PAHAL

A CSR Quarterly

Issue 3 | FY16-17

pg. 1

Two-hour walk ends years old vision problem

A two-hour journey on foot left sexagenarian Abhimanyu Nayak gasping, but the air was of

relief. The walk ended up in giving back the 63-year-old his “complete vision”.

Cataract left Abhimanyu, a marginal farmer, blind in one eye. In October 2016, he reached a

MESU (Mobile Eye Surgical Unit) camp in Jharkhand’s Noamundi walking from his native village

Gobardhanpur, in Odisha. Post-surgery: he walked out seeing the world from his both eyes,

something he was experiencing after over three years.

“Yes, given my age, it was quite a straining walk,” says Abhimanyu, adjusting the black glasses

he received at the camp after the surgery. “But, at the same time, I was quite relieved that the

camp will restore my complete vision,” he adds.

Abhimanyu’s agrarian activities follow traditional lines, limiting his harvest. Limited produce

spells limited earnings, which, at times, are not enough to support his family of five, including

his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. “In view of financial constraints, I decided to come

down to Noamundi walking,” reasons Abhimanyu, who owns around 2-acre of land.

Abhimanyu sounds indeed relieved when he shares that the “complete vision” will be of great

support to his wife, too. Paralysis struck his wife over two decades back. “Since then she is

pg. 2

confined to bed and completely depended on me. Now, I will look after her in a better way,” he

says.

What started with blurred vision in Abhimany’s left eye years ago, left him with no vision at all

in the eye. “Initially I ignored the hazy vision. But after turning blind in my left eye, I really got

worried,” recalls Abhimanyu.

He didn’t know that the eye

problem he faced was due to

cataract and needed a pair of

safe hands for surgery.

Limited resources didn’t

allow him to see “big, city-

based doctors”. In search of

relief, he landed in the clinic

of a quack, which he refers

to as “chhota doctor”. “He

(quack) would give Rs 50

medicines for a month. It

continued for four-six

months. During this period

my problem aggravated and I

couldn’t see anything from the left eye.”

Abhimanyu’s vision loss would hit him hard, especially in farming and selling the produce. “With

one-eye, I couldn’t take up cultivation the way I use to do with both eyes functioning. I would

make a real mess of the sowing exercise,” he recollects. Life threw more challenges with the

care he had to take for his ailing wife.

He got to know about MESU following mobilization drives carried out by TSRDS in and around

Noamundi.

Now with his complete vision, Abhimanyu is all set to spread the word about MESU. “Yes,

definitely…Many aged people like me in the village are facing vision problems. I’ll tell them not

to waste much time and approach the camp. After all, the treatment will not cost a single

penny to them,” smiles Abhimanyu.

pg. 3

Green College Kolabira showcases innovative rural trades

Green College Kolabira—a joint initiative of Tata Steel Rural Development Society and German

non-profit Welthungerhilfe—hosted an exhibition on innovative concepts in farming and allied

activities, at Tribal Culture Centre, in Sep 2016.

All 11 Green Colleges in eastern India,

including Jharkhand, West Bengal and

Odisha, participated in the exhibition.

These colleges train rural communities

to enable them earn dignified

livelihoods at their native places.

Exhibits on integrated farming,

indigenous ways of increasing yield,

floriculture, plate-making from Siali

leaf, etc. were displayed at the stalls.

Goods made by SHGs trained at Green

Colleges were also put on display. From handmade mats to designer bags to snackable snacks,

all got its takers at the exhibition.

Farming implements and models used by Green Colleges for imparting training in rural trades

were also showcased at the exhibition.

Capt. Amitabh, Head – Skill

Development (CSR), Tata Steel, Mr.

Debashish Chatterjee, Sr. Manager – Skill

Development (CSR), Tata Steel, Mr.

Anshuman Das, Programme Manager,

Welthungerhilfe, Kolkata and

representatives from Green Colleges

were present on the occasion.

