1. education
2. school

2008
Akshay Appu | Ankit Singh | Shantanu Srivastava
Mullana – An Ethnographic Study
Submitted To – Prof. Arbind Sinha
Mudra Institute Of Communications
Shela
Ahmedabad
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This document entails an ethnographic study of Village Mullana,
Ambala. This study was aimed to identify the problems that exist in
the village and a communication strategy to address the same.
Contents
Mullana On national Map: ................................................................................................................. 4
Infrastructure .................................................................................................................................... 6
Health centres ............................................................................................................................... 6
Schools and colleges ...................................................................................................................... 7
Places of religious worship............................................................................................................. 7
Marketplace .................................................................................................................................. 8
Telephone, post and telegraph facilities ........................................................................................ 8
Banking ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Newspapers and magazines ........................................................................................................... 9
Internet ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Connectivity .................................................................................................................................. 9
Administration .................................................................................................................................. 9
Education: ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Medical facilities and Health infrastructure ..................................................................................... 16
Village Culture: ................................................................................................................................ 20
Religion: ..................................................................................................................................... 20
1.
Caste System ....................................................................................................................... 21
2.
Marriages ............................................................................................................................ 21
3.
Status of Women ................................................................................................................. 22
4.
Values and aspirations of youth ........................................................................................... 22
5.
Language ............................................................................................................................. 22
6.
Heroes : ............................................................................................................................... 22
Brand Consumption: ........................................................................................................................ 23
Media Consumption Habits ............................................................................................................. 23
1.
Newspapers ......................................................................................................................... 23
2.
Radio ................................................................................................................................... 24
3.
Television............................................................................................................................. 25
4.
Internet and Cinema ............................................................................................................ 26
5.
Mobile ................................................................................................................................. 27
Economic Activities ......................................................................................................................... 27
1.
Agriculture and other related occupations ........................................................................... 28
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2.
Service ................................................................................................................................. 28
3.
Business ............................................................................................................................... 28
Communication need gap: ............................................................................................................... 30
Communication Plan ....................................................................................................................... 30
Problem 1: ................................................................................................................................... 30
Problem 2: ................................................................................................................................... 31
Problem 3: ................................................................................................................................... 32
Appendix - 1 .................................................................................................................................... 33
Appendix - 2 .................................................................................................................................... 38
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Mullana On national Map:
Mullana is a country side town and a sub-tehsil in Ambala District of Haryana. The village
lies in the Barada tehsil. It is situated 200 km north of New Delhi. The nearest city is Ambala
Cantt. which is around 30km away from it. The village is well connected with the city
through the state highway connecting Ambala Cantt. with Chandigarh. Nearest airport is at
Chandigarh. Barara Railway Station, which falls on the Ambala-Jagadhari-Saharanpur
Railway line, is the closest railhead. By road, Mullana is linked with Ambala,
Chandigarh, Shimla and Patiala.
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Figure 1: Situation of Mullana on Ambala Cantt- Chandigarh Highway
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The total area of the village is 650 Hectares. The population is 5,270 on the basis of the 2001
census. The village is a prosperous village with almost 95% pakka houses. The village is a
good political centre also. Mr Phool Chand Mullana, the current Haryana Congress Party
President is from Mullana itself.
During a short trip to Mullana, no one would call it a village because it has all the facilities of
a town but once a person lives in the village for a few days, he realizes that all the framework
of the village is equivalent to towns but the mentality of the people over there is still that of a
villager.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society, such as roads,
water supply, wastewater, power grids, flood management systems, communications
(internet, phone lines, broadcasting), and so forth. Mullana is a modern day village spread
over 650 hectares with good infrastructural facilities. The village has a civil hospital, a couple
of dispensaries, a few primary, middle level, secondary and senior secondary schools, a
decent marketplace and all the basic amenities. A lot of the roads are pakka roads and the
remaining kaccha roads are also being made again. Three years back only about 30% of the
roads were pakka but now around 60-70% are pakka roads.
As told to us by a Prakash, village juice shop owner,
“Bhaisaab, ye gaav to ab shehar ban jaaega kuchh hi saalo me. 3-4 saal pehle to yahan par
2-3 sadak hi paaki hoti thi, lekin ab dekho kacchi sadak to kam hi dikhti hai. Government ne
yahan par sadke banane ke liye 4 crore rupaye diye hai.”
(This village will be a town in some years. 3-4 years back there were very few concrete
roads but now there are very few Kaccha roads. The government has given a grant of 4 crore
rupees to make roads in the village).
A majority of the homes are pakka homes made of bricks and cement, but there are sections
of the village where the lower castes live that have kaccha houses. All the homes have built
in toilets.
Health centres
Apart from this, the village has a 3 storey civil hospital where the villagers go to get
themselves treated. Only if there is a very serious ailment are the villagers taken to the
Ambala Cantonment area which is around 28-30 kms from the village. The village also has a
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couple of dispensaries where the villagers go for treatment of minor ailments. There are 8
chemist shops in the village marketplace where most of the medicines are available.
Prakash reiterates,”Yahan par koi dikkat nahi hai. Koi beemar pade to dispensary aur
hospital hai hi aur dawaiyan bhi saari mil hi jaati hai yahan.”
(There are no issues here. If someone falls sick we take him to the dispensary or the hospital
and you get most of the medicines here).
Schools and colleges
There are a few schools in the village. The major one is an English medium school (MM
Public School) for students up to 10th standard which is around 100 m from the highway
connecting Ambala Cantonment and the village and there are a few other small schools.
Apart from that there is a school named MM International School which opened a year back
around 4 kms from the village but is regarded as a school in the village according to the
census data. Very few kids go for higher education as they help their parents in the fields
once they have studied up to the 10th standard. A few kids go for diploma courses after 10th
and fewer still go for engineering courses. There is an engineering college by the name of
Maharishi Markandeshwar which is about 4 kms from the village. The village also has a
hostel by the name of White House for the students from this college and also small eating
joints where the students from the college eat their meals. In the last two years more colleges
(primarily engineering) have popped up within a 10 km radius from the village.
