Trip to RANSHET Village

A group of around 19 young students from IITB  left around 8.30 a.m on 26/09/2013 from IIT,Powai to Ranshet,Dist:Pen which is located at a 2.5 hrs drive from Mumbai.
On the way, we sang the GRA Geet  "Hum Yuva hain, Hum karein muskilo ka samna.." which was quite motivational & inspirational for Bharat's Nav-nirmaan.

Introduction: Ranshet is 1 of the 9 wadis (villages) where Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram social workers with the help of previous IITB students have solved drinking water problem for the villagers in the past. Ranshet village has a population of 375 & 92 families live there. It is also calledThakurwadi after the tribal community living here 'Thakurs'. Ran=forest & shet=farm. Hence the name.

Guides: After reaching there we were guided by Mahesh Ji Kale's wife Smt. Mansi Kale & ex-sarpanch of Ranshet,Nagu Lende Ji. 
Maheshji & Mansiji lived in the village for 4 years, so that they can be a part of the community & understand their 'actual problems'. In fact they educated their son up to 4th standard in the village school. After living there, they realised the graveness of the villagers 'drinking water' problem. They had to spend around 5-6 hrs a day, just to get few 'kalashis' of drinking water. Every person of the family (even children) carried water from the well (in the valley) to the uphill located village,Ranshet.

History: The pucca houses here were constructed by a Norwegian Social organization. In 1985, few villagers made wine from jaggery, which was the root cause of quarrels among villagers. By 1987-88, Nagu Lende & few good men from Ranshet managed to bring a ban on liquor.Nagu mama & others faced opposition from the villagers for bringing this ban. Gradually, people started farming. 5-6 landlords of the village provided their land for free to the villagers for farming. Initially, they got loan from the Government. Later, they started collecting Rs.2/- per month from each family. After accumulating 1000/-, they deposited the money to get an interest of 200/-.

Developments: Today, the village is self-sustained and have 7-8 lakh funds with agriculture as the main occupation!!
Previously the farmers had lot of trouble finding shared vehicles for selling their vegetables in Pen & lost practically the whole day in Pen. Over a period of time, they have gained confidence & have bought a vehicle for selling vegetables.
Girls previously studied only up to 4th standard & later took care of children at home. Now they live in hostels of a nearby secondary school for pursuing further education. Nagu mama's relative has completed higher education & is now working as a air hostess.
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is encouraging sports like kabbadi, relay, langadi & representing the villagers at the district,state & national level. Under their 'Sanskar Varg' programme, they try to carry the culture to next generation. Under their 'Arogya Vikas' programme, they try to provide medical help locally.
There is scope for utilizing wind energy here.

Occupation: Villagers are given yearly loan for farming purpose. The nearby dam water is available for farming through canals. During farming season, maximum village families shift to the low-lying farm area, with their cattle for months together. The main produce here are rice, tomato, raddish& bhindi. Villagers sell vegetables in Pen. Although they use chemical fertilizers, there is a nearby wadi, where organic farming is done under Mr.Pawar's guidance.
In Ranshet, people have a belief that cow milk is meant exclusively for the calf. So they dont do milk business. However they are planning to run a poultry farm. As of now, hen & goats are bred here & are sold on festivals.

Integrity: The older generation still have a 'mayalu' & 'man-milau' nature. We asked the villagers, if they ever felt to leave the village due to the problems. A villager replied that they never felt like leaving the village (love & compassion of the villagers). They wanted to stay back to maintain the village.
Whenever there is a marriage in any village family, the whole village comes together & they divide themselves into small groups for different activities like cooking, purchasing, etc.

Failures: Women cut forest wood in summer. This wood is stocked near every house & is used for cooking in rainy season. In the past, there were attempts to use biogas but due to insufficient organic waste it was stopped. However the villagers have a good practice of collecting plastic waste seperately & then they burn it.
Also there were attempts to run a flour mill in the village itself, but due to quarrels about 'who will run it?', this idea failed. Villagers have to go to Pen to get the flour.

