Rural Indian women taste modernity with outsourcing jobs

Hemlata AITHANI

Going to office and working on computers was once a distant dream for them. Now it's a reality for hundreds of women in Tikli and Aklimpur villages in Haryana, the neighboring state of Indian capital of Delhi.

Life, until six months ago, was one shared by millions of Indian rural women doing household chores, tending to cattle, milking cows, raising children and working in fields.

Their way of life is still the same but has got a new dimension to it. They have started working in a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), right in the heart of their village.

The first-of-its-kind, women-only rural BPO in India was started by "Harva: which stands for harnessing value of rural India."

From cutting fodder for their cattle, clearing cow dung and cooking food to typing on computers, they are doing it with elan.

"I have never thought I would be able to work on a computer. It was a big thing for me. But now working on a keyboard feels like a cakewalk. We come here for eight hours and do our jobs. I' m so proud of myself," says 18-year-old Puja.

Bimla, 35, can now type 35 to 40 words in a minute. She can mine relevant pieces of information from a pool of data and can do data entry job. All this she learnt during three-four months training course.

However, getting these women to shun their veils and come to training centers was by no means an easy task. It took a lot of persuasion and persistence to get them out of the confines of their houses, breaking rigid cultural and social traditions in a male dominated society.

Ajay Chaturvedi, a business management graduate from University of Pennsylvania, an engineer from BITS Pilani and a banker visualized and started the company, of which the rural BPO is an important component.

He said it was his conviction in what he was doing that made villagers believe him and "perhaps they could see the confidence" in his eyes and decided to give it a try.

So, it all began six months ago and 500 women were initially selected to be trained on computer basics.

"Irrespective of their formal education, they were selected on their ability to read and write and some basic understanding of English language, apart from their willingness to learn, which played the determining factor," said Chaturvedi.

They were trained for three to four months. During the course, they learnt about office culture, basic English, communication skills, apart from MS Office.

The beginning was not easy, recalled 29-year-old Archana. "We were shy, a bit hesitant and all of a sudden had to cope with machines and technology. But gradually with training and motivation we picked it up fast," she said.

Their determination not only got them through the training but also rewarded them with short-term employment.

Out of 500 women, 200 have completed the course and 50 of them got deployed on various projects. Twenty women are still working on some projects which involve data mining, and 30 more women are likely to get work as new projects are coming in.

"While the opening of the BPO has created jobs for these rural women, this is no way an NGO which just aims at social welfare and no accountability," said Chaturvedi.

He believes that the only way to capture the rural India market is by "socio-capitalistic business models." "This is a business venture with a conscience and social responsibility. I am a capitalist who would see whether a business model is viable and profitable or not. After ensuring this, social cause can be served. If I create value, create business and opportunities, it will benefit everyone including the villagers," he said.

He said he wants to take this BPO model to other villages after seeing its success in Tikli, Aklimpur and surrounding villages.

Working at the BPO center has given a lift to women's image and bought them a ticket to economic freedom, even though in a small way.

"City people always think rural women are illiterate and uncultured. But now we have proven them wrong. We are educated and all we need is just an opportunity," said Reena, one of the trained women.

"Since the villagers know we are getting salaries every month, they also want to send their girls and daughters-in-law over here, "she added.

The last six months spent at the BPO have made them better with time management and multi-tasking.

"Earlier we used to spend the entire day in doing household chores. But after joining the BPO, we finish all our work by 10 a. m., come to office, work here and go back for the evening chores," said Bimla.

Apart from being a source of their financial independence, the center has become a platform for these women to make friends. Now they have their own space amidst 20 computers in this two-room center nestled in sprawling fields.

"We have bonded really well. During our breaks we share our happiness and sorrows, married life, problems and issues at home or outside. It gives us a lot of emotional support," said 25-year- old Manju.

All they want now is some sustainable long-term projects which would guarantee them regular work and income. But for the time being, they are enjoying their new "avatar," and "keying" their success story.

NEW DELHI, March 31 Xinhua