The Resurging Value of Civil Society for Indian Crafts
Getting back into the busy schedules often blinds one from looking back at what was lost. Rakesh’s story is a reminder of the challenges that the pandemic has thrown to which a vast majority are still trying to find a foothold to battle.
While ‘back to normal’ is a privilege enjoyed by some in the society, many have lost opportunities and resources to get back to normal lifestyle post pandemic. The marginalised section of the society is the worst affected as they normally do not have any assets or capital to stabilise and get back into working or continue doing business irrespective of their capabilities, experience and exposure.
One such story is that of Rakesh Gowalla residing in Tinsukia district located in the easternmost part of the country within the tea belt of upper Assam. He comes from a lower middle class family where his family members work in the tea estate. Like many others in their neighbourhood, they face challenges on a day to day basis because of low wages, poor infrastructure, housing, healthcare and lack of avenues for social mobility.
In order to contribute to the family’s income, Rakesh was compelled to work and could not pursue higher education although he had passed the metric from a government school. He used to earn commission by collecting forms from the community, filling out PAN card applications, taking surveys, etc. Due to a financial crisis at home, he had to step up and partnered with his friend to open a Community Service Centre (CSC) with just one laptop and a printer. While running the shop, he learned photo editing, MS Office, online application form filling and video editing.
The waves of pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns did not spare Rakesh’s family. He had to close his shop in 2021 and was unable to open it after the restrictions on COVID-19 were eased. Rakesh got to know about Digital Empowerment Foundation in August, 2022 from one of the representatives of the organisation from Tinsukia district. He found a way to resume what he was doing under DEF’s umbrella and started his journey as a SoochnaPreneur. He is currently running a centre at his home with DEF’s support in terms of the assets required, training, capacity building and handholding.
With a lot of dedication and hard work, Rakesh is now able to provide financial support to his family. He provides governance and financial services to the community through the centre. He is also enabling digital literacy and basics of STEM education to more than 45 students supported by Accenture. Rakesh is constructing a space adjacent to his home where he can run the CSC and provide digital literacy to more students. From being cut off from the world of resources to providing different kinds of resources to his family and community, Rakesh has travelled a long way and he shares, “I am very happy working for the community. For me, the most important thing is the learning and acquiring knowledge which I am getting from DEF.”
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