We got down at Chengalpattu Junction on the 30th to head to R. Elango’s village, Kuthumbakkam. We had heard that he was one of the rare engineers who had returned to his village to transform it. Hmm… interesting. Sounded to me like the story line of Swades. So we hopped on to the buses and headed to Kutumbakkam. When we reached there this small village girl came up to me and asked, “What is your name?” so I answered. “Nice name, nice to meet you,” she said. All of this communication took place in English. Wow! I was impressed.R. Elango walked in to greet us. We were all settled inside a brick mortar sort of an auditorium. His face was shining with pride as he started off to tell the story of Kuthumbakkam. Elango entered his village Panchayat in 1996 after quitting his job as a scientist at CSIR (Council of Scientific and Indian Research). Thereafter, he won the elections to become the Sarpanch of Kuthumbakkam, a seven hamlet village; thereby taking the first step in the long journey of change.
The village was rotting with unemployment, illiteracy, liquor problems, domestic violence and many such issues. 60 – 70% men were working hand to mouth on daily wages that then used to be spent on liquor. Women used to get beaten up and population was on the rise. So when Elango was elected, he prepared a five year plan. He tried to incorporate villagers in the process. He explained to them the importance of education, good roads and infrastructure. The villagers pooled in money and the government contributed some amount too. So by the year 2000, the problems of the basic amenities in the village were sorted out.
The next step was to provide sustainable income to the villagers and of empowering women. Elango fought the government to employ only the local people for any infrastructure construction which happened in the village. So, while infrastructure got a boost in the village, the locals got employment too. Elango, who is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, believes in self reliance, which he feels is more sustainable. He has converted his village into a self running economic zone. The villagers produce everything that they need from local resources and sell surplus produce outside their villages. The women of the village are organized in several SHGs (Self-Help Groups). They not only earn a decent living today, but have also earned self respect. “Even if they (men) drink, they dare not beat women,” Elango proudly said.
Hmmm… interesting. But I was not very comfortable with one thing which Elango said. He said that he doesn’t encourage ‘outside’ products to come in and establish their market. If he would, his economic model was at a risk of falling apart. His village products which are produced and consumed by the same villagers would face market competition. I am a little right leaning person. Maybe because I am from a city which is heart of India’s capitalism or maybe because I was a management student. I don’t agree completely with Elango’s protectionist policy. But he wasn’t wrong too. The top down approach hadn’t worked for Kuthumbakkam much. The benefits of India’s ‘development’ were not reaching its villages. A socialist self sustaining economy was his answer to numerous problems stunting the village growth.
Today, after 15 years of coming to back to his roots, R. Elango’s Kuthumbakkam has schools, paved roads, brick houses, empowered women, and a self sustaining village. Though the scalability of the socialist and protectionist economic model is debatable, no one can deny that R. Elango has truly made a difference. I’ll always remember one thing that he thundered, “Be a part of the people to change things; don’t act like ‘great’ outsiders.”
