Goodbye to Jaipur

Corey:

My internship at Jaipur Rugs Foundation has come to an end. Despite a couple bouts of food poisoning and a malfunctioning computer, my time at JRF has been nothing short of incredible. I have worked alongside a highly dedicated group of individuals in JRF; their passion and work ethic are unparalleled. I have also had the opportunity to work under Mr. N.K. Chaudhary. Mr. N.K. Chaudhary is one of the most selfless and kind-hearted human beings I have ever encountered and the opportunity to work under him has been an incredible experience that I will never forget. He is a visionary pioneer who will undoubtedly transform the carpet industry. Not only did Mr. N.K. Chaudhary teach me about the history and mission of JRF and his vision for the company, but also he taught me that private enterprise can successfully facilitate economic and social development – often more effectively and sustainably than foreign aid can.

During my internship, I have conducted a copious amount of research on a variety of different topics, edited various reports, including JRF’s Annual Report and the Annual Progress Report on Thanagazi, researched and drafted letters to potential partners in Germany and the Netherlands, narrated both a long and short documentary film on JRF, and conducted an interview for a national news station. However, the main focus of my internship has been on the SHG initiative of JRF’s Carpet Cluster Development Project in Thanagazi. I have compiled my findings into a 24-page report that I will present to Mr. Chaudhary and the JRF staff on my last day. My presentation will cover a variety of different topics relating to the Carpet Cluster Development Project, including its history, mission, achievements, and areas for improvement. It is my hope that my report will help JRF to improve the effectiveness, facilitate the expansion, and ensure the sustainability of its Carpet Cluster Development Project as well as educate the Penn faculty and community about JRF.

Self Help Groups at Jaipur

Corey:

I have spent the past couple weeks analyzing the data I collected through the surveys I conducted. I interviewed 48 self-help group (SHG) members individually and 10 SHGs as a whole. Through my surveys, I wholeheartedly believe that Jaipur Rugs Foundation’s (JRF) SHG initiative is benefiting the lives of weavers. I believe that the SHG initiative has tackled three major social problems: the presence of exploitative middlemen, social discrimination, and rural-urban migration. First, middlemen, acting as liaisons between weavers and contractors, have traditionally employed exploitative practices that have left weavers trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and suffering. However, Jaipur Rugs Company (JRC) has cut out these middlemen by creating a business that oversees every process of carpet weaving – from production and manufacturing to exporting and wholesaling. Moreover, JRF conducts capacity-building trainings, facilitates market linkages with JRC, and plans to eventually organize the weavers into an independent federal body with ownership over the company; rather than confining weavers to a life of dependency, as middlemen have traditionally done, JRF encourages the weavers to become truly self-dependent entrepreneurs.

Second, the SHG initiative addresses the discrimination and inequality inherent in India’s social system. Although the Indian Constitution has outlawed the caste system, caste-based discrimination still persists in parts of India, specifically in the rural areas of the country. SC, ST, and OBC members have been subject to horrible discrimination and inequality. Although they make up the majority of the population of India, they have the lowest social status and have suffered from social segregation, social restrictions, and extreme poverty. Indian women have also faced similar treatment. Although the status of women in ancient India has been widely debated, women of the medieval period were subject to harsh discrimination when sati, jauhar, child marriages, the dowry system, and the practice of purdah spread. Since then, Indian women, particularly those in rural settings, have faced low social status, social segregation, and poverty. JRF seeks to mitigate such discrimination and inequality by employing women, SC, ST, and OBC. With 96% of its weavers SC, ST, or OBC and 70% of its weavers female, JRF uses carpet weaving as a tool to empower the most disadvantaged populations of India.

Third, the SHG initiative addresses the problem of rural-urban migration in India. With 70% of the rural population depending on agriculture for their livelihood, agriculture is the principal occupation of the rural population of India. However, the productivity of agriculture is low, there are great population pressures on agriculture land and unpredictable weather patterns. All of these factors have created serious problems of unemployment and underemployment in rural India. Thus, rural villagers have flocked to the metropolitan cities of India in search of better employment and livelihoods. The urban population of India grew by 70 million, or 31.2 %, from 1991 to 2001This migrant inflow has placed tremendous pressure on urban infrastructure, led to overcrowding, increased traffic and pollution, and created a sense of disorder. Moreover, most of the migrants have ended up living in slums where water shortages, lack of sanitation and the absence of basic amenities necessary to support a dignified life are common. Thus, JRF provides a check on migration by offering an alternative livelihood to agriculture. Not only can carpet weaving prevail in the face of drought and famine, but also JRF promises its weavers stable employment and relatively higher wages; JRF buys back every carpet produced and the weavers’ wages increase from approximately 50 rupees per day to approximately 110 rupees per day. By tackling these three social problems, I truly believe that JRF’s SHG initiative will improve the lives of weavers, enhance the socioeconomic status of rural communities, foster the development of Indian culture and society, and ultimately change the world.

-Corey

Weaving through the villages...

Updates from dear Corey!