Places of religious worship
The village has a temple, a mosque, a gurudwara and a mazhaar
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Marketplace
The village has a very decent marketplace where you get all the basic amenities. The
marketplace has clothes shops, kirana stores, a watch shop, sweet shops (where you get very
tasty jalebis) and also shops for ladies cosmetics.
We talked to the watch shop owner (Ramesh Kumar) who had this to say,
“mai ye dukan 25 saalo se chala raha hu. Is gaav me jo badlaav pichle 3-4 saal me aaya hai
wo kisi aur gaav me nahi hua hoga. Ab kisi ko kuchh samaan ke liye gaav ke baahar nahi
jaana hota, sab yahin par mil jaata hai.” (I have been running this shop for 25 years. The
changes this village has undergone in the last 3-4 years must not have happened anywhere
else. Now no one has to go out of the village to get stuff. Everything is available here).
Water supply and electricity
The water supply system is very good with all homes getting tap water 24 hours a day. Water
is pumped to all the homes three times a day through the supply system. There are no rivers,
canals or lakes although hand pumps are available throughout the village. Electricity is also
available in the village with an average supply of around 16 hours a day with 2-3 power cuts
of 3 or more hours each. The only issue the villagers find is the lack of a proper sewage
system in the village.
Sarpanch,
“ 17 ghante bijli, 3 time pani, har ghar mein toilet, RCC roads…aur ek gaon mein isse adhik
kya ho sakta hai?” (Electricity for 17 hours, water 3 times a day, a toilet in every home,
cemented roads, what else do you need in a village?)
As the Sarpanch said,” haan hamare gaon mein pani ki nikasi ke liye koi bhi sever system
jaisa kuch nahi hai. Yeh ek paresani hai jiska abhi tak koi solution nahi nikla hai.” (Yes, we
don’t have a proper sewage system for the outlet of waste water; this is one thing we have to
find a solution to).
Telephone, post and telegraph facilities
Telephone facilities are also available with a number of major GSM operators offering their
services. Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL are the major operators in the village. Not a lot of
households have availed of landline facilities and the majority of people carry cell phones.
Post and telegraph facilities are also available with a post office present in the village. Overall
the village has 200 telephone connections in 894 households (census 2001).
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Banking
There is a commercial bank in the engineering college mentioned before and also a cooperative commercial bank in the village to provide the villagers with banking facilities.
Newspapers and magazines
All major newspapers and magazines (Times of India, India Today, and Dainik Jagran etc)
are available in the village and keep the villagers up-to-date with the happenings around the
world.
Internet
Internet has also made an inroad into the village with a couple of internet café’s popping up.
Although the connection speed is slow and few people know how to use the internet, this is a
good step forward since this has happened only recently and shows the increasing awareness
among the village folk.
Connectivity
The village is well connected by road. A highway runs just outside the village which connects
Ambala to the village. Buses are available from early morning to around 9 in the night. From
the highway, there are three entrances to the village. The village has an anaaj mandi at the
first entrance. All the harvest from the fields is brought to the mandi and then sent for sale.
The second entrance leads the way to the house of the Sarpanch and MM Public School. The
third entrance has a bus stop where you get buses to the cantonment, city and to Chandigarh.
Commuting to the nearby villages is done by auto rickshaws or special Maxi cabs. The
nearest railway station is in district Barara which is around 8 kms from village Mullana.
Trains
to
places
like
Saharanpur
and
adjoining
areas
traverse
that
route.
Administration
The village Gram Panchayat is the major administrative body. The Panchayat handles all the
issues ranging from development of the village, making of roads to resolving of issues among
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the villagers. All the developmental work planned by the government for the village is routed
through the Sarpanch.
There is a police station in the village where more serious matters are resolved.
The village Tehsil is also an important administrative body. The tehsildar keeps a record of
everything to do with the village, ranging from the population of the village to the number of
cars and television sets in the village. Domicile certificates are also approved by the tehsildar.
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These are the major administrative bodies in the village.
Education:
Education undoubtedly forms the backbone of a developed society and the best example is
Mullana. The village has all the educational facilities which a town has and an ordinary
village can only dream about.
Starting from the primary education, the village not only has government school but also a
public school in the form of M.M. Public School. The government school is situated in the
heart of the village near Tehsil Office whereas the public school is just 100m away from the
highway connecting Mullana with Ambala Cantt.
Figure 2: MM Public School, Mullana
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The village has two higher secondary Schools: one coed named “Rajkiya Varishta
Madhyamik vidyalaya, Mullana” while the other only for the girls. Both of the schools have
good infrastructure.
Figure 3: Rajkiya Varishta Madhyamik vidyalaya, Mullana
While we visited the co-ed school there was an N.S.S. camp going on inside the premises.
This was a living proof of the activities taking place in the school curriculum. The school
timings were from 8am to 2 pm. There were around 25 teachers and 250 students. We
observed that most of the teachers were not present. The reason told was that there are no
classes these days due to the NSS camp. The school class rooms were found to be clean.
While asked about the major problem related to the education Mr. Akhilesh who is a lecturer
in Political Science replied:
“Iss gaon mein lagbhag sabhi log initially to apne bachchon ko padhne ke liye school
bhejte hain per baad mein 10 class ke baad hi voh bachchon ko kheti adi dhandhon
mein laga dete hain. Isilliye gaon mein literacy rate to bahut high hai per higher
education ke liye kam hi log jate hain”
The high literacy rate was mentioned by the Sarpanch Sri Naresh Chauhan,
“lagbhag 95% log likh padh lete hain. Jo 3-5 % bachte hain voh dehe jati ke hain jo
kuda beenne ka kaam karte hain. Unke liye paisa itna jaruri hai ki voh bachchon ko
school nahi bhejte.”
So, based on this we can conclude that there are two major challenges:
1. To pursue the lower caste people for sending their children to schools.
2. To spread the awareness among the people to help their children to gain higher
education.
