A new central library and resource centre in Badlapur seeks to take the crowdfunding route to help empower and connect 10 remote tribal hamlets with the rest of the world
Participants learn about the electoral process at a local centre. PICS COURTESY/DEEPA PAWAR
Anyone who grew up in and around this city will remember monkeys that did backflips for spare change, the little girl who aces balancing acts on tightropes even today, or the sight of crowds huddled around snake charmers. Many of them from the Nomadic Tribes (NT) and Denotified Tribes (DNT) call the Vangani-Rahatoli-Murbad stretch in Badlapur home. Just two hours from Mumbai, around 10 hamlets or padas in the region have one thing in common, they have no robust central library between them.
A duo explores an app
Between her duties at a new under-construction library and resource centre in Rahatoli, Badlapur, social worker Deepa Pawar shares, “Among the NT, DNT, Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities that live here, the NT and DNT tribes remain disadvantaged even among the marginalised.” In collaboration with the village’s gram panchayat, the sheltered 800-sq ft space will soon bring Wi-Fi, textbooks, novels, vocational training and nutritious food under one roof. Pawar estimates the impact to span nearly 1.5 lakh residents.
The brick-and-mortar structure reaches completion in Rahatoli
Having grown up in makeshift tent settlements near Dadar herself, Pawar has come a long way, even making her way to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees panel in New Delhi in 2022. “I noticed that even though there were educational opportunities, the lack of Internet connectivity and books meant that our youth was still cut off from the world,” she reveals. Since 2007, Pawar’s NGO Anubhuti Trust has been running smaller community centres in the region for holistic after-school guidance.
Deepa Pawar (left) spreads the word through such outreach sessions
To make her new dream come true, Pawar is turning to neighbours in Mumbai. A quick scan of Rahatoli on Google Maps reveals that many of our fellow Mumbaikars have already built swanky farmhouses and holiday homes nearby. Help should be at hand then, we assume. “We have hit a roadblock in donations, in fact. The library was originally scheduled to open in July. Our next target is August 31,” she reveals. In a refreshing move, the Trust is open to donations only in kind — books, food supplies, furniture and paint.
Deepa Pawar
“People usually call us and request for impact reports in terms of numbers. We don’t deal in numbers. How do you quantify the joy of seeing an ex-street performer crack his 12th Grade exams?” Pawar sighs. Another surprise byproduct of the efforts is a marked rise in mental wellness in the youth. “It was not uncommon to see children puffing on whitener fluid a few years ago. With a better future to look forward to, the younger generation doesn’t feel the need for an escape through drugs,” Pawar explains.
To hear it from the heart of the initiative, we chatted with Pranali Dhangar, a young tribal member of the organisation’s local centre in Kolegaon (near Dombivli). “Since my home isn’t spacious, studying amidst the noise becomes an ordeal. At the centre, we discuss everything from academics, our day-to-day problems, to art. It has become a safe circle of friends,” she tells us. As for how far she aims to make it one day, her answer hits close to home. “I will hone my leadership skills so I can come back and help my village,” she signs off.
1.5 Lakh
The approximate number of residents the library will help
AT Anubhuti Library, Rahatoli, Badlapur, Thane.
EMAIL contact@anubhutitrust.org
CALL 8788946271
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