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I traveled to the field last week to interview approximately 10 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) as a whole and 50 SHG members. I spent three days in Thanagazi, trekking from village to village and conducting interviews. Unable to speak Hindi, I was accompanied by Priyanka, another JRF employee, who served as my translator. Neetu, the Thanagazi Program Coordinator, and Sudhir, the Thanagazi Field Officer, served as our liaisons, facilitating our entrance into each village and then introducing us to the SHG members.

Although I could not understand their conversations (neither Neetu, Sudhir, nor any of the SHG members spoke English), it was obvious that the SHG members, all of whom were women, felt comfortable around Neetu and Sudhir and as a result were more willing to open up to Priyanka and me. Thus, I would not have been able to conduct my assessments if it were not for Neetu, Sudhir, and Priyanka. They did not just make my job easier - they made it possible.

The interview process was long and exhausting. I asked the SHG members a series of questions, both as a group and individually, on carpet-weaving, the structure and rules of their SHG, their livelihoods, and their future vision for their SHGs. Since each interview took about a half hour, we left for the villages early in the morning and did not return until late at night. The long hours, coupled with the 115O F weather, were both mentally and physically draining, but I would not have traded them for the world.

My trip to the field has thus far been the highlight of my internship. Not only did it provide me with a greater perspective on the SHG model that JRF has implemented, but it allowed me to observe and interact with the people who I hope to help. Having them teach me how to weave, sing me songs, and laugh at my pathetic attempts to speak Hindi were just as meaningful as the answers I compiled from my surveys. My trip to the field deepened my understanding of the rural weavers and served as a window into the culture, life, and soul of the weaving villages.

-Corey

Arrival at Jaipur, India!

Hi guys, here's our first post from Corey in India! We wish her all the best in her internship with Jaipur Rugs.

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Surviving 28 hours of traveling, I arrived in Jaipur, India a little over a week ago, eager to start my mentorship under Mr. N.K. Chaudhary at the Jaipur Rugs Foundation (JRF). Registered under the Public Trust Act 1959, JRF was established in 2004 as a welfare initiative of Jaipur Rugs Company (JRC). JRF seeks to protect and empower its weavers, 70% of whom are women, through various initiatives, including mobilization campaigns, capacity-building trainings, and microfinance assistance.

During my mentorship, I will focus on JRF’s microfinance assistance initiative in Thanagazi, a region of the Alwar District of Rajasthan. JRF’s microfinance assistance initiative centers on the formation of self-help groups (SHGs). The SHG model was initiated by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in the early 1990s and links informal groups of women in rural areas to the mainstream banking system. Currently, JRF has formed 55 SHGs (11-17 women in each) in Thanagazi. Through comprehensive observation, research, and feasibility studies, I will assist JRF in developing a strategy for its SHG program in order to improve its effectiveness, facilitate its expansion, and ensure its sustainability.

My mentor is Mr. N.K. Chaudhary, Managing Director of JRC, Owner of Atlanta-based Jaipur Rugs Incorporated (JRI), and Trustee of JRF. After graduating from the University of Rajasthan, Mr. N.K. Chaudhary traveled to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, and bought two looms, which he installed in his home. Once he familiarized himself with carpet-weaving, he expanding his weaving business by adding six more looms in his house and installing additional looms in Churu, a nearby village. In 1978 Mr. N.K. Chaudhary started a rug export business and has not turned back since. Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, Mr. N.K. Chaudhary possesses an unparalleled determination to rid the carpet-industry of its exploitative practices, connect the rural poor with the markets of the rich, and use carpet-weaving to uplift deprived and underprivileged communities of India from poverty. His strong work-ethic, unwavering perseverance, and deep commitment to social justice will undoubtedly transform the carpet industry.

Although my work was limited to the office last week – learning about JRC and JRF, assisting in documentation, and researching the carpet-industry, the culture of India, and social enterprise - I had the opportunity to travel to the field this week. Accompanied by a JRC employee, another intern and a quality-supervisor (the role of the quality-supervisor is to ensure that the weavers are producing high-quality carpets), I traveled to the village of Narhet in Thanagazi to observe some weavers at work. Not used to seeing a foreigner, a crowd of smiling adults and curious children followed me from loom to loom. After I adjusted to my newfound fame, I was able to take in the carpet-weaving process. Whether wooden or iron, each of the looms we visited seemed colossal, towering over the 2-3 weavers who worked on them. Additionally, I was shocked at how grueling the carpet-weaving process was. Following a design map, the weavers make each carpet by tying thousands and even millions of knots, depending on both the size of the rug and the type of weaving material, on the hundreds of strands of string mounted between either ends of the loom. It is a grueling and laborious process that takes 4-6 months of eight-hour long days. Despite the intensity of their jobs, the weavers that I observed carried out their responsibilities with a sense of composure. Without breaking a sweat, they tied rows of knots at lightening speed, cut each knot with one swift swoop, and even turned the design blueprint into a song that they sang to each other. Watching the weavers was not just a learning experience, but it truly was inspirational. It gave even more meaning to the needs of the weavers, the mission of JRF, and the vision of Mr. N.K. Chaudhary.

-Corey