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Figure 4: Back side of the Girls' Sr. Secondary School
While talking about the higher education, Mullana gained the prominent position on the map
of the Haryana state map with the opening of the Maharishi Markendeshwar Univeristy in
Mullana. The constituent institutions of the University are MM Engineering College; MM
Institute of Computer Technology & Business Management (MCA); MM College of Dental
Sciences & Research; MM Institute of Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation; MM Institute of
Computer Technology & Business Management (Hotel Management); MM Institute of
Medical Sciences & Research; MM Institute of Management; MM College of Nursing; MM
College of Pharmacy; and MM Institute of Nursing , Mullana, Ambala. These institutes are
also recognized by the affiliating bodies like Medical Council of India, Dental Council of
India, Indian Nursing Council, Indian Association of Physiotherapists, All India Council for
Technical Education etc. There is one more engineering college Guru Nanak Engineering
college in Kalpi, a place 4 km away from Mullana.
Figure 5: MM University, Mullana
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Figure 6: MM medical College, Mullana
The development of this university has resulted in increasing the awareness about the higher
education in Mullana. According to the Sarpanch, there are around 100 students of Mullana
in these colleges. Moreover these institutes are mainly responsible for the making the
property rates go beyond expectations in Mullana. According to Mr Nagendra Singh a
property dealer based in Mullana Told us
“pichle 2-3 saal mein yeh naye college khulne se lagbhag 5 gune rate ho gaye hain property
ke. Jo zameen pahle Rs. 3.5 lac per killa ( a unit of measurement in Haryana for fields) thi,
voh aaj 15 lac per killa hai.”
The villagers have got new revenue stream in the form of the rents collected from the
students residing in Mullana.
Another dimension of the steps carried out by the government in the field of education was
exposed to us while we reached at a vocational education institute called “Rajkiya
Vyavasayik Shiksha Sansthan, Mullana”.
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Figure 7: Rajkiiya Vyavasayik Sansthan, Mullana
The institute was very well planned. There were separate sections for each of the vocational
stream. There were different sections named computer, electrician etc. we met a few people
in the institute and found that this was a failed attempt and government is planning to shut
down this institute in the next season. The reason behind this shut down was told to be low
number of the enrolment. Moreover, the people trying to get some vocational training after
class 12 have a better option in the form of the engineering institutes in the Mullana region.
In the words of Mr. Rajbeer, an institute employee:
“shuruvaat mein to logon ne kuch interest sa dikhaya tha per dheere-dheere sab khatam ho
gaya. Ab na to yahan koi class lagti hai aur na hi koi ata hai. Agle saal tak yeh to band ho
jaega ji.”
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Figure 8: Empty Class rooms of the vocational institute
Medical facilities and Health infrastructure:
Mullana is one of those few villages which have a civil hospital within the boundaries of the
village itself. There are regular visits of the doctors having expertise in different fields. Apart
from this huge infrastructural development in the form of the civil hospital, Mullana has
benefit of the services of a medical college at a distance of just a kilometer. In words of Ram
Prakash, a farmer:
“ pahle jin bimariyon ke liye Ambala jana padta tha ab unka ilaz bhi yahi ho jata hai.”
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Figure 9: Civil Hospital, Mullana
Figure 10: MM medical college, Mullana
The village has 4 other private clinics. None of these doctors are MBBS. Most of them have
BAMS or Diploma. There are 5 medical stores having all kinds of medicines. One special
thing noticed was that all the doctors dispense their medicines through their clinics only.
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Figure 11: Ambe Medical Store, Mullana
As the photos represent that the medical stores have all the brands and products available in
urban areas. One thing which was directly related to the student culture penetrating in the
village is the availability of the proteins and other body- building products.
We made indepth interview with a medical store owner. We asked about the condom sales
and few facts came out:
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1. People still hesitate to ask for condoms.
2. People don’t ask for condom if any other person is at the shop.
3. Brand of the condoms doesn’t matter for the people, what matters is the price of the
condom.
4. The sale of the condoms is still very low.
While asked about the AIDS awareness the store owner said:
“ Logon ne AIDS ke bare mein suna hai aur unhe pata hai ki yeh sex se failti hai per kin
conditions mein iss ke bare mein abhi logon ko theek se zankari nahi hai.”
The shopkeeper told us that any kind of AIDS awareness campaign by government
reaches to village hardly once or twice in an year. When we asked a few common people
whether they have heard anything from government then everyone answered in negative.
The village has proper cleanliness conditions and there are no specific epidemics even in
the past which broke out in the village. When the Sarpanch was asked about this he said:
“koi bhi bimari aisi nahi jo hamare gaon mein regularly failti ho.4 saal pahle Dengue ne
kuch problem ki thi per uske baad se koi problem nahi.”
In words of RamPrakash,
“kabhi-kabhi flu failta hai per voh to shahron mein bhi failta hai.”
The village has its own veterinary hospital. One thing which was peculiar to the village
medical stores only was the presence of the animals related products like milk increasing
products etc.
Figure 12: Animal Related products in Mullana Medical Store
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Village Culture:
Religion:
The major religion in Mullana is Hindu. There are a few Muslim families and a few Sikhs
which can be counted on fingers. The village has one big temple and 2-3 small temples.
There is one mosque and one Gurudwara. There were many people in the temples but the
mosque and the Gurudwara were almost deserted.
Figure 13: Hindu Temple and Gurudwara
The major thing which was observed was that people are almost obsessed with their
religion. Hindus don’t like Muslims at all. In the words of Mr. Ramkrishna, a government
employee who was just coming out of Lala Peer Mazar,
“Yahan to partition ke time hi Banda Bairagi ke group ne sare muslims khatam ker diye
the. Yeh do char ghar muslim bache hain per yeh bhi ab lagbhag Hindu hi ho chuke hain.
Ham inki kahin bhi nahi chalne dete. Inke jo bhi do char festival hote hain voh maszid se
bahar nahi celebrate kerne dete.”
Even the impact of this Hindu dominance was felt while we visited the Lala wala peer, a
symbol of regional syncretism. The mazar is supposed to be a place of belief for both
Hindus and the Muslims but the people have installed an idol of goddess Durga which
establishes the fact that the village is dominated by Hindus.
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Figure 14:Lala Wala Peer: symbol of Syncretism or religious dominance
Caste System : Caste system in terms of occupation
1.
does not exist in Mullana. People from various castes engaged themselves in different
occupations. In words of Mr. Som Prakash Chauhan “ji ab kahan? Koi jati ka aadmi
kuch bhi kerta hai. Nai nai na rahe aur sare julahe dukan khol ke baithe hain”. In
terms of power no caste has a dominant position in society. The major castes that exist
in Mullana are Baniya, Rajput, Saini, Pandit, Kshatriya, Jat, Gadariye, harijan,
Valmiki, Kanjar, Nai, Julahe, Muslim and Magh.
