About Donkeys, Boats and Goluji (the miracle-man)
Alirajpur in south-western corner of Madhya Pradesh, bordering both Gujarat as well as Maharashtra, is the lowest literacy rate district among 700 plus districts in India (female literacy is even lower).
We have already set up 30 Seva Kutirs (serving about 2000 children) on the region and over next few months are endeavouring to set up 50-70 more (which will serve some 4000 to 5000 more).
While it is not easy to set up a centre, taking the venue free from the local community, in far-flung, often accessibility-challenged tribal areas, in Sondwa block of Alirajpur it is even more difficult with hamlets on Vindhyas overlooking the Narmada and Satpuras on the other side. We often engage donkeys to take our daily supplies there. Our people have to walk and climb and pause for rest 4 or 5 times while carrying the set-up material. In the islandic villages of Jalsindhi, one has to go by boat to reach the hamlets. A city-based person who recently visited some such hamlets commented that he had never imagined there there might be human habitations in these areas.
The credit of our work in Alirajpur (as also in several other districts) goes to our miracle-man Goluji Golu Aske (he is also our Governing Body member which is predominantly Sevavratee-driven). I had met him in a shop (which he was running) in a village in 2018 and hearing about our work he joined us fulltime. Now he stays in these regions and visits his home and family in 2-3 months. We have to actually force him to go home. Goluji is an epitome of dedicated service, high empathy and living one’s life for others.