Green College Kolabira is an initiative

TSRDS has taken in partnership with

Welthungerhilfe to impart training on

rural trades.

pg. 4

Archers from hinterlands shine at archery tournament finals

Budding archers from Jharkhand and Odisha aimed for the bull’s eye at the finals of Tata Steel

Archery Tournament, held at JRD Archery Ground, Jamshedpur, on Nov 29.

As many as 170 budding archers—both boys and girls—from hinterlands of the two states

participated in Under-14 and Under-16 categories of the tourney’s finals.

A total of 45 archers, including the winners and runners-up, who performed impressively in the

finals will

undergo training

at archery camp

by Tata Archery

Academy (TAA),

which has

produced archers

of both national

and international

repute. Besides,

Tata Steel will

also facilitate the

entry of these

archers to selection trials organised by TAA and other prominent archery academies in the

country.

The tournament-cum-selection trials, which started on 19th October 2016, drew nearly 2,400

budding archers, mostly hailing from Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC)

communities.

Padmashree and ace archer Ms. Deepika Kumari; Ms. Purnima Mahato, Dronacharya Awardee

and Coach, Tata Archery Academy; Mr. G. M. Sharan, Head, Urban Services; Mr. Amit Tirkey of

Empowerment; Mr. Kausar Ahmad Sports Coach, CSR; and team members were present at the

finals of the tourney.

pg. 5

Farmer’s pond makes `green ripples’

Men clutching a dibba (tiffin) and leaving home early for work is nothing new for Dalapani village. Its native, Rajesh Soren (55) also starts early with his fellow men, but without the dibba. Minutes after setting off, Rajesh and his village men part ways. While Rajesh halts by his field and gets engaged in farming operations, the villagers continue and move out of Dalapani—to work as labourers at urban construction sites.

Rajesh’s journey is not only shorter but fruitful too. Lunch with family, returning home on time and, most importantly, a source of dignified livelihood, Rajesh counts the benefits of farming he enjoys, but several of his village men can’t. The tribal farmer, who heads the family of five, including three sons, owns around 4-acre of land and relies only on farming for livelihood. Interestingly, like Rajesh, many villagers possess a sizeable portion of land. Still, these ‘land owners’ step out of the village to take up physically strenuous jobs that come at paltry wages. Why? Surely, it cannot be by choice. “They have failed to use their land judiciously,” answers Rajesh. “Their farms can also support crops like mine. Then they will not have to go out of the village in search of livelihoods,” adds Rajesh. Just by trading vegetables he cultivated within a span of one year, Rajesh made a clear profit of Rs 1.5 lakh. So, why are the villagers on the back foot when it comes to farming? “They may have

pg. 6

ample land, but they don’t have a reliable source of irrigation like mine,” explains Rajesh. A 100X110 feet pond on Rajesh’s land gives him an edge over most of his fellowmen. While agriculture keeps occupied Rajesh throughout the year, many of his village men turn to farming only in monsoon. “It’s the period when they grow mainly paddy. But with erratic rainfall patterns, many among them have now completely dissociated from farming. They go out of the village in search of livelihood,” informs Rajesh, who majorly grow vegetables. Patches of paddy he cultivates are for his family’s consumption.

The pond is `breeding’ an additional source of income for Rajesh, who is utilizing the water body for pisciculture also. Weeks after getting the pond, Rajesh released fingerlings into it. Having already sold 1 quintal of fish that fetched around Rs, 12,000, Rajesh is very clear about the next lot of around 25 quintals of fish he would be supplying to the market. “At that time I had just started pisciculture, so I charged Rs 120/kg. This time, it won’t be less than Rs 160/kg. I

have studied the (fish) market,” he asserts. The pond serves as a round-the-year irrigation source. “It helped me to have a bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflowers, cabbages, beans, bottle gourds, bitter gourds, etc,” says Rajesh, who is assisted by his second son, a school dropout like him, in farming. His eldest son is into a private job while the youngest is in class 12. In May 2014, TSRDS facilitated the construction of Rajesh’s pond by involving a women group. Though Rajesh has always been a full-time farmer—even before pond was constructed—his profit margins increased only after the water body was dug up. “15 quintals of cucumbers, 15 quintals of tomatoes, 6,000 cabbages, 3,000 cauliflowers, sacks full of bottle gourds, bitter gourds and beans, that’s what all I sold following the recent harvests. It all because of the pond that I have nearly doubled my profit,” shares Rajesh.

pg. 7

Study fillip for tribal students

Want of money will no longer scuttle the educational journey of these academically bright, but

poor SC/students. Thanks to Moodie Fellowship.

