The Soul of India lives in its Villages.

By Kyle Patel

As I walked into the village, ready to take my first interview, I was nervous. What if the patient didn't want to talk to me? What if they were annoyed by our visit? Would I really be able to ask them such personal questions about their healthcare decision-making? These thoughts ran through my mind as we approached a roadside stall, where we had been directed by villagers after asking how to find Manharbhai, our interviewee. We got to the shop, a bodega typical of many Indian villages where one could find rice, dal, kurkure, and supari among other daily staples. Sitting behind a makeshift desk, Manharbhai waited for us to request what we needed. "We've come from SEWA Rural, Natubhai, a senior community health worker accompanying me, told him. Manharbhai broke out into a smile, welcoming us and quickly pulling out a stool for me to sit down across from him.

The road to Manharbhai's shop

A typical village stall, one of many I saw during field visits

This was one of my first experiences seeing the impact of community-based practice. Located in Jhagadia, Gujarat, SEWA Rural is a community health and development NGO which hosted me for my grant. They have been working in the Bharuch and Narmada districts of the state for 40 years. I saw the impact of their long-term investment firsthand during field visits for my project. My interview with Manharbhai went well because he had great trust in SEWA Rural and felt comfortable talking to me about intimate details of his health, finances, and personal life. Our study was quite intrusive as we wanted to understand why people did not seek healthcare. The fact that most patients were willing to speak with me and received us warmly was an incredible privilege, laid in years of community building established long before I had come to Jhagadia.

Having chai with Natubhai, an incredible human being and skilled community health worker who accompanied me on all field visits

Annual photo of all SEWA Rural staff displayed on campus, spot me in the center-right

Scene from Jhagadia, a beautiful sight during the monsoon

Over three months I crisscrossed the region, visiting patients in 29 different villages. It was my first time doing primary data collection across such a diverse landscape. I met people of many faiths, castes, and creeds, and most welcomed us with a cup of chai and curiosity in what we were doing. During this time, I came to deeply appreciate rural India, my first experience having such extensive exposure to it. The kindness and openness with which I was met gave me great happiness. And this too from people who had very little. My study focused on some of the most vulnerable populations SEWA Rural served: the elderly, the poor, and the tribal community. I met daily wage farm laborers who worked 12 hours a day for a meager 150 rupees. And elderly couples who had been abandoned by their children, left to spend the rest of their days in the village alone. Many stories were filled with sorrow and loss, but many others contained hope and appreciation. Most patients I met were overjoyed that we came to visit them in their homes. They felt seen and awed by the individual attention they were receiving for their health conditions. My ideological framework throughout the study was that these patients deserved such attention, but they usually didn't feel the same. It was a stark reminder of the gap that still exists in fulfilling the promise of healthcare as a human right. And the material realities people face in meaningfully gaining access to that right.

One of my first field visits

Rajpardi, the town where our study began and is even more special to me because it is my father's birthplace

Visiting villages during the monsoon

My experience in the field gave me a glimpse of India's beauty through its people. It also provided insight into a variety of unique cultures and identities, which not only broadened my worldview but granted an opportunity for exchange of feelings, ideas, and understanding. I now have a deeper appreciation for the importance of community and meeting people where they are. I plan to continue my exploration of India's many sides in the not-too-distant future, and I hope that anyone who visits this country will get the chance to do the same.

With Natubhai and Dineshbhai, our driver during field visits, both to whom I owe a great deal of gratitude

One of my favorite photos of the Madhi, a gathering spot in Jhagadia on the banks of the holy river Narmada