Notes from Year '0'

I travelled 200 kilometres for a meeting. One person showed up.

Last month I spent a few days in Garhwal. region Of Uttarakhand. I went to meet a group of women who had agreed to gather, and to see what is actually happening before I build anything on assumptions. I was expecting around 50. On the day, one showed up. The others had gone to weed their rice fields or to the jungle for fodder. Rains were coming. Fair learning !

In the hills, before any participation barrier, there is just the hill .

To attend a meeting in the next village, a woman might walk 1–2 kilometres up or downhill, or spend ₹100–200 on a taxi — real money with nothing liquid in hand. After collecting fodder, feeding animals, cooking. When she does not show up, it is not a motivation problem. It is a design problem. My design problem.

In Pauri Garhwal — my home district, no yatra route, no tourism, population growth rate of -1.5 for 25 years — every woman I met was in at least one SHG. Most were in several.

One group formed under a water harvesting project five years ago. Money came. Nobody explained what it was for. They used it for household needs. Last week they got a legal notice to return ₹1 lakh. They said: we thought it was supposed to be distributed.

When I suggested working with the malta and haldi they have plenty of, they were interested. By evening, no one showed up. Jungle for fodder.

On the yatra route — shops selling FPO and cooperative products. Good packaging. But many buy in bulk from outside and sell under the name of women's groups. The groups are not producing. The brand is running without the people behind it.

Across 12 groups, none were functional. But in almost every one — one or two women, motivated and clear. They said: better guidance and we can do a lot.

I also ran into two women I had worked with ten years ago. One runs a homestay, handles her own social media. The other makes pickles and juices, doing well. Right support at the right time — then fine on their own.

I did not come back with conclusions but maybe better questions.

Two things forward: one group agreed to learn pine leaf craft — need a trainer. Useful conversation with livelihood mission units about leveraging existing structures.