Tarun Bharat Sangh and its Secretary

 Rajendra Singh

Prolonged neglect of the environment and deforestation, were the nightmares of the rural people of Alwar District of Rajasthan. Degraded lands, droughts, poverty and loss of control over the common lands, stared in their faces. The young and able-bodied men migrated to faraway towns in search of jobs.

 Lack of vegetation led to land degradation. Monsoon run-off washed away the topsoil. Crops failed regularly. Agriculture was fast becoming a thing of the past. Women had to walk long distances for mere pots of water. The naked ranges of Aravallis looked ravaged. For years villages remained all women villages, with the men-folk working in faraway towns.

 Grazing grounds dried up. Cattle perished in large numbers. Only 3% of all cultivable area was irrigated. 90% of the villagers were marginal farmers. Debt-traps imprisoned them. There was no difference between the landlord and landless. Everyone was poor. Economic and social degradation followed ecological destruction. Illiteracy stood at 85%. School attendance dwindled to 3%.

Low rainfall, 600 mm per year, with 500 mm in the monsoon, could not support much of agriculture. Mountain slopes could not support forests, agriculture or wildlife. Charcoal contractors, lumber buyers, log suppliers to new railways have all but finished off the mountain-slope forests in the first half of the century.

 There was no groundwater recharge. Wells dried. Rivers, once the lifelines, became sand-streaked memories.

 Ravines defaced the agricultural lands. Monsoons shrank from 101 days per year (in 1973) to mere 55 days in 1987. The groundwater level fell by 60 metres and the water table by 5-10 metres.

 On 2.10.1985, Gandhi Jayanthi Day, the Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS) led by Rajendra Singh started working. A village-elder advised the group "Do not talk too much; dig tanks and build johads—you will get the results." (Johad is a water harvesting structure).

 Guided by traditional wisdom and helped by no engineers, the TBS has built 3000 water-harvesting structures in 650 villages of the Alwar district of Rajasthan. Prosperity is returning to the villages. The five rivers of the region have started flowing perennially after decades of drought, a direct result of conserving water in johads. More water, better crops, better conditions of soil, health, education and a rich community life ensued. Migration numbers came down, improving community and family relations. For every 100 rupees invested in johads, economic production rose by 400 rupees approximately.

 A 426 metre long damaged old johad was repaired. Dry wells in nearby villages had water seeping in them, after the next monsoon. Smaller johads are also being constructed. To stall the degradation of soil in the catchment area, the forests had to be protected, and regenerated. Soil erosion had to be halted. The TBS built not only johads, they also built consensus among the people of the villages on projects to be taken up on priority basis.

 Spreading news of achievements through word of mouth, TBS involved more people, more villages. Annual Pani Yatras (water marches) bring more and more people within the aura of awareness.

 In the beginning, the community participation was low, (30%) leaving the TBS volunteers to do much of the labour. But as the movement grew, the participation, involvement and experience grew too.

Qualified engineers and independent evaluators, inspected the structures and certified their strength, safety and structural viability. The structures have stood the test of time. Continued maintenance and protection call for social cohesion, alertness and sustained sense of purpose. The johads caught not only the water that was running off, they caught too the beauty of spirits in different villages. Even migrants started returning in trickles.

 Village councils (gram sabhas) were formed to take decisions, on sharing of resources generated and enforcement of social codes like ban on liquor consumption. All assets are owned by gram sabhas. TBS is only a facilitator. 6500 sq.km of land in 650 villages has been regenerated. The crude, formal and envious political resistance has been overcome by the informal gram sabhas. The official sources have conceded now that the forest cover has risen to 40% from 1%—15 years ago. No less than 70% of land is under green cover. Birds have come back, wildlife has survived. Groundwater wealth has increased. Wells have come alive. Groundwater level went up by 6 metres. Water became the focus of life and factor in social coherence. Food for work schemes were introduced. Self- reliance, cost-sharing, community participation, protection of grazing land and women's welfare have now become characteristcs of this area.

 Dry rivers, five in number have become perennial. Milk production, business flow, productive and self-sustaining agriculture have brought about material prosperity. In some villages, 100% of agricultural lands have come back to the plough. Women participate in greater numbers in decision- making forums. School attendance has improved. New schools have come up. Crime rate has gone down. Education and health consciousness have crept in.

 Sri Rajendra Singh has been awarded the prestigious Magsaysay award for his constructive work. This prize has thrown a number of political and government doors open for him and his movement.