Geetha Krishna
My Experiences and Learnings from CSY 9:
Day1:
I joined yatra by 12:30pm by this time yatra moved from school of Nizampet.
The first thing i learnt is interpreting the nature. The “Gandhian Engineering” principle from a tree that gives more fruits from each branch-“ More from less for more and more”. I learnt that the nature has everything in it. We can interpret everything from nature and connect it to any engineering discipline and our life.

The farmer we met next is telling his problem of taking care of his land from wild boars, not only him but as the yatra moved on many of the farmers are facing a serious problem because of them. We should strive to find a solution since many of them needs to stay hours in fields because of them and solution reduces the pain of farmer. And many farmers don’t know those practices that would reduce their pain. We have internet to know everything that is happening in technology but some kind of platform we should think about to link all those farmers to keep them updated. Govt agri offices people lost their faith in many areas. We should find a solution to reach out the farmers. Pallesrujana and Its magazines is one way to reach out them. But I think we should design a platform as we have google an instant problem solver.

Then we reached the school where we had our lunch. The people gave us very good information about the practices they use for various common diseases like cold fever, baby birth and those things that you explained regarding baby birth, it is first time to learn all those practices.

Kanzipur village it looked like a village. I mean exact way how village looks and the construction they used. All the houses are constructed in the same way. The kind of sweater, rain coat used by those villagers that too made by them is something that we are losing today. As you say the independence they are losing and the control is going out day by day.

Then walk towards the sanjeevanrao pet here I interacted a lot with you regarding various issues like corporate CSR funding to grassroots innovations, systems in govt. Got to know the flaws in those systems and need of correction which otherwise would lead to a problem.

Interaction with co-yatris in the way long during day 1 and discussion among us in various topics made to learn to see a topic in many different perspectives.

Day 2:
This is the day that made my brain to think a lot on various issues.
Open defecation in this village I felt its okay but the final conclusion came to me on 3rd day. I will say it in day 3 learnings.
The enthusiasm in villagers to learn those new practices and the spark that ignited in them is showing their interest to learn those practices that would increase their productivity. It is the general tendency for any person to learn something that would raise his income. I thought if a mobile farming school that visits the villages weekly and it should be spread across the mandal for that week .In the same way and if govt takes up land ½ acre and implements the practices it says to the people in that mobile farming school. If such a thing happens then villagers will believe in them and start using those practices that are good for nature and even them for productivity.

Then the issues about social entrepreneurship the exact definition of it I learned it from your words and one famer whom we met on the way said “I AM FARMER” the way he proudly said about what he is doing ,the thing that is close to his heart, that is giving food to him from many years made me to learn that do things wholeheartedly then it gives you immense happiness at heart whatever the result may be.

Now the” Guravaih story” inspired me a lot. Many things need to be learnt from his story.

The challenges he faced. The sacrifices he made for success of product and the way he took feed backs about the product he developed directly from the users of the product. The usage of minimum resources and time to develop a product are notable. Those learnings made me to think a lot about what we are doing in many challenges that we face today. Even now the questions are moving in my mind how to solve that problem , to take his product to many farmers waiting in 3 districts.

Then the school children we met there is a urgent need of teachers who could solve their problem. They are earnestly serious and intend to learn new things. The fresh ideas they have like when asked how to decrease the consumption of wood for match stick one of them told put chemical that burns on both sides. They are fresh in ideas. Many of them can get into prestigious colleges if they are trained well but there is lack of education. There is need to bring change in teachers to solve this problem. The problem exists in many schools .We should think about a model so that the teachers over there would deliver their lectures atleast 80% of their efficiency. Many of them are efficient and they can do that but the irresponsibility is the only thing that lacks over there.

Then walk in forest interaction with co yatries. I learned a lot sir. Many of them had an inspiring story in their lives.

And then in village Goudgam the innocence of people is that they don’t know that those agricultural practices can be automated. Again the same thing they are ready to learn about many things but lack of resources made them so. I don’t know how could we design a model but education is a learning that learning is given to us even when we graduate and do job in industries. But in agriculture industry that training is lacking nd hence the productivity is being decreased and even if many of them in village system knows it they don’t expose it for many reasons as such we discussed.

Walk in late night through those roads ups and downs. Many of us felt difficult while walking up but its easy getting down. Nature again made me to learn it is “The value of happiness exits only if we there is something hard that makes it to feel so.”

Day3:
On day 3 open defecation I actually realized the problem existing. On 2nd day, it was in an open land but today it is a hilly forest area where I found the real problem. Where ever I go there is one or other home of snakes (pamula putta). I was a bit afraid what if something bites you at that place.

During rainy seasons it will be very difficult task. There should be bathrooms for each home. It is must.

Then in walk to next village we found an young farmer who is enthusiastic to know about the solar sprayer that would decrease their pain. Their enthusiasm to know about other things I personally liked it. Thereafter other farmer using the diesel sprayer showed an immediate response to purchase the solar sprayer is again a lesson. I heard that sprayer is TIWAN made I was surprised to hear that. Some change is needed in the system that makes agricultural engineering as one of the priorities as such we have for core depts like ece, mech depts.

Then discussion with you on the system in panchayat level /mandal level cleared many of my doubts but they created new why so kind of questions. The decisions that we should make regarding entrepreneurship about sustainability cleared many of my doubts again.

Then discussion with co yatris like made me to think about different perspectives especially those who have some industrial experience made me to think in different perspective. With Srikanth the discussion improved my thoughts about problems we might face in producing the grass root innovations in mass scale. Discussions to name are many I remember every one among them.

And then the story of the MALLESAM is very inspiring. His determination to solve his mother problem and the way that has been executed is very inspiring. Throughout the story there are many things to learn. Asu family formation and business model developed and the way it is executed and the hard work everyone involved is highly appreciable and can learn many new things.

Then the last 5 km walk we are felt like let it be 10 more km but everything has to come to an end and it came to an end and review session in Narayankhed listened to various views.

And in brief this is an yatra that made you to look at everything in different perspective that we would usually don’t in your daily life.

THANKS A LOT sir for this yatra.

Geetha Krishna
B.Tech, NIT Warangal