Organization: Rejuvenate India Movement (RIM) Program being carried out by Seva Mandir, Udaipur.

Visit made by: Dr. Srinivas Krovvidy

Date: June 1-4 2006.

I reached Udaipur around 1 PM on June 1st and was greeted by Mithun, the state coordinator of Samaj Shilpi program (RIM Rajasthan). He is from Seva Mandir (www.sevamandir.org). I went to Seva Mandir office around 4 PM to meet Ms. Neelima Khetan, the chief executive of Seva Mandir. I had a very nice conversation with her where she gave an overview of the organization. Seva Mandir’s mission is to make real the idea of society consisting of free and equal citizens who are able to come together and solve the problems that affect them in their particular context. Its objectives include the following:

            To create sustainable improvement in the livelihoods base

            To enhance people’s capabilities for self-development

            To create and strengthen village institutions

It was nice to see the similarities between AID and Seva Mandir’s missions. Seva Mandir sees its activities as Seva – Sadhana - Kranthi while AID sees its activities as Seva – Nirman and Sangarsh. She graciously offered to meet me again after I had a chance to meet Samaj Shilpis and visit the villages where they were working.

I then met Nisha, an AID intern that had been at Seva Mandir since late March. Nisha, Mithun and I went for some sightseeing including a visit to the beautiful monsoon palace. To the delight of everybody my visit coincided with this year’s first monsoon rain in Udaipur. It was a very good rain and cooled the temperatures significantly for rest of my visit.

. On our way, we also met the newest Samaj Shilpi, Khem Raj Meghwlal.

Our first meeting with villagers was at the primary school in Redia Khedi village. During the meeting, it was very refreshing to see active participation from women. In addition their panchayat ward member was also present in the meeting. During the meeting, one of the women (Ms. Narayani) asked what could be done about the school that had 200 students but only 2 teachers. That obviously was not the right ratio. Then Samaj Shilpi Bhanwar Singh Rathore commended her for raising an issue that was important for community and not something that only impacted her. This was a sign of the level of general awareness that could be seen in the villages and to some extent attributable to the work of Samaj Shilpis. Anyway, in response to this question the ward member stood up and reminded villagers that a while ago everybody promised to come to the BDO office with him to lodge a protest about this issue but then nobody showed up when it came to the day they were supposed to go. They all then said that they would come along with him on August 15th. Bhanwar Singh Rathore then suggested that it was not necessary that all of them had to go as long as they could sign on a petition and the sarpanch could take it with him on behalf of the villagers. (Several parts of this meeting were video recorded)

Our next stop was Bhanwar Singh Rathore’s house in Mandap village. We also met Samaj Shilpi Himmat Singh Chauhan at Bhanwar Singh’s house. Unfortunately, he just lost his nephew a couple of days ago and he was still in the mourning period. It was so nice of him to come in such a tragic situation. Within minutes after arriving at Bhanwar Singh Rathore’s house, dozens of villagers came to meet us. We had a nice meeting where they extolled the difference he made in their lives. He is currently working in making sure that villagers are able to make use of National Rural Employment Guarantee Program. He talked on how he was keeping the list of villagers and how they could be made part of the program. We then visited several compost pits that belonged to several villagers participating in this program. Each participating villager has two compost pits as each of them takes six to eight months to become ready. Everyday villagers are expected to bring manure from their cattle and deposit in the pits. (pictures can be found in the Gallery section)

We then went to Phalana Khurd village where we met our other Samaj Shilpi Kameldra Taank and his father (also local Sarpanch). They were gracious enough to host us. After we had lunch we drove to the Varni panchayat where Fateh Lal Jat was working.

We had a meeting with several villagers in the school that Fatel Lal was responsible for completing its construction. This school has an interesting history. And it is indeed a tale of two villages Javda and Gayariwas. You can find more details of this issue from Saikat’s report. (Saikat Bhattacharya's Report) Saikat is an US volunteer who spent a few days at Seva Mandir as a volunteer. It is an endeavor to start a school accessible for the children of ‘Javda’and‘Gayariawas’ instead of getting the school constructed on the land sanctioned by the Govt. which was on the out skirts and too far for the children to access. Unfortunately, vested interests in the neighboring village pressured MLA to change his initial decision and allot the school to the neighboring village. However, when all villagers rallied under the leadership of Fateh Lal, they were asked to find land on their own so that the school could be built. Immediately, a local villager came forward to donate plot of size measuring 10 Viswa from his land. After fulfilling all the necessary formalities they requested the Tehsildar to exempt this piece of land from any additional levies. Even after that several obstacles were brought up by those opposed to the school in the form of fake village education development groups with no representation from the actual villagers and also receipts showing expenses for future dates. While Fateh Lal Jat started exposing these issues, he also generated resources through personal funds and completed the construction of the school. He filed complaints including a court case demanding that funds be released that were originally allotted for the school. (I am happy to report that at the time of writing this report, I got an update from Mithun that Fateh Lal Jat won the case and received a letter from collector that the funds should be released) You can find here copies of the official letters between the District Official (ADM, Udaipur) and Block level official (BDO, Malvi).

