Ikram Hussein

1
Ikram Hussein

• Name Ikram Hussein
• Age 55
• Profession Silversmith
• Income source Seasonal orders to make silver
  ornaments, silver bought by customers. Rest of
  the year metal workshop making doors, grilles etc
  with three sons. He is the only artisan in
  family.
• Household 3 sons, all in business with him, 10
  members in household
• Property Shop with home upstairs
• Custom in region to dower daughters with anklets
  of one kilo of pure silver each and bracelets of
  half kilo each. Weddings usually in April /May
  after spring harvest (Holi).
• Trust in community that silver remains pure.
  Social capital and references although muslim in
  predominantly hindu area.

2
Radheshyam Meena

• Name Radheshyam Meena
• Age 39
• Occupation Farmer
• Source of Income Only through farming
• Family Two children, girl boy, both studying
  away from home. Lives with wife and his mother.
• Education High school, literate in Hindi
• Mobile Only tops up minimum amount when needs to
  make a call. Son has chinese model and is at
  college in another town. Educating daughter.
• Property This house near land, two fields in
  different location, and maybe house in village
  proper.
• Two harvests a year, one 'expensive' one 'free'.
  Biggest expense diesel for water pump. Own well.
  Major expenses or loans linked to harvests
• Stores wealth in form of wheat through year, both
  for eating as well as selling sack for cash when
  needed.

3
Narsi Meena

• Profession Shopkeeper
• Name Narsi Meena
• Age Around 30
• Marital status Single
• Income source Only the small shop set up on
  porch. lives with parents who have farmland, his
  brother and wife, their two kids. Brother owns a
  jeep that he uses as transport between 'city' and
  village on a fixed 15km route. 12 passengers, Rs
  30 per trip, 4 trips a day
• Accepts wheat in lieu of cash for goods unlike
  larger store in village. Prices little higher and
  set conversion rate for 1 kg of wheat to the
  rupee. Once a month wheat buyer comes around to
  collect approx two or three sacks. Uses cash for
  restocking from town.
• Suffered polio as child, crippled and cannot work
  in field. People tend to buy from him when
  possible knowing this.

4
Ram Ratan Sharma

• Profession Village carpenter
• Age 50?
• Family three sons, all migrant labour as
  marble artisans - different material, similar
  skills . Wife and three daughters in law live in
  the house
• Property - house and courtyard workspace, no
  land. Located with other 'artisans' towards back
  of village.
• Income A group of 30 to 40 farmers in the
  village will cooperate to come to a shared
  agreement on how many sacks of wheat they will
  pay him for the year's work. For his labour only,
  approximately 50 sacks or thereabouts. Then he is
  on call for their woodwork throughout the year,
  they supply the materials including nails etc
• Cooperative retainer

5
Smt. Rameshwari

• Age 45
• Marital status Widow
• Property built pukka house through earnings
• Family Got daughter married, decided not to
  continue elder son's education but settled him in
  business selling caps tshirts outside national
  park, now his wife also coming here for work,
  younger son in college and also helps brother.
• Income source now supervisory level at women's
  cooperative where workers are paid on piecework
• Community standing leading women's lending
  circle
• Broke through cultural and social barriers due to
  need to work with cooperative. Increased respect
  and standing in community. Initiated savings and
  loan scheme among 20 women which evolved from
  informal to formal with bank account and
  deposits.

6
Ram Babu Mathur

• Age 60
• Profession Clerk laid off from factory
• Source of Income Wheat mill
• Household 11 people, 5 sons all employed, 4
  married and running their own kitchen, 6
  children at home.
• Income Rs 1500 profit after expenses on running
  wheat mill for himself and his wife only. Pays
  rent, diesel, labour. Charges Rs 10 per kilo
• So what happened when the machine died the other
  day, how did you arrange for its repair?
• I had to run around and ask my neighbours to see
  who had some money to lend me. I managed to find
  a guy with the Rs 1300 to spare and he loaned it
  to me for 2 interest. I told him I'd pay him
  back over time from the earnings everyday when
  the machine was up and running again. Then I had
  to go and negotiate for the parts from the shop,
  arrange for the engine mechanic to show up and
  get this thing up and running as soon as
  possible.

7
Goverdhan Meena

• Age 26
• Education High school, Hindi
• Income Salary Rs 4200/month from NGO
• Marital status Married with two children
• Currently living at home with parents, salary
  disposable income for few more months when they
  expect to run their own 'household'. Wife helps
  in laws farmland and chores, no income and little
  money.
• Purchased first mobile phone in village, used
  social capital for informal payment plan over two
  months salary.
• Started another simple group savings (lumpsum)
  scheme with 9 other men based on simple lottery
  no interest.
• Purchases consumer durables but displays extreme
  sensitivity to interest payments and prefers
  lumpsum cash upfront.

8
Sonia (urban)?

• Age 26
• Single female, virtual head of household,
  migrants to big city, father runs ironing stall
• Trained beautician - started apprenticeship from
  age 9 after mother died, went to work after
  school
• Income tradeoff Prefers client list to call her
  through phone (now mobile) for inhome treatments.
  Flexibility for other responsibilities. Income
  difference about 300 (between ave. 5000 a month
  and 15000 salary if fulltime job)?
• Urban savings scheme similar to rural one except
  that trusted networks and social capital of
  community is not as entrenched or strong due to
  'strangers'. Lost 225,000 rupees saved over 3
  years for sisters wedding.
• Bank??
• http//www.emergingfutureslab.com/prepaid_economy/
  2009/01/making-tradeoffs-in-life.html

9
Cobbler (urban)?

• Unknown male, cobbler, shoe polish, main road
  Chandni Chowk (old Delhi)?
• Doesn't pay rent or 'grease' to local police,
  same spot on street for 7 years
• Able to confidently estimate daily income to be
  around Rs 200 to Rs 250
• Charges Rs 5 (10 usd cents) for complex shoe
  polish with creams, stains, lotions and treatment
• Buys supplies every so often based on demand and
  need from wholesale market, for example nails are
  Rs 100 a kg so will buy only Rs 10 worth.
  Probably all cash transactions
• Makes his own tools, for example creating a
  'sandpaper' style scraper by punching numerous
  holes into a metal can. Lasts longer, costs less.
• Entirely portable shop yet permanent spot.