It Takes a Village

RCB commits to the Integrated Rural Development of village Gumbadpada

A few months ago, PP Rtn. Ramesh Narayan suggested an interesting and unique project – the Integrated Rural Development of a village. RCB President Preeti Mehta and the Board of Directors took a momentous decision to adopt Gumbadpada village, a hamlet about 3 & ½ hour’s drive from Mumbai (towards Nashik in Maharashtra). The project was carried forward and implemented under RCB’s Environment Committee headed by Rtn. Madhusudan Daga.

Gumbadpada village, from which generations of farmers are forced to work as coolies and construction labor in Bhiwandi while their lands lay fallow due to paucity of water, is also home to 365 tribals and Dalits. Their children are stunted due to malnutrition and they spend most of their nights in darkness due to frequent load shedding. Teenage girls walk barefoot, about four km daily, to get to school and eventually give up.

The women here still carry multiple pots of water on their heads simultaneously and trudge up and down steep hills several times a day be it under the heat of the burning sun or the slipperiness of the heavy rains.

On October 12, 2019, the Rotary Club of Bombay, along with our partner in this project ‘Chirag Rural Development Foundation’, brought succour and hope to these villagers and changed a grim situation to one of hope and a better tomorrow.

Sixteen Rotarians and their Partners – President Preeti Mehta and Rtn. Ptn. Gautam, PE Rtn. Framroze Mehta, Chairman of Environment Committee Rtn. Madhusudan Daga and Rtn. Ptn. Vandana, PP Rtn. Ramesh Narayan, Chairman Bhavishya Yaan
Committee Rtn. Jimmy Vakharia and Rtn. Ptn. Avaan, Chairman of Ananda Yaan Committee Rtn. Ashok Sekhsaria, Chairman Child Welfare Committee Rtn. Rajesh Shah, Chairperson ADMC Committee Rtn. Tara Deshpande, Rtn. Anand Parikh and Rtn. Ptn. Rajul, Chirag Rural Development Foundation represented by Mrs. Pratibhai Pai watched agog how a little funding, some support and meaningful assistance changes things overnight. The Prime Minister’s dream of ‘Nal se Jal’ was realised by us in one remote village before our very eyes and, as Pratibhai Pai, the founder of Chirag Rural Development Foundation, said, “RCB has changed the lives of at least three generations of Gumbadpada village.”

Solar power through high quality solar panels installed will bring electricity – (i) to run the submersible pump; (ii) provide lighting and also run fans; (iii) provide power for ‘e-learning’ facility installed; and (iv) run the filtration plant for drinking water.

The water from the river/water body will provide (i) irrigation water for agriculture; and (ii) drinking water through community taps.

The villagers participated through hard labour ‘Shramdan’ in invaluable man hours to lay pipes, electricity cables and construction work.

The project also entailed building ‘common toilet blocks’ for villagers.

The villagers came out to greet all of us, their hospitality and gratitude was overwhelming. Some of us were gifted with and sported the white “Gandhi topi”. The men performed a beautiful ‘dhol’ (drum) dance for their visitors among whom were also locals from neighbouring villages, who came to petition President Preeti to give them similar amenities and facilities. It was obvious to all of us, how basic and great their needs were and how easily we could make farreaching changes to the lives of people in rural India.

Diwali has come early this year for the residents of Gumbadpada. First, a dam was constructed across a rivulet, a thousand metres of pipeline installed to pump water up the hill into overhead tanks that would then irrigate their fields and, also, provide water into a filtration plant installed in the main village square for making potable water
available to the villagers through community taps installed. High quality array of solar panels were installed in a field and suddenly, as if by magic, the fans and bulbs of every home, the primary school and anganwadi lit up.

Two of the local farmers Mr. Ambadker and Mr. Amol Patil selflessly donated a portion of their valuable land towards
the project. PP Ramesh donated 350 mango trees, mogra plant and cashew tree saplings for planting. President Preeti, PE Framroze, Rtn. Jimmy Vakharia, Rt. Ptn. Vandana Daga and Rtn. Tara Deshpande planted some of these with great joy and enthusiasm.

With the availability of water around the year, the expected crop of mogra flowers alone will bring in an annual income of Rs three lakh to the villagers. Also, in later years, income will be generated from the ‘cashew’ harvest.

The hospitality, warmth and excitement of our village folk has to be experienced. They served us a simple, but very basic and delicious meal of homemade bhakris (made from nachni flour and rice flour), ‘pithla’, vangi batata vegetable, dal and rice and that all potent green ‘thecha’ made from their famous jungle chillies. We could not help but feel how lucky we were to be able to do this kind of work and enjoy this level of hospitality and genuine warmth.

President Preeti spoke to the audience eloquently, in Marathi, not only commending them for their efforts and encouraging them but also advising and cautioning them to use these amenities carefully and make them really work for them in the long term.

Rtn. Ashok Jatia generously offered a ‘learn and earn hospitality management programme’ to train village youth at his reputed Lonavala hotel and resort – ‘Rhythm’. It was indeed a heart-warming experience.

Our Club is blessed to be able to ‘bring smiles and joy’ to others less privileged.