On 19th January we held a public engagement activity at the Erragadda Rythu Bazaar. This is one of the biggest vegetable markets in Hyderabad and buyers and vendors flock this market in large numbers everyday.

Our goal was to talk to the vendors about the Bt Brinjal issue and make sure they are aware of the problems with Bt Brinjal. We started on our little activity by dispersing in groups of two or three to talk to brinjal vendors.

A typical conversation entailed asking the vendor whether he/she knew about Bt Brinjal. Most of the vendors didn’t know about it, so the volunteers gave a short description in Telugu or Hindi, and started a conversation about the Bt Brinjal. Depending on the tone response, we requested the vendor to tie a headband against Bt Brinjal and pose for a picture. We also encouraged them to come to the consultation and have their voices heard.

Among the various interactions we had, our volunteers spoke to a farmer whose cow had fallen sick after eating Bt Cotton leaves. As soon as he heard about Bt Brinjal, he vehemently opposed the introduction and wanted to show his opposition by tying a headband. Another couple we interacted with wanted to spread more awareness about the issue among friends and relatives.

After two hours, when we felt had spoken to almost all the brinjal sellers, we had a small de-briefing with the volunteers. We were pleased to find out that they were more than happy to participate in the public consultation and would also help us in recruiting more people to attend it.

Overall, it was a fruitful day. We had good conversations and captured good pictures, for the photo wall we’ll display at the consultation. After some rest we’ll start getting ready for the big day of the consultation here.

That’s all for today!

We’ll keep you updated

Hyderabad team