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We recently visited Mategoan, a small farming based village near Ellora. It has a population of about 1500 people all engaged in primary activities for a living. Various communities inhabit this village with almost an invisible boundary that exists between them. Most people in the village earn their livings either through working in their farms or being employed in someone else`s field. The village has multiple places of worship, which are also used as communal spaces for weddings, rituals, programs and play area for kids .The government has setup a school here, it provides for the children`s education and also serves a free midday meal to all its students. since the school only provides education till 8th grade, students travel to the nearby village for their further studies. Along with the school there are also two kindergardens set up in this space. The village Gram Panchayat is the main institution of this village providing for the needs of the people in it.
Our group studied and looked at all the institutions the village had by interacting with the villagers and knowing what their life is like and what all do they do, We identified 5 religious institutions,1 health institute, 2 government, 3 educational centres and 1 small informal institution by the women of this village and for the women of this village.
Our group studied and looked at all the institutions the village had by interacting with the villagers and knowing what their life is like and what all do they do, We identified 5 religious institutions,1 health institute, 2 government, 3 educational centres and 1 small informal institution by the women of this village and for the women of this village.
Religious institutions:
Religious institutions:
There was a Datta Mandir on the border of the village which was started by Chakradhar swami and a small community of the village would worship it regularly. There was a Hanuman Mandir in the central chowk of the village, infront of which stood the only Mosque of the village. A Buddha temple was there towards the other end of the village which also served as a wedding hall for the Buddhist community, similarly to this the Tukaram Mandir in the Hindu colony also was a place for worship, 'Gaon jevan' and communal gathering space during prayers and festivals.
Educational institutions:
Educational institutions:
There was one school here which was till 8th grade, they also wanted to establish a high school here but since there was already one within a certain distance of this village, the government refused to build another one here. Along with that there were also two kindergardens for children till the age of five. These schools gave the children a completely free education but also gave them all a mid day meal which was a part of a government scheme which was active here.
There was one school here which was till 8th grade, they also wanted to establish a high school here but since there was already one within a certain distance of this village, the government refused to build another one here. Along with that there were also two kindergardens for children till the age of five. These schools gave the children a completely free education but also gave them all a mid day meal which was a part of a government scheme which was active here.
Health & medicine:
Health & medicine:
The village didn't have any hospitals, except for a doctor who had a small clinic in the living room of his house. The villagers called him the `Bengali doctor`, he provides basic medical attention to the villagers which is out of his pocket. For emergencies or serious conditions the villagers would have to travel to the nearest hospital which was miles away in Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad).
The village didn't have any hospitals, except for a doctor who had a small clinic in the living room of his house. The villagers called him the `Bengali doctor`, he provides basic medical attention to the villagers which is out of his pocket. For emergencies or serious conditions the villagers would have to travel to the nearest hospital which was miles away in Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad).
Government institutions:
Government institutions:
The Gram Panchayat which is led by seven people out of which three are women. The main purpose of the panchayat is to bring in government schemes, look after the needs of the villagers, providing water and electricity, making roads and hearing the problems the villagers face on a daily basis.
The Gram Panchayat which is led by seven people out of which three are women. The main purpose of the panchayat is to bring in government schemes, look after the needs of the villagers, providing water and electricity, making roads and hearing the problems the villagers face on a daily basis.
The second institution here is the ration shop is open every Friday, where the villagers get a certain amount of rice, wheat and pulses depending on the average income of the family and the number of members that are there in their family which they get at a minimal price.
The second institution here is the ration shop is open every Friday, where the villagers get a certain amount of rice, wheat and pulses depending on the average income of the family and the number of members that are there in their family which they get at a minimal price.
Soft institutions and government schemes:
Soft institutions and government schemes:
Women earn their own money by doing small works like sewing or making and selling papad and make money to try and be independant. There is also a group of people called as the Bachat Gat where the women each give some amount every month (usually Rs. 100) and it is collected by the group and any women who is in need of financial help is loaned this money with an interest of 8% p.a. There are also many other government schemes which the panchayat claims has reached the villagers, but what the villagers say states otherwise.
Women earn their own money by doing small works like sewing or making and selling papad and make money to try and be independant. There is also a group of people called as the Bachat Gat where the women each give some amount every month (usually Rs. 100) and it is collected by the group and any women who is in need of financial help is loaned this money with an interest of 8% p.a. There are also many other government schemes which the panchayat claims has reached the villagers, but what the villagers say states otherwise.
All of these institutions shape the way this village functions.
All of these institutions shape the way this village functions.
Buddha Vihar
Buddha Vihar
Ration store
Ration store
Datta Mandir
Datta Mandir
Mosque
Mosque
Balvadi
Balvadi
Hanuman Mandir
Hanuman Mandir
Balvadi 2
Balvadi 2
School
School
The Ambedkar Statue
The Ambedkar Statue
We then plotted all of these institutions ,their functioning and how it affected the villagers life on a map and also studied about the unofficial boundaries of people's houses, farms which were set on the basis of their caste/ beliefs/ religion.
We then plotted all of these institutions ,their functioning and how it affected the villagers life on a map and also studied about the unofficial boundaries of people's houses, farms which were set on the basis of their caste/ beliefs/ religion.
This map represents the different communities that live in the village along with the major institutions in the area
This map shows the government schemes that are active in the area.
This map shows the land owners vs daily wager relationship
When we got back from Mategoan we had a three day drawing test in which we had to make a design for an inhabitable space in the centre of the village
I made a step well like structure that can be used for kids to play, communal spaces to talk and host events, stage for many purposes even wedding and also store water when required
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