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This is an archive article published on February 2, 2008

Million-dollar turnaround

Till a decade ago, this was just another drought-ridden, crime-infested village. Now it8217;s a land of millionaires. Hiware Bazaar8217;s success story

The courtyard houses 15 Jersey cows8212;together they produce over 350 litres of milk every day8212;and overlooks three acres of plantations, a double storeyed new house and two tractors. In the centre is a rose tree. The only aesthetic touch in Maruti Gopala Thange8217;s largely practical world? Not really. 8220;So many VIPs drop by at the village these days, it becomes very difficult to run around for flowers to felicitate them. So we planted a rose tree in the house only to make things easy,8221; said Thange, who till 15 years ago worked as a daily labourer for Rs 40 a day. Today his daily income from his dairy and agricultural produce is about Rs 3,000.

A few metres away and you are on Amruta Baba Pawar8217;s land8212;15 acres of lush green on which Pawar grows jowar, onions, peas and fodder. The yield has been good enough for him to rebuild his house, send his son to the army and buy a vehicle. Much like Satish Ramdas Thange8212;his five-bedroom mansion has a car, a jeep and a tractor and his son goes to an English school outside the village.

Pawar, Thange and Satish Thange are all part of a script that dared to turn round the fortunes of Hiware Bazaar, a village 17 kilometers from Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. In a little over a decade, it changed from being a drought ridden, crime infested village to one of the most prosperous villages in the country. Over the years, this turnaround has earned Hiware Bazaar awards like the Best Ideal Village in the State, National Productivity Award and Sant Tukadoji Maharaj Cleanliness and Sanitation Award. The village was among the few that witnessed the phenomenon of 8216;reverse migration8217;, when over 40 families who had migrated from the village to cities returned between 1992 and 2002.

Today, however, Hiware Bazaar has a whole new claim to fame. Of the 216 families in the village, one fourth are millionaires with an income of over Rs 10 lakh a year. Apart from these 54 millionaire families, the per capita income of the village, at Rs 24,000, is almost thrice the average of the top 10 per cent of rural areas nationwide and the average income has apparently risen 20 times in the past 15 years.

While in 1992, 168 of the 180 families lived below the poverty line, the figure went down to 53 in 2000 among 210 families and to three out of 226 families in 2007. 8220;Our aim for 2008 is to make this figure zero. The Gram Sabha will give land to these three families and make sure their status is elevated,8221; said Poptarao Pawar, the sarpanch of the village who scripted the amazing turnaround after he took over in 1992.

8220;The main problems the village faced were that it fell in the rain shadow area with an average rainfall of just 350-400 mm, heavy soil erosion, degradation of natural resources, and scarcity of drinking water, fodder and wood for fuel. Given the situation, there was mass migration and those who stayed back indulged in crimes and drank all day. The village became a punishment posting for government officers and teachers,8221; said Pawar, a B.Com graduate, who as sarpanch decided to use funds from government schemes like the Employment Guarantee Scheme to regenerate the village8217;s natural resources8212;soil, water and forests8212;and put together a transparent administration led by a strong gram sabha.

The gram panchayat built 40,000 contour trenches around the hills to conserve rainwater. Ten lakh trees were planted. Bans were implemented on grazing on agricultural land, on digging of borewells and on planting water-intensive crops like bananas and sugarcane. The village also banned liquor, advocated the one-child-per-family norm and spruced up education.

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The number of wells increased from 97 to 217, irrigated land went up from 120 hectares in 1999 to 260 hectares in 2006. Last year, the yield from onions alone was Rs 1.5 crore.

8220;Ours is the first village in the country to initiate a water audit,8221; said Pawar, who had been invited to Tokyo two years ago to present a paper on watershed projects and will now go to Turkey for a world conference on ground water management.

There8217;s more: crime rate is zero while literacy rates have shot up. Since 2002, HIV testing has been made compulsory for anyone getting married. Almost every family has a person in service8212;in the army, as a teacher or with the government. There has been no migration from the village in the last 10 years.

8220;Why would anyone want to migrate when the village offers a much better quality of life today,8221; asked 49-year-old Kashinath Padhiye, who was mockingly called 8216;Sahukar8217; by villagers till a decade back for doing any work asked of him as long as he was paid Rs 30 for it. Today, he owns 31 acres, a new house and an annual income of over Rs five lakh8212;and can rightfully lay claim to the title.

Sunanda Mehta

Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry. Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune. Professional Background Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city. Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author. Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023) Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024) Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues. Core Column: "Against All Odds" Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges. Recent notable articles (2025) The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic. Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer. Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape: 1. Personal Narratives & Closure "'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal. "A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US. "'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune. 2. Civic & Heritage "'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs. "'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties. 3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations "Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals. "Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation. Signature Style Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan. She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements. X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More

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