An inspiring story of Asond Village under Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri District in Maharashtra where 16 families, expelled about 40 years back, rejoined the village. The move proved to be instrumental in bringing about a big social change
Pramod Kumar
Asond Village under Dapoli Taluka of Ratnagiri District faced major drinking water problem for many years. The crisis used to become acute between March and May every year. In May 2014 when the swayamsevaks at village Saptahik Milan (weekly shakha) were discussing the village problems, they realised that the issue of drinking water needed immediate attention. When the work on resolving the issue began, the Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth project run in a nearby village agreed to provide water from its well. But it required a pipeline of one km. Then taking the water to every house required further length of pipeline. To meet those expanses, it required
collection of Rs 500 from every family.
Thus, the collection began. But after three months it was realised that 16
families did not contribute. When the
matter was raised at the village meeting held on every Amavasya, it was pointed out that the families, which did not contribute, were ousted from the village for a long time. They live in the village, but no villager maintains any contact with them. When the swayamsevaks went deeper into the matter they found that some
families were expelled 40 years back.
The swayamsevaks discussed the issue at their Saptahik Milan and found it a big hurdle in village unity. When the matter was raised at the villagers meeting, they decided that locality heads and the expelled families would sit together to find the ways of revoking the expulsion. But there was no response from anyone even after three-four months. People of 12 castes live in the village. In the fifth month the village head received a letter from the Harijan locality chief informing that the expulsion of their three families, who were expelled 40 years back, has been revoked. That letter was read out at village meeting. Encouraged over it another
locality head revoked expulsion of their caste people. Gradually, the expulsion of all 16 families was revoked. It took about one and a half years to achieve this
success. In the end of 2015, the reunion of those families was celebrated at the
village Temple function. After long time all villagers had meals together.
Interesting part of this whole exercise is that no RSS swayamsevak visited any family for a dialogue. They generated an atmosphere in the village that revoking of the expulsion of those families is in the
village interet. Earlier, it had become a tradition to expel anyone over even a difference of opinion. But now if any such issue develops it is handled through discussion.
After resolving the issue and collecting money from all families, the pipeline for drinking water was laid in the entire village ensuring water at every doorstep. This helped in gaining confidence of all the
villagers. In the whole process the Sangh swayamsevaks did not involve themselves in fund collection. That was done by a committee of villagers. Another interesting part of the initiative is that entire work from plumbing to labour was done by the
villagers only. Now the maintenance of the pipelines also is done by villagers
collectively. Every family receives 600 liters of water in merely 20 minutes. Earlier, they had to fetch it from a tank everyday. Also, earlier there was no fix time of water supply. They had to wait for it round the clock. But now there is no any such issue. By the end of 2016 all the 400 families were provided water.
Contrary to the general tendency, the swayamsevaks never took credit of this change. When this correspondent spoke to some swayamsevaks of the village they simply said: “The work was done by all the villagers collectively”. But every villager knows it well that the RSS swayamsevaks are the real catalyst of this change. n
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