comfort and domination.

• A subtle smile shows your subtle approval.

• A single raised eyebrow say ‘Oh, really?’


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• Looking upwards means that you need time to think.

• Frowning always indicates boredom and unhappiness.

We should not allow ourselves to be guided by these signs and gestures which are widely prevalent in our society into making snap judgments about others. When interpreting gestures, or seeking toextractsomemeaningorsignificancefrom them, we should always consider the larger context in which the act of communication albeit non-verbal communication is taking place.

Remember that the same body language or gesture does not have the same

meaning everywhere in the world. For example, it is considered impolite in some countries to make a direct eye contact during conversation; hence the absence of direct eye contact does not always indicate disinterest or shiftiness or dishonesty. It may very well indicate modesty or respect. One must always be careful when reading different modes of non-verbal communication. The art of understanding and interpreting body language is similar to being gifted with X-ray vision. You are able to see through the surface of things and discern meaning when others simply can’t. So enjoy your gift and do remember ‘Silence is Golden.’

Abstracts of IRMA Publications

WP-207BEYOND A MINIMALIST APPROACH: TOWARDS A CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF BASIC EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS

Sony Pellissery and Ila Patel Theanomalyof the simultaneous existenceofglorifiededucational statistics and thedismaleducational status of the poor and other socio-economically disadvantaged groups (women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and minorities) is found in Indian society. This anomaly is often explained in two ways. First, the way in which educational statistics are collected is based on minimalist standards, with the aim of legitimising the state and its institutions. Second, elementary education fails to impart the relevant life skills to children as the curriculum is far removed from the reality of their everyday lives. While both these explanations are complementary, the grounds for arriving at them are not exhaustive. In this paper, we argue that basic educational statistics need to take into consideration the discursive relationship between education and social context inordertomakethesefiguresmoreusefulfordevelopmentplanning.What are largely neglected in compiling and analysing educational statistics in India are the functional and contextual aspects of education. Educational statistics do not reveal ‘what is being done with education’. Many children in rural areas discontinue their formal education because the type of education that they receive in the classroom has nothing to do with the earning of their livelihood. Furthermore, the practice-based understanding of education challenges not only outcome-based measures but also the perceived functions of education itself. When education is linked with the various social functions and activities in which the learner is involved, the kind ofstatisticsrequiredforunderstandingthelevelofeducationalattainmentchangessignificantly.Inotherwords,educationalstatisticsareembedded in thebroadercontext that influences thelearner’s participation in the educational system. It is important to move beyond a minimalist approach to educational statistics and instead to present a more complex analysis of the situation.

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Alumni Speak

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 2 s tates , ‘The role of assessment is to gauge the progress that both the learner and the teacher have made towards achieving the aims that have been set and appraising how this could be done better’.

The statement succinctly conveys the intent of an assessment exercise, but does not communicate the confusion and consternation that a poorly planned and misdirected assessment exercise might engender among the people involved in the education system. In an attempt to examine the possible outcomes of such a situation, let us break the NCF statement into smaller parts and see how each part lends itself to the parochial process (and definition)ofassessmentthathasgainedpopularity in our education system. The statement talks of the following:

- Learner - Teacher - Progress - Aims (of education presumably) - Appraisal

The assessment tool used most commonly by teachers to ascertain how close the learner is to the assigned curriculum and measurable (and incomplete) aims of education and to evaluate her timely progress is the examination system, much dreaded by students across the land. The Hindi word for examination is pariksha, which evokes fearful visions of Sita’s agni-pariksha,ortrialbyfire,in

Pariksha: The Thin Red LineAshutosh Tosaria1

the Ramayana. That is exactly what a learner is supposed to do through an examination acquit herself honourably and gain social acceptance. And if she fails, she will face shame and ostracism.Most assessment exercises in our schools are designed to induce fear and loathing among the most creative minds and make them vulnerable to doubt and fear. The results of this exercise are then used to quantify the progress made by the learner (in the form of marks and class rankings) and also to brand the academic institution as good or bad, decent or indifferent. The repeated occurrence of examinations and tests throughout the school (and college) career directs the course of a learner through an education system which is more than happy to forgo its responsibility if the academic course happens to be a bumpy ride. To maintain a respectable ‘academic record’, schools follow elimination criteria in both their admission policies and examination procedures. What we end up with is a two or three-hour dash to glory or to nothingness, to acclaim or to obscurity, and that too by young people who are forced to run long before many of them have learnt to walk. The brightness, intelligence, and aptitude (or ability to memorise) exhibited by learners during examinations ( a s m e a s u r e d b y i n s t i t u t i o n a l parameters) also acts as an indicator

1 PRM 27Alumnus, ICICI Centre for Elementary Education. Email: [email protected] NCF 2005 was a watershed in the history of educational change in India. The document was prepared

by NCERT after consultations with hundreds of people, including experts, teachers, parents, and children. It suggests ways of moving towards the much needed curricular change in schools across the country to make education wholesome, creative, and enjoyable.


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Alumni Speak of the effectiveness of teachers in the classroom and establishes their credibility or lack thereof. The pressure to produce ‘toppers’ has a bearing on the teacherstudent relationship and hence on classroom dynamics. Many teachers end up teaching to the test rather than doing justice to the richness of the curriculum and the pedagogic tools that it demands. This not only makes classes uninteresting for the majority of learners but also has ramifications for teachers. The need to learn and unlearn concepts and methodologies and the need to understand the learner lessens as a routine sets in. The lively exchange of information and ideas that should characterise a meaningful classroom transaction is usually conspicuous by its absence, being replaced by an barrage of insipid and dull content. Because they are not fully engaged with the process oflearning,learnersfinditdifficulttoask questions and clarify their doubts. It is only when the examination results come out that the teachers realise that the learners have been confused. But revisiting these doubts becomes tricky because the class has already progressed in terms of the curriculum, with concepts built on shaky fundamentals. The inertia that sets in the classroom and the school as a result of this uninspiring and uninteresting transfer of facts gradually leads to an educational rut. Having talked about learners and teachers, let us now look at the possibility of accomplishing the aims of education by reverting to annual checks and grades. Speaking generally, it would be safe to say that education prepares an individual to make appropriate choices in life, whether these pertain to socio-cultural affairs or economic matters, the two most important dimensions of life outside the classroom. Whether the aim

