Kuldip Maity

Every year, the Durga Puja festival showcases the skills of Bengal’s sculptors, artisans and potters. Sculpting idols of the deities has been a traditionally nurtured art has crossed the ages and gone beyond the boundaries of land and sea.

Such is the fame of our sculptors, not only those from Kumortuli or Potters’ Colony in Kolkata, but also from other parts of state, that community puja organisers from distant lands place special orders for idols.

VFS has been fortunate enough to be the source of strength for many women sculptors. A visit to their workshops becomes a trip into history.

Sumitra Debi Pandit, a VFS customer, makes idols, figurines, birds and animals. Born into a potter’s family, Sumitra had a thorough knowledge of the art of making such small idols.

When Sumitra got married, her new residence was Panchudanga in Purulia. While Purulia is famed for its culture and the Chhau dance, its residents lack access to formal financial institutions.

Sumitra and her husband, a potter himself, had led a humble life with their son and daughter. After the wedding of their daughter, the Pandit family found themselves in debt. This cast a shadow over their son’s education.

Although Sumitra had the expertise to make dolls and figurines, they did not have the capital to scale up. With much apprehension, the Sumitra and her husband visited the railway town of Adra. While walking around, a banner caught their eye. It was outside the Village Financial Services branch. She stepped inside to ask for more details. She came out a VFS customer. Very soon, she was taken into a JLG and the loan sanctioned.

Thus was born a new sculptor in town, whose small idols of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Hanuman became the talk of the town. Not just idols. Her small animal figures, decorative terracotta Diwali lamps became much sought after products.

The Pandit couple worked round the year to meet the demand for their clay toys and other items at the fairs that were held during the festival season.

The result had been more than rewarding. They cleared all debts, saved money for their son’s higher education and most importantly, could finally live the reality of financial stability.

One feeling that pops up in my interactions with VFS clients is “amazement”. Our women entrepreneurs have been treating the pandemic, the economic instability and future uncertainties like a walk on the beach. But this is just my opinion; I am sure that this was the outcome of iron-willed determination and labour.

The COVID19 lockdowns have hurt numerous industries, some more severely than others. Some have managed to get back on their feet; others have set a new course. However, one industry has been quietly increasing revenues, particularly during the lockdown.

On September 3, 2020, the BBC website published an article captioned “India’s kite-makers see sales fly during lockdown.”(1)

During the lockdown, some people sang on their balconies, started blogs or vlogs or rediscovered their hobbies. Many Indians found themselves flying kites on their terraces. According to the BBC article, a kite trader from Delhi saw stocks worth Rs 1.50 lakh sell out in one day, by the evening of March 25, when India went into its first lockdown.

In India, people usually fly kites around Makar Sankranti, Independence Day, Pongal, Basant Panchami and Vishwakarma Puja. The lockdown altered the entire routine.

Recently, I had a chance to ask one of my customers about kite sales. Samina Bibi, a kite-maker from Barddhaman in West Bengal, agreed that sales had soared.

When Samina was contacted by VFS’s headquarters, she had just returned home after despatching an order. It was a big consignment destined for another state. Samina had never imagined selling kites outside her hometown, let alone another state.

The lockdown had not been kind to everyone. Samima’s husband was forced to shutter his tailoring shop. For the first time, he had to worry about making ends meet.

Samina, on the other hand, saw sales of kites soar. Orders kept pouring in. She had been making kites for 20 years and had never seen such robust sales.

Samima now needed money to buy raw materials on a large scale. She went to the nearby branch of Village Financial Services and applied for a loan.

The extra cash helped her meet demand. Her husband helped her make the kites and fetch raw materials. As the lockdowns ended, he saw how Samina’s entrepreneurship had helped the family survive. Their son, who was in college, did not have to stop his studies.

As I read more such reports of how Indian kite-makers find their kites flying in the skies over Canada or the USA or in our neighbouring countries, I wish that VFS customers, like Samina, find themselves tasting success in international markets.