During the meeting, I met several villagers and experienced their generosity. It was touching when a woman who just told me that it would take 3 hours every day for her to get water but then she brought water to all the attendees of the meeting. We also met an ex ward member who worked with Fateh Lal Jat (who used to be a sarpanch) during the meeting. She was very articulate and said that she would not give up her fight for the school. She was also very pragmatic and asked villagers to work together and not expect that things would change by themselves.

After that meeting, we went to meet Mr. Manohar Singh who retired from Seva Mandir after working for 29 years. It was nice talking to him as he had very good perspectives of the local issues and also observations on what worked and what did not for Seva Mandir. Incidentally, Bhanwar Singh Rathore and he studied together in that area and he actually introduced Bhanwar Singh Rathore to RIM as the first Samaj Shilpi in Rajsthan. This really had a huge impact on the program considering that Bhanwar Singh Rathore had been undisputedly the leader and mentor for all the other Samaj Shilpis. We then returned to Phalana Kurd to Kamelndra’s house.

Next day, we got up early and had a nice breakfast. Then we went to visit the villages in Nurda panchayat where Himmat Singh was working. We met a lot of villagers that were currently working under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. These villagers were gracious enough to take a few minutes off and chat with us. We talked about the cattle troughs that they built with help from Mandap village. When Mandap village received a private donation of Rs. 10,000 for building two troughs, the Samaj Shilpis decided to build four troughs with the assistance of villagers by providing free labor sharing which allowed them to build four (in different villages) instead of two. I also met a farmer who not only donated his land for a cattle trough but also promised to keep it full by manually drawing water from his well. This was another example of the generosity of the people in Rajasthan.

On our way, we also visited a school where Samaj Shilpis helped by working with an organization called Mahaveer International to donate funds for school uniforms, bags and tables for a class room. We then met some villagers who were working in replacing traditional stoves used by villagers that filled their houses with a lot of smoke with stoves that were fitted with chimneys restricting smoke from entering the house. Incidentally, these stoves were being used for cooking mid day meals for students. We then met the leader of a Women’s Self Help Group. She was very articulate and appeared to have good leadership skills. She talked about the group activities in their fortnightly meetings. (Mithun told me later that she would be a good candidate as Samaj Shilpi provided enough funds were identified)

We then went to Veerdholia panchayat where Khem Raj just started working. Incidentally, Manohar Singh joined us at this meeting. It was nice to see that over 50 villagers gathered to meet us. We also met a local woman volunteer who worked at the local Balwadi. She talked about her role in the villages. We then had a good meeting where we were felicitated in their local customs (garlands and teeka). During the meeting, one of the issues that came for discussion was the water tank that needed repairs. Apparently, our Samaj Shilpi was already working on submitting a petition involving all villagers.

After we wrapped up our visit and on our way to return to Kamalendra’s house, we were asked to join an impromptu meeting that was called by nearby villagers who were visiting Palana Khurd to celebrate a local festival. During the meeting, several villagers raised their issue with lack of electricity. They told us that several people lost their lives with snakebites and/or attacks from other venomous creatures. They said MLAs, sarpanchs and other leaders came for votes with a lot of promises but never really delivered anything. Manohar Singh and Bhanwar Singh Rathore asked them to keep demanding politicians when they came for votes. Mithun felt that this could be outside the current scope of their work. I told him briefly about AID India’s work in Srikakulam in getting electricity connections to villagers.

We then retunned to Udaipur late in the afternoon. Later in the evening I visited Seva Mandir’s ‘Sadhana’ show room. It basically collects artifacts from local artisans and markets them. Then I was able to meet Ms. Neelima Khetan who managed to find some time to talk to me. She shared their plans in improving self-reliance and their efforts in fund raising in the form of “Friends of Seva Mandir.” She also shared several reports and books that looked very interesting.  In terms of Samaj Shilpi program, she said that without some form of support from AID, it would not be possible for Seva Mandir to be supporting it from their funds. She asked me to request AID to continue the support and if possible increase the level of support. We both agreed that the quality of involvement would enhance if we had constant interactions not only with the coordinator but also with Samaj Shilpis. Later, Nisha, Mithun and I did a little bit of sight seeing and then had a nice dinner. Next day, we went to a local palace before I had to catch my flight back to Delhi. Overall, I had a very good trip and I was glad that I took the trip. Having been working with them for last couple of years it was nice to go and meet them in person.

Note: Select pictures from the visit are available in the gallery section of AID website. 

You can find a detailed report on an impact assessment study done by Nisha Sankaran (Seva Mandir Volunteer- USA), Radha A. N and Sunaina Tiwari (Seva Mandir Volunteer- Gulbarga University - Karnataka) at the following link.

(left to right, Khem Raj, Bhanwar Singh Chundawat, Fateh Lal Jat, Himmat Singh, Kamendra Taank, Nathu Singh, Bhanwar Singh Rathore)

He was a panchayat member. Upon being selected as a Samaj Shilpi, for close to one year, he attempted to get to know the villagers better. He became friendly to the people; he started working on education.  In a particular village of 14 hamlets, 7 hamlets were those of adivasis.  There were 2-3 schools near these hamlets but either the teachers was absent or the students didn’t go.  Bhanwar Singh saw this and spoke to the adivasis to bring about awareness on the importance of education.  Over the past few years, a lot of adivasi children (especially girls) have started going to school due to the efforts of Bhanwar Singh.

