Although more than four decades have passed, several elderly residents of Jamun village still vividly remember the inspirational early days when the voluntary organization Seva Mandir came to this remote tribal community—then marked by high levels of illiteracy—with an adult literacy programme.
Recalling those days, Nathu Lal, now an elderly resident, says, “Much of the literacy work took place by the light of lanterns, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm for education. The teachers were not deterred by the many difficulties here. They were willing to go from home to home to light the lamp of literacy.”
This was clearly not literacy in a narrow sense, but a process linked to increasing social consciousness, including awareness of social reform and change. The foundation laid by the adult literacy programme soon became visible in the many-sided social progress the village achieved.
Jamun is a remote village in the Jhadol block of South Rajasthan. Many ideas introduced through the literacy initiative were new to villagers, yet they made increasing sense in terms of collective progress and improvement in quality of life. Residents soon realized that development should not be seen only in individual terms but in terms of the common good and the welfare of the entire community and surrounding areas. Such thinking was not new to tribal communities, which have traditionally valued collective well-being, but some good traditions had been weakened in recent times. It was therefore valuable to revive them gently and persuasively.
Women played a leading role in seizing these new opportunities by organizing themselves into self-help groups. The success of one group encouraged the formation of another until 13 groups were active in the village. Over time, the savings mobilized through them increased and enabled the start of small-scale income-generating activities. The meetings also offered a platform to discuss village issues and move forward on community-level social progress.
While community-based microfinance was doing well, new dangers appeared in the form of predatory microfinance agencies from outside, seeking to trap villagers—particularly women—into high-interest debt that could lead to ruin. The villagers’ increasing social awareness helped them resist such exploitation. Tensions peaked when a woman hiding from a recovery agent died of suffocation, and another faced unethical coercion. The community united with determination to stop these exploitative agents from entering the village.
More recently, to help people adjust to new financial systems and protect them from fraud, financial literacy initiatives have been introduced.
Women in Jamun have also become very active in combating violence against women in an organized manner. When complaints of violence or grave injustice are received, notices are sent to perpetrators, and attempts are made to provide immediate relief, although the resolution process may take several months.
In addition, Seva Mandir has recently promoted natural farming, and the initial response has been positive, with around 30 farmers now practising it. This is another area in which cooperative efforts are yielding promising results.
Development efforts in Jamun now have an added boost from the village panchayat. The new sarpanch of Maadla panchayat, Kanhaiyalal—earlier a highly respected member of the Seva Mandir team—has long been appreciated for his contribution. Under his leadership, opportunities for collaboration and community participation have increased, leading to new initiatives and commendable outcomes. (Jamun falls under this panchayat.)
This is particularly significant at a time when Jamun has emerged as an important centre for advancing community forest rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Villagers proudly emphasize that even when there was pressure for individual claims, they never wavered in prioritizing common forest rights. Seva Mandir’s sister organization Van Uthaan Sansthaan also played a crucial role. Despite delays and attempts to obstruct progress, their determination prevailed, and Jamun and neighbouring villages secured recognition of their community forest rights.
Already, over 6,000 trees have been planted here, and the region is emerging as an important model of community-led forest development, fully in line with the villagers’ commitment to social progress and the common good.
During a recent visit, I participated in a group discussion and learned much about the community’s development initiatives. People recalled many inspiring moments from the past with enthusiasm. On forest-related issues, they spoke particularly clearly about why community forest rights matter most to them.
The deep commitment of activists is exemplified by Bhanwar Chauhan, a Seva Mandir worker who accompanied me. He survived a motorcycle accident in which he suffered 32 fractures and underwent multiple surgeries. Yet despite his traumatic ordeal, he returned to his demanding work requiring frequent travel and continues to contribute with energy, thoughtful insight and optimism.
However, villagers also admit regretfully that Jamun has not entirely escaped negative trends. There has been a rise in alcohol consumption, which has caused health, economic and social harm. Addressing this and other concerns can further strengthen the village’s development journey.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include When Two Streams Met, A Day in 2071, Man over Machine, and Hindi Cinema and Society
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