Functional caste divide is not present but psychologically it still exists in the minds of
people from Mullana. When we asked the question related to use of ‘Dharamshala’ to
the caretaker of the vocational institute he said “Abhi to sahab gaon me eke
dharamshala hai magar agar alag alag jaatiyo ke liye ho jaye to acha hai.. ek
dharamshala hone se logo ko mushkil hoti hai”.
2. Marriages : In marriages the dowry system exists however cash is not popular and
it is mainly restricted to jewelery and other kind of gifts like TV, Bike, Car etc. Huge
expenses are made in terms of dowry and other jewelry items.
Intercaste marriages are still not accepted in thee village and people resist any such
thing. Inter caste and love marriages are seriously discouraged in the society and in
the love marriages that take place due to various reasons the couple are disowned by
the families and have to face boycott from society as well.
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Status of Women : Women are given a lot of
3.
respect and are provided with equal opportunity in terms of education. However when
it comes to occupation they are not given equal opportunity. When we interviewed a
female laborer Ramodevi she replied “Hamse kaam bhi zyada lete hai aur paise bhi
kam dete hai.. agar aadmi ko 80 milta hai to aurat ko ye log 70 hi dete hai”.
In terms of education women are given equal opportunity, in school the ratio of boys
to girls in class was almost equal. Girls perform better than boys in terms of
academics and result. Even for higher education girls are provided with equal
opportunities. Women are not allowed to work in farmland and their work is mainly
restricted to household chores and taking care of animals and cattle. Most of women
that work outside work in schools as a teacher.
They are not allowed to take decisions but have an indirect role in influencing the
decision. Their opinions are taken into consideration in the process of taking
decisions.
Values and aspirations of youth : The youth in
4.
Mullana had a lot of respect for women and senior members of family. Most of the
families are joint families but with more affluence the focus is gradually shifting
towards nuclear families.
The occupational focus is gradually shifting from existing agricultural occupation to
white collared jobs. According to Sarpanch “Kareeb gaon ke 100 ladke engineering
kar rahe hai aas paas ke collego me.”. The youth of Mullana is highly brand conscious
and extensively purchase clothes and footwear of prominent brands starting from Bata
to Nike.
Language: The language that was majorly spoken
5.
was Hindi but with a Haryanvi accent. It was relatively difficult to understand.
Heroes : They believe in hero worship and look for
6.
heroes in day to day life. They are inspired a lot from Bhagat Singh and a statue of
Bhagat Singh is installed in thee village chowk.
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Brand Consumption:
In terms of brand consumption, Mullana is not even slightly different than the urban
market. Villagers consume all the national brands right from the soap brands like Cinthol
to car brands like Swift.
Figure 15: Brands Available at a common shop
All companies launch their new products in Mullana simultaneously with the urban India.
Sarpanch told us that “Yahin per promotion kerte hain company wale…Swift ka model launch
hote hi Maruti ne yahan per truck mein ghumaya tha use. Aur ab to 10 km ke dayre mein hi
sare car show-rooms hain.”
Media Consumption Habits
As and when we stepped in the village we got an idea of the kind of media and the
consumption patterns existed. The existing literacy and education levels complimented our
thoughts. Due to the proximity of engineering colleges and medical institutes the village not
only had traditional media but new media vehicles also present.
To gather a better understanding we have dealt with each of media vehicle separately:
1. Newspapers – About 40% household in Mullana receive newspapers. All major
newspapers are available in the village that included Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar,
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Punjab Kesari, Rozgar Samachar, Times of India and Hindustan Times. The
Economic times is also available but it is mainly subscribed by the student community
living in the village.
Despite being 26 Km far from the Ambala the newspapers reach the houses at about
6:00 AM. The village is in close proximity of the highway and this aids the quick
delivery of the newspapers. The newspapers have a high numbers of readers reading.
The newspapers are circulated from original owners to neighboring shops in the
market. Local politics being strong generates a lot of discussion and thus promotes
readership.
The readership of newspapers among women is relatively less and generally is at
home only. However the readership timings differ as compared to cities. Due to
farming activities in the morning they are generally read in late morning or noon.
Apart from delivery at home newspapers are also available at newspaper vendors.
These vendors also keep some forms related to jobs and hindi magazines.
2. Radio – Radio has a modest reach in the village. Though most of the houses have
radio sets the listenership is not much. Due to the working hours the radio listenership
among males is very less. The listenership is also modest among females and that too
is generally in background in the morning hours.
On enquiring the reasons for the low listenership response of radio Mr. Kishan
Chauhan replied “Itna time kaha hai logo ke paas.. kaam se time hi nahi milta”. One
of the major reasons for this is the television ownership in the village. The village
folks are more used to watching TV than listening to radio. However many
households have radio either in form of a two in one (Tape recorder and Radio) or a
separate radio sets. The listenership is majorly of the FM channels. The medium is
generally used as a pastime. Most people are aware of the arrival of FM and they
consider it as a significant development. The programs related to the farming and
social campaigns are listened carefully and discussed.
The radio listenership has been declining since last few years as the TV prominence
and ownership has increased. Almost 75% households have television sets either color
or black and white and along with that cable connection (either legitimate connection
or illegal connection). Listenership improves to some extent with introduction of FM
channels but the improvement is not significant enough.
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3. Television – Television has been in this village for last 25 years. There has been a
tremendous increase in television ownership due to availability of cable network in
the village. Almost 75% households have television sets at home. Due to availability
of TV with most of the households it has high viewership. Also the cable connections
are available. On an average a household pays Rs. 100 – 125 per month for a cable
connection. There are about 50 LCD sets in the village. Due to high affluence most of
households have access to almost every type of media. Procurement of television sets
is relatively easy and they are easily available in Mullana, Barara or Ambala. The
television sets are mostly purchased from Mullana or Barara while more expensive
ones are purchased from Ambala. Mostly color sets are the norm but B&W sets are
also owned by a fair amount of population.
