The road from Parner to Hivre Bazar, in the rural expanse of central Maharashtra, passes through an arid land untouched by prosperity. The hills on the horizon are barren, suggesting that the Sahyadri range of mountains lose both their height and verdure in this rain-shadow region. It is difficult to imagine that located somewhere in this developmental desert is an oasis formed by a celebrated Ideal Village.

I have come to Parner to participate in the Guru Purnima celebrations of a youth organisation inspired by a spiritual guru, the late Ramachandra Maharaj Parnerkar. He propounded Poornavaad, a modernist interpretation of the Vedic philosophy, and I wish to write about him in a future column. But, upon being told that Hivre Bazar is only 30 km away, I cannot resist the temptation of visiting this village, which has won many state and national awards and become almost a place of pilgrimage for those interested in all-round rural development.

Seeing, they say, is believing. But, in this case, what I see exceeds the expectation. Hivre Bazar is a miracle in rural development that would have pleased Mahatma Gandhi, whose teachings inspired and guided the villagers in their endeavour. Here is a small village (only 257 families), which, 20 years ago, was perennially drought-prone. Half of its population of around 1,400 used to migrate to Mumbai and Pune in search of work in summer months. Nearly 90 per cent of the families were below poverty line. Alcoholism was rampant, and so were disputes and criminal activities.

... contd.