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TARAhaat Spreads Roots
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TARAhaat is spreading its
roots in
the Bathinda district of Punjab and the Bundelkhand region (encompassing three
districts that lie in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh). However,
both regions of our operations are distinctly different in terms of economic
conditions, job opportunities and entrepreneurship.
TARAhaat’s planned mode of growth is through the franchisee
model using micro-finance and fostering local entrepreneurship. The TARAkendra
owners, as the franchises are called in our parlance, and are categorised
depending on the size of the premises and the availability of resources. An
average investment to the tune of Rupees three lacs is needed to set up a
Kendra. We assist the prospective franchises in procuring loans from local
banks. Proposals have also been forwarded to NABARD, SIDBI and similar bodies
within and outside the country to promote TARAhaat on a larger scale and at a
faster pace.
The TARAkendra owners are encouraged to earn through multiple services such
as computer education, Internet surfing, scanning, web-camera photography, desk
top publishing, computer games, selling tangible products for a fee, sharing generator output with neighbours,
and renting out Kendra premises for community functions.
TARAhaat.com, the website, is another major revenue
stream generator for the Kendras. It provides information on law, livelihoods,
health, agriculture, commodity prices, astrology, etc., for the common man and
also allows for region specific e-commerce and e-governance. E-governance
related services provide people the opportunity and convenience to lodge their
complaints pertaining to water, electricity, education, theft, etc from the
Kendra in their vicinity, knowing that the complaint will guarantee official
action.
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The e-commerce facility would allow the sale and purchse all products right from tractor tyres to a refrigerator, and facilitate collaborations with manufacturing companies. Methods of delivery like TARAvans are being worked out to facilitate transfer of products to distant places. Popularisation of the site would follow a parallel course through forging of various relationships with local authorities. However, E-commerce activity may take a while to gain acceptance. |
| Reaching out to the masses |
The success of running a TARAkendra depends on the zeal of the individual
entrepreneur. The majority of the TARAkendra owners in Bathinda comprise
graduates, computer literates and market oriented persons. They are more
business like and eager to cash in on new opportunities. The franchises in
Bundelkhand, however, require handholding, direction and motivation. A case in
point is the TARAgyan computer course. In Bathinda, the franchises demanded that
the course fee be raised, as they were confident that they would be able to
garner enough students to pay the high fees. But in Bundelkhand, the same course
had to be offered at a much lower price and that too after much struggle and
persuasion. This contrast between these two territories has helped us in
fine-tuning our long-term plans.
Franchises are quite aware that, at times, innovation is the only way to tide
over short-term crises. Chak Fateh Singh Wala centre in Bathinda, in the short
span of its existence, has seen many ups and downs. Though the centre initiated
in January by husband and wife—Mohinder Pal Singh and Vimender Gill, no
student turned up till mid February. Inquisitiveness of the villagers
(especially youth) brought them to the centre, but they were apprehensive to
join. These were stressful times for the owner couple. It forced them to think
of innovative ways to attract students to their centre. Firstly, they came up
with the idea of installing a gaming device (steering wheel). It was an instant
hit with the primary school children of the village who visited the centre to
play games during the school interval. An initial fee of Rs.2 for a five minutes
game led to a stampede that forced the owner to increase the fee to Rs. 5 for
five minutes. These children then started bringing their brothers and sisters to
the centres, who later on turned into students and thus started the road
to success.
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But, there were a few more hindrances. The centre was at a place where the elders (60-80 yrs) of the village sat during the day to play cards and gossip. They felt that the increased activity at the centre was an interference and started creating hurdles through various objections. A timely intervention from the district administration sorted the matter out. To further increase their revenue, local TARAsathis suggested them to explore possibilities of starting a vocational course like home science. The idea made sense to them. A home science lecturer known to the couple volunteered to offer her honorary services during summer vacations. This attracted, a large number of girls to the centre from far-flung areas and the strength of the students’ rose to above 100 in a period of four months. They now plan to open a new TARAkendra at some other focal point. There is no end to the TARAkendra owner’s imagination. At some centres in Bathinda, the franchises are bringing students from distant locations to their centres by hiring a jeep. Some of them have even asked that they should be allowed to sub-franchise their centres. Indeed, such dynamism keeps us on our toes and drives us to expand the network of franchises. The immediate plans are to open new TARAkendras in Kapurthala, Lalitpur, Tikamgarh and Jalaun districts. |
| Handmade paper products being sold at a TARAkendra |
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The help from the government will catalyse the reach of TARAhaat to every nook and corner of the country faster, similar to the role District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) played in Bathinda under the able leadership of Shri Vivek Agarwal, the then Additional Deputy Commissioner—Development, now Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala. His dynamism, encouragement and decisiveness has helped us immensely. |
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| TARAsaathis rendering support at a TARA Kenkra | ||||
q Amreesh Saxena |
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