WOOLLEN KNITTING TRAINING PROGRAMME

The training programme in woollen knitting is another important need based training programme organised by the KVK's Home Science department. Started in April 1992 it remains an essential on-campus training programme to impart vocational skills to local underpriveleged women. Like the tailoring programme, this too has been extended to a two month course from a one month one involving both hand and machine knitting. Knitting woollen scarves, baby sweaters and garments for men and women are among the skills being taught. This course too provides a stipend of Rs200 per month and takes in only people with a minimum qualification of an 8th std pass. Regular need assessment programmes are also conducted. The KVK also assists the women by helping them secure loans to buy knitting machines to start earning on their own.

REVATHY

Revathy at 25 is self-employed and works on the UPASI-KVK campus. She heard about the woollen knitting training programme via the radio six years ago and was enthusiastic to join, as she felt it would be a useful skill to learn in the hills. She stays at Ketty with her parents and a younger sister. Both her parents are uneducated while Revathy has completed her education till the 12th std. Her mother presently works on an estate while Revathy contributes to her family income by knitting and selling woollen garments.The woollen knitting programme that she attended lasted for a month and it also gave her a stipend of Rs100.Now working on her own,  she draws an income of Rs 2000 per month. She has been working for six years now and asked whether she would'nt prefer working at Ketty she says  that it is more profitable working here as she receives more orders. Her skillfullness and ready smile speak volumes about the fact that she is  a  very satisfied woman, happy to be able to stand on her own feet.

SHANTI

Another success story on the same lines is that of twenty-seven year old Shanti. She too heard about the training programme on the radio and her main objective in attending the course was to learn a new skill.She resides near the staff college with her parents and three brothers two of whom are mechanics. Both her parents are educated  and her brothers too have had an access to an education. She herself has finished her schooling till the +2 level. Asked about how useful she found the course she says that it was worthwhile and highly productive. She has now been self-employed for the past seven years and earns a monthly salary of Rs2000. Her independence and confident attitude stand testimony to the fact that she is indeed proud to be able to support herself and provide for her family.

CUT FLOWER PRODUCTION TRAINING PROGRAMME

The cut flower production training  programme is a short term vocational training  course offered by the Horticulture department. A need based training programme started in 1995 it was developed to benefit small farmers and youth. This two day course covers all the cultivation and practical aspects of cut flower production. A minimum qualification of a 10th std pass is necessary to join this course and a stipend of Rs20 per day is also given. Most people who join this course seek to become self-employed after its completion and the KVK helps them in this respect by guiding them and helping them procure loans.

G.A.JAYARAM

Thirty year old G.A.Jayaram, a science graduate completed the cut flower production trainingprogramme in 1996.The short term vocational course that he attended was purely out of interest and he thought he might take  up cut flower production as a hobby later if he found it viable. By the end of the course finding his interest growing and aware that he already owned resources like land and water,he decided to start out on a small scale. With his savings he started a farm at Jagathala, his residence in Aruvankadu. With  a small figure of just one thousand plants growing on one cent of land he started farming and marketing his produce to Coonoor, Coimbatore and Bangalore. Initally, having no contacts  and not knowing how to market his flowers properly,he was taken advantage of and exploited by his buyers. Moreover, being a perishable commodity he had to still sell his goods regularly even though he received payment only once in fifteen days. He also faced the problem of the lack of trained labour but he soon overcame that by hiring labour himself and training and supervising them for the first six months after which they were able to manage on their own. Then in 1998, he decided to go to Bangalore to study marketing. He joined Spa Flora Pvt Ltd and worked with them for two years as an Area Sales Manager. This helped him a great deal and he started understanding the market situation better and he also made a lot of contacts. Soon his business grew and today he owns about ten-fifteen thousand plants growing on one acre of land at his own farm 'ARUNAV FARMS AND NURSERIES', Aruvankadu. Among the flowers he grows are carnations, chrysanthemums, gerbras etc out of which he says carnations have the best local market. These flowers are exported to Cochin, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Bombay and Calcutta. He also owns a showroom in Bedford entitled 'FLOWERS AND HEARTS'. This enterprising young man also markets local farmers' produce  and planting materials for them. Apart from this, his family also own three acres of land on which they cultivate English vegetables like cabbage, carrot, potato etc and tea, a plantation crop mostly looked after by Jayaram's  father, a retired pensioner. Airing his views about the training programme, Jayaram says that the encouragement he was given was amazing although he felt that the practical exposure was'nt enough.He feels that anyone entering this field should be well aware of the kind of industry they're joining and this can only be done by giving them the maximum practical exposure. Jayaram has been working for six years now and although a total greenhorn when he first stepped into this field he is now a widely travelled producer of cut flowers and an experienced marketer of cut flowers and planting material.

TEA NURSERY MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMME

The tea nursery management programme is a short term vocational training course organised by the Tea Cultivation department. Anothr need based training programme, it was started in 1980. It is a three day programme covering all the necessary aspects of maintaining a tea nursery. No qualifications are required to undergo this training  since the people  who attend it are usually nursery growers  already tending nurseries of their own. A stipend of Rs20 per day is also provided and once the trainee completes the course, he is ready to maintain his own  nursery making use of all the latest technical knowledge that he has picked up from the course.

