HK

Hum Kisan

During the early years of his stay in Jhiri, Devendra gathered a small group of concerned individuals who started collectively thinking about and discussing the problems that they were facing. In 1992, they mobilized the farmers and labourers in the region against corrupt practices in the processing of the IRDP (Integrated Rural Development Project) loans. The protests led to the manager of the concerned bank being punished and the irregularities being set right. This was the beginning of the Sangathan called Hum Kisan with volunteers from 10-15 villages.

In Manohar Thana there existed a strong nexus among politicians, businessmen and moneylenders. In 1993-94, Hum Kisan set up the Tendu Patta Cooperative and broke the monopoly of 3-4 families over this business. This helped in raising the minimum wage of labour from Rs.11 to Rs.32, earning an annual profit of Rs. 3 lakhs (Rs.300,000) for 250 families till 2002, and greatly reducing the dependence of the people on the highly exploitative moneylenders.

The sangathan does not have a formal membership but has volunteers from more than 50 villages. In 2006 Hum Kisan played a leading role in the region to spread awareness about NREGA and later in 2008 actively participated in the social audit of NREGA (Hum Kisan and NREGA). The basic ideology of Hum Kisan has been that poverty is not made by God but by human beings, and that it can be overcome. Over the years the sangathan has been primarily involved in struggles for effective governance against corruption and irregularities in government schemes as well as in raising a voice against communalism and regressive cultural practices through the effective use of theatre and folk songs (Youth Theatre Group, Broadening Cultural perspectives: Kabir Programme). The Library Initiative under which small libraries have been set up in 11 villages works in conjunction with these efforts to create a society more aware of thoughts and ideas from all over the world.

Manthan School

Manthan is a community school that started in 2001. It was envisaged as a space for children to get quality education, and at the same time get introduced to a new way of thinking and living. Initially Devendra and Sudhi tried to mobilise the people to try and protest against teacher absenteeism and the other deep rooted problems in the government school in Jhiri. Seeing that the situation was not improving, they decided to do what they could i.e. start an ideal school of their own. This they did with the enthusiastic support of a few volunteers of Hum Kisan who came forward with contributions in the form of 200 bricks, 5 bamboo poles and 5 days of labour each to help build the school. Manthan started with 13 children and in 2010-11 there were 140 students enrolled in classes from nursery to 10. Education for girls is free and residential facilities are available for boys and girls. Leading by example, Devendra, Sudhi and the other staff have tried to create an environment where there is no discrimination on the basis of gender, caste or religion. All the children are equally encouraged to participate in academics, music, theatre, and sports, as well as in cleaning, cooking and other chores.

Children from Manthan who have undertaken Matriculation Exams from the National Open School have shown 100% pass results in comparison to 30% from other government schools. The performances of the girl students have been especially commendable. (Girl Students of Jhiri) Along with academic excellence, Manthan seeks to develop a sense of social consciousness in each child making her/him believe that she/he can make a difference. Many of the past students of the school, who are now young adults are active in the Hum Kisan Sangathan and the Handloom cooperative, and others have taken the perspective they have gained at Manthan into other realms. Thus Manthan instills the values of the sangathan in the new generations and gives them the time and space to interpret and internalize them in their own way.

Adarsh Handloom Cooperative

The handloom cooperative is an economic activity that gives an alternative means of earning to the many who are unable to make their ends meet with agriculture alone. It was felt that along with the approach of protests and struggles that were being carried out by Hum Kisan, it was equally important to initiate developmental work. The Adarsh Handloom Cooperative was set up in 2004 and now has 20 looms with 30 families being involved in it. It is currently breaking even. The emphasis has been on weaving high quality pure cotton cloth. Equally important has been the participation of all the weavers in the decision making process. Considering that a majority of them are women, this has also been an empowering experience for them in a society entrenched in feudal norms.