Sarpanch of Punsari village : Mr. Himanshu Patel

As discussed in last post, Sarpanch has been the major catalyst in the development. I have been to many villages from IRMA for field visits in and out Gujarat. Mr. Himanshu Patel is the most educated and enthusiastic Sarpanch I have ever met. His commitment to the development of the village and visionary attitude is the unmatched. He is a graduate in arts and belongs to a good family. He was elected as a sarpanch at a young age of 22. Before his tenure, the village was like any other village, but now it has been recognized by central and state government. Every now and then international and national delegates visit him to learn and know the secret of his success. 

We asked about how he has managed himself in a bureaucratic system. He explained how his never say die attitude has helped him. He struggled intially to get small things done. Now people have faith in him. He believes that Panchayats have extreme potential and all the schemes should be from bottom to top instead of top to bottom. As no one can understand the problem of people better than them and solutions can also come from them only. He stressed on the point if we try one type of solutions/ schemes Pan India, they wont be impactful. 

We really liked how he appreciated the importance of technology in development. His education and awareness level has played an important role in it. When asked about need of wifi in the village, he told that you need to make people habitual to these facilities. Even if one youngster from his able to make it to good college, get a good job and secure future, it is worth investing. If peaceful environment is promoted with devotional music , it is worth investing in a good sound system. If most of the  people are able to make use of the schemes because of timely announcement on this sound system, it is a very economical. With the introduction of intra-village bus service, dairy production has improved significantly as women can travel to milk collection center despite any weather or health condition. Now it is easier for kids to travel to high school. The work for centrally air conditioned schools will start this summer. This is to make government school more desirable then private schools. He believes that government school teachers are more qualified and hence improving infrastructure can stop students travelling to cities everyday. With the same purpose, e-sense has been introduced in the schools and a special focus is laid on English.

He has even proposed Government of Gujarat to set up GIDC nearby so that youngsters don’t need to migrate for job.

While talking to him I was wondering whether the results of his efforts  would had been same if it was not Gujarat. Gujarat has the best ecosystem for anything to develop. Corruption is less and chief minister is very supportive. People are little more co-operative. Results of his efforts have been magnified in such a supportive atmosphere. Also, he comes from a good family. He has good contacts in the system. 

But point is how many of those who have capacity to do something,  actually use it for a good cause.  He does not need to worry about his own livelihood much, but how much of us actually thinks beyond. He reminded me of Dr. Verghese Kurien who utilized all his skills, connections and other resources for mobilization of  farmers with operation flood and dairy co-operatives.

Salute to him!!!
May his endeavors encourage people to set up many Punsaris all over the India and world.

NIdhi Bansal

PRM 33

IRMA

Visit to Punsari: A model village

This weekend IRMA Social Entrepreneurship cell organized a visit to Punsari village that has been declared as an ideal village of  INDIA. The Sarpanch, Mr. Himanshu Patel has played an important role in the development of this  village in the last 6 years of his tenure. Before 2006 it was any other ordinary village of Gujarat facing the problem of drinking water, sanitation, poor infrastructure and maintenance of the same. Due to his work, Punsari village has been recognized by MoRD as well as state Chief Minster, Mr. Narendra Modi.

The village is located in Sabarkatha District of Gujarat and has a total population of 6000 comprising of 23 different caste and communities.  This village has no NGO and no NRI funding. 98% of the population is engaged in agriculture or dairy activities.  Still CCTV camera monitoring system, Mineral water plant for all, CC roads,  Centrally ac government school that too with all panchayat funds will amaze you. When people told us about this village, we could not trust that. But visiting it make us realize the power of commitment and a good visionary leader.

There is online sound system which is audible in all the streets and households of the village. Everyday Mahtama Gandhi's bhajans and other devotional music are  played in the morning (6:30 to 7:30) and evening( 6:30 to 7:00). There are total 120 such waterproof speakers all over the village. This system is used for sending information about various schemes of government as well as all other important alerts. Sarpanch phone is connected to this system and he can deliver any message to the villagers from anywhere. It was very obvious with such a technology that all the schemes are utilized to the maximum extent in this village. Taking inspiration from  this village, Mr. Narendra Modi has allocated many crores to install such system in all the villages of Gujarat.

CCTV cameras have been installed in the village. This has not only helped in monitoring staff but also in improving overall sanitation in the village, reducing violence and improving discipline in the village.

Initially clean drinking water was  a problem. Now the village has its own mineral water plant. The water is supplied to all the households at nominal charges and even BPL families get it free of cost. This mineral water plant also outsource the water to other villages. Panchayat has its own tanker which supply water on special occasions.

It is interesting to  know how people were motivated  to pay taxes by giving them dustbins as a gift. This has also improved cleanliness in the village at the same time increasing tax collection level to 90 %. Every morning and evening  a  trolley collects waste from the households.

In the last 6-7 years, there have been no cases of infant mortality,  maternal deaths and female suicides which were very common earlier.  There are 2 MBBS doctors permanently appointed at the PHC centers and Asha workers are active. Number of women SHGs has increased from 2 to 111 and women community has strengthened. Many small enterprises are set up by these SHGs.

