Rangoli and creativity in times of Covid 19 with sakhis of Yavatmal....

Rangoli and creativity in times of Covid 19 with sakhis of Yavatmal....

Rangoli is synonymous with beautifully decorated designs on the floor adorning our courtyards or homes. It is an inseparable part in many houses. Tamilians are extremely familiar with this art form which is known as Kolam in Tamil. My father was an engineer in the railways and we were fortunate to live at Bhusawal in typically large railway quarters with huge courtyards. My mother's day would begin with sprinkling the courtyard with water and making a beautiful Rangoli or Kolam every morning. She would then proceed to make intricate designs in our prayer room. My sister not only learnt the art but also mastered it. I am always awestruck at her ease and precision in making symmetrical and intricate designs on festive occasions and cute little designs at their prayer place everyday. In contrast I can barely draw two lines and a flower whenever the occasion demands and shy away from it. Of course the beauty of any Rangoli has always fascinated me.
Rangoli are traditional, geometrical, hexagonal or circular patterns created on the floor or ground, sometimes even on walls and doors..They can be wet or dry and colorful. My mother used to tell me that rice flour was used to make Rangoli so that insects and squirrels could feed on them. With modern times chalk powder or other material are used probably overlooking it's original purpose. Chemical colours are also common now. Kerala is famous for it's Pookalam or Rangoli made with flower petals. The ones made during Onam are of special significance.
Rangolis are usually made during Diwali and other festivals. They are also believed to bring good luck and ward of evil. Each geographic region in India has it's own unique pattern and is also known by various names like muggu in Andhra Pradesh  /Telangana, mandanaa in Rajasthan, alpana in West Bengal, chowk poorana in Punjab.
However I have always been fascinated by the
'Sanskarbharti' rangolis  in Maharashtra,  Their range of colours and expanse is fascinating. No wonder they have been commercially developed and are an important part of any big celebration.
All said and done the charm of traditional Rangolis will always remain and when it becomes a part of awareness creation of the current Covid 19 crisis its value multiplies.
I was spellbound to see the efforts put in by SHG members of about 1200 villages in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra to effectively use Rangoli for spreading awareness about Covid 19. Their creativity is increasing by the day as they made beautiful designs and included catchy slogans and messages in Marathi to spread awareness against Covid 19. The messages include some like Stay home stay safe, My health is my responsibility, I am my protector, Don’t leave your house otherwise Corona will come to your house, Wash your hands clean. Stay Clean and stay healthy, Follow the rules and Avoid Corona, Clean your hands for 20 seconds, Lakshman Rekha.
MSRLM works for the empowerment of women through self help groups and community based organizations. It follows the ten cardinal principles of Dashasutri. The sixth sutra pertains to health, nutrition and sanitation and the tenth sutra relates to sustainable livelihoods.
Yavatmal has 24095 SHGs, 1216 Village Organizations and 54 cluster level federations.
The mission provides strength to the members of the self help groups by supporting them to set up various livelihoods. Till date more than 44800 livelihoods have been generated in Yavatmal. These include sustainable agriculture, goatery, poultry, fisheries, floriculture and vegetable cultivation. SHGs women have also been proactively making face masks. Till date 1422 SHGs have made more than five lakh masks. They have distributed more than 3 lakh masks to senior citizens. In these trying times when managing one's life itself is a challenge it is really heartening to know that despite facing all odds of a downswing in economy, despite being restrained in their day to day living SHG women have come forward with such a novel idea to inspire themselves and the residents of their villages.
May the colours of their creativity fill their life with beautiful hues of joy and happiness. 

Of freewill, containment and survival with the virus....

Of freewill, containment and survival with the virus....