of education in this regard is necessarily met by following a certain trajectory in school is a matter of some debate. The importance of literacy and numeracy, which are essential skills as far as the economic purpose of education is concerned, cannot be undervalued when we refer to the need for employment. Nevertheless, the suitability of the method(s) of assessing the advance made on these two fronts definitely needs another look. The method(s) look even less satisfactory when we look towards education to uphold democratic values, encourage critical reflection, engender concern for the larger society, and teach social consciousness, political awareness, and cultural sensitivity. How does one go about measuring things like teamwork, camaraderie, and integrity (and more) through term-end or year-end examinations? To raise this issue is not merely to highlight the non-utility of the method but also to stress its inherent incompleteness. There is so much going on in the life of a learner, all of which affects her engagement with her school (and the larger world), that it cannot be captured in a test lasting two or three hours. Moreover, the quality of education is characterised by the interactions in which the learner engages (mostly passively, unfortunately) in school and at home with her teachers, parents, friends, neighbours, and so on, and by a host of other things that remain out of the purview of the learner (things like school management, teachers’ well-being, state educational structures, etc.). To preserve the value of this multidimensional nature of quality education we need a much better, a more meaningful, and a more wide-ranging definitionofassessment.


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FPRM Speak

Microfinanceisrecognisedasasuccessfulapproach for poverty alleviation adopted by development organisations, mainly NGOs. It is seen as an effective tool for dealing with social issues, particularly those related to women. It is also seen as a mechanism for mobilising women in groups by voluntary agencies to increase their outreach at low cost. In these endeavours, microfinance has always faced the challenge of dealing with two contradictory objectives, that is, social versus economic. Although very few training or sensitisation programmes dealing with social issues were conducted in the initial years for women’s groups, it was observed that awareness of social issues nevertheless did come about. However, this awareness was more the result of certain inbuilt componentsofmicrofinanceratherthanthe result of any additional efforts made by voluntary agencies. Microfinance in India is basedon twobasic models, that is, the Self-help Group (SHG) model and the Microfinance Institution (MFI) model. Some of the inbuilt components of the SHG model, such as holding regular meetings at frequent intervals (at least monthly and preferably weekly) facilitated discussion on various social issues (alcoholism, domestic violence, girl child education). Some organisations also experimented with including activities such as singing songs on various social issues before starting a meeting. This helped in sensitising women members to their

own problems and facilitated discussion on various social issues at the meetings. Over the years, the women organised themselves in much larger groups like clusters and federations. These organisations helped them in realising their hidden strengths, and soon women in villages started opposing several social evils. Studies on the impactofmicrofinanceonsocialreformmovements have shown mixed results. However,Ibelievethatmicrofinancehas,slowly but steadily, been able to tackle social issues successfully, and has shown considerable potential for expanding its role in this area. Most of the social issues that confront women today are the result of discrimination against females over the centuries. Hence, the process of tackling these issueswill definitelybe a long and hard struggle. Many instances of village women breaking alcohol stills and brewing equipment have been reported. Several instances can be cited in support of the claim that microfinancehassucceededinbringingabout social change at various levels. I came across such an incident during my recentfieldworkinMaharashtra.Vijay Doke, District Coordinating Officer of the Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM), Ahmednagar, said that among the Kollati tribal community in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, women are traditionally not allowed to marry. Because of this practice, the Kollati community faces

Balancing the Social and Economic Objectives of Microfinance Interventions

Nisha Bharti1

1 Doctoral student, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Email: [email protected]


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FPRM Speak a great deal of social stigma. Other communities avoid contact with the Kollatis. Kishore Kare, a social activist of the community, launched a campaign against this social evil but without much success. In 2005, MAVIM started a SHG in Ahmednagar district. Seventeen Kollati women joined the group. Small saving and credit facilities are helping the women set up small businesses and become economically independent. The women have also started questioning the tradition banning Kollati women from marrying and are now insisting on their right to marry. Now two SHG members have got married. The Kollati women’s firm stancehas succeeded inbringingabout change, slowly but surely, in the social status of this community and has increased their acceptance in the larger society. A Kollati member of the SHG is also a member of the village-level committee. There may be hundreds of such examples, which, if documented, could provide useful insights into the role ofmicrofinanceintacklingsocialissues.In contrast, the MFI model believes in the financial sustainability paradigm and does not focus as much on social issues. Linda Mayoux in an article comparing women’s empowerment and microfinance identifies three basic paradigms, that is, feminist empowerment, poverty alleviation, and financial sustainability. Of these three paradigms, only the feminist empowermentparadigmhasa specificfocus on both women’s empowerment and social issues. It assumes that women’s empowerment requires fundamental change in the macro-level development agenda as well as explicit support for women who challenge gender subordination at the micro level. Thisparadigmusesmicrofinanceasan

entry point for achieving women’s socio-economic and political empowerment. The poverty alleviation and financial sustainability paradigms do not have a focus on social issues. It is assumed that increased access to microfinance will automatically lead to economic empowerment. In the context of the current global economic recession and given the fact that international funding for the development sector is drying up, the financial sustainability paradigm is beginning to dominate over the other paradigms. In India, organisations following the feminist empowerment paradigm are very few. It is believed that increasing various components with reference to social issues along with the scope and extent ofmicrofinancewillalso increase the burden on the poor in the form of higher cost of credit. Forthesustainabilityofmicrofinanceinthe long term, the sustainability of both institutions and households is important. To achieve this goal, a lower interest rate is an important factor. Organisations need to maintain a balance between increasing types of services and their operational cost. They need to focus more on providing economic opportunities for makingmicrofinanceinterventionsmoresustainable. Though addressing various social issues is important, experience showsthatlackofsufficientfundsforcesdevelopment organisations to address the above issues to a minimal extent. But it is widely recognised that economic empowerment through microfinance interventionswilldefinitely strengthenthe position of a person in tackling social issues in the long run. However, more efforts are required to design effective

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PRM Speak

I was born and brought up in Delhi, and barring two short visits to villages as part of the orientation programmes conducted by IRMA, had never visited a village. I had also never been to Rajasthan and hence was suitably excited at the prospect of visiting this colourful and romantic state.

