OWNING MOTHERLAND BY VANITA SRINIVAS
We often come across situations which we are unable to comprehend, digest. We discuss the situations, its causes, likely solutions and wait for the administration to take a remedial action. We always live with a strong urge to change the scenario.
As a matter of routine we come across children forced as beggars, maids, servants labourers etc.. All these corrupt practices are a vicious racket and have become a part of the system. How often we feel like breaking down the system but these corrupt practices are so deep rooted that we eventually give up after a few trials. Yet there are several unsung heroes in our country who are putting in unyielding efforts and have succeeded in their mission. ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ by Kailash Sathyarthi is one such effort. Despite several Death Threats he has managed to free around 80000 children from the clutches of child labour racketeers.
This summer we also came across plight of drought hit areas. Hiware Bazaar is a village which is flourishing with one crore yield of onion and boasts of millions of litres of water bodies. It is one of the villages in draught hit belt of Marathwada’s eight districts. The villagers, did not wait for the administration for a remedial action, instead they captured rain water and created an oasis in the midst of parched belt. Similar is the story of a village in Lamagarah Tehsil of Almora District. The Gunavante couple have initiated a self help movement and they initiated a dependable, feasible and economically viable way of roof top rainwater harvesting. Today, the scenario in this village has changed. It has surplus water and a good crop.
A community of nearly eleven thousand people across 82 villages, in Himalayas, spend at least 1 day in a year for the restoration of their villages. A 1995 BITsian has over 500 women and hundreds of farmers with an aim of creating jobs in rural India. His pursuit is to provide employment to 10,000 women. Gangadhara Tilak Katnam is 67-years old. His car now carries eight to ten gunny bags full of tar mixed gravel, bags which are emptied whenever a pothole is spotted. He has filled over 1,100 potholes so far and has exhausted his pension in this process. The list of such champions is endless. The stark difference between these unsung heroes and other common citizens is the exceptional courage, nobility and strength and conviction with which they carry their work. These people did not make the candle march, walk in procession or a demonstration to show their disapproval of the system. Instead the stood up to perform their part with an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.
The corrupt system and illegitimate enterprises are deep rooted in our society and administration. We cannot change either the society or the administration instantaneously. But we can cast away the fear of such systems from our heart. Help each other fight the system. Own the motherland. Do our bit, how so ever small it may be. Even an iota of our effort will go a long way in building a strong nation.
घड़ी भर को चमको
जुगनू की तरह, चमको तो सही
दश्त भीगे न भीगे
इक बूंद के जैसे, बरसो तो सही
आसमा हो रसाई से परे
परिंदे के मानिंद, उड़ो तो सही
कोई हस्ती न सही
अपने आप मे मिसाल, बनो तो सही
