Download __FULL__ Village Map Gujarat
Pamela Olivares
The sickle cell gene in India reaches its highest prevalence among the tribal people, many of whom are marginalized in the Indian society, living in remote rural areas which are often in the hilly regions of the Deccan plateau. Delivery of all services including health care presents special challenges which are addressed in this study by an outreach program and a mobile clinical unit. Another concern among the tribal people, a suspicion of centrally provided services conceived as being imposed from the outside, has been addressed by the concept of the Sickle Cell Swa (self) Suraksha (protection) Abhiyan (movement), which seeks to educate tribal communities in sickle cell (SS) disease so that the request for screening emanates from the community itself. This program has now screened 7,307 subjects in nine villages, finding the sickle cell trait in 23.7 % (range 18.5-30.9 %) and probable SS disease in 112 subjects. The organization of the program is described along with the delivery of results on a laminated card displaying the hemoglobin genotype, advice related to the genotype, blood group information (specifically requested by the villagers), contacts within the village sickle cell committee, and clinical contacts for medical advice. In addition, a local villager has been given basic health care training to regularly visit and monitor cases of SS disease and refer those with significant complications to the hospital coordinating the screening program. It is too early to determine the success of this program, but it represents a village-based model of detection of the sickle cell gene and care for cases with the disease which is accepted by the affected communities and may have broader implications for sickle cell disease in India.
I tried on a gorgeous orange colored shawl and made sure to pose for a pic in his front yard, complete with cows and villagers chit chatting. I ended up buying some exquisite hand woven dupattas as gifts for family. We reluctantly left his shop and his home and wandered out of the town looking for some type of public transportation that would take us back to Bhuj for some well deserved dinner! My stomach was grumbling and by now I was ready to sample the Bhuj cuisine!
Madhapar is a village located in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is one of the richest villages in India in terms of bank deposits. The village has around 7600 households and 2000 crore Indian rupee worth bank deposits.[1]
The Patel Kanbi community moved into the village around 1576 AD (V.S. 1633). Navovaas (New Residence) was started in around 1857, by which time Madhapar had become congested and other communities like the Kanbis had also increased and prospered.[8]
The village was not heavily affected by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake that had caused severe damage in the region. However, some of the century-old houses of Mistris in Juna Vaas (Old Residence) with unique architect were damaged in the earthquake of 26 January 2001.
Many residents of Madhapar work abroad in the Africa, UK, USA, and Canada. But they prefer to save their money in India, which has made Madhapar one of the richest villages in terms of bank deposits worth over $200 crores. The village has earned a special name in India and is considered a barometer of NRI deposits.[11][12][13]
The migrant population of Madhapar living outside India have huge love for their village and have formed community associations. In 1968, Kutch Madhapar Karyalay[14] was formed in London to bind the UK Madhapar community together and maintain their cultural activities and traditions.
A special trial court on Thursday acquitted all 67 accused, including former Gujarat Minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, and former VHP leader Jaidip Patel, in the Naroda gam (village) massacre case of 2002 riots in which 11 members of the minority community were killed by the rioters.
Naroda village was among the nine cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI director R.K. Raghavan and the trial was conducted in a special designated court.
Adani has, over the years, leased 7,350 hectares--much of which he got from 2005 onward--from the government in an area called Mundra in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat. FORBES ASIA has copies of the agreements that show he got the 30-year, renewable leases for as little as one U.S. cent a square meter (the rate maxed out at 45 cents a square meter). He in turn has sublet this land to other companies, including state-owned Indian Oil Co., for as much as $11 a square meter. Between 2005 and 2007 at least 1,200 hectares of grazing land was taken away from villagers.
Under Indian law land meant for grazing cattle can be used for something else only if it's in excess. There's a formula applied to calculate. Even then the village chief has to give permission to take the land. Villagers in Adani's SEZ say their grazing land was signed away by earlier village chiefs without their knowledge. They have filed multiple cases in the Gujarat High Court to contest the government's actions, going back to 2005 and even earlier. Several cases are still pending.
