Anupa_IndependentProjectReport_MAD13026

a

INDEPENDENT PROJECT

Interrogating Development Initiatives – Integrated Energy Centers and Artisanal Livelihood: Comparative Study of two urban “slums.”

Anupa Chakraborty, M.A. in Development

2015Bangalore, Karnataka

Interrogating Development Initiatives – Integrated Energy Centers and

Artisanal Livelihood: Comparative study of two urban “slums.”

A Project Report submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts in Development (M.A. in Development)

Azim Premji University

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

ORGANIZATION GUIDES: UNIVERSITY GUIDE:

Mr. Roshan Mascarenhas Mr. Balmurli Natrajan

Ms. Vaishali Rao Associate Professor, Azim

Premji University

COMPILED BY:

Anupa Chakraborty

Master of Arts in Development

Semester IV

MAD13026

January 30, 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Serial Number Topic Page Number

1. Abstract 3-4

2. Introduction 4-5

3. Research Objectives and Hypotheses 5-6

4. Flow of Research and Methodology 7-8

5. Context of Field Work 8-9

6. Study Partners or Institutions 9-10

7. Integrated Energy Centers 10-11

8. Slums in Bangalore 11

9. Comparative study of two slums in Bangalore –

the sites

12

10. Kariyammana Agrahara – Successful

Implementation of an IEC

13-15

11. Nagvar Palya Slum – Failure to set up an IEC 16-18

12. Artisanal Livelihood Initiative in Nagvar Palya 18-31

13. Analysis 31-33

14. Conclusion 33-34

15. References 34

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ABSTRACT:

One of the biggest challenges in India is to cope up with the wave of urbanization which has

been unleashed by the economic liberalization. Since the last two decades, over 160 million

people have migrated from rural areas to urban cities in search of employment opportunities

and better living conditions. But, due to the lack of infrastructure and employment

opportunities, we have also seen the rise of illegal and unhealthy slums in and around the out

skirts of the mega cities and metros. The ill – equipped urban systems and the informal housing,

that are the slums, have expanded exponentially in the last few decades without proper access

to basic services such as sanitation, healthcare, education, and law and order. Many

organizations in India – both governmental and non – governmental have initiated projects

aimed at the empowerment of people living in the slums and have been trying to rehabilitate

the slum dwellers to a better place to improve the quality of their lives because they are in such

unhealthy environment that it has been difficult for them to cope up with the surrounding they

have been living in. SELCO Foundation is one such organization that has taken up initiatives to

serve the urban poor. It is their effort that they have tried to assess the needs of the slum

dwellers all over Bangalore and are constantly involved in providing them better opportunities

of livelihood and energy services. SELCO is a for - profit organization which provides energy

facilities to the urban poor and according to their objective energy is an important entry point

through which the slums can be renovated and the livelihoods of the population in the slums

can be improved. SELCO has set up Integrated Energy Centers in 18 slums all over Bangalore.

This report is an effort to compare two slums in Bangalore – Kariyammana Agrahara, where

SELCO has managed to set up an Integrated Energy Center and Nagvar Palya, where SELCO has

not been able to set up one. This report will also bring out the fact regarding how the

Integrated Energy Centers have impacted the lives and livelihood of the people in one slum and

how failure to set up an Integrated Energy Center have impacted another slum. SELCO has

initiated a livelihood development project called the Project Kowdi to uplift the women of

Nagvar Palya slum and this report looks into the effects of this initiative in the lives of the slum

dwellers. Not only this, the report is an effort to bring out the real face of a slum and the urban

poor residing within the slums – the study in a way brings out the ecological, economical,

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sociological and political aspects of the informal housing called slums. In conclusion, the report

brings out the fact that development initiatives such as the Integrated Energy Centers and

Kowdi Kutumba Project work best if it is integrated within the life of the community, take

account of their needs and has community leaders involved in awareness and maintenance of

such initiatives. This means that even if SELCO is a for – profit organization, these initiatives

take into account the welfare of the community through designating members within the

community and providing services to the community through the assessment of their needs as

well as improving their income through alternative livelihood opportunities.

INTRODUCTION:

“Quality of life” has become a very comprehensive and holistic concept and has become very

popular as we can hear and talk about it in our day to day lives. An individual’s perceptions of

his or her position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which he or she lives

and in relation to his or her goals, expectations, standards and concerns can be described to be

some aspects of Quality of life, not that any of us understands what it actually means as it

cannot be put to words. But even then we hear that the quality of the urban poor dwelling in

the slums of the mega cities and metropolis are worse and therefore individuals and groups

take up issues in their hands to improve the quality of life of these underserved communities

living in the slums.

UNESCO describes a slum to be “a building, a group of buildings or area characterized by

overcrowded population, deterioration, unsanitary conditions or absence of facilities or

amenities which, because of these conditions or any of them endanger the health, safety or

morals of its inhabitants or the community.” (Bala & Sudesh, 2013) As far as the research is

concerned it has been observed that the living conditions in slums have a direct impact on the

health of the people staying there. Even then the immense spread of these slums has been

rampant problem all over Bangalore and even world - wide. Of all the objectives set up by the

norms of the planned urban growth, human development and improvement in the quality of

life have been the most important. According to sociologists and economists, there are very

strong links between attaining economic growth and enrichment of the quality of life which

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gets reflected in the social indicators like health, literacy, environment, etc. Therefore, a lot of

government and non-government organizations have been working towards the objective

sometimes effectively and efficiently while sometimes unable to produce any results. Also, a

slum is a place where poverty remains the extreme form of under-development. This exists

since the incomes of the people in slums are not adequate even to meet their basic

consumption, and this can be due to several reasons. Usually, the only asset of people living in

slums is their ability to do physical labour and they may end up in poverty, if the income earned

from such (unskilled) labour is not adequate to meet the needs of basic consumption and

amenities. This can happen if the number of jobs available and/or wage rate for unskilled work

is low and hence the total income that they can get in a year is inadequate to meet the basic

consumption. There could be vicious cycles that may lead to the persistence of poverty. There

is a possible linkage between population growth, natural resource use, and poverty or under-

development. The people in poverty who depend only on their physical labour to mobilize food,

water. etc., may have an incentive to have more number of `hands’ - more number of children.

