A Small Plant Making a Big Difference
08-10-2004 (New Delhi)
“Some people said that the Aloe Vera plant looked very ugly, but I persisted using it and now even many visitors from outside appreciate it.” Bhavani is referring to an unusual sight in her small office, an aloe vera plant hanging upside down from the ceiling with four of its six branches covered in thousands of tiny flies.
Bhavani is a bright young woman always on the lookout for solutions to problems faced by her community. She works in the Jagruthi Resource Centre, a small office that is an important source of information in her village of Budikote. Bhavani is also a regular volunteer of Namma Dhwani (Our Voice), the local community multimedia centre (CMC) that uses radio, cable TV and other media to take information to villagers. Located in the same building Jagruthi and Namma Dhwani are two parts of a local solution, a small step in addressing the lack of developmental awareness and information in rural India.
Before the Aloe Vera solution was introduced the Jagruthi office used to hang a plastic cover wetted with honey on the ceiling to keep away these tiny swarming insects. But because it was an eyesore and required extra materials and effort, Bhavani decided to remove it. However, as soon as summer arrived, flies started flooding the office again and office workers themselves preferred to work outside to avoid the nuisance.
The idea of using an indigenous solution to the problem came when Bhavani went to a meeting of grassroots women’s groups. At the meeting Bhavani found that Mellamma, an elder from a neighbouring village, possesses a wealth of knowledge about indigenous herbs and plants. Mellamma advised Bhavani on how to use the aloe vera plant to keep away the troublesome insects.
Drawn by the aloe vera’s special properties, the flies feast on the upside down plant leaving the office free for Bhavani and her colleagues. It solves the problem without using plastic or any extra elements, like honey. It takes a while for people to get used to the sight of it, but most everyone agrees it is a big improvement. Bhavani has discovered that a single aloe vera plant can last two to three months.
“I am very interested in scientific programmes. For example many castes groups pour water around their plates before eating. Earlier they used to do that to keep away the insects. Now people follow it just as a
plain tradition without understanding its meaning. I want to tell people the scientific reasons behind such activities,” says Bhavani.
The fact that aloe vera plants can keep insects away is an important piece of information for the community. Both Jagruthi and Namma Dhwani have important roles in sharing this type of knowledge. It has been documented in Kannada and Telegu, the local languages, as well as in English. Villagers can hear about it in their homes and local shops on Namma Dhwani’s daily local cable FM radio service. The information is also available at the Jagruthi Resource Centre both from the local staff and using eNRICH, a computer-based content management system that villagers can access upstairs in Namma Dhwani’s small computer centre.
This experience of the aloe vera plant demonstrates how a local community can solve local problems using local knowledge and also how technologies like radio, cable and computers can combine to make n
effective local information network.
Namma Dhwani is a local communication and information network covering five villages in Kolar district of Karnataka state in south India. Managed by the representatives of grassroots women’s self-help groups, Namma Dhwani produces radio programmes on locally relevant topics and ‘cablecasts’ them in partnership with local cable TV operators. The group also creates digital content that is accessed through the centre’s local computer network using eNRICH. Namma Dhwani is supported by Myrada, VOICES and UNESCO.
By Ramnath Bhat , Researcher and Coordinator for Namma Dhawani project in Budikote.
Before the Aloe Vera solution was introduced the Jagruthi office used to hang a plastic cover wetted with honey on the ceiling to keep away these tiny swarming insects. But because it was an eyesore and required extra materials and effort, Bhavani decided to remove it. However, as soon as summer arrived, flies started flooding the office again and office workers themselves preferred to work outside to avoid the nuisance.
The idea of using an indigenous solution to the problem came when Bhavani went to a meeting of grassroots women’s groups. At the meeting Bhavani found that Mellamma, an elder from a neighbouring village, possesses a wealth of knowledge about indigenous herbs and plants. Mellamma advised Bhavani on how to use the aloe vera plant to keep away the troublesome insects.
Drawn by the aloe vera’s special properties, the flies feast on the upside down plant leaving the office free for Bhavani and her colleagues. It solves the problem without using plastic or any extra elements, like honey. It takes a while for people to get used to the sight of it, but most everyone agrees it is a big improvement. Bhavani has discovered that a single aloe vera plant can last two to three months.
“I am very interested in scientific programmes. For example many castes groups pour water around their plates before eating. Earlier they used to do that to keep away the insects. Now people follow it just as a
plain tradition without understanding its meaning. I want to tell people the scientific reasons behind such activities,” says Bhavani.
The fact that aloe vera plants can keep insects away is an important piece of information for the community. Both Jagruthi and Namma Dhwani have important roles in sharing this type of knowledge. It has been documented in Kannada and Telegu, the local languages, as well as in English. Villagers can hear about it in their homes and local shops on Namma Dhwani’s daily local cable FM radio service. The information is also available at the Jagruthi Resource Centre both from the local staff and using eNRICH, a computer-based content management system that villagers can access upstairs in Namma Dhwani’s small computer centre.
This experience of the aloe vera plant demonstrates how a local community can solve local problems using local knowledge and also how technologies like radio, cable and computers can combine to make n
effective local information network.
Namma Dhwani is a local communication and information network covering five villages in Kolar district of Karnataka state in south India. Managed by the representatives of grassroots women’s self-help groups, Namma Dhwani produces radio programmes on locally relevant topics and ‘cablecasts’ them in partnership with local cable TV operators. The group also creates digital content that is accessed through the centre’s local computer network using eNRICH. Namma Dhwani is supported by Myrada, VOICES and UNESCO.
By Ramnath Bhat , Researcher and Coordinator for Namma Dhawani project in Budikote.
Related themes/countries
· News Archives - 2004
· India: News Archive 2004
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- UNESCO New Delhi
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