Tulasi Munda – Life as a Mission

She has caused a silent revolution in the education scenario of Serendra – a village about 30 km from the mines city of Joda in Orissa and its surrounding areas. The mission started by her in 1964 has borne fruit. The village once stricken by illiteracy and poverty now boasts of a model school which has served as a catalyst for the development of the area.

 

What makes Padma Shri Tulasi Munda’s achievement in this sphere all the more extraordinary is that she herself has never gone to a school in life. But it did not prevent her from dreaming to sow the seed of education which would someday grow into a huge tree to provide shades of relief to the ill fated populace of the locality that suffered from the scorching misfortune of negligence and underdevelopment. 

 

Today Tulasi commands an iconic recognition not only in the area that she chose to be the beneficiary of her social mission but also in the entire state of Orissa. Her dedication to the cause has aptly been recognised by the Govt. of India which conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award on her in the year 2001.  

 

A MOMENTOUS DECISION

 

A chance encounter with the renowned Bhoodan leader Vinoba Bhabe in 1963 changed Tulasi’s outlook in life. It made her take an instantaneous decision to dedicate her life to upliftment of the down trodden. She promised Vinoba Bhabe that she would pursue the ideals and principles propagated by him for the service of the underprivileged.

 

Then in 1964 she once attentively listened to a speech delivered by the eminent social worker late Malati Choudhury in a meeting in Keonjhar District. At the end of the meeting when Malati asked those present in the gathering to stand up if they were really willing to join her in the social mission, Tulasi was the first one to rise. And since then she never looked back.   

 

Prior to that she had already undergone training in social service at a camp in Indore. It had laid the foundation of a dedicated social worker within her. She joined Vinoba’s padyatra in Orissa.

  

CHOOSING THE ARENA

 

When it came to identifying a place where she could turn her dream of social mission into reality, her natural choice was Serendra village in Keonjhar District. This village, inhabited by 500 tribals, was abjectly deprived of the benefits of modern civilization. It was also under the grip of complete illiteracy. Most of the villagers were below the poverty line. She found that it was a place which was in dire need of the services she wished to render as a social worker.

 

She set out on her mission by forming an association of the villagers named Adivasi Vikas Samiti. Her first task was to bring the light of education to the village. It was a difficult task considering that the inhabitants of the village hardly ever understood the importance and use of education. Why should they forego the wages earned by their children by making them waste time in a school for the entire day? Tulasi took upon herself the onerous task of making them realise the true value of education. She did it painstakingly and was successful in convincing the villagers.

 

The next problem was mobilisation of funds to start a school. It was almost impossible. Undaunted, she started her school under a Mahua tree. To raise funds for her school she took to the occupation of selling vegetablesin the village market. The villagers also contributed their lot by donating labour for activities such as cutting blocks of stone from the nearby mountain which would be used for the construction of a school building.

 

Today the school building in Serendra stands as a glorious testimony to the complete dedication and hard work of enthusiastic tribals of the village under the leadership of Tulasi. The school has about 350 students on its rolls with a hostel facility for 80 of them.  Being impressed with Tulasi's exemplary dedication to the cause, now donors have come forward to patronise the noble mission.

               

THE JOURNEY AHEAD

 

With her educational objectives fulfilled tulasi has her eyes set on the other developmental needs of the area. Today at the age of 60, her spirits are charged no lesser than the time she set out on the mission at her adolescence. She now wants to eradicate alcoholism from the village. The tribals there have been suffering economic catastrophe due to their traditional addiction to Hadia – a form of country-made liquor.

 

Providing the hapless villagers adequate means of livelihood is also on Tulasi’s agenda. She is exploring ways to uplift the economic condition of the people of the area by bringing to them the benefits of various developmental schemes of the government.

 

It seems her journey is unending. Because to her social service is not a destination, but a lifelong mission. She is determined to carry it forward with renewed vigour even at this age. Because she has promises to keep – the promises made by her to the great souls like Vinoba Bhabe and Malati Choudhury at the budding stage of her life.