Gujjaron ki Losal

Gopalpura had sown the seeds of johads in the minds of the people scattered far beyond its boundaries. One such village was 'Gujjaron ki Losal', situated in a different tehsil of Rajgarh. Gujjars are cattle rearing community. Inundated by the four consecutive years of drought from 83-87, the land of milk, ghee and curd, had turned into a barren landscape, with hardly a blade of grass to feed the cattle.

The 22 wells in the village had run dry. Thus in the parched times, the rising waves of water in the johads of Gopalpura had literally attracted people from even distant villages like Gujjaron ki Losal. Shriramji of Losal became instrumental in focussing and channelising the hopes and fears of the people, who seemed to be on the brink of loosing all confidence. After much preliminary preparation, they approached the TBS team for support. Shravanji, an active TBS worker who had been witnessing the enthusiasm and firm resolve among the Losal people, promised to extend all necessary support.

The sweet waters of the johad had broken down the barriers of greed, pride and individual profit, which had earlier, created great divides in the village society.
The Bilundawala johad was an ideal location. It served to tap the heavy discharge of the monsoon drain into the mainstream and arrest the loss of a large volume of surface run-off. The total cost of the johad was about Rs.40,000 but 25% of the people's contribution in the form of shramdaan, reduced the expenditure of TBS to only Rs25000/- The villagers of Losal had labored with love and perseverance to build a big johad at little cost.

The waters of the johad had reunited the villagers into joint community action, solidarity and collective strength. The Gram sabha, got strengthened with the coming together of the people for collective thinking. Two more johads were constructed. These were crucial in the total development and soil conversation of the village. They regulated the otherwise excess volume of the waters in the nallahs, preventing the degradation and soil erosion in the agricultural and farm- lands. All these johads were built on the common land areas of the village.

Sealing-off the boundaries of the forests from any human or cattle intervention, has today created a lush green environment in the village. The agricultural lands that produced only one harvest, today supplement the grain reserves with three harvests in a year. The local magistrate himself addressed the gathering of people and congratulated the villagers on the various development works. He admitted that if all the villages in the region followed the example of Losal there would be no need for the heavy bureaucratic infrastructure, for the villagers were well equipped and could themselves undertake their own required development activities.