Young India: Indian student adopts village in K'taka, inspires to change

The curiosity of the kids at Bhadrapura village located 3 km, off the Mysuru road in Ramanagara district appears to be par to that of children pursuing primary schoolings in the advanced education hubs.

What is in 'acute lacking' for these kids- the next generation of Hakki Pikki aboriginals, in the village is massive financial constraints and better educators. As kids succumb to this long unsolved socio-economic and education agony, they are forced to drop out of schools at very tender age.

In a village that closely witnessing the 'modern India in making' socio-psychology has hardly budged to realize improvised change. The children are forced to leave the schools at 10th or 11th, even as parents bother less to work hard in the direction of shaping substantial future for the kids.

As many as 140 households at Bhadrapura live in a tardy state of affair in terms of sanitation. All Hakki Pikki tribes seem careless to maintain clean village. They dump both solid and wet waste in front of their broken houses or into the drain passage.

This is the mindset of the dwellers. To write it straight, tribes are unaware of what they are undergoing and deprived of common basic rights which millions Indians are enjoying.

Dawn of Hope

On Thursday, Dec 10, three students of the school, which caters education till 5th standard in the village, were keen to know about mobile after they fearlessly posed to the mobile cameras like film stars. On the other side a team lead by Rahul Prasad, a student at RV Engineering College, was installing solar panel to power the school with electricity.

Rahul Prasad, who runs a charitable trust, Juvenile Care (JC) Charitable Trust, with an aim to invigorate the society has adopted the village four months back. "I with my JC team visited the village in 2013 to convene an awareness camp on sanitation and basic health under JC's Sparsh project."

The team in a day's camp made efforts to spread awareness among Hakki Pikki folk on brushing teeth, using sanitary pad, cleanliness and a few medical awareness. Rahul Prasad who was shock-struck in the next visit to the village only to find nothing has changed, buckled up with dedication with a single motto of changing the village. "I decided to adopt the village to materialize change."

Rahul finishing all the required paper works with Manchanayakanahalli panchayat development officer, has kicked off welfare works with zeal.

Challenges Ahead

25-years-old Rahul, a Delhi lad, in a detailed interview with OneIndia says key positions of approach are providing water, electricity, education, primary health care, sustained economy and sanitation. He categorically observes that prior making this happen on the ground, a laborious task that encounter JC team is modifying the mindset of the people.

"People in the village are just living, but not happily living. Moreover, they are 'ok' with what they are." The tribal folk believe, this is the only way of life existing for them. The villagers appear close minded in their approach to improvised way of life.

Rahul recalls, when he visited the village after the adoption, some chunk of villagers urged him to pay money to their pockets claiming they do not need development. Such is the mindset of a few villagers who also astonishingly steal electricity.

The village though was provided with electricity under Bhagya Jyoti project, users failed to pay the bill dues. The suppliers disconnected connections. The villagers then resorted to pilferage of electricity, divulged Parvati, who works as cook in the school.

Low GDP

The occupants of the village landed at Bhadrapura 40 years ago. The GDP of the village is too low. The only support system of the village is selling artificial flowers and decorative item in the festive seasons. A villager, with whom OneIndia spoke said his family travels across the state to sell man-made flowers and crafts bought in wholesale markets. "There in no other income for us apart from that."

Rahul and his friends, Nemello and Kishan opines that the major hurdle in going ahead with plans is changing the perception of the people. "Making them adaptive to change is a key challenge in this Bhadrapura." says Nemello.

Inspire to Change

Nemello who joined JC after inspired by Rahul's spell bounding passion for 'social change' explained how they motivate the community here. "One day we took the work of cleaning blocked drainage on our sleeves. We stepped inside the drain and took all the solid and wet wastes to send a strong message that villagers need to take up this task rather living in hazardous condition."

Kishan, another friend, who was fixing the solar panel climbing the roof top of the school, says "we will bring change for the village."

Rahul is in talks with doctors to establish a primary health center (PHC) in the place as sick people has to move 8 km for medicare. Rahul says there are Ragi fields in Bhadrapura, but tribes are not utilising the same to increase the GDP. "The basic plan is to provide them the buyers and teaching them on business infrastructure.

On the educational front, the team has a different plan and Rahul says sustained economy and changed mindset will facilitate the children to get better education. These primary changes in the village would enhance the quest for education. The team is mulling to hold many sessions on sanitation to gradually make the villagers understand the need of it.

Naveen and Madesha, two children, both aged 10 years after posing to cameras said OneIndia, "We know to see the photographs by ourselves, you do not have to show," while Madesha in loud voice claimed, "I too know to capture scenes in the camera."

Juvenile Care (JC)

A charitable trust JC came into being in 2010 and is the venture of Rahul himself. "In anger I pelted a nail at my maid's child. As I witnessed the poor maid's child's struggle for medical care in pain, this sparked me to do something and that is how I developed passion, to bring change among poor children."

After five years JC has 15,000 volunteers working under seven different projects relating to social change. The JC has its chapters in 7 states, namely Delhi, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Gurgaon.