Anand Yagnik, a lawyer representing some of the Mundra villagers, says, "The basic philosophy of a liberal economy is to allow market forces to play its role. Then why do you have to allocate scarce resources to industrial houses at throwaway prices when they have sufficient capital to pay market rates?"
While none of the other companies in Kutch, or the rest of Gujarat for that matter, have received the kind of largesse on land rates as Adani, they, too, have benefitted from the Modi government's bent. It is one that, whatever Modi may now be saying on the campaign trail against crony capitalism and on behalf of the downtrodden, is even less mindful of environmental damage and villager prerogatives than are Indian land-use practices in general.
But spend time around the villages of Kutch and a vastly different picture appears. This region was famous for its crops of sapodilla, a brown, fleshy fruit slightly smaller than a tennis ball, as well as dates, coconuts and castor. Area farmers say that that's no longer the case. (Official stats seem to end in 2006.) Fly ash and saline water from Adani Power and a nearby Tata Power Co. Ltd. plant are spoiling the crops and making the soil less fertile, they say. For miles at a stretch the chimneys of the two power plants are visible against the horizon. Gajendra Sinh Jadeja, the 28-year-old head of Navinal village, says the Gujarat government took some 930,770 square meters of his village's grazing land for Adani's SEZ. Adani got it for 19 cents a square meter.
The village of Zarapara with its 15,000 residents is one of the largest in the area. When the government allotted a thousand acres of its grazing land to the Adani SEZ, at roughly 19 cents a square meter, the villagers filed a case that reached India's highest court, the Supreme Court. Before judgment there, an out-of court settlement was reached under which Adani Group was to offer villagers 400 acres of grazing land. The company says it has offered the land while the villagers say they haven't received any so far.
Zarapara was once famous for its sapodillas. "In season five trucks filled with [sapodillas] would go every day to the market from this village," says Zarapara resident Naran Ghadavi, whose farm is 3 miles from the Adani power plant. "Now we only produce enough to fill one small van."
The villagers' lawyer Yagnik argues that Modi, by giving away land so cheaply, is depriving the state treasury of funds. "This kind of subsidization of scarce resources eats away at the public exchequer, and that has a direct impact on distributive justice because then the state doesn't have enough resources to deal with this inequality," he says.
In a report last April Narain's group confirmed the villagers' complaints--and fears. It said the Adani SEZ had violated multiple green rules at different points of its mammoth project--destroying mangroves, filling creeks and causing land and water degradation by dumping fly ash.
In Kutch fishermen and their families set up camp on the beach. Tagadi fishing village is one such camp on the banks of what is now the Tata plant's outflow channel. Dawood Umar Jaam, 43, has been fishing in the area for the past five years. He has seen a 60% drop in his catch in the last few months and blames it on the plant. As the plant takes in seawater, it also sucks up fish that are still small, killing them instantly, says a fishermen's trade union known as MASS, active in the area. The plant releases hot water back into the sea, raising temperatures in the immediate vicinity, killing more fish and changing migratory patterns.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Gujarat has a spectacular number of villages that look more promising than the city-bound destinations. A tour around these places will definitely let you excavate this beautiful expanse of land. The villages in the state boast of a serene environment along with giving one a chance of mingling with the local crowd. From learning about the local culture to studying the natural habitat these quaint hamlets of Gujarat have so much to share. Without wasting any more time, let us start excavating the villages in Gujarat and the bounty of attractions they offer.
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The village is home to the Banni embroidery works. Characterized by bright hues of colors, these adorable pieces of art are complemented by mirror work in each one of them. The village also makes way for quaint roofed houses which also serves as a base for the workplace of the artisans. Apart from the embroidery works the town is also known for patchwork, home furnishings, apparel, jewelry, and applique work. It is truly one of the destinations to cover while touring villages in Gujarat.
Things to do in Hodka village: Tour around the village, Shopping from local craftsmen.
Ideal for: Family, friends
Ideal trip duration: 1-2 days
Location: Kutch district, Gujarat
Best time to visit Hodka Village: November-February