गोष्ट निवजे गावाची... (The story of the village Nivaje)

The story of the village Nivaje

All the villages in the south Konkan are naturally rich. Be it hills or streams or river or plains or grasslands – you find all of it here. The stingy humor of the dialect is much more evident on the tongue of the native speakers. Some or the other person in the village will be found settled in Mumbai, which gives the village and its residents quite a reality check. One fine day, a wild male tusker showed up in the village followed by the herd. His visit made quite a few headlines and things changed. The herd stayed in the nearby forest for a week. Two farmers lost their life as they were attacked by these elephants and two others were severely damaged. The stay of the elephants proved that the forest had sufficient food to offer. Even negativity has certain seeds of development. You need to identify and nurture these ones.

Water, Land, Forest, Animal, Life are words that mean more than the literal meaning they carry. Vasectomy, deaddiction, axe ban and voluntary public labor are instrumental initiatives. The actual need is the communication between the necessities of the village and the process of development. Bhagirath has made the communication not only possible, but quite an effective one. The residents like Dattatray Sawant, Abhay Parab, Sudhir Raul, Nilesh Palav, Narayan Palav, Mahadev Palav Rakesh Pingulkar, Mrs. Savitri Parab and Mrs. Sampada Pingulkar have lent in great support and help. Their support and help has put Nivaje on the map as a destination for agro tourism. All of this didn't happen overnight, it took five years.

NABARD, Sindhudurg District Central Co-operative Bank and Bhagirath Gramvikas Pratishthan have jointly conducted the Umbrella Programme for Natural Resource Management (UPNRM) project. Under the project, 130 biogas units were built in the village. We need science, technology, credit mechanism, unity and public participation to convert natural resources into wealth. The district co-operative bank issued a loan of 20,000 rupees for each unit of biogas. Institutions like UNDP, BPCL, and IRCON provided special help to the poor regarding biogas. 55 pressure cookers were distributed through 50 % of crowd funding. The smoke of the traditional Chullhas was replaced by the melodious whistles of the pressure cookers.

         Mrs. Jyoti Pawaskar has 5 buffaloes of the Murha specie. Since the lakes in the fields have been replaced by wells, it has made wet fodder feasible. All have repaid their debts well in time. The Nivajeshwar Milk Producers' Co-operative Society has developed a well equipped milk collection centre. An income of 34 lakh rupees has been generated only through milk till date. Laptop, weighing machine, SNF, a machine for counting fats in milk has resulted in the enhancement in the quality of the milk. Earlier the milkman would deal for 36 rupees for 1litre now he happily pays an average 40-45 bucks for 1 litre. Some brilliant farmers even get 55 rupees for l litre. There is a competition in the village on the basis of quality. Every month the money for milk is deposited into the bank accounts of these farmers. Milk production is a source of sustainable income for the villages in remote areas. It can also have an impact on the rate of unemployment. Such small steps can ensure bigger aims. It can also be instrumental in reducing the crowd of the cities.

The residents of the village digitized the local school through crowd funding. The motors and pumps on the wells ensured drinking water for students. A group of performers and singers of devotional songs, locally famous as bhajani mandal have been winning hearts and competitions. The lead singer and bhajan performer Mahendra Pingulkar has led tuitions and trainings for bhajans, singing as well as playing musical instruments. The village has its own sound system for public functions. In cities one has to rent utensils for big festivals and occasions. In Nivaje, the villagers have utensils worth 40-50 thousand rupees. This generates an annual rent of rupees 8 to 10 thousand. Bhagirath has always been quite insistent of two things in rural development. One is schemes based on demand. Secondly, Bhagirath demands 50 % of public / crowd funding. These factors don't only ensure participation of the residents of the village but also imbibe economic equality as a habit.

Shri. Nilesh Ugavekar, Supervisor of the Agriculture Department conducted a training regarding rice farming. The 6-week training programme had much more knowledge to offer to the farmers. Nivaje Village has 300 acres under SRI. The SRI method of rice farming has triggered an increase in the production. Earlier they could get 34 kg per guntha, now they get 70-80 kg per guntha. The village received a sum of 10 lakh rupees to buy agricultural equipments such as power tiller, rice farming machine and grass cutter under the Chanda to Banda scheme. The village will also be receiving a fund worth 25 lakh through a scheme of central government which aims at the development of dry farming. The village has made its mark on state as well as national level. The public representatives have participated in these initiatives. Along with this the village also hosted a group of 35 Australian students who has visited the village to study sustainable development and agro tourism as a part of cultural exchange programme. Mr. Raviraj and Mrs. Sayali Joshi of Authentica, Pune had organized the programme and the visit.

Development work is nothing but a mathematical equation and various factors in the society contribute to it. The government, people, banks, NGO all must come together and work in mutual co-ordination. We must understand that the elephant is a symbol of richness and wealth. The cycle of the nature doesn't perceive ant as small or elephant as big. Every being in the nature has a certain role to play. The size of the being and the difference in it is nothing but a perspective. We think that the society perceives cities and villages similarly. While cities are quickly identified as smart and wise, villages are seen as habitats of illiterate people. While working with the residents of Nivaje, we at Bhagirath had an opportunity to work with a group of people which was rich in experience. If we don't understand nature, it backfires with destruction but Nivaje and its residents have always tried to understand nature and have aimed at an eco-friendly and sustainable development.

We don't want to be stuck with one village for too long. We move to another village in 5 years and start there with a clean slate. Now Nivaje has a team of competent people. We are also looking forward to start working with a new village. Malvani, the local dialect has a famous proverb which goes as such: a son in law or a fish should not stay for more than 3 days. In the past it was believed that a monk should not stay in one village for too long. We at Bhagirath have practiced similar philosophy since inception. NGOs should work as support systems for the villages but villages should not rely on a continuous support system and should aim at self reliance in 3 to 5 years. The growing number of such self reliant, independent villages is the strength of our nation.

- Dr. Prasad Waman Deodhar

President, Bhagirath Gramvikas Pratisthan

Mobile No: 9422596500