As our bus crossed the city of Bikaner and drove towards the village of Dandkala, located 50 kilometres from India’s western border, we were catapulted into an entirely different world.

The climate and terrain of western Rajasthan make it one of the most inhospitable areas in the world. The topography is of plains merging with shifting sand dunes, the slopes of which are lightly furrowed by the wind’s constant action. The panorama is that of an expanse of sand intermittently broken by rocky outcrops and a few habitations. There are no rivulets or streams. Seasonal temperatures vary widely. Winter night time temperatures may drop to 5°C and summer day time temperatures may rise to 4548°C.

Dandkala (my home for the next few weeks) is a multi-caste village, with Rajputs, Jats, and Nais staying in different hamlets. Refugees from Pakistan after the 1971 Indo-Pak War were settled in Dandkala by the Indian government. It is the people, the Pak

Visthapits, who make Dandkala the unique and remarkable village it is. Basic amenities like electricity, roads, toilets, and clean water were all absent. The inhabitants build their houses with locally available materials like grass, wood, and shrubs, and with unfired mud bricks plastered with a mixture of mud and cow dung.

The literacy level is very low, around 40 per cent, according to the records of the URMUL Trust, an NGO that is active in the area. In the beginning of 2008, the village primary school (which was established in 1992) was upgraded from classfivetoclasseight.Thefirstthoughtthatcrossedmymindafter I had recovered from the tiring journey was that the next fifty days would be challenging. But I thanked the Almighty for leading me to Dandkala, a near-replica of the village that I had often dreamed of. Life would undoubtedly be tough. However, it would also be full of opportunities for me to display the potential that I knew I possessed. I wanted to make a contribution to Dandkala’s development through my small but sincere and dedicated efforts. On the completion of my fieldwork, I wanted to leave the village a better place. I also wanted to continue my association with the URMUL Trust, my host organization, and with Dandkala after the conclusion of this assignment.

1 Participant, PRM-29, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step Amit Goel1


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PRM Speak Dandkala is a major centre of the income-generating activities organised by the URMUL Trust, the NGO operating in the village. The local women are renowned for their exquisite kashida embroidery. The earnings from this activity form a major source of income for many village families. Indeed, this alternative but regular income is necessary for the artisans of Dandkala. On an average, women earn Rs 2,000 per month, which is a sizeable income in this region. This increases thewomen’s self-confidence,providing them an opportunity of becoming primary breadwinners.

The villagers were friendly and helpful, not wary of us. Interestingly, they evidenced an excellent understanding of caste and class issues. They also, thanks mainly to their ideological leanings, exhibiteda significant levelofpoliticalconsciousness in terms of party politics. They emphasised the importance of skills needed for managing the environment and earning a living. They also discussed marriage, children, and the importance of socialising the children properly.

I can never forget the hospitality of the people of Dandkala, particularly of the family who hosted me. In spite of being under ahugefinancialdebt, they stilltook care of me and my village partner as if we were their own children. They did not eat rice and vegetables because they could not afford them, but they cooked delicious pulav and vegetables for us every day. Words cannot describe their love for us. I remember how worried they became when we told them that we wanted to go to the Rajput hamlet for a transect walk (information-gathering exercise). Later on I came to

know that relations between the Jats and the Rajputs were less than cordial, and it was because of this that our host family were reluctant to let us go to the Rajput hamlet. I learnt how a village exists as an aggregation of castes and communities.

I learned basic household chores such as cooking and washing clothes. I realised the importance of a scarce resource like water in this parched land. The ability to work collectively, to manage time and money efficiently, tofirst observe andthen analyse, to look at the root cause of a problem by imagining oneself to be in the shoes of the other person, and to devise practical solutions these were all skills that I learned during my time in Dandkala. Most importantly, I learned that with power comes responsibility, and so one must choose one’s words carefully.

I spent a major part of my time in Dandkala talking to villagers through the day and observing and interacting with the poorer families. This meant getting to know their life experiences, learning from and helping them, and also encouraging them to voice their opinions about their problems and needs. Prior to this, I had known nothing about what it is like to be poor. After seeing the poverty in Dandkala, I am grateful for what I have. I recall the words of J R D Tata, who once said, “I don’t want my companies to be islands of prosperity in a sea of poverty.”

Dandkala has almost no private toilets. Only one villager, Sawai Ram Singh, a teacher, had a toilet facility in his house. All the villagers (including the women) go to theopenfields for thispurpose.Within a week of my arrival, I decided


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PRM Speak that my host family should have a proper toilet. I encouraged the family to construct a toilet and offered to provide financialhelp.Thetoiletwasconstructedwithin the next week. I provided all the technical expertise needed. It was a deeply satisfying experience for me.

Another experience that proved greatly satisfying was helping to bring electricity to Dandkala. There was no electricity in the village despite it being shown as an electrifiedvillageingovernmentrecords.I felt so strongly about this anomaly that I got the community to send an application for village electrification and motivated the villagers to talk to the local MLA, Devi Singh Bhati. These efforts produced immediate results. Within twelve days of submitting the application, electricity meters were installed in the houses of all the families whohadsubmittedthefileearlier.NowDandkala is actually electrified and receives regular electricity supply. This happened a month later, on 8 January 2009, after I had left the village. But I kept on motivating both the NGO and the villagers to travel the last mile on this journey. The power of collective action convinced me that villagers require facilitators, not sympathisers.

Conducting research for my theme paper on the marketing of embroidered clothes and accessories helped me immensely in understanding the dynamics of rural marketing in a village such as Dandkala. It was an eye-opener to see how expensive and high-quality clothes like kurtas sold in reputed shops like Fabindia across the country are produced in a small village in western Rajasthan. I helped

sell kurtas at an exhibition (organised by URMUL) in Dilli Haat in Delhi, and this boostedmy confidence because Iinteracted with customers and gained practical experience of marketing. Convincing people to buy high-quality and expensive kurtas is not as easy as one may imagine. The most important lesson I learned from this activity was the importance of managing a task efficientlywithlimitedresources.

I learned quite a lot during my stay in Dandkala. Having a toilet constructed in the house of my host family and working forvillageelectrificationweresome of the most memorable activities that my village partner and I undertook during this time. Planting trees (55 saplings) and creating awareness about vasectomy in the village were other experiences that I will never forget. I will always cherish these vivid memories, which I am sure will remain guiding lights throughout my life.

