The women's brigade, however, hasn't sprung up on its own. It's inspired by 33-year-old Dilip Rathod, a tribal himself, who's initiated the anti-liquor agitation in the village. The walloping each culprit gets is not part of his guidelines, but having encouraged these women, he leaves it to them to deal with it.
Not too long ago almost all the men in the three villages around Himayatnagar were hopeless drinkers who spent their day's earnings on illicit liquor. Nearly 40 widows in a population of less than a thousand lost their husbands while they were actually drinking in an arrack shop. One-fourth of the women too were regular drinkers. Till Rathod decided to step in and evict illegal distillers from the village. The only licenced liquor shop is 15 km away from the cluster of villages. And even the faithful pilgrim is known to falter down a dirt track that is 15 km long.
"It wasn't easy to evict those distillers,"says Rathod. "The cops were in no mood to help. They'd lose their revenue. So the villagers themselves had to be educated. I told them about the kind of things mixed in illicit liquor. I went to the collector. I met all the people who could help. The inspector proved to be a nice man."
The system, for a change, swung into action. Today, there is not a single distiller in the villages. "The inspector brought all his cops to the villages and told the people that if they found any of them receiving money from the distillers, they should bring it to his notice."Now only 10 per cent of the villagers are known alcoholics, who religiously trek 15 km to get high.
During his fight against the distillers, Rathod was threatened many times by hostile lobbies that controlled the illicit liquor market. But he stood his ground. "I'm a Banjara tribal. Being the only educated man from this area I owe it to these people."
Education came accidentally to him, as it struck his farmer father "on his way to the market"that he should educate his son. He got through the village school and then managed an msw degree from the Mumbai University. In the beginning, he worked as a medical social worker in Mumbai's JJ Hospital; had a stint with the traumatised and mentally imbalanced Latur survivors. But soon he realised his calling could be of use to people around him. Acutely aware of the poverty in his native village, he decided to give up his career plans two years ago. And returned to his village in Nanded to help in the upliftment of his backward brethren.
The average monthly income in a typical Banjara village in Nanded, Maharashtra is Rs 500. The doctor that visits them every week is a mere 'injection doctor', he does not even have an mbbs degree. At least eight people die of malaria every year between July and September. Schoolchildren attend classes but teachers don't. Rathod is trying to drag the villagers out of this mire.
He began with tackling alcoholism; now he has to educate the children, bring healthcare to the village and teach them how to earn more money. With his own meagre financial resources, contribution from villagers and a Rs 4,000 per month fellowship from Child Relief and You, Rathod's slowly transforming the villages. His wife fully supports his effort. "She understands the purpose of my life."Should you be interested in extending support, write to Dilip Rathod, sipra, Grahmin Samjik Kharya Vikas Sanstha, Himayatnagar, Nanded or call 02468-44418.
