Flow of Life Dongripada-Maharashtra

Dongripada means a small settlement on a hillock which also describes the topography of the village surrounding. Being close to the buzzing city of dreams- Mumbai, should have been an advantage for this small settlement of 33 families, but sadly it was not the case. It lacked even the basic infrastructure, and people dreamt of good roads and most importantly water. 

Dongripada is just 80 kilometers away from Mumbai and comes under Palghar district. The drinking water situation in the village was so critical that people had to go 1.5 km down through a rocky road, to get water from only available well. Rains would make situation worse, as even that jagged road would close off. Dongripada is rich in natural beauty and receives ample rain too, but lack of storage of rainwater led to water scarcity. Farmers could not cultivate their field and those who could, had a meagre income. Most farmers worked as field labourers in the nearby village of Sansane. Nearest primary school was nine kms away and there was no place to study after school. Only seven farmers could cultivate their fields due to this shortage of water. No roads, no electricity, no water, no government offices and the list of absences would go on. This situation finally turned around, when Ex-karyavah of Mumbai city, Shri Vimal Kedia took initiative.

Vimal ji says, he was the architect, but Dongripada residents were equally committed in execution part. Be it the work of connecting all the houses with pipelines, or building a community hall “Samaj Mandir” (Society temple). First and foremost, a pipeline was laid from the well to a huge water tank and later pipelines and solar panels were fitted on every household. Funding of this initial part was done under the Gram Vikas Yojna, of Keshav Srishti multi-faceted project established in the memory of Shri Keshav Baliram Hedgewar who established Sangh. A Pune based private company ‘Gram Urja’ has completed the initial work of pipe laying and solar panel fixing. Sachin ji from Keshav Srushti who is in charge of the development of ten villages including Dongripada is happy to explain that once the major expense is borne by Keshav Srashti, people contributed for further development themselves. This included irrigation set up and its maintenance.

The community hall serves as a sewing class center with eight sewing machines. This hall has become a holy place for villagers, as all families are given free of cost access and various family and society functions took place here. It is also a cultural centre for kids and is a library also. A Computer center is also functioning in community hall with two computers donated by SBI. It hosts devotional evenings weekly which has reduced addiction. In fact, Warli people, who drink Tadi (a kind of local alcohol) have stopped drinking, and growing rice and vegetables instead and earn decently. 

Changes are positive and rate of development is fast. This village is now a proud owner of Astroturf playground and is electrically connected. Meanwhile, the main problem of water is fully solved. People of Dongripada were ecstatic as their wait for water was over. This wait was not for hours or days but was for seventy long years. There were residents like Shantabai, who being 73 years old had literally waited her whole life for drinking water. Water tank built in the village ensures water year-round and faucets between every 8 houses made the distribution easier.

Renowned writer, Shri Ratan Sharda and his wife Shrimati Shyama reached Dongripada and asked about any further assistance. The villagers unanimously replied, that they did not require any further help, they got what they wanted, and “now on they will manage on their own”.