This is a reverse fairy-tale. Here there’s is a princess, and this is her story of ‘living happily ever after’. But with a twist. She had it all, and gave it up. For her happiness was not in the luxuries of life. Her roots paved way to her contentment – she returned to her people and her village to make her life more meaningful. Her four wardrobes which are filled with Louis Vuittons, Paul Smiths and Hermes are now lying idle. Because she has found her happiness in that cotton kurta, which get stitched at the one of the men’s tailoring shop in her Panchayat.
I bring to you a tale of meaningful madness. Meet Bhakti Sharma, Sarpanch of Panchayat Barkhedi Abdullah in Bhopal.
She was born as the only girl child, in an affluent agricultural family of Bhopal. From the age of three, her grandfather instilled a thought of serving her people. She grew up amongst her brothers, in a rather boisterous manner. For 24 years of her life, Bhakti was adamant about being unique. Her clothes would be sourced from the US, and she would travel to Dubai for a haircut. What else will a 24-year-old girl want?
But this was not enough!
Her father and grandfather used to travel 16kms every day to go their paternal village where they had agricultural farms. Bhakti would also travel at least thrice a week, with them. It is this bond, that has become the reason of her existence today. “I have all the luxuries that money can buy, but what after this,” Bhakti would often question herself.
Cut to 2019, Bhakti is a four-year-old Sarpanch, with a slew of achievements behind her. To count a few – all five villages that come under her Panchayat are ODF (open defecation free), within six months of her becoming sarpanch every villager had a bank account, there are solar panel street lights, , the farmers have soil health card, the villagers have their own houses under the PM awaas yojna, the mid-day meal scheme has been so successful that there’s not even a single malnutrition child in her Panchayat, the roads of her panchayat are cleaner and stronger than that of any city.
I could speak to her only after chasing her for almost 12 hours. Every time, I would call, Bhakti would excuse herself, with a promise of talking later, but in an extremely humble way. And finally, when, we connected, that call went on for more than an hour.
There’s a sense of pride in her voice. And she says it comes from “the love from her people.” I asked her how did she manage to achieve so much, while our Indian villages are popular for being non-reactive to anything new. “When I became the sarpanch I too had big ambitions of making the village digital and doing other fancy stuff. But as I interacted with my people, I realised that they are very intelligent. With such limited means, if they can manage their lives then, empowering them with right resources can be the key to good governance.”
Bhakti can be sighted as a monumental example of how doers shine while losers whine. “Our government, both central and state, has amazing policies. But sadly, these policies and provisions are generally shoved under a carpet, without paying any heed to them. I just made sure to make my people aware of all the government policies meant for them. Be it their right to education, or owning a house for themselves.” Not just government, she has made sure that her Panchyat is benefitted by various CSR initiatives too. “We tied up with hospitals to provide best healthcare services. For instance, at an eye-care camp, we provided eye glasses at cost of Rs 40, which would otherwise cost Rs 250 to Rs 500.” Her current endeavours include – Women leadership vertical & rural-urban exchange program. “The students from various schools of Bhopal are brought to our villages. We give them an insight into Indian value system, importance of farming and healthy living,” she said in her eloquent manner.
Bhakti is constantly invited by other states to talk about effective Panchayat management and governance. “I always talk about the significance of our gram panchayats. It is the root level of our democratic system. We have often heard that strong roots make better trees. Our educated youth can do so much for the upliftment of our villages. The basic values of our villages are still intact. We don’t have syndromes, like depression or anxiety. But people in cities have it. I strongly believe that life in our villages is still very sorted. If the educated youth can connect their learnings with these value systems, India is certainly set to rise and conquer the world.”
Bhakti’s ambition doesn’t end here. “I want to acquire a bigger role in our political system. I feel more authority will help me empower my people at a much bigger level.” Since the chat with her was going so awesome, I asked, so what else on mind? And she said, “abhi toh fasal tyaar hai… bas that is big right now.” What I meant was if there’s something besides being the Sarpanch, but she doesn’t seem to have anything else in her mindscape.
ThePeopleBazaar salutes such dedication!
By Princy Jain
connect@princyjain.com
#@SarpanchBhakti #@sharma9bhakti #sarpanch #mptourism #india #madhyapradesh #incredibleindia #bhopal #mp
1 Comment
Exec elect research and write up!