I think the real challenge lies in mobilising the limited resources of villagers only and not giving something in charity. An act of charity can help build an entire village, but is this the solution to the problems of rural India? After my time inDandkala, I firmly believe that thesolution lies in providing long-term and sustainable livelihood opportunities to villagers. Charity is only a short-term solution, but it can never resolve a problem permanently and effectively.

Thisfirst-handexperienceof rural lifehelped me understand some issues related to development that simply cannot be taught in a classroom through a textbook, but instead need to be experienced personally. My time in


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PRM Speak Dandkala was so positive and personally enriching that I am again going to the same organization (the URMUL Trust) for my Organisational Traineeship Segment (OTS) because I want to accomplish some other tasks and pursue more ambitious goals.

Development work certainly is a long road, but in a world where most paths are washed out long before they reach anywhere, it is certainly a road well worth extending and maintaining. Development work is a journey of a thousand miles, but like all journeys it too begins with a single small step. And these small but focused steps will lead India on the path to becoming a happy country, and not just an aspiring superpower, to paraphrase J R D Tata, who once said, “I don’t want India to be an economic superpower. I want India to be a happy country.”

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microfinanceservicesbasedondemandand also on an understanding of the social context in which the services operate. Development organisations need to be sensitive to social issues while designing their interventions. In the present context, serving the poor by balancingmarketforces(beingfinanciallyself-sustainable) as well as addressing social issues remain major challenges for deve lopment organisa t ions .

Reference:Mayoux, Linda (1999)”Microfinanceandempowerment of women- a review of the key issues”, http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/finance/download/wpap23.pdfNote: I acknowledge the encouragement and support I have received from Prof. H. S. Shylendra, IRMA and Mr. Vijay Doke, District Coordinating Officer, MAVIM in writing this article.

WP-208A PRELIMINARY SCALE FOR MEASURING THE MARKET ORIENTATION OF NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS IN INDIA

Pratik Modi and Debiprasad MishraWe report the results of a preliminary study undertaken to build a scale for measuring the market orientationofnon-profitvoluntaryorganisationsinIndia.Inthisstudy,wehaveattemptedtocontextualise the Narver and Slater (1990) conceptualisation of market orientation. Two hundred andeleven Indiannon-profitorganisations (NPOs)were surveyed,whichyielded102usableresponses. Principal axis factoring with oblique rotation was employed for analysing the data. The scalewastestedforreliabilityandvalidity.Thefindingsconfirmthenon-profitmarketorientationandperformancelinkinthecontextofadevelopingcountry.Thecorrelationcoefficientof0.37inthe Indian context converges with that of the previous studies carried out in European countries. NPOs with higher levels of market orientation were found to be more effective in achieving their organisationalgoals.This study is thefirstof itskindboth in thedevelopingcountrycontextand,moreso,inthenon-profitorganisationcontext.Wereportapreliminarynon-profitmarketorientationscalewiththecaveatthatitisapplicabletothosenon-profitorganisationsthathaveathird-party funding arrangement, partly or wholly, with donor agencies. The second limitation of this study lies in the fact that single respondents, although very important, were used to measure theorientationofnon-profitorganisations.Furtherresearchmayproceedalongtwolines:first,towards building more robust assessments of organisational orientation, and second, towards confirmatoryresearchofthepreliminaryscale.


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PRM Speak

Ignorance is bliss, but to remain blissfully ignorant requires a certain wilful determination. It requires that we deliberately ignore many aspects of life around us and instead focus only on those things that do not threaten to prick the bubble of conformity, complacency, and self-delusion in which we place ourselves. To achieve this ignorance is especially difficult in a country such as India where one is continually encountering extreme opposites. In some perverse manner, it might even be a credit to us as a people that we have managed to retain our sanity as a society in the face of such bewildering sights and sounds. Of course, it might be equally plausible to argue that it is solely our insanity that allows us to blissfully ignore all that we do and see and hear.This year’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga draws our attention to the almost repugnant dichotomy of the two nations that exist under the guise of the single Indian state. This year has also seen another instance of the underbelly of Indian poverty coming to the fore internationally in the form of Slumdog Millionaire, British film director DannyBoyle’s cinematic vision of life in the Mumbai slums. Both these cultural phenomena were aimed at showing the strength and resilience of the man spirit in the face of debilitating inequality and injustice. Both managed to capture

our imagination and urged us to look at our world from a broader, more sympathetic perspective. They shattered the illusion of a shining, vibrant India. But I also feel that most mainstream attempts at making poverty a part of the cultural zeitgeist also tend to stylise and glamourise deprivation and want. They might offend our sensibilities and shake us out of our complacency for a while, but do they actually affect our senses to such an extent that we stand up and start taking note of all the incongruent situations around us? Do we then act on this reformist impulse and achieve something concrete? This is something that depends on the viewer or the reader.Other than Bollywood and cricket, the only other newsworthy issue for our media this year has been terrorists and terrorism. Indian television news channels have outdone themselves in taking irresponsibility, immaturity, and downright idiocy to new heights. At the same time, the vociferousness of their news coverage is a reminder that the Indian media does have enough muscles to flex. The manner in whichthe media wields its influence and the direction in which it chooses to project outrage and anger both their own and that of ordinary citizens is what matters in the end. In spite of the business compulsions that drive news channels whatever these might be it is imperative that they

