Air of Jubiliation mesmerize villagers

Sanjeev Shekhar

Is it a dream or reality, Noren wondered to see the illumination of the bright lamp, a local villager of Bagdaha in the Madhuban panchayat of the Giridih district? Bhado too was as amazed as Noren, while an air of jubilation gripped his feelings and left him mesmerized.
Nearly sixty years of country’s independence they have seen the bulb glowing during the night in the fag end of their life. Thanks to the undaunted efforts of the all India level organization manned by Digambar Jain community, Sri Sevayatan, which made it possible in the secluded village of the district.
One of the most affected districts of Jharkhand in terms of naxal activities, Giridih, at the same time has carved a place in the world map for being the important religious place of the Jain community. Located on the top of Parasnath hills, ‘Sammed Shikar,’ has been the divine place for over five lakh Jain pilgrims, who throng the historical hills to offer prayers.
Hardly few months old, Sri Sevayatan, has been doing a yeoman service that rightly fulfill the age old adage, “service to man is service to God.” Driven by this philosophy, the organization adopted two villages, Bagdaha and Birengadda in the Madhuban panchayat of the district.
“We have distributed solar lamps to all the households in the Bagdaha village,” claimed the president of the Sri Sevayatan, M.P.Ajmera, a retired IAS officer.
With a series of benevolent activities up its sleeve, the organization has strived hard to make a difference in the lives of the poor villagers. Installation of tube wells, construction of roads, facilitation of irrigational activities, providing education to the children of villages, promoting self employment schemes like the making of ‘pattal-dona’ (plates and bowls of made out of leaves), providing good health and distribution of medical kits among the villagers have added a new chapter in the otherwise moribund life of villagers.
Completely isolated and cut off from the mainstream, the measures taken by Sevayatan has been of great help in bringing about betterment in the life of the villagers.
“The solar street lights would be installed from Birengadda stretching up to Bagdaha and from there to Dhowatand in Pirtad block,” informed the president of the organization, Ajmera.
Recently, the state government has sought the help of Sevayatan for the construction of the roads connecting six villages of the Pirtad block. “The project is in the final stage of formalities, and we will jointly give shape to it soon,” said Ajmera.
In fact these welfare activities have also helped misguided youth of the area not to resort to violence and naxalism. It might be the mission of Sevayatan to bring happiness and prosperity in the lives of the people, but the other side of the story is that the endeavour has minimized the naxal activities in the area.

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