Nandini - A Virtual Tour!

Delhi Safai Sibbir

Ähíke Mkuðk yr¼ÞkLk

(nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½-rËÕ÷e)

                                                        Mkwhuþ Ãkh{kh

                                                                                       rhsÞkuLk÷ fkÞofh- nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½

søkíkLkk fkuEÃký ¾qýk{kt ßÞkt «u{, f{o yLku çkwÂæÄLkk Mk{LðÞÚke fkÞo fhðk{kt ykðu íkku íku søÞkLku Mðøko Mk{e çkLkkðe þfeyu Aeyu. Võík «u{Úke fkÞo fhðk{kt ykðu íkku ¼kðLkkþe÷ çkLkeLku MkËTçkwæÄe rðLkkLkwt fk{ ÚkkÞ Au. òu f{o s fhðk{kt ykðu íkku su ÷ûÞ {u¤ððw Au íÞkt MkwÄe ÃknkU[e þfíkk LkÚke yLku òu  çkwæÄe Úke fkÞo fhðk{kt ykðu íkku {níðfktûke ÚkE Võík fkÞo Mk{kó fÞko Lkku ykLktË ÚkkÞ Ãkhtíkw MkðuoLkku Mk{LðÞ  fheLku òu fkÞo fhðk{kt ykðu íkku Mkðo fkÞo ykLktËËkÞe, «uhýkËkÞe yLku fíkoÔÞrLk»X ÚkE hnu Au suLke «íÞûk yLkw¼qrík “Ähíke Mkuðk yr¼ÞkLk” îkhk ÚkE.

íkkhe¾ 22-04-2011 Úke 29-04-2011 Ëhr{ÞkLk MkVkE rðãk÷Þ îkhk nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½ rËÕ÷e ¾kíku MkVkE rþrçkhLkwt ykÞkusLk fhðk{kt ykÔÞw. økwshkík nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½Lkk «{w¾ yLku MkVkE rðÄk÷ÞLkk yk[kÞo ©e sÞuþ¼kE Lkk {køkoËþoLk yLku Lkuò nuX¤ ykX MðÞtMkuðfku y{ËkðkËÚke rËÕ÷e xuÙLk{kt sðk hðkLkk ÚkÞk. fkuEÃký «fkhLke ÞkusLkk rðLkk, íÞkt sELku þw fhðw íkuLke Ãkqýo {krníke Lk níke. níke Võík rË÷ ˤLku MkVkE fhðkLke ½økþ yLku su søÞkyu sEyu Aeyu íÞkt ÃkkuíkkLke ÃkkMku hnu÷ Ãkqýo þrfíkLku ¼rfíkÚke MkVkE Þ¿k{kt ÷økkððe. xe{{kt ÞwðkLkkuLkku swMMkku yLku ðze÷kuLkwt {køkoËþoLk su{ýu yk «fkhLkk MkuðkÞ¿kku{kt ÃkkuíkkLkwt MktÃkqýo SðLk yÃÞwo yuðk 86 ð»ko MkwÄeLkk MkðkouËÞ fkÞofh ©e økkuÃkk÷¼kE Ãkxu÷ suðk ðze÷ níkk. Mkðkh{kt «kÚkoLkk fhðe, MkkÁ ðkt[Lk fhðw, xÙuLk{kt MkVkE fhðe, sÁrhÞkík{tËku Lku {ËË fhðe, ÃkkuíkkLkku Ã÷kMxefLkku f[hku çknkh Lkk VUfðku-yuf fkuÚk¤e{kt ¼uøkku fhðku, xÙuLk{kt MktzkMkLke MkVkE fhðe ðøkuhu ßÞkt nkuEyu íÞkt yuf s æÞuÞ. yk{, «fkhLkk LkkLkk MkuðkfkÞkuoÚke xÙuLkLke {wMkkVhe y{ËkðkË Úke rËÕ÷e MkÄe Ãkqhe ÚkE.

