Not Jobless but Salary-less !!

Not Jobless (Disha moves on) but definitely Salary less:) -Resigned from Winrock!!

It was 30th May 2007 when I had put papers with General Motors to take on career in the development sector . Yesterday took another baby step towards the objective. With Winrock deciding to discontinue its support for the Cooperative experiment,I decided to discontinue from Winrock. Thanks to one and all who have and who are supporting the Mayurbhanj experiment in this transition phase.

The Saga at the backdrop!

               Last 4-5 days I had been travelling across all the villages where village cooperative branches are formed. I interacted with them, shared with them that I might have to return back to Delhi towards month end due to some official reasons. 11 villages out of the 15 villages, out-rightly said that they want to continue with the collective movement as they have started seeing the benefits at the village level collective sale itself and now they have realized how they can collectively do the business but since this is a new path, they need support for a year atleast. One person commented “we were potential seeds lying in deep mud created by existing market systems, and now your team has taken us out of mud, cleaned the seed and now when we are ready for plantation, you cannot leave without putting us in soil and watering us till we are capable enough to face the wrath of nature on our own as a new plant”.

My professional ethics was in question. I was in dilemma if organization has decided will I be able to continue the work?. But Will it be morally and professionally right on my part to leave these villages in between? Should I not give a last try? Should I leave just because the person from Mayurbhanj who had requested me to stay here, 4-5 months back has backed out  due to reasons which to my understanding are unjustified and immoral (if I had bowed to the request of that person it would have been the biggest wrong I would have done to the cooperatives)? Will my escape  not mean that I am also no different from the lot who just performs the “said” work even if s/he feels that there is a need of extra bit for the people for whom we claim to work for? Should I care only for my ‘career’ and take very ‘safe’ decisions? If I take a decision which is good only for self, do I have a right to stay and work in the development sector? Lastly Will I ever be able to call myself a true IRMAn, if I escape?

I didn’t have an answer and  in such situations I often get back to  “guiding statement” of Mr. M.K. Gandhi which I had used when I decided to leave the promising career with General Motors. The statement says “"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away."

As I had shared  at the time of my relocation to Mayurbhanj that I don’t claim that experiment will necessary be successful but I don’t want it to become unsuccessful because of reasons which Almighty has bestowed within my control.  And I think things are still in the domain where I can and I must give a try. I have decided to continue with the experiment of Mayurbhanj.

Some of my friends and professors have offered financial support through which I can meet the expenditure of the two field staff, till any institutional funding comes in. I am looking towards some suitable job in bhubaneswar/kolkata/jamshedpur (nearest towns to Mayurbhanj) so that I manage my expenses on my own and on weekends come down to Mayurbhanj and support the two field staff.

इरादा मन में ठान कर रखना, 

दुआओं का दामन थाम कर चलना,

ऊंचाई से गिरकर जमीन तक आने में जो वक़्त मिलेगा ,

उस वक़्त में गिर कर टूटने से पहले फिर एक नयी उड़ान पर चलना.