Current problems: Educated youth here is working in cities because there is no money & infrastructure for running small-scale business in the village.
The old temple here was destroyed by a lightning. Villagers want to build a temple for the residing dieties, Lord Shiva & Durgadevi. The estimated expenses are 80,000/-.
The kuchha road over here, which is used for selling the vegetables in cities gets damaged in rainy season. The government is neglecting this huge-budget project.
However, personally I fear that road development will convert this village into a town & ruin the culture of villagers.

Threats: Few villagers have sold their land now. Cable TV & mobile are impacting the culture, traditional wear, people's character & thinking.

Have junoon- Be happy

A talk with discussion on how young IITians should develop a junoon for technology to solve the problems of India specially rural India. By helping the unfortunate bottom of pyramid population through technology and hence giving back to society, they can get tremendous satisfaction and happiness.

SPEAKER: Dr. Anil K. Rajwanshi
[Director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)]

A man who gave up lucrative offers in the United States at a young age and decided to dedicate his life applying his training and knowledge in advanced science and technology for improving the life of rural population of his motherland. 
Biodata of speaker :http://www.nariphaltan.org/shortbio.pdf

Date:  September 4, 2013

Time: 6:30 PM
Venue : HALL1, LCC

Rahat floods IITB report

Click here to find Rahat floods report !!!
Thanks to everyone who donated and/or supported with their voluntary help in Rahat Floods IITB, Here we are sharing report on our work including details of material we sent to flood victims and odd incidents we faced in the campus.
link: <https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2siKpJD6L_3cURqRk1ZNXhQekk/edit>

Raahat-Floods IITB

Dear Firends,

   It's the time to give back to our Nation. We are all know about the horrible and devastating floods occurred in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Everybody must have thought of helping in any possible way. Here is a opportunity for you to help them by donating any of the following essential material.

Material to Donate:

. Buckets

. Umbrellas

. Old flex banners, mats.

. Blankets and woolens

. Candles, lanterns, Torch and batteries

. Tarpaulins

. Rope

. Mosquito nets

. Cooking utensils

. Basic medicines,water purifier tablets,

. Crutches

. Feeding bottles

You can drop in the places listed in below page,

from thursday to sunday morning

check Places to Drop the Material and you can provide your donation money to your hostel representative as in the list given: 

http://rahatfloods.blogspot.in/

How this material reaches needy?

we are working with Goonj organization. we will drop the collected material in thane, Goonj Mumbai branch.Funds which will be collected will also be sent to Gunj which will be spent for the same purpose. They will take the material from thane to uttarakhand and distribute to required persons.You can check the updates of collection in the web page mentioned above,

you can check the details of Goonj here :

http://goonj.org/?page_id=2245 

Contact us if you have any doubt:

Rajesh Nakka,09757191378.

Vishal Insan,08879346174.

-Thank you,

सुर्खियाँ !!!

