KALABURAGI: Amid religious activities and a slew of commitments that come with the role, education has always been paramount for the pontiff of Dasoha Virakta Mutt of Sonna village of Jewargi taluk, Poojya Shivanand Swamiji.
The instrument which dispels ignorance, empowers communities and allows them to confront myriad challenges in life, is education. It has to start somewhere, and the accepted system of imparting education is at school, for which the pontiff successfully acquired land.
The clamour of demands from students of Ghattarga village of Afzalpur taluk to construct a new high school had reached its apotheosis but failed to sway the government, which has observed a studied silence.
Shivanand Swamiji, who had heaved the responsibility of building a new government high school, maintains a low profile. In Sonna village, he provides free education and organises mass feeding for the poor, Dalits and tribals through the educational institution in the village.
Responding to an invitation of devotees of Ghattarga village of Afzalpur taluk to give a religious discourse in October, Shivanand Swamiji went to Ghattarga, where a group of students from the Government High School came to meet him. They narrated their plight in school.
Located on the premises of Ghattarga Bhagamma Temple, the school belonged to the endowment department. Instead of concentrating on their studies, the students had to be constantly cautious of their safety in the dilapidated school, especially during the monsoon. Repairs required funds, and although the school education department had ample funds at their disposal for reconstruction of the school building, the endowment department was unwilling to permit either repair or reconstruction. They reasoned that permission cannot be granted as per rules, while the government, according to the rules, cannot purchase land for construction of a school.
However, a flicker of hope lay in the shadows of a provision that the department has to build the school on government land, or on a piece of land that has been donated. Ghattarga was devoid of any government land, and the number of donors came to zilch.
The students had undertaken a padayatra from Ghattarga to Kalaburagi, around 80km, to pour out their woes to the chief minister in the first week of October. But the buffer thrown around the chief minister by officials prevented them from presenting their case. The students had reached a dead end and requested the swamiji for a breakthrough.
Akshara Jolige
Shivanand Swamiji could have used the opportunity to add another branch to his mutt in Ghattarga. Instead, he encouraged local people to form a committee, which he led to collect donations from villagers to purchase the land and donate it to the government for a new school.
Carrying a cotton bag to collect voluntary donations from people, swamiji called it ‘Akshara Jolige’ into which villagers would pledge their contributions, big and small. The initial financial tranche came from the swamiji himself, who donated Rs 1 lakh from his mutt. Even if someone donated Re 1, the committee members issued a receipt to keep suspicion at bay, while working towards a noble cause.
The committee had in 10 days collected Rs 61 lakh from the people, with which they purchased 3 acres of land in Ghattarga. Subsequently, Afzalpur MLA MY Patil reinforced the efforts for a new school by purchasing an acre of land and donating it to the villagers. The Ghattarga Bhagamma Temple Trust decided to purchase an acre of land to donate to the government.
The committee handed over land documents pertaining to 2.5 acres to Sakreppa Gowda, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Kalaburagi, on November 21. A letter to the DDPI was submitted by the committee, urging that the new building of the government high school be called ‘Ghattarga Bhagamma Akshara Jolige Proudha Shale’.
Spreading knowledge
Shivanand Swami heads Shivanand Shivayogi Grameena Jana Kalyana Samsthe, which runs educational institutions including the ITI institute in Sonna village. Except for primary school, the Mutt runs everything. A few years ago, primary schools became aided schools. Of around 1,500 students, over 600 students are from the Dalit and tribal community. The Virakta Mutt provides them free hostel accommodation and education.
Bag of grains
Starting on Ugadi, Shivanad Swamiji and his disciples visit houses in Sonna and surrounding villages to collect food grains. First, they would knock on the doors of Dalits for foodgrains. People were free to give any quantity of grains ranging from 50gm to a quintal, which are used to provide free food to students and devotees at the mutt, which also organises mass marriage and free health checkup camps, every year.
Power of hunger
To mount pressure on then chief minister Dharam Singh’s government to complete the Mallabad Lift Irrigation project, Shivanand Swami launched a hunger strike for 13 days, along with some other swamis of Jewargi taluk. The hunger strike was called off only after Singh visited the spot, and their demand was to be fulfilled.