Chamrajanagar: Mandare is a small village without basic facilities near Male Mahdeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district. Chamarajanagar by and large is treated like an ‘untouchable’ for reasons unknown.
The dislike towards the district includes clerks working in lower cadres to senior officials in the government. Even former chief ministers of the state never showed any inclination to visit the district. Their fear was associated with the premonition that the visit will cast danger to the chair (position) they occupied. The only time leaders of various political parties made a beeline was on the eve of elections for reasons well known.
The practice still continues where many reach the hill top to adore the deity they admire and avoid Chamarjanagar town. When such is the scenario, there is enough reason for the district to remain backward. The district is rich in terms of the number of backward and tribal communities that inhabit in the place.
Mandare’s woes
Mandare is a hamlet located at the edge of the forest, touching the foot hills of Male Mahadeshwara hills. To reach the hamlet, one has to travel 8kms through the mud road on way to Nagamale from Male Mahadeshwara hills and then, a 2km walk by foot. The hamlet is deprived of roads mainly because the forest department does not permit road works in forest areas.
Around 45 families with a total population of 180 reside in this hamlet which lacks all basic amenities. Residents have dug a 10 feet deep pit for their drinking water needs and get it by filtration, separating muddy dust particles. Without a nursery school, fifteen tiny tots from the hamlet get Gurukul form of education under a tree.
The nearest primary school located at Indigantha at distance of 2 kms has classes up to grade 5 is and after that children bid goodbye to school as other schools are not within their reach.
Backward classes department under ministry of social welfare, Government of Karnataka, has allotted funds to construct 10 houses and their construction is delayed due to lack of availability of water.
Government official reaches out
The villagers have ‘problems in a pile’ to match the height of well-known hills nearby. An honest government official has seen their plight from near and has a clear picture of the ground realities. She is none other than Saraswathi who has a vision to change the lives of the people in Mandare by implementing various government schemes. To begin with, she found a building on rent to accommodate children studying in Angwanawadis and instructed the local child and women welfare departmental staff to shift all the children to the building which has a roof.
To solve the drinking water problem she has sought help from Devaraju of water works division coming under Zilla Panchayat to convert the pit into a full-fledged well and a fix a solar powered pump in order to provide drinking water to all houses in the hamlet.
Her efforts have brought back smiles on the faces of Soliga tribal people.
Few believe – ‘It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness’ and maybe she is one among them!
