Naurati Devi - Session 01

AR-020-13-1

(00:00:00 – 00:05:00) Briefly mentions the high cost of infrastructures and the status of village water supply (pipelines and head pumps). The speaker recounts falling ill, which forced them to learn computer skills. Describes months long struggle to learn the English keyboard due to a lack of formal education but eventually mastered typing in both Hindi and English. This skill led them to teach girls, women, and boys to work as computer teachers. (00:05:01 – 00:13:30) The speaker became the female head of the village (Sarpanch). She won the election with 723 votes without any external spending. Also mentions a Gram Sabha meeting incident where speaker confronted the Collector and Pradhan about a zero budget for the village and the lack of seating for 600-800 girls at the school. The speaker used their computer records as proof of the zero budget and successfully pushed for the construction of 13 new rooms at the school. (00:13:31 – 00:18:00) Mentions the gaining land for the school, publicly asking for it as alms on January 26th and registering it for the school's use, focusing on rectifying boundaries and installing power where needed. In her tenure, she managed to get 15 gravel roads and 30 brick roads built, infrastructure development that had not occurred in 60 years. (00:18:01 – 00:21:30) She dedicated 12 acres of Panchayat land to build a hospital. The facility now has 30 staff members and performs critical inspections for delivery, sugar, TB, and blood pressure, medical services that had been absent for 60 years in the village. (00:21:31 – 00: 27:00) The speaker, who learned about NREGA and the Right to Information (RTI) from her mentor,” Arunaji”. She critiques the high level of corruption in villages and expresses disillusionment with the voting process. They emphasize that understanding the law prevents them from being exploited and empowers them to fight the government. (00:27:01 – 00:35:00) Discusses the constant conflicts, including being beaten and having a pen thrown at them at a Gram Sabha meeting, but successfully defended themselves using the law. They recount being called for a social audit and giving a complete record, including bills and vouchers, noting the village handed over 13.5 lakh rupees during the audit. The speaker admits there was a lot of corruption when they were in power. They passed the entire budget through the village assembly and achieved significant cost savings, building a service center for Rs. 10 lakhs compared to the typical Rs. 15-25 lakhs. (00:35:01 – 00:42:00) Recounts facing severe personal threats, including being harassed by over 50 aggravated people at their house, which prompted them to file an FIR. They recount having to throw a bunch of boys out of their house and dealing with opposition from their own son regarding their role in the panchayat. The speaker (now around 81 years old) asserts that they will always sit in the panchayat, emphasizing that if one's mind is not scared, no one can stop them from moving ahead. (00:42:01 – 00:46:32) The speaker offers a strong critique of modern mechanization and despite learning computer skills, they express caution against excessive use of technology. The speaker concludes by reflecting on their personal strength.

29 June 2025

Oral histories of technical personnel in Broadcast and Community Video

Naurati Devi