ஆந்திரா முன்னாள் நக்ஸலைட் கிராமம் தற்போது வளர்ச்சிப்பாதையில்- நன்றி சின்ன ஜீயர் மடம்

Transformation of a Naxalite Tribal Village - Inspiring story from AP
11/04/2008 10:06:20 Courtesy:Samachara Bharathi, VSK-AP


By Anil Kumar


ALLAMPALLY (AP): Five years back, Allampally and nearby tribal hamlets used to reverberate with the staccato sound of gunfire emanating from both police and Naxalites. Today, this Tribal village is echoing with the chanting of slokas and religious hymns by the Tribal children.

This transformation owe to the credit of the initiatives and the innovative ideas of the Hyderabad-based Jeeyar Education Trust, which started three ‘ Gurukulams ’ one each at Allampally ( Kadem mandal ) and Beersapet ( Utnoor mandal ) in the district and the third at Ongole .The tribal students are now finding their place in the social mainstream. And JET is planning to open another half a dozen gurukulams in districts like Khammam and Karimnagar.

Besides traditional education, the Gurukulam (residential school), which was started on 26 January 2004 at Allampally also teaches regular curricula to 378 students, including girls from 11 nearby tribal hamlets. Of the 350 students, 150 are provided with boarding and accommodation in JET’s hostel free of cost. The Gurukulam , is in fact, now the hub of all developmental activities in the village. The locals are being sent to Bangalore for training in vocational and other skills.

JET has also taken the initiative to improve transportation by laying a 13-km road from the interior forest area to the main road and has succeeded in training underprivileged tribal children in performing daily rituals like ‘ Sandhyavandanam - ’ and ‘Aradhana ’on a par with other Hindus.

The change is so marked that the children who once were hard put to it to articulate themselves now field questions with ease. ‘‘My father died when I was young and none took care of our family. During that time, my mother found a holy place ( Jeeyar Gurukulam ) and immediately got me and my brother admitted there,’’ Madhusudan , a Class V student told. He has been studying in the Gurukulam since 2004 (his sibling is in Class VI) and has won appreciation for his ‘‘ petro gas’’ model at a science exhibition on the school premises.

‘‘Our hamlets were in the grip of fear till 2003. But since JET opened the Gurukulam the fear has vanished,’’ a visibly happy Parbhi Bai of Mangal Singh tanda said. With the Gurukulam surpassing all expectations, the State Government has accorded permission to upgrade the school from Class VII to X ‘‘Princes used to go to seers in the forests and live with them for education and enlightenment- But with changing times, education is available in the cities. Today, we have decided to take it to the forests,’’ Sri Sri Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy told.

To Know More about Jeeyar Education Trust - http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/Index.asp