Village study of Kuradikeri
Introduction: In my village study, first I went to Ganjigatti. After this, in my second village study, I went to Kuradikeri, which is in Hubli Taluk. Here I stayed at Shri Basawaraj Angadi’s house, as he is our resource person. This was a very interesting village study. India is a developing country, but still it is facing many problems. As a result, we need to solve the problems of villages, and only then can India develop. In this village study, two people were placed: myself (Savita Kallayyanamath) and Chinnbabu. We stayed there for three days, from 21st July to 23rd July. On the morning of the 21st, we reached Kuradikeri at 10-30, and we got a good welcome from our resource person and from that day only we started our work.
Location : Kuradideri is in Hubli Taluk and belongs to Dharwad District. It is 18km north of Hubli. The villages around Kurdikeri are Surshettikoppa, Kamplikoppa, Karadikoppa
Demography: Kurdikeri has a population of 3,500 and there are around 450 families. There are 334 children in the whole village. In this village, there is a total of 9 handicapped people. Also, Kurdikeri has one school and two Anganwadies.
History of Village: Kuradikeri has a very interesting story behind its origin. This village was started by one brother and one sister who came from Kukanur to Unakal, and from there they went to Kuradikeri and started staying there. Since these people came from Unakal, their surname came to be Unakal only. Initially in this village, there were 2 vaddar families, 2 kurabas families, and 4 unakal families. At that time, the village name was Hampeholeyolalu but afterwards it changed to Kuradikeri. Behind this also one story is there: there were 3 sisters, of whom one was blind. Two of the sisters were staying in other villages, but the blind sister was staying in this village. Thus, the village name changed to Kuradikeri, which means blind village.
People of the Village: Kuradikeri originated from the people of Unakal, so most families belong to this surname. People of different castes live in this village, like lingayats, vaddars, kurubas, talawars, and Muslims. They engage in different work depending on their cast, though most people are doing agriculture.
Livelihood: Most of the people of Kuradikeri engage in agriculture, and this is main source of their bread-earning. Additionally, landless people work in other people’s land. Some people are doing some other work, like tea shop business, pan shop, or carpentry work. Nowadays, most of the young generation goes to Hubli for work because they believe earnings from working in the field are not enough for their life. Rather, if they go to Hubli and work, they can earn 100Rs per day. The women’s of Kuradikeri rear cattle, and this earning is helping in their life.
Resources of Kuradikeri: The people of Kuradikeri have 2000 acres of agricultural land, some of which is irrigated. In the village, a total of 100 bore wells are there, as well as five ponds, named Hirekeri, Kirekeri , Kempageri, Unakal, and Kallanchi katti. These ponds have some water, but this water is not used for drinking. For drinking water, the village gets water by bore well, and there are ten public water taps. People make livestock for human beings and for the animal also for the animal they use to stock fodder and for human different type of grains like they are maintaining their livestock this stock they are maintaining for one year and this grains they use for next year crop irrigation.[DMM1]
Life of the Villagers: In Kuradikeri, some people are rich, some are middle class, and most people are poor. For the poor, their lives depend on agriculture. According to me, women’s lives in Kuradikeri are very independent because women do some economic generating work, like buffalo rearing, agricultural work, and small business. Because the women of Kuradikeri are contributing to their own economic condition, they are becoming stronger, joining SHGs, and changing their life styles.
Social Relationships in the Village: In the village, the social relationships are very good. All people live together and help each other, but still the caste system is in the village and different castes of people live in different areas. The area names are recognized on a caste basis and some people still work according to their caste. All castes of people go to each other’s homes, but in giving hospitality, some discrimination is still going on. Overall, however, people work together for the well-being of the village. Many SC/ST women are SHG members, and they go to the homes of all people in the village, which shows the village’s good social relationships.
Vulnerabilities of the Village: Most people in Kuradikeri depend on agriculture. As agriculture depends on rain, if there is no rain then people are suffering a lot. In some months, like January, February, and March, there is no work in the fields, so some people go elsewhere to work and return in the rain season. In the village, I felt that sanitation problems are more, and because of this, the beauty of the village is spoiled. Health facilities are also a problem, and the people of the village have to go about 18km (to Hubli) to get treatment. The PHC is also far from the village: one must take two buses so to get to the health facility, which is very difficult for the people of Kuradikeri. One RMP doctor is in the village.
Development Situation: In the village, some development activities are occurring. Five NGO’s work in Kuradikeri:
1. Agriculture Management Education (AME) – This NGO is provides agricultural education to farmers.
2. Sujala Watershed Project – This NGO is working on check dams, ponds, and field horticulture
3. Karmani – This NGO works on health issue and holds some free health checkup camps
4. The Deshpande Foundation – This NGO is working on clearing kitchen air through smokeless chullas.
5. BAIF – This NGO works on agriculture, and is the first NGO to enter Kuradikeri village. Since the beginning, BAIF has made tremendous changes in the lives of villagers, especially in their agriculture activities and income generation. This NGO worked here from 1997 to 2005, and it caught my attention, as still people are remembering this NGO for its great work.
In my eyes, I saw this village as a developing village, and still it has some problems, such as health facilities, sanitation, and agriculture. To resolve these problems, action is needed. However, villagers are busy and satisfied in their life; they have a daily work routine. Regarding agriculture, bullocks are part of the villager’s life, and they see bullocks as a god.
The farmers of the village are very hard workers. Much of a day’s time is spent in the field and the wives of farmers also go to the field to work, thereby showing equal participation of men and women. Farmers take great care of the bullocks because these bullocks helping them in the agriculture. The women of the village, in addition to participating in agricultural activities, also take care of the family. Gender issues exist, as women have to serve men.