For them, having children could be the only form of social security. Ironically, in some cases,

this may also contribute to perpetuating poverty although the connection between population

growth and poverty is not a simple one and does not exist uniformly anywhere. So one needs to

be careful in the claims one makes. The construction workers of the urban slums face all such

vicious cycles of poverty. The income which comes out of their work is also very low and

therefore there is a need for development interventions so as to provide them better livelihood

for the men and women of their families.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

a. Gain familiarity with the phenomenon of formation of slums and concept of positioning

Integrated Energy Centers in urban slums.

b. Portray the key characteristics of slum dwellers - their ecological, economical,

sociological as well as political profiles and the prominent kind of social relations among

them; and looking into the aspects like education of children, health issues and

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aspirations of the youths and their parents – not immediately related to establishment

of Integrated Energy Centers.

c. Examine the existing livelihoods within the urban poor and the emergence of new and

alternative livelihood opportunities for the urban poor.

d. Assess the effects of establishing Integrated Energy Centers and Artisanal Livelihoods

initiatives in urban slums – do such initiative benefit slum dwellers; if so how and if not,

why not.

e. Compare two slums in Bangalore – Kariyammana Agraha and Nagvar Palya in relation to

the profiles of the communities and effects of Integrated Energy Centers.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES:

a. The socio – economic and cultural characteristics of the urban slum dwellers shape their

responses towards any kind of changes that take place within their community and their

lives.

b. Livelihood Opportunities for the slum dwellers are minimal and provision of alternative

economic activities help them to improve their living conditions.

c. Integrated Energy Centers are set up in certain slums based on need assessment by

organizations like SELCO Foundation but it can alter the dynamics of the slums in a

negative way because of social differentiation that occurs among the “haves” and the

“have nots.”

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FLOW OF RESEARCH:

SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

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General Slum Profile.

Ecological, Economical, Sociological and Political

Profile.

Identification of the two slums – Kariyammana Agrahara and

Nagvar Palya

Concept of Integrated Energy Centers and its establishment

in the urban slums

Presence of IEC in

Kariyammana Agrahara

Absence of IEC in

Nagvar Palya

Comparison of the two slums in relation to the profiles

Comparison of the two slums in relation to the effects of IEC

Analysis – Random Sampling of households, data collection

through interviews, observations and informal conversations.

METHODOLOGY:

At first, the general profile of the slums in Bangalore has been observed so as to get a hold of

the typography of urban poor. Then two slums in Bangalore have been identified in order to do

a comparative study of their profile as well as effect of Integrated Energy Center and Artisanal

Livelihood initiatives. Both the slums had approximately 500 households each and the

population in each slum was approximately 2300. Therefore each and every household could

not be covered in which case random sampling was done and over 40 households were covered

in each slum. Thus, in all, about 80 households were visited where interviews and informal

conversations were carried out. For the purpose of better behavioral and psychological changes

of slum dwellers, transact walks across the slum was also carried out. Not only this, but changes

were observed even by interaction with the community in the common spaces provided by Non

– Governmental Organizations within the slums. For the Kowdi community a survey was

conducted to understand their household conditions too so that the effect of increase in

income on the families could be observed. The period of study was 2 months – 11 th November

2014 to 9th January, 2015.

The study is based on empirical investigation. Because it is an independent project, most of the

data collected is through primary research through informal discussions with the slum dwellers

themselves. Secondary data regarding the comparative study has been collected from faculty

members of Azim Premji University and the management of SELCO Foundation who are

involved in development of the urban slums in Bangalore.

CONTEXT OF FIELDWORK:

The results are based on a study carried out within 2 months and households chosen randomly,

therefore, it might be possible that every result may not be accurate. It was not possible to get

each and every one’s perspective regarding the study because of sampling as there was too less

time to research on each and every individual and household. The time spent with the slum

community was also very less as they are to be found only after lunch and because of lack of

electricity they do not entertain outside guests late in the evening. Also it is not safe to be

around those areas after dark. It took a lot of time to even travel to the slums because both the

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slums were 30 kilometers away from each other. At a time, only one slum could be visited as

the slum dwellers do not entertain guests more so girls after dark. They themselves agree to

the unsafety of the areas. People are available only after 3 in the afternoon and some get

exhausted after the day’s work so they are not willing to talk or cooperate. It so happened a

few times that quite a few households rejected to talk about anything and did not entertain

guests at all. In order to avoid language barrier help was taken through translators and

interpreters from SELCO Foundation. Being an independent researcher, involvement with

SELCO Foundation did not affect my objectivity because help was taken from SELCO Foundation

only to enable access to the slums and to avoid language barrier. Association with SELCO

Foundation was merely a need to identify the slums and the communities to be studied for this

project and there has been no other involvement of SELCO Foundation which could have

otherwise biased my objectivity.

STUDY PARTNERS OR INSTITUTIONS:

a. Azim Premji University – The institution provides us with social purposes and pushes us

to pursue our passion in terms of making significant contributions through development

works in the social sector and serving the under - served. The university provided us

with the opportunity to make our own study related to the development field and the

idea was to get ourselves involved in the field to get the reality check of what is actually

happening in a developing country like India and to get us into thinking about what our

roles as development practitioner could be. Mr. Balmurli Natrajan, Associate Professor,

Azim Premji University acted as the university guide for the study and has been a

constant support in providing valuable judgment and information in each and every step

of the study that has been carried out.

b. SELCO Foundation - It had been noticed by the sustainable energy practitioners that

access to energy impacts the rural as well as urban population in terms of livelihood,

productivity, education, health as well as living conditions. In 2010, SELCO Foundation

was created as an independent not-for-profit organization with a view to improve

energy access for the rural and urban poor to support their livelihood and overall quality

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of life. Since then, SELCO Foundation has been expanding to provide reliable energy

services for the impoverished sections of the society. SELCO Foundation tries to link the

sustainable energy to eradication of poverty where it collaborates with local Non -

Government Organizations, Financial Institutions, Education Institutions and Social

Enterprises. The Foundation therefore tries to spread its innovations and services to the

underserved communities.

INTEGRATED ENERGY CENTERS (IECs):

Energy holds the power to drive towards economic development and social progress. Energy is

responsible for production of goods across all the economic sectors including agriculture,

industry, transport and communication, etc. Energy even provides basic civic services like

health care, sanitation and clean water; not only this but it also helps in improving access to

education and ultimately increase in income through better livelihoods. Therefore, the under –

served communities also have the right to have access to energy. In an attempt to provide such

an access to the under – served communities, SELCO Foundation has taken up the initiative to

establish Integrated Energy Centers in urban slums as well as rural areas of Bangalore.

