Introduction

Amrapali Utkarsh Sangh, Nagpur is a Voluntary Development & Educational Organization; promoted and formed by committed people (click here for a visual presentation). Our commitment is to work with people from downtrodden and underprivileged communities. Ours is an organization which believes in capacities and potentials of people. We strongly feel that people have a capacity to transform their situation provided they are made aware of their own situations and at the same time to generate awareness in them about their own potentials and capacities. Therefore; our approach is to work with people and facilitate a process of people’s participation at all levels while implementing various need based programmes. Educational activities are our prime concern.

Vimlashram Gharkul

“Vimlashram”, the brain child of Mr. Ram Ingole dates back to the year 1980. The very idea relates to the notorious red light area “Ganga Jamuna” in Nagpur city. The commercial sex worker women in those days were facing lot of hardship from the local anti social elements as well as from the police. Then Police Commissioner was bent on removing this entire area which would have left the sex workers in the area shelter less. Frequent raids were carried out, followed by the arrests of scores of sex workers and producing them before the court. This went on for quite some time before the court smelt some foul play on part of the administration and the policemen. The court finally reprimanded the police for their evil design advising them to concentrate on other crimes taking place in the city. The crestfallen commissioner then joined hands with a Member of Parliament to vacate the area launching “Ganga Jamuna Hatao” (removal of this area) movement. There was a positive side also to the incident. One popular conscientious Member of Parliament with a group of social workers then lent a helping hand for these suffering sex workers by initiating “Ganga Jamuna Bachao” (Save this area project) counter movement.

As this tussle went on, wisdom dawned on concerned people that vacating these sex workers from the area would not be the solution to the problem. On forcible eviction, the commercial sex workers would spread all across the city and operate their activities, thus afflicting the other localities of the city as well. Instead, it was conceived that if the habits and tendencies & mind set of the sex workers are changed, they won’t drag their innocent children into this flesh trade. After frequent meetings and intense deliberations, the rehabilitation centre named as “Vimlashram” came into existence in the year 1992.

The Beginning

“Vimlashram” then started its activity with a new name as “Vimlashram Gharkul” with four adopted children of the commercial sex workers with limited financial resources and with responsibilities of providing food, shelter and education to these children. In the beginning “Vimlashram Gharkul” had to face stiff opposition from the society for this project of running a home for children of sex workers. Running this home for children having a social stigma was like swimming against the current. “Vimlashram Gharkul” had to change rented accommodation seven times till it had a structure of its own. “Vimlashram Gharkul” is proud to state that children that were adopted initially in different difficult circumstances are grooming well. Some of them have become graduates, some are taking professional social work education, some got married and some are pursuing higher technical education such as polytechnic, engineering courses. The situation has changed so drastically today that more and more commercial sex workers are willing to send their children to “Vimlashram Gharkul”, but due to limitations on accommodation “Vimlashram Gharkul” is not in a position to accommodate them and hence have to send them back with a heavy heart.

Activities

In “Vimlashram Gharkul”, a feeling that “I am a part of this society” and “I have to do something for the needy in the society” has been constantly imbibed in the grown up children. They have understood their responsibilities towards the society. The “Vimlashram Gharkul” family undertakes various altruistic and awareness drives weekly in the various slums in the city:

  • On finding that the children of the slums in Nagpur were too poor to afford to wear clothes, the children from Vimlashram Gharkul then collected the outclassed clothes from the willing affluent families and distributed them amongst children of the slums. This is still an on going activity.
  • Vimlashram Gharkul treated a 70 years aged man who was suffering from gangrene and his right leg was infected and decayed. These children took this aged man to private hospitals, but he was refused to be admitted by doctors. Hence these children decided to treat him themselves as per advice of doctors. They used to go to this aged man every day, clean his wounds, apply bandages and give him medicines. In the next two months this aged man stood on his leg and could walk by himself.
  • Rescued and rehabilitated a 22 years old girl “Niranjana” from Panwadi village who was mentally retarded and caged by her parents for 16 years.
  • Saved an aged beggar who was totally blind and was wreathing with pain in the scorching sun one afternoon. He was brought to “Vimlashram Gharkul” by the children and treated and fed. He stayed with the children for further two years and later died.