Mkðkhu 10-00 ðkøÞu rËÕ÷e {kík] MktMÚkk nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½ Lke Ãkrðºk¼qr{ ßÞkt ËuþLkk {nkÃkwÁ»kku, Ëuþ¼õíkku yu ÃkkuíkkLkk f{oÚke ÃkkðLk çkLkkðe íku ¼qr{{kt Ãkøk {qfðkLkku {kufku {éÞku. 21 yufh{kt Vu÷kÞu÷k rðþk¤ yk©{{kt y{khk hnuðkLke íku{s ¼kusLkLke ÔÞðMÚkk fhðk{kt ykðe. «Úk{ rËðMk rËÕ÷e ËþoLk fhðkLkku {kufku {éÞku su{kt yËT¼qík yûkhÄk{ su{kt f÷kfkhku, rþÕÃkfkhkuLke ¼õíkeÁÃke f÷k íku{s Mk{ksLke ykæÞkÂí{fíkk MkkÚku ¼ÔÞ yûkhÄk{Lkk ËþoLk fÞko. «Úk{ yuðw Ä{oMÚk¤ òuÞw ßÞkt ykæÞkr{fíkk, ¼ÔÞíkk, f÷k MkkÚku MkkÚku MkwtËhíkk yLku MðåAíkk níke.

çkeò rËðMku Mkðkh{kt nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½Lkk «køktý{kt ykðu÷ «kÚkoLkk {trËh suLkwt ¾kík{qnwíko MðÞt ÃkqßÞ økktÄeçkkÃkqLkk nMíku ÚkÞu÷. yk©{{kt fkÞohík yk©{þk¤kLkk çkk¤fku MkkÚku «kÚkoLkk fhe. ©e sÞuþ¼kE îkhk çkk¤fkuLku MkVkE Þ¿k{kt òuzðk h{ík MkkÚku ðkíkko÷kÃk fÞkuo. íÞkhçkkË MktMÚkkLkk fkÞofh r{ºkku, çkk¤fku yLku MkkiLke MkkÚku ¼¤e íkÚkk {¤eLku «kÚkoLkk {trËhLke ykMkÃkkMk MkVkE fhðk{kt ykðe. «Úk{ rËðMku MkðkhLkk 8 ðkøÞkÚke 11 ðkøÞk MkwÄe yk©{Lkk y÷øk-y÷øk rðMíkkh{kt MkVkE fhe. íÞkhçkkË yku÷ ErLzÞk nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½Lkk {tºke©e ÷û{eËkMkS îkhk Akºkk÷ÞLkk çkk¤fku íkÚkk fkÞofhkuLke xe{ çkLkkðe. ykÃkýk Ëhuf fkÞofh r{ºkku MkkÚku yuf xe{ ðnU[eLku yuf yuf ¼køk MkVkE {kxu MkkUÃkðk{kt ykÔÞku. Ëhhkus Mkðkhu ÃkkuíkkLku {¤u÷ ¼køk Lke MkVkE çkk¤fku yLku fkÞofh r{ºkku MkkÚku {¤e Mkki rË÷Úke ©{ËkLk fhíkkt.  økwshkík hkßÞ nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½Lkk «{w¾ yLku ykSðLk MkVkE MkkÄf yLku MkkiLkk «uhýk{qríko Mð.Ãkq. Eïh¼kE Ãkxu÷ îkhk 1967 çkLkkððk{kt ykðu÷ þki[k÷Þ «ËþoLk su nk÷ ½ýk ð»kkouÚke ssorhík nk÷ík{kt Ãkze hnu÷. suLku Mkki MknÞkuøkeyku MkkÚku {¤eLku MðåA fheLku Sðtík fhðkLkku Lk{ú «ÞíLkku fÞko. ÃkqßÞ Mð.©e Eïh¼kE îkhk çkLkkðu÷ þki[k÷Þ «ËþoLke VheÚke Sðtík ÚkE økE. Ãknu÷k fkuE Ãký ÔÞÂõík íÞktÚke ÃkMkkh ÚkkÞ íÞkhu Lksh Lkk¾ðkLke Ãký EåAk Lkk ÚkkÞ íku søÞkyu y[wf Lksh Lkk¾ðe Ãkzu s yuðwt hku[f MÚk¤ çkLkkðe ËeÄw. Mkk{qrnf «ÞíLkkuLkk ytík{kt þki[k÷Þ «ËþoLkeLkwt WËT½kxLk MkVkE f{o[khe ykÞkuøkLkk yæÞûkk f{÷kçkuLk økwsoh yLku yku÷ ErLzÞk nrhsLk Mkuðf Mkt½Lkk «{w¾ ©e {k÷ðeÞkSLkk þw¼ nMíku fhðk{kt ykÔÞw.

