Gandhi Dham is a slum in Bijpur separated by boundary wall from NTPC Rihand Nagar Township. It is a locality developed as engineers started living in township. As engineers started living in township, they started giving job like sweeping, cleaning, washing clothes to the poor people. Traditional sweeper class (almost all of them belonged to DOM caste, the most downtrodden caste of Indian society) swarmed here and got regular job on meager wages. As they have no proper place to live and also they are not earning much without any hope for earning more in future, they temporarily made their home in the open place in the vicinity of NTPC. They used wood planks; tins etc for raising four walls and somehow covered their roof and started living. They also reared pigs as their traditional job. What is the most ironic situation for which they are own responsible is that they are not keeping their own home and locality clean. There are heaps wastages and collected water near their homes giving foul smell. Pigs are roaming here and there making the environment even worse.
Seeing their condition, I just interacted one sweeper who used to come in my room for cleaning. He started telling no one is helping them. I suggested him, but only you can change yourself. He understood my point. I suggested him to gather people, so I would address them. I reached in their locality on time. But there were none to receive me. Later I talked some other persons and they were also very confused. I again made them think that only they could change themselves. I again told them to gather people at some other time, so that we could address them for starting some educational program. Again no one turned. My friends became frustrated. I understood that if I wanted to change their life, then I myself had to go door to door for making them aware about better life.
My Observation:
Lack of confidence and hope for better life
Lack of cooperation
Unable to organize themselves in groups for implementing development work
Victims of many vices like drinking,
Having mindset that someone will come and distribute food, clothes etc. to them, but they themselves don’t want to put their own effort
No better schools for their children
Hardly any engineers interact with them. They are silent workers. They are coming, cleaning floors and went away without uttering a single world
They are treated badly by their contractor, they cut their salary on any small complaints
Regular interaction and spread awareness about the importance of cleanliness in their own life and show them the vices of drinking, smoking etc. A small video, showing better family life, may work.
Provision for better school for their children with all academic facilities
Stressed on inculcating culture to their children
Provision for reserving some seats in schools like St. Joseph, DAV Public School running in township for better students and whose parents show some sign of improvement in their daily life. If these students got chance to stay with better students, they might start dreaming big in their life as well.
Provision for building a locality with better homes: This should be included in township planning. As the age of township (about 25 years) and the age of this locality (about 25 years) indicate that they are complementary and should be included in township planning.
Distribute better clothes to good students regularly (based on attendance in school)
Crux: the way of living and the living condition, opportunity for progress in life of working class has not changed at all in India. What could be its solution at policy level?
