Micro credit has helped a village entrepreneur reshape his destiny

KOLKATA: Twenty-eight-year-old Mahadeb Naskar, a father of two, is the only proud owner of a car in his village, Ghatakpukur, about 45 km from Kolkata.

Mahadeb runs his family business of making small paper carry bags, in which his wife, 25-year-old Runu helps him as well. Together, for every 35 kg bundle of paper bought for making the carry bags, they make Rs125-250 after paying off the five-six labourers through whom they get the job done. 

But, of late, income levels had begun to drop, making Mahadeb think of other ways of earning money. “Making paper bags is a time-consuming process, mainly done by the women in the villages. They find it difficult to make time after taking care of their family.

Moreover, charges are also rising though the sale price is not,” complains Mahadeb.
He subsequently hit upon the daring idea of buying a car and hiring it out even though he did not know how to drive. He took a loan of Rs30,000 from Ashadeep, a micro credit disbursement organisation under Southern Help Improvement Samity, a state-based NGO.

With the loan, he bought a second-hand ambassador and hired a driver to run it. “I did not pay the driver a salary, but one-fourth of whatever I earned from the car went to him as commission,” reveals Mahadeb.

After about six months he learnt driving and did away with the driver. Today, he earns on average Rs3,500 a month from the car after paying for diesel and maintenance.

However, his princely possession has caused a lot of heart-burn in the village. The paper bag makers feel he has a lot of money and yet underpays them, but Mahadeb says this is far from the truth.

That notwithstanding, his white ambassador stands sentinel in front of his hut at Ghatakpukur, on the way to the Sunderbans, that is, when it is not running errands.
m_madhumita@dnaindia.net