(1) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53984915

In India, the livestock sector contributes 4.5 per cent to the GDP and about 30 per cent to the GDP from the agriculture sector. (https://krishi.outlookindia.com/story/pastoralists-original-livestock-keepers-of-civilisation-pushed-to-margins/392261)

In most cases, it is found that the women do the lion’s share of work in the sector. From rearing to taking care of the animals, rural Indian women play an active role alongside their menfolk.

But do they get their due? Not just in the form of recognition or praise or applause. What about the financial reward for her hard work?

Goat farming remains one of the least recognised sector in the agriculture economy, and awareness of the role of women remains low.

Executives of Village Financial Services called up one of our budding entrepreneurs who has been doing well rearing goats. Rimpa Manna was hurrying to the nearest VFS branch at Pancharul in Howrah.

Rimpa has been a valuable customer of VFS who is completing her 3rd loan cycle and is planning to apply for the next step in the loan scheme. A resident of Shibpur village, Rimpa has been looking after her husband’s livestock business for the last few years. Rimpa’s husband has gladly let her take the reins from him as she is more suited for the job. But this transfer of power came after a lot of hardships.

Bablu Manna had been keen to rear farm animals as a teenager. Guided by village elders, Bablu stepped into livestock farming right after high school. The initial success had given Bablu the confidence to move ahead with other life decisions. Rimpa, his wife, had been a constant and supportive partner in all his life decisions. Ups and downs, they continued to weather it all. Until tragedy struck.

One morning, Bablu woke up to the news that some farm animals in the village had died overnight. It was strange flu that affected goats and cattle. His goats were also affected, although they did not show it that day. As the days passed, his goats died one by one. Bablu was shattered. The debts mounted, and so did the stress on the household. The parents began to think of pulling their children out of school.

Rimpa was heartbroken but not broken in spirit. The mother in her knew that she had to turn fate for her husband and her children. Rimpa stepped in and decided to restart the business.

On a neighbour’s advice, she went to the VFS office at Pancharul and applied for a loan. The money in the bank boosted her confidence, and she took a series of steps.

She went to a nearby village, where a livestock sale was being held. Rimpa realised it was better to pick an animal she had handled. She returned with a female goat in her arms.

On that day, Rimpa became an independent goat farmer. Her tribe of goats multiplied and fetched a decent income when she sold a goat for meat.

Bablu saw how Rimpa was proving a better businessperson than him. He was proud of his wife’s success. Most importantly, the children would not have to drop out of school.

One of the biggest boons of microfinance has been securing a healthy life for the future generation. Through mothers like Rimpa, many children today are assured of education, which gives them more economic opportunities.

When Jaba applied for the loan, she was determined to show that a woman could do better in business than men. And bring good luck to the family!

Microfinance has not only been an economic tool to overcome poverty and economic instability. It is also a social tool to encourage gender equality. Village Financial Services lends only to women, and I have seen the hurdles they overcome to achieve financial independence and their entrepreneurial dreams.

Poverty and social stigma around female education made Jaba’s family take her out of school after she completed Class 8. Most girls in her village were married off early and watched their potential die in some dark corner of their homes. Jaba was married into a family of flower growers. Her in-laws owned a garden that bloomed with marigolds, hibiscus and butterfly pea. Her mother had warned her to keep herself confined to the kitchen and be mindful of her words and actions.

Jaba heeded her mother’s words and confined her talent to the kitchen. But whenever she looked out of the kitchen window, she could see the large field of marigold owned by her in-laws. The flowers bloomed as her dreams of doing something useful withered. She saw herself, chained and caged amidst a garden full of flowers. But she continued to hope for better days, especially when her daughter was born.

Then came the first setback. Just when the garden was in full bloom, the government announced the lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19. The flowers were ready to be transported from her village, Gohamikocha, to the city of Jamshedpur. But the lockdown took all but essential transport off the roads and the crop withered.

The income of her husband’s family took a hit. Her brother-in-law, who was a migrant worker, was trapped in a distant state by the lockdown. Her aged in-laws said Jaba’s infant daughter had brought bad luck to the family.

