VAZARDA

Vazarda is a small village of southern Gujarat. It is 14 k.ms. away from Vyara, a major

town in Tapi district of Gujarat.

The village is spread over an area of 20 KMs, with the main road (National Highway 6)

passing through it and connecting 7 other villages.

One of the very important rivers of India, “Tapi” which flows from east to west India,

empties itself in the gulf of khambhat, which is near Surat and has been dammed (UKAI

DAM) at Songadh.

The Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) is a nuclear power station situated at a

distance of 10 KMs from the village. It began commercial electricity production in May

1993. It also has a township built amid the premises.

The Village shares an approach road (NH6) with 7 other villages, which thus remains

busy with vehicles and people. Also the Tapi river coast being near to the village, there is

a constant traffic of trucks going back and forth for collection of sand. Many residents of

vazarda get employment at the sand collection site as well as the KAPS.

Vazarda is home to 2350 people as per govt. census, with a majority of population from

Scheduled Tribes. The village has a total of 658 Households out of which only 7

households are of non-tribal community (SC).

Vazarda village has a majority of people belonging to Scheduled Tribes with low literacy

rate and not a very sufficient economic condition. People living here are basically

involved in labor work mostly at agricultural and construction sites. Many families who

are slightly better off own small pieces of land. The land owing people have houses in

their fields and thus a scattered housing placement is seen in the village. This leads to

formation of long distances between houses and hamlets in the village and roads in the

interior of the village are unfavorable for vehicle driving. Entire village has kuttcha roads

and thus inside the village most of the people are found walking to travel from one place

to another.

Housing is diverse. One can see mud-wood houses and cemented brick houses in the

same hamlet. Other amenities like Electricity is available throughout the village but

people have been facing a problem with irrigation facilities. Only some part of the village

is being provided water for farming, others have to take single crop during monsoon. This

is because some parts of the village (3 hamlets) are nearer to the canal that passes through

the Ukai Dam and thus availability of water is easier, and other hamlets of the village are

higher from the Canal’s level and also far from the dam and thus water does not reach

those areas and bores have been constructed in those areas to avail water.

People are majorly not adequately educated to find jobs with good earnings. Education

doesn’t hold much significance in the minds of people of Vazarda. There are 3 primary

schools in the village but no secondary school. Higher education is available almost

15kms away from the village, but because of low frequency of buses, students face a

problem of transportation and as a result of which higher education is squandered in most

of the families.

The Village is divided into 10 hamlets (called Fadiya / Faliya in local language) namely;

VadFaliya (Banyan Tree)

AmbaFaliya (Mango Tree)

NishalFaliya (School) (BathiFaliya)

DadriFaliya (Hill)

Ashram Faliya

VachliFaliya (Central)

AmbliFaliya

TakliFaliya (a small place of water from land)

Patel Faliya (Chief)

Kotwalia

Except for the KotwadiyaFaliya all other Faliyas have a mixture of Chaudhari, Gamit and

Parmar community staying. Kotwadiya community has a separate fadiya which is at the

farther end of the village and almost seems left out from the local hustle bustle.

Community Sketch

Primarily three communities residing in the village are;

Gamit

Chaudhari and

Kotawadia community

Commonly, Population from the Gamit and the Chaudhari community is more, making

the Kotwadiya community the smallest subgroup of the village. Also if the profiles of the

communities are compared, Gamits and Chadharis are almost equivalent in terms of

financial and social position, while Kotwadiya community is lagging behind due to less

recognition and bad economic condition.

It has been noticed that involvement of the communities, in any activity whether it’s a

matter of gram panchayat or some other general issue, is very rare.

Another common feature among all 3 communities is that they have a headman known as

Vaddil (elder person) who is obeyed and respected by all the members of the community.

He considered as the representative of the respective communities.

These tribal communities speak their own dialect, for instance Gamit tribe speaks as

“kaikao to ra?” which means “what are you doing?” and for the same phrase, chaudhari

people would say “kajakartoiye raa? andkotwadiyas would say “kayketohora (Kaiketo)?”

