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Sudhansu R. Das

He is a tall lean man in his mid-fifties looking ten years older. Unmindful of his fragile health, he is out to repay the society’s debt. He has chosen social service as the best means.

Harishchandra Sude had left his teaching job 25 years back to pursue full time social work. “Samaj ka bojh hamara upar he (the society’s burden is on me),” said Sude.

The Gramin Shramik Pratishthan, a voluntary organisation founded by him at Budhoda in the Latur district of Maharashtra, has developed an ingenious way to salvage self respect for the blind and disabled women in his district.

Today, each woman earns Rs 50-60 per day by weaving daris made out of old sarees, bed sheets and clothes.

The colourful daris serve both utility and decorative purposes in village homes. After the sarees are collected through centres in Latur and Pune, they are first made into ribbon shapes before being woven into daris.

The women also give attractive hues and textures to the daris and the finished products are, in fact, more useful than they appear.

The old and the unused clothes are recycled for more useful products. The rural households get a multi-purpose dari in exchange for seven old saris plus Rs 150 making charge.

“We are unable to meet the market demand,” says Sude, “I would like to engage one hundred more women in dari-making.”

Over the years, his organisation has added many more income-generating activities for the poor. Sude and his volunteers identify blind and physically challenged men and women to impart lessons on naturopathy treatment, steam bath, herbal cure, body massage and yoga therapy.

His organisation also promotes organic farming, conserves agro seed heritage, water harvesting and popularises smokeless chullah.

With the help of local bankers, Sude has also promoted 150 SHGs to teach people how to save small amounts regularly for the harsh weather. His vision of development is worth emulating for modern planners.

“Nurture smart entrepreneur- ship in rural areas to stop migration,” said Sude.

It is an impossible task even for the mightiest economy in the world to give employment to one billion-plus people in the urban areas.

As per the United Nations Population Fund report, 590 million people will inhabit urban centres in India by 2030. Majority of them are bound to end up as cheap labours. Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of rural development deeply influenced Sude.

“Once on Gandhi Jayanti Day, I came across Mahatma’s writings in a seminar and found solution for the rural poor,” recalls Sude. He has never looked back since then. Whether Sude’s message reaches the elite planner or not, his conviction is getting stronger.

Today, the society needs more Harishchandra Sudes who could repay society’s debt and change the lives of hundreds of physically-challenged people in society.

More Stories on : Society & Development | Social Welfare | People | Impressions

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