Samaan

Last Saturday began with a not-so-happy call. Sunita maushi called to say that she will not be able to commit to any investment. I was at y wits end and feeling really disappointed.  In absolutely desparate frame of mind, I invited her home. She came and shared her concerns: - What if I can't commit the same amount every month? - What if my money gets blocked and my needs during times of emergency are not being met? Fortunately, it allowed us a dialogue. I took my mother's help in solving her queries and helping her deal with her apprehensions.  She agreed to invest.  and guess what, the very next day, she brought two more 'maushi's (domestic helpers) from our society who were willing to open back accounts.  They have given me all the identification documents. Now onus is on me to answer all their queries regarding form-filling, opening different accounts, periodic visits to the bank etc.  I am seeking further help in this matter  But feeling happy that the...

 Two days back we had our second session.  This time around we didn't plan the script neither did we plan minute-by-minute agenda. While we knew what we wanted to achieve at the end of the session, we wanted to have a relaxed, agenda-less conversation with both of them.  One of them was from last time and the other one was new. We knew Sunita maushi from last time well, therefore we could move ahead with her and have a more fruitful conversation with her. Manoj Bhaiyya spoke to her regarding why it is important for her to not be financially dependent on her children in the future. For this, we encouraged her to open her own recurring deposit (RD). In that, she will deposit a small amount of money each month (the amount will be decided with her, and her husband). They will also gain some money from interest from that amount.  I had already one round of chat with the other maushi - Indu maushi, previously and knew a bit about her. I decided to call her in today's sessi...

Today, was the most important day for Samaan.  We went live. I was extremely nervous about how the whole thing would go. I had been speaking to them in person and telephonically to ensure that they feel motivated enough to show. and they did.   Meet Sunita Maushi and Kaushalya Maushi. They work as domestic help in our residential complex. I was also accompanied by Manoj Sir (He is the expert who is guiding me, more about him in a separate post). We started off by briefly explaining what is Samaan about and asked them to discuss a few self-related questions with each other. Then they would share each other's answers. Even though I explained most of it, Manoj sir probed them for maximum details and a deeper understanding of their situation. It was a bit new for me to do that and I tried to observe how he did it. I was feeling slightly unsure about how far I can go in probing them, thoughts such as would they be ok to divulge many finer details with us. Most of the session w...