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| Victorious Strides on an Innovative Development Track -2 |
Ponpularies’ White Revolution
Vinoy’s jeep is the milk carrier for more than four hundred families. That reaches Randupalam junction near Thodupuzha at 6.30 every morning and there waits Binu with his autorikshaw. He distributes the milk in the locality around and completes his mission before 7.30. He has been doing this for the last three years.
This milk carrier comes from a small village, Uppukunnu near Udumbannoor, 30 kilometres away from Thodupuzha town. The vehicle starts before 5. 30, and even before it covers one kilometer, the milk distribution starts. The milk, fresh and pure and sealed in glass bottles is only for those who waits at the roadside. Because they have to go long within the time limit. The vehicle before reaching Randupalam, stops at Peringassery, Cheenikkuzhy, Udumbannoor, Karimannoor and Pattayam Kavala for milk distribution. After Randupalam, it distributes the milk bottles at Undaplavu, Mangattukavala and Thodupuzha town.
It is Kudumbashree which turned Uppukunnu, a tribal settlement with an 80% scheduled tribe majority, into a milk-village. The name of the unit which consists of ten hard working women is ‘Ponpulari Nature Fresh Milk Unit.’ (Ponpulari means Golden dawn).
The Milk-maids of Uppukunnu
It was on the 15th of March 2009 that the Ponpulari Fellowship or JLG (Joint Liability Group) took birth. Some of the members had already been in the field of cattle breeding. The whole story changed when these women came to hear of the Kudumbashree Nature Fresh unit which distributed pure fresh milk in glass bottles in the houses in towns. A plan to supply milk in Thodupuzha town which can be reached in one hour formed soon.
Ponpulari JLG came into being as six from Pulari group and two each from Aiswarya and Sahrudaya NHGs joined together. The rest of it, as the secretary Mrs.Tigi Ananthan said, developed quickly.
Project preparation, excellent training including that in Mattupetty, construction of scientifically designed cattle-shed, excellent breed of cattle and all other equipment - Money was needed for everything. But who would lend money to those who did not have even a title deed for their land? All of them had just primary education. Just because of Kudumbashree’s strong backing, Indian Bank granted a loan of rupees six lakhs. The veterinary doctor Madhu who was also in charge of the district mission took the initiative for getting all help. There were subsidies and financial aid from their Panchayath.
It was with twenty nine bottles of milk that the project began. Over a period of four and a half years, the daily milk-supply has grown up to 420 to 450 bottles. It is Rs. 29 for a 650 milliliter glass bottle of milk. Nobody bothers about a little too high price for a bottle of unadulterated, fresh milk.
The balance milk after the daily distribution is given to local Milma societies, though the price is not enough. Earlier, the group members were producing butter milk and ghee. But they stopped this because of lack of time. Out of ten, only seven members are active in the group.
Brand of Excellence - Nature Fresh !
Kudumbashree gives strict instructions to its members for the proper care and hygienic maintenance of the cows. Stickers with the name of the cow, the unit, phone number and the brand name are pasted on the clean bottles of ‘Nature Fresh’ brand milk distributed in various parts of the state by Kudumbashree women. This identification tag is to ensure the quality of the product distributed. There is also regular testing of the milk and check-up for the cows.
This success not so easy!
Once, the only income of these women was from their pepper plants. But the plants were affected by Quick wilt and destroyed. It was then the Ponpulari JLG started their white revolution.
It is not so easy to maintain two or three milch-cows and to distribute the milk in time. The secretary of Ponpulari Mrs.Tigi Ananthan herself has nine cows. Those husbands who were at first doubtful about the project joined their wives as they saw the big income coming from the venture. Some employ even assistants. This does not matter, Mrs. Tigi Ananthan says, as there are those who earn monthly up to Rs. 75000 from the sale of milk. It must be remembered that they did not have even Rs. 50000 as annual income.
The hard labour of these ‘milk-ladies’ begin as early as 2.30 A.M. To start with it is the cleaning of the cow-shed, (There is a code of conduct even for this.) followed by the milking, the bottling of milk and the pasting of the stickers. They must be ready to be loaded on the vehicle which reaches before 5.30.
Every month one among the members becomes the manager taking up the charge of account keeping. Another member takes up the charge of sales and cash collection and goes in the vehicle for milk distribution.
Mrs. Ananthan assures that anyone ready to work hard and to maintain quality and hygiene is sure to make ‘Nature Fresh’ milk project a great success. Those who are in it feel sad about the reluctance women still show to come into this in spite of seeing their success.
The team members like Mrs. Tigi Ananthan are proud of the fact that a least developed and unnoticed locality like Uppukunnu has turned into a very developed place because this project of Kudumbashree lighted a small lamp of prosperity and today it is ever a festival here where there was none once. Now their project is also famous as a model for local development and women empowerment in the state.
The ‘Susthira’(stable) success of Soumya
Soumya talked sitting in her house which glittered with the newly paved polished floor tiles. Her face silently proclaimed her pride: “Yes sir, I got all this through my hard work.” Her voice expressed her self confidence which helped her meet many challenges and finally brought her to the shores of success.
It was in Alagapanagar in Thrissur that I met Soumya. Many were the problems staring at her when she began her life with Biju of Puthiyamadom Aynikkamoola. Biju is a carpenter by profession. Theirs was an inter-caste marriage and the problems of isolation added to their woes. It was Kudumbashree which brought their struggling life to the right track. When Susthira Nature Fresh milk unit was begun in the village four years ago Soumya too became one of its members.
It was with two cows that she began; now there are three. Once she even had four cows.
When hard work got its reward she grew more enthusiastic. Soumya says that getting things in order is the only difficulty. Today she has companions in plenty- three goats, some rabbits, two guinea pigs and two Pomeranian dogs.
Fifty-five women find their living through Susthira. Ten groups consisting of five women each are in cattle breeding. One group is in charge of sales. Like Soumya, those who have written success in the project also have stories to tell about how they won back their lives.
‘Susthira’ finds market for its milk in the flats and housing complexes in Thrissur city. 320 bottles of milk on an average are supplied at a price of Rs. 28 for each bottle. Even on harthal days they do not fail to supply milk.
To get the milk bottles ready to be loaded on the vehicle that reaches before 4 A.M. one has to get up at 2.45. Soumya says that is just a matter of habit and she finds relief in the fact that she can always go back to sleep once the milk van leaves.
Soumya’s life with her husband and two children is contented; the attitude of the other members of the unit is also not different.
The Over-flowing ‘Milk Pot’
It was in 2007, Kudumbashree began the Ksheerasagara(Ocean of milk) Nature Fresh milk project in 2007 with the idea of forming a fellowship of women for rearing milk-cows. First unit was started in Idavetty Panchayath in Idukki district and later in Kulamavu, Alagappanagar, Kannadi, Uppukunnu, and Thidanad and it succeeded everywhere.
Nature Fresh Milk Project was suggested as an alternative for the more than ten lakh litres of milk bought by Kerala from other states - made germ-free chemically and days old. The contribution made by this cattle breeding project to the agricultural heritage of Kerala is also not small.
Recognizing the excellence, Nature fresh milk project was included in the ‘hundred day programme’ of the Kerala government. The suggestion was to select two panchayaths each from every district and to spread the project. Accordingly hundreds of women in 22 villages have taken up this project for a means of living.
It is Kerala’s good fortune; the number of milk-maids at dawn is on the rise.
(To be continued…)
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