The Power of Words

Looking back at the time when I was at SRIJAN, there is one lesson that keeps coming back to me. It is that words have power. When you explain something or are talking in a meeting, what you are saying is having an impact on someone in the group. And as professionals working in development, we have a responsibility for what we say.

I remember a clear example of this lesson when I was forming clusters of SHGs in Bundi, Rajasthan. I had organized a meeting of women from three different villages. They had some difficulty coming together and I had promised a very important message in the meeting. By that time, I had formed a couple of other clusters and had a set agenda for introducing the concept. I had a story that I would tell in the beginning of the meeting, about an event I had witnessed while visiting the federation in Duni, Rajasthan:

A large group of around 50 women had come together to go talk to a local dairy, who had bought milk from them but had not paid them in the full amount. Rather than going individually or even in their SHG groups, all of them from different villages had come together to go talk to him and settle their accounts. Seeing such a large group of women had frightened him and he had listened to them. However, these women would not have been able to organize this event if they had not met with each other regularly and discussed their problems.

I had told this story many times, stressing the importance of collective action and how there is power in numbers. The story had been important in convincing women to form clusters. Until that day, I knew that the story was powerful, but I did not realize just how powerful it was.

The next day, I got a phone call from Rakesh-ji, whose villages I had visited. The women from all the different villages had come together and realized they had a similar problem. While they had completed their work for NREGA, they had not received full payment for their work. They had talked after my meeting and concluded that they would get women from their villages to come together. All of them would go to the local government office in Nenwa to sort the problem.

It was then that I realized that my story had caused them to take action to solve a problem in their own lives. I also realized that I had a responsibility to work with them to solve the problem. If they were able to talk to the government officers and receive full payment for their work, they would be completely convinced of working together. They had the potential of forming a very strong cluster.

I told them to wait a few days, while we found out who they should talk to. I also told them that we would alert the local newspapers and come with them to make sure everything was successful. We eventually went with about 50 of the women and they talked to the government. Some of them were interviewed by the local newspapers. Perhaps most importantly, they realized that if something is wrong in their lives, they can come together as a group and take action to make it better. I realized that my words made them come to this realization. Ever since then, even if I repeat stories and go through a set agenda at meetings, I never underestimate the power of the words and stories I have to share.  

Tomato cha Saar (Tomato Coconut Soup)

This is one of my favorite Marathi recipes. It’s a type of soup that you eat with rice. But it tastes delicious on its own. This is also one of the first things I learnt from my mom, since I knew I couldn’t live without it. Plus, with my mom’s shortcuts, it’s super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 can tomato soup

½ can of coconut milk

2 green chilies

Cumin seeds

Turmeric

Asafoetida powder

Oil

Salt

Sugar

Recipe:

Cut the green chilies into small pieces. I like to leave them big enough that I can take them out as I drink it. You can also use more or less chilies depending on how spicy you like it. In a pot, heat about six tablespoons of oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a quarter teaspoon each of asafoetida powder and turmeric and add one teaspoon of cumin seeds.

After the spices have mixed in with the oil, add the can of tomato soup (plus however much water the can says in needed for the soup) and the half can of coconut milk. Let the pot come to a boil. Then, add about a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of sugar. Let the soup come to a boil again.

Serve hot with rice or on its own. Enjoy!

Bhindi ki Sabzi – (Indian Style Okra)

So as some of you may know, the Kuber Report is about many different things that I think about and do. Recently, I have started cooking a lot. So I thought I should share some of my cooking experiments. While I do not want to make this a cooking blog, I do have some favorites that I would like to post.

This is my first time writing a recipe so please bear with me. I decided to share a very simple Indian dish that I make often. Bhindi ki Sabzi is one that is popular all over India. And I’m sure everyone has their own version of how their moms make it or how they make it; and here is mine (learnt from my mom, of course):

Ingredients:

2 pounds okra

Sesame seeds

Cumin powder

Coriander powder

Turmeric (Haldi)

Asafoetida powder (Heeng)*

Red Chili powder

Mustard Seeds

Oil

Salt

*If you don’t have this or any other spice, you can skip it.

First, wash and dry the okra (make sure it is dry completely as this will reduce the sliminess of it as it cooks). Cut and discard both ends and chop into thin slices (about a quarter inch thick).

In a wide pan, heat about six tablespoons of oil on medium heat and add the half a teaspoon of mustard seeds. When the seeds will start to make a popping sound, add a quarter teaspoon each of asafoetida powder, turmeric and red chili powder.

(You can use more or less red chili powder depending on how spicy you like it. My version is about a mild level of heat)

When all the spices have mixed in with the oil, add the okra and stir, making sure all of it is covered in the oil and spices. After about two minutes, the okra will have changed color slightly. Then add one teaspoon each of coriander and cumin powders. Add two tablespoons of sesame seeds. Add half a teaspoon of salt.

(You can add more salt if necessary after it is cooked)

Stir to mix all the spices. Leave uncovered on medium heat, stirring occasionally. The okra will start to turn slimy. But as it cooks, the sliminess will decrease. The okra at the bottom of the pan will start to brown. Stir to make sure all the okra has browned. This should take around 10 minutes.

After it is done, serve hot with roti, naan or bread. Enjoy!

Next up: Mushroom Masala and Tomato cha Saar (Tomato and Coconut Soup)

A blow to literature and freedom of speech...

So, in an effort to start blogging more regularly, here is something that made me sad this morning, on many different levels:

After much debate, Salman Rushdie is not going to the largest literary festival in India, which began today. This started with protests in Uttar Pradesh by a cleric on allowing Rushdie into the country. The trip was cancelled because of an alleged plot to assassinate the author at the festival.

As someone who is a firm believer in freedom of speech and is proud of India for being a democracy which stands for that right (more or less), it makes me sad that an author, born in the country, is too afraid to come back. Now this is an author I “take credit” for, as being brilliant and from India. But instead, I’m having flashbacks to articles read about Chinese artists fleeing and/or not going back to their country for fear of their lives.

To make matters worse, this might not have happened in another time, since it happens to be close to elections in Uttar Pradesh. Politicians have succumbed to listening to people whose votes they want, which I know is not a new phenomenon. However, it does mean that the country doesn’t even stand firmly on one side of the “for/against freedom of speech” argument, but will flip flop depending on what is convenient. Now, which is worse?

While the argument can be made that no one, especially not the politicians, prevented him from coming to the festival. But, while rumors got to him that people from the underworld were hired to kill him, he clearly did not feel that adequate protection would be given to him if he did come. He did not obtain any voice of support from politicians in India either.

Positive Note: Rushdie is getting publicity out of this. For me, the worst opinion to have about someone is a lack of it. In that you don’t deem them important enough to have any kind of response. Yes, Rushdie wrote something a long time ago. But it doesn’t matter now and neither does he. That would hurt.

Irony: The people speaking out against Rushdie do not represent the majority opinion in the country. They are in fact, exercising their freedom of speech by expressing their opinion.

Disclaimer: Author is a biased, huge Rushdie fan! J

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16644782