In India, there are over 600 thousand villages with over 60% of the total population residing in them. From population to the topology, every village has a different tale of its own. One thing that almost every Indian village has in common is the lack of development. A handful of villages do stand out and deliver stories of success that exemplify growth for the whole world.
Of that selected list of outstanding villages, a small village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra has managed to pull off a turnaround that none can even think of. After being literally left to ruins in 1972 because of a drought, the Hiware Bazar village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra now boasts of 60 millionaires. Yes, you’ve heard it right! Of the total 1250 people who reside in Hiware Bazar, 60 people are now big-time millionaires.
A village that was once marred by poverty and alcohol-addiction now boasts of cement houses along well-planned and clean roads. The monthly per capita income, that used to be around Rs 830 back in 1995, is now Rs 30,000. The village is now tobacco, alcohol, open defecation and urination free. All the 235 families that belong to Hiware Bazar has a toilet in their home, an accomplishment that not many Indian villages have to their name.
Lets have a look at the miserable history of Hiware Bazar that was as dark as the drought that destroyed the village in 1972.
Was this village always like this? Can any village be possibly like this? Arguably, No! The Hiware Bazar described above was once a piece of barren land where humans existed only to consume liquor. Before 1972, Hiware Bazar was just like any other village of India with the calm of nature gracing all its habitants. The normalcy and peace of the village was however destroyed after the village was affected by a massive drought in 1972. Their struggle of existence became more and more difficult. People became frustrated and started consuming liquor that only added to the village’s miseries.
The lack of support in their struggle for existence meant that people were now leaving their village. 90% of Hiware Bazar’s population migrated to nearby cities in search of some income. There was nothing on the name of a government for the village. The Sarpanch was too old for his own self. The village was all set to get extinguished.
What brought about the change? The only driving force that can possible do it; the village’s youth!
When the whole of India was rejoicing economic growth and development, the handful of people left in Hiware Bazar too started hoping for a change in fortunes. The first thing they needed was a leader and thus they decided to rope in the only postgraduate of the village, Popatrao Pawar, as the Sarpanch. However, neither Pawar nor his family was willing to accept Pawar as a leader for the village.
Destiny prevailed and in 1989, Pawar was elected unopposed as the Sarpanch of Hiware Bazar. After watching the hopes of every single person who elected him, Pawar realised that he had a chance to get his village transformed. The first thing he did was the closure of all the 22 liquor shops in the village that were sucking the peace of every family of the village.
After getting the hurdles cleared, it was time now for Pawar to set the right path for villagers to follow. He managed to get the Gram Sabha in a tie up with Bank Of Maharashtra to pull off loans for the poor families. Now he started working on the growth plan.
Knowing the importance of water, Pawar immediately initiated a water conservation and management program that boasted farming and also provided a source of some income. The villagers worked as Pawar’s loyal volunteers and together and soon managed to build up 52 earthen bunds, two percolation tanks, 32 stone bunds and nine check dams.
Of the total 976 hectares of land in Hiware Bazar, 150 hectares was completely rocky. Nature was against them too but Pawar had an answer for almost everything. In the mid-1990s, Pawar drafted in a plan for ecological regeneration, integrating available government
schemes. Villagers were requested to harvest fodder for their cattle instead of cutting down trees. The Babool trees which once served as a fuel, became a source of gum, that villagers sold at around Rs 2000/kg.
Labour was an expensive call and thus Pawar called up for a unified action from all the villagers. While one farmer is sowing, other villagers joined in to help him complete the chore. This saved up a lot of money and ushered a sense of unity amongst the villagers.
Pawar didn’t just go for the economic development, he had his eyes all set on social development too. The village has only Muslim family but still there is a mosque built up for them to offer prayers. Pawar also assures that the second daughter’s education and marriage expenses will be taken care of by the village.
What came out of this long unified effort of Hiware Bazar and its people? A village that now exemplifies growth with the help of nature!
The planning of Popatrao Pawar coupled with the unified efforts of the villagers meant that a success story was ready in almost every house. Apart from the individual success stories, the village boasts of many unified achievements. The school that was once closed is now open and serving almost every child of the village.
The milk production, that once used to be 150 litres a day in 1990s, is now 4000 litres a day. In 1995, 168 of the 182 families belonged to the BPL category. Now, for government there are only 3 such families and for Pawar there are 12. In 2007, the village won the National Water Award for community-led water conservation. The number of Wells has now increased from 90 in 1995 to 294 in 2014.
Pawar too has a long list of accolades to his name. Pawar has now been made chairman of Maharashtra ’s Model Village Programme that aims to create 100 villages like Hiware Bazar. He is also focused on bringing in solar energy to the village. Pawar also doesn’t allow the usage of cars in the village and has an arrangement of Car Pool for longer journeys.
If Hiware Bazar sets up an example for all the villages in India, Popatrao Pawar exemplies an ideal leader. To our struggling economy and sluggish growth, leaders like Popatrao Pawar and people like Hiware Bazar’s population can prove to be the touch of elixir.
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