For years, people in Anandpuri block of Rajasthan’s Banswara district had to travel nearly 25 kilometres to reach a weekly haat bazaar. For families who depend largely on farming and daily wage labour, the journey was more than an inconvenience. It meant spending money on transport, losing an entire day and, for small sellers, sometimes spending more to reach the market than they earned from their produce.
Today, that distance has disappeared. Anandpuri has its own weekly market, and behind it is a story of villagers coming together, raising a common demand and carrying it from their village meetings to the administration.
The change has been driven by the Krushi avm Aadivashi Swaraj Sangathan (KASS), or Agriculture and Tribal Self-Governance Organisation, formed with support from VAAGDHARA.
VAAGDHARA has worked across 136 villages of Anandpuri block for the past two decades. These villages are organised into four self-governance organisations—Anandpuri I, Anandpuri II, Koba and Chaaja—with each covering 34 villages. Within every village, three groups have been formed: the Gram Swaraj Samooh, the Saksham Samooh and the Bal Swaraj Samooh. One representative from each village becomes part of the larger organisation.
Each organisation has equal representation, with 15 men and 15 women. Every month, members meet to discuss the needs and concerns emerging from their villages. Over the past six months, one question began surfacing repeatedly: Why did Anandpuri not have a market of its own?
The question was raised in village after village. What began as a local concern gradually became a shared demand across the organisation.
Until then, people had to travel to markets in places such as Arthuna, Fatehpura, Chikli Badgi and Santrampur. For those who wanted to sell a few vegetables or some fruit, the journey could wipe out much of their earnings. Transport costs, time spent travelling and the risk of produce spoiling along the way made the trip especially difficult for small sellers.
“Earlier we had to travel to far-off markets. The whole day would go just in coming and going, and whatever little vegetable we carried to sell, the fare alone would cost more than we earned,” says Subhash Chandra Rot of Kahwara village.
For buyers, too, the absence of a local market meant travelling outside the block even for everyday needs.
“Even for small everyday needs, we had to go to another block. Now that a market has started in our own block, that work has become so much easier,” says Sukhlal Ninama of Chaurdi village.
Once the demand gathered strength within the organisation, the first approval came from Devlata Ji Damor, sarpanch of the Sera Nagla gram panchayat. The organisation then approached Anandpuri’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Anil Meena, with a formal request to establish a market within the block.
“We had placed this demand with great hope. When the sarpanch and the SDM sahab both said yes, the whole area was overjoyed—and this is the fruit of our own hard work,” says Manilal Damor of Sera Nagla.
Getting official approval, however, was only the beginning. The organisation’s members then took responsibility for bringing traders to the proposed market. They travelled to markets in neighbouring blocks, distributed flyers among traders and invited them to set up stalls in Anandpuri.
It was a practical step, but a crucial one. A market can exist only when sellers and buyers have a reason to come.
After months of effort, the new haat bazaar was inaugurated on 1 June 2026 in Nana Bhukhiya village, under Sera Nagla panchayat. The programme was presided over by Ritesh Jain, Development Officer of the Anandpuri Panchayat Samiti, with Popatlal Kharadi as the chief guest. Bapulal Ji, Sardar Maharaj and Prakash Damor represented the organisation, while P.L. Patel represented VAAGDHARA.
For villagers, the inauguration was more than a formal ceremony.
“The day the market began felt like a festival for us. So many officials and guests came to our village—it was a matter of real pride,” recalls Subhash Chandra Makwana of Khuta village.
The market has continued to grow since then. Ninety-two villages now participate in the weekly haat. According to the organisation, 45 shopkeepers come from nearby villages and another 253 come from outside, bringing the total to nearly 298 stalls on a market day. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people now visit the market each week, with goods worth around ₹1.5 lakh changing hands.
For some villagers, the market has also become a place to learn and participate in local trade rather than simply shop.
“Earlier, only the traders who came from outside understood how to run a market. We were just buyers. Now we have learned how goods are sold and prices are set. Today, many people from our own village set up their own stalls,” says Keshav Maharaj of Pithapura village.
Starting the market was only half the task. Keeping it organised and transparent required another layer of collective effort. The organisation formed a management committee to oversee the market’s day-to-day functioning.
The land where the market is held belongs to a private farmer. The committee has agreed to pay ₹27,500 in monthly rent, with the payment made on the first of every month. The arrangement, including the financial responsibilities, was decided collectively by the committee to ensure that the market’s accounts remain transparent.
