Punarchith

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Our Story

Up to date (August 2018) the following activities are being conducted: LEARNING AND RESOURCE CENTRE: A small resource-cum-learning centre has been set up in Nagavalli (72 kms from Mysore). The centre serves as a resource centre for children, youth and those interested in sustainable agriculture and resource management. A demonstration plot showcases growing of vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants. Rain water harvesting, compost and natural pesticide production are also demonstrated here. A mini library has been set up and books are issued. The centre also serves as the classroom and learning site for the Integrated Learning Programme. Over the years, the centre has conducted short programmes for youth (Yuva Chetana) in various parts of the district and in some parts of Karnataka. INTEGRATED LEARNING (SAMAGRAHA KALIKE): a seven-month course for rural youth focuses on enabling them to lead meaningful lives in the rural areas instead of migrating to urban centres. The four components of the course include: (1) Livelihood: Agriculture and Ecology (2) Social Issues (3) Citizenship Orientation (4) General Skills: English, Computers, Accounts, and Kannada. The course draws on the pedagogies of place-based education, critical and reflexive thinking, social transformation, and integrated knowledge. Three cycles of the course have been completed and the fourth one began on June 22nd, 2016. Teaching-learning materials and new pedagogies for engaging with youth have been developed and can be shared with other institutes and education departments. IMPACT OF THE ILP: Eleven youth (eight boys and three girls) have reclaimed their land and are cultivating it through sustainable practices. Two of the boys have been employed in sustainable agriculture farms and outlets. Many of them are attempting to engage with public issues in their areas/hamlets. WATIS (Wipro Applying Thought in School, a unit of WIPRO), Bengaluru is currently supporting the ILP programme and the Network and funds will cease in February 2017. ILP NETWORK or RURAL YOUTH COLLECTIVE: Some alumni from this course have formed a network and the process of organizing them into a production co-operative has begun. In addition to supporting each other in their fields (sharing labour and seeds), the network members are also engaged in value-added production of their agricultural produce. Network members are selling their produce to organic food/grocery outlets in Mysuru and products such as paper bags and home-made soap are also being sold. Plans are to develop a full-fledged production unit, to be run as a co-operative or farmer producer organization. Produce will include pulses, millets, vegetables and value-added edible produce. Currently, the network members are undergoing training to cultivate a variety of millets in their lands. Funds are required to sustain this programme over the years; to broaden it to include learners from outside the district, to make it into a residential programme and to provide continuous support to learners until (maximum two years) they are able to stabilize. THE MILLET OR ‘SIRI DANYA’ PROGRAMME: Initiated in July 2016, this programme draws on the idea of revitalizing the local area (near Nagavalli village and its environs)’s dry grain complex. This is an endeavour to address the erosion of local, dry agricultural practices and to include new methods and orientations that can address issues of sustainability, climate-preparedness, and integrated rural economies. Dr. Dwijendranath Guru is the advisor and key resource person for this endeavour. Currently, work with 12 youths in 12 different plots in the area is underway. Separate funds are required to make the Millet Programme into a full-fledged program with larger out-reach and network. HOME GARDEN PROGRAMME: focuses on enabling women and young girls to engage with cultivating vegetables, fruits and medicinal herbs. The course seeks to encourage food sovereignty, health and nutrition awareness and provides a space for women to come together as a collective. Sunita Rao and members of VANASTREE (Sirsi) act as key resource persons. An annual open house (called HITALA HITA or ‘Strength of the Garden’) day for village residents and for parents of the ILP learners is held. Learners showcase the home garden, water harvesting systems, compost and organic pesticide production, and display the vegetables and grains that they have grown. A small seed bank (mostly of local vegetables and cereals and pulses) is functioning. Funds are required to sustain this programme over the coming years. In addition to the promotion of millets, local pulses, and vegetable cultivation will be encouraged. Processing and value-addition of the millets will be linked to the youth’s collective. CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME: The PUNARCHITH learning centre has a small library with books and games and is open to children of 6 years and above. Creative reading, art, games and learning sessions are conducted every Saturday afternoon for children. Summer camps and interaction sessions including drama and reading programmes have been developed. A small scholarship and emergency fund has been created to provide support to youth (especially girls) who want to continue in higher education and for children in distress (death of parents, major illness, accidents, trauma etc). This programme is supported by funds contributed by Kala and R.Sunder of Bengaluru. Only funds for supporting children/youth who want to continue higher education or for specialized training are required. LAND RESTORATION AND BIO-DIVERSITY CONSERVATION: PUNARCHITH has recently purchased a piece of land (a total of 6.75 acres) in the Nagavalli panchayat area and work on restoring the land (currently severely eroded and without water) and developing it into an agricultural bio-diversity conservation cm demonstration/learning centre has begun. The land was purchased from funds that the PUNARCHITH team members had generated from their personal income and awards. Funds are required to develop the land including rain-water harvesting, seed bank, and basic facilities. Out-reach programmes for farmers, youth, and women are planned. The land will also be used for demonstrating the cultivation of dry grains as part of promoting the ‘dry grain complex’. COMMUNITY LEARNING MOVEMENT: PUNARCHITH also engages with this approach to youth and community empowerment, with Shri Dileep Kamat acting as the key resource person. Sessions on this have been conducted for a group of Soliga youth in the Hanur belt and plans are to continue to engage with this. Attempts are also being made to address issues of waste management, sanitation, and water conservation in the Nagavalli area. Discussions have been held with the village panchayat members. OUTPUTS AND OUT-REACH: PUNARCHITH members engage continuously in sharing materials and ideas with others. Members participate in seminars, lectures, and discussions related to enhancing policies and governance. Outputs from the ILP include: a primer on social issues (in progress); a Kannada-English lexicon of social terms; documentation on rural life and agricultural issues; profiles of youth and their life. Members have published in newspapers, journals, and books. FUTURE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMES: Plans are to initiate three new programmes that will tie-in with work in the area. These include a programme for urban youth who are interested in agricultural and ecological issues (and an overall orientation to a life of responsibilities); a research and writing support programme for young scholars interested in rural and agricultural issues; and a programme to serve as a catalytic site and organization for fostering alternative ideas in agriculture, education, and a range of themes (architecture, conservation, health etc).