'"Shehar sunsaan hai kidhar jaayen, khaak hokar kaheen bikhar jaayein...."..I am reminded of Abida Parveen's soulful rendering of this timeless ghazal everytime I pass through the barren looking, almost lonesome roads of Aamchi Mumbai - the roads none...I bet no one could ever imagine so barren like this as the hustle bustle, crowd, jams, honking of horns, tolls- all of which in normal parlance are a part of the lives of us Mumbaikars.
It is over four weeks since the lockdown and my heart sinks when the question emerges from deepest recesses of my mind as to now what? The lockdown may end whenever but will it end the fear of the virus? Will the lifting of the restrictions be able to lift our spirits up? Will the gradual so called bring-life-back-to-normalcy ever happen? Right now it seems all shut. Closed. Silent with noisy murmur and clamour of tales of people breaking the barriers to be out in the open, in vegetable markets, in banks, in streets in general as narrated by the channels repeatedly day in and day out.
It is a matter of serious concern and thought whether the lifting or non lifting of lock down would bring respite, inculcate some sense of responsibility amongst citizens to none else but to ourselves ! At the cost of huge loss to our economy, and the social psyche of the masses, the lock down has been imposed not as a matter of choice but as no other 'choice' looks viable, workable and seemingly helpful in curtailment of the spread of the dreaded virus.
Containment as of now is the only nationwide probable solution already posing serious questions due to issues related to rozi roti of the migrant labour or the closed industries and establishments. But I wonder whether we as citizens of developing country having density of population unmatched by any developed country of the world, realise the threat as real or even understand the discipline it requires by each one of us as individuals. It is a matter of great pity and shame that we have shown behaviour akin to Shakespearean mob with no mind of its own, attacking those warriors who alone can save us in this looming large despair and almost certainty of annihilation.
Adhering to norms of containment as a matter of course and acceptance of all the precautions which containment emphasises is the only limited answer and the only safety wall which, if we fail to understand the grave necessity of, would crumble our very existence.
We are facing a challenge as grey and dense as the dark shadow of death itself but I am sure we have the ability to overcome and come out of this dismal scenario provided we really really understand that its high time we contained ourselves, our petty needs and whim and fancies howsoever justifiable or logically correct.
Abida Parveen ends her ghazal with the couplet " Raein andheri hain aur kinara door, Chaand nikle toh paar utar jaayein "
So the night maybe dark and our goal of conquering the virus may seem distant, yet we have to be our own "chaand", knight in shining armour and protect ourselves. We have to learn to overcome our petty thoughts of earthly joys. For only when we survive the question of freedom and freewill will really matter....

R.Vimala with Ms.Sumedha Kataria, IAS, Haryana 

Of New year- Puthandu, Baisakhi, Jalianwala Bagh and the fight against Corona Virus....

Of New year- Puthandu, Baisakhi, Jalianwala Bagh and the fight against Corona Virus....

