Being Socially Active - Pure Joy!

The villagers of Mahalunge eagerly await the fair takes place in the premises of Vajreshwari temple every year, in honour of Vajreshwari Devi.

The Vajreshwari temple and the makeshift shops

The villagers told us about the fair that was to commence on the 14th day of the fortnight of the waning moon of the month with ceremonial worship of the Goddess. On the first day of the Hindu month called Vaisakha, the ceremonial procession with a Palkhi (palanquin) carrying an image of the goddess, was said to be taken out.

This fair was like a festival for villagers. In a village where there is only one shop which dosen't have all the products required to satisfy their demands ,the fair gave them the opportunity to see and buy things which they wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. Ofcourse they do get the basic requirements but then there lies an India out there in the rural villages which sometimes knows about things but then is unable to get them and then there are the ones who are absolutely unaware of various products that the urban India can't do without! (I will get into the details of that in another post).

The humble shop that boasts to have many products there

The children and the ladies were the most excited to go to that fair. It was one of those rare moments when the entire lady-folk of the village assembled to share some stories (except that of their daily chores and woes)  and the kids got an opportunity to have their share of fun with their parents a bit more lenient for the time- being. Here we  get to see a glimpse of the Social Exchange Theory which argues that satisfaction of both people's self-interest is the major force in interpersonal relationships. It also says that self-interest may not necessarily be a bad thing as it has the potential to actually enhance relationships.The Social Exchange approach views interpersonal exchanges as analogous to economic exchanges wherein people are satisfied when they obtain a fair return on their expenditures.

Mahalunge, according to me, had customers whose potential for buying could be tapped into. There could be educational programmes as well as promotional campaigns of products that would give them a chance to see and feel things that they would have only seen on television or might not have seen at all. Infact keeping track with the Social Exchange Theory, the marketers could conduct games wherein the winners could be rewarded.Central to the social exchange theory is the idea that an interaction that has the capacity to elicit approval from another person is more likely to be repeated yet again rather than an interaction that elicits disapproval. If the villagers like the gift, they would definitely want to have further interactions with the marketers. That would be the time for them to introduce the villagers to their product.

Social platforms for communication, interactions and maintaining relationships is of prime importance to human beings. Man cannot exist alone. He needs to be in a social atmosphere in order to survive and develop or else he withers and dies. Sometimes in these very interactions are lasting bonds formed!

- Divya Nambiar