The arrival of television was a gradual process but it accelerated from mid 90’s. It has
also increased with the availability of electricity in the village. Availability of
electricity for almost 15-18 hrs ensures regular viewership. During maintenance
activities also it was not available for 4-5 hrs only. During summers when power cuts
happen it is available for about 14 hrs while it increases to almost 18 hrs in winters.
However the power cuts for long periods of time are rather not frequent. Due to
availability of cable TV almost all the channels are available but all the houses do not
have cable connection so Doordarshan still forms a major part of viewership in
Mullana.
We spoke to a household that owns a color TV he said that earlier he had B&W TV
and he went to a relative’s house in Ambala and felt that he should also own a color
TV as he has the resources to afford one.
The TV is found as a medium to keep up with current happenings and as a mode of
entertainment. Also for the farming community it is a way to keep track of new
farming methods and other factors impacting their farm and harvest. It is also used to
keep a track of the rates of the commodities in the market. Initially some big farmers
and businessmen had television sets at home and as other farmers became aware of
the benefits it was purchased by the other members of the community as well.
The viewership didn’t have much skew in terms of viewership base although women
had more viewership than men. Women mostly watch the television in noon and
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evening while for men it is mostly in the evenings. Cricket matches and political
activities also generate a lot of interest and form a major part of viewership among
males. Also new movies that are released are telecasted by the cable TV operators
within a week of their release. So people have other incentives for a cable connection
as well. The major channels that are available and ardently followed are Star Plus,
Doordarshan, DD2, SET, Zee TV, SAB, Sahara, Aaj Tak, NDTV India, Colors, Star
Sports/ESPN/Neo (During India matches only), DD Sports and Zee cinema.
The channel slots are generally not fixed. As many villagers have B&W TV which
doesn’t have many channels the cable operators swap the channel according to their
understanding of viewers and popularity of programs. If he feels that a Balika Vadhu
needs to be shown he would swap it with some other channel thus providing the feed
of the more popular programmes.
Television also impacts the brand consumption of people in Mullana. New FMCG
brands are noticed immediately and depending upon availability thee are purchased
accordingly. However TV didn’t changed the schedule of people as it did in urban
centers most of the population still sleeps around 9-10 PM as they have other
household and occupational work to be done.
4. Internet and Cinema – There are no cinemas or small theater in Mullana. Those
who have to watch movies had to either go to Barara or to Ambala. However Internet
café’s are there in Mullana. Due to a high student population in the village the
computer hardware shops as well as internet cafes opened in the village. Although the
rates for internet access are comparatively high at Rs. 30 per hour.
26 | P a g e
Figure 16 - Computer Hardware Shop and Internet cafe
5. Mobile – Mobile phones have penetrated the Mullana population in a big way. Most
of the villagers have at least one mobile phone per household. The major mobile
operators being Airtel, BSNL, Idea, Vodafone, Reliance and TATA Indicom. Mostly
mobile phones are used to call and use of SMS and VAS is low. Some of the villagers
download ringtones but the use is too less and barely has a population base.
Economic Activities
Most of the economy of Mullana is based on agriculture. Almost 60% of population had
occupations based on agriculture, 20% were labourers, 10% service and rest were
businessmen. The economy was in a very good shape as almost all the houses were pucca
type and almost every house had a two wheeler. The recent rise in the real estate prices also
added to the wealth of the villagers.
The occupations of people from Mullana can be broadly classified into following categories
27 | P a g e
1. Agriculture and other related occupations – Agriculture and farming forms
one of the major occupations of the people of Mullana. Around 60% of the population
has agri based occupation. Due to the fertile soil the harvest per acre is very high and
so it forms a core occupation of people of Mullana. Agricultural occupations can be
further classified into farmer, farm owner, farm laborers and farm traders. Because of
the engineering colleges around the village the real estate prices have escalated like
anything. So many of the farmers have sold a part of their lands and started their own
business while the rest of the land owned is either given on lease to some other farmer
or farm laborers are being used for farming.
Trading is also easier as the mandi is 1.5 km away from the village so farmers don’t
have to incur much cost and they keep themselves abreast of the current trading rates.
Most of the farmers have their own tractors and other related farming equipment.
Tractors on lease also form a part of their earnings. Major crops grown are “Gehu,
Jeeri, Makka and Ganna”. All fertilizers and seeds are available in Mullana itself so
the farmers don’t have to travel to purchase these.
2. Service – The people with service can also be classified into government and non
government employees. Government employees form a very small part of population
whereas non government employees are generally staff working in neighboring
college or schools in villages and people working in small businesses such as shops
and food stalls. The salaries drawn by the government employees is according to the
pay scale given by the government however the private teachers earned much less
than them. Their salary ranged between ranged between Rs 2000 – Rs 5000.
Those working in small businesses and shops got even less. Their salaries ranged
between Rs. 500 – 2000. And even small children were employed.
3. Business – The business in Mullana majorly consist of shops like general stores,
medical stores, grocers, mithai shops, food stalls, computer hardware shop, mobile
stores etc.
The medical stores generally tried o have a sort of tie up with doctors so that they can
have easy business. There were about 5 medical stores in Mullana. In general stores
almost all the FMCG brands were present. We didn’t find any fake brands in the
stores. The garment stores mainly had local brands of suiting and shirting with an
assorted collection of brands like Vimal, Raymonds. The clothes were not priced very
highly and the expenditure on a set of clothes was found to be very less as compared
28 | P a g e
to urban centers. Most of the people preferred stitched clothes instead of readymade
ones and in readymade clothes cheap shirts were more popular. Small garment stores
are managed by the owner himself while larger ones have one more person to assist
the owner.
Mithai shops and food stalls generally had 2-3 people working apart from the owner
and their salaries were very less. Some of them earned Rs. 700 per month along with
food. Other businesses included mobile stores – top up cards, basic handsets and
accessories, computer hardware store and internet café etc.
We had a chat with a Mr. Ramesh Kumar who owned Ramesh watch and optical
house in Mullana he said that “Yaha log waise to local ghadia hi pehente hai.. jo ki
normally dilli made hoti hai. Kabhi kisi ko agar mehngi ghadi pehnni hui to wo
Sonata le jata hai. Shaadi ke time pe gift karne ke liye log zyada Sonata hi le jate hai.