Half the country celebrated new year yesterday albeit in their homes. Celebrating in the haven of their homes this new year was certainly different. People often talk about the differences between north and south. Indeed their culture and lifestyles are so different yet their new year falls on the same say. In fact there is a whole stretch across India including Tamilnadu, Odisha, Assam, Bengal, Manipur, apart from Punjab and even countries like SriLanka, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh which celebrated New Year yesterday. They may be known by different names like Puttandu, Baisakhi, Bihu, Poila Baisakh etc but they carry the common thread of celebrating the harvest.
For Tamilians, Puthandu signifies reading of the Panchangam, that is the Calendar which is an important part of the celebrations. Everyone looks forward to what the future holds and how the year will unfold.
As with festivals certain special dishes are also an integral part of Tamil New Year,. They include medu vada, payasam ( kheer) but the Vepam Poo Saathumudu- Neem flower Rasam and the Maangai Pachadi stand out. I vividly remember my mother making ," maangaai pachadi" a sweet sour delicacy made with raw mango, jagerry, garnished with mustard seeds, asafoetidia and red chillies. Our home used to be filled with an aroma of asafoetidia and the spluttering sound of mustard seeds. These two delicacies indicate the need of balance in our lives to accept the sweet and sour along with the occasional bitterness.
Presently all of us facing the Corona crisis do feel bitter about being restrained in our homes. Many regret their inability to meet family and friends, move out freely and enjoy life. The restraint on travel, the closure of trains, local trains, buses, metros, flights has cut us off from our near and dear ones and even our work. A sense of listlessness has creeped in. While some people are able to work from home , a majority of them who worked in factories, hotels, malls, industries , constructiom and other establishments are left without work. Additionally some are stranded far away from their homes in various camps. Bitterness and a sense of helplessness is bound to creep in. At such times remaining positive seems impossible. Yet one has to overcome this sense of sadness and helplessness. There is no way out except faith, belief and patience.
History is replete with stories of great distress caused by natural or manmade disasters.
When we look back 101 years ago, it was on Baisakhi day that General Dyer had shot continuos rounds of bullets on the harmless people who had gathered to celebrate the festival at Jalianwala Bagh. Though the official records say that 379 persons died , eye witnesses says that more than 1000 people certainly lost their lives. These included small innocent children who had come to play in the garden.
It is impossible for anyone to imagine the melee where the huge gathering was caught unawares not knowing how to escape from the sole entrance which was blocked by the army and the shooters. The people could either run towards the wall or jump into the well.
One can never overcome the eerie feeling on seeing the 'Martyrs Well' at the site in Amritsar which is now surrounded by a large structure. It is a silent witness to the hundreds of lives lost in it's dark cold walls. The bullet holes in the walls which have been preserved reflect the sense of helplessness among the people who were literally facing walls of no escape from death.
The massacre can neither be forgotten nor forgiven. Our opponents then were the British and their tyrannical rule. People rebelled in different ways. Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood. Freedom struggle took a different turn and we ultimately achieved independence.
Presently we are facing a unique war and a struggle against a virus. We can win this war only by staying home. So stay home, stay safe and be happy and grateful to be in the comfort of your own homes because nothing will last forever , not even the corona virus.....

बदलेगी नियति....

बदलेगी नियति....

सन्नाटा हर जगह
अजब सी निशब्दता
घबराया हुआ मन
ह्रदय हैँ धड़कता
एक वायरस के कारण
इतनी विवश्ता
गली और रास्तों से
मनुष्य बेपत्ता
बसों और रेलों
की खत्म चपलता
चौराहों पर पुलिस
की बढ़ी सतर्कता
घूमने की तुुम्हे
बतलाये व्यर्थता
स्वास्थय कर्मी की देखी
हमने उदारता
सेवा मेँ तत्पर
हैँ कई और योगी
देते आवश्यक सेवाएं
करते हैँ स्वच्छता 
क्यों  ना घर रहकर
हम दिखाए बुद्धिमता
निकले गर काम से
मास्क चेहरा हो ढकता
साबुन से हाथों
की करें स्वछत्ता
क्यों खुबने लगी तुम्हें
अपने घर की ही निजता
याद कर लोगे गर
बेघरों की विरक्ता
बढ़ जायेगी ज़रूर
तुम्हारी सहनशीलता
कर लोगे गर तुम
प्रकृति से मित्रता
बदलेगी नियति
यही ईश्वर की कृपालुता ...

मन विमल

Rising to the Occasion, SHGs of MSRLM and students of DDUGKY....

Rising to the Occasion, SHGs of MSRLM and students of DDUGKY....

Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission , MSRLM Umed works for the empowerment of women through self help groups and community based organizations. It's groups practice Dashasutri which entails regular meetings, savings, internal lending, repayment of loans and writing books of accounts. Added to these are the five social aspects of health- nutrition-sanitation , education, ensuring entitlements, participation in panchayati raj institutions and sustainable livelihoods.
Currently MSRLM Umed is supporting 4.2 lakh SHGs (48 lakh rural women) spread across Maharashtra. These SHGs have been linked with various livelihood generation activities and are managing several enterprises.
Many people are astonished to know that our team has created more than five lakh women farmers, more than three lakh goat rearers, almost two lakh poultry farmers, one lakh vegetable farmers, one lakh fish farmers, about 10, 000 floriculturists totalling to over 12 lakh livelihoods. We have more than 1500 producer groups and fifteen FPOs, Farmer Producer Organizations managed wholly by women.
In every sphere of rural life, the women from our self help groups always rise to the occasion.
Even during the Covid 19 crisis they have been at the forefront understanding the outbreak and getting trained immediately by our field teams to prevent and break the chain of the infectious disease. Our team of community resource persons numbering almost 60,000 took upon themselves the onerous task of educating the SHGs about the critical aspects against the spread of the disease, the importance of washing hands appropriately, maintaining social distance, covering mouth while sneezing and coughing etc. They also emphasized on nutrition and healthy eating habits.
The women showed great enthusiasm and enterprise in their desire to make and sell masks. MSRLM therefore arranged localized capacity development trainings in all districts to make face masks, hand sanitizers and herbal soaps to ensure that the women made the masks scientifically and maintained appropriate standards. Today we have made almost nine lakhs face masks with a turnover of Rs. 1,07,16,626/-
The SHGs of MAVIM under the Department of Women and Child Development have also made almost four lakh face masks.
These have been provided to various departments including health, revenue, police , Medical shops, Gram Panchayats, Zilla Parishad, Banks, Municipal Corporations etc.
Our women entrepreneurs are not only producing these items, but also creating awareness at local level for increased use of these COVID-19 protection tools.
When employees of organized and unorganized sectors are losing their jobs due to this pandemic, our SHGs are not only able to overcome this crisis by producing these items, but also protecting citizens from further spread of this pandemic. They are also providing wholesome meals or are a part of the distribution chain in many places.
Our units at Wardha and Yavatmal have also set-up special homebased units for hand sanitizer and herbal soap (both in liquid and solid form) production in their respective districts. These women entrepreneurs have started manufacturing COVID-19 special liquid hand wash, which is very effective to remove infectious virus from body parts. They have provided more than 200 liters of hand wash to Nagar Parishad, Wardha at Rs. 240 per liter.
Our women are also at the forefront in providing banking services. A cadre of four thousand Bank Sakhis, Financial Literacy Sakhis and Banking Correspondent Sakhis are supporting banking operations in the remotest village of Maharashtra and bringing cheer to all those who cannot come to banks. The BC Sakhis are providing door to door services and earning blessings of the senior citizens and the differently abled.
DDUGKY is the skilling wing of MSRLM and almost thousand students who had been trained to work as medical attendants are providing support in life care activities. Those who had been trained as security guards are braving the security duties fearlessly.
MSRLM has been able to create many Covid warriors who are offering support in their own little way.
There is a sweet little word in Marathi " khaaricha vaata" which means doing one's own bit. SHGs in the state are doing just that by supplying face masks at affordable rates of just Rs.10, Rs.15 and Rs.20/-. These are made of woven cotton, are washable and can be reused.
The members of the SHGs are from the most vulnerable classes, they are often women who have been deserted or victims of domestic violence. They face many unfavourable circumstances yet every time I have see them putting all that behind and rising to the occasion and all this with a smile. Now too they have come forward to contribute in a positive way in this crisis.
A ray of hope to light us during the Corona Virus Crisis....SHGs of MSRLM are spreading the light.
गगन, सदन तेजोमय
तिमिर हरून करुणाकर दे प्रकाश, देई अभय
गगन, सदन तेजोमय, गगन, सदन
छाया तव, माया तव, हेच परम पुण्यधाम
छाया तव, माया तव, हेच परम पुण्यधाम
वाऱ्यातून, ताऱ्यातुन वाचले तुझेच नाम
जगजीवन, जनन-मरण
जगजीवन, जनन-मरण हे तुझेच रूप सदय
गगन, सदन तेजोमय, गगन, सदन

P.S. For order and more details, please contact
Mr. Virendra Patil (Mission Manager)
+91-9890190678.

Ram Navami, Ram Rajya and Corona Virus....

Ram Navami, Ram Rajya and Corona Virus....

