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Aiming high

Vanavasi Kalyana Ashram is helping tribals achieve self-reliance

HITTING THE BULLS EYE Prema Kumari and Babu Rao take aim Photo: K.R. Deepak

Girijans (tribals) have once again proved that given equal opportunities they are second to none. Limba Ram, a product of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, had earned laurels in archery at the international level. Closer home, from our own district four students have won gold medals at the All India Archery Competitions conducted by the Sports Authority of India in Uttar Pradesh in December last year.

These include K. Prema Kumari (an Intermediate student of Government Visakha Women's College) and G. Babu Rao (a high school student from Paderu). These two gave a demonstration of their talent at the first State conference of Andhra Vanavasi Kalyana Ashram organised in the metro last week. All the four gold medallists from AP were given training through the sports facilities set up under the auspices of the Kalyana Ashram in the agency areas.

Lack of education, health care facilities and poverty make the Girijans, especially youth, to fall a prey to vested interests, who use them to carryout disruptive activities. It's a pity that nearly six decades after Independence, the fruits of development are yet to reach the tribals. Against this backdrop, the AP Vanavasi Ashram is doing yeomen service in protecting the interests of tribals by assisting them in solving their own problems.

At the national level, the Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Ashram was established by the late Ramakanth Deshpande in 1952. The AP branch, started by the late Koyada Sridhar in 1978, has been providing various services in 650 vanavasi villages in the State. These include running of 74 single teacher schools in remote tribal areas, where no schools were established by the Government, running of `Bala Samskara Kendrams' to teach moral values to the children of vanavasis, who remain cut off from the main stream of society and promoting the latent talent of tribal youth through 150 `Kreeda Kendrams', where basic infrastructure is provided to train them in archery.

"Our objective is to wean away the tribals from joining hands with disruptive forces and neglect their own development. Our efforts are also directed at fostering unity among different tribes which indulge in clashes among themselves over petty issues," says State president K.V. Rammurthy.

"There are 54 lakh tribals in AP. They can be classified into plain tribes, hill tribes and primitive tribal groups. We have 54 full-time tribal workers including women in AP and Karnataka to assist the tribals in solving their own problems", says K. Ramachandrayya, Kshetra Pracharak (East and West AP and Karnataka). The ashram has been promoting the concept that all the three tribal groups are one and the same as they all belong to India.

The ashram is running five hostels for tribal students pursuing college education at Paderu, Atchammapeta (near Srisailam), Adilabad, Karimnagar and in Hyderabad. The hostellers are encouraged to take up service activities in their respective villages on Sundays. Medical camps have been organised in 91 villages. During the outbreak of malaria last year, the ashram volunteers distributed 1,000 mosquito nets in the affected villages in the agency.

The rich culture of the tribals from the district was showcased as part of the State conference. The performers impressed the gathering with `Kolatam', `Chakka Bhajana' and `Dhimsa' dance. The archery demonstration was the highlight of the event.

The young archers are sure to make a mark at the international level, given the training facilities provided by the ashram.

Someone has rightly remarked: "The tribes are, perhaps, the only communities which continue to safeguard our ancient traditions and culture in its pristine glory."

B. MADHU GOPAL

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