In service of others, the trees
live in the service of others, the cows give milk.
In the service of others the rivers flow. This body is for the service of
others.
Those who live for others, really live! Those who live for themselves are as
good as dead.
– Swami Vivekanand
Shri Bhikhubhai & Smt.
Kokilabahen Vyas
The benefit of getting involved
in social work is that we realise: “Despite all the negative reports by the
media, there are so many good people in India. They are quietly doing great
service to the nation. Whether the media takes notice of them or not, they are
unconcerned. They take up tremendous tasks, impossible for a small man.
And somehow, their dreams get
fulfilled.” There are many such people. Let us see a couple: Shri Bhikhubhai
Vyas & Smt. Kokilabahen Vyas (also known as Kokibahen).
It is said that if husband and
wife are true partners, their progress in life can be tremendous. Both help each
other and take care in times of crises, and grow together. Most of the religious
rites should be conducted together by husband and wife. What can be more
religious than serving the poor and the destitute!
In or around 1924, Mahatma
Gandhiji told his followers to leave the Congress, go to the villages of India
and serve the rural people. Late Shri Jugatram Dave was one such follower of
Gandhiji. Bhikhubhai is a follower of Shri Jugatram. After graduation in the
year 1950, he tried for a job as a teacher. After some time, in the year 1951,
joined Vedchhi Pradesh Seva Samiti. There he started under the guidance of late
Shri Jugatram and served the tribal people in and around the villages of Surat
district. Today, when he has crossed the age of 77 years, he is still serving
the people. In his life time, he has hardly ever earned any salary or business
profit. Most of his service has been without any income.
Kokilabahen, also born and
educated in Valod – same native place as Bhikhubhai. Those were the times when
students got inspiration for social service right from the schools. They learned
about peaceful agitation (Satya Graha) in school by practice. At the age of
around 27, she met with a crisis in personal life. Read the Gujarati novel “ Zer
to Pidha Chhe Jani Jani” Literal meaning in English: “I have taken poison with
full knowledge”. It always reminds one of Saint Meerabai. But the author late
Shri Manubhai Pancholi has, in this novel, developed a character Rohini and
talked of her feelings and sentiments. Kokibahen was so moved with the story,
she went and met Shri Manubhai & lived with him in his Ashram as his daughter.
In 1968, both Bhikhubhai &
Kokibahen were fully in social service, met and got married. Bhikhubhai, in his
youth was a handsome man. But what appealed to Kokibahen was his service to the
humanity.
Since then, both have worked in
many institutions, served many people. Kokibahen has done B.A., M.A. & B. Ed.
She started working as a teacher in girls’ school in a remote village Borakhadi.
The difficulties faced in a remote tribal village with absolutely no facilities
– cannot be truly appreciated by us in Mumbai – when our children/grand children
go to air-conditioned schools. But Kokibahen has produced several social service
minded people – and especially tribal girls. I have met some and know the
tremendous human wealth that Kokibahen has produced. If human resources experts
were to count this wealth, India’s GDP would increase significantly. At the peak
of her career, Kokibahen was looking after more than 25 educational
institutions.
Her salary as a teacher and
now, after retirement, her pension of Rs. 5,000 per month supports the couple.
In their work, the Vyas couple
met several international institutions and got support from them. These
institutions have the skill of bypassing New Delhi and straight reaching the
rural/tribal institutions. For most part of their work, they have been financed
by Australia and Sweden and some other friends from different countries. In 1999
when I first met them at village Waghval, I fell in love with their transparency
and the zeal to serve the poor.
For me, even more moving matter
was the abject poverty of the tribals in Dharampur forests.
Dharampur is a taluka in Valsad
district. Except for the main city of Dharampur, rest of the taluka is spread
out on the mountains which are officially covered by forests. There is no
industry in the forests. Agriculture is very difficult as the mountain slopes do
not give any flat land for tilling and farming. Earlier, the tribals peacefully
lived in the forests supporting themselves with the forest produce. Then came
the timber contractors and cut down the forests. With the forests, the animals
and entire wild life has diminished to bare minimum. The tribals don’t
understand what hit them. They only know that they have nothing to eat. For four
months of monsoon, the people live in their villages and do some meagre farming.
