RAJMACHI RURAL AID AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
RAJMACHI is a historical fort in Lonavla region of the Western Ghats
and UDHEWADI is a hamlet of 21 houses situated on the plateau of the fort.
Rajmachi is surrounded by high hills and deep vales of abundant natural
beauty and splendour. We have taken up a voluntary development project
at this beautiful place. This is a brief resume of our endeavour.
Contact:
Mr. Mukund Gondhalekar
Flat No. L - 54,
Reserve Bank Staff Quarters,
Maratha Mandir Marg,
Mumbai Central,
Mumbai 400 008
Tel. No. 309 2438
Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development
Programme is a non profit, Non Governmental Organization (NGO). We are
engaged in voluntary development work at Rajmachi since the year 1976.
This is a brief introduction of the work done and our future plans.
Rajmachi
Rajmachi is a historical
fort situated in the North West of Lonavla, on the top of the Western Ghats.
The Fort has a rich treasure of historical monuments like ramparts, gateways,
water reservoirs, idols of deities and temples. It is our duty to preserve
this rich treasure of historical monuments, which are witnesses of the
great deeds of our ancestors.
Udhewadi
Udhewadi, a hamlet of 21 hoses,
is situated on the plateau of the fort Rajmachi. There is no approach road
to Rajmachi; one has to trek on foot a distance of 15 km. from Lonavla,
to reach Rajmachi-Udhewadi. During the dry season after the monsoon, a
kachha jeepable track is made, but it gets washed off as soon as the rains
start. All inhabitants of Udhewadi belong to Mahadev Koli community, which
is a Scheduled Tribe. During the rainy season they grow Nagli- a coarse
millet, which is the main food grain for them. They also rear cattle and
goat, keep poultry, collect timber from the forest and make bamboo baskets
to supplement their incomes. A few young men have, acquired skills in carpentry
and masonry and they undertake house building jobs in other villages. Some
families provide food and shelter to the tourists who visit Rajmachi, which
fetches them good income. Some persons have got jobs in the various
development activities commenced by Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development
Programme. As new sources of income, in addition to the traditional vocations,
are available now, their economic conditions have improved, as compared
to the situation about 25 years ago.
Drinking Water
Adequate clean drinking water
was not available for the inhabitants of Udhewadi. With a view to meeting
this basic need, Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development Programe implemented
a scheme to lay a pipeline to bring down the water from the historical
water reservoirs on the top of the Fort Manoranjan. With the completion
of the scheme in the year 1980, adequate clean water for drinking and other
domestic use, became available at Udhewadi.
Medical Aid
Any person falling ill at Udhewadi
and requring medical treatment has to be taken to Lonavla, at a distance
of 15 km. The inhabitants of Udhewadi did not afford the expenditure required
to be incurred for treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. Rajmachi
Rural Aid and Development Programme, therefore, commenced medical assistance,
free of cost, for the benefit of Udhewadikars. Qualified doctors associated
with the voluntary organization visited the hamlet at regular intervals
for giving treatment to the sick. The patients who required further investigations
and special treatment were brought to the city hospitals. The medical aid
scheme started by Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development Programme provided
treatment for common ailments and also benefited a number of persons from
Udhewadi who were suffering from serious ailments. Taking into consideration
the present conditions at Udhewadi, the organization has discontinued the
medical aid scheme. However, if any villager requests for assistance for
medical treatment, we help him.
Education
A primary school at Udhewadi
was sanctioned by Pune Zilla Parishad. However, the school did not have
a building and classes were not conducted regularly. The illiterate villagers
did not realize the importance of education. Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development
Programme encouraged education at Udhewadi. In June 1980, a school building
was built. All students in the school were given text books, note books,
school uniforms, foot wear, etc., free of cost, for many years. Volunteers
of the Programme conducted tutorial classes for the students at week-ends.
Attendance in the school improved and it provided education up to 5th class.
The Programme also encouraged the village children to continue further
education. We made arrangements for their stay in certain families in the
cities and extended to them the necessary assistance for their education.
Consequently, some children of Udhewadi could get high school level education.
With our continuous efforts for many years the educational environment
at Udhewadi has improved. All children in the village attend school up
to 4th class. No child remains illiterate. Some parents send their children
to their relatives and friends in the nearby towns for further education.
We give the necessary help for education of children, whose parents seek
such assistance from us.
Economic Development
We organized various out door
activities camps at Rajmachi, in which urban youth participated. Services
of some of the villagers were engaged for making catering arrangements
for such camps, which provided an additional income opportunity for them.
The villagers have now learnt to provide catering and other facilities
for recreational camps organized by other organizations also. They also
provide food and shelter to a large number of the adventure tourists who
visit Rajmachi. All these efforts have contributed in bringing about improvement
in the economic conditions of the inhabitants at Rajmachi.
Other activities
Most of the houses at Udhewadi
were thatched huts. Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development Programme helped
them to construct better houses with a roof of asbestos cement sheets.
We distributed to them second hand clothes, which we collected from urban
families. We made sincere efforts to wean them away from addiction to alcohol.
Initially, the result was encouraging. However, now we find that even the
young men whom we helped in education, drink. The continuous voluntary
work done since 1976 has brought about good results and changed the appearance
of Udhewadi. A separate school building is in place. Children take education
and no one remains illiterate. Superstitions are reduced. Dwellings are
improved. With planned layout of pathways and plantation of trees, the
environment at Udhewadi has improved significantly. With the availability
of supplementary incomes the economic conditions have also improved considerably.
Future activities
We have worked for about 20
years to bring about all round development of Udhewadi. Taking into consideration
the results achieved and the changed attitudes, particularly of the young
generation, we have made a change in the priorities in our activities.
Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development Programme has acquired, with the necessary
permission of the State Government, a piece of land measuring about 4 hectares.
We are now concentrating our efforts on development of this land. We are
developing a botanical park on this plot of land. We are also making efforts
to improve the existing facilities available for the adventure tourists
who visit Rajmachi in a large number. We are making efforts to develop
Rajmachi as an adventure tourism centre. We hope that these activities
will provide more employment to the local people, increase the flow of
adventure tourists and give a push for further development of Udhewadi
and Rajmachi. We will continue to extend to the inhabitants of Udhewadi
need-based assistance for education and medical aid, as and when a request
is received for such help. We will also continue our efforts to preserve
and maintain the rich treasure of historical monuments on the Fort.
The Organisation
Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development
Programme is registered as a Charitable Society and also as a Public Trust.
The funds required for our activities are collected by way of donations
from well wishers and sympathisers. Members of the Organization pay membership
fees and they render honorary work, without any remuneration.
REGISTERED UNDER :- The Societies
Registration Act, 1860 : Registration No. Bom-91 / 78 G.B.B.S.D. The Bombay
Public Trusts Act, 1950 : Registration No. F - 4846 - Bombay
Your participation
We appeal for your participation
in this unique project at a remote hamlet. You may like to contribute generously
by donating funds regularly at monthly or annual intervals. You may like
to give us used clothes in good condition. You may like to collect funds
from your friends and relations to support our activities. We request you
to visit Rajmachi, with your friends and relatives to see from closer quarters
the voluntary work done by us so far and solicit your valuable support
in this project to develop and further beautify Rajmachi, which has a historical
heritage.
Mukund Gondhalekar,
Secretary, Rajmachi Rural Aid and Development Programme