When Knowledge Met Wisdom
Laden with confidence of my expertise in the written word, I embarked on a journey – a visit to two villages - Dausa and Lawan in Rajasthan. The purpose of the visit was to get to know the rural womenfolk here – their literacy skills, challenges and constraints, so that we could design a training program to make them “financially literate”. Armed with my “literacy tools”, an inheritance bequeathed to me by the corporate world during my stint there I got on the road. And from that moment until I started back to Delhi, each minute was a learning experience – one which no newspaper or TV debates can provide.
The roads connecting these villages are excellent. The villages are very clean, the air rejuvenating, and the women-folk totally empowered. They spoke about the Ujjwala Yojana, and how they have received gas connections in the last two years; the Bhamashah Yojana, which is a scheme under the Rajasthan Government through which financial and non-financial benefits are transferred directly to women recipients.
Every lady we met had a beautiful story to share; a story borne out of hardship and life experiences – yet narrated with a smile and positivity. Like the one who had travelled 20 kms from another village to attend this meeting, leaving behind at home a husband suffering from lung cancer; or the lady who brought along her infant and breast-fed him while engaging in the discussion! Their positive outlook towards life, lack of prejudice and the keenness to absorb what we had to share resonated with me as much as the colorful dresses, which they were sporting. I came back with a sliver of their wisdom, and the realization that we may be literate, but not necessarily wise.