OCCUPATION / LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES:

People of Vazarda are primarily agricultural labourers. The most important agricultural

produce of the village is Paddy, Jowar and Udad (Black gram dal). Most of these people

do not owe land; they work in other farms as laborers including women. They are

employed for farming activities like sowing and harvesting, but they have to remain

unemployed in monsoon season after sowing is over. And so they look for work at

construction sites or at the township.

Here people have to work every day to get food for the family, and the land laborers

manage to get 80 Rs. Per day per person

They are also engaged in construction labor in construction sites of nearby towns. Many

women are working at the KAPS Township as house cleaners.

Some people also work at the stone excavation. The male members do strenuous physical

work, but even women have to get engaged in heavy activities at the stone quarry.

Women also have to fetch time for collection of wood as fuel for cooking as Gas facility

is available only to those who can afford it.

Some families (majorly Kotwadiyas) are also involved in animal husbandry and are

supplying milk to the dairy on a regular basis.

Those who are educated tend to move to Vyara for a properly paid work and come to the

village occasionally. Their families continue to reside in the village.

Gamit&Chaudhari: They are more or less equivalent as they consider. They do not feel

hesitant in visiting, eating at each other’s places and even marriages are happening

amongst the two communities.

Essentially consumed foods include rice, dal, roti(wheat, jawar, rice, Vegetables like;

brinjals , potatoes , onions, ladyfinger. Also non vegetarian foods such as chicken, mutton

and fish and they also practiced hunting in earlier times. One peculiar thing about their

food habits is that they don’t consume milk, and also do not allow their children for the

same, the reason for this is many of them are involved in cattle rearing and are selling

milk to the dairy, so they themselves do not consume milk as it is their occupation.

Religion: They worship nature but as far as religious faith is concerned this community

believes in Christianity which can be seen in forms of pictures and crosses in their homes

and around their necks.

Monetary position of this community is good. Although most of them are basically

dependent on labor work and animal husbandry, one can see more than just basic

amenities in their homes such as motorcycles and televisions.

In all families both males and females are found working as a result of which children are

made to stay at neighborhoods or left with grandparents. They give money to the children

so that they can buy and eat whatever they want when parents are not around.

Kotwadiya Community has a completely different culture and traditions. They dress up

in traditional tribal clothes; old people wear white “DHOTI” and women wear sarees.

They are only dependent on the bamboo craft as they make different instruments from

bamboos, which are used in the houses for different purposes. But they have to walk a

long distance to go to the forest to find bamboos and females are also going with them

and even staying in the forest when required. They sell the bamboos and wood but they

do not ask for money but only foods. Implies which that they are economically not very

better off. Also socially and even politically they do not hold much authority. This is

visible in the map also showing that they are staying in the last corner of the village. They

are mostly dependent on their own work as they are landless; therefore they have to go

out to get work for their family.

With the intention of laying down animal husbandry as an income generating option for

the Kotwadiyas, cows have been given to them. Govt. has been giving importance to their

traditional craft making activities and thus required things have been provided to them so

they can seat at home and work.

They believe in joint family as they are mostly seen living together. Most Kotwadiya

people are illiterate and getting married at an early age. It becomes apparent these

communities do not mingle in general stream as their lives in terms of customs, religion,

rituals, beliefs, and standard of living are totally different from the other two.

Anganwadi Center 1

Functioning and Perceptions of people.

AWC-1 is one of the oldest institutions in the village. AWC 1 covered all beneficiaries of

the village because there was only this one AWC available earlier. People from all

communities were coming to this AWC.

It is noticeable that this AWC was specially built for the Kotwadiya community earlier.

But no children from Kotwadiya community are coming here or to the other AWC.

It’s very easy to mingle with the people of the village if we are behaving in a casual

manner and not taking any written notes. People of the village are fed up of surveys

happening in the village, because they do not get anything in return. Talking to some

people about the AWC, it was known that few years back the AWC was a thriving

institution. Even the AWW did not require going to each household to pick up and drop

the children. Every family was sending their children to the AWC everyday without fail.