Integrated Energy Centers are essentially solar powered community centers that hosts a range

of basic services and activities which the under – served communities lack. Such a center aims

at positively impacting the living conditions and livelihoods by addressing fundamental energy

needs and services relying on energy. A lot of rural households and urban slums are informal

settlements which consist of migrants and they have no access to any kind of financing because

of low income, land issues, remoteness and extreme poverty. The dwellers of such areas have

to buy kerosene and firewood for lighting and cooking requirements. Half of their earnings goes

in such expenditures. They have legality issues related to land and its owner, inadequate and

insecure housing and basic amenities, limited employment opportunities, unhealthy

environment, limited access to education and even health facilities. An Integrated Energy

Center can therefore become a hub for the community living in the urban slums to access basic

services and facilitate other services like rented solar lights, mobile charging, lighting for the

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community center to trigger off other projects and services through the partners or

organizations which help in such a set up.

SLUMS IN BANGALORE:

In Bangalore, nearly one million poor live in slums and about one – third of the slum dwellers

fall below poverty line with monthly income less than 2500 INR. The poor in Bangalore mostly

live in a variety of habitations and spaces specially notified slums, non-notified slums, squatter

colonies, construction sites, etc. These urban poor can be divided as old poor and new poor.

The new poor are the ones who have recently migrated to Bangalore anywhere between 1 to

10 years. They mostly live in the peripheral areas of the city or the outskirts, near construction

sites and the government is not concerned for delivering services because they live in non-

notified spaces constructing slums. They are entitled to the general benefits for the poor like

public distribution system and free government schooling for children but they are not

protected under the government’s slum development policies or urban poverty eradication

programs. The old poor on the other hand live in the inner city slums and they have been in the

city for more than 70 years. Their slums are notified under the government and therefore they

are protected under the government policies because of their legality. While the new poor

living in the newly constructed slums is mostly construction workers and unskilled labour

because they had just migrated and have still not developed their skills, the old poor have

diversity of occupations, income, standard of living, etc. because they have been in the city for

more than 80 years and had the opportunity to develop their skills with time. Although most of

them are poor but they are better off than the new poor.

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COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TWO SLUMS IN BANGALORE – THE SITES

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KARIYAMMANA AGRAHARA: BACKGROUND

The Kriyammana Agrahara slum is located in the outskirts of Belandur, just near Devarabisnehalli Bus Stop in Bangalore. The slum consists of about 500 households. The income of each household is 8000-15000 INR a month and each household has 5 to 8 members on an average. Therefore, in all, the population of the slum is 2300 approximately. The slum stands on a 2 acre piece of land owned privately by a builder. Migrant labourers make up the majority of the population there. All the houses are single roomed of just 100 square feet. People use kerosene and firewood as main source of energy and fuel and spend 250 – 300 INR on this. Hoseholds struggle to access kerosene and therefore spend much of their evenings and nights in darkness. Households pay rent of 200 INR each to the land owner for the use of land as their home. There is no proper water facility either and they have to walk a kilometer to access drinking and clean water.

NAGVAR PALYA: BACKGROUND

The Nagvar Palya Slum is located in the Old Madras Road in Bangalore. It is a little far away from the C.V. Raman Nagar Bus Stop. There are 500 households in the slum but the households are scattered along the railway track which passes by the slum. The income of each household is 6000-15000 INR a month and the size of each household in 4 to 5 members on an average. The total population therefore is 2000 approximately and the people are again mostly migrant labourers and have lived in the same area for about 15 to 20 years. They use kerosene and candle for lighting and buy industrial firewood for cooking and heating purposes. Even they pay a rent of 200 INR to their land owner and their houses are typical one room thatched huts. They have no proper sanitation facilities and use open toilets without any basic drainage facilities. Parinaam foundation is an NGO which is helping the people in the slum by providing tuition centers and livelihood program ongoing.

KARIYAMMANA AGRAHARA SLUM – SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF AN IEC:

Ecological Profile: The ecology of Kariyammana Agrahara can be described as a settlement

standing on a 2 acre piece of land. The people are not engaged in any agricultural work because

the land is not suitable for agriculture as the soil is loose and only construction work can take

place on such land. 6 to 7 households out of 500 households own about 14 cattle altogether

and they make side income by providing milk in the nearby areas and other homemade dairy

products for their subsistence. They do not own any pastures but there is nearby grassland of

about 20 yards. It is scanty grassland so the cattle are left there in the morning and brought

back in the evening. They pay 60 INR for a month to use the grass land to the owner of that

land. Common property represents private property for the group and individuals within the

group have rights and duties towards the common property. The slum in a way is a common

property on certain conditions for these slum dwellers and as a whole the land on which the

slum is located is owned by some builder again. The community on the other hand have right to

stay on the land by paying a minimum amount to the owner, the duties of the community being

protection of the land from other intruders. There is a lake nearby as well but it has been

preserved by the Government and therefore the community does not use it for economic

benefits.

Economic Profile: The total population of the area is about 2300 and out of these 2300, 1380

are men apart from boy child and 869 are women apart from girl child. Out of the 1380 men in

the slum 1104 are working in construction sites, about 7 to 8 men have petty shops and 96 men

are involved in carpentry and other casual works like loading unloading, driving, etc., the rest

are either jobless or cannot work because of age. Out of the 869 women 522 women go to

work with their husbands for construction work, 9 women have stitching machine and do

tailoring work, about 17 women work as house-keeping staff in the nearby apartments and

hotels. They make about 8000-15000 INR per household a month on an average. On top of that

they have children and they spend on their education as well as medical conditions.

