The Internet revolution sweeping the world is about to hit the Indian village. Village life will no longer be a backwater in the effort of nation building: it is poised to become the mainstream. For the first time in five thousand years, the village woman will soon have access to the same data, information, knowledge, as her urban cousin – and to the same goods and services – right at her doorstep.
 
For a couple of rupees worth of connect-time on the Net, the farmer can find out the current price of wheat – or tomatoes or onions – in the ‘mandis’, near and far. Need to marry off a daughter? Ask the Internet’s matrimonials website. And don’t forget the horoscope button to get her the right bridegroom. Want to know tomorrow’s weather? Check the ‘Mausam Bhavan’ website.
 
Development Alternatives is launching a new service that will bring the world right into the villages of India: TARAhaat.com. Starting May 1st 2000, in Tikamgarh District in Madhya Pradesh, TARAhaat will be the first major "Portal" designed right from the beginning for the needs of village users. A portal is the gateway to all the world’s information resources, and also a stepping-stone to a better life. It connects the user to information services, government agencies and, above all, to all kinds of markets.
 
Literally overnight, a village connected to the Internet can overcome centuries of neglect and handicaps. The Internet cannot, by itself, bring roads or bridges or electricity into the village, but it can empower the village to demand such things more effectively – and to generate the income it needs to pay for them. Internet is called an enabling technology: it makes things happen that no one thought possible before.
 
The operations of TARAhaat are quite simple. Even small children, village housewives and illiterate people can use it from day one. The computer displays information in the local language (in Tikamgarh, Hindi) and in pictures and self-explanatory diagrams called "icons". With one click of the mouse, a villager will be able to ask for any information he or she desires. Even in the village, information is not only knowledge, communication, convenience – but also money: hard cash.
 
The fact that there are no computers in most village homes today is no handicap for TARAhaat. Local businesses will be able to set up a TARA kiosk (locally called "TARAdhaba") where everyone in the village can come and get connected - just like a PCO.
 
Information is not all that you can get at the TARAdhaba. You can also get access to education and entertainment. Press the button on "School", and you will be able to find out the best courses available on the subjects of your choice. In time, TARAhaat will even be able to teach courses directly on the computer. Press "IGNOU", and you will get connected to the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Press the button labelled "Doctor" and you will get advice on the best medical facility available in the neighbouring region for your child’s sickness. Press "Music" and it will play the latest musical hits.
 
Above all, TARAhaat is the ultimate superbazar, providing immediate access to all kinds of products and services needed by rural households, farmers and industries. Rural customers can order anything - from provisions such as dals and spices to appliances like TVs and fans to farm inputs and factory raw materials, all on the TARAhaat. Rural producers and manufacturers can also sell to far away clients through the same channel.
 
The goods you order will be delivered by a TARAvan ("TARArath"). And the products you wish to send to clients in other villages or in the city will be picked up at the same time. So will the TARAmail ("TARAdak"), which you want to send to your daughter in the city or your son posted on the front in Ladakh.
 
TARAvans, like TARAdhabas, will be independent franchises, providing jobs for local business people and numerous employees. TARAcards will be issued to regular customers, enabling them to order goods and services through TARAhaat on credit and without paying in advance. This photo ID will also be a valuable identification for many other purposes.
 
TARAhaat will create jobs - lakhs of jobs – for people working in TARAdhabas, TARAvans and the TARAvendors (TARAdukan). It will also create new jobs and purchasing power for people to buy the goods they need through the TARAhaat system. Most important, it will open the windows of the village homes to the large world outside, bringing in news – on politics, business, sports, development. Every citizen in India can become an enlightened voter, a shareholder, a participant in the nation-building process.
 
Villages that have no phone lines will be able to connect to the Internet through the TARAdish satellite connections. If they have no electricity, a solar or DESI Power facility will supply the power needed. If they have no road, the TARAporter will deliver by foot. The motto of TARAhaat is: "Every village is our Market".
 
TARAhaat is the portal (the doorway) to a better future in the villages of India. It is about to bootstrap the village economy, leap-frogging even the most remote communities directly from the 19th century to the 21st.