After many other such scattered efforts, the children decided to take up an issue of upliftment of labour class particularly the laborers and children of stone quarry workers. There are 104 stone quarries in Panchgaon area, where the laborers are hired on contract basis. Majority of workers are tribal and come from remote areas. These laborers are deprived of even basic amenities. The entire family is engaged in the labour work. These families suffer from various health problems also.

The children from “Vimlashram Gharkul” under the guidance of Mr. Ram Ingole planned to start Sunday school for children of laborers employed in stone quarries near Umrer. “Vimlashram Gharkul” took initiative to start giving basic education to the children of these laborers and also to provide them mid day nourishing meals to prevent malnutrition, and as an incentive for attending the school regularly.

The word “School” did not exist in the dictionary of these children. The Sunday school started at Panchgaon was initially under a tree. Now it is run in a temporary hutment. The school is being run by the children inmates of “Vimlashram Gharkul”. Thus the children of commercial sex workers who got a platform to lead their life respectfully are involved in this project where they help the children laborers from quarries that are deprived of their rights to education, health care, parental care, etc.

The project is unique because it is being run by children who came out of unfavorable socio economic conditions and got opportunity to lead a respectful life. A dual purpose is served by starting this school – first to provide educational facilities for the children of workers of the stone quarries and second to provide social work outlet to the members of “Vimlashram Gharkul” and imbibe in them a sense of responsibility towards the society they are living in. As a part of extended help there will be mobile dispensary soon. The doctor in an ambulance will treat illnesses of the children of the school as well as the laborers from the quarries & villagers and farmers in surrounding villages.

Navin Desai Residential School

The attempt made by Vimlashram Gharkul on a very small scale received an unexpected and unusual support.

Air Marshal Mr. P.K. Desai (Retd.) PVSM, AVSM, VSM along with his wife Mrs. Neena Desai got associated with “Vimlashram Gharkul”. He continued the association and also involved his brother Mr. Navin Desai, a businessman settled in USA. Mr. Navin Desai was highly impressed by noble work done by Mr. Ram Ingole and his associates and assured financial help to “Vimlashram Gharkul” for future development. He promised to be the ambassador of “Vimlashram Gharkul” in USA for fetching funds from there. The project of residential school particularly impressed him. The school therefore was started with his financial and moral support. Unfortunately Mr. Navin Desai passed away following a massive heart attack very shortly after returning to USA.

Despite this unfortunate happening, the dream of late Mr. Navin Desai is decided to be fulfilled by his friends and family. In this direction their first initiative was a financial help for purchase of a piece of land in Panchgaon for construction of the school building. The school is decided to be named “Navin Desai Residential School” in the loving memory of late Mr. Navin Desai by the functionaries of “Vimlashram Gharkul”.

Another organization in Nagpur “Infospectrum Private Limited (India)’ deals in computer software and has its business spread in India and outside India too. The directors & employees of this company harbor a belief that they have some duties towards the society other than their official and personal gains. Hence, these kind hearted people came out to the help of “Vimlashram Gharkul” financially. They have also informed that they will seek some more help for this project in the form of donations from the “Infospectrum” from their offices in India and outside India.

‘Navin Desai Residential School’ is “a Project by Socially Deprived Children to educate and rehabilitate downtrodden children”. The project is unique, because there is no known experiment of this kind ever been made in the world. The purpose of the residential school is not only to offer formal education to the children, but to develop vocational skills which would help them in improving their employability.

Efforts are also being made that once the child goes back to his/ her village he/she should be able to sustain financially using the skills acquired in the school and enter into a respectable profession.

Similar training is contemplated for older children and school drop outs of quarry laborers so that they will have better job prospects.