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Sector: Yuva Mandal (Young Men's Support
Group)
In a country where 73% of the population is
under the age of 35, harnessing the energy of
the youth is vital. India’s development and
future lies in the hands of the youth as seen in
the village of Gharther Bandi. The youth of this
village were tired of the lack of
development taking place in their village. Their
voices were never heard by the Panchayat (local
governing body) and nothing was being done to
improve their economic and social condition.
Existing roads were falling apart and many
needed to be made. The villagers had to walk
miles just to get enough water for the day. The
village could not organize itself in order to
receive any aid. Because there was no organized
effort, the youth’s potential could not be
tapped. As a result, the youth would waste time
sitting along roads and playing cards. They took
no responsibility for their households and
personal development. Unemployment riddled the
community and became a major problem.
When Kuldeep and Sunil started talking to each
other about the village and what it needed, they
became inspired to do something. They realized
that if the villagers of Gharther Bandi did not
take responsibility for the community, then
nobody would. At first the youth were hesitant
to join Kuldeep and Sunil, but once they saw
their sincerity they too became enthusiastic. A
significant amount of girls also joined this
movement and became active members of the group.
Word spread quickly about the youth’s plans to
help their village by building roads and talking
to the Panchayat. The village supported them
fully. The group decided to call themselves the
Chinmaya Yuva Pragti Club with their focus on
pragti, or progress. Five years ago, with the
help of CORD worker Shanti, the youth began
holding regular monthly meetings.
Shanti discussed with the youth how they could
get involved with government schemes to better
their village. When Shanti could no longer work
with CORD, Rashish continued guiding the Yuva
Mandal. For many of these schemes if the youth
came up with a portion of the money for a
project the government would give them the rest.
Using a 10-90 scheme, the youth would contribute
ten percent and the government would contribute
ninety percent. The youth took full advantage of
this opportunity and decided to build a rain
shelter near t heir bus stand and a tea shop.
They rented out the tea shop to a member of the
youth and collected rent from him each month in
order to help fund the group’s various
activities. This not only helped bring in funds,
but also provided employment to one of their
very own youth.
In
order to come up with the necessary funds, the
youth used their creativity. They held sporting
events and village fairs in order to raise
funds. With the support of the village they were
able to come up with enough funds for the many
projects they had planned. However, now that the
youth had physically cleaned their village, they
wanted to clean up village politics.
Gram Sabha meetings (for the villagers and the
local governing body) occur at the village level
every three months on a fixed date. These
meetings allow villagers to voice their concerns
and make positive changes. The meetings are
meant to keep an open and transparent
relationship between the villagers and the Panchayat. However, this was not the case in
Gharther Bandi. The Panchayat Pradhan
(President) neglected his duties and forged
meeting minutes to meet quotas. His heart was
not with the people leaving them with no hope to
change their village. But the youth decided to
put a stop to this corruption and planned to
attend the next Gram Sabha meeting. When
they arrived at the Panchayat Bhavan for the
meeting they found it closed and the Pradhan was
no where to be found. Angered by his behavior,
the youth locked the Bhavan with one of their
personal locks to symbolize the corruption and
inaccessibility of the local government.
The youth felt invigorated and wanted to
exercise their voice. When Ward Panchayat
elections were coming up, the youth decided to
put their support behind one of their friends,
Shashi, who was of the Schedule Caste
(marginalized caste). This way they would have
more say in local politics and a direct link to
the Pradhan. In many small villages in India,
caste discrimination continues to persist. But
Shashi proved his capabilities and drive to the
villagers and won the elections for this
designated position with the support of the
Chinmaya Yuva Pragti Club.
Now the youth are taking advantage of many
different types of government and institutional
schemes to better their village and future. When
the People’s Science Institute, an NGO based in
Dehradun working on natural resource management
and environmental issues, was training
individuals on agricultural practices the youth
wanted to send a representative. CORD, with the
leadership of senior member Kaushalya, helped to
lead an exposure trip to learn about Systematic
Rice Intensification (SRI), organic farming
techniques, and compost pits. Sanjeev, an
outstanding youth, volunteered to learn and took
part in the training. He brought home knowledge
to the youth and other villagers on rice, wheat
and vegetable cultivation. The agrarian based
village benefited greatly from his experience
and knowledge and were impressed that the youth
were taking so much interest in the village’s
welfare.
In addition to addressing village development,
the youth also wanted to discuss and further
their inner development. They made it a point
at
their monthly meetings to discuss moral
topics. They also woke up early to sing bhajans and do their daily prayers.
The youth also decided to do prabhat ferry where
they went from home to home singing bhajans and
chapters of the Bhagavad Gita.
Currently, the Chinmaya Yuva Pragti Club is
planning a major sports fundraiser with the help
of the Nehru Yuva Kendra, a government
organization that encourages youth sports
activities. With the funds, they hope to make
improvements to their village and get involved
in more government schemes. The youth of
Chinmaya Yuva Pragti Club often come to the CORD
Center for monthly follow-ups and share with
other groups new possibilities for village
development. This youth movement has been so
well received that they are now planning on
spreading to three other Panchayats. Despite the
fact that many of the members are often changing
locations, getting new jobs, going to college,
etc., they still remain dedicated to the group.
With the support of CORD, the Chimaya Yuva
Pragti Club has changed the landscape of their
village both physically and politically.
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