About 150 kilometres away from the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, is the tiny little
village of Sanaswadi. It is here that Apa Darekar, 54, and his family have lived
for generations. Apa has a tremendously intimate relationship with the land –
he feels part of the majestic landscape, every stain of earth, every drop of water,
every leaf an extension of his very being. He cannot imagine life without a continuing
link with the land. He wants passionately for his family to have that link.
On the massive Deccan Plateau, the land is hard and rocky, and difficult to till. As Apa himself points out, when he began working on the fields in the early 1980s it did not produce enough for his family’s needs. He had to get other work — which he found with the Public Works Department (PWD), breaking stones, clearing weeds and other tough manual labour — to make ends meet. It was a difficult time with a growing family; Apa has two daughters and two sons, and elderly parents.
Apa had always wanted to be a businessman, but luck did not favour him. He
borrowed money to set up businesses that failed. Finally, the arrival of Essar
(affectionately called ‘the Company’ by Apa) changed his fortunes.
The Essar executives recognized his abilities and his influence in the local
community and entrusted him with staffing an assembly line.
From recruiting four people for the Company in the early days of its activities there, Apa today has a staffing business of over 250 people. Furthermore, he has diversified into the transportation business — with a fleet of 10 vehicles that he owns. He is planning to expand the transport business.
Apa is a contented man. He has his fields (in fact he has added to them), a
thriving business and the hope for a better tomorrow. He has dignity. He says
of Essar personnel: “They treat me with respect.”