Tata Steel awarded Moodie Fellowship to 104 students from low-income families at Tribal

Culture Centre (TCC), Sonari, in December.

Calling upon the students to pursue their educational goals wholeheartedly, Mr. Biren Bhuta,

Chief, CSR, Tata Steel, disbursed the scholarship amount worth Rs. 15 lakh. All the recipients of

the fellowship hailed from East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts

of Jharkhand.

Since 2006-07,

Moodie Fellowship

is being given away

to poor, but

meritorious SC/ST

students pursuing

professional science-

stream courses like

B. Tech, MBBS, Bio-

technology, M.

Tech, microbiology,

MCA, etc.

Anju Biruli, a first-

year student of B.Sc. IT, who was interested in enrolling for a special course on cyber security,

said the scholarship couldn’t have come at a better time. “A short-term course on cyber

security would soon take off in my college. But the course fee was something that held me back

from pursuing the course. But now with the scholarship amount, I’ll be able to enroll it,” said

Anju, daughter of a farmer.

Lalita Kumari, another recipient of the scholarship who is pursuing B.Tech (Biotechnology) from

NIT, Rourkela, said that she would be using the amount for buying reference books. “I will work

hard to ensure I continue getting this fellowship throughout my higher studies,” added Lalita,

who is keen to take up some research projects in future.

pg. 8

Best gift!

Banasmita’s joy knew no bounds when she got selected

as an Assisstant System Engineer by Tata Consultancy

Services. A resident of Kankadpal village in Sukinda block,

Banasmita Parida is a final year student of MCA course at

Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT), Sarang,

Odisha.

It was the culmination of a long journey Banasmita had

made since her school days to become a software

engineer. She is one of the five daughters of Mr Prahallad

Parida, a farmer whose annual income is barely Rs

50,000. Her father tried to give the best education he could to all her daughters. Her all three

elder sisters have been married off and her only younger sister has completed graduation.

Banasmita has been a meritorious student since her school days. In 2014, she cleared Odisha

Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) and was selected for the MCA course at IGIT, Sarang, one of

the top 10 institutes in Odisha. She knew that her father would not be able to fund her studies

and apprehended that she might not be able to take admission. So she made a deal with her

family and close relatives. She held a meeting of her parents, sisters and brothers-in-law and

requested them to give her the money which they would have spent on her marriage one day.

She made it clear to them that she would not expect and ask them to spend a penny for her

marriage. Thus, she arranged Rs 48,900 from her parents and relatives.

But it was not enough. Her first year’s educational expense was Rs 70,900. There was no other

source left for her. She was sad. And then she saw a ray of hope thinking about Tata Steel. She

reached Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) office at Sukinda Chromite Mines one

day. She explained her acute need. Realising her situation, officials of TSRDS extended the

much-needed support to her support by provided the remaining amount. Similarly, she was

supported in the second year too.

She says, “My dream was to become a software engineer with TCS. It has come true. It wouldn’t

have happened had I not been able to arrange the required money. Without Tata Steel’s

support I don’t know how would have I managed. My parents have sacrificed all their comfort

for me and my sisters. My father is in his 70s. He still has to work in the field. I don’t like that.

The first thing I am going to do is to ask him to stop that. My life’s first priority is to take care of

my parents. Everything else is secondary to me.”

pg. 9

Making youth employable in Kalinganagar

Turi Purty, a youth of Bhalukantia village, has

a regular job of skilled bar-bending worker at

a housing project by JUSCO (Jamshedpur

Utilities and Services Company) in

Kalinganagar. It was not the case three

months back when he used to work as an

unskilled labourer and his job was not regular.