People say that the reason for this was during those days acquiring meals for the family

was a very difficult task and when AWC was introduced as an organization providing

free meals to the children of every family it was considered as a blessing.

Present day, the situation has changed. People are providing a variety of foods to their

children and by no means need to be dependent on the AWC for this requirement. So, in

the face of this aspect, AWC losing its other roles of child care and a pre school

education center, makes it a place which is not considered in the daily schedules of

majority of the people.

Also the maintenance of regularity of the AWC has become difficult. The AWW is not

present most of the days and her dependence on the AWH has increased. When there is a

function or a marriage in the village the AWC remains closed. Many times there are

holidays in the AWC without any purpose.

The AWC keys remain with a neighboring shop, and so the AWC opens even if the

AWW/ AWH doesn’t come. The AWH notifies people as soon as she comes, but when

people don’t hear her voice, they don’t send their children. People usually come to know

when the AWC is not going to function.

Parents are not sending their children regularly to the AWC. They are not annoyed even

if the AWC remains closed because they are not sending the children readily or out of

some intention.

Perception of people is that AWC is a govt. institution so it’s the responsibility of the

AWH to come, collect the kids and then drop them back. If that is not happening they do

not bother to go and drop their children at the AWC, if they need to walk and go.

An average of 10-15 children can be seen usually in the AWC out of which sometimes

some children would not be belonging to the beneficiary age group.

The village overall faces a problem of water which also affects the AWC.

Children bring their own food from their homes also which they eat if the AWW has not

turned up on time or while they are waiting for the meal to be cooked and served to them.

There is a small provision shop just beside the AWC, so children buy small packets from

the shop and eat while sitting in the AWC. When they come to the AWC, they first go to

the shop then come to the AWC.

Most of the children coming to the AWC are belonging to households that are situated

nearby to the AWC.

Role of childcare and role of escort are two issues working here. The motivation to send a

child to the AWC depends on many factors out of which these two are important ones.

The primary function of an AWW becomes documentation and reporting of daily

accounts as the helper is doing everything else.

Timings : The AWC opens at 8 am by the helper and the AWW comes by 10 or 11 AM.

By the time the AWW comes, most of the work at the AWC is over, completed by the

AWH and only documentation remains. Sometimes the attendance of the children is

noted after the children have already left.

Sometimes it is felt that except for the provision of 2 meals no other activities are being

done in the AWC.

The distribution of THR is also not very systematic and also not according the norms.

Demand of sheero is more. They do not like balbhog. But sheero is consumed by many.

Food provided to the children also appears to be less in quantity. Fruits they don’t give in

full, in the form of pieces and milk is given in Milliliters. Food being a major motivation

for the children to come to the Anganwadi, loses that importance when the quantity and

quality are not taken care of.

Anganwadi Centers and the People

Resistance has been observed all over the village in sending the children regularly to the

AWCs. Different views and perceptions regarding the functioning of the AWCs and also

on the Anganwadi workers come out which explain the presence of not even half of the

enrolled children in the AWCs.

Expectations of the people:

Of a carrier- Anganwadi center, in the earlier days was largely providing vaccination to

children. This was carried out by, going to each household and giving the vaccine. People

in the village are still habituated to this system and have a mindset that it is the AWCs

responsibility to go to every household and deliver the service. So this, they are expecting

in picking up and dropping the children and also in the distribution of THRs.

Issues of safety are linked to this, because as discussed earlier many families are staying

at a long distance from the AWCs and they find it unsafe to send their children alone, as

they themselves cannot spare time for the same owing to their work schedules.

This is not being fulfilled by the Anganwadi workers, as they also tend to carp about the

long distance.

Of preschool education- People also want their children to be getting pre school

education in the AWC. But if that is not happening they do not feel it very important to

send the children. Observation and multiple visits have shown that the only activity

happening in the AWC1 is of meal provision. In AWC 2 efforts to teach the children

some fundamental education such as alphabets, names of animals, names of body parts,

identification of coloursetc are being made.

