A visit to Karnataka

Have been on a field visit to interior Karnataka for the past week or so to study the operations of a micro finance organisation. Its been one hectic trip full of learnings and experiences. We used to get up early in the morning to attend meetings of borrowers. These meetings usually begin around 6-6.30 am and last for around 30-45 minutes. The borrowers are poor women, eking out a living through agriculture, animal husbandry, running petty shops and small time businesses. Getting a loan of around Rs 10K means a lot to them. It can help them buy that cow which would yield milk that they could sell. They could buy a couple of sheep or goats, breed them and sell them at the weekly market in town. A bullock would prove very handy to till the small pieces of land that they have. It would provide crucial working capital for the small corner shop that they run. People line up to borrow as less as a thousand rupees. Yes they are poor. But the hope that flickers in their eyes is to be seen to be believed. Years of isolation and negligence have not dampened that hope that there might be a better tomorrow. And they are prepared to toil for it.