Sixty people from across India traveled through remote villages in Tamil Nadu from Paramakudi to Rameswaram, as part of the 47th Research Tour, documenting traditional knowledge and innovation.
Sixty people from across India traveled through remote villages in Tamil Nadu from Paramakudi to Rameswaram, as part of the 47th Research Tour, documenting traditional knowledge and innovation.
“Remember those dusty mud roads we go through on bus travel?” Asks handloom entrepreneur C Sivagurunathan, “The ones we crave to have, but never really do? We used to walk on similar roads every day. The 36-year-old was among 60 participants in a recently conducted research trip from Paramakudi to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. Held twice a year in different parts of India, the Yatra is an exploration of traditional knowledge and grassroots innovations. It is led by Anil Gupta, founding scholar of Honey Bee Network and organized by SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiative for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions).
Since the idea took shape in 1998, the Rameswaram edition was the 47th such walk that the team ran. “Shodh Yatra tries to recognize creativity at people’s doorsteps,” says Gupta, speaking over the phone from Ahmedabad, where he teaches at the Indian Institute. of management. On 22 May, 60 people from different walks of life led Gupta, walking a narrow mud road in Paramakudi, in the scorching sun in 25 villages, covering a distance of 125 km in six days.
The Rameswaram edition is the 47th such outing that the team has undertaken since the idea took shape in 1998. photo credit: U Rajesh Kannan
At the core of research (meaning ‘research’ in Hindi) is the Gandhian philosophy of Yatra, self-reliance and simplicity. “We travel to colder places during winter and warmer places during summers,” Gupta explains. “It’s part of our process to share what the people out there are experiencing. They’ll trust us and express their thoughts and feelings better.”
They stayed in village squares, school grounds and temple halls, ate what the locals ate, walked from house to house in settlements whose names are unfamiliar to many of us, taking men, women and children to their Invite you to share innovations and knowledge. In return, the team offered solutions to the problems they heard, as many of them were innovators themselves.
“We travel to cold places during winters and hot places during summers. It’s part of our process to share what the people there are experiencing.”Anil Gupta
Villages surrounded by palm trees and scented by the sea had many stories to share. The team distributed certificates in appreciation of the local innovators. For example, “In Vanniya Vallam, a schoolboy modified his bicycle to look like a KTM bike,” recalls Sivagurunathan. In another village called Thathangal, a team of school boys had prepared a plant book with local, labeled medicinal herbs harvested. At Chinna Akkarmesi, boys learning Silambattam performed. Information was exchanged between the two sides: V Srivardhan, an entrepreneur, demonstrated his tree-climbing machine, which can be used by both men and women.
Gupta was impressed by how the women there were far more outspoken and outspoken than the men. One of the major problems the team documented was an iron sickle used for harvesting. “The handle was heavy, even for men’s hands, and women told us it was difficult for them to use,” he explains, adding that with a little design intervention, the tool could be handled with ease. .
A boy from Chinna Akkarmesi performed Silambattam. photo credit: U Rajesh Kannan
The travelers met Rukmma, a seaweed diver at Keelakarai, who spoke to them about the types of seaweed women in the region. Jyoti and shepherd Kumar, who did the cremation service, told them how the goat’s fur, when spread over the fields, acts as manure. Then there was the tea seller who uses palm molasses to sweeten beverages, and promotes organic produce at his humble outlet, as well as women who weave mats with palm leaves with mechanical precision. .
The research trip ended on 27 May at the memorial of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in Rameswaram. “A lot of planning was done long before the actual outing,” says participant B Stalin, an entrepreneur who runs a palm-jaggery-based candy company. Stalin recalls that he was handed a 40-page pamphlet, an entire database in the district, before he left. “We were supported by Madurai-based NGOs Dhan Foundation and Seva Trust,” says the 37-year-old.
60 people from different fields participated in the research trip. photo credit: U Rajesh Kannan
Stalin says that he was amazed at how many people he met voluntarily opened up to him. “I’m writing everything down quickly before I forget,” he says with a smile: “I’m already 70 pages down.” He wants to record a lot, like how he saw the proof of faith surrounding the rain. “One evening, the women of Thethangal danced kummi for us,” he recalls. “He just surrendered himself to the dance. Right after his performance, it started raining.”