©e sÞuþ¼kELke ykøkuðkLke{kt MktÃkqýo yr¼ÞkLk MkV¤ hÌkw. y{kÁ fk{ Võík íÞkt sE MkVkE fhðkLkwt yLku ÃkkAk ykðe sðkLkw yu{ Lk çkLke hnu íku {kxu Akºkk÷ÞLkk Ëhuf çkk¤fkuLku «u{ ykÃke íku{Lku MkVkELkwt {níð Mk{òððkLkku «ÞíLk fÞkuo. yk©{Lkk çkÄk s MknÞkuøke fkÞofh r{ºkkuLke MkkÚku ¼kE-çknuLk suðku Ãkkrhðkrhf MktçktÄ çkLkkÔÞku. yuf rËðMk Mkki MkkÚku {¤eLku Mk{qn ¼kusLk {kxu MkhMk nkux÷{kt s{ðk ÷E økÞk. çkeò rËðMku y{u çkÄk fkÞofhkuLkk ½uh yuf yuf r{ºkkuLke s{ðkLke ÔÞðMÚkk fhðk{kt ykðe. Ëhuf ÷kufkuyu y{Lku ¾qçks rË÷Úke-«u{Ãkqðof ¼kusLk fhkÔÞw. suLkk fkhýu yufçkeò MkkÚku Ãkkrhðrhf MktçktÄ ÚkÞku yk{, fhðkÚke MktMÚkkLku Mkðo ÷kufkuLkku MkkÚk {¤e hnuþu su Ãknu÷k fkÞo ðnU[kÞu÷w yLku suLke sðkçkËkhe MkVkE fhðkLke Au íku s fhu íku {xe MkkiLkw Au yLku Mkki MkkÚku {¤e MkVkE fhu íkuðw çkLke hnuþu. ©e Eïh¼kE Ãkxu÷ fnuíkkt fu su søÞkyu òyku íkuLku Mðøko suðwt çkLkkððwt òuEyu. íkuðwt fkÞo Mkki MkkÚke r{ºkku MkkÚku {¤e yk MkVkE yr¼ÞkLk îkhk ÚkÞwt su «íÞuf ÔÞrfíkLkk {kuZu níkw yLku ytíkhÚke yLkw¼ðíkk níkk.

“Ähíke Mkuðk yr¼ÞkLk” yLkuf heíku «uhýkËkÞe hÌkw, Ëhuf søÞkLku ÃkkuíkkLke çkLkkððe, íÞktLkk ÷kufku ÃkAe íku Lke[÷k Míkh Ãkh fkÞo fhíkk nkuÞ íku{Lku Ãký ÃkkuíkkLkk çkLkkðe, «u{Lkku MktçktÄ çkLkkðe íku{Lku sðkçkËkhe MkkUÃkðe, Wå[ fûkkLkk ÔÞÂõíkykuLkku yLkw¼ð yLku {køkoËþoLk ÷E Ëhuf fkÞoLkwt ykÞkusLk fhðwt.

Nandini - Caught in action !

An art workshop in progress . . .
Young girls look on keenly as Jagatbhai draws on the blackboard attached to Nandini.

The Circle of Life...
The volunteers and staff of Nandini, praying before the start of activities for the day.

Volunteers interacting with children in a village.

When in the villages...

The staff and volunteers of Nandini believe that a relationship has to be first built with the people in the villages for only then could it be expected that they trust the knowledge being given to them and accept and imbibe it in their lives. Keeping this in mind, Nandini has a detailed list of activities that it performs in different villages so as to involve the residents of the village and motivate them to take control of their village.

