Exploring the Grassroots

Wadjal Gaon, Phaltan Taluka, Satara District

Field Researchers,

Prerna Dighe
Sweety Jain
Shambhu Mandal
Ameya Kamath
Chintankumar Shah

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 Wadjal Gaon, Phaltan Taluka, Satara District

RURAL PROJECT
The objective of this research is:
• Visit a rural area situated far away from urban life and understand the lifestyle and
culture of the people of that area.
• To find out how they conduct and manage their various businesses and
enterprises there .
•To Understand the needs and challenges that they face.
• To learn how the village and its people manage to sustain themselves in spite all
the adversities that they face
• To obtain knowledge about unique initiatives that they undertake.
• To gain insights into the various aspirations and hopes for the future that the
people of the village have for themselves and the village
• To develop future scenarios that could be put into place for the benefit and well
being of the village and its people.

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Rural Project: Sector Wise Mind Maps

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Rural Project: Sector Wise Mind Maps

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Rural Project: Sector Wise Mind Maps

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Rural Project: Sector Wise Mind Maps

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Rural Project: Sector Wise Mind Maps

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User research - Tools and techniques
User research play a major role
in understanding peoples social
aspiration and technological
requirement. We have been
participating to the life of Indian
villagers to identify their way of
life and how they conduct their
various businesses, enterprises
and other such affairs.
It gives us an insight into the
various problems and
challenges they face,, their
needs want s and desires as
well as what can be done in the
present and future in order to
improve the situation for them in
a way that can enhance their
quality of life..
Interviewing Exploring Observing
Using an interview protocol we Through processes such as Observation was the most useful
interviewed people about: visual mapping and shadowing, tool we had with us on this trip.
we were able to explore the lives Using observation we could map
• the various aspects about their
of the people. We got a glimpse movement, moods, actions and
way of life.
into their way of life. We learned so on. Observation helped us
• How they conduct their daiily about their aspiration, their gain insights into lifestyles,
activities wants, desires, different preferences and cultures of the
associations they have with villagers of Wadjal. Therefore it
• How to they manage their
different products, how they was an extremely useful tool and
enterprises
conduct their lives, what they formed the basis of are
• How do they sustain their think of various scenarios and research.
enterprises how they deal with various
situations.
• How do they obtain and manage
their income
• How to they tackle health-
related issues
• What technologies and
infrastructures are they
dependent on .
•The various challenges that they
face. Their needs and the various
changes and improvements
required.
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Social Trend- Mapping

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Existing energy - Sugarcane bagasse

The crushed sugarcane baggase Sugarcane bagasse goes as fuel

Function from the farms acts as a fuel to at the bottom of the above
Heating Water heat water. equipment.

Experience
Status symbol, saves gas
and electricity and hence
cost effective, readily
available .

Limit
Storing molasses HOT Water reaches to the Hot water is generated from
occupies space, Smoke, bathroom via pipes as and when waste material, thus saving on
required. electricity and gas.
Drying required.
Challenge
Storage, reduction in
smoke generated from the Pressure Point: inefficient distribution system. Wet Bagasse causes more smoke
bagasse. hence not suitable in rains.

Chock Point: Smoke, Initial equipment cost.

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 Existing energy – Petrol and Diesel.

Function
Driving automobiles,
Generators, Dry Cleaning,
Cleaning Mechanics.
Most of the villages used The equipments used for farming Another major use of this energy
motorcycles for commuting and also needed diesel for their source was in tractors used in
hence petrol was majorly used working. farming.
for vehicles.

Experience
Mobility, Smell.

Limit
Going to service station, Another usage that was
Expensive, Not to be observed was in running the
generators efficiently.
carried otherwise,
Fluctuation in price, Night
availability.
Pressure Point: Increase in prices, Purity of petrol.

Challenge
Transportation, Storage, Chock Point: Limited resources, Safety.
Safety, Purity of the petrol..

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Existing energy - Gas

Function
Cooking, Heating Water,
Transportation, Lighting
In the rainy season the wood,
cow dung & other conventional
sources get wet / dampen
If these wet (conventional)
sources are used they generate
lot of smoke thereby making
cooking difficult and also
increases health hazards.
Then in such cases LPG is
primarily used for all purpose
cooking

Experience
Flame, Smell, Status
symbol, Clean, Insecurity
feeling, change in taste
of food
Limit
There is no smoke, it burns
Expensive, Difficult to get a
cleanly hence no health hazards.
new connection,
distribution.
Challenge
Availability of equally clean
substitute in its absence. Pressure Point: Perceived as status symbol, inefficient distribution system results
in increase in cost and time, not used as primary cooking medium, costly.