Local le jate hai to hame bhi araam hi rehta hai. Guarantee ki koi chinta nahi hoti hai.
Agar hamse theek hui to hui warna uski guarantee to hoti nahi hai. Waise itni problem
aati bhi nahi hai aur thoda to apna farz hai ki hamare yaha se jo samaan gaya ho wo
ache se chale.”
29 | P a g e
Communication need gap:
On the basis of the observations and analysis, we came out to the following points where a
well chalked out communication plan can help villagers.
 Education:
1. To pursue the lower caste people for sending their children to schools.
2. To spread the awareness among the people to help their children to gain higher
education.
 Health:
1. To make people aware of the disease like AIDS.
2. To make people comfortable with the use of condoms

1.
2.
3.
4.
Cultural Communication:
Religious harmony
Inter caste marriages
Women at par in work place.
Interaction between different castes.
Communication Plan
To address the above issues we have the following resources that can be used:
1. MM University
2. Village Panchayat
3. Schools in the village
The medium of communication available in the village are
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Newspaper
Radio
Television
Events
Word of mouth
We shall use these mediums in the following way to address these issues:
Problem 1:
 Education:
1. To pursue the lower caste people for sending their children to schools.
30 | P a g e
2. To spread the awareness among the people to help their children to gain higher
education.
Communication Plan
There is a dire need to make lower class people involved in scavenging job aware of the fact
that education of the child is more important than the money earned by them. The steps used
for this will involve:
1. Organizing street plays with the help of the higher secondary schools in the scavenger
community.
2. We will organize meetings with the people of those communities where the people
from the same community who are at a high position due to their education will
address the people.
3. Evening Schools run by student bodies: It has been observed that the students in
degree colleges are pretty interested in serving the society in one way or the other. So
we plan to organize evening classes for these children taken by the students of MM
University. It will need two pronged communication strategy:
a. Making Students aware of their social responsibilities which will be facilitated by
the lectures organize by the socialists.
b. Making target community aware of need of child’s education. So the people who
say that they can’t let their children to go to school because it hurts their income,
they will be asked to send their child for 1-2 hrs in the school campus where the
student bodies will take care of their education.
For the problem concerned with low penetration of the higher education
1. Local edition of newspapers like Punjab Kesari and Dainik Jagran can have an article
on education and the youth of Mullana. The article would emphasize on the
opportunities of higher education available for the youth of Mullana specially women.
2. Create a group of successful youth responsible for giving dreams to youth by
exposing them to the opportunities one has after getting higher education.
3. Take help of the MM university college professors etc to educate the youth at Mullana
about the opportunities comes along with the higher education.
Problem 2:
 Health:
1. To make people aware of the sexually transmitted disease like AIDS.
Communication plan:
1. During the screening of movies by cable TV operators a 5-10 min break can be used
to screen a short film or an advertisement related to the issues of AIDS awareness,
equality of women and religious harmony.
31 | P a g e
2. Medical camps should be organized with partnership of organizations like NSS and
other NGO’s for health check-ups and issues related to AIDS awareness and use of
contraceptives.
3. Expose people to the condoms that they forget all the hesitation related to it. The
things which will prove helpful in exposing people to the condom usage will be street
plays, posters and loudspeakers.
4. Initiatives taken by any person for religious harmony and AIDS awareness can be
highlighted by an article on his contribution in local dailies. He can also be issued a
certificate of appreciation by the media for his contribution to the cause.
Problem 3:

Cultural Communication:
a. Religious harmony
b. Caste Differences
c. Women at par in work place.
Communication Plan:
For religious harmony and caste differences problems, we propose following plan:





For religious harmony organize lectures of sociologist like Mathew in MM university.
We can’t directly launch this campaign in Mullana because it will hurt the sentiments
of the people out there.
Lectures by social activists like Prof. Mathew and other prominent figures in Haryana
can be organized in MM University from where the message will slowly and steadily
reach the village students and people. We can also organize such lectures during
annual function in schools of Mullana to generate awareness on these issues.
During “Dussehra Mela” movies related to these issues and nukkad natak can be
performed to communicate the message.
For upliftment of the women workers:
The NGOs will be responsible for forming women committees who will regularly
discuss the issues related with women.
The communication plan will include demonstrations where there will be unisex
events organized and both the genders will be motivated to participate. These events
will be used to prove that both genders are equal and so should be treated equally.
32 | P a g e
Appendix - 1
Village Profile- Census of India 2001
Village Profile
State:
Haryana
District:
Ambala
Subdistrict:
Barara
Village:
Mullana (139)
Area details
Area of village (in hectares)
650
Number of households
894
Population data based on 2001 census
Total population - Persons
5,270
Total population - Males
2,811
Total population - Females
2,459
Scheduled castes population - Persons
1,210
Scheduled castes population - Males
640
Scheduled castes population - Females
570
Scheduled tribes population - Persons
0
Scheduled tribes population - Males
0
Scheduled tribes population - Females
0
Education facilities
Education facilities
Available
Number of primary schools
4
Number of middle schools
3
Number of secondary schools
3
Number of senior secondary schools
2
Number of colleges
1
Number of adult literacy class/centres
0
Number of industrial schools
0
Number of training schools
0
Number of other educational schools
0
Medical facilities
Medical facilities
33 | P a g e
Available
Number of allopathic hospitals
0
Allopathic hospitals available within range
Between 5 Kms and 10
Kms
Number of ayurvedic hospitals
0
Number of Unani hospital
0
Number of homeopathic hospital
0
Number of allopathic dispensary
0
Number of ayurvedic dispensary
0
Number of Unani dispensary
0
Number of homeopathic dispensary
0
Number of maternity and child welfare centre
0
Maternity and child welfare centre available within
More than 10 Kms
range
Number of maternity home
Number of child welfare centre
0
Number of health centre
1
Number of primary health centre
1
Number of primary health sub centre
1
Number of family welfare centre
0
Number of T.B. clinic
0
Number of nursing home
0
Number of registered private medical practitioners
0
Number of subsidised medical practitioners
0
Number of community health workers
0
Number of other medical facilities
0
Drinking water facilities
Drinking water facilities
Available
Tap water
Available
Well water
Not available
Tank water
Not available
Tube well water
Not available
Handpump
Available
River water
Not available
34 | P a g e
Canals
Not available
Lakes
Not available
Spring
Not available
Other drinking water sources
Not available
Post, telegraph and telephone facilities
Post, telegraph and phone facilities
Available
Number of post office
1
Number of telegraph office
0
Number of post and telegraph office
0
Number of telephone connections
200
Communication facilities
Communication facilities
Yes
Bus services
Yes
Railways services
No
Railway service available within range
Between 5 Kms and 10
Kms
Navigable water way including river, canal etc.