C.O.RAMASWAMY

Forty-one year old C.O.Ramaswamy is a nursery grower. He stays in Coonoor and had just started a small tea nursery when he heard about the tea nursery management course being offered at UPASI-KVK. He decided to join the course his main aim being to maintain his nursery.Finding the training worthwhile and of practical use he took a loan from the Bank of Baroda and started tending his nursery with one lakh plants. Today, the total capacity of his nursery is five lakh plants. It is located in Banthumai and the type of seedlings he uses  are of the type B/5/63 andB/6/61.His produce is supplied to Kerala  and Karnataka and he usually supplies two lakh plants for the first season and a lakh for the second. In the beginning, Ramaswamy says he did'nt face any major problems when he first started out but now he has to contend with problems like the labour demanding higher wages. Asked about the quality of his plants he says that from his side he ensures that he supplies plants of  a good quality and he makes sure that the kind of raw materials he uses are of a superior standard. He stays in a joint family where all his brothers are engaged in running their own business. He has only finished his schooling till the 7th standard but this determined man has also managed to recently start a tea factory on his own. Today his lifestyle has definitely improved and he earns enough to help support his large family. His sincere and hardworking nature has seen him through a lot of difficulties and it is his sheer hard work and perseverance that has made him what he is today.

TEA PROCESSING TRAINING PROGRAMME

The tea processing training course is a long term vocational training course offered by the Agricultural Engineering department of the KVK. It is another need based training programme started in 1995. It has been extended to a three month course from being a one month one, on the suggestions of the ex-trainees who felt the need to extend the duration of the course in order to learn the job well. The course covers all aspects of tea processing right from green leaf handling to tea tasting. It focuses on imparting essential knowledge on plantation engineering to small growers and unemployed youth. A minimum qualification of a SSLC pass is required to join the course. A stipend of Rs 300 for three  months  is also being provided.The course is designed in such a way that after its completion the trainee is ready to join a tea factory as a factory assistant who can later be promoted to the level of a tea maker. The KVK also helps in this respect by recommending trainees to tea factories.

G.R.RAVINDRAN

G.R.Ravindran is a thirty-seven year old Tea Maker working in Bengalmattam tea factory. After finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kamraj University, Madurai he decided to become a photographer. He soon learnt the profession thoroughly and became an accomplished photographer in Dindigul, his native town. Deciding to switch jobs owing to a personal reason, he became a Sales Representative in a cement agency in Palakkad.After working there for eight months he heard about the tea processing course being offered at the KVK. His untiring quest for knowledge and his fascination for acquiring new skills drew him to the Nilgiris and he joined the three month tea processing course. He completed the course in September'99 and joined the Bengalmattam tea factory immediately. Initially one major problem he faced was controlling the labour and solving the various labour problems. Soon he overcame that and started directing his energy at putting into practical  use all that he had learnt at UPASI. He still faces problems from the administration side when he puts forward suggestions ,but he has learnt to face them with courage and triumph over them. Ravindran stays in a joint family and also avails of an income from another source-his family handloom where they weave sarees. His keenness to excel in any trade he learns and his genuine interest in the manufacturing aspect of tea has brought this Tea Maker this far. He feels that the training he underwent has been responsible for a notable change in his lifestyle and although he dreams of one day holding a government job and working as an employee in the government sector, he seems a very satisfied individual. His eagerness to learn new skills and desire to climb higher will take him far up the ladder of success and his dedication to his work will always act as a  strong force propelling him to greater heights.

TEA CULTIVATION TRAINING PROGRAMME

The tea cultivation training programme consists of both short term and a long term vocational training courses managed by the Tea Cultivation department. This need based training programme was started in 1978 and comprises of a one week, fifteen days ,one month and a three month course. The long term courses impart detailed knowledge on every aspect of tea cultivation whereas the short term courses are more specific. The minimum qualification required to attend a short term course is a +2 pass and a long term one , a degree. A stipend is also provided. This ranges from Rs20 per day for the short term courses and Rs 200 per month for the one month course. The three month course is a certificate course on Tea Husbandry and Technology, not inclusive of a stipend ,which prepares  the trainees to join  as executives in the plantation industry after its completion. 

R.POOVANDHRAN

R.Poovandhran at the age of twenty-four is as a senior executive working at Contemporary Targett Pvt Ltd. After completing his Bachelors degree in zoology and a Diploma in Business Management from Delhi University, he started his career working as a Sales Representative in Eureka Forbes. While posted at Coimbatore he had come up to the Nilgiris on work when he heard about the training programme on tea cultivation being conducted  at the KVK. Having grown up in the Nilgiris, he decided to join the course and educate himself on the plantation crop the district is most famous for.The fifteen day course he underwent had him hooked forever. Wanting to learn about the other plantation crops as well but finding that KVK didn't offer a course on them, he joined the one month tea processing training programme. He completed the course in November'97 and was told that he was now qualified to apply as an Assistant Management trainee. He started sending his applications soon after. A short while later he was called for an interview by a leading national broking firm,Contemporary Targett Pvt Ltd. Today, he is a successful Tea Auctioneer involved in the marketing aspect of tea cultivation. He is the main breadwinner at home where his father is a retired pensioner and his mother, a housewife while his two sisters  are still completing their education.Asked about how he found the training given to him at the Kendra he said that although he joined the  programmes purely out of interest he found the training highly useful and feels that it has contributed a lot to what he is today. A fact worth mentioning is that he is the youngest in his company to become a senior executive at the age of 23! Having joined the firm in June'98 and having worked for only a year and nine months he is also one of the first in his company to start auctioneering so early in his career. In his own words he says that for him it is a real "honour to hold the hammer!"This spirited young man's confidence and determination will carry him far in life and his desire to scale greater heights will always act as a driving force behind him.