He was one of the 14 youth of Kalinganagar to secure jobs following the 45-day training on bar

bending at PARFI (PanIIT Alumni Reach For India) training centre at Bangala near Duburi. JUSCO

offered jobs to them at one of its ongoing projects as skilled bar-bending workers. Tata Steel

selected the youth for the said training as per the requirement of JUSCO and sent them to the

training centre of PARFI, a partner organisation of Tata Steel Rural Development Society

(TSRDS).

The 45-day training not only imparted technical skills of bar bending but also instilled discipline,

safety skills in youth like Turi. It was a residential training, so all the candidates stayed together

at the centre and the days were full of activities from dawn to dusk. Aside from theory and

practical classes, the youth also were engaged in sports, yoga and physical exercises.

The second batch of 11 youths, who have been sent to the centre, is undergoing training. After

completion of their training they would also be given placement by JUSCO at the same project.

Turi says, “I had nothing to do after matriculation. I wanted to earn money so I desperately

looked for some job. But without a skill, the wage earned is a pittance. When I came to know

about the training programme on bar bending from an official of Tata Steel Rural Development

Society, I realised the importance of training. Within a couple of days, I was at the training

centre. The training was very good. The days were full of activities. All the candidates lived

together and it was a memorable experience. We knew we would be given placement after

completing the training. So, we learnt the skills with dedication. I am happy that I have started

working and am thankful to Tata Steel for making this happen.”

pg. 10

Residential Bridge Course (RBC) Centre: Shelter for resurrection

It was a hot summer day when Ashamati

Munda came to stay at the residential

bridge course centre in Joda being run by

TSRDS through its partner organisation

ASPIRE, a Delhi-based NGO, since April 2016

under its `Thousand Schools Project’. A class

5th dropout, the 13-year-old girl had no idea

that the centre would not only fill her

education deficit but also help her make

new friends. She had nobody in the world. Her parents and elder brother had passed away.

Six months of rigorous bridge course and her dedication towards study rekindled confidence in

her for admission in Class 8th in a government school. In October 2016, she was admitted in

Joda Valley Girls’ High School.

She says, “The RBC centre has been a blessing for me. I got things back that I had lost, i.e.

education, love and fun. I have no one in the world except the girls and didis at the RBC centre.

Wearing uniform and re-entering a school was a wonderful moment for me. I love computers

although I haven’t touched one yet. In my school there is a computer classroom. I am eagerly

waiting for my turn to learn computer skills. My dream is to get a job and work on computer

one day. I know how alone I am in this world and how indispensable a job is for me. My goal is

to get a job after study.”

The RBC centre for girls was started in Joda block in April 2016 with a total of 73 dropout and

never-enrolled girls. So far two girls have been enrolled in government schools following

completion of the bridge course. There are six full-time female staffers deputed at the centre.

Of them, one is the in-change of the centre, two are teachers and the other three are in-charge

of the kitchen. Children call them didi.

Tata Steel launched the five-year Thousand Schools Project in November 2014. The project

targets to cover 1000 schools in six blocks of Odisha across Jajpur, Keonjhar and Sundargarh

districts. RBC is one of the important components of the project. A total of nine RBC centres are

being run presently in which 534 children are residing and taking part in the bridge course. So

far, 184 children have completed the bridge course and been enrolled in government schools.

pg. 11

Sheragada to St. Petersburg

Nikhil Maharana used to say to his friends that he would make

it big one day. And he proved it. This boy from a small village in

Ganjam district of Odisha has set foot in cities to realise his

dream from Vijayawada to Mumbai to St. Petersburg in Russia

where he presently works as a chef in Hotel Park Inn. He is just

24.

His love for food began in his childhood and it continued to

grow parallely with his age. He learnt the basics of cooking from

his mother. He helped her at home and later worked voluntarily

with different catering service providers who cooked at feasts

on the occasions of marriage and other social gatherings in and around his village.

