Samanvaya News Room

Dec 6th, Nadukuppam, Marakkanam block, Villupuram District: had a half day workshop with the amazingly dedicated village women entrepreneurs in Nadukuppam village today. these are the women group who have created and manage the amazing "AMRUTHA" brand of village herbal products including my favourite companion these days, a headache relief balm!!  meeting with AMRUTHA group women along with Arnab this group of women have over the last year created this amazing brand with encouragement and facilitation from the Pitchandikulam team and SEDAB project that was created with the vision of evolving several socially relevant and local resource based enterprises in the village of the bio-region around Auroville.  we discussed techniques of marketing and learning from prior marketing insights and knowledge to do current marketing better. these women have already 'walked' to 100 villages around to market their products thereby creating an unique rural marketing model

Dec 6th, Village Irumbai, Tamilnadu: Yesterday had a wonderful 3 hour interaction with about 200+ village women from the Vanur block in Villupuram district, all members of women's Self-Help Group (SHG) formed by  Auroville Village Action Group , yet again reminded of the vulnerability and ignorance of our village women... "my child got low marks, i was asked to meet the teacher at school...he asked me to give my child, 'memory _______' drink (a popular drink that costs a bomb for the poor village women and promises great memory improvement or atleast that is the impression gathered by the gullible teachers) as that will improve my child. i don't know  what to do, i have to obey the teachers, they talk with so much authority, but, should they start telling us what to feed our children also? as it is much of what i earn goes into paying the fees!" exclaims a village mother.   a quick online search found this article ( link ) on how the popular brands