Steer India 2015; Day 3
Kemcho! Day 3 started with us checking out of Holiday Inn Express as we prepare to embark on a super long bus journey to Udaipur. But first, a visit to SEWA!
We arrived at the SEWA Reception Centre to wait for the arrival of the SEWA representative to bring us around. Then, we were brought to our next destination – Ahmedabad’s Wholesale Vegetable Market.
Our senses were overwhelmed by the vibrant colours of the market – just look at these capsicums and eggplants. Don’t they look like plastics toys?
Dr Tan making new friends.
We proceed to walk past the district until we reach SEWA’s No. 40 Shop. We were immediately greeted by a strong smell which comprises of: Dust, Chilli Powder and Mint etcetera. I was the one who sneezed first. It then resulted in a chain of sneezes from us exotic humans in the eyes of the locals. The informative representative then started to recount how SEWA managed to get hold of Shop No. 40. It is to our surprise that it is only through several attempts and countless struggle that SEWA is able to secure this spot in the market. We were then informed that this place is a platform for self-employed women to work without involving the middlemen who would get a cut of their revenue.
While this was ongoing, we made an interesting observation! One of the local males requested Yijun to take a photo of him. After the photo was taken, the man was immediately berated by a female seller who asks him to get to work instead of taking photos. It set us thinking as we started wondering if SEWA has actually a role to play in this. Have they helped these women be more self-confident and assertive? Will the empowerment of women cause the dis-empowerment of men in the Indian society?
So concluded to the wholesale market. As we were heading to our bus, we got a pleasant surprise. One of the sellers actually gave Kimberly and Chloe a floral accessory for FREE!!!
Here’s the girls capturing the heart of Indian men.
And here’s the guys capturing the heart of Indian woman???
As we were on the bus, we realised that Julian was missing along with some of the professors. WHY?! It turns out that Julian had lost his iPhone at the market. Reminders were quickly issued and we all felt Julian’s loss. We went off back to the reception centre while Julian and co head to the police station to file a report.
Back at the centre, we were ushered to a boardroom as we awaited our guest speaker.
We were first introduced to the SEWA’s corporate video which tells the audience about the various works SEWA has accomplished since 1972. We were also informed about Elaben Bhatt and her vision to create a better lives for women. Out of all the achievements, we were most impressed with the SEWA Manager’s school which equipped women with relevant skills to better themselves, all in order to accomplish their goal of full employment and self-reliance. The Q&A also posed several intriguing insights. SEWA actually focuses on recruiting self-employed women and also those who are unemployed but willing to pick up skills to support their family. This is a really noble act as by empowering the women in the society, there are positive externalities set in place such as impacting the community as a whole – It expands the workforce in the economy and increases output. By bestowing women the ability to work for their own money, their family members would also benefit due to their higher household income.
Fun fact: did you know that SEWA is partly self-funded? They collect anannual membership fees of 10 rupees from their members to help in their operations!
With the Q&A session, we concluded by presenting a token of appreciation to the SEWA representative. We were then given the opportunity to take a look at the SEWA embroidery products!
Dr Lynette examining the pieces like a seasoned professional.
Next stop, lunch time! Our first authentic Gujarati food!
P.S we love the custard milk dessert the most! It was sweet with just a tinge of… who are we kidding we are not food bloggers..
The staff were really friendly though! Prof Kankana said they reminded her of her family – the way they keep giving us more and more food even though we were already so full!
After filling out stomach, we boarded the bus for a 6 hr bus ride to Udaipur. Surprise surprise. Julian’s phone magically appeared in his bag! What a genius. Julian, just let us know if you want to skip a talk next time. (Lynette, 2015).
But before reaching Udaipur, pit stop for Masala Tea! It was a really great sight with the change in terrain from the city landscape in Ahmedabad.
We finally reach Lake Pichola Hotel! Weather here is alot cooler than Ahmedabad. Tired but excited for the next day here in Udaipur!