To Be continued...

I am a Tribal Man !!!

“I am a tribal Man

Is it my fault that my ancestors settled in places so distant,

Who is responsible for the basic amenities I don’t get

I am a tribal man.

People say that I exploit reservations

Yes I have reservation in infant mortalities and other related deaths

I am reserved for staying without roads, hospital or any school, beyond these forests, 

I am a tribal man, I am a tribal man.”

Nidhi Bansal 

P.S.->These lines were written during my fieldwork in Kojawara Village of Udaipur, Rajasthan.

My College life

My college life…

Some say that it was a beautiful experience…
But for me it was a complete life in itself….

1st year an innocent child
2nd year a learner and joyful life…
3rd year an implementer & a kind of busy 1
And finally sharing experience and living life to the fullest without any tension….

Here we came as strangers unaware of what will be the end
Experimented with different kind of people…
Tested different laws….
Pondered over silly things overlooked exams….

The days were blissful…
And evenings cheerful 
Always one thing on our mind
Masti, fun and only masti all the time….

Shakes at shekhar’s 
And sitting in the OBC ground
Those teasing one another with some1’s name
And happiness all around…..

Planning for trips and watching movies together…
If it was an all time flop
Beating up the one who made it possible….…

Fighting with one another without any reason….
All those slaps and punches only and only for fun…

Those stays at friend’s place 
Waking up whole night
Sharing out ur heart 
And then sleeping whole day….

Those b’day parties and b’day bumps…
Instead of eating, the whole cake was put on friends’ face….

All those hands in one Tiffin 
And fighting over a sip of cold drink or a chocolate….
Life was such a big adventure…
Friend’s company was such a good joint venture… 

One day before exam or sessional
Roaming around was a compulsion
Teasing all tohe who studied sincerely
Enjoyed those moments without any tension…..
An hour before exam
Every1’s condition used to be very tight
But at that time teaching one another or planning for cheating
So that everybody could pass…..

Tension of one could be reflected on everyone’s face….
And all those friends gave courage to give every damn a really good face…
Those warm hugs and patting each other’s back…
At that time nothing cud make us fell weak or like a looser….

In 4 years , we had found a new family
Where love, care and sometime emotional drama made a good melody….
In this journey we transformed into something that any1 cant believe….
The path travelled now seems more beautiful than the destiny…..

Missing all my friends….

P.S.:-> written in 2010 after leaving college

Nidhi Bansal…

Life at IRMA (Institute of Rural Management, Anand)

Institute of Rural Management located in Anand is a unique institution for its Management program in the rural domain. When the word ‘rural’ strikes our ear, we start imagining classrooms without desks and people in rustic clothes, students sitting on ground and some professor talking about some political subject. But this institute, the brainchild of late Dr. Verghese Kurien, is one of the top class management institutions of India. While classrooms are modern, the discussions make you traverse through a different age altogether. While reading about rural society, you fall back 100 years behind in timeline. In the Field Work segment we are made to stay in villages where we experience ground-level reality with all its beauty, charm and harshness.

By studying the core management subjects like Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, etc. we become endowed you with skills required to address both present and futuristic issues.

This year students have initiated IRMA Social Entrepreneurship cell, ISEC to encourage entrepreneurial spirit among the students. This has caused fresh ideas to find expression and platform. Entrepreneurs from different verticals of development sector are invited for experience sharing, workshops and panel discussions to learn from their experiences.

Out of the classroom we are back to a world full of energy and fun. No amount of assignments or quizzes can reduce the enthusiasm of the participants for sports and other physical activities. Every evening the sports complex is occupied by not just students, but also faculty members and other staff. Over weekends, the students set themselves loose to the musical beats at Grind in the mess lawns.

IRMA is a small community at the heart of Anand but it is very diverse. You can find here people from all the parts of India from different cultural backgrounds and diverse schools of thought. Every festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm. We enjoy Rasam Rice on Onam, Sevai on Id, Sarson ka sag on Lohri and all festivals. Everybody adapts costume, food and language specific to the festival and it is there that you feel good about being an IRMAN.

Apart from religious festivals, IRMA has a series of its own celebrations. It has been just eight months in campus and we have already had more than 8 events. Milaap, an alumni home-coming, brings together the IRMA community across the world to the campus. Jatra, an inter-block event, instils block-spirit in the campus. In Sangarsh, two batches at the campus are pitted against each other in the sphere of sports and games. Every time it is a new spirit being relived in old traditions.

Above all it is adventure that brings us here. We explore different worlds. We grow as a part of the community and learn how to make communities work. In short, these two years are of fun, learning and adventure. 

Nidhi Bansal  :-)
P.S. :-> wriiten for CSR and college magazine 1 month back..
Oops!!! realized that i haven't mentioned about the  fun of organic farming and Cycling club.

Indiaspora - The Blog

Indiaspora - The Blog

Anyway !!!!

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centred.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

~ Dr. Kent M. Keith

P.S. :-> 

The best composition on the first page of CAC's  (Collective actions and Cooperatives) Study  Material :)