Jaba was enraged. The mother in her revolted against the way her daughter was being blamed. Her anger gave way to action. As soon as the government relaxed the lockdown, Jaba stepped out of her house. With her infant daughter cradled in her arms, she headed for the nearest branch of VFS. Her sister, who was married into a family near the city, had opened a grocery store with a loan from VFS. Jaba followed in her sister’s footsteps and applied for a loan to rescue their family business.

In this journey, she found the most unlikely support. Her husband accompanied her. He yearned to get the family out of poverty and social regression. But, while the lockdown had eased, transport was still a problem.

Jaya and her husband began to work in the fields. The VFS loan helped them buy a motorcycle. Now they could deliver flowers to the traders in Jamshedpur, travel to a bigger village for fertilisers, seeds and tools. The motorcycle became a boon for the family.

Soon, traders in the market began depending on the couple for their timely supplies of fresh flowers, and the couple had a steady income. The new financial freedom helped Jaba and her family survive the onslaught of the second wave and the subsequent lockdown without a tinge of worry.

As they spoke to VFS’s executives, Jaba said her success has prompted her to expand the area under flowers and maybe even open a stall in the market with another loan.

Financial inclusion has been a long-cherished dream. Access to financial services with financial literacy is a critical tool for comprehensive sustainable development. Economic progress leads to a better quality of life.

In our effort to change lives through financial inclusion and entrepreneurial empowerment, we have frequently witnessed business success translating into increased school enrollment. The positive impact of financial inclusion does not stop there. With increased financial support, VFS’ customers have reached out to get better health care, housing, and sanitation facilities. The success of the entrepreneurs has led to the creation of jobs.

The benefits of microfinance have been manifold. By bringing low-income populations within the framework of the formal banking sector, financial inclusion has also ensured security from exploitation. One common scenario earlier was of money lenders and Ponzi schemes exploiting disadvantaged and vulnerable sections of people.

Things are looking up. The Reserve Bank of India said on August 17 that its Financial Inclusion Index for the period ending March 2021 was 53.9, against 43.4 for the period ending March 2017.

As we continue to pursue VFS’s goal of lifting rural women out of poverty and empowering them financially, I come across scores of stories that strengthen my resolve to pursue this dream of financial inclusion. Subhangini Adak, a VFS customer from Balasore district in Odisha, is one such example.

Subhangini grew up in acute poverty and had to quit her studies after Class 7. Subhangini never dared to dream big but just prayed for the day when she would not have any financial worries. After marriage, Subhangini hoped that her days would change, but her husband was a contractual farm labourer and could not help much. Over the years, as the couple struggled financially, Subhangini became a mother of two.

Motherhood is a great force. Looking at her children’s faces, Subhangini vowed to fight poverty by herself.

Farmers in her village Kumarmuli have been growing betel leaf or paan for generations. But Subhangini observed that the young generation was more likely to go for blue-collar jobs than continue growing betel leaf. As the scarcity of betel leaves worsened, she saw an opportunity.

On a neighbour’s advice, Subhangini contacted the Chandaneswar branch of Village Financial Services. With the loan, Subhangini could buy her boroj, a sort of conservatory in which the betel vine is grown. With hard work and rock-solid determination, she was able to secure a good harvest. Subhangini was supported by her husband, who brought his expertise in farming to Subhangini’s boroj. Subhangini was able to sell her produce with a healthy profit margin. The first harvest provided the family of four with much-needed motivation and hope for the future.

Her first priority after the sale was to support her children’s education. She made certain that her children did not have to abandon their studies, as she had. Then there was their house. During the monsoon, the roof leaked. She had the roof replaced.

As ’Subhangini’s financial situation improved, she addressed her childhood worries. One of them was her mother’s asthma. She was now able to afford the medical bills and provide better care for her.

Now, with all her concerns addressed, the entrepreneur in Subhangini wants to grow more. Her current success has fueled her desire to expand her business, and she hopes to acquire another boroj by next year.