Chock Point: cost, non-renewable

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 Existing energy – Biogas By ARTI

Function The village lacks enough energy The cowdung is then mixed with The liquid is then transferred into
Cooking resources so the need for water in this concrete container. the dome structure where
alternate arises and also methane is then produced during
Heating expensive. the decomposition process. The
Lighting gas thus generated is
transferred via a pipeline into the
Reuse of waste kitchen for cooking and other
uses.
Experience
Cheap
Clean
Limit
Depends on the availability
of cow dung
The pipeline is connected to the The energy is used for daily The slurry that comes out of the
kitchen. cooking. plant is used as the fertiliser for
Challenge the plant.
Cleaning the tank
Maintenance charge
Labour intensive Pressure Point: Not enough energy resources so making use of biogas.
Chock Point: Cleaning the tank

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 Existing energy - Electricity
Function
Cooking, Heating Water,
Lighting, washing. Gaming,
and other related activities
Experience
Clean, easy to use,
Limit
Safety, heat loss & other
such unavoidable losses.
Challenge
Supply less than demand,
restricted access to remote
areas, cost, transformers
stolen for copper.
Could be generated using both Post-production supply is via Access to almost all the houses
renewable as well as non- grid and there is no difference in under rajiv gandhi vidyut yojna
renewable resources. distribution w.r.t. the source of
production.
Electricity is required in farms Electricity goes for different time
too for running the pumps. periods in different season, with
maximum duration in summer.
Pressure Point: main dependence on non-renewable resources, cost, needs wider
distribution network, irregular supplies, poor maintenance (may be due to lack of
man-power)
Chock Point: Control of Wastage & heat loss
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Ecosystem chart of energy in rural India

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 Rural consumers consumption pattern

Available energy Kerosene to

Wood to light the
Wood, cow heat bath house
dung or LPG water
to make tea

LPG to
Wood or cow make tea Wood or cow
dung to cook dung to cook
lunch dinner

Daily use 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00
of energy

Electricity for:-
Electricity for Electricity for
Mobile TV and light.
phone, UPS,
water pump
and fridge

Invertors

Mobile Phone. Water pump

Desired energy

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 Retail

Prominent Brands Stocked In Retail Outlets

No. Of Stores
•4 Kirana Stores
• 2 Auto repair garages which doubled
as hard wear and spare parts shops.
• 2 restaurants which also sold FMCG
items
Experience
Smalll stores. Traditional kirana
stores that stocked products as per
the customer's requirements.

Storage
Village located near the town of
Phaltan. Hence procurement is done
as an when required. Therefore no
additonal storage facilites required
Location:
All stores are located on or near the
highway in order to be visible to
passerby
Challenges: 1) Power Cuts, 2)water cuts 3) When supply runs out, products have to be
purchased from nearest town, 4) Lack of storage facilites in the villages, 4) Lack of incentives
given to storeowners by companies or advertisers to advertise or prominently display their
products.
Chock Points: 1) Having to go to town in order to procure supplies when they run out, 2)
Receiving no incentives from companies and advertisers for displaying or advertising their
products.

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Retail

THE CUSTOMERS:

• Brand Loyal
• Do not like to change or switch brands
• Have vast brand knowledge due to access to media as well
as developed towns and cities
• Strong brand awareness
• Customer Bifurcation:
 Women Frequently purchase household necessities
like rice, sugar, soaps, Tea, etc.
 Men come to purchase cigarettes, gutka, supari, etc.
Children come to purchase sweets & toffees
• For items such as clothes & electronics, customers prefer to
go to Phaltan
• They have no aspirations to purchase luxury products such
as expensive watches, etc. They are content with their life
style
• Information depicted in advertisements influence their
purchase decisions.
• The women of the households are the decision makers
when it comes to purchasing products and also trying out
new products
• Have strong brand recollection

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Entrepreneurship

Started around 5 10 months Every member deposits Rs.100 The needy can take the loan at
Self Help Groups back and has 18 members in
total right now.
in each week and the defulter
has to pay Rs. 10 each day
any point of time with the interest
@ 2%.
ahead of the default.

In the need for money and help

each other they formed a group
called the self help group
where they deposit money and
take loan in need.

Value Point: Self sufficient, customized solutions, sustainable.

Efficiency Point: Use of sustainable and easily available source of energy.

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Entrepreneurship
Laxmi Hotel
A Hotel located on the highway
started by this lady 5 years
back. She is the sole bread
earner for the family.
Started 5 years back with a Runs the restaurants with Sells vada pav, misal pav,
capital of Rs.50000 taken as a
loan from the self help group.
average footfalls of 25 -30
people and average income of
kandha bhajiya, tea and cold
drinks.
Rs.500 everyday.
She also is the president of one Also the point for the gas
of the self help groups which collection and she also sells
has 18 members. newspaper called the agro.
Value Point: Serial Entrepreneur.
Efficiency Point: multi tasking by selling food, newspapers, president of the
self help group and gas collection center.
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Entrepreneurship

Mangal Karyalaya
A place where 2 souls meet
without the burden of having to
manage anything about their
wedding.
• Place where only the wedding date is to be known and the wedding is solely
and wholly organised by the center.
•They take care of the venue, food, décor and the entertainment bit of the
marriage.
•A center location if the bride and groom are from different destination and
look out for a center location.
•Wedding done at a sum of Rs. 40000.
•Payment on advance basis.
•The profits remaining being used by the center to take care of the little girls
of the village whose families cannot afford to provide them with two square
meals per day.

