Service in Fatehpur
Apoorva Joshi, on the social service programme held at Fatehpur last year

This time the village development social service programme was held in Fatehpur village. A team comprising eight Doscos – Abhimanyu Raj Singh, Rishabh Jain, Anant Kothiwal, Shubham Gupta, Vaibhav Bansal, Zain Rehman, Apurva Maheshwari and myself, escorted by AKC, AKS and MCJ volunteered for this project. This village lies on the outskirts of Dehra Dun, and is a two-hour drive from the school. The school has adopted this village since ten years and it aims at an ‘integrated development’ taking place there.
The village itself is tiny and consists of about ten families. Our main aim there was to establish a power plant which would be run using flowing water to provide the village with ample electricity to sustain its needs. Our other objectives were to repair their water unit and provide them with a nursery. The task was easier said than done. To generate electricity we had to make a turbine rotate with water. At first the flow of water was very weak. To make the turbine rotate faster we had to increase the water flow, for which we had to dig a canal. This work took two full days and was very strenuous. On finishing the digging process, we cemented the canal and left it to strengthen. This channel meant utility and revenue to the village and to us it was a symbol of unity. The fond memories of muddy friends and the occasional sightings of crabs are etched in our memories.
The next job was to reinforce their water mill – the only perennial source of income for the village. As the flowing water moved the turbine, it also moved the flour mill, which enabled the farmers to easily grind their wheat into flour. The mill moved very slowly and the flour thus produced was of a fine quality. After we had finished working on the mill, its capacity had increased by forty percent. It was indeed heartening to know that this increase would also raise the meagre revenue the village received out of the mill.
Last came the nursery, this was just the work we wanted. Sitting on the ground we filled almost a thousand poly bags with soft mud. These would later be used for bringing up various trees such as mango, litchi, eucalyptus and plants such as tulsi, neem and sunflower. During our breaks, we would sit on the ground and debate with AKC on all issues concerning the school.
This way six days flew by and we were ready to leave for school. Breakfast on the last day was scheduled in the village and we tasted the puris and aloo which had been made with great love for us by the villagers. Before leaving for school we were told by AKC that there still remained many problems which were yet to be solved. Sanitation, for one, was a great problem, but we assured the villagers that they would have our constant support and involvement and soon another team of social workers would arrive, who would take on the next project.
As we bade farewell to our friends we could clearly make out the love they had for us, and even when they said goodbye, I am sure they meant ‘Please come back again’.

Nobody Listens
Dilsher Dhillon

People died a noble death,
Preaching to mankind,
In an attempt to change him for
The better,
But no one listened.

Some dedicated their entire lives ,
In an attempt to resurrect;
The angel within all of us,
But no one listened.

Pure hearts, dedicated, gave up life’s pleasures,
Pleading stoically to us,
To not sin,
Did we listen?

Some messed up their already
Miserable lives,
Shouting, screaming desperately,
Telling us to rid ourselves of our evils,
Did anyone listen?

At the end, the few good souls left over,
Aren’t doing anything.
They feel that there isn’t any point,
Because no one will listen.
Morals and virtues,
Let them go to hell,
Who knows what they are,
No one, because no one listens.

As a writer,
I hope to inspire people with my work,
To ignite their minds,
But will anyone listen?

My sub-conscious says most of you
Will forget this poem;
Labelling it as ‘writer’s despair’,
But my heart doesn’t.

Those of you ..., who shall listen,
I beg you to spread the word,
Because my time’s over,
I’m going home.
 

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