Tasar se mili pahchaan – ab to mere pati ko mere name se sab jante hain- Gurubari Bhumiz
Gurubari Bhumiz is famous for Tasar, not only in her village but in her block and district also. She belongs to Jogidih village, Tilopada Panchayat, Kuchai Block of Saraikela district Jharkhandh. She is 8th pass. She has 3 sons. She is member of Gadabaari Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal.
Before 2015 only few villagers knew her. She used to go for labour work under MGNREGA. She never forget the year 2011. Her husband had also migrated in 2011. This was a distress migration, because that year was drought year. So her husband went to Bengal for brick work and she did pond work as a labour under MGNREGA. She was also running a small grocery shop. She had taken 10000 to start grocery shop. Before 2015 she had only 3-4 months of food security from her own land. They used to take rice and leafy vegetable with rice water at regular basis. They occasionally took Daal and vegetable. Whenever they required cash, they used to sale paddy or took money from neighbors and bank. After marriage she remembered that their situation was very worst. Even today while remembering those days, her eyes get teared.
In 2014 – 15 PRADAN started continuous mobilzation effort in the village. The concepts seeding around Tasar activity was given by them and farmers were motivated to initiate this activity. PRADAN has also formed the tasar samiti. She took training on grainage, microscope testing, and disease identification, their prevention and remedies. These all training are very helpful for tasar activity. Microscopic test is very critical point for tasar as it help us to select good DFL. Project has also supported to make a grainage house and community plantation of 2000 plants. All 34 members of tasar samiti has contributed in the construction of grainage house. Now she is quite capable to give technical and motivational training to other farmers.
During last three years she has earned Rs 1,30,088 from tasar. She could earn more from tasar but according to her, she is mostly engaged with other farmers to give technical demonstration and motivational support. And due to her support, more than 30 farmers are doing well in tasar of her village. From tasar her family get around 125 days of work per year.
The family she has been providing technical handholding support also earns net income Rs.15,000/- to Rs.20,000/- per cycle.
She has used the tasar income in her grocery shop, to purchase moped, started business of sale and purchase of paddy, child education. Her two children are studying outside village in private school, living in a hostel. She is spending around 5000 per month on their education. She has also purchased touch screen mobile for her son.
Both husband and wife have very good mutual understanding. They have almost equally distributed their work and there is no limitation that this type of work will be done by only husband or only wife. Many time her husband cooked food for the family. According to experience there are some risk also in tasar work, like during the climbing on tree they have fear to fall down, also they have fear from snakes and elephant. She shared some critical point for tasar like – protection of larvae from predators, regular visit and proper feeding of larvae, regular application of medicine.
Due to the tasar intervention, now her husband has not migrated during last 4 years and that’s why her shop had never closed in last 4 years. She has saving in post office and SHG. She has also taken land on mortgage at cost of Rs 20,000. Now they are taking two times tea and proper meal i.e. rice, vegetable and Daal at regular basis.
She told that now everyone knows her by her name. She got full support from her husband. She is now actively participating in gram sabha. Health committee. She told – “Earlier women were not allowed to touch the larvae and even stay at addabadi but now this work is being done by women also and they are leading this activity”. In her home all the decisions are being taken by mutual agreement of husband and wife. Even on some general agenda, her children also participates during the discussion. She got a prize for CRP work in Ranchi. Other villager’s view about her is – “earlier she was not going outside the village but now she travels to market outside the village also.
She is expecting that TDF will support her to start the reeling works as reeling work will be more beneficial for all the tasar farmers. Education is the most important point for her children, so in future her focus would be on her child education.
Her dream is to see the well-educated child of her own and all other farmers also. She is also dreaming that she would have on road double storey building which includes 5 rooms, one big hall and a temple where she could worship to god with all family members. She would have 500 Aasan plants. She will do only tasar works whole day and her middle son will look after the big shop of clothes and shoes.
She has made a drawing through which she has tried to draw her life before the tasar intervention, during the intervention and her future dream:-
