Neighbours who look out for each other

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Today 25th Feb'2025 evening...Bhatpara Tea Garden, West Bengal, India where Rural Aid is facilitating local, place based coommunity led response using the SALT approach. We sit with a group of people from the Tea garden, including a grandfather, mothers, young male and female, a health worker, and a local government panchyat member, came together for a SALT conversation.

In the meeting, two women shared their stories with me.  Cecilia, recalled how, a few years ago, her neighbour would go to work in the tea garden, leaving her young daughter behind. She would often take care of the child, offering her food and putting her to sleep. Rima Lohra shared a story about her neighbour’s husband, whom she referred to as her ‘brother-in-law’—not by relation, but as a neighbour. who met with an accident. Her husband rushed to help in making arrangements for the surgery and hospital stay. For the medical treatment, they contributed whatever little money they could make from selling the small betel nut crop they had. After a few weeks, the neighbour was able to recover from the injury. Reflecting on it, both women mentioned that helping one another is essential; if we do not help our neighbours, who else will?

Rima shared an example of collective effort that started in th eneighbourhood 15 years ago even before she got married  and moved into this area.  20-25 families in the neighbourhood have been running the Bhai Samaj (a group which means Brotherhood). Whenever there is a wedding in the community, a group comes together to share responsibilities and provide financial support. Similarly, in the event of a death, they step in to help and offer support to the affected family.

This reminds me of Seth Kaplan’s book on Fragile Neighbourhoods that explores how social ties and a sense of belonging are central to resilient neighbourhoods, particularly those in vulnerable situations. On similar lines, Bhatpara Tea Garden visit showed us a place-based community that is interconnected, where neighbours feel a shared responsibility for each other’s well-being. Bhai Samaj, demonstrates Kaplan’s view that a network of immediate neighbours can create a safety net and be a source for mutual care.

[Bayazid Bostami]

পারস্পরিক সহযোগিতা ও সহমর্মিতাই ভাতপাড়া চা বাগানের শক্তি। শেয়ার করার জন্য ধন্যবাদ।