Sociological Profile: When asked about the family, the people responded well. Almost all the

households had a husband, a wife, and 2 to 3 kids. 10 – 15 households even have the grand -

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parents. So basically each household had 2 generations living; only some houses had 3

generations living together. All the 500 households used chulhas made of mud and bought

wood and kerosene for cooking and lighting. 90 percent of the decisions in the households are

taken by the men in the family. People belong to the same Dalit community and hail from the

scheduled caste. 60 percent of the population is Hindus and the rest are Christians. Gender

discrimination could be seen because no efforts were put on girls going to schools, the boys

were seen in uniforms during the frequent visits but the girls were not considered to be a

burden of the family in any case. They are taught the household chores instead which would

help them after they get married off. Health is a major issue too. People in the slum are mostly

involved in construction work due to which they have to go through a lot of physical labour and

this leads to back pains and spinal injuries. Also they face serious cuts and wounds from iron

bars and glasses. Not only this, but the gases from continuous cementing of the buildings lead

to respiratory problems. Women are prone to diseases in their pregnancy periods too.

Political Profile: Once some of the background details were obtained, it was time to know

about the political situation within the slum. There were no political institutions involved in the

slum development or eradication of poverty within the slum because even this slum is not a

registered slum and therefore the government does not come forward to help them but they

come under the general poverty alleviation programs such as public distribution system and

children education programs. Ranganathan is the Big Man because he is a builder and the

owner of the land. According to the people of the slum he is a good man but a powerful one

because apparently he has a lot of contacts and he allowed the dwellers to stay in the place for

50 years on contract on a legal basis. It is obvious that there will be a favorite person within the

community for Ranganathan. It was Madhu who was Ranganathan’s chela and because of this

influence Madhu has a say over the land but he has never taken any advantage of this power.

Instead he has been always found to be a help to the other people in the slum. When asked

about his power, Madhu answered, “Madam, money will come and go but I have to live with

these people once Ranganathan bids me goodbye. I try to help them as much as I can.”

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Integrated Energy Center in Kariyammana Agrahara and its current status:

There was an already existing entrepreneur. He is basically a petty shop owner, named Kumar.

The shop was a very small one but after discussing with Kumar and letting him know the

benefits of the IEC, he was ready to take up the responsibility. Being part of the same

community, he was chosen as the operator of Kariyammana Agrahara IEC. Since the IEC would

expand the range of services that he could offer, he agreed to become the operator. His pre –

existing business relation with the community and the entrepreneurial skills were also deemed

to be valuable. The building of the Center was contracted to a local architect who involved

labourers from the community itself to build the center. Now the IEC offers lighting and mobile

charging. The IEC has a charging capacity for 40 batteries packs plus 4 backups. The IEC here

was launched mainly for the lighting purpose to improve the productivity in the households.

But some more areas of impact have been identified:

Livelihood – the IEC that has been launched serves 140 households out of 500 because people

need to pay the minimum amount for the services which everyone cannot afford or are not

willing to pay. The lighting mostly helps the carpenters, the tailors, etc. to work from home

during the evenings and nights. This increases their productivity which in turn improves their

income.

Health and Safety – the residents are often not able to meet the demand for their safety. Prior

to accessing the lights, residents were frequently faced with the issue of snakes, rodents and

scorpions entering their houses and harming them and their children. They feel a lot safer with

the lights and say that it drives the harmful creatures away. They are also safe from the

intruders now.

General Well – Being – the community has expressed how wonderful it is to see light for the

first time in their homes and feel productive even after sunset. They believe it to be the

beginning of improvement and hope.

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NAGVARPALYA SLUM – FAILURE TO SET UP AN IEC:

Ecological Profile: Nagvar Palya is located near the Old Madras Road in Bangalore. The slum is

scattered along the railway tracks which passes through Nagvar Palya. It is an informal

settlement too and most of the people are migrant labourers coming from North Karnataka and

Tamil Nadu. As the slum is located near the railway lines, it is obvious that there is no

vegetation in that area and the people do not own any land for agriculture. Also they are

migrants and therefore there is no scope for them to earn so much as to own anything at all.

The land is not fertile in the area because they are mostly construction land which comprises of

lose soil not suitable for agriculture. With non – perennial construction work in hand, the slum

dwellers do not make much money and are not in a position to own cattle or goats in the area.

They do not have any grazing land either but some people stated that they have grazing lands,

small pieces of lands and livestock back in their villages where they actually hail from.

Bangalore again has seasonal rainfall which is June to August which does not allow people to be

dependent on the rainfall for agriculture not that they practice agriculture. Rainfall only matters

to the people of Nagvar Palya when it stops their construction work and they do not have work

for another couple of days. The ecology of the area does not help the slum dwellers much.

There is no flora or fauna which they could have used for economic benefits, nor do they have

proper land to be tilled for agricultural purposes, no lakes, no waterfall and no free access to

water. The slum is located in such a place that it surrounded by only huge buildings, shops,

malls, etc. The people are not that skilled to earn a livelihood from such ecology.

Economic Profile: Out of 2000 people in the slum, 1400 people are daily wage construction

workers which make 70 percent of the population. They have been in Nagvar Palya for over 15

years. There are 6 households which own petty shops in and outside the slum. So these

households earn from the revenue generated from the sales of the products. There are

approximately 850 women in the slum apart from the girl child and around 1050 men apart

from the boy child. Out of these 850 women 595 women are involved in construction work, 6

have petty shops along with their husbands, 12 of them are tailors and earn their livelihood

through small stiches within the slums and some make small utility products to be sold outside,

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19 of the women are involved in housekeeping works in the nearby apartments and hotels and

hostels while the rest are house wives. Out of 1050 men, 840 of them are construction workers,

27 men are carpenters, 6 own petty shops while the rest are old to work and suffer from illness

or age. The job structure is not perennial for any kind of work they are involved in. there are

times when they do not have work at all and sit at home. At such times there is no money

flowing and there is no job security because of irregular jobs. Their livelihood opportunities are

therefore a lot uncertain.

Sociological Profile: This domain includes personal relationships, social support, sexual activity,

etc. Most of the slum dwellers neither have opportunity to share their problems nor do they

have dependable and faithful friends. Fighting and quarrels for basic things like water, common

space and children are commonly observed phenomena. Also jealousy and criticism are

frequently noted in inter - personal behavior of the people. The emotional bonds or intimacy

are very weak. An attempt was made to find the family atmosphere, the relationship between

the husband and wife especially. It is important to note that because of superior attitude of the

male members and their sheer neglect of the family, the responsibility of managing the family

would fall on the women – case of 90 percent household. Out of the 873 working men, 80

percent spend half of their earnings on alcohol and habits like gambling. In such households,

the relationship between the husband and wife is not cordial. We can observe the psychological

domain as well as religious and spiritual and religious domains here too. On such a note, it has

been observed that 6o percent of the population in the slum have absence of positive feelings

as a sizeable number of the respondents reported that they did not enjoy life and feel no

contentment. Talking about religion and caste, 70 percent of the population belongs to Hindu

religion and the rest are Christians; 85 percent of the population belongs to the scheduled

caste. Gender differences can be seen as the women of the community are not allowed to go

out and work other than in construction along with their husbands or other community

members.