Of better food- An acute remark noted during chats with the people was,” The food that

AWC provides our children, we can also give, in fact we can give better than that, then

why we should be sending our children there?” For the families who are not strong

economically are happy with the provision of cooked meal to their children, but those

who have a good purchasing power and a better standard of living do not find it a reason

to send the children to AWCs.

AWC 2 IS BETTER THAN AWC 1

- A comparison by the People justifying their expectations

This is the reflection of the beneficiaries. Every year children are selected by the KAPS

township English medium primary school. From the AWC 1 only one child was selected

while from AWC2, two children were selected. The KAPS township school is considered

to be providing good education. They visit the Anganwadis and select children whom

they find intelligent, take their interviews and admit them into the school

The worker and helper at AWC2 are more careful about the language the children speak.

They try to make them speak gujarati rather than their own dialect. This does not happen

at AWC1, due to which the children do not learn any other language of communication

apart from their own. More of chaudhary community children coming to AWC 2 and

they speak gujarati so gradually Gamait children coming also start speaking gujarati.

While in AWC 1 mostly Gamit children are coming.

Also the AWC 2 is more regular in timings and attendance than the AWC 1. An average

of 10-12 children are coming in both the centers. But when the DDO came for a visit, the

number of children in the AWC 1 was 30 and also in AWC 2 more number than regular

strength was observed.

It is also generally observed that children coming to AWC 2 are belonging to better off

families. Many of their parents are educated and having a good economical background.

They are working at the township. While in AWC 1, children are not so well off.

An important Personal observation is parents are coming to drop the children at AWC 2,

which has never been observed at the AWC1. The worker at AWC1 is found to be

somewhat alienated from the village, or with people who she doesn’t find appropriate.

People have reported her being more courteous and friendly towards educated and

economically well of families.

Also AWW 2 also doesn’t allow the children to eat outside foods. If children have

brought snack packets she keeps them with her and hands it over to the child while going

back. She makes it a point that the children eat what is being provided in the AWC.

In this context the behavior and approach of the AWWs become a very important aspect

in inducing the parents to send their children to the AWCs

The Abscond

AWC1 has a majority of Gamit children coming and AWC2 has a mixed population of

Gamit and Chaudhari children. Both the AWCs are located away from the

kotwadiyafaliya.

Kotwadiya children are enrolled in the AWC 2 but they seldom turn up. Also during

special days like vaccination or mamta divas they are rarely present. The reason given for

this was that their fadiya is located at the farther end of the village. They have to walk a

distance of about 1-1.5 KMs to come to the center.

This has also become a reason of drop in the provision of services to the kotwadiya

community. Earlier the AWW used to supply cooked meal to the community, which was

supposed to be for the enrolled beneficiary children. But this provision use to draw entire

families and there would be arguments and fights related to the distribution. The worker

was ordered to stop the meal and only provide the THRs. For the meals they are asked to

come to the AWC but they don’t. Most of them are supplying milk to the dairy, which is

just beside the AWC 2 where they come twice daily. But they do not come to the AWC.

Functional faults

The AWC 2 was earlier to be build inside the village in some faliya, but the supervisor

did not let it built in the interior of the village as it would be difficult for her later on to

make visits in monsoon season as the village would get muddy. Therefore, the AWC was

built just by the road. This decision made by the supervisor for personal convenience,

which on the long run is preventing many parents from sending the children to the AWC

as the road traffic becomes a concern.

Sometimes the AWCs remain without proper stock of raw material. Due to which the

cooking of meal is not done properly. Once the diminished stock of oil had led to

preparation of only boiled foods and served to children. This continues for a long time.

Children may lose interest in consumption of same type of foods everyday and also

initiate a feeling of dishonor among the parents.

AWWs manipulate the enrollment of the malnourished children and adolescent girls.

They record a less number than what is actually present in the village because they have

to give more time after malnourished children, monitor its weight and growth and also

take the child for medical check up whenever required. So the work of the AWW

increases and so actual number is not registered. Less number is recorded.

Both the AWWs do not make home visits, which are very important to keep the people

motivated to send their children to the AWC, Or at least to stay connected. They would

go only if they have to inform the people about vaccination or any other programs.

