By Aditya Gautam
Durgeshwari and Anil are young cooperative entrepreneurs with a hopeful vision of the future. Having just completed a week of displaying their products at the NCUI Haat and interacting with customers from Delhi, they are ready to go back to their native village in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh and share their experiences with their friends and acquaintances associated with NCUI’s cooperative project in the area.
Both Durgeshwari and Anil make products like colorful bangles, a variety of soft toys, and decorative flower pots which they have brought with them to display at the NCUI Haat. Of course, they are not alone in their efforts. The making of these products is done within the framework of a self-help group known as ‘Jai Maa Jwala’ self-help group, which is located in the Musafir Khana block in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh.
When asked about their sales in the past week, both say that their overall volume of sales has been average, but it is not the revenue that they are focused on. Not this time at least. As Anil mentions, this is the first time that they have brought their products to be sold to urban customers. Their mission on the first visit is to learn as much as they can about the tastes, choices, and wants of urban customers.
Even though interacting with customers of an urban profile is new for them, they exude a sense of confidence and curiosity rather than being apprehensive. Their faces lit up when they discuss all that they learned during their one week of being in the Haat and talking to customers.
“The people from urban areas have different tastes from people in villages. We are trying to learn how we can bring in products next time which will be tailored to the expectations of people in Delhi” says Anil.
When asked about what differentiates urban customers from those in the village, Durgeshwari says, “People in urban areas are looking for novelty and exclusivity, they expect something different when they visit the NCUI Haat. They are looking for products, patterns, and designs that are not readily available elsewhere, whereas people from the village has simpler demands.”
The bangles that they brought have been their most in-demand product at the NCUI Haat. Anil mentions that these bangles have been made by refurbishing old bangles and carefully decorating them with ornamental designs. Almost all of the work-related to bangles is done only by the womenfolk of the village, according to him. Both are eager to go back to meet them and discuss all that they learned during their week-long stay at the NCUI premises in Delhi.
Durgeshwari says that while they started their endeavor way back in 2014, they have only been associated with NCUI since last year. The association with NCUI has been fruitful not only for them but for several people in their village thanks to the initiatives taken by NCUI to strengthen the Cooperative Movement in the country. She goes on to elaborate that many people in her village, particularly young people between the ages of 20 to 25 years have benefited from the grassroots level programs started by NCUI. So far, NCUI has held training programs in the areas of handicrafts, jewelry making, and beautician training in the area.
Both Durgeshwari and Anil reserve their biggest praise for the NCUI Haat initiative. In Anil’s own words, he says “The fact that we are able to display the products created through our self-help group at such a prime location in the heart of the capital of the country really gives us a big boost and helps us feel confident about the future of the cooperative movement in India.”
A clarion call for ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ given by the Government, cooperatives, and self-help groups all over the country have received much-needed positive reinforcement and are more hopeful than ever of receiving further support not only from the government but also from various cooperative organizations.
It is through the examples of people like Durgeshwari and Anil that we come to know about the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of people involved in the cooperative movement throughout the country. If the cooperative movement has to be strengthened, then we must listen to the people at the grassroots level and bring their stories and products into the limelight, which the NCUI Haat has done quite admirably. If we are successful in empowering people at the grassroots level, then nothing can stop us from realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ and unifying the country through the values and principles of the cooperative movement.
(Author is Junior Editor and Communications Officer, National Cooperative Union of India)