India, Dec. 3 -- Gayatri Didi, a member of a self-help group (SHG) in Karnataka, whom I spoke to in May this year, was enthusiastic about the recent training she received on cultivating dragon fruit - something she began cultivating after taking a loan from her SHG. Working as a Krishi Sakhi, she spoke of how the availability of financial capital on easy terms and interest rates, along with trust within the community, enabled her to pursue modern farming of such an 'aspirational' and profitable crop.

Pinki Didi, another SHG didi, I met in Varanasi, proudly told me about the e-rickshaw she purchased on an easy loan facilitated by her SHG and how financially independent this economic pursuit made her, instilling social freedom, in her too ...