Summary of Indepth Interviews

VADFADIYA: Last fadiya of the village, Only Gamit community residing here.

1. A small Kutchha House, husband and wife living with 2 months old daughter Merry.

The house was neat and clean and having facilities like television, motorbike etc and all

other necessities. Male called Bindubhai is a labour worker and works at construction

site. The couple showed resistance for audio recording of the interview. Bindubhai owns

land (2 bigha) but due to lack of irrigational facility he can take only a single crop in a

year, in the monsoon season.

The female is breastfeeding the child but doesn’t know how long to BF the child and

would continue as long as the child would require.

About AWC, both husband and wife had an affirmative attitude saying that AWC is a

place where children can learn something and develop. They said they liked AWC-1

because it gives learning opportunityto the child so that the child can easily mingle with

other children and there is no problem when the child goes to the school. Pushpaben also

said that she got guidance from AWW regarding health care and breastfeeding of

children, which did not seem true because she did not know how long to breastfeed her

child. She also did not know about what complementary feeding should be stated for her

child

Pushpaben is receiving Balbhog, Shiro and Upma packets from the AWC and had

received packet of Iodine salt during her pregnancy. She liked the test of Shiro. But for

Balbhog, she said it tasted good only till it remained hot. And about Upma she said that it

tasted good sometimes and not always. She doesn’t like it when it becomes too spicy.

2. A medium sized Kutchha house, 1KM away from the approach road. A family of 5

people with a baby girl of 2 ½ years. Husband not owing land and thus the family

depends on labour work. There is a problem of water in this fadiya which she was

explaining. Even during her pregnancy she had to go to fetch water. There are five hand

pups but none of them functional and so she has to go to the panchayat water tank to

fetch water, which is 1 KM away from her house.

About the AWC, the lady said that she likes Anganwadi because it has a purpose of

learning and getting social knowledge. She added that the child goes to the Anganwadi

center to learn and general understanding of society so that the child can mingle with the

other children. But at the same time she was showing hesitance towards sending the child

to the AWC. She said that her child is 2 and ½ years old and still ½ more year is left to

send the child to Aganwadi but there is problem of the frequently moving trucks on the

main road as and secondly the distance from this fadiya is almost 2km away from the

AWC and she herself cannot come to drop the kids to the AWC ,otherwise she may lose

the day’s work.

She stopped breastfeeding the child at the age of 10 months and since then the child has

been eating all regular home food like roti (wheat, jowar), dal, rice, vegetables and also

non vegetarian foods. She informed of not being given any THR packets except for

Balbhog. She used to receive 7 packets of Balbhog per month, which did not used to get

over so she used to give it to the neighbors or feed it to the animals sometimes.

About the AWW and she said that the AWW worker comes to her place to give food

packets sometimes and never otherwise. She also informed that the AWW worker

provides heath guidance as to how to deal with pregnancy and delivery. But what has

been observed by far and what comes out of the knowledge of the beneficiaries does not

indicate that the beneficiaries might be receiving such guidelines from the AWW. Only

on MAMTA Divas such information is provided and that too if the child or the mother

has been losing weight. Otherwise general awareness about health and nutrition among

the mothers is low.

TAKALI FADIYA

1. A big house nearby the road. There is a bricks manufacturing factory just behind the

house and only two more houses around. The family has a 3 and a half-year-old boy child

and a 9 months old daughter. The lady is 10th grade educated while the husband has not

attended school. They are living with their parents who are also working. This lady is the

only person who remains home to take care of the children. The men are working as

laborers at Tapi river.

The house was not furnished and things were seen lying on the mud floor. Grass collected

for feeding the animals was also kept inside the house and inner partitions in the house

were made of bamboos.

This family owns land and can take multiple crops as irrigational water is available in this

fadiya, so they take crops like sugarcane, groundnut, paddy, jovar etc.

The lady expressed fear on sending the kid to the AWC as the main road has traffic of

trucks passing by. Also nobody else from her fadiya is going to the AWC so she is not

willing to send her son alone.

