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Entrepreneurship Development Institute Internship 2014 – Third Week – Alex

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Alex in ChanderiChanderi Week 2:

It was during our second week in Chanderi, when things really began to heat up, literally and figuratively. Not only were the temperatures warmer-than-average temperatures–due in part to the delayed arrival of the monsoon season–but also this week we really bit our teeth into our primary research. We had set out to interview the following stakeholders within the Chanderi Handloom Cluster:

  • Weavers (Shareholders and Non-Shareholders)Chanderi 2
  • Designers (Head and Local Designers)
  • Local Association Managers
  • BVS Director
  • BVS Dyers
  • Chanderiyaan
  • Chanderi New Design Center (Raw Mango Producers)
  • Government Officials
  • Traders (Silk, Cotton, and Jari)
  • Board of Directors
  • CEO

Chanderi 1We wanted to get access to every level of the value chain from raw material to the finished good. Our mission was to evaluate the operations of the PCL so that we could identify and correct any inefficiencies within its structure. We did so through objective surveys, case studies, and personal interviews. We knew that we would be leaving Monday morning of the next week, and fitting in all of the interviews was a challenge in itself. Jordan and I had taken a 7 day work week, but we were able to fit it all in and even began to formulate a few great recommendations for the PCL. I will reserve those for next week’s post. Wish us luck on the train ride back!

Entrepreneurship Development Institute Internship 2014 – Second Week – Alex

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Chanderi 5Chanderi Week 1: Orientation

After a 16 hour train ride through Gujurat and Rajastan, Jordan and I (Alex) had arrived in Chanderi at around 2 pm. We had done some preliminary research about the illustrious handloom industry and the region we would be investigating. In doing so, we had found that the town is actually part of the Jain Teerth and is home to many Jain temples. Also dotted around the city are a handful of palaces and edifices dating back to the 1400’s. Jordan and I were excited to explore everything that the medieval-walled city had to offer.

Chanderi 4Besides taking in the people, the food, and the sites, week one was quite an intensive work week. We had taken the first three days to orient ourselves completely with the Chanderi handloom cluster, which meant walking many miles in a day to the homes of different weavers, designers, traders, and local associations. We set out to learn the ins and outs of the cluster’s operations, so we would have a better idea of where the Chanderi Handloom Cluster Development Producer Company Limited (PCL) fit inside of it. Once Jordan and I had felt comfortable with the general logistics of it all, we began to dig into the PCL, speaking directly to the CEO to gather information regarding its financials, operations, and market linkages. By Friday, we had completed the first part of our data collection process. The weekend, of course, was reserved for some site seeing.Chanderi 6

-Alex Silberman

Self-Employed Women’s Association 2014 – Third Week

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This week at SEWA has been a fascinating learning experience. The SEWA unit I work for is called the SEWA Manager ni School. Like its name says, it provides the members of the organization basic lessons on different aspects of business and the economy that will help them better manage their micro enterprises. The difference between this school and any other management school is that its target audience includes literate, semi literate as well as illiterate women. All of them, however, are still the primary sources of income for each of their households through various forms of economic activity.

One of the modules that is taught to the SEWA members is about financial management. Because the module was created some time ago, my task is to give insight regarding what topics are still relevant or not, propose new ones and make the respective changes. Once this is done, I will include it in a larger more comprehensive micro enterprise development module, which I will also review and modify. In order to better understand how these modules work, I was able to sit on one on Monday and Tuesday. I was really glad to meet the women upon whom the module has a direct impact. Because many of them are illiterate or semi literate, the classes are required to be very interactive and include activities such as role playing and various games. I was amazed at how quickly these women were able to work as a team without having met each other before.

Interns at private temple AkshardamThe sessions are normally given in Gujarati which is the local language. However, Salmaben, the instructor, asked them to speak in Hindi so that Gunjan (my coworker) could translate to me. I could not express enough how grateful I was for the extra effort they put forth just for me.  One of the words I learned, together with the SEWA members was “Udyogsahsikta.” In Hindi, this means “entrepreneur,” but the beauty of it is that “Udyog” means business and “sahskita” is related to courage. Together we learned that to be an entrepreneur, one must be courageous and accept all the risks that come with starting a business.  As we, the interns, approach the halfway point on our journey, we could not be more amazed at how much we have learned and grown as travelers, business students, and people. I cannot wait for what the next three weeks have in store for us.

-Su Lau