Unity in Adversity: Arpan's Inspiring Transformation

Chaos and sabotage in the workplace can lead to a catastrophe where no one wins. In the case of Arpan, however, adversity shaped two strong leaders and ended in a positive result. Arpan is a 30-year-old cooperative that went through a crisis two years ago. The leader at that time was asked to resign because of actions she had taken that were unethical and contrary to Cooperative laws. She did not accept this decision and proceeded to cause many disturbances and also demanded money. Three other artisans joined her side and also pressed to be given a share of the group's funds. The claim was totally fraudulent, but the small group was able to disrupt the cooperative's business. "There would be incidents every day," remembers Pramila. "Sometimes they would come and sit on the machines and not let the artisans work and other times they would cut the electricity." When the former leader registered a complaint with the Cooperative Department it resulted in the cooperative's bank accounts being frozen.

Pramila, who had been with Arpan since its beginning, was not going to see all their work and progress ruined. She chose to assume the position of leader: "The most difficult part was hearing them accuse me of betraying them. But in my heart, I knew I was doing the right thing and I am grateful for the support I got from the other artisans and MarketPlace."

She did realize that the job was too big for her alone. She had not had much schooling and did not read or write well, so she found the finances and accounts difficult. When she asked for help, only one hand went up: that of Pratima, who had been a tailor there for 3 years. "I was still new, but I saw that Pramila needed help and I wanted to do my bit for the group," she recalls. The two women became a dynamic duo, dividing responsibilities in a way that worked well. Pramila oversees the day-to-day work and coordinates production, even learning to use the computer to record updates. Pratima handles systems, accounts and banking, and is proud that she is always on time with the salary checks.

The troubles at Arpan are still ongoing but the group is determined to stand together against any challenge. Their dedication is reflected in the fact that during the 2 months that their accounts were frozen they worked without salary. They emerged from the crisis a stronger group and work is going on full scale.