In retrospect, after travelling 300 kilometers to Gandhidham from Gandhinagar, it's sometimes disappointing to not be able to see entire functioning business because of unforeseen circumstances, but I believe such is the accountability of field visits. Sangeeta Rameshbhai Devipujak, group leader of Khodiyar Maa Mahila Mandal was at a wedding when I went to visit her at her home. Since I had come from such a distance, her husband was kind enough to call for her. As you can see from the picture, she seemed a little hesitant but still answered all my questions.
Sangeetaben and her cart
Sangeetaben had taken a loan of Rs.15,000 to buy vegetables at whole sale rates from the neighboring town of Anjar. Their entire family is in the business of selling vegetables and fruits. They buy the fruit/vegetable of the season and sell them on rounds across their village on their cart (as you can see in the picture). But since it's the wedding season and everybody was busy with wedding festivities, they had not invested in vegetables that week. On an average, together they make savings of up to Rs.4000-5000 in a month.
