A study conducted along with DHAN Foundation, Madurai. The research involves identifying various village communities across Tamilnadu which have created and managed social initiatives over long periods based on their traditional wisdom and knowledge. In many cases, their initiatives have resulted in overall development of the entire society and not just that of their community alone. The studies conducted were in areas of education, village governance, informal banking and commerce. These have been published as reports, copies of which can be had from DHAN foundation, Madurai.