After Divali, the streams start drying. In absence of the trees, water is not
retained in the land. Soon, the wells also start drying. People come down from
the forests and go to Valsad, Vapi and other places for daily labour. The
current rate of daily wages for hard labour in the open is around Rs. 60 per
day. In off season, no work will be available. So they work for a few months as
daily nomadic labourers in and around cities, and few months for farming in
their villages. Gandhiji gave up his Paghdi when he saw a woman who did not have
sufficient clothes to cover her body. In 1999, there were several homes in
Dharampur –where, in a family of three ladies, there will be only two sarees. In
the whole village Waghval, there was not a single pucca house; and no one had
full clothes which cover the body from feet to neck.
In this forest, this Vyas
couple had started seven schools in different parts. About 900 tribal children
study there. The schools are known as Asharm Shalas. The schools provide food,
clothing and education. The fee is Rs. 200 per year. The parents who cannot pay
even this fee, are considered and given freeships. One school has got Government
grants. Other six schools continue on donations.
In the year 2000, several
events occurred. Kokibahen retired from her service as principal of B. Ed.
College. She gave up the supervision of 26 educational institutions and
concentrated on the six un-aided schools of Dharampur. The Swedish Government
which was providing main financial support together with Swedish private people,
said that they had completed ten years of their financial support. Now they
cannot continue the support. Their policy is that in ten years, an institution
must become financially independent. How can a school teaching poor tribal
students become self sufficient! God provided the answer in the form of Shri
Pradipbhai Shah (M/s. A. J. Shah & Co.), Shri Arvindbhai Dalal, Shri Girishbhai
Sharedalal and friends. Today, there is a group of about 35 people called
“Friends of Dharampur”. Most of them are chartered accountants and tax lawyers
of Mumbai. These friends of Dharampur, their friends, relatives and clients have
replaced the role of Swedish Government. And the Vyas couple has expanded their
role from education to uplifting the tribals economically.
Their teachers double as social
workers and teach the tribals in increasing their incomes. They are now doing
the following works: Massive encouragement for tree plantation. Planting of
vines for vegetables in their own compounds. Cash crops. Water management by
constructing small check dams. Preventing soil erosion by terrace farming.
Just to take illustration of
how difficult a work the Vyas couple is doing: Dharampur has annual rain fall of
more than 150 inches. When it rains over the slopes of mountains, the streams
run water with the force of a herd of mad elephants. Even the Government of
Gujarat did not dare to construct dams to tame these streams. And Kokibahen’s
students – Sujata, Santu, Varsha & others led a team of tribals and constructed
dams made of soil and stones. They had no mechanical instruments, no cement, no
engineers. These dams withstood the onslaught of the mad monsoons of Dharampur.
This is a magic to be seen to be believed.
In Wahgval, the tribals knew
farming of only Nagli ( a poor man’s crop) and rice. Shri Rasikbhai, teacher at
Waghval school taught them farming tomatoes. In two years, several trucks
started coming to Wahgval for lifting the tomato harvests. Today, the Wahgval
farmer does not go out to cities for work. Many houses are built better. Almost
all people have two pairs of full clothes.
This magic is repeated in
several villages. Gujarat Government, enthused by this success has started
building good check dams in the area. Several trusts have entered Dharampur with
an idea to help the tribals. Forests have started thickening and peacocks (who
were not to be heard in 1999) have started singing. Gujarat Government has built
many roads and bridges in remote forest areas and is providing active support.
The Vyas magic is working.
If you want to contact them,
below are their communication details. Though they live in tribal villages, they
use computers and e-mails and mobile phones freely. Generally, if Bhikhubhai is
in his office, you can expect response to your mail in a few hours. Well they
have travelled the world, seen the world and worked in forests.
Vedchhi phone: +91 (02625)
220154
Bilpudi phone: +91 (02633)
240750
Cell Phone: 0 98795 69535
