Author: Yedukrishnan V | 16-May-2024
After gaining some experience in the development sector over the past couple of years, I recently joined PRIA. The vision and mission of Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Founder-President of PRIA, drew me to this opportunity. I was inspired by the organisation’s aim of attaining a ‘knowledge democracy’, as it challenges the widely prevailing approach to development driven by objective data-oriented social research. PRIA promotes community-based participatory research, enabling a democratic participation of the poor and marginalised in the research process, rather than treating them as mere study objects.
As a social researcher having worked with multiple civil society organisations, I’ve always tried to follow my passion to contribute towards building an inclusive society where the poorest and the most vulnerable can also live their life with dignity. One thing I learned from my previous engagements while working with government institutions, at both local and national levels, is that citizens lack effective and informed participation in the governance process. A top-down approach in governance creates intricate challenges to democracy, at times making societal equality appear impossible to achieve. Engaging with geographically, socially, and culturally diverse communities made me realise many things that I couldn’t from years of textbook-based social science learning. For instance, delving into the barriers to accessing welfare schemes, especially for marginalised women and children, in a remote district of Tripura during my first job, was truly eye-opening. This helped me understand that a centralised approach to designing policies often does not consider the heterogeneity of beneficiary communities. What works for a particular group of people or area might not work for another. Governance decisions taken without proper consultation with citizens often fail as they do not cater to the people’s diverse needs which are very much linked to their socio-political identities.
While coming across underprivileged people who strive hard to make ends meet for a living, I realised the importance of first acknowledging my own privileges as a development professional. Coming from Kerala, an entirely different state with a relatively well-developed social infrastructure, I saw a lot of differences between the lives of myself and the communities I visited as part of my work. The socio-cultural identities I hold in this heterogeneous society also added to this difference, as it places me in a position of relative privilege. These communities are mostly vulnerable, in terms of their caste, class, or gender identities, among other factors. I felt that the acknowledgment of privilege of not having to face many of the problems such communities face, becomes extremely important for a social researcher, to empathetically understand their needs without being privilege blinded. This approach helps us understand community issues through their perspective, allowing research outcomes to reflect the community's own views on their problems, rather than relying on patronising outsider perceptions.
As I began the secondary research for the MobiliseHER project, focusing on its implementation in Kochi, one of our pilot cities, the process prompted me to once again self-reflect on the privilege that individuals like me hold within India's social fabric.
Kerala is renowned for its remarkable achievements in social development and consistently high performance on human development indicators, often compared with developed Western nations. Kerala's model of development had long served a beacon for other Indian states to emulate. Its success was attributed to the people-centered approach in policy-making, several reform movements, robust decentralisation, and an active civil society, with entities like Kudumbashree playing a pivotal role. Kerala's civil society model had evolved through various movements, from the then-novel concept of ‘Ayalkoottam’ (neighborhood) in Alappuzha, followed by the adoption of local-level planning and the self-help group models promoted by NGOs (1). The governments have also been instrumental in the empowerment of communities like women, gender minorities, and disabled communities (2).
Moreover, it’s important to highlight the role played by citizens in tackling several crises the state and its people faced. For instance, the devastating floods of 2018 which heavily disrupted the lives of all sections of people showcased the resilience forged through an active civil society. Volunteers, including movie celebrities fisherfolk, and various collectives from across the state united as a single community leading the relief operations, along with the state government (3). This was a reminder that the government and citizens cannot work as two disconnected entities, rather it is the people working for themselves with the state only playing the role of a facilitator (4).
While recognising the presence of progressive policies in Kerala, it's essential to evaluate their sustainability through the lens of the state's most vulnerable communities. For instance, despite having performed well on indicators such as female literacy rates, the persisting low female workforce participation rate indicates the existing ‘gender paradox’ in God’s own country (5). This is further compounded only by inadequate representation of women in decision-making bodies (6).
With Kerala rapidly urbanizing, Kochi, the commercial hub, has become one of the significant urban centers in India. Four years ago, my family and I relocated from a village in Alappuzha, the neighboring district, to the outskirts of Kochi. The transition from rural to urban life after over 20 years in the countryside was transformative. Our everyday lives became easier upon experiencing the benefits of metropolitan living. Commuting for work, shopping, medical needs, and more became convenient for my parents as well, thanks to the modern and innovative transportation facilities available in the city. However, I had never considered the inclusivity of these facilities for fellow citizens who may not have enjoyed the same privileges we did. It never occurred to me to question whether services such as the metro, buses, rickshaws, and others were equally accessible to all residents of the city, including men, women, and individuals of other genders. Did people with disabilities, the elderly, those residing in coastal areas, or informal workers also enjoy the same level of access?
Some interesting findings from my secondary research at PRIA on gender and urban mobility raised this question in mind as to whether the city has progressed enough to ensure equality for everyone in accessing its amenities. I came across an article mentioning that Kerala was the first state in India that floated a separate policy for empowering transgender persons (7). Aligned with this policy, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. employed 26 transgender persons, partnering with Kudumbashree. However, most of the ‘beneficiaries’ reportedly left the work citing low wages, lack of accessible toilets, continued stigmatization, and a lack of social acceptance as reasons for leaving (8). Doesn’t this denote the deep-rooted systemic challenges of a disconnect between policies and ground reality? The above questions remain relevant even while acknowledging Kerala’s considerable social progress as compared to other states.
To quote another finding, when electric autos were procured by city authorities to ensure last-mile connectivity to metro passengers, there was a consensus to reserve some vehicles exclusively for women drivers as it would enhance their economic participation. However, interestingly, very few women came forward to take this up (9). All these add to paradoxes and highlight the need to understand what are the gaps that make the progressive initiatives fall short of achieving their objectives.
The observations added to my realization that merely having the right intention while initiating any policy or social action wouldn’t suffice for the community to be ‘empowered’. Rather, communities themselves should have a voice in decisions affecting them, fostering a democratic space for dialogue and discussion. Similarly, the research outcome should not be a universalistic, outsider’s perspective of the issue at hand, but it should help enable the voice of the community to be heard. This highlights the significance of participatory approaches to research and planning.
As India relentlessly pursues its journey to becoming a global power and a ‘developed nation’, navigating the complexities of achieving ‘sustainability’ and ‘inclusiveness’ in this development becomes essential. In a country as diverse as India, democracy cannot thrive merely on electoral participation. PRIA’s participatory approach, I believe, would help to enable the poorest and the weakest to assert their rights and choose what needs to be done for their upliftment.
Therefore, I see my involvement in the MobiliseHER project as a unique opportunity to explore the intersectionality of gender, class, caste, disability, and more in the experiences of those people who face discrimination, particularly in the context of fast-developing urban mobility systems.
(2) https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2112115.pdf
(5) https://dge.gov.in/dge/sites/default/files/2022-11/EMPLOYMENT_INDICATORS_IN_INDIA_0.pdf
PRIA’s MobiliseHER team traveled to Bangalore during the week of June, 10 – 14, 2024. The aim of the visit was to gain relevant insights into the civil society ecosystem in Bangalore and meet different organisations to understand the city through a lens of gender and inclusive mobility.
Working at PRIA, often leads us to various cities across the country. Each trip is an opportunity to witness firsthand the challenges and triumphs of different communities.
Ms. Meghna Sandhir, along with our team members, has been engaged in the Drivers, Limiters, and Barriers to Women's Trust in Digital Platforms Project since last year. She is blogging about her firsthand experiences from visiting our project sites in India.