Bhanwar tries to understand the issues. He felt that if school dresses could be given to the children then they would be more enthusiastic to come to schools.  Mithun contacted Mahavir International, a charitable trust in Udaipur and got them to provide school dresses to all children in the villages under Bhanwar Singh.  Steel plates were also given to the children as they were earlier eating on newspapers.  (Mid-day meals are already being provided by the government).  Sports equipment was also provided.

The Sarpanch of Palana Khurd (Bhanwar Singh’s panchayat) verified that you would not find a single child in this village who was not going to school.

Bhanwar Singh realizes that the government has machinery but it is the job of the villagers to make sure that it functions.  He teamed up with the government polio team to make sure that their program was well implemented.  Health and eye camps were also organized in the villages by contacting various agencies.  The government nurse was not coming to the villages.  Bhanwar Singh educated the villagers on the importance of health care.  They now make sure that the nurse comes everyday and the panchayat has even provided space for her in the village during the day.  Bhanwar Singh also ensures that the resources that that government is providing to the nurse (such as medicines and other things) also reaches the villages. 

Bhanwar Singh also realizes that for him to continue to do development work in the village, the villagers have to trust him.  He admits that there is a lot of corruption in almost all government work but in areas where the Samaj Shilpis have started working, the corruption has decreased considerably.

Started in 2004.  Worked on education. The work that he is currently doing on vermi compost is excellent.  The women is his villagers have really understood the benefits of this work and are taking great interest in forming the pits which will then be filled with cow dung. Equipped with material aid contributed by Swami Vivekanand Seva Nyas, he distributed twelve benches, twenty mattresses, five uniforms and other such equipment in two schools of ‘Bhimal’ Panchayat.  Many Below Poverty Level families residing in ‘Vagnada’ Hamlet witnessed the miracle of electricity within their homes, when by the efforts of Nathu Singh. three electric poles were installed in their vicinity, to bring it within the range of electrical connectivity.

Himmat Singh is an ex trade union leader started as a Samaj Shilpi two years ago.  He has more interest in bringing government schemes to his villages.  He has done quite some work in removing corruption from government programs.  He played a vital role to ensure the participation of maximum number of people at the monthly meeting of the Gram Panchayat. As per the instructions of the state government he also helped link seven families to obtain benefit under the Antyodaya Anna Yojna in ward nos. 9,10 and11. He organized a camp to familiarize the farmers with various schemes run by State Govt. for their benefit like Krishi Yojna Aapke Dwar. He apprised the farmers about how they could obtain subsidies on agricultural equipment pesticides, seeds etc. Himmat Singh also informed them on how one could get their land registered by the Revenue Department.

Kamelndra is one of the young Samaj Shilpis in Rajasthan. He is very energetic and passionate. His work enabled Vivekanad Nyas to select the ‘Dingar kiya’ and ‘Khema Kheda’ schools for donating school benches. He organized a session for the villagers in the ‘Gram Panchayat’ of ‘Palana  Khurd’ , so that they would be able to fulfill all the formalities with regard to verification needed to obtain the job cards under the ‘National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme’. He personally supervised the whole event and informed people about the date and time of the shoot and also kept the momentum going by helping people in large numbers getting their photograph clicked. His work also includes motivating villagers from ‘Mahuda’ and ‘Dang Ka Kuan’ to dig compost pits to convert garbage into super compost manure.

Bhanwar Singh is one of the younger Samaj Shilpis in Rajasthan. He was instrumental in making sure that villagers are appropriately compensated in Bansliya under the Gandhi Gram Yojna when the Water Conservation department had initiated work on a pond  engaging 60  laborers  under the water shed program. He worked with Vivekanand Seva Nyaas in getting school benches for Redia Khedi school. He managed to obtain clearance for construction of a pond on the grazing land in Holi village. For this purpose 40 laborers were employed on a weekly rotation basis so that maximum number of people could obtain employment. This pond will serve as an important source of water conservation, besides providing water for cattle. To spread awareness among the rural people regarding the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme 2005 he set about organizing meetings in all the hamlets of all Panchayats under the R.I.M initiative.

He is the newest Samaj Shilpi who joined in early 2006. He works in Veerdholia panchayat. He has a lot of experience as a community leader in several roles and it is exciting to see him join the family of Samaj Shilpis.

Mithun is a young and enthusiastic individual.  He completed his MSW (Masters in Social Work) from Udaipur and has been working with Seva Mandir for the past 4 years.  For the past 2 years, he has been the RIM co-coordinator.  He knows the local language (Mewari) well.  He provides complete support to the Samaj Shilpis and he has a vision of how he wants to expand this work. It is quite apparent that he is very knowledgeable about what is happening in the villages.

Copies of the letters exchanged between the ADM (Udaipur) and BDO (Mavli) on the school issue

   A TALE OF TWO VILLAGES

Saikat Bhattacharya