It is Ram Navami today , a day to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama. The seventh avataar of Vishnu, born to King Dasharath and Queen Kausalya is known as maryada purushottam, one who adhered to principles of being a disciplined human. Unlike Lord Krishna , he never revealed that he was an avataar of Vishnu at any point.
His life was full of trials and hardships but he went through it with stoic calm. His sense of obedience towards his father when he accepted the exile for fourteen years, his devotedness towards his wife, Sita Devi when he confesses that despite being a Kshatriya King she would be his only wife, his love for his mother and affection for his brothers and above all his sense of duty towards the citizens are well-known examples which set him apart.
It is also a well-known fact that Lord Ram was sent to exile on the insistence of Queen Kaikeyi. Her desire, to wish the best for her son Bharat was kindled by Manthara, who was her family servant.
By herself , Queen Kaikeyi appears to be naive expressing joy when she first heard about Lord Ram being crowned as king for she believes that her son Bharat being next in the lineage would later follow him . However Manthara poisons her mind successfully and coaxes her to ask for the two boons which Lord Dasharath had promised her when she had helped him win a war against Lord Indra. Fully convinced by the desire to give the best to her son which was fanned by her ego to be queen mother she unabashedly asks for the two boons which include the crown for her son Bharat and a fourteen year exile for Lord Ram.
Lord Dashrath gets caught in the web of his own karma. It was he who had promised two boons to Kaikeyi when she had helped him win a war. He was therefore in dilemma where he would be spoling the name of his dynasty by breaching a promise and at the same time he would be doing injustice to Lord Rama if he sent an innocent, righteous son and the true successor of Ayodhya to exile.
Kaikeyi ultimately had her way and Lord Ram being an avataar of Lord Vishnu unflinchingly accepts the exile. Sita Devi joins him to fulfil her duty as a devoted wife and Lakshman is duti bound by himself and his mother as he also chooses to go with Ram.
Shocked by the sequence of events King Dashrath severes his relationship with Kaikeyi and ultimately dies with remorse.
Kaikeyi's son Bharat who is away during the course of these happenings returns only to be shocked. He also proclaimed that henceforth Kaikeyi would remain a queen and not his mother. He also relinquished his right to the throne and ruled on behalf of Lord Ram by keeping his paduka on the throne.
Kaikeyi's victory remained pyrhhic. She lost her husband's love and respect and even his life along with her son's affection. All that she garnered was anger and hatred from all quarters.
It is said that she too realised her mistake and spent her life in repentance. She also did great penance to overcome the burden of her actions. She had learnt a lesson in her life only too late. She could do nothing which could bring back her husband's life or his love and affection. In the process she lost the love of her son and also her near and dear ones. All the remorse and repentance in the world could not get back her peace of mind.
However if one looks at the context, her actions were based on the spur of the moment when “time” had overtaken her consciousness and had used her as a medium for the order of events to take place. It was as if she was playing her part in the bigger game.
Srimad Bhagavata Puran also says that Kaikeyi had once pledged to destroy the Asura clan and she therefore needed to send Rama to exile. On his return to Ayodhya Lord Ram is also believed to have said to Kaikeyi that her task was completed. There are many legends in history .
They all teach us many lessons like never promise anything in joy just like King Dasharath who had promised two boons in a hurry to Kaikeyi. One must also not take any decisions when angry. One must exercise caution against poisoning of our minds by persons like Manthara. 

It also teaches us that God always forgives those who repent for their wrongs from their heart. Kaikeyi's deeds were also forgiven by Lord Ram and his mother Kausalya.
The most important lesson is to be learnt from Lord Ram himself. Despite being the eldest son along with capability and qualities of the head and heart he is deprived of his right on the eve of his coronation. Added to it he has to head to the forest and live a life of uncertainties. He accepts all this without a whimper and finds joy in living in the forest, befriending human and animals and taking care of them. This is so much in contrast to our modern world when smallest of discomfort or a loss of position makes us unstable.
The present crisis and our fight against corona virus teaches us to practice social distancing , use masks, wash our hands frequently and maintain hygiene. We also need to follow the instructions issued by the Government and its authorities from time to time. The example set by Lord Ram can be an eye opener to each one of us to put our lives back on the track, give up on our materialistic dreams and work towards setting up an ideal state because Ram Rajya is no utopia but a state in which the ruler and the ruled both work together to create a progressive society where there is no poverty, pain, grief or discrimination.