Journalism of Courage
The residents of Pune have an opportunity to do something good for children belonging to the Pardhi community, which was branded as criminals by the British and still leads a life of neglect and hatred. The proposed tour planned next month, when families living in the city will host these children from the neighbouring Ahmednagar district, aims to help bring a positive change in their outlook towards life, marked as it is by their struggle for social acceptance.
These children stay at a residential facility — Mahamanav Baba Amte Ashram — at Shrigonda, around 120 km from here.
“The Pardhi community still leads a life of neglect and hatred for involvement of some its elements in petty as well as major crimes. Our ashram offers shelter to Pardhi children whose parents are either behind the bars or declared absconding by the police. There are also other children from this community whose families are leading a nomadic life. We want these children to see the outside world, which is more beautiful and meaningful than their perception so far,” ashram founder Anant Zende told Newsline.
The idea of arranging a special trip to Pune for Pardhi community children during the summer vacations was conceived by Anil Gunjal, Additional Secretary, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education.
“I had been to Mahamanav Baba Amte Ashram to deliver a lecture as part of an annual lecture series. I also had an opportunity to interact with these children, during which a small girl, Komal, approached me with starry eyes. She was in Class IV and expressed her wish to visit Pune. During my interaction with these children, I found that they were alienated not only from their families but also from society. I promised Komal to host her during summer vacations. Later, I resolved to bring not only one girl but all children to Pune,” said Gunjal, who is also associated with social organisation Spandan.
Zende, who works as a peon in a school at a small village near Shrigonda, has been running this residential facility for Pardhi children since 2008. His source of inspiration was the work done by legendary social worker late Baba Amte and his family in Vidarbha region. Zende said a group of around 25 children from his ashram was keen to visit Pune.
“We have 35-odd students in our ashram, including three girls. Some of them are with us right now, while others have gone to their families. The proposed Pune trip will help students come out of their shells and get a feel of the outside world. This exposure at this age will help them become a better person in life. The Pune trip will widen their horizons and also help them become responsible citizens,” he said.
Gunjal said the tour planned tentatively in the first week of June would involve two-day stay with families in Pune. “We would be planning ‘Pune darshan’ trips for children on our own. The families willing to host these children would have to only arrange their stay at home and food, if possible. We hope families would come forward in large numbers and respond to our initiative,” he said.