When visiting these villages, the core values that the Nandini team focuses on imparting to the communities are varied, but all tie back to the basic fundamentals of personal and environmental health and hygiene.Here is a look at the activities that volunteers and staff engage in the villages they visit...

•  Prabhat Feri – Through an early morning procession, full with chanting and music, the ideals of our message are intertwined spiritually with the people of the village.

• Gram Safai – For two hours every day, the Nandini staff and volunteers spearhead a village wide cleaning campaign of a neglected part of the village filled with waste.  A particular emphasis is placed on engaging all segments of the village population, including women and children.  Another common activity is cleaning the public restrooms and then painting them to give them a new and clean look.

• Village Rally – At each stop, the youth and children of the village are mobilized and, while chanting many environmental slogans, proceed throughout the village in order to bring awareness of the cause to those members of the community who may still be skeptical.

• Waste bin Recycling – An activity that is a favorite of the international volunteers is where old waste bins from around the village are collected.  They are then cleaned and repainted and distributed out to all of the shopkeepers to affix to the front facade of their shop.  The connection between the shop owners and the volunteers is so pure that the language barrier is no hindrance. 

• Primary School – A focused, interactive presentation is conducted with the primary school students where they are educated about the basics of personal hygiene and sanitation. 

• Women’s Outreach – The women of the village, whether through individual outreach, or addressing existing women’s groups, such as SHGs or micro finance groups, are presented the basics of home sanitation and the vital role they play in the overall health and hygiene of a household.

• ·         Village Youth – While all of these activities take place on a typical Nandini visit,   the responsibility of maintaining this momentum is always given to the youth of the village.  These young men and women are motivated to dedicate a minimum of one hour of their time, as a group, to continuing the message and activities of the Nandini van, every week.

• Tree Plantation – During the monsoon seasons, the benefits of a green environment are not only explained, but are applied.  The people of the village, along with the Nandini staff and volunteers plant trees all throughout their village with love and dedication.

• Engage Unemployed Youth – The Nandini staff go door to door in the village accepting monetary donations from village citizens who see the value of their message.  These total funds are then matched by the Nandini project.  This total sum then serves as an honorarium for unemployed youth in the village who would like to stay engaged with keeping their village clean and healthy.  These young men are compensated with these funds to maintain the village waste bins and tend to the trees that have been planted throughout the village.

• Personal home stays – During these village visits, the volunteers, both international and domestic, are placed with families throughout the village to offer an opportunity for the volunteers to connect with members of the community on a personal level, while imparting practical and applicable knowledge in the areas of home and personal sanitation. 

• Multimedia Show – Every night, the side facade of the Nandini Van transforms to a stage and movie screen for the entire village.  Through an LCD on the side of the van, a projector, and an audio system, the villagers are treated to a series of presentations, jokes, skits, and videos talking about the issues of environmental health and sanitation. 

A journey with a meaning...

We sit in familiar confines, in comfort that we today take for granted. With a fan above our head and access to almost anything under the Sun anywhere, we live in perfect contentment with the luxuries that life gives us, enjoying them all but not acknowledging even one. For most of us the fact that only 36.4% of the Indian population has access to latrines is something we cannot even imagine! In a society such as ours where the gap between the different economic strata is so much that though being children of the same nation, we cannot relate to each other let alone understand each others problem, it becomes extremely important to involve the urban with the rural in such a way that it brings about the empowerment of the masses through interaction and exchange of valuable knowledge. The Nandini - Service on Wheels project is an initiative by the ESI which has transformed the face of over a hundred villages in Gujarat and continues it's journey across villages in the State so as to bring reforms in the area of personal and environmental sanitation.

             As members of a society that enjoys access to education, the one real power that a nation can bestow upon its people, it becomes the primary duty of every educated person to spread the ripple of knowledge to those who have not been lucky enough to have access to it. Nandini gives us the opportunity to help create this ripple and be a part of that group of people who really care and are willing to act to bring about change. Travel with Nandini! Come aboard the bus to empowerment! Be the change you want to see in the world!