The healing of Bundelkhand against all odds: A silver jubilee chronicle

By Bharat Dogra 

In the ever-continuing efforts of finding better answers and solutions for various development issues, all sincere efforts, big and small, are welcome. One such persistent effort in the Bundelkhand region, in the form of a voluntary organization, is now on the verge of completing 25 years of its many-sided explorations and experiments for social, economic and environmental improvements. 

While today the work of Arunoday Sansthaan (AS) is well recognized in four districts of Bundelkhand region—two in Uttar Pradesh (Mahoba and Banda) and two in Madhya Pradesh (Chhattarpur and Panna)—it is also in the initial stage of its journey in a new region and district: Varanasi district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. AS today has a reach out to about 25,000 farmers in about 170 villages.

While its journey of 25 years has many achievements, it is also equally a story of resilience, of being able to recover from adverse and difficult situations to continue to strive for bigger tasks. At the turn of the century, Abhishek Mishra, a student about to complete his studies, knew very little about social work, activism and interventions. 

A bright and sensitive youth, he was influenced by a respected family friend, Gaya Prasad Gopal, widely recognized for his many-sided contributions to justice and environment protection in Bundelkhand, to take up social work. At a very early stage, he won the top position in a course on Local Self Governance and Rural Management, and this also encouraged him to take the plunge and initiate the efforts for starting a voluntary organization based in Mahoba.

Some of the first efforts of AS concerned taking up human rights issues concerning a semi-nomadic community called Kabutra, whose members were being implicated in several false cases. This was followed by efforts to help several rural landless households gain possession of land pattas they had been allotted but had not been able to cultivate. 

There was a campaign also to help dalit and women elected members of panchayats (village councils) whose work was being obstructed by powerful feudal persons. Several of these efforts went ahead in collaboration with a sister organization of women called Chingari, which was more active in earlier days. This also set the stage for many-sided efforts for empowerment and welfare of women and girls. Today, this concern is seen in according more priority to women farmers in the programs of AS relating to rural livelihoods and improvement of farming. 

Self-help groups, including saving groups, were organized under many programs of AS. Women have mobilized also against alcoholism and for removal of liquor vends from villages like Pachara. In addition, a women-led movement against habitual gambling led to significant reduction of this problem in Rajauni village.

Kishori Samoohs, or groups of adolescent girls mobilized by AS, are still active and take up several issues concerning them. Some of the important concerns relate to reducing the drop-out rate among girl students at the secondary stage of education and linking senior girls to various vocational education courses such as those for nurses. 

Attempts to improve education are also made by strengthening parent-teacher associations. Bal Manch, or forums of school children, have been organized which seek avenues of improving education beyond routine activities. There have been some inspiring incidents when members of Bal Manch have motivated their fathers to give up liquor consumption, thereby making their family life much better. Bal Manch members also make creative use of street theatre for conveying socially relevant messages.

While many-sided activities are continuing, in recent years the most emphasis of AS has been on strengthening and wider spread of its programs and projects relating to sustainable improvement of rural livelihoods, linking these to ecologically protective policies. This is getting a very encouraging response in many villages. 

Abhishek Mishra, director of Arunoday, says that a top priority for him and his colleagues has been to work in cooperation with government agencies—not to duplicate their efforts but to identify important gaps and try to fill them. One of the efforts of AS has been to help people, particularly from weaker sections and from more remote areas, to better access the benefits of various government programs and schemes. AS is also collaborating and helping in research projects of Delhi University and IRMA.

Remembering the various phases of the eventful journey of Arunoday, Abhishek says that there have been several periods of extreme difficulties, sometimes created by those powerful persons who did not like some of the justice-based initiatives of AS. However, nothing was so disheartening as the sudden death in a very tragic accident of Siyaram Mishra, father of Abhishek, who had been working selflessly to help and guide the young organization in difficult times. This disheartened and disturbed Abhishek so much that he remained clueless of how to emerge out of difficulties for some time. However, guidance by his mentor Gaya Prasad Gopal and local friends like Manoj Tiwari helped him to get back on track. In more recent times, the progress of AS has been significant and very encouraging.

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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, A Day in 2071, Protecting Earth for Children, and Man over Machine