Adv. (Dr.) Sudhakarrao Avhad

Even after 70 years of Independence, the Vanjari community remains underprivileged. The masses from the rural areas are deprived of the basic facilities and amenities. The Right to Education (RTE) even though made a Constitutional right, it remained on paper only. The stray incidences of qualified and educated people from Vanjari community are noteworthy, but bear a very small and negligible proportion. The community at large has no proper guiding personalities, especially in the field of education. As a consequence of this, a large number of Scholar and Able students remained away from the mainstream.

To overcome the situation, Mr. Ajay Vasantrao Munde along with Bhagwangad Officers & Professionals team have taken the lead to form a social organization styled as “Ek Diwas Samajasathi (एक दिवस समाजासाठी) Foundation”.

The object of this Foundation is to furnish and provide contribution towards the social needs by them who are well-placed in services as well as in social life. Whereas simple principle is adopted by the Foundation is that, in lieu of the achievements made by the able and towering personalities, they have to sacrifice at least a day in a year for the social cause of upliftment of the downtrodden and the needy members of the community. With this dream, the organization has now been registered as a public trust under the provisions of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950. The team has taken up the issues like injustice to Vanjari community students by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in various examinations. For this purpose, they have arranged series of seminars at Pune and Aurangabad, which have been unique as far as Vanjari community is concerned. High profile officials from different departments, from various professions and business community attended the seminars. Thereafter, a workshop was arranged at Barshi, District Solapur to enlighten the students for preparation for competitive examinations conducted by MPSC and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). In this historic workshop more than 600 students participated. I was fortunate to attend all these programs. I have witnessed all these functions to be extremely successful.

On the backdrop of all these circumstances, I feel that this is a historic step towards conferring the legitimate and Constitutional rights on coming generations. I have experienced that these enthusiastic team members are working zealously to secure the rights of coming generations.

In last few months, various issues have been fought by them, through my good offices, which were pro bono in the Supreme Court of India, the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) at Mumbai and Aurangabad. The relentless efforts taken by them resulted into unprecedented success at all the levels. Thus, at very inception, they have proved that they are successfully proceeding to achieve the goals and objectives of the foundation, so as to cater to the needs of the under-privileged students. It is said that “Well begun is half done”, the verse comes to be true.

I wish all the success to this historic movement styled as “Ek Diwas Samajasathi (एक दिवस समाजासाठी)” and to the community website “VanjariWorld.com” launched to promote the social causes.

In the years to come, this movement will get a momentum and will become a medium/ path to achieve the benevolent object and goal of upliftment of the rural masses, who have been denied the opportunities, either because of poverty or ignorance. This organization shall work as “trustee” for the interests of underprivileged masses of students from the rural areas.

I am confident that they will deliver the good.

I am happy that I have been associated with all such activities from the very beginning.

“इवलेसे रोप लावियेले द्वारी । त्याचा वेलू गेला गगनावरी ।”