GENERATING RURAL EMPLOYMENT TO PREVENT MIGRATION
Before the invaders ruled our country, India was called the Golden Bird (Sone ki Chidiya). Divided into small and big kingdoms, people of India, never considered villages and cities to be separate entities. In fact they were part of a whole, and contributed in every possible way they can, wherever they were. The kings also provided them enough support and freedom, so that every village had its own economy, was self-sufficient in all aspects, and just paid a token tax, to be protected by the King and his might. Everyone was a producer or a service provider. Most were self-employed, only a few were employed by others. Every profession was respected, and there was dignity of labour. The surplus production of villages used to get traded between themselves, sharing knowledge, skills and expertise. With no migration, experts in each field adorned the kingdoms, as jewels in the crown.
So when on Feb 2, 1835, Lord Macaulay's said to the British Parliament: "I have travelled across the length and breadth of India, and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage ........... ", it was no surprise. But that statement wrote the future of India. Today, 300 years later, India has become a haven for beggars and thieves, of various sizes and faces. The very backbone of this nation: its spiritual and cultural heritage, has been broken into castes, religious and political groups. Villages have lost their self-sufficiency, there is no dignity of labour, and employment is preferred over self-employment. Producers have become middlemen, farmers are giving up farming, rural livelihoods are shrinking, and people are migrating from rural to urban areas at an alarming rate. Today even 65 years after freedom, 30% of rural areas are not even well connected, leave aside basic living conditions. Villages have become mass slaves of cities, villagers are treated worse than animals, and have no right, except to vote in exchange of some money, alcohol and loads of promises. Frustration among people is leading to wide spread naxalism. If this trend continues, India might blow up into fragments very soon. Young India today, needs to put brakes to this downfall. But to do that, they need to sit together, brainstorm ideas, and devise ways and approaches, to reinstate the spiritual and cultural heritage of India, through its people.
PEHAL is one such platform, that brings together youth from various walks of life, to use their existing knowledge and skills, to strengthen the roots of India. PEHAL-2013, the fifth in this series, aims to focus on ‘Generating Rural Employment to prevent Migration’. Over 2 days, participants will present their ideas through ‘Working Models’, ‘Technical Paper presentations’, ‘Business Plan presentations’, and ‘Art Forms’ on the theme. Of course the best ideas will be recognized and awarded too. Want to become a part of PEHAL-2013, click on the REGISTER HERE button on the right, choose the event you want to participate in and submit an abstract of your idea. The best ideas will be presented at the event. Hope to see you there. |
NEW: Winners of all the Events have been declared. CLICK HERE
What is Pehal?
Pehal is an initiative, by SWANS, to find solutions to problems which our society faces today. The event lays special emphasis on social issues pertaining to the underprivileged of our society and tries to find solutions with the help of college students who compete with each other in four competitions viz. Technical Presentation, B-Plan, Model Making and Ad-Mad Show which are based on a central theme.
The first such event took place in the year 2009. VENUE:
STATE MUSEUM Shamla Hills, TT Nagar, Bhopal LAST DATE FOR REGISTRATION: 28th FEBRUARY 2013 The registration is free of cost. Attractive Prizes to be Won
For more info, check individual event page.
Who are we?
SWANS is a group of students and professionals from various streams, volunteering in their free time, to share their knowledge and expertise to bring the poor and underprivileged to the same levels of development.
To know more about us click here |