Value Point: Retired civil engineer turned to an entrepreneur realising the need
gap.

Efficiency Point: one stop shop for all the arrangements to be done for the
wedding.

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 Healthcare : Private Clinic
Function
Basic issues like cold,
cough, fever , diarrhoea.
Experience
Small but airy, clean and
hygienic, quick and easy
service.
Limit
Small ,local medicines,
only one doctor, only basic
healthcare, Available only
for 5 hrs in morning.
Challenge
Government’s non interest,
less population,
Homeopath doctor
practising allopath.
T
One consultation Very few medicines Walls plastered with
room and one bed are stocked. health related
messages
Only one Doctor
One room used as a consultancy and one room
as check up room, one room as IV room. .
Instruments comprises of a IV stand, stethoscope,
weighing machine for adults and infants, Blood
pressure meter, gluocometer .
Medical waste
collected and
dumped in a pit.
Pressure Point: For any serious health issues, patients are referred to the
government/ Private hospital in Phaltan.
Chock Point: Due to low population, no measures are being taken to improve the
service or bring full fledged healthcare into the village.
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 Information
Existing energy
Technology
- Gas

Access to newspaper, but not in every Word of mouth is the main source of
household. Agro newspaper information. The males in the village
Function Gives regular update on latest in agriculture. get together at the village temple in
Knowledge, awareness, evening and discuss on various topics.
progress, sufficiency, right
decision

Experience
Eager to share information,
Sometimes information
overload resulting in lack of
interest.
Limit
Education, Language,
Technology, infrastructure
Challenge
Access to remote areas,
infrastructure building,
Engagement.
TV in houses provide entertainment and
Government trained teachers are source of information indirectly. Mobile phones are
information for children and in turn parents. present in almost all the houses. Visits to
Gruhabhet register is maintained by the Phaltan exposes them to many new
anganwadi teacher. things happening around them.
Pressure Point: Limited use of information , ignorance about use of information ,
technologically challenged villagers
Chock Point: Remote areas and geographies limit reach of Internet. Private Cos
don’t have incentives to come into villages.

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Education
Function
Imparting basic education,
manners and build confidence.
Experience
Fun and studies, motivation in
the form of mid day meal to
come back to school.
Limit
Beyond 5th better education
facility available in Phaltan, No
agriculture subject which is the
primary occupation, population
less.
Challenge
Sustain mid day meal with
proper taste, reduce the
dropout rate, increase the
interest in education.
In Wadjal a primary school that Mind Maps are used to teach Mid Day Meal program is also
offers education from 1st to 5th active in the school. Different
grade is present meal everyday
It is a government school Books, stationery & Uniforms all
Education is free for girls provided by the government.
And fees are minimal for boys
.
Students learn using the picture method
and associate those pictures with words
Memorization & Repition method is also
used
.
Pressure point: More demand for quality as the standard of living increases,
teachers with outdated knowledge as there is no regular training nor internet
connectivity for the teachers.
Choke point: Poor maintenance and irregular electricity causing a hindrance to
computer education, lack of audio visual teaching.
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Rural socio-type - Visual mapping

Reasons for selecting Popular Products Picked from Pictures shown

the Product

•Rice is a staple food in Wadjal.

It is consumed by households
every day. Therefore there was
a direct association with the
rice.
•Expensive Jewelry is not
desired by the farmers, but they
happen to see such Jewelry on
display in shops at Phaltan &
Baramati. Hence the image was
imbedded in their minds.
•Farmers grow fruits and
vegetables in their field, sell
them as well as consume them
for food.
•They see this car pass by
through their village on the
highway multiple times every
Inference
day.  We conducted this visual mapping test with 10 Villagers.
•Everyone in their Village has a  The computer picture was chosen primarily chosen by farmers with
mobile phone and so did each children or by children who have learned computers in school.
of farmers we conducted the  The villagers don’t have any aspirations to purchase any high-end
test on. Therefore there was a products. They are very content with their lives. They like leading a
direct association.
simple, hassle free life.

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Rural socio-type - Visual mapping

Reasons for selecting Popular Products Picked from Pictures shown

the product

•Therefore there was a direct

association.
•They had read about the RIM-
Govt. of India case regarding
Blackberry’s BBM service
•This is the work they do in the
field so they can directly relate
to it.
•They don’t desire watches, but
have happened to see gold
watches on display in Phaltan.
•Hero Honda is the number one
selling motorcycle in rural
India. 75% of the households in
Wadjal own two wheelers and
out of that 2 in every 3
households own a Hero Honda Inference
Splendour. It’s the most popular  Their basis for selection was:
brand of motorcycles in Wadjal. They consume the product,They have a visual association with the product,They have read or
•They’ve read about computers,
learned about the product
learned about computers, and
 The visual mapping test proved to us that the villagers were well read and extremely aware
few villagers even own a
regarding current affairs and the activities of the world outside their village.
computer
 They are very well tuned to India’s popular culture. They know their celebrities and sports
personalities

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Design direction for innovation

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