The Name Itself: HIRO: (Hamlets In Requirement of Orientation)
Furthermore, one may even think that there are no illiterate people, village like setups. But every village has turned into a small city or a big one. However, humans cannot boast of this high-pitch development.
One such place in many other places all over India is Koyna backwater Area in Satara district. Here, there are still some people living in jungle setups. A few about 10 -15 families live in clusters or settlements. These clusters or settlements are called 'Hamlets'. They live here because of their lands. They cultivate these lands.
Geography of the Area:
The big vehicle-roads are not possible here. The roads are dusty and bumpy. In the rainy season the hamlets are quite cut off from the main villages and Blocks. Only road available for the people to connect with other villages is by boat through backwaters. Of course, in rainy season the boats too are off from the shore.
Getting Aquainted with SATARA:
First Steps of SCOPE:
There were many children, number of them out of the School Atmosphere. Parents are illiterate. Superstitions were rampant. Health and hygiene was needed an urgent attention. Migration was the biggest problem in the Koyna backwater Area. Livelihood depended on seasons. It had to be made sustainable. The people could depend solely on seasonal crops. Whatever they earned or cultivated in the farms they received very meager returns. Apart from seasons, there were wild boars and bison to destroy the crops. This created not only a very high percentage of migration of the locals to the big cities like Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Goa, looking for jobs but also very low wages in and around their own hamlets.
What Jobs they performed in those cities:
If the families migrated to the cities then the women became servants and cleaners. The men became vehicle drivers or coolies. The children would find jobs as child labourers in hotels or some such places. When they came to their native villages they were unhealthy, sick, overworked and underfed.
The Major Issues the SCOPE encountered:
The SCOPE saw as we were visiting the villages in SATARA an opportunity to gather the children under a teacher.
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Suggestions are welcome
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| A Typical Hamlet in Remote Satara |
We
live in a twentieth century. This is the age of high speed computers, nano
technology, and highly tech-savvy time. It looks as though we are on top of
every development. Naturally the share of this development one may think has
reached every nook and corner of the world.
Furthermore, one may even think that there are no illiterate people, village like setups. But every village has turned into a small city or a big one. However, humans cannot boast of this high-pitch development.
There
are still states and places in the world, definitely in India where illiteracy,
lack of hygiene, sustainable quality of life, life with dignity, lack of
electricity, highs heed computers and all other things to add up to
modernization absent.
One such place in many other places all over India is Koyna backwater Area in Satara district. Here, there are still some people living in jungle setups. A few about 10 -15 families live in clusters or settlements. These clusters or settlements are called 'Hamlets'. They live here because of their lands. They cultivate these lands.
Geography of the Area:
 |
| Market-returning husband & wife |
The
whole Western Mountain ranges are so arranged naturally that they form a big
basin. Moreover, this area receives great amount of rain. Therefore, in the
sixties, the State Government built a dam called Koyna. All the people living
near Koyna (river) had to vacate their lands to live on the mountain top. The
area is full of thick jungle with sanctuary of wild animals. It is also
declared by the Maharashtra State Government as Wild Life Sanctuary and Tiger
Reserve Forest. Due to all these reasons the area becomes physically
difficult to travel. Many villages and hamlets are connected with small
pathways.
 |
| Bag of seeds for community farming |
The big vehicle-roads are not possible here. The roads are dusty and bumpy. In the rainy season the hamlets are quite cut off from the main villages and Blocks. Only road available for the people to connect with other villages is by boat through backwaters. Of course, in rainy season the boats too are off from the shore.
Getting Aquainted with SATARA:
Initially,
the SCOPE began its work in the Pune District in the year 1999. One
of the Government Officials saw the SCOPE was doing. He was quite
appreciative of the dedication, transparency, commitment with which
the SCOPE had done its work for several years in that area. The
official happened to be the Block Development Executive Officer. After three
years he was transferred to Satara district. Within few months of his reaching
there, he contacted me and requested that the SCOPE began its work in
Satara remote, around back water in Western Region. That was how
the SCOPE became one with the Satara remote and began working
there.
First Steps of SCOPE:
The
SCOPE surveyed the area for two years. We became friendly with the scattered
Hamlets. This helped us learn the issues with which the people struggled. Their
needs were many and varied.
There were many children, number of them out of the School Atmosphere. Parents are illiterate. Superstitions were rampant. Health and hygiene was needed an urgent attention. Migration was the biggest problem in the Koyna backwater Area. Livelihood depended on seasons. It had to be made sustainable. The people could depend solely on seasonal crops. Whatever they earned or cultivated in the farms they received very meager returns. Apart from seasons, there were wild boars and bison to destroy the crops. This created not only a very high percentage of migration of the locals to the big cities like Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Goa, looking for jobs but also very low wages in and around their own hamlets.
What Jobs they performed in those cities:
If the families migrated to the cities then the women became servants and cleaners. The men became vehicle drivers or coolies. The children would find jobs as child labourers in hotels or some such places. When they came to their native villages they were unhealthy, sick, overworked and underfed.
The Major Issues the SCOPE encountered:
The SCOPE concluded
that
1.
The Migration had to stop
2.
The People needed to be 'educated'.
3.
The sustainable livelihood needed to be created which will help them to remain
in the villages.
Way
back in 1996-97, a group of Japanese students came to India with certain
Hiroyuki Ishikawa. Though Japanese, he had tremendous compassion for the poor
wherever he saw them.
He
helped many poor students from various Indian states for their higher
studies, irrespective of their religion and caste. His dream of
helping those who could not afford was an inspiration for me to think of
school-dropouts ranging from Kindergarten to the High
school. Moreover, education was already announced as one of the basic
human rights.
Hence,
the SCOPE thought of creating an Education program and dedicate it to
Hiroyuki. Thus, HIRO Project was born as an educational wing of
the SCOPE.
The SCOPE saw as we were visiting the villages in SATARA an opportunity to gather the children under a teacher.
This post under construction
Suggestions are welcome