रचना- स्पर्श चौधरी

इन दिनों  क्रिकेट में राजनीति हो रही है और राजनीति में क्रिकेट भी खेला जा रहा है !! आई.पी.एल. स्पॉट फिक्सिंग मामले में बी.सी.सी.आई. प्रमुख श्रीनिवासन पर मीडिया के आरोप –प्रत्यारोपों का दौर खूब चला पर जी  वो तो बिलकुल दूध की तरह उजले  हैं !! कहते हैं वो नही जानते थे कि उनके दामाद इस में लिप्त थे ! कितने महान हैं ये आजकल के ज़माने में ..ससुर जी तो आका हैं और फिर भी दामाद जी  के कारनामों की इन्हें कानों कान खबर तक नही हुई !! और फिर काफी ना-नुकुर के बाद आखिर डालमिया मियाँ के हाथों में अंतरिम रूप से बी.सी.सी. आई. की कमान सौंप दी गयी .आगे का तो खैर क्या है .क़ानून अपनी गति से काम कर रहा है .पर यहाँ मुद्दा इस क्रिकेट के खेल के गलियारों में खेले जा रहे शर्मनाक खेलों का है .क्या कभी ऐसा नही हो सकता कि माना कि इस्तीफ़ा देने  से कुछ नही होता पर नैतिक ज़िम्मेदारी लेते हुए प्रक्रिया को आगे बढ़ने दिया जाता! और वैसे भी अगर मि.श्रीनिवासन आप इतने ही पाक थे तो क्या आप भूल गये हैं कि कुछ वर्षों पहले हुए ऐसे ही एक मामले में आपने अपने पद और रुतबे का कैसे फायदा उठाया था ?अब आप लोगों का मुँह ना ही खुलवाएँ तो बेहतर होगा !! इस नौटंकी के बाद डालमिया जी की रूल बुक पर नज़र पड़ी तो कुछ तो ठीक होता नज़र आया .अल्लाह करे वाकई में यह खेल जो देश में इस कदर दीवानगी से छाया हुआ है आगे कलंकित न हो !!
अगली सुर्खी थी ...बी.जे.पी  केबुज़ुर्ग पर अभी भी सशक्त आडवाणी जी की नाराजगी ,उनका त्यागपत्र देना फिर आर.एस.एस.प्रमुख केसमझानेपर मान जाना और आगेनीतीश के 17 बरस केसम्बन्ध-विच्छेद(अखबारोंमें -१७ बरस बाद कानूनी तलाक़ –पढ़कर चेहरेपर मुस्कान आ गयी ) का नाटकीय घटनाक्रम ! वैसेअब आडवाणी जी की उम्र हो गयी भाई ...और समय के साथ बदलाव आवश्यक है .अनुभव के लिए तो आप वैसे भी रहेंगे –बिना आपके वरदहस्त के कैसे काम चलेगा ! यहाँ मोदी या आडवाणीजी का सवाल नही है न ही किसी का पक्षपात होना चाहिए .सवाल देश को एक अच्छा नेतृत्व देने का है और प्रधानमन्त्री पद के लिए भाजपा में मोदी ही तुलनात्मक रूप से सबसे सही विकल्प हैं .अब वो अलग विषय है चूँकि अब अन्दर की बात का तो हम आप ज्यादा नही जानते पर आडवाणी जी की नाराजगी और आगे हुए घटनाक्रमों से अंततः पार्टी का ही घाटा होना है . पर एक और बात थी जो यह कि चाहे कुछ भी हो जाये बुज़ुर्ग का असम्मान कभी नहीं करना चाहिए! और अब ये तो व्यक्तिगत वैमनस्य या फिर कुछ और ये तो नीतीश जी ही जानें पर फिर से कहीं वह न हो जाये जो अभी तक होता आया है (2014 के आगामी चुनावों के सन्दर्भ में ).भुगतेंगे तो वैसे भी हर हाल  में हम आम लोग ही !
तीसरी घटना जो कुछ नयी नही थी पर ज्यादा बड़ा धमाका कर गयी ! छत्तीसगढ़ में नक्सलियों के खूनी उपद्रव की ! नक्सलवाद की समस्या बिलकुल नयी नही हैपर सरकार की नक्सलियों के आक्रोश को समाप्त करनेऔर स्थिति को काबू में करने के तरीकों पर संदेह और पुख्ता हो चुका हैऔर वैसेभी चिड़िया तो कब से खेत चुगने में व्यस्त हैपर हम बस पछतातेही रहते हैं और उलटे हिंसा का जवाब बस हिंसा सेही देना चाहते हैं !!