Of White Tigers and Black FridaysP. Hemant Kumar1

1 Participant-PRM-28, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Email :[email protected]


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PRM Speak discharge their duty to society with some responsibility. Their viewers may be urban based primarily, but this does not mean that they are not capable of appreciating issues affecting the other India. Following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, there was a spontaneous expression of anger and frustration among citizens outraged by the failure of the state to discharge one of its most basic duties ensuring the security of its people. Indeed, the media has provided more than ample coverage of these shrill, self-righteous voices at the cost of drowning out the voices of other, more unfortunate people demanding justice. The call for action from the urban citizenry has varied from sensible proposals for overhauling the national security system to emotional demands calling for bombing India’s neighbours into the Stone Age. There have even been some outrageous calls to stop paying taxes and boycotting elections. While it is heartening to know that India has a concerned and active civil society, such misdirected knee-jerk reactions only point to our short-sightedness and our inability to engage with issues of importance with a nuanced understanding. Almost the same reaction is seen following the Indian cricket team’s wins or losses. The current social situation demands that we expend more thought and effort on understanding and analysing a situation before we start baying for the ‘enemy’s’ blood, searching for scapegoats, or criminalising an entire community.This brings me finally to the point Iwant to make. A lesson to be learnt

in view of all this outcry about ‘politicians are the real terrorists’ and other such protests is that the urban middle class, which was previously indifferent to matters of the state, has now realised that the state does matter. The important thing is to ensure that the right sort of pressure is brought upon the state to discharge its duties properly, efficiently, and responsibly.It is also important to identify the priorities of the state and to figure out the areas in which we as citizens can fulfilourduties towards societyatlarge. In order to do this, we need to engage meaningfully and sincerely with the pressing issues and problems that face our nation. Popular books and movies no doubt shape our sense of reality. But this should be supplemented with a recognition of and concern for the inequity that characterises our society. We need to learn restraint and patience. We need to develop a critical ability that allows us to question the ‘news’ churned out by the popular media. The greatest power that we citizens enjoy at the beginning of the twenty-first century is unprecedented accessto information. It has never been easier to gain and share information with others in any part of the world. Unfortunately, never has this power been so underused. Nearly 300 people died in the terror attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. More than 3,000 people died just trying to get on and off a train last year in Mumbai. Nearly 3 million people were affected by the Bihar floods. All these events deserveour collective attention and action. The state can only do so much. The rest is left to us.


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Human Resource DevelopmentCoordinator: Prof. Madhavi Mehta

July 21-24, 2009

Objectives of the Programme

The programme aims at:

1. familiarisingtheparticipantswiththeHRDfunctionandhowitfitsintothe larger managerial role within the organization

2. familiarising the participants with the concept of role and the organization as a network of roles

3. Familiarising participants with the concept of competencies and competency frameworks/models

4. Providing skills to use the concepts of role and competencies to design/redesign HRD systems within the organization

Proposed Content of the Programme

• The Conceptual Framework of Human Resource Development• HRD: The Role and Competency Perspective• Designing Role & Competency based HRD Systems

o Recruitment & Selection: The person-Role Fito Performance and Potential Managemento Training for development

• HRD Systems for Retaining and Motivating Employees• HRD and Organizational Effectiveness

Participants

This programme is primarily designed for people responsible for creating and managing HR function within government & non-government developmental organizations/ institutions/ CSOs as well as cooperatives.

For further details please contact:

[email protected]

Deadline for confirmation of participation June 20, 2009


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PRM Speak

Wayanad is a remote region in Kerala, nestled between Kozhikode and Kannur districts, and surrounded by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states. It is one of the least developed of the fourteen districts of Kerala. Even though I hail from the state, I had never been toWayanad. I first visitedthe district for my fieldwork. We were allotted Thirunelli village, in Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad district. It is located on the boundary between Kerala and Karnataka.

I arrived in Thirunelli village with mixed emotions, alternating between excitement and apprehension. We had been told before setting out that Thirunelli is an area where humans and wild animals live face to face. And this proved to be literally true. More than 82 per cent of the total area is under forest cover. We often came across wild elephants and herds of spotted deer on the roadside. We were advised not to go out of the house after six o’clock in the evening. It is clear that Thirunelli is endowed with rich natural resources and incredible biodiversity.

A large majority of the local population depends on agriculture and related wage labour for their livelihood. The agriculture practised here is highly risky for various reasons. Irrigation is entirely rain fed. Lack of rain or untimely showers can affect

Exploring the Grass Roots: My Fieldwork Experience in Wayanad, Kerala

Gopi Sankar G.1

1 Participant, PRM -29, Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Email: [email protected]

agricultural output adversely. Wild animals pose another threat. Wild elephants, spotted deer, pigs, and wild buffaloes invade agricultural fields and ruin the crops. Fields have electric fencing to ward off wild animals, but only the richer families could afford this. All these factors mean that agricultural productivity can be quite uncertain. One needs to be extremely vigilantandluckytoreapaprofitfromagriculture.

Thirunelli is a predominantly tribal village. The residents form a close-knit community and tend to regard outsiders with suspicion. Moreover, the entire region is highly politically sensitive and volatile, which compounds the suspicion with which strangers are regarded. When we first arrived, thelocal people thought that we were part of a terrorist group because we carried laptops and cameras. The welcome we got reflected these feelings. No doubtthis revealed the villagers’ experiences, which had bred feelings of insecurity among them. Thirunelli historically has been a hub of Naxalite operations. Victims,beneficiaries,sympathisers,andopponents of the Naxalite movement could still be found in the village. During the entire period of our fieldvisit, we encountered hostility from the villagers.

Unlike other parts of Kerala, Thirunelli has few wells. Very few houses have


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PRM Speak their own wells. This was probably because there was no shortage of water even during the summer. Most people depend on natural springs in the forest for drinking water. This was a new experience for me. Upper-caste people bring water to their houses through piped connections. Tribal settlements have common wells. The local panchayat had implemented the Jalanidhi project with a view to providing fresh drinking water in the settlements. But hardly anyone drew water from the tanks installed as part of this project. Most tribal people believed that the water provided by the government was not fit for drinking.They dismissed Jalanidhi as a showcase project of the panchayat.

It was interesting to note the dietary habits of the villagers. Most villagers depend on leaves and vegetables, whichareeasilyavailable infieldsandbackyards. Most of these also have medicinal value. Rice is the staple food. The people make all kinds of snacks out of rice, vegetables, and fruits. I got an opportunity to sample some of these.

Tribal people are the main customers at the local food and tea stalls where they have credit accounts. The account is settled at the end of each week. Restaurant and hotel owners favour women as creditors as they are more regular in repaying loans. The tribal people never went to the hotels or restaurants located near the Thirunelli temple. During my two-month stay in the village, not once did I see a tribal having food at these places. These hotels and restaurants belong to and are run by upper-caste people.

Moreover, credit is not available to tribal people. However, the tribals are hired on daily wages for dish washing and other work. These eating joints earn the bulk of their revenue from tourists. During the agricultural off-season, the tribal people depend on wild tubers and other wild food for sustenance.

