Transforming Lives (Anupgarh, Rajasthan)

Adorned in Bridal Saree and Jewellery with a glow on their faces Rakhi, Usha and Seema were indeed very happy as they waited for their weddings at a group wedding ceremony organized by Sewa Bharati Anupgarh. These girls had a big smile on their faces and rightly so, as they become self-dependent after doing various vocational courses from Anupgarh Sewabharati Swawlamban Sansthan (Self-reliance institute). Earlier, their lives were full of insults as they begged for food or grains from various houses in the vicinity. But, today even those people were happy and wishing these girls good for their future.

Seema used to beg food from people but now go to their houses as a professional mehendi artist to adorn brides’ hands with mehendi. Poonam, on other hand was dependent on handouts of pulses by people is now ready to open her own boutique after training for sewing and tailoring from the Sewabharati  Institute. Seema, from the same area is now training as a Physiotherapist and Sunita is giving tuitions to kids while completing her graduation in Arts.

These are not the only families whose lives had been turned around by Sewabharati  Institute but there were 110 such families in the vicinity. They belong to  Sansi, Bihari, Dholi, Bajigar community  which used to beg as a means of survival. They were far away from the sophistication of an educated society and leading their lives in dark and hopelessness.This transformational miracle was possible because of 7-8 years of continuous efforts by Jodhpur Sewabharati Swawlamban Head, Shri Dinkar Parikh and Regional Training head, Shri Govind Kumar.

This uplifting project started 8 years back when RSS Swayamsewak,Shri Dinkar Parikh was travelling by bus and saw two kids searching for food from trash. This event made him determined to turn things around and he immediately got off the bus. Thus began the journey of transformation for people of Anupgarh, which started with organizing bhajan sandhyas (devotional song evenings) and Sanskarshala (ethics & values classes). This later extended to make people self-dependent and financially stable.

Vocational courses were started for boys and men as well which included training for barber, mechanic etc. Ram, an orphan in 8th standard trained as a skilled seat maker for vehicles taking advantage of  government schemes with the help of RSS Swayamsewaks. He does his job along with his studies and earns Rs. 7000/- a month. Pawan, father of four daughters and also handicapped was cursing his fate for giving him daughters. Dinkarji and Ramratnaji organized camps for such people to make them self-dependent rather than cursing their fate. They were then enrolled into government schemes for vocational trainings of barber. These people now do haircuts for BSF personnel or prisoners while some, including Pawan have opened their salons.

The idea to send kids to school was a distant dream for these people who were struggling for survival and daily nutrition. Alcohol was another problem which gave rise to many more problems. Now, around 250 kids are studying in nearby Government schools where they got admitted with the help of Swayamsewaks. Shri  Somdatt Kachoriya (Jila Sah Mantri, Suratgarh )tell us,  those men who made sure to send their kids to school, no addiction during work and save 1000/- per month were distributed carts. These included Drum beaters, cobblers, plastic collectors like Rakesh, Kaluram, Omji, Pawan Dholi etc. As per Mrs. Bhagwati Parikh(co-coordinator of Women Association, Ganganagar division) those youngsters who were earlier barely surviving as a blacksmith were also given opportunity. They were helped to get Kisan card (Farmer’s card) so that they could go to farmer’s markets and sell various tools for farming.

Mrs. Jaya Choudhary (Tehsil President of Women Association Anupgarh) says women were also trained in tailoring and 17 such trades in institutes run throughout the year. The women after training supply nappies, vests, bags etc. to earn money. These women sell Diyas (earthen lamps) and statues of Goddess Laxmi and God Ganpati during Diwali.

This humanitarian project is a huge success and its success rate can be imagined by the fact that when RSS Swayamsewaks 1st year training camp was organized in Anupgarh in 2019, these people happily fed around 100 Swayamsewaks for a week. This project touched lives of all age-groups, genders and professions.This Transformation from food beggars to feeders, destitution to financial stability and self-dependence is truly amazing and essence of this project.