No
Navigable water way available within range
More than 10 Kms
Banking facilities
Banking facilities
Available
Number of commercial bank
1
Number of Co-operative commercial bank
1
Credit societies
Credit societies facilities
Available
Number of agricultural credit societies
2
Number of non agricultural credit societies
0
Available within range
Between 5 Kms and 10
Kms
Number of other credit societies
0
Other credit societies available within range
Between 5 Kms and 10
Kms
Recreational and cultural facilities
Recreational and cultural facilities
35 | P a g e
Not available
Number of cinema/video-hall
0
Cinema / video-hall available within range
More than 10 Kms
Number of sports club
0
Sports club available range
More than 10 Kms
Number of stadium/auditorium
0
Stadium /auditorium available within range
More than 10 Kms
Approach to villages
Approach paved roads
Available
Approach mud roads
Not available
Approach foot path
Available
Approach - navigable river
Not available
Approach - navigable canal
Not available
Approach - navigable water-way other than river or
Not available
canal
Nearest town
AMBALA CANT
Distance from the nearest town (in kilometre(s))
20
Power supply
Power supply facilities
Available
Electricity for domestic use
Available
Electricity of agricultural use
Available
Electricity of other purposes
Available
Electricity for all purposes
Available
News paper/magazine
News paper/magazine facilities
Available
Newspaper
Available
Magazine
Available
Income and expenditure of the village (in Rs.'00)
Income & Expenditure of the village
No
Total income
0
Total expenditure
0
Most important commodities manufactured
Manufactured item no. 1
Milk Products
Manufactured item no. 2
No information
Manufactured item no. 3
No information
36 | P a g e
Land use (Two decimal) in hectares
Number of forest land
0
Number of government canal
0
Number of private canal
0
Well (without electricity)
0
Well (with electricity)
0
Tube-well (without electricity)
18.00
Tube-well (with electricity)
460.00
Tank
0
River
0
Lake
0
Waterfall
0
Others
0
Total irrigated area
478.00
Un-irrigated area
100.00
Culturable waste (including gauchar and groves)
10.00
Area not available for cultivation
62.00
37 | P a g e
Appendix - 2
Transcript of a major FGD and an interview with Sarpanch
FGD
M: Moderator ( Ankit, Shantanu).
R1: Vijay Kumar
R2:Ramesh Kumar
R3: Som Prakash Chauhan
R4: Satbeer
R5: Gambheer
M: Aapka gaon to kafi unnat nazar aa raha hai?
R1: haanji yeh to 1000+ constituency hai.
R2: Yeh gaon to hamesha se hi aage raha hai. Yahan angrezon ke time se hi thana hai. Tab
185 gaon per ek hi thana tha aur voh yahan tha.
R3: yahan se kai sare MLA aur MP bhi nikal chuke hai.
M: kuch MLA aur ministers ke naam batayenge?
R3: Phoolchand, Shailja. Ji apne kai sare ministers ke surname mein Mulana suna hoga voh
sab Mulana se hi the. Yeh to aise hi famous hai jaise ki Chautala bhi ek gaon ka hi naam hai.
M: Bijli kaisi ati hai yahan?
R4: Ji bahut badhiya. Lagbhag 18 ghante bijli chalti hai yahan. Ambala mein aye na aye per
yahan to jaruur ati hai.
M: Peene ke pani ke kya sadhan hain?
R2: ji tubewell se tanki ki supply bhi hai aur hand pump bhi hain. Pani ka bahut achcha
system hai. Sabne motor rakhe hai jab chaho chalu ker lo.
M: achcha yahan per kaun kaun si jatiyan hain?
R1: ji sari hain.
M: Naam to bataiye.
R2: Baniye, rajput, saini, pandit, gadriye, harizan, balmiki, kanjar, magh, Julahe, nai,
musalman,
38 | P a g e
M: kya har jati ka kaam dhandha fix hai?
R3: ji ab kahan? Koi jati ka aadmi kuch bhi kerta hai. Nai nai na rahe aur sare julahe dukan
khol ke baithe hain.
M: jyadatar log kis dhandhe mein lage hue hain?
R4: ji kheti.
M: mulana gaon ke kisano ke khet kahan kahan tak hai?
R2: gaon se hi lage hue hain. Gaon ke 4-5 km tak charon taraf hamare hi khet faile hue hain.
Suhana, Budhiyo, aur Pilana tak hamare hi khet hain.
M: Ek kisan ke pas lagbhag kitni zameen hogi?
R1: Ji bade kisan ke paas 25-30 kille aur chote ke paas 5 kille.
M: Kheti ke sadhan kya hain?
R1: Lagbhag 25% kisanon ke paas tractor hain. Katai ke harvestor, threshor ka use bhi karte
hain.
M: Sinchai ke kya sadhan hain?/
R2: Sabke paas tube well hain.
M: tubewell abhi tak sadharan pump se chala rahe ho ya fir submersible pump use kar rahe
ho?
R3: ji 6-8 saal pahle tak to sade pump se kaam chal jata tha per ab to sab submersible pump
hi use ker rahe hain. Pani ka level 400 ft tak pahunch gaya hai. Sarkari nalke to 1100 ft pe
lagayeja rahe hain.
M: Accha Mukhya faslein kaun si hain?
R4: Gahoon, Zeeri, Makka aur Ganna
M: Ganne ka mill kahan hai?
R3: Shahabad mein aur Yamunanagar mein.
M: Kitna time lagta hai ek bar unload karne mein?
R1: Lagbhag 2-3 ghante
M: TO kisan maze mein hain?
