Savita Bailur

1
Intermediaries and the bottom of the pyramid

• Savita Bailur
• The bottom of the pyramid in practice, June 1-3,
  2009
• 10 November 2020

2
(No Transcript)
3
Empirical Investigations
4
(No Transcript)
5
UNESCO
VOICES
MYRADA
Local government including Panchayat
Resource Centre manager
Local development professionals
CRPs
Management committee
"Community including self-help groups
6
Main themes

• Information is good
• Distinction between community and themselves
• Awareness of what language to use
• On faultlines of contradiction
• Benefits for themselves
• Face their own limitations

7
Information is good

• Most of the diseases are there because of
  sanitation and water and the radio would be an
  excellent place to make people aware of this
• Information is awareness
• Giving awareness is important. Information is
  important. It is good to help others"

8
Distinction between community and themselves

• Our purpose is to present to them a way of
  living, a good way of living
• They are uneducated people
• However much information we tell these people,
  they will not change
• In the beginning, you have to feed a child
  first, then it can feed by itself. That is what
  we are doing
• Because of us, they are there
• Social work

9
Awareness of role

• Reliance What can we do to make this happen?
• Guru Give me some money, we are so happy.
• Reliance That is there.
• Guru Some incentive, anything, like 50 phones we
  sell, we get a motorbike.
• Laughter
• Guru I am thinking, I am helping, getting
  information, ICTs to the people. So 50 phones,
  one bike. 100 phones, one car.
• Reliance This will be a costly thing for us.
• Guru We want people to get a connection, to get
  ICTs.
• Reliance So, it is not only upliftment of the
  community, it is also upliftment for you.
• Laughter
• Guru I am also community no? I am joking.

10
On faultlines of contradiction

• There are two Gurus - MYRADA Guru and normal
  Guru. I say what they want to hear.
• They tell us what to do, they come from outside,
  and in the end they all go back to Bangalore and
  we are left to deal with everything
• "Like that, Srinivas the Panchayat President
  has a lot of fields and he says if people are
  educated, he will not get labourers, they will
  want more money and they will understand their
  rights. He comes every day, to tell me this is
  not good."

11
Benefits for themselves

• I have learnt computers, audio editing, video
  editing, graphics editing, mixing. Life is much
  better now. I have a nice job
• We get respect
• Extra business, such as cooking/providing
  transport for visitors to Namma Dhwani

12
Face their own limitations

• Female CRP (community resource person) accused of
  prostitution because of contact with men
• Another female CRP harassed by male who heard her
  on the radio

13
Community

• I would like to go but it seems it is only for
  rich people, by rich people
• Namma Dhwani is a group,group thing
• How much they know, we also know. We do not put
  loudspeakers and tell everyone what we know

14
Conclusion

• Inequality of social capital
• Creates resentment within the community
• How to achieve trickle down effect?