Political Profile: Politics also plays important role in any community. It has been found that the

slum is in the outskirts and relatively new one as to speak and they are new poor and they are

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not entitled to the government benefits for notified slums. Also, the slum has been established

in a highly disputed land. The slum dwellers are constantly in conflict with the owners and their

lawyers. When asked about the owner, they answered that the land is owned by multiple

owners. Checking on it showed that one of the owners was Prabhu and he has 9 other brothers

and the land was divided among the 10 brothers. The problem then for the tenants or slum

dwellers is that they do not know whom to approach for any disputes. Instead there is a lawyer

who comes now and then to collect the monthly rent from the community. They do not even

know where the money is going or who is taking the money from them because of the

confusion of multiple owners.

Lack of Integrated Energy Center in Nagvar Palya: SELCO Foundation has been attempting to

set up an integrated energy center in Nagvar Palya but has not been successful in its attempt

because:

a. There are multiple owners of the land due to which there are a lot of confusions and

disputes.

b. They are not allowing or giving permission to set up an IEC in the slum even after making

them aware of the need to set it up.

c. There are empty tents and kholis which can be used to set the IEC up but the owners are

posing obstacles by asking to get notice from court or affidavit signed etc.

d. SELCO is also becoming uncertain of the fact that the community might have to migrate

from the area again due to land disputes and the community might not be able to pay

the initial installation cost in due course of time.

e. Even if people in the Nagvar Palya slum own petty shops like the entrepreneur in

Kariyammana Agrahara, no one in Nagvarpalya is ready to take up the responsibility to

take up the managerial job of the IEC.

ARTISANAL LIVELIHOOD INITIATIVE IN NAGVARPALYA – THE KOWDI KUTUMBA PROJECT:

SELCO has not been able to set up an Integrated Energy Center in Nagvarpalya as mentioned

already because of various reasons. It instead thought about a livelihood project which might

benefit the slum dwellers in a way that they have an alternative livelihood which would

18

empower them to an extent that they would be able to negotiate with the multiple owners

themselves and earn an income which would enable them to set up an energy center

themselves with the help of the organization for the provision of basic energy facilities within

the community because it has been observed that if there is pressure from a bigger crowd, in

this case the community, then the results would be positive definitely and they might get some

place allotted for themselves within the community. Therefore, SELCO Foundation has taken up

the initiative to start providing alternative livelihood solutions to the under - served

communities of the slum in Nagvar Palya and it named the community living within the slum as

the “Kowdi Kutumba.”

THE COMMUNITY:

Kowdi Kutumba are an under-served community living in Nagvara Palya, Bangalore, who are

migrants from North Karnataka and have been doing the patchwork form of Kowdi at a

household level making quilts for themselves with pieces of clothes put together. This art form

needs to be preserved as it is a traditional form of work of the Northern Karnataka. Kowdi is a

traditional craft form, an ethnic craft marketed locally by creating interest in the culture and by

maintaining high quality. Local social worker from community partner organization identified

the slum and the community living in Nagvar Palya. The community is vulnerable due to

insecure livelihood requiring market linkages and temporary settlement status. SELCO

Foundation, therefore, looked into the vulnerability of the people of the slum with respect to

employment opportunities and generation of income by using energy as an entry point

intervention to explore the potential livelihood avenues with women from the slum in Nagvara

Palya.

PRESENT LIVELIHOOD STATUS:

The Kowdi community is a group of people who have migrated from North Karnataka in search

of employment and a better quality of life. The problem with this fact is that these people are

not really skilled to get jobs in good enterprises in urban areas. They mostly get the jobs of

construction workers in the construction sites and they inhabit lands nearby the construction

sites itself. The male and female members of the community in Nagvara Palya are mostly into

19

construction work. A part of the female members also do housekeeping works in the nearby

apartments and earn some money. Most of the women who have kids stay back in house and

take care of the kids and only the male members go out for work. Basically, construction work

and Housekeeping work are the main source of livelihood for the community. They are mostly

into informal work sector and they do not have regular jobs. Weekly they have 3 to 4 days of

work. On an average each household has an income of Rs. 4000 – Rs. 8000 in which they have

to take care of the health, food, education and other necessities within each family. Whatever

they earn by then, either gets consumed fully or if by luck they are able to save then they use it

when they do not have work. The construction work is not a regularized job for them and they

are on contract basis or daily basis. So there is a huge threat that they might lose the job any

time. The contractors who employ the members of this community also exploit them a lot. At

times they pay low wages whereas other times they delay in paying the wages at all. This

irregularity and non - perennial nature of their employment makes it necessary to provide them

alternative and regular kind of livelihood avenues.

PROBLEMS FACED BY THE KOWDI COMMUNITY:

The mass produced goods are steadily replacing utility items of daily use made by the

community. There is very limited public awareness of the cost effectiveness, functionality and

range of the Kowdi products. The urban consumers do not have access to many of the

products. The people within the Kowdi Community are bound in their struggle for their own

survival from the money lenders, traders and middlemen due to which they are unable to focus

on the work. Women struggle to enter the economic mainstream and therefore we are trying

to encourage them to make use of their traditional craft to become wage earners and show

them the way to get access to the market.

