Should activists marry each other? 
No. Their children are going to have a tough time, and their neighbors won't be happy!! The children will be confused [laughs]. People say gender will create disharmony in the family - but then it's important to take it up. If we stay silent, it's at whose cost? Maybe activists should marry service delivery people. These people deliver services like health etc. Many NGOs have this approach and these are the easiest questions to answer.

How did you get interested in this work? Was it in your family?
No - my parents are not used to this idea of me working in remote areas. That too, there was no pay packet involved. I am also very educated, so my family expectations are very different. It's very difficult to explain my work also and why I'm doing - this is the kind of work that people do after they are 60. I have in fact, unlearned myself. I did my PhD, MBA - in Podar Institute of Management, Jaipur. It's amazing to see that people have solutions to their problems. Because of various factors their competence, their belief in themselves is going down.

What is your reaction to Dr.Devy's opinion about AIDers possibly knowing so much that it may be a hindrance?
I don't know much about AID, but people are willing to learn. You can't be doing this if you think you know everything. AIDers think that they have more to learn. The best part of this organization is that they are very concerned about India - how else would you explain that they are spending three days here?

How long have you been with AID?
One year; I got to know about AID through Rob Kellog (College Park)

Is there a need for a network of organizations?
Definitely. Organizations need to collaborate rather than confronting each other all the time. We'll have something more to offer if we get together. Unfortunately NGOs and people live in their own worlds. If you're willing to collaborate, that's enough. If out of ten occasions you react on even one. Currently there is a block in collaborating together. Apart from feminist networks, there was hardly any support from any network in Uttaranchal. Also it's a protection mechanism, because the government is willing to take an action against any organization just because they are "against culture".

What is the role of religion?
What happened in Gujarat - I very strongly feel is genocide. What is religion - is it a belief ingoing to temple, is it a belief in human rights? This carnage that happened in Gujarat is not something that has to do with religion. You are killing people in the name of religion. It's not a religious issue but it should not be dealt with in a limited manner. People should be allowed to practice whatever religion they want.

Are you religious?
No, I don't consider myself religious. This structure doesn't promote equality; many of the religious practices are discriminatory. If we call ourselves religious and not follow basic human values, then we are not religious.

But many of the people we are trying to help are religious. Are you saying that it doesn't matter?
It doesn't matter because it's not a matter of religion; it's a matter of human values.

What kind of association would you like to see with AID?

Especially for rural-based organizations they don't have people who can come as a volunteer, someone to do the documentation, material etc. We have material but maybe it's in Hindi. Someone who can give us suggestions about design, make a website, etc. It could be related to work e.g. there are people who are carrying out experiments and produce innovative products. That is where AID can help - in rural technologies. An organization like ours is also into experimentation. We want to carry out experiments in agriculture. It's not like the old system is good but we need facts and figures. It's much more than that - there're lots of advantages and disadvantages. So if we can compare the two systems and that way it'll be easy to convince people. Such experiments need documentation and access to information. Maybe you can help us out in doing better experiments, in publicizing things. It's also important to be an ambassador of the issue, be our ambassador in the US.

Another important thing would be by marketing some of the traditional/organic produce - we have our outlets in Delhi where we want people to buy our products. You have access to information and technology. Your support can be very useful - but who actually decides how the support can come? The control should not pass from people's hands to someone else's hands.

What do you think about local volunteering?
Why not? Doesn't the local politics or situations affect them? Why do they want to stay away from local problems? Why should the region, area, or country become a boundary? It's important to do things here also because policies here affect things in India. Unless people here are not able to act as a pressure group here itself - we need to solve the problems where they are being created? If we are able to put pressure on these organizations like WB, maybe we don't need to work hard? We are waiting for problems to get created, and then we solve them - but if we can nip the problem in the bud.

How long have you been doing this work?
8 years.

What keeps you going?
When I talk to people and the transformation that has taken place in the people, in the outlook of women - the confidence that they have gained over the years - what I get out of that is enough to keep me going. That's where you can translate a lot of your thoughts about quality of life, what you want to see - you can see things happen. The results that we have got over the years have made me more optimistic than when I started. Of course it's very difficult because we are in a rights based approach - there's constant discussion about how to help. You have to work all the more because you are working with the most marginalized - but you have to work with the others also because they are in the equation. It's important to change mindsets.

Do you think more money is needed for development work?
No. Not at all. We may need money in terms of resource-building of people. WB has provided a lot of money and it has taken the initiative away from the people. Even if the boundary of their house was destroyed they are looking to someone else for help. Even the skill and manual labor can be provided from outside. This is kind of sad, because people are becoming dependent. Reliance is a very dirty - it's the saddest thing to happen. Basically if you want to rule a country just kill the confidence of the people.

Should AID grow in terms of more money?
I'm not saying that money is not needed - but you have to decide what is your mission and vision. You have to decide in what areas you want to give financial support. You should not be doing the work that government is supposed to be doing.

Ritu Sogani is an AID Saathi working in Uttaranchal. She has been promoting and documenting people's knowledge in the areas of agriculture, health etc. in Nainital and Almora dts. Initiatives include setting up seed banks, working with Van Panchayats and interventions for health services.