Gramodaya Mela : Nurturing the Roots

Four-day Gramodaya Mela organised on the banks of Mandakini in Chitrakoot from February 24 to 27 presents the integral village  development model, which can transform the life of all  villages 

Harshvardhan Tripathi
The last Amavasya of February 2017 was different for the devotees conducting Parikrama of the Kamadgiri Mountain in Chitrakoot. There is very big Mela in this city of Vanvasi Ram on every Amavasya and the devotees from all over the country come here for regular Parikrama of the mountain. This year, Chitrakoot witnessed one more Mela on Amavasya, a very different kind of Mela, which marked the birth centenary of Chitrakoot  Shilpi Nanaji Deshmukh. The Mela, organised by Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) from February 24 to 27, showcased the huge network of village development works created by Nanaji, practically displaying how the nation can be prosperous when villages become prosperous.

The four-day Mela was inaugurated by Bihar Governor Shri Ramnath Kovind. Rajya Sabha MP Shri Prabhat Jha presented the theme of the Mela. Union Ministers Shri Thavarchand Gahlot and Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, DRI patron and veteran Sangh Pracharak Shri Madan Das and Vice Chancellors of different universities were also present on the occasion. RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat was the chief guest at the concluding cerremony. Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Skill Development Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Choahan were also present at the concluding ceremony. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Madhya Pradesh Minister Smt Archana Chitnis and Rural Development ministers of six states were also present.
Cultural India at Chitrakoot
The four-day event began with an impressive procession in the city led by artists from Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi. Around 250 artists from different states joined the procession showcasing their respective local cultures and folk dances. The procession presented the picture of mini Bharat. The procession began from Ramghat and passing through various roads culminated at the venue of the Gramodaya Mela. The show of cultural activities was really fascinating.
Wooden Items for all Domestic Needs
A small shop selling the wooden items for all domestic needs appeared to be attracting every visitor in the Mela.  Iqram, who came from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, said he provides wooden items for all domestic needs and they are liked by everyone visiting his stall wherever it is organised. Iqram has been selling these items for the last 10 year by organising stalls in different events.
Organic Farming
The agricultural exhibition organised at Gramodaya Mala proved to be a good event for apprising the farmers of organic farming. Agricultural scientists showed how the farmers can increase their production through organic farming.  The exhibition was organised by Department of Agriculture. In charge of the exhibition Shri Ravendra Singh said the Government of India has started an ambitious scheme to ensure irrigation water to every field. Three Ministries—Ministry of Water Resources, River Development  and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Agriculture—are collectively working for implementation of the scheme. He said the good remedy for resolving most of the problems of farmers is that every farmer gets soil health card after soil testing. The government is promoting soil testing in a big way. The major benefit of the drive is that the farmers could know what they should grow in their fields. The government is also providing hybrid seeds and organic fertilizers to the farmers on subsidised rates through the cooperative societies. Kisan Mitras are also being appointed at village level.
The presence and participation of Vanvasi students in the Mela proved to be a medium of displaying the holistic thinking of Nanaji for rural development. The students of Ramnath Ashramshala established by Nanaji Deshmukh, visited various stalls and closely saw different rural cultures. These students are from various Vanvasi areas of the region. The school children also sensitised the people about the crimes against children.
Opportunities for Self-Employment
The Employment Campaign started by the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development in Madhya Pradesh for promotion of self-employment was also seen motivating the people through their stall. ‘Ajeevika Mission’ also had a stall, which promotes self-employment. Bhagwati Devi, a Divyang, along with her husband Dashrath Yadav said she started making different products after joining the Ajeevika Mission and getting training from Jabalpur and Bhopal. Now she imparts training to others.
Migration the matter of Past
Many self-help groups (SHGs) also had stalls in the Gramodaya Mela. Sunita from Bharatpur had a stall of her group. Now 150 people work in her SHG. Since the beginning of her SHG, now the local people do not need to migrate to other places in search of employment. They earn good money staying in the village only. They are involved in weaving clothes by hands. Sunita informed that the people have become self-reliant after the beginning of the SHG. They do not move idle here and there in search of work. The group prepares and sells clothes like Kurta Payajama, shirts, etc for men and also clothes for women. The people associated with the group easily earn about Rs 8,000 every month. The group organises stalls at about 40 places throughout the year.
Apart from the items displayed for selling, the Mela also had discussion on various aspects associated with the rural development. Bhopal based ‘Spandan’ organised a Gramodaya Media Chaupal, which was attended by students, teachers and journalists from various institutions of the country like Bhopal based Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Vishwavidylaya, Haridwar based Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya and Chitrakoot based Gramodaya Vishwavidylaya. They prominently discussed how the villages vanished from the mainstream media and how the journalists can work for uplifting their own villages. There was a national symposium every day discussing contemporary social issues. It mainly discussed social harmony, women empowerment, relevance of Panchayati Raj, maintenance of public utilities, cleanliness, water conservation, impact of the wrong practices of the West on the youth, etc.
Community Meal
On February 27, when the Mela concluded, the community meal for about 50,000 people was organised immediately after Shri Ramcharita Manas recitation. The community meal was basically organised with the contribution of the local people. The local families contributed one rupee and one handful foodgrain for the community meal. About Rs nine lakh, 13 quintal rice, kg dal and kg potatoes were collected from 10,518 families.
Union Minister of Water Resources Sushri Uma Bharati while speaking at a seminar called upon the people to spend the money, they want to spend on their weddings, on their education. They will not require much expenditure on wedding after the girls become self-reliant. Dr HN Mehrotra spoke on health and Ayurveda. Dr PC Sharma and Dr RS Sharma also spoke on Ayurveda. Dr Deepak Kulshreshta from Ayurveda College, Reeva, spoke on traditional methods of treatment.
After seeking retirement from public life on completion of 60 years, Nanaji had dedicated his life for the uplift of villages. He wanted to make the villages so much prosperous that the villagers do not need to go to cities for any need. In order to promote this thinking, the Department of Panchayati Raj organised a seminar at DRI premises from February 28 to March 1. Shri Vipin Jain, Sarpanch of Dalauta Chaupati Panchayat in Mandasaur district, informed that under his leadership their Panchayat has earned Rs 70 lakh in just 21 months. People paid all taxes in time and also started experiments in organic farming. Smt Anuradha Chaudhary from Kudri Pal Panchayat in Indore also conducted similar encouraging experiments.  
Appreciating all such experiments, Union Minister of Rural Development Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said Nanaji reached Chitrakoot basically with the same idea and he has proved it in reality through the DRI. He has transformed the life of people in 512 villages in the radius of 50 km. How the efforts of Nanji Deshmukh have proved fruitful was clearly visible in the Gramodaya Mela. Today, Chitrakoot is the living example of his experiments before the entire nation to emulate and enjoy.                          n