The lady has received and consumed all the THRs. But the availability of the same has

not been regular. Most of the times she has been receiving them when she goes for

vaccination on Mamta divas. She added that she did not like the taste of Balbhog and

Upma so they are not making it at home. She also added a peculiar detail that the taste of

these packets was different every time.

The 9 months old kid was being breastfed presently but the elder kid was breastfed only

till he was 6 months old and after that he has been consuming the regular food.

According to this woman, the Anganwadi is built with purpose of giving education to the

children so that the child can learn something, which can be useful in his life. Also she

said that the Aganwadi worker is very good and taking care of kids very well but her kid

does not like to stay alone at AWC without her and she is not able to accompany him

everyday and so not sending him to the AWC.

2. A family of 5 members and a girl child of 3 years. They live in a newly built kutchha

house in their own land. They are taking multiple crops like, Sugarcane, Groundnuts,

Javar, Paddy, Tuver, Channa etc. This house also gets located just besides the road.

The lady is a graduate from South Gujarat University and at present is working with

‘MadhyahanBhojan’ at the Primary school. Her husband works in the farm and also at the

Tapiriver

Their house was well set up and having facilities like a television. They also had a motor

bike. Noticeably, the family comes under the BPL category.

Conversing with the lady she had expressed a grumble about the water problem in the

village. She had said that there is always a problem of fetching water in summer seasons

as some time they have to walk a long distance to fetch the water from the well. But there

is a hand pump nearby her house and from there they use water to drink.

She did not know her child’s present weight to which her husband had complained that

she does not take her child to the AWC, not even for vaccinations and weighing. To

which the woman had informed that her kid doesn’t like to go to the AWC but sometimes

she sends her along with her uncle’s daughter.

Her kid appeared to be underweight. She did not appear to be bathed and was wearing

torn dirty clothes.

She informed that she had stopped breastfeeding the child at the age of 6 months and was

giving foods like dal water, rice, Gravy of Javar, and water of rice etc. And the present

situation is that her kid likes pepsi and wafers from the shop a lot. And she is also

consuming all regular home made food including non vegetarian foods.

Coming to the topic of AWCs and utilization of SNP, it was obtained that the lady has

been receiving 7 THR packets per month from the AWC 2; AS 4 packets of Balbhog, 2

packets of Shira and 1 of Upma.. She had added that the taste of BB was not good and it

smelled like medicines. She had prepared BB at home once but due to the smell she

stopped preparing it and started feeding it to the cattle. She also doesn’t like the taste of

Upma but likes Shiro.

Her kid has been enrolled at the AWC 2. According to her AWC is a place where kids

can mingle with each other and understand the society. Also that school going becomes

eay for a child if he/she has been attending the AWC. She said that the kids can make

habit of staying at AWC if the kids go regularly.

She said that AWC-2 does provide pre-school education and also nutritious food at but

also added that they also make same food at home. Infact, the food preparation practice

at AWC2 was not good sometimes as it was made without oil which spoiled the taste of

the food. Also she thought that proper cleanliness was not maintained and if these two

points would be considered then more people would be coming to the AWC.

She personally was not sending her child to the AWC because of the trucks running on

the road. She is not able to accompany the child every time and so is not willing to send

her alone. She added that she was ready to send the kids regularly if the AWW would

come to receive the kid at home.

KOTWADIYA FADIYA

1.A big mud house, neat and clean separated into two rooms. One family with 3 kids is

staying here. 2 kids are enrolled at the AWC 2 but their names have been removed by the

AWW as they are never attending the AWC. The mother is not aware of the age and

weight of the children.

The mother has been breastfeeding her children for more than 1 year of their age. Now

the children are eating all regular home food including non-vegetarian foods.

She or the children have not been receiving any food packets from the AWC. She also

said that she likes the Aganwadi center but she is not able to send their kids because of

the trucks running on the road and also it is far the kotwadiya community and they get

tired of walking. Another reason was, “no one goes from our society therefore we are not

sending our kids to the Aganwadi center