Another eye-opener was the role played by women, especially in the poorer households. Women are the backbone of their households, holding together and supporting their families in many different ways. In addition to fulfilling their reproductive role andperforming household chores, they also participate actively in productive income-generating work. In most tribal families, day-to-day expenses are met by the income earned by women. They take care of their families in every sense. Women’s work participation is more widespread among the poorer households. They form the major workforce in NREGA-related activities.

At the same time, it was shocking to learn of the plight of unwed mothers in Thirunelli, one of the most discussed issues in the village and something that has long attracted media attention. In many cases, marriage proposals have been withdrawn when it was discovered that the prospective bride or groom was a native of Thirunelli. No wonder the residents of Thirunelli regarded outsiders with suspicion and did not like discussing this sensitive topic. For politicians (and other activists), it is just another issue that they could exploit to widen their vote banks. We came across several cases of women’s exploitation, which


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PRM Speakultimately led to increasing the number of unwed mothers in the village. Most of these women belong to the Adiya tribe. An outsider may feel that the women are also at fault and that they are not doing anything about the situationinwhichtheyfindthemselves.However, it seems that the women are, knowingly or unknowingly, exercising their ‘adaptive preferences’.

Gender discrimination could be observed in almost all aspects of village life. Different wage rates prevailed for male and female workers. A male worker earned Rs. 100120 for a day’s work whereas a female worker was paid only Rs. 80. I was astonished to discover that women labourers worked inthefieldwithouttakingevenalunchbreak. But they finished their work one hour before the men did in the evening. I noticed similar patterns in literacy rates and educational levels. Women’s literacy rate and educational status were lower compared to those of men.Thebenefitsofeducationhaveyetto reach Thirunelli.

Access to basic amenit ies is a major problem in Thirunelli, be it educational facilities, health facilities, c o m m u n i c a t i o n n e t w o r k s , o r transportation. The nearest higher secondary school is located about 21 km away. The only mode of transport available is by road, with intermittent bus service. If they missed the bus or if the bus service was suspended, students had to walk at least 10 km by the shortest route to reach home. Most students drop out of school because of a lack of adequate infrastructure coupled with financial constraints. Toavail proper health facilities, villagers

have to go to Mananthavady, the nearest town, which is about 31 km from Thirunelli. Tribal people are the most affected by this lack of access to basic facilities. Many villagers depended on indigenous medicines and herbs for treating minor ailments.

Although educational attainment levels and literacy rates in Thirunelli are much lower than the state average, people are generally well informed about happenings around the world. I met Chathan Moopan, an Adiya elder, who is illiterate according to the governmentdefinitionof the term,butwho reads the newspaper every day for an hour. Hotels and tea stalls are the main centres of discussion and gossip, and the main topics of discussion and gossip are usually politics and current affairs. Political awareness appears to be very high. Most people are members or at least sympathisers of one or another political party. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] has the largest number of followers in the village. Thirunelli is referred to as the red fort of the party. This is evident even from the composition of the panchayat membership.

There are no cases of extreme poverty in Thirunelli. Nevertheless, many households are struggling to make ends meet. Some of their hardships like educating their children, spending money for medical treatment, buying clothes for Diwali were deeply moving to an outside observer such as me. My time in Wayanad really helped me understand and appreciate the fact that I am truly blessed. I am lucky that I don’t have to face such terrible hardships.


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IRMA NEWS

FACULTY

Paper Presentations

1. Asokan, S.R. and Arya, Anita (2008) “Contract Farming in Two Horticultural Crops: A Transaction Cost Perspective”, Paper presented at ‘Sixty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics’, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, November 28-30.

2. Dandekar,Ajay (2008)“TheContextofBeing:TheStatusofDenotifiedTribesin India”, Paper presented at ‘UNESCO and Deshkaal Society conference Exploring cultural practices and substantial rural livelihoods: Situating Cultural Practices of Marginal communities’, New Delhi, November 30- December 1.

3. Hiremath, B. N. (2008) “Diversification of Agricultural for Sustainable Livelihood Security”, Paper presented ‘International Seminar on Strategies for Improving Livelihood Security of the Poor’, ICAR, Goa, September 24-27.

4. Hiremath, B. N. (2008) “Subjective Perception of Food Security: Small Farmers’ Sustainable Agricultural Development”, Paper presented at ‘Regional Conference on Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture’, Tripura University, Agartala, November 24 25.

5. Misra, H.K. and Hiremath, B.N. (2008) “Empowerment of Farmers through ICT Interventions in Managing Rural Value-Chain: A Case of Vasundhara Cooperative Society in Gujarat State”, Paper presented at ‘Regional Conference on Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture’, Tripura University, Agartala, November 24 25.

6. Misra, H.K. (2008) “Organisational Readiness and its Impact on ERP Acquisition: A Longitudinal Study of an Indian Dairy Processing Unit”, Paper presented at ‘International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management’, IEEE, Singapore, December 8-11.

7. Patel, Ila, Pellissery, Sony and Pangamte, Laldinmoi (2008) “Corporate Social Responsibility and Rural Development in India: Emerging Trends”, Paper presented at ‘International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility: Development with Equity’ organised by University of Madras, Queen’s University (UK) and PRIA (New Delhi), Chennai, November 5-7.

8. Pellissery,Sony(2008)“CommodificationChallengesorSkillDeficiencies:WhatAils Prospects of Rural Tourism?”, Paper presented at ‘Tourism & Labour: Opening Vistas and Emerging Challenges’, MGLI, Ahmedabad, December 18.


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9. Pellissery, Sony (2008) “Do Shapes of Networks Matter for Development?”, Paper presented at ‘International Conference on Social Network Analysis’, TISS, Mumbai, December 26-27.

10. Shylendra,H.S. (2008) “BuildingAModelMicrofinance Institution: TheCaseof Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services”, Paper presented at the ‘Workshop on MFIs: Legal Framework and Transformation’, organised by Sa-dhan , Pune, September 7-8.

11. Shylendra, H.S., Veerashekarappa and Guha, S. (2008) “Financial Inclusion and SHG-Bank Linkage Programme: A Comparative Study of Karnataka and Gujarat”, Paper presented at the ‘National Conference on Microfinance andFinancial Inclusion’, organised by INAFI, Chennai, September 15.

