FATHER TERESA OF RANCHI SLUMS

Ranchi slums dwellers have shown an admirable community spirit, finds Osama Manzar
David Werner of Hesperian Foundation is a famous name, radiating hope in an improperly illuminated world of hopelenesses. Among Werner’s books Where there is no doctor is a household title in many Indian slums where the development work has been done. The Voluntary Health Association of India has translated the book into Hindi.
In the slums of Ranchi, where there is no doctor is a house hold book for daily use.
Only two years ago, the “bus-teewalas” had come together with the concern that “we weren’t doing enough for the community.” Fortunately, the Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA) and many voluntary organisations stood by the bustee community. “From there we never looked back and started learning how to meet our need,” said All Akhtar of Gudri mohalla. Thereafter, the bustees got involved and started setting up small community centres.
“Surprisingly, the busteeresi dents turned out to be good in a wide variety of rehabilitation skills, from the making of wheel chairs to that of rehabilitation equipment and aids, counselling of families and involvement of the slum residents for their acceptance and rights within the community as well as within the twonship”, observes Dr Kafeel Ahmad, a veterinary doctor practising for the past 20 years in many of Ranchi’s remote slums.
Behind this metamorphosis is Colonel Subhash Bakshi, popular ly known in Ranchi, especially in the slums, as Father Teresa. Bakski took premature retirement, recently, so that he could devote all his time for the development of the “bustees” in Ranchi. Bakshi was the Station Commandant, Army Headquartcrs, Ranchi. “The only thing these people required was the motivation and I gave that.
Now they do everything them selves,” says Col Bakshi. “So much so that, they have gone beyond WHO norms to design their own programmes to explore their abilities and the extent of possibilities of various plants.” As a matter of fact, many a time WHO has offered help to Col Bakski for developmental work in the area.
In any development project, whether it is for drinking water, health and sanitation or social forestry, the most desired aim is “community participation”. Particularly when the project is externally aided, the donor agency would like to see that the benefits reach the right target groups.
In the bustees of Ranchi, the benefits are visible without any external participation. A methodology that has become very useful in this respect in recent years is known as “participative rural appraisal” (PRA).
Of course, a lot of information is available with these local people about local resources and local problems. Certainly, if they are involved in planning any scheme meant for them they can come up with useful ideas and contribute to the planning process as well. This also ensures proper use of facilities provided to them, as they are involved right from the planning stage.
“Amazingly; such progressive development has never come from Dharavi, the sprawling shanty town in North Bombay, the largest slum in Asia. Whereas, the slums in Ranchi deserve all kind of appreciation, the situation in slums all over India is extremely pathetic,” believes Col Bakshi.
The urban poor in India manage only a fraction of the access to basic amenities like housing and drinking water provided by the Government and even these are vulnerable to manipulation by vested interests.
Ranchi, Bihar’s summer capital and home of the best schooling facilities of India, is witnessing a new experiment. The total sub dued consciousness in slums is being raised at the very grassroot levels through their own community participating and voluntary effects. Says the RRDA chairman: “Money is not a problem, we are sound for another one year”. “In fact, we wanted to involve the people and we succeeded.”
The population in the “bustees” of Ranchi is 2.2 lakh as against the total of eight lakh of the city. To get the work done properly, the bustee dwellers have formed the Bustee Vikas Munch (BVM), its wings spread in 65 narrow clusters.
The BVM has chosen these clusters as “major slum areas”. Hundred formal education centres are functioning in these clusters. Also, every bustee is supervised by a woman health assistant, provided with a first-aid kit that includes Wener’s book.
“It is for the first time in India,” according to Col Bakshi, that a committee like BVM has been formed to develop, educate and in form the “bustee” dwellers. Remarkably, 35 bustees have achieved total literacy since the BVM was formed. The slum dwellers have free acceess to the conference hall of the RRDA for all kinds of developmental meetings.