LINKS BETWEEN ENERGY AND LIVELIHOOD:

Energy has both direct and indirect impacts on the livelihoods of the poor. Perhaps surprisingly,

there has been little attention to energy within the livelihoods framework, despite its

recognitions as a key aspect of physical capital. The urban poor are largely dependent on small-

scale enterprises for generating income: street food vendors, small-scale manufacturing and

20

repair services are common. The informal sector forms an important part of coping strategies

particularly for women. But this is not enough. Energy poverty is related to lack of better living

conditions and employment opportunity. Two of the primary barriers for the poor are access to

value-based technology and reliable energy. The lack of access to electricity prevents the poor

from creating sufficient employment opportunities and enterprises. Decentralized, sustainable

energies like solar power, when effectively linked to livelihoods, can act as a catalyst to

empower the poor to create assets for themselves. Mapping the needs of the poor at the level

where the solutions are implemented is needed to be carried out. For example, focus on

industries directly related to people's livelihoods (such as agriculture, silk production and the

home-based garment industry) and formulation of technology interventions that have the

potential for integration with renewable energy are required. Project Kowdi also started as an

entry point intervention to explore the potential livelihood avenues with women from the

urban slums. In this regard, an efficient small sewing machine, for example, can run on solar for

home-based tailoring units to make products out of the Kowdi patch works. This will save time,

energy and will be efficient and increase productivity. Therefore, energy in this sense will help

in improving the livelihood opportunities for the urban poor in the slums.

KOWDI PRODUCTS FROM KOWDI KUTUMBA:

Products should be manufactured in a way that it gives maximum satisfaction to the target

customers at reasonable prices. The Kowdi products have been designed in such a way that the

utilitarian value of the products remains intact. Sling Bags, Laptop Covers, I – Pad Bags, Table

Runners, Organizers, Wall Hangings, Pillow Covers, Mobile Pouches, Pencil Pouches, etc. are

some of the products which provide high utility to the target customers at reasonable prices. A

lot of thought has been put into what kind of products need to be made. And the designers and

the entrepreneurs came up with the above mentioned set of products which are not only utility

based and gives customer satisfaction but are cost effective and generates revenue delivering

income to the women of the Kowdi community.

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VALUE ADDING CHAINS IN KOWDI:

Identification of market opportunities

Prototype design and development / adaption and refinement

Test marketing

Upgrading equipping facilities

Securing inputs

Entrepreneurial hiring, training, managing

Production, quality control and packaging

Costing and pricing

Physical distribution

Export market development

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MARKET:

Over a period of time that there have been a high demand for both utilitarian and traditional

kowdi craft in the domestic market, but, most of the craftsmen live below the poverty line

because middlemen exploit traditional artisans.

Ms. Vaishali Rao is the new entrepreneur putting in the efforts to set up the small scale

enterprise for the Kowdi products and finding market linkages and setting up market for the

target customers along with designer Mrs. Shahana Ahmed who has been helping the

community with the designs of all the products as well as training the women of the slum to

make the patchworks far more better than the first time they had started the work. She is

responsible to provide all the materials to the community and then collect it from them within

the stipulated time period. Mr. Roshan Mascarenhas and Ms. Vaishali Rao are the two people

from SELCO Foundation who have been responsible to communicate everything between the

community and the Foundation including wage rates of the Kowdi community, prices of the

products, supply of raw materials, exhibitions and sales, etc. Unlike Kariyammana Agrahara

where the people from the community are designated by SELCO to take up the responsibility of

the development initiative to sustain themselves, in Nagvar Palya the people are not yet

considering the responsibility to be taken by someone within the community and that is the

reason that members from the Foundation are the communicating staffs.

The Kowdi craft segment falls into the mid – to – high – end markets and can be sold by small

chains and independent retail stores. From the market research, it has been observed that, the

Kowdi craft targets customers or consumers who can be described as persons living in tier 1 or

tier 2 city, aged 18 – 40 and fits into the A1 – A2 bracket of the Socio – Economic Classification

System in India.

MARKET COMPETITIONS:

Kowdi Kutumba, a new brand, set up in the year 2014 has identified some competitions in the

market. Following are the two most important competitors which have been thriving in the

business of handicrafts but not necessarily Kowdi -

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Large Retail Outlets – Fabindia and Mother Earth:

- Because of its early start, FabIndia was able to get prime mover advantage resulting in

cost advantage.

- Mother Earth is a relatively new set up but progressing at a faster pace.

- Both Fabindia and Mother Earth price their products highly whereas Kowdi Kutumba

prices its products relatively at a lower rate.

- The products of Fabindia and Mother Earth have an enormous range but they are not

specialized in a particular kind of craft whereas Kowdi Kutumba is specializes in Kowdi

craft and produces a range of products within the same segment – Kowdi sling bags,

laptop covers, I-pad bags, mobile pouches, pencil pouches, wall hangings, table runners,

organizers are some examples of Kowdi products.

Machine Made Products:

- Machine made products are another set of competitors as they are relatively cheap and

easily accessible while Kowdi products are meant for specific group of people and may

not be available in bulk everywhere. Therefore, people who are socially and culturally

conscious and demand these traditional products so as to make difference through the

purchase and contribute to the cause become the major stakeholders of these products.

CUSTOMERS:

Demographic data

Sl. No Attributes Detail1. Age 18 - 402. Gender Female (85%), Male (15%)3. Income Middle Income to High Income4. Profession Service, Business, Students5. City Type Tier 1 and Tier 26. SEC System1 A1 – A2 bracket

a. Psychographic data1 Socio – Economic Classifications Systems (SEC) is a system created by the Market Research Society of India (MRSI). It uses education and occupation data to segment households in India. This is the most commonly used market segmenting tool in the country.

24

Sl. No Attributes Detail1. Socially Conscious Consumers becoming more aware of where

the products come from who makes them2. Culturally Conscious Craftspeople and processes are an integral

part of our intangible cultural heritage3. Eco – Friendly Consumers opt for eco-friendly and

sustainable products and Kowdi Kutumba provides the same.

4. Fashionable Fashion sets us apart from the crowd and Kowdi Kutumba maintains the fashion sense.

5. Traditional Kowdi in itself is a traditional craft and customers opt for traditional products over western products to show their “Indian - ness.”

The demographic and psychographic data makes them an ideal target for adoption and

the diffusion of the idea of actively buying traditional Indian crafts. These people have just

the right mix of attitude, purchasing power and status to provide a sizeable domestic market for

Kowdi.

MARKET PLAN:

The target audience is driven by their psychographic data. They want craft products to be

socially, culturally and environmentally friendly. They want new and up-to-date designs and

most of all they demand quality. So by highlighting these aspects in our marketing strategy we

can increase domestic market sales.