R2: Hanji sab khush hain . Hamare gaon mein koi garib nahi. Sab ko aram se do time ki roti
mil jati hai.
M: Shiksha ke naam per gaon mein kitne school aur college hain?
39 | P a g e
R5: Ji pahle to sirf primary aur secondary ki hi achchi position thi but jabse yeh private
college wale Mullana mein aye hain tab se to higher education ki bhi koi samasya nahi.
M: Zara kuch detail mein batayenge ki kaun-2 se school college hain yahan per.
R5: Primary Education: Arya School
Secondary Education: 1 govt boys and 1 senior sec. school for girls.
Higher degree programs: Maharishi Markandeshwar University, M. M.Institute of Computer
Applications & Business Mgt., M.M. Institute of Hotel Management, Guru Nanak
University, Maharana Pratap College
M: Yahan per bimaron ke ilaz ke liya kya suvidhayen hain?
R1: Hamare gaon mein civil hospital hai aur jab se medical college khula hai tab se to koi
samsya hi nahi hai.
M: Elections mein kaun si partiyan jyada strong hain?
R3: yahan to sirf do partiyan hi chalti hain: Indian National Congress and Indian National
Lok Dal
M: Achcha kaun si jatiyan jyada oonche darje ki mani jati hain? jaise ki elections mein koi ek
jati hi har bar jitati ho?matlab kisi jati vishesh ka dabdaba jyada hai gaon mein?
R1: Dekhiye jahan tak jeetne ki baat hai to Mullana constituency SC/ST ke liye reserve hai.
Aur agar aap dabdabe ki baat ker rahe hain to kisi bhi jati ka koi dabdaba nahi hai. Agar aap
gaur se dekho to jyadatar harizan hi important hai gaon mein.
M: gaon mein koi chori dakaiti adi koi samsayan hai kya?
R4: Hamare gaon mein to Ram Rajya hai.
R5: Ji han iss gaon mein aaj bhi Ram Rajya hi hai. Koi chori adi ki kabhi koi vardat nahi
hui.Raat ke 12 baje bhi bahu beti upar se neeche tak gahno mein lad ker akeli bahar nikal
sakti hai.
40 | P a g e
Interview - With Sarpanch
I= Interviewer (Ankit, Akshay Appu)
S= Sarpanch
I: Namaskar
S: Namaskar
I: To sarpanch ji gaon ke vikas ke bare mein kuch bataiye
S: Bas aap khud nazar utha ke dekh lijiya…17 ghante bijli, 3 time pani, har ghar mein toilet,
RCC roads…aur ek gaon mein isse adhik kya ho sakta hai?
I: yahan kaun si jatiyon ke kitne log rahte hain …koi rough idea mil sakega kya?
S: dekhiye mein apko vote ke hisab se bata dunga.
Jogi- 100/150
Julahe- 350
Musalman- 100
Panjabi- 1000
Harizan- 1500
Rajput- 400
Jat- 450
Saini- 450
Nai- 250-300
Gadriye- 300
Baniya- 450
Brahaman- 100-150
I- Gaon ke log kaun se vahan jyada prayog karte hain?
S- almost 80% of the people have atleast one motorcycle. Around 20% of the people have
four wheelers
I: Aapke agon mein sirf panchayat aur sarakar hi vikas ke karya karati hai ya fir kuch
NGO adi bhi hain?
S: nahi hamare gaon mein koi bhi NGO nahi hai.
41 | P a g e
I: Agar kisi bhi gramvasi ko koi samsya ati hai ato voh pahle kahan jata hai?
S: Dekhiye koi bhi gramvasi ho aur use kaisi bhi samsya ho pahle voh panchayat ke paas
hi aata hai. 98% samsyayen ham panchayat mein hi nipta dete hain. Jo fir bhi 1-2% reh
jati hain uske liye fir thane ya court jana padta hai.
I: Jyadatar samsyayen kis se sambandhit rahti hain?
S: Gaon mein adhiktar pareshaniyan Bhai Batej se related ya ration card ko leker hi hoti
hain.
I: Kisanon ke liye sarkar ya panchayat kya ker rahi hai?
S: Kisano ke liye naya ATO unit banaya hai jahan se kisano ko latest beez adi ke bare
mein zankari mil sakti hai. 15 crore ki lagat se ham nai anaz mandi bana rahe hain.
I: bahut achcha …aur kya naye development plans hain?
S: Markandeya nadi per naya pul ban raha hai. Isse shahr tak jane ka kam se kam 15 km
ka rasta bachega.
I: literacy rate kitna hoga gaon mein?
S: lagbhag 95% log likh padh lete hain. Jo 3-5 % bachte hain voh dehe jati ke hain jo
kuda beenne ka kaam karte hain. Unke liye paisa itna jaruri hai ki voh bachchon ko
school nahi bhejte.
I: to aap unki shiksha ke liye kya ker rahe hain?
S: Ham kuch nahi ker sakte kyonki unke liye paise jyada jaruri hain. Kitna bhi samjhao
per voh nahi mante.
I:Koi bimari adi failti hai yahan
S: “koi bhi bimari aisi nahi jo hamare gaon mein regularly failti ho.4 saal pahle Dengue
ne kuch problem ki thi per uske baad se koi problem nahi.”
I: Media ke kaun se sadhan hai iss gaon mein?
S: Akhbar hain…koi bhi le lijiye…hindi…English..fir har ghar mein TV hain….kam se
kam 50 to LCD TV honge. Sare channel ate hain.
I: Koi naya mahnga saman jaise Car adi lena ho to gaon walon ko jankari kahan se milti
hai?
S: Yahin per promotion kerte hain company wale…Swift ka model launch hote hi Maruti
ne yahan per truck mein ghumaya tha use. Aur ab to 10 km ke dayre mein hi sare car
show-rooms hain.
M: Sarkar ki taraf se koi communication ata hai.?
42 | P a g e
I: Kabhi-2 kuch aa jata hai per generally nahi.
I: koi aisi pareshani jiska hal aap abhi tak nahi dhoondh paye hon?
S: han hamare gaon mein pani ki nikasi ke liye koi bhi sever system jaisa kuch nahi hai.
Yeh ek paresani hai jiska abhi tak koi solution nahi nikla hai.
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