Constructive Worker Ashok Deshpande Passes Away Silently

Ashok Deshpande, a septuagenarian Gandhian and a well-respected constructive worker passed away recently in his hometown Belagavi. Interestingly, despite having served society selflessly for nearly six decades his passing away didn’t get the obituary reference in the media, which he rightfully deserved. These days, all social networking sites are abuzz with trivial issues day in and day out. But when an attempt was made to surf the death news of Ashok Deshpande, nowhere it was to be found!

An ardent follower of Gandhism: Ashok Deshpande was associated with Gandhian ideals and institutions at a very early stage in life. He belonged to an Agriculturist family with an ancestral land property at Kedanur village nearby to Belagavi. Strange, it may look for the present generation; he never aspired to do a job either in the government or private sector. Instead, he chose the hard way of making it on his own by being involved with the activities of Gandhian and rural development organizations.

Fifty years back: The first time got in touch with Ashok Deshpande was around fifty years back during the ten days youth social work camp conducted by the Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre, Dharwad in Hebballi village close by to Dharwad. It was a pre-Emergency era with enough indications of the possible dangers very soon on the way.

Under the aegis of Dharwad Taluk Seva Sangh: The camp was held under the aegis of Dharwad Taluk Seva Sangh. If freedom fighter Mrs Shakuntala Kurtkoti was the Secretary of the Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre, her freedom fighter husband Shankar Kurtkoti was the President of Dharwad Taluk Seva Sangh. Shankar Kurtkoti, although coming from a typical, feudal Gouda family took the Britishers head-on challenging them by participating in the 'Quit India' movement. He was jailed and so was Ms Shakuntala for participating in the freedom struggle. Post Independence, they got married to lead a Gandhian way of life.

Ashram schedule: The youth camp was run on the Gandhi Ashram schedule, rising early in the dawn, attending prayer meetings in the mornings/evenings; take part in physical work and lecture programs. Ashok Deshpande was found to be a silent person dedicated to the cause of the Gandhian movement. He was actively involved in the prayer meetings as he sang devotional songs in a melodious way.

Seepage pits, canals and toilets: Ashok Deshpande, then appeared to be an introvert mixing too little with other campers. But he was full of life when it came to taking part in the physical activities related to the construction of seepage pits, canals and toilets for individual and community purposes. Thanks to his initiative for a clean village, environment and maintenance of hygiene among the village folks, several homes were provided with seepage pits, canals and toilets. A public urinal facility was also constructed in the Harijan colony.

Sevagram Ashram meeting: After a few years had another opportunity to accompany him to the All India Constructive Workers' meeting held at Sevagram, on the outskirts of Wardha in Maharashtra. The occasion helped me to know him more personally and informally. It turned out to be a momentous opportunity in unravelling the simple, kind, sober personality committed to the cause of rural development and the underprivileged.

Grown-up son dies: For having been in Belagavi for a year or so in the early Eighties while working for 'Kannadamma' Kannada daily, happened to keep meeting him by frequenting his house at Tilakwadi. He lost his grown-up and only son in due course. However, his commitment and determination in continuing to serve society without any expectations remained undeterred despite undergoing a fatal disaster back home. He kept himself busy attending youth camps at several places and in various states and remained an important resource person for the National Integration Youth Camps. These camps were organized by the National Youth Project (NYP), headed by S N Subbarao.

Windmill project shelved: After a few years, he stopped going to the youth camps and instead decided to spend more time in the villages working with Shivajirao Bhosale, the first Belagavi MLA. Shivajirao Bhosale quit politics on the advice of Bhoodan movement leader Acharya Vinoba Bhave to settle down in his native village working for its all-round development and upliftment. Ashok Deshpande led a movement to ward off a Windmill project on the picturesque hills of border villages adjoining Maharashtra. When the strikes, sit-in protests and demonstrations didn't make any sense to those in power, he along with many others waged a relentless battle in the courts to finally ward off the windmill project. They contended that the windmills apart from being disastrous to the environment by becoming sharp razors cutting the rain-bearing clouds would also become detrimental in making the region drought prone in the long run.

No suicide of farmers: Thanks to the rigorous and incessant efforts of Ashok Deshpande and his team of people thinking alike, farmers in the Kadoli and neighbouring villages changed their pattern of crops. If the whole of Belagavi district is notoriously known for growing Sugarcane and such commercial crops, the same is hard to be seen in the villages influenced by reformist Ashok Deshpande. Just a few years ago there were several instances of Sugarcane farmers committing suicide, hitherto unheard of in the Sugarcane rich belt of Belagavi district. Interestingly there was not even a single such case among the villages influenced by the Gandhian thinker.

A village full of life: A few years back happened to visit the villages that benefitted from Ashok Deshpande's advice and guidance for a documentary on Farmers' Suicide, produced by KG Vasuki, Maya Jaideep and the team, accompanied by Hunaswadi Rajan, now Group Editor Samyukta Karnataka group of publications. The region wore an altogether different look. If all other suicide-affected villages depicted a pathetic scene, it was a paradoxical sight in these villages. Probably, in our visits to several districts of the state it was only here we found life blossoming like never before. The whole village was filled with kids wherever you went. The peasants boasted a confident, smiling and enthusiastic posture.

Foodgrains, organic cultivation: There were enough logical reasons for such a turnaround of the situation. Unlike adjoining regions, the tillers here never sought refuge in Sugarcane, Tobacco and other such commercial crops. Instead, they grew foodgrains, cereals and vegetables organically. They appeared self-contented and devoid of the most greedy expectations. Perhaps it is a big loss to all farmers of these villages. A massive reservoir built by the villagers not only ensures a supply of water throughout the year but to even villages all-round. Thanks to the vision of Ashok Deshpande, most of the beneficial villages are spread in Maharashtra.

A noble soul no more: Ashok Deshpande always sported clean Khadi trousers, a shirt and a bag hanging around the shoulder. He, apart from being simple in living strived a lot silently to better the conditions of fellow living beings. No organization, society or government thought it worthwhile to recognize his amazing feats during his lifetime. Nor was he ever bothered about such gratifications?

-Manohar Yadavatti