ANANDGRAM : VILLAGE OF JOY
At first Anand Gram was
an unauthorised settlement on a private property in the suburbs
of Pune. In 1970, a generous donation from Oxfam made it possible
to establish Anand Gram on an 18 acre site 25 kilometers away
from Pune, close to Alandi village - where Saint Dyaneshwar
attained samadhi (enlightenment).
The land was an arid mixture of rocks,
hills and valleys, where only a few tenacious shrubs grew. The
Kirloskars lent their tractors, the Army played its peacetime
role to the hilt. Ravines were filled, bunds were built and
the land was levelled and plowed. Finally Anandgram was inaugurated
on the seventeenth of October, 1970.
The seed had germinated,Anand Gram had taken root. Patients
who had built their own houses turned their attention to farming,
cattle rearing, tailoring, weaving, leather work and carpentry,
which they could manage even with their handicaps. They cooked
their own meals, taught their children and started regaining
their dignity and self respect, which society had so cruelly
robbed them of. |
