AN INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE
Lokgyanpeeth is a Nature-nurtured and Nature-nurturing innovative initiative for children’s education in totality, with focus on a few of them, coming primarily from marginalized communities of remote rural India. Although they are mostly school / college dropouts, yet having passion and capacity to search for new ways of life!
Lokgyanpeeth has been germinated as an educational movement and as people’s institution process by the Tapobhoomi National Process, later supported by Magan Sangrahalaya, Maharogi Seva Samiti (both were started by Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha), Centre of Science for Villages (Wardha), Foundation for Inter disciplinary Research, Savitribai Phule University (Pune), and Amhi Amchya Arogyasathi (Gadchiroli, Maharashtra). Lokgyanpeeth is growing at Bhubaneswar, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Wardha.
LEADERSHIP BUILDING
India is a Ganatantra, a Republic. It is not a crowd of 1.40 billion people but a wise civilization that has stood the test of time. If we respect citizens’ intelligence, truly believe that people are inherently strong and they can think for themselves, then we can see amazing reciprocity!
Tapobhoomi Trust is carefully weaving a Social Process that thrives on Grass root action character strengthening leadership building such leaders working as, and with volunteers for participatory governance.
As one can see around that government in a welfare mode and communities at a passive receiving end have not yielded desired outcomes. The laziness, complacency and ignorance of being a beneficiary have not solved anything. It appeared to offer respite for a while, but certainly has not led to judicious use of resources.
Grass root leadership must be responsible and well-informed to enable effective implementation of govt policies. Tapobhoomi Trust’s experiences drove home that women and young minds, if chiselled into thoughtful leaders, can do wonders. Such committed leaders are leading communities to rise with self-respect, to make their own mechanisms, work hard and use their resources intelligently. A bottom up approach would make administration work for them and that would be unleashing the power of Ganatantra, whose fruits would be enjoyed by our children.
CHARACTER COUNTS
Today it is out of vogue to speak in terms of character. Tapobhoomi Trust believes that there cannot be a better yardstick to measure intrinsic quality of any person.
Character is made up of those principles and values that give our life direction, meaning and depth. These constitute our inner sense of what’s right and wrong based not on laws or rules of conduct, but on Who We Are. They include such traits as integrity, honesty, courage, fairness and generosity – which arise from the hard choices we have to make in life.
With a value system based solely on skill, personality and profit maximization, we find heroes in sportsmen, musicians, actors and in powerful business executives. But despite the admiration we feel for these achievers, can we truly look upon them as role models? Is the phenomenon of adulating such ‘popular stars’ been able to guide the young minds to strengthen their values and build their own path to character?
If the answer is NO, then Tapobhoomi Trust’s conviction is that we must show how to do Purusharth (toil with a sublime sense of purpose) to our Yuva (Youth). The Trust leads by example and teach them to look within – work inside out, then private victories precede public victories. That only can counter tall claims, manipulative advertising, loud displays, grand announcements and shallow achievements that we see around every day!
That’s the need of the hour.
Saralta is the most essential characteristic for self-realisation and social transformation.