He was never interested in studying. He managed to complete his higher secondary education

and then put a full stop to it. With an intention of generating income, he started a cyber café

but soon realised that it was not his cup of tea and thought to make a career out of his passion,

i.e. cooking. He was in a restless state of mind when officials of PACE Skill Development Centre,

Sheragada, Ganjam, met him and told him about the food production course at the institute.

PACE Skill Development Centre is an initiative of Tata Steel being run in partnership with

Pratham, a reputed NGO. Taj Hotel is the knowledge parter for the centre.

Taking admission at PACE Skill Development Centre was a solace to Nikhil. The centre gave him

the platform he needed to take off for a career he dreamed of every night. After completion of

the two-month training he got an opportunity to work with Hotel Taj at Vijayawada. He

grabbed the chance and built on it. After working for six months, he joined Leela Palace in

Mumbai. His friendly nature and hard work opened door of international career for him in a

short span of time. He got a job with Hotel Park Inn in St. Peternburg in Russia with a pay

package of Rs 75,000 per month.

He says, “There is no shortcut to success. Dedication and hardwork is the only rule. But yes, one

do need a platform. In may case, PACE centre provided me that. I worked hard to improve my

communication skills along with the trainining on food production. I will not stop in Russia. For

me, sky is the limit now.”

So far a total of 340 youth (14 batches) have completed training on food production at PACE

Skill Development Centre of which 230 are presently working with different star hotels across

the country.

pg. 12

Silk route for better life

Two young men are busy harvesting tasar cocoons in a three-acre Asan tree forest patch in

Panganal village, a few kilometers away from Bamnipal. They – Narsing Ho and Sipren Balmuch,

aged around 28 years – have been rearing silk worms for the past three years. They belong to

the Ho community and have found a new interest in sericulture which, they believe, could give

them a better life.

Being jobless after

completing an ITI

course in Kalinganagar,

Narsing was forced to

work as an electrician

on call. On the other

hand, his friend Sipren,

who has never been to

school, used to work

as a truck driver at

chromite mines in the

region. Both were not

happy with their jobs

which were risky and

uncertain.

About his driving job,

Sipren says, “There is no peace… only dust and noise. Also, it is very dangerous. I never liked it.”

Narsing echoes his friend’s thoughts by saying, “I have attended some interviews. But job is

hard to come by. I have little hope that I will get a technical job in a plant.”

One day, they along with some other villagers mooted the idea of tasar rearing in the forest of

Asan trees, near their hamlet. They knew that many people were growing silk cocoons in the

peripheral villages of Bamnipal. The region has thick vegetation of Asan and Arjun trees, thus

becoming suitable for growing silkworm. So, they reached the office of Tata Steel Rural

Development Society for help and guidance. Officials of TSRDS not only got them trained by

experts from Central Silk Board (CSB) but also extended material support in the form of nylon

net, gumboot, sprayer, hand saw, pruning saw, tarpaulins, medicines, etc.

pg. 13

In 2014-15, they bought

2 kg eggs from a private

grainage and reared

them in the three-acre

Asan forest patch after

clearing the unwanted

bushes from the area.

Rearing of silkworms

from egg to cocoon takes

three months, i.e. from

October to December. In

three months, their total

income was Rs 57,500.

Next year, they decided

to produce eggs by

setting up their own

grainage room with

nylon net. In 2015-16, they produced 1.65 kg eggs and reared them. However, due to bad

climatic conditions, it didn’t go well. Also, some of the group members withdrew from the team

effort. The income was only Rs 14,000.

In 2016-17, only Narsing and Sipren were left in the group who wanted to do tasar rearing. By

then the two had started liking the profession and were determined to take it forward. This

year, they have reared 1.75 kg eggs and done very well. The harvesting season is at its peak.

With their prior experience they estimate that their income would cross Rs 60,000 this time.

They say, “We enjoy doing this work. We can do this by being with our families. It is profitable,

safe and permanent. We are also planning to expand the coverage area. Our only concern is

that we remain unemployed from January till August. If we can do some other income-

generation activities during the period, then everything will be fine. We are mulling over it.”

pg. 14

content and curation : asit | bhesaja | rishi