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Branding:

Lots of masses have no idea of what Kowdi actually is. The whole idea of initiating the Kowdi

Craft as a project was to give recognition to this specific traditional craft as well as to the

women in the slums who are involved in this craft. There was a need to make the masses aware

of such craft and the cause behind marketing of the products, therefore, the brand Kowdi

Kutumba was created with a specific logo which established the background of the craft and

the reason for taking up such initiative.

Customers:

As explained earlier, the demographic and the psychographic aspects of customers play very

important role. Demand for socially, culturally and environmentally friendly products along with

their up – to – date designs have increased. Therefore looking into the desired behavior of the

customers and what they demand is an essential entry point of the marketing plan of Kowdi

products.

Products:

Products should be manufactured in a way that it gives maximum satisfaction to the target

customers at reasonable prices. Sling Bags, Laptop Covers, I – Pad Bags, Table Runners,

Organizers, Wall Hangings, Pillow Covers, Mobile Pouches, Pencil Pouches, etc. are some of the

products with high utility.

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Marketing Plan

Promotion

Sales and Distribution

ProductsBranding

Customers

Promotion:

It is essentially important to promote the products designed so that the demands for such

products increase and ample amount of sales can generate revenue. In this light, we have been

trying to promote our Kowdi products through exhibitions in platforms like Facebook, Sunday

Soul Santhe, Green Haat and Phoenix Market City - 080. This helps in directly interacting with

the target customers as well as large retail outlet holders interested in exporting the Kowdi

products. Also we are trying to promote our products by distributing brochures and catalogs for

the same to retail outlets and independent organization interested in keeping stock of our

products.

Sales and Distribution:

Sales and Distribution are important phases in marketing. It is important to identify particular

distributors because Kowdi products are such that it takes time to be manufactured in bulk and

the sales of such product requires perfect location or platform to attract target customers. It is

essential to identify distributors in such a way so that they can reach the target customers as

much as possible and sell the products generating revenue for Kowdi Kutumba. As of now we

have identified few exporters who are interested in exporting the products and retail stores like

Cinnamon, Ambara, ANTS Store, Snapdeal.com, ITShandmade.in, etc. that help in reaching out

to the customers within Bangalore (Bangalore has been considered because of easy accessibility

and availability).

MAJOR DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS THAT CAN HELP GENERATE REVENUE:

Wholesalers:

Besides offering wide range of goods to retailers for direct sales, this channel also supplies large

quantities of individual articles. One of the distinguishing features of wholesalers is to provide

distribution and storage facilities. Specialized wholesalers deal in sales to retailers as well as to

final consumers. They maintain high quality standards and have a narrower and in-depth range

of products.

27

Importers/distributors:

We can use importers/distributors to market and sell our Kowdi products. They buy and sell on

their own account. Thus, we can take advantage of the distributor's expertise, his sales force

and his existing distribution channels. Distributors call on giftware and handicrafts retailers,

purchasing groups and supermarkets where we can stock our products. The distributors' mark-

up varies depending on the item, but at least 50 percent. While the mark-ups vary according to

the distributor; they usually also depend on the exclusivity of a product and on its

competitiveness in the overall market.

Department Stores:

If we are interested in establishing business contacts with major department stores, mail-order

houses and retailers then we may also choose the direct approach. Department stores in

particular, prefer to deal directly with manufacturers. Their buyers are very specialized and

only handle a limited range of products. At some occasions department stores also buy

through independent commercial agents. Quite often they have their own buyers as well as a

few agents that usually work with them and who know their assortments. If a department

store decides to import a particular item, it places bulk rather than small orders.

Internet Sales:

It is anticipated that the Kowdi products can be put forth for electronic sales, which are

estimated to reach worldwide. Already today, the Internet is a major sales channel for Indian

market. Therefore, having our own website and putting up our products online for sale will

provide easy access to the buyers and help in the sale of the products.

Teleshopping:

Introduction of tele-shopping channels that operate all over the country and offer various types

of Kowdi products will also make people aware of the craft work and help in trading between

producers and consumers.

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RISK ASSESSMENT:

Setting up such small scale enterprise can also bring with it certain risks. Therefore it is

necessary to assess them and manage it timely.

Sl. No.

Risk Consequence Preventive control

Corrective control

1. Low Sales at exhibition

Exhibition sales are the real motivator for the women.

Work prior to exhibition on pricing and selecting appropriate designs and styles.

Put a paid advertisement in the newspaper

2. Financial Risk Not enough funds to cover basic operation and organizing cost

Develop business plan and pitch to venture capitalist.

Take a business loan

3. Cannot Attract good media partner

Decreases visibility and chance of less turn out in exhibitions

Have pages on different social media. Target magazines with same target group

Increase marketing through other outlets

4. Women not allowed to come outside of the community

Diminishes the time and effort for providing trainings

Reach out to them with minimal training facilities

Provide a space within the community for training

5. Unable to find suitable partners to associate with

Expansion of the enterprise is neglected.

Meeting the partners in persons and earning trust

Not moving ahead before the partners rely on us.

29

SWOT ANALYSIS:

Strength:1. Abundant and cheap labour from slums,

hence can compete on price2. Low capital investment and high ratio of

value addition3. Aesthetic and functional qualities4. Wrapped in midst of antiquity5. Hand - made and hence has few

competitors6. Variety of products which are unique7. Exporters willing to handle small orders8. Increasing emphasis on product

development and design up gradation

Weakness:1. Inconsistent quality2. Inadequate market study and

marketing strategy3. Lack of adequate infrastructure and

communication facilities4. Capacity to handle limited orders5. Untimely delivery schedule6. Unawareness of international

standards by many players in the market

7. Difficulty in finding manufacturer to manufacture in large quantity.

Opportunity:1. Rising appreciation for Kowdi products

by consumers domestically and globally.

2. Widespread novelty seeking3. Large discretionary income at disposal

of consumer from developed countries4. Growth in search made by retail chains

in major importing countries for suitable products and reliable suppliers.

5. Opportune for agencies to promote marketing activities

6. Use of e-commerce in direct marketing

Threats:1. Better quality products produced by

competitors.2. Better terms of trade by competing

producers.3. Consistent quality and increasing focus

on R&D by competing producers4. Better packaging

FUTURE GROWTH OF KOWDI KUTUMBA:

As it has been mentioned already that the target customers who would buy the Kowdi products

are elite group of people, it is clear that high end exhibitions and export of such products is the

way to go. Rural people will not be able to buy it because these are not necessities for them.