वैसे अभी हाल ही में ऐसे ही एक त्रासदी हमारेएक और राज्य को झेलनी पड़ी.प्रकृति का यह  प्रकोप और विनाशलीला बहुत कुछ तो मानव निर्मित हैऔर कोई आश्चर्य की बात नही हैकि राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन विभाग द्वारा 2011 मेंही गंगोत्री –उत्तरकाशी मार्ग को इको-सेंसिटिव ज़ोन घोषित करनेकेआदेशोंका पालन राज्य सरकार और ब्यूरोक्रेट्स नेबड़ी ढिठाई से नही किया और वजह कि इससे पर्यटन और औद्योगिक विकास रुकेगा ! वाह ! विकास के इस जाप में ये यह भी भूल गये कि इस तरह वन क्षेत्र के तेज़ी से साफ़ होने के कारण हम प्रकति के संतुलन को बिगाड़ रहे हैं !और तो और क्षेत्र के अधिकारी न ही आपदा प्रबंधन में दक्ष हैं  और न ही संवेदनशील !नदियों के किनारों पर पूरा रिहायशी इलाका होना ,होटल ,पर्यटन उद्योग मानों इस त्रासदी की ओर भयावह संकेत काफी समय से कर ही रहे थे ! इतना ही नही आपदा के बाद जब सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने फटकारा तब जाकर हैलीकॉप्टर बढे हैं तभी तो अभी भी हज़ारों लोग फँसे हुए हैं ! बेहद तकलीफदेह बात है कि जहाँ हमारा मन बस टीवी देख के दहल रहा है वहीँ कर्ता-धर्ता अपनी महत्वाकांक्षाओं की पूर्ति के चक्कर में हजारों लोगों की जानें  जोखिम में डाल देते हैं !!

अब सबसे बड़ा सवाल हैकि क्या इस घटना सेभी हम कुछ सीखेंगे या अन्य मामलों की तरह कुछ नही होने वाला ! क्या प्रधानमन्त्री आपदा कोष के 1000 करोड़ (बाकी अन्य निजी और राज्यों की सहायताओं को अलग रखें तब भी ) सच में ऐसे मौसम और सभी संभावित आपदाओं की पूर्व चेतावनियों और पूर्व तैयारियों के लिए ज़रूरी संसाधन जुटाने में काम आयेंगे ताकि ऐसी भयानक घटनाओं की पुनरावृत्ति ना हो –इसके पुख्ता प्रबंध किये जाएँ !

आखिर सरकारों  ,उद्योगपतियों  और ऐसे क्षेत्रों में व्यवसाय के लालच में प्रकृति के साथ खिलवाड़ करके खुद के साथ हज़ारों जिंदगियों को तहस-नहस करने वालों को यह समझना होगा !सबकी सामूहिक साझेदारी और संवेदनशीलता से ऐसी आपदाएं रोकी भी जा सकती हैं और आपदा राहत के लिए पूरी तैयारी भी की जा सकती है .यही बात नक्सलवाद से निपटने के लिए भी लागू होती है कि सही रणनीति और नज़रिए के साथ हम काम करें .उनके हैवानी रवैये का जवाब हमें सोच समझ कर देना होगा पर स्थति को नियंत्रण में रखना होगा क्यूंकि अंततः यह  देश की आंतरिक सुरक्षा के लिए सबसे बड़ा खतरा है .अगर अब नही तो देश में हो रहे अराजकता ,पाशविकता ,सरकार की अकर्मण्यता ,मानव की असंवेदनशीलता का तांडव अनंतकाल तक ज़ारी रहेगा !

बाल मजदूर

एक गुजारिश , एक विनती 
दोस्तों आगे चलकर हम सब काफी कुछ अपने और अपने परिवार के लिए करने वाले हैं, इसमे कोई दो राये नही ! मैं आप सब लोगो से  एक विनती करना चाहता हूँ या फिर ये समझ लो की आपसे एक प्रतिज्ञा एक सपथ लेना चाहता हूँ ! मैं चाहता हूँ की हम सब कम से कम एक ऐसे बच्चे का ज़िम्मा लेंगे जो गरीब है और पढ़ाई नही कर सकता ! ज्यादा नहीं सिर्फ एक ऐसा बच्चा, जिसकी पढाई-लिखाई, कपडे, खाने-पीने, रहने-सहने के उपर आप अपनी कमाई में से उस पर खर्च करेंगे ! क्या कर सकते हैं आप ऐसा ???

