[www.keralites.net] ‘sanjha chulha’ (community kitchen) has been rekindled in the villages of the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan

 

'sanjha chulha' (community kitchen) has been rekindled in the villages of the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, albeit with a small modification. Keeping up with the changing times, instead of the earthen oven, it is the sanjha gas that the Shekhawati women are sharing today

There are many advantages of a sanjha gas facility. It saves women the toil of lighting a wood fire several times a day; the consumption of fuel is less as is the environmental pollution. But what has made the return of community kitchen model really special is the fact that it is also providing a means of livelihood to the poor women of the community.

Santara Devi and members of the Sanjha Gas group of Jogia ka
Bas village. Getting a gas connection was a luxury Santara could not
afford. Now she gets a monthly income too from the community kitchen
as the other women pay her a fixed amount for using the gas
connection. (Credit: Abha Sharma\WFS)

Sushila, a resident of Sangasi village in Jhunjhunu district, was living in abject poverty, barely managing to keep her household running. She couldn't depend on her alcoholic husband for anything; he would even snatch away the meagre earnings she put together by doing menial jobs around the village. With no sustainable source of income and the responsibility of raising three children squarely on her shoulders, Sushila was always under great stress. Seeing no way out of her sufferings she had even contemplated suicide many times but continued struggling for the sake of her children. The end of her woes came with Sanjha Gas Scheme launched in 2007 by the M.R. Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation, a non-governmental organisation known for its pioneering work in the field of organic farming.

Under the Sanjha Gas Scheme, a group of four-five families comprising mostly Below Poverty Line (BPL) or landless labourers is given a gas connection and its accompanying accessories free of cost. The poorest woman from among them is made the group leader. The connection is given in the name of this leader, who not only has to pick up the cylinder from the city, but is also responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of the facility. Each group member who uses it pays a small daily fee – cooking for four persons is priced at Rs 7, while it is Rs 10 for six members.

So far, there are 44 sanjha gas kitchen groups functional in the villages of Sikar and Jhunjhunu. "We want to add more groups but don't get the gas connections so easily," explains Vinod, the project officer, who routinely does surveys for the scheme and submits report for clearance. According to her, things could be much smoother if gas agencies were more cooperative. She adds that the agencies reportedly get a small two per cent subsidy on community kitchen gas subscriptions.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/292354/cooking-together-shekhawati.html

Ravi

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