Urban segments are the target which means these products fall in luxury as the elite have the

30

taste of such products. Hence, global distribution of the Kowdi products will enhance the

growth of the Kowdi Kutumba and their enterprise as it will bring in foreign exchange making

the products valuable in foreign market too. This will in turn help in increased income and

improved livelihood of the Kowdi Community.

ANALYSIS:

The research report focuses on comparative study of two slums in Bangalore with respect to

Integrated Energy Centers and Artisanal Livelihood initiative (Kowdi Kutumba Project). The

study is based on two slums namely Kariyammana Agrahara and Nagvar Palya.

a. Looking into the socio-economic and cultural profiles of both the slums considered

within the project, it has been found that the concept of Integrated Energy Centers has

been successful in Kariyammana Agrahara but not in Nagvar Palya. This is because, it has

been observed that the slum dwellers in Kariyammana Agraha are more open to the

changes and understand the value of the initiative taken on the basis of their needs

while the slum dwellers in Nagvar Palya are ignorant of the value of an Integrated

Energy Centers. It has been found from the research that out of 500 households in

Kariyammana Agrahara 140 households have come forward to take the services of the

Integrated Energy Center while the slum dwellers in Nagvar Palya are not ready to pay

for the services and their response was that if they could cut an electric line from nearby

area even though illegally and get electricity in the house for free then why pay for it.

b. It has been found that there was a single owner of the land on which Kariyammana

Agrahara slum was built and he was considerate enough and empathized to the needs

of the people living there which made it easier for SELCO Foundation to set up the

Integrated Energy Center. But, because of multiple ownership of the land of Nagvar

Palya, it became difficult to convince each and every owner to get a permission to set up

an Integrated Energy Center because of different view - points of every other owner.

c. It has been observed in both the slums that male members of the slums had major

power than the women in the slums. The women were not allowed to go out of the

community to work or get involved in any other jobs outside their local areas. They were

31

either allowed to work from inside the community like tailoring jobs, construction works

along with the other members of the community or allowed to work as housekeeping

staff in nearby apartments and hotels.

d. Men spend their money on alcohol as well while most of the family management is

done by the women in both the slums.

e. The livelihood initiative in Nagvar Palya took up because the women within the slum

were eager to earn a little more money to have better. Therefore their traditional art

was taken into consideration and improvised so that the products could be sold in the

world market increasing their income and giving them an alternative livelihood

opportunity.

f. Comparing both the slums, it has been found that setting up of an Integrated Energy

Center has helped the people in the slum in the sense that the people who work as

carpenters can take work home and work during the nights which increases their

productivity, the women can cook well, stitch well and do other household works in the

presence of light, the community center helps the construction workers of the

community to come together and discuss their problems, the women are made aware

of sexual problems, menstruation, sanitation and other health issues through

documentaries shown in the projector available in the community center. While Nagvar

Palya does not have such facilities, SELCO initiated the livelihood development project in

the slum which has helped 25 households in the community and the women are

involved in the livelihood project which has empowered the women and they have

become independent of their husbands in the sense that they earn 4000 INR per month

from Kowdi stitching and do not have to beg for money anywhere.

g. It was also found that the setting up of Integrated Energy Center in Kariyammana

Agrahara may have affected the 140 households in the community positively but it has

created a rift between those who get the services and the ones who don’t. The ones

who don’t get the facilities feel inferior to the ones who have the facilities. Also, the

ones who have access to the facilities feel superior because they have better

information and awareness and communication when there are problems. This has

32

created a rift between the haves and the have – nots. Therefore a large number of the

population is not happy because it has changed the dynamics within the community in a

negative way. While in Nagvar Palya no body demanded the setting of Integrated Energy

Centers because they don’t want to pay unnecessarily even if there is a need but they

are happier than the population in Nagvar Palya because there is no issue of complexity

among the community members regarding who is getting better and who is not, who is

becoming richer and who is not.

h. One thing that caught the eye was that there was gender discrimination in both the

slums but the girls were never considered to be a burden in the sense that they were

taught other household works and made to be productive while the boys went to school

in Kariyammana Agrahara. In Nagvar Palya both boys and girls went to school but

gender discrimination was seen when the women were not allowed to make decisions

in the household or given any place in community decision making.

i. The living conditions of the 25 households from which the 25 women of the Kowdi

Kutumba group hailed from in Nagvar Palya improved a lot since the initiation of the

project. They have started buying their own sewing machines so that they can take bulk

orders themselves and increase the productivity.

CONCLUSION:

The research gives a clear picture of the realities that pounce on communities living in the slum.

It satisfies all the hypotheses mentioned above and depicts that the study has been conducted

in an unbiased manner. The development initiatives put into effect helped the slum dwellers to

improve the quality of their lives and income in true sense but it came with a price too, it being

the social differentiation among the people living in the community because everyone has not

been getting the benefits of the intervention. Only a handful of the total population in both the

slums have been reaping benefits and the others have become a disadvantageous group and

this creates a rift between the people further aggravating their differences. Another important

thing to note is that Integrated Energy Centers may be successful in certain areas but it does

not mean that it cannot turn out to be a failure. People at times do not accept changes around

33

them and this inability leads to various obstacles and fights. In addition to that, the biggest

threat to the traditional craft work of Kowdi remains industrial manufacturers who produce

cheap products in volume and can respond to the changing consumer trends. Small scale

enterprises like this can be slower to adapt to the market; struggle to compete on price points

and to meet the production timelines of industrial manufacturers. Not only this, at times it has

been observed that development interventions lead to further impoverishment. Therefore it is

very important to design an intervention based on the needs of the people in such a way that

people reap the benefits out of it as well as it is a successful attempt towards the welfare of the

people.

REFERENCES:

Bala, R., & Sudesh, K. (2013). SOCIETY, CULTURE AND ECONOMY OF INDIAN SLUMS: A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE. International Referred Research Journal.

Gayathri, K. (2002). Genuineness of the Capital Investment Subsidy: a Study of Bangalore. Bangalore: ISEC.

Kanbur, R. (2009). Conceptualizing Informality: Regulation and Employment in. Indian Journal of Labour Economics.

RoyChowdhury, S. (n.d.). Livelihood and Income: Informality and Poverty in Bangalore's Slum. South Asian Journal.

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