Moving from a village to a city means having to re adjust your whole life. Sometimes due to reasons like loss of farmland, flooding, changing rainfall patterns, people dwelling in villages have to migrate from their villages to cities in search for employment. However, it is not always due to natural calamities that people migrate but also due to poverty and lack of facilities in villages.
This often has a negative effect on the mental and physical health of the entire family including women and children. Our society has accepted this as a common phenomenon but no one thinks about the effect that this unfortunate event has on the lives of millions of people each year.
The Akhil Bharatiya Adarsh Chaurasia Mahasabha is an organization which works to help the underprivileged sections of society because they are the ones who need the most help. The president of the organization, Mr. Ramesh Lakhulal Chaurasia has been working hard along with his dedicated team for causes like education, healthcare, employment and mental health.
We talked to Mr. Ramesh Chaurasia regarding one of the most common yet the most ignored phenomenon which affects millions of people across India.
He said, “Loss of employment and ownership of land is a huge reason which causes people from villages to migrate to the cities. This can be a massive blow to anyone’s identity and confidence. Villagers have to work in cities as unskilled labour and that too in conditions of extreme poverty. There should be more support groups working for people who have moved to cities from villages after any unfortunate experiences. For example, every year hundreds of hectares of farmland in many villages are lost due to flooding of rivers. Many times, villagers have no option but to vacate their village and move to the nearest city in search for employment.For those who have already migrated, we believe that strong community building is the most important factor which can change their lives. We are working actively on providing support to those who have migrated from cities. We organize community events and skill development programs where people are invited to learn new skills so that they can upgrade their skills and get better employment.”
Finding roots – How people can rebuild their lives
The Akhil Bharatiya Adarsh Chaurasia Mahasabha works in various fields and gives people a chance to rebuild their lives by learning new skills or completing their education. Many times, it is observed that migrants are forced to do manual labour because they don’t have the education or the skills to do another type of work. The organization organizes free skill development camps where people are invited to learn new skills which can help them find better employment or a new direction in life. The organization works for women empowerment by promoting entrepreneurship and encouraging small businesses. Education for adults is one of the main things that Mr. Ramesh Chaurasia wants to focus upon because it lets the adults create a better life for themselves and their families.
We talked to a volunteer of the Mahasabha who has been working in several villages. He told us some surprising things. He said, “If you go to a village and see how dynamic the people are, you will be amazed. The thirst to learn new things is unmatched. If you compare a child from a metropolitan city to a child who lives in a village, you will see that a child from a village will be more curious for learning new things. This is what motivates us to help people on all ends. We are helping more children to stay in school by providing them free books and stationery. We also give scholarships to meritorious students. Apart from all this, we also provide professional counselling to those who need support for their mental well-being. We are promoting community building in cities so that people of the same community can build strong social relationships. Communities are strong social units where members help and support one another in difficult times.”
Mr. Ramesh Lakhulal Chaurasia and the team of the Mahasabha have brought a positive change in the lives of thousands of people and plan to expand their initiatives to help more people in future.