12. Singh, Pramod K. (2008) “Governance and Policy Issues in Spatial Data Infrastructure in India,” Paper presented ‘R & D 2008: Geospatial Technologies in India- Challenges and Opportunities’, Ministry of Science and Technology, GOI, New Delhi, December 22-23. This paper was awarded the Best Paper Presentation Award (Rank 2)

13. Singh, Pramod K. (2008) “Governance of Spatial Information in India: Framework and Research Directions”, Paper presented at ‘XXVIII INCA International Congress’, Gandhinagar, November 4-6.

Conferences/Lectures/ Panel Discussions/Talks/Workshops

1. Prof. Ajay Dandekar attended the Conference on Land Reforms Organised by the National Institute of Rural Development at Hyderabad during October 4-5, 2008.

2. Prof. Ajay Dandekar participated in the Regional Workshop on the issue of Denotified Tribes in India. Organised by the New Education Group at Puneduring November 12-13, 2008.

3. Prof. Ajay Dandekar was invited to give the key note address in the conference on Translating Bhasha at Vadodara on December 24, 2008.

4. Prof. B. N. Hiremath attended the International Conference on India- Africa Co-operation for Sustainable Food Security organised by ICAR and IFFCO Foundation at New Delhi during November 10 - 12, 2008.

5. Prof. Harekrishna Misra chaired a session on “Simulations and Modeling” at the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Singapore (IEEM) during December 8-11, 2008.

6. Prof. Harekrishna Misra served as a moderator for “National Consultative workshop on Telecentre Networks for Strengthening the Capacity of Telecentre Managers” organised by Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity & MS Swaminathan Research Foundation at New Delhi during October 1-2, 2008.


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7. Prof. H.S. Shylendra attended the conference on Strengthening NEREGA: Roundtable with Social Science Research Institutes organised by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India at New Delhi on November 11, 2008.

8. Prof. H. S. Shylendra was invited to deliver a talk on “Review of Literature : Meaning, Significance and Methods” at UGC sponsored Workshop onDevelopment of Higher Competency in Social Work Research Methodology, organised by Sardar Patel University, VV Nagar during October21-22, 2008.

9. Prof. Sony Pellissery was invited to speak on “Poverty in Hierarchical Societies: Facts and Perceptions” at the Research Consortium on Shame of Poverty organised by Oxford University on October 31, 2008.

10. Prof. Sony Pellissery was invited to speak on “Qualitative Research Methods” for UGC Sponsored National Workshop organised by Sardar Patel University, VV Nagar on October 21-22, 2008.

Publication: Journal Articles/Cases

1. Badhani, K. N. (2008) “Explaining the Volatility of Aggregate Stock Returns in India with Markov-Switching-Regime ARCH Model”, Metamorphosis (IIM Lucknow), 7(2), pp. 177-201.

2. Badhani, K. N. (2008) “Long Memory in Stock Returns and Volatility in India: A Non-Parametric Analysis”, ICFAI Journal of Applied Finance, 14 (12), pp. 34-53.

3. Badhani, K. N. (2008) “Return and Volatility Spillover between US and Indian Stock Market”, NICE Journal of Business, 2 (1-2), pp.1-16.

4. Pellissery, Sony (2008) “Social Hierarchies, Economic Inequalities and Interpersonal Relationships: An Overview from India”, Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 2 (2) pp. 243-59.

5. Pellissery, Sony, Bino Paul, G. D., et al (2008) “Educational Attainment of Youth and Implications of Indian Labour Market: An Exploration through Data”, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 51 (4), pp.813-30.

Publication: Book Chapters

1. Pellissery, Sony and Bino Paul, G. D. (2008) “Jobless Growth to Inclusive Growth: Employability as an Alternative Planning Strategy” in J. R. Dholakia (ed.) Perspectives on Inclusive Growth in India. Hyderabad: ICFAI University Press.


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Publications: Article/Book Reviews

1. Misra, H.K. (October 2008, ACM Computing Review), “An Innovative WorkflowMappingMechanismforGrids intheFrameofQualityofService”,Kyriazis D., Tserpes K., Menychtas A., Litke A., Varvarigou T., “Future Generation Computer Systems”, 24(6): 498-511, 2008. Type: Article, Review ID#: CR136156, http://www.reviews.com.

2. Misra, H.K. (December 2008, ACM Computing Review), “Practical Support for LeanSixSigmaSoftwareProcessDefinitionUsingIEEESoftwareEngineeringStandards”, Land S., Smith D., Walz J., Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Pr, 2008. 412 pp. Review #: CR136359, http://www.reviews.com.

Management Development Programmes

1. “NaturalResourceManagementandConflictResolutionwithSpecialReferenceto Forestry” coordinated by Prof. Pramod Kumar Singh during October 13-17, 2008 was attended by 15 IFS Officers across India.

2. “Training on Productive Safety Net” coordinated by Prof. HS Shylendra & Prof. Mukul Kumar during October 13-20, 2008 was attended by 12 Government Officials of Ethiopia.

3. “Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation in Action” coordinated by Prof. Sony Pellissery & Prof. BN Hiremath during November 4-7, 2008 was attended by 15 professionals from various NGOs in India.

4. “Finance andAccounting forMicrofinance Institutions” coordinated by Prof.Shiladitya Roy, Prof. Paresh Bhatt & Prof. KN Badhani during November 10-13, 2008 was attended by 15managers from various financial institutions& NGOs from India & Bangladesh.

5. “Water Resource Management: Strategies and Practices” coordinated by Prof. Ajay Dandekar & Prof. Sony Pellissery during November 11-14, 2008 was attended by 14 professionals from various NGOs in India.

6. “Management Appreciation Programme for Voluntary Agencies (VOLAG-MAP)” coordinated by Prof. Madhavi Mehta during November 17 December 12, 2008 was attended by 24 development professional from various NGOs across India, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka.

7. “Marketing of Liquid Milk for KMF Officials” coordinated by Prof. ArvindGupta & Prof. Preeti Priya during December 8-12, 2008 was attended by 13 marketing managers from KMF and its affiliated unions.