For buyers and sellers, the most immediate change has been the saving of time and money. Villagers no longer have to spend a day travelling to another block simply to buy household goods. The local market has also given them an alternative to relying entirely on markets farther away.
“Earlier we had to buy goods at high prices because there was no other way. Now we have our own market—the prices are fair here, and it saves time too,” says Ramanlal Patel of Wanda village.
The change has been equally significant for those who sell produce. Before the market opened, vegetables and fruit had to be transported over long distances, sometimes arriving damaged or spoilt before they could be sold. Now farmers and small sellers can take their produce to a market within their own block.
“Earlier we had to travel far even to sell vegetables, and half of it would spoil on the way. Now we sell close to our own village, and we get a good price too,” says Shantilal Patel of Kanela village.
Women have been central to the effort as well. Equal representation of women and men within the organisations ensured that women had an equal voice in discussions about the market. The difficulties of travelling to distant markets were not simply a concern for men; women faced them too.
“We women also spoke up equally in the meetings. We suffered the same difficulty in travelling to distant markets, so we raised this demand with just as much force,” says Kanta Kamol of Khandora village.
For some women, the new market has also created greater freedom to sell their own goods.
“Earlier, we had to depend on the men to sell vegetables and small household goods, because it was hard to travel that far alone. Now the market is close by, so we go ourselves and sell our own goods,” says Kalpana Pargi of Chikli Badra village.
Kanku Patel of Bada Talab village describes another everyday benefit.
“Now we don’t have to worry about travelling far. Our own market is close by, so household work stays on track and the shopping gets done too,” she says.
On market days, Nana Bhukhiya takes on a different rhythm. Colourful tents, heaps of vegetables and fruit, stalls selling grain and household goods, women displaying handwoven baskets and traders arriving from outside the area fill the market space. What began as a response to a basic need has gradually acquired the atmosphere of a local fair.
The crowds have also given the market another role: a place where people from different villages meet.
“Now on market day, the whole area seems to gather in one place. Shopping happens, and so does meeting people—it’s a huge relief for us,” says Ramesh Tabiyar of Ganewa village.
The market is the result of the work of many people across Anandpuri. Among those who contributed are Subhash Chandra Rot of Kahwara, Hardar Maharaj of Katara Wanda, Manilal Damor of Sera Nagla, Sukhlal Ninama of Chaurdi, Himmat Lal Ninama of Bhaler, Keshav Maharaj of Pithapura, Subhash Chandra Makwana of Khuta, Dinesh Makwana of Chikli Teja, Shankar Lal of Chikli Badra, Harishankar Katara of Patanwaghra, Bapulal Maharaj of Haleda, Champalal Pargi of Waret, Kantilal Ji Tabiyar of Tori, Ramesh Tabiyar of Ganewa, Shantilal Patel of Kanela, Ashwin Malviya of Pachor, Mahendra Rot of Mundri, Leela Khant of Puchiyawada, Kalpana Pargi of Chikli Badra, Kanta Kamol of Khandora, Kamla Pargi of Jalampura, Kanku Patel of Bada Talab, Shanti Garasiya and Sheela Damor of Ubapan, Huki Kalsua of Tamtiya, Surta Pargi of Nawaghra, Sushila Pargi of Mali, Manjula Pargi of Obla, Ramanlal Patel of Wanda, Laxmi Pargi of Ratanpura, Ramlal Singhad and Mansingh of Nana Bhukhiya, Radha Pargi of Nana Bhukhiya, Ramila Pargi of Patiya Kondar, Kavita Pargi of Arjunpura, Mohanlal Patel of Dokar and Chetan Lal Kharadi of Piplai Duda.
Their roles ranged from attending village and organisational meetings to securing administrative approval, reaching out to traders and managing the market after its launch. Each contributed to a process that turned a repeated question into a functioning institution.
The story of Anandpuri’s haat bazaar is, ultimately, a story of how a shared local concern travelled through an organised process—from village meetings, to a collective demand, to engagement with the administration and finally to action on the ground.
Today, thousands of people gather at the market every week, hundreds of traders set up their stalls and villagers have a nearby place to sell vegetables, fruit, household goods and products made by hand. For women in particular, the market has opened another space to participate directly in local trade.
The market may continue to expand in the years ahead. For now, its significance lies in something more immediate: a need that people had discussed repeatedly has become a reality within their own block. What was once a 25-kilometre journey has become a weekly gathering close to home—and a visible reminder of what collective organisation can make possible.
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