A day spent with Ambika_______ On 13th Sept11 we visited the Bank of Maharashtra where we were briefed about the

Self Help Group (SHG). At Bank of Maharashtra we were greeted by Ms. Ratna Ganpati . Initially she gave us brief information about the history of SHG group and as to why the government thought that the first SHG should be formed in Maharashtra. It was interesting to know that Maharashtra is among one of those states where the women like to work and help their husbands. To which the husband dont object. The SHG is a village-based financial intermediary usually composed of between 10-20 local women. Initially the members make small regular savings contributions over a few months until there is enough capital in the group to begin lending. Then the Funds may then be lent back to the members or to others in the village for any purpose. For the above, Ms Ratna Ganpati showed us the documents required to open SHG account with the bank and the process there after. We also saw many handmade products like wall-hangings, pen stand, and cigarette case (made of wood), statues of ideals, and many other show pieces. The journey further took us to _________ village to visit a SHG named as ________. Before reaching our destination we had lunch and were served Marathi talli. On the way to the village I had a lot of fun. We all sang merry song, ate sugarcane and also had the opportunity to see how gur is made (also ate some). When we reached to Ambika_______, where we meet Ms. Luxmi. She seemed to be a very confident woman. She gave us the tour of her small hut where all the masalas are made and equipments used for the same. She also gave an overview as to how they train the new staff. Ms. Luxmi told us about the difficulties faced by her in forming the group and saving each penny for the SHG account. But then as she puts it, it all paid off as their business started to boom. It is interesting to know that when the products of the Ambika_____ are sold to big malls like Big Bazzar, etc where they got 2% extra as a profit where as when Big Bazzar sells them, they get a profit of 5%. When asked as to why dont they open their own shop. She disclosed that while trying to open a shop for them, it was difficult for them to sell products, since the customers didnt trust them. But now as the Ambika ______ is running in a no loss situation. Ms Luxmi says that their new vision is to open a new project where new and improved machinery will be installed which will help improve the profit and also increase the employment opportunity for other women in the village. We also witnessed the preparation of tea masala. Starting from the picking the different spices to the packing of the final product. Many of us even bought the tea masala. The trip to the Ambika ________ was enlightening and gave us a simple message success means hard work. The overall experience to the village was amazing.