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8. “Conference on Issue before the Finance Commission: Empowering the Panchayati Raj Institutions” coordinated by Prof. HS Shylendra & Prof. Vivek Bhandri during December 22-23, 2009 was attended by 46 professionals & academicians across India.

Consulting

Valsad District Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd. (Vasudhara Dairy) initiated Compensation Review and Restructuring in October 2008. Prof. Madhavi Mehta coordinated the project with involvement that involved review of the compensation data for last five years and the Milk Union’s growth during thesame time period. The review and restructuring exercise will be carried out in a participatory manner where the members of the employees association will also play a very active role.

Prof. Madhavi Mehta has also taken up Compensation Restructuring project for the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme -India (AKRSP-I) in the month of November, 2008. The project involves review of the existing compensation structure and the changes in the compensation structure as well as organizational structure. It is also envisaged to introduce performance linked incentive component in phased manner as part of this exercise.

Nominations

1. Prof. B.N. Hiremath has been nominated as Member, Board of Governors, Jaipur Rugs Foundation, Jaipur.

2. Prof. H.S. Shylendra has been nominated as Member, Board of Studies in Banking & Insurance, MS University, Vadodara.

3. Prof. H.S. Shylendra has been nominated as Member of the Technical Advisory Group for preparing Curriculum for the Integrated Course on Microfinance and Development, Indian School of Microfinance for Women,Ahmedabad.

IRMA PUBLICATIONS

Working Papers

WP-208: A Preliminary Scale for Measuring the Market Orientation of Non-Profit Organisations in India by Pratik Modi and Debiprasad Mishra, October2008.


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IRMA SEMINARS

Thursday Afternoon Series Seminar

1. Prof. Ajay Dandekar, Associate Professor, IRMA delivered a seminar on “Spring in Thunder?” on October 10, 2008.

2. Prof. Etienne Gilbert, Professor Emeritus at Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva delivered a seminar on “After the Green Revolution Agricultural Prospects in Asia” on November 24, 2008.

3. Prof. Gerry Rodgers,Visiting Professor, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi & Former Director, International Institute for Labour Studies delivered a seminar on “After the Crisis: How can Globalization Boost Employment and Development?” on December 29, 2008.

4. Prof. Sony Pellissery, Associate Professor, IRMA delivered a seminar on “Subjectivity in Peer Evaluations: Identifying Reciprocity using Network Analysis” on October 20, 2008.

FPRMPaper Presentations

1. Kumar, T., Misra, H.K. and Mishra, Debiprasad (2008) “Decentralization and E-Governance in Indian Context: A Case Based Study”, Paper presented at ‘International Congress on E-Governance’, IIT, New Delhi, December 18-20.

This paper also got the Best Paper award in the theme of “Critical Issues in E-Governance-Intergovernmental Issues”

2. Pellissery, Sony and Prajapati, Keerti (2008) “Subjectivity in Peer Evaluations: Identifying Reciprocity using Network Analysis”, Paper presented at ‘International Conference on Social Network Analysis’, TISS, Mumbai, December 26-27.

3. Prajapati, Keerti and Pellissery, Sony (2008) “Networks in SME Cluster: Blend of Cooperation and Competition”, Paper presented at ‘International Conference on SME Social Responsibility and Opportunities at the Bottom of the Pyramid’, ISED, Cochin, December 5-6, 2008.

4. Modi, Pratik (2008) “Market Orientation of Nonprofit Organizations: Conceptualization, Scale Construction, and Impact on Performance”, Paper presented at the Doctoral Colloquium organised by the Strategic Management Society of India, ISB, Hyderabad, December 12-14.

Publications: Book Chapters

1. Mishra, Pradeep Kumar, “Changing Nature of NTPF Trade: A Study of Bhakhar Area of Abu Road Block, Rajasthan”, Insights from the Field: Studies in Participatory Forest Management in India, New Delhi: Winrock International India, 2008.


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ANANDPRESS,A

NAND•anandpress@

gmail.com

Publications: Journal Articles/Cases

1. Mishra, Pradeep Kumar (2008) “Water Harvesting and Recharge: A Misinterpretation”, Economic and Political Weekly, 43 (48), pp. 110-111.

2. Modi, Pratik (2008) “Vanraj Mini-Tractors: Is Small Beautiful?”, Asian Case Research Journal, 12 (2). pp. 141-160.

PRM

Field Work 2008: Closing the Books to Activate Brains and to Sensitize Hearts

Fieldwork for PRM29 and FPRM7 began on September 29 in nine states of India. The students were involved in the interactive learning process in the states of Rajastan (Bikaner), Uttar Pra-desh (Etawah & Sultanpur), Uttaranchal (Uttarkashi & Pauri Garhwal), West Bengal (Malda & Darjeeling), Orissa (Ganjam), Maharashtra (Nandurbar), Kerala (Wayanad), Bihar (Muzaffarpur), & Andhra Pradesh (Adilabad). Host organisations those facilitated the stay and field learning this year in these states were Urmul Trust, BAIF, Research,Advocacy & Communication in Himalayan Areas (Rachana), The Rajadighi Community Health Service Society (RCHSS), Gram Vikas, URAVU, ADITHI, and Centre for Collective Development. Through these host organisations, the students stayed in 33 selected villages in the above mentioned districts.

The students stayed as pairs in most cases, and in some exceptional cases in groups of three. During the fieldwork of two months, each student 1) prepareda report profiling the details of the village in which they lived during the twomonths, 2) studied a theme which is specific to the context of village in whichthey lived, 3) involved in problem solving rural action that is of immediate concern to the host organisation and 4) carried out field component of collaborative re-searchwith facultymembers at IRMA.Upon return from the fieldwork, througha week long seminar, the students presented their findings and lessons beforethey moved on to the second term of their programme of study.

Visitors to IRMA

Important visitors to IRMA during October- December 2008 included the Director, Institute of Business Management and Administration, Ahmednagar; twelve senior defence officers from the Centre for Defence Management, Hyderabad;a six-member delegation of the Board of Management, Karnataka University of Animal Sciences; a four-member delegation of the Bodoland Territorial Council and the Vice Chancellors of Kerala and Chattisgarh Universities.

In addition 658 students and 35 faculty members of 15 different educational institutions from all over the country visited IRMA during this quarter.

network - institute of rural management anand · anand. 2. choudhary, kameshwar (ed) (2007)...

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