Saturday, 5 May 2012
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Students' Camp in Burujugadda
A Camp was organized for young students in Burujugadda and it was conducted by Anjali Devi, a teacher from AP Residential Girls High School, Gowlidoddi, Dr. Kranthi, Sri PL Srinivas, and others.
A Hope Model
Transformation of a Thanda – A Hope Model
G.Bhavitha, B.E.Ist
Year.
Date: 14th
May, 2003.
I still cherish those moments,
which are fresh in my mind. I remember spending every weekend of my childhood
with my parents at Burujugadda Thanda-a tribal settlement of Pedashapur Village
When I think of this place, the
sight of beautiful women in colourful clothes adorned in ivory jewels reaping
in the meadow flashes into my memory. At the same time, I am also reminded of
little children dressed in unclean clothes with red hair (owing to protein
deficiency), skin disorders and running noses.
The kids who are supposed to be
playing in pre-school are seen carrying infants (either their little brother or
sister) and taking care of them while the mothers are busy in the fields. This
was 20 years ago….
My recent visit to Burujugadda
Thanda has left me stunned. The change that has taken place during the last ten
years is incredible and has left me bereft of all words.
All the thatched huts have been
replaced by RCC houses, each of them being provided with a kitchen, dining
hall, living room and a small courtyard,
where milch animals are tied. Blue ribbons of wide internal roads lined with
streetlights have replaced rubbish roads in a dark village void of electricity.
The village folks are seen
performing their daily ablutions and other activities around the five
thousand-litre capacity water tank provided with many taps. Little children
well dressed in clean clothes are seen trotting to their primary school in the
same Thanda. High school children are seen going on bicycles to the nearby
village. Men are engaged in filling up milk cans, which are to be transported
to the city by auto trolleys. Women are seen in colourful sarees and nicely
tied hair with their faces reflecting glowing smiles.
The idol of the village god under
the peepal tree has now been installed in a small temple with a big compound
wall. This is the place of worship, fun and frolic, and a place where the folks
congregate for various activities such as formal meetings, cultural events, and
celebrating festivals. How has this transformation taken place? What has made
this village what it is today, different from what it was a decade ago?
A tender plant entwines itself
into a slender creeper even with the smallest support being offered to it. This
is a plant with a healthy attitude.
Vasavya Society for Rural
Development headed by Mr.GV.V.S.D.S.Prasad (Present chairman and founder
secretary of VASORD) entered this village with non-formal education (NFE) in
the year 1987. Mr.T.Arjun, a farmer of the same village having education
qualification of 7th form, was made animator of the NFE center. The
interested youth attended the center and learnt how to read and write.
Hanuman Raithu Sangam, a
community organization was started in the year 1987 with a nominal membership
fee. With the help of VASORD, each family of the hamlet was provided with a
milch animal through DENA Bank Loans. (Mr. Rajamani was the then Manager of
Dena Bank).Mr. Rajamani used to make frequent visits to Burujugadda and also
used to stay there many a times. He used
to interact with the village people and this made a great impact on them. DRDA
had given a Van to transport the milk for marketing. VASORD established
marketing facilities in the city of Hyderabad .
The milk was sold at a higher price so that the benefit would directly go to
the farmers.
Health education programmes,
health camps, immunization and family planning programmes helped to improve the
health status of children and women. Government
Dental College
and Hospital, E.S.I.
Hospital India (FPA) and Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Limited (HPCL) sponsored these programmes. With the support of HPCL, a school for the
rural children was run for a period of 5 years till the government started a
primary school. Shrimati Shanta
Ramweshwar Rao, Principal, Vidyaranya High School , Hyderabad
inaugurated the primary school.
Mr.Srinivas, a teacher of this school has been residing in the village
for the last 10 years and has played an important role in enhancing the quality
of life of the people living in Burujugadda, under the guidance of Shri
GVVSDS.Prasad, Chairman, VASORD.
Since there was no high school
within the village limits and owing to lack of transport to the high school in
the neighboring village, they were dropouts after 5th year standard.
VASORD, through child sponsorship programme (CSP) initiated by Shrimati Seetha
Venkatraman provided bicycles for the children, so that children could complete
their schooling successfully.
Exposure visits were organised
for these children, which enhanced their overall development. Sports,
excursions and cultural events brought them immense confidence and changed
their outlook towards life.
Training’s and exposure visits
for the women and youth of the village could bring immense change in their
outlook towards life. The DAIRY, which
was managed by VASORD initially, was taken over by the Thanda itself. The improved economic status of the
individual families led to the better living standards of the village people -
concrete houses, bio gas and smokeless ‘choolas’, security bonds life LIC
Policies, FDs, NSS Certificates, two wheelers and also a tractor.
Education has brought awareness
and people have realized the importance of health, hygiene and
environment. They have discarded bad
habits such as drinking, smoking and eating pan masalas. The villagers have abandoned the child
marriage system. They are aspiring to
become doctors/engineers/collectors/police officers. They want to provide comforts for their
mothers by way of washing machines and mixers in the kitchen. They are keen on learning computers and they
also want to travel abroad.
This village has become a hope
model at the National Level. Similar
Thandas in the same Shamshabad Mandal offered with the same amount of support
by the government, haven’t achieved a quarter of what Burujugadda Thanda has
achieved. This clearly shows the
commitment, the unity and the zeal of the village people. In the words of Dr.Kamal Taori IAS, Burujugadda
Thanda is “ A Miracle Village which could be a hope model in Rural India”.
AGRICULTURAL:
Agricultural Land : 40 Acres
Watershed Management area : 40 Acres
Number of Bore wells : 11
Number of Wells : 02
Crops : Rice, Jaw, and Vegetables
HOUSE FACILITIES:
Number of LPG Connections : 30
Number of Houses : 34
Number of Smokeless Chullas : 15
Number of Gober Gas Plants : 01
Number of Toilets : 10
Number of T.Vs : 21
Number of Telephones : 08
Electricity Collections : 25
Number of Scooters : 06
Number of Autos : 02
Number of Fans : 27
Number of Tractors : 01
Roads : Taru and CC Road
Drinking Water Tank : 5000 lts capacity tank
Number of Street Lights : 12
Number of Avenue Plants : 55
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