GRA Winter Camp 2012

Bhagini Nivedita Gramin Vigyan Niketan (BNGVN)

Introduction :

BNGVN (http://bngvn.org/) is an NGO in Bahadarpur, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, working to empower villages to have the capacity to provide means to livelihood and have a self-sustaining ecosystem.The NGO was founded by Ms. Nileema Mishra who received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award in 2011. In order to achieve its goals, BNGVN provides micro finance and logistical support to farmers and village entrepreneurs at reasonable terms of repayment, organizes women into Self Help Groups to
encourage savings and impart skills for alternate livelihood.
The 19 of us from the Group Rural Activities (GRA) of IITB left the institute on the evening of 27th Nov. and boarded a train for Jalgaon from Thane. We reached Jalgaon early in the morning on 28th Nov. and  headed for our final destination which was Bhadarpur, about 40-50 Kms from Jalgaon.


Working principles of ‘didi’ and BNGVN:

• Organisation always follow ‘why’, ’what’ and ‘how’ [WWH] policy throughout their deeds before stepping forward for any initiative.
• It does not want to reach the top in a single day but wants to travel small steps and cross small levels to enable the aspiration true. So, it believes in passing through the pragmatic aspects of life, performing experiments and assessments, facing failures, crossing hurdles. Didi always told us throughout discussions that they have not taken decisions suddenly. Until they faced a problem regarding an initiative, they would never think of that problem deeply which would never allow to come up with a long term decision. BNGVN believes in the famous Swami Vivekananda’s quote “In a day, when you don't come across any problem, you can be sure that you are travelling in wrong path”.
• It never goes among the needy by themselves. Until needy come to them out of their need for help. They never step forward from their side. According to the previous point BNGVN always have performed experiments before initiatives. So, decision to not move from their side is based on an incident. Besides members’ restless effort for 1 month to 7 convince tribals to form SHGs, extreme reluctance to invest money by the villagers and more other incidents triggered BNGVN to accept this moral principle. 
• People asking for help are being helped only in the terms and condition that they belong to a SHG and proper membership. 
• People with problem when approach to the organisation for help, NGO itself asks them to tell the solutions and give full freedom to think of the problem faced by them deeply. As didi always believe villagers have talent on the par with the educated. BNGVN also believes that people facing the problem can view the problem in a better way and from different angles to come out with right solution. Same thing happened with 14 women who were confused as to how to invest their accumulated money in a business or when farmers having a plight of shortage of water. BNGVN follows the proverb, “God helps those who help themselves”.
• Imposition of terms and conditions (like quitting drinking habit, build “Shauchalaya” i.e. toilet in individual houses) as an eligibility either in becoming a member of SHG or getting the monetary help from ‘Gram-Nidhi’ is an indication that BNGVN follows the famous quote “Be someone who abides by the rules. If you don't follow the rules, you will have to undergo the retribution of being abnormal in the future “ of venerable Master Hsuan Hua.
• Institute never give money as donation. They always lend money to the needy with the hope of getting it back within a stipulated period based on personal rapport and mutual trust. Till now, BNGVN has no such cases of experiencing fraudulence by creditors.

Our overall experiences and views:

• We have gathered abundant virtues, lessons, which we can apply to lead and nurture our lives towards a correct, fruitful direction.
• From didi we learnt not to underestimate anyone and remain calm either in happiness or in difficulties. Her management skills, administration policy, purity, simplicity, are quite surprising and appreciable.
•  We are wondered with the hospitality, religion, custom, behavior of the villagers.Despite being strangers, we had friendly behavior with them. Reforms in the villagers’ mentality are also satisfactory to us.
• We got the opportunity to taste versatile delicious Marathi food prepared by Amma after couple of months. Accommodation, food, and other arrangements everything was simply awesome.
• Despite being very busy, didi has spent all the 4 days with us to make us familiar with her objective, type of work, policies and allowed us to comment on her activities for the betterment of the institution.
• This camp has taught all of us that working for our society is not only duty, being a part of the society, coming out of the society, getting recognition from the society we owe to this society a lot. So, social activity of any kind is our responsibility, a must -doable task.We should not do it just to get fame or money, it should come from heart with lots of love and care for the society.