Village Didsari - Final Chapter of struggle for the villagers by Tvam

After the devastating floods had hit Uttarakhand on 15th-16th June 2013, Tvam decided to do something for the villages of Uttarakhand. In September 2013 we surveyed a remote village - Didsari. Didsari is around 20 kilometeres away from the main Uttarkashi city, it is on the other side of Bhagirathi river on the Ganogtri national highway. It was appalling for us to see how the remote villages continued to become victims of apathy even months after the national calamity, and after so many people donating  a huge amount of money to the State government and NGOs. Didsari, when visited by us was in shatters. This village did not have a bridge to take its people across the river. The result was that these people had to walk through a treacherous path of four kms. Didsari did not have a Primary Health Care Centre inside their village, even though more than 1000 people were living in this area. 

Lot of promises were made by the state government and these promises remained unfulfilled. There is a general tendency of the politicians and people at large to accuse the poor and make them entirely responsible for their own misery. For example:

'these are lazy and lethargic people'

'illiterates'

'they deserve this treatment'

After a long wait of more than four months the villagers of Didsari themselves made a temporary bridge to take them across the river. It took an extensive planning and sheer hard work of three days to make the temporary bridge. How come lethargic and unintelligent people swing into action to take a proactive measure to alleviate their sufferings without any external help!

Temporary bridge made by the villagers

In spite of all this, no steps were taken by the state government to make a permanent bridge on the river Bhagirathi. Didsari was the worst affected village of Uttarkashi district by the June 2013 floods. This sheer negligence of our government's part led Tvam to take the cause of Didsari to the REX Conclive held in New Delhi on Feb,2014. Thereafter, Tvam visited Didsari in the month of May to discover the continuing apathy of government and administration towards the entire region. It was in the month of May, we decided to take strong measures to make the civil machinery work. Our first step was to organize a meet with the villagers. After that we approached the media to support us. Thankfully The Times of India supported us and did a story on Didsari. 

Article on village Didsari and its problems published by Times of India

The state government did not take any action in spite of media publications

We approached the Public Works Department of Uttarkashi to find out the reason for delay. It was shocking to discover that PWD had taken the first step for the village on 15th April 2014 i.e. after 10 months of the tragic incident. Hopes of the villagers dwindled more when the temporary bridge that they had made on their own collapsed on 9th May 2014. Thereafter, they had to follow the same treacherous path of four kms to avail basic amenities for their day to day survival. The ration became expensive, medicines became expensive and their precious lives became vulnerable. In the month of may itself we met the Senior Engineer of PWD, Mr. Lalit Mohan, who assured us that he will get the bridge constructed as soon as possible and will grant a motorized trolley to the villagers as a temporary relief for the upcoming monsoons.

Even after 15 days of the assurance given by the senior engineer no steps were taken to install a trolley or construct a bridge for the villagers. We took the matter to the District Magistrate of Uttarkashi who assured us that he will take immediate actions to give these villagers a safe mode of communication. However, assurances remained assurances and no concrete action was taken. Who was lethargic, we wondered! Was it these poor illiterate villagers or one of the most intelligent lot of India - the District Magistrate - a qualified IAS officer? We also wondered  about the value of the life of Indian citizens living in the villages with respect to the life of an bureaucrats seated in his office. Tvam, thereafter, launched a protest with the help of villagers and addressed the media. It was not taken in healthy spirit by the District Administrator of Uttarkashi nor by the politicians. The cause was supported by TV100 and India news. Please see India News and TV 100 covering the Didsari story -

As we continued our fight for justice, we discovered that more than 18 places in Uttarkashi do not have a bridge or a trolley to take them across the river. The entire district of Uttarkashi was a victim of government apathy. Border roads were like river beds and one can be amazed how army trucks which go towards China border move on them without rudders and streamline bodies. Uttarkashi

 main city hospital refers most patients to Dehradun (200 kms away) and many patients in critical condition lose their life in the middle of the journey. There isn't any evident difference between roads and treks. According to a PWD officer, Uttarakhand has 256 bridges that are partially or completely damaged and are non - functional for more than one year after the national calamity.

After meeting the District Magistrate, we continued to approach the print media to publish the news of the neglected village - 

Article published by Times of India

Article published by Hindi Daily - Hindustan

Article published by Hindi Daily - Hindustan

It was on August 2014, that we met congress state - spokesperson Mrs. Shilpi Arora who assured help for our cause. Thereafter Tvam met Mr Vijay Pal Sajwan, MLA - Uttarkashi. Mr Sajwan assured that he will get the bridge constructed, but did not give any deadline to get the work done. The constant pressure built on the MLA, finally made him visit village Didsari on 11th Sep 2014. MLA did not give any deadline for the construction of the bridge but has given us assurance to get the motorized trolley for the village by 30th October. He also acknowledged the presence of Tvam in front of the villagers. Finally after a long struggle it was on 20th November, 2014 that a  motorized trolley which costed around Rs.63 lakhs (figure as quoted by govt department) was installed for the villagers. Though we understand that it is a small change but we also do know that it means a lot to the people living in these villages named - Didsari, Bayana and Lonthro.

Motorized trolley in Didsari

Motorized trolley

Finally as a compliment we overheard people say that this trolley is the best one in the Uttarakhand and no other place in the entire region has a much safer and efficient motorized trolley than the one these villagers have. And as we hear this, we wish good luck to the people of these villages and hope best for their future.

Tvam wishes everyone to bring out their best on the occasion of India's 66th Republic day

By Republic we mean - a government in which the power to resides with people, not with a king. On the occasion of our 66th Republic Day Tvam wishes that every citizen of India becomes aware of the power that is innate in them and make the best use of it to make our country grow in all dimensions.

ASEAN Disability Forum aka ADF - Dec 2014 Forum - Tvam's Story

The ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF) is a network composed by DPOs of the ASEAN region. It is a platform, where DPOs coordinate actions to advocate for disability inclusive policy formulation and implementation. ADF works in all areas, aiming to the main stream and the needs of disabled people to enter their perspectives in the policy framework of ASEAN. The main goal is to represent the disability movement from the ASEAN region, providing opportunities for DPOs to build their advocacy and organizational capacity, to facilitate the sharing of mutual support, information. In addition, the ADF plays many roles at the local, national and international for the disabled, in collaboration with the government, service providers and the general public. In many cases, the ADF is the best vehicle to carry the aspirations of people with disabilities before the ASEAN community; ADF is a platform action to bring the voice of DPOs at grassroots level to policy makers and to connect people to the policy makers who live in its member countries.

ASEAN disability forum (ADF) was hosted at Sedona Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar on 15th - 17th December 2014. There were around 200 delegates from the ASEAN countries i.e Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma; some of the delegates had come from USA as well and there were 20 resource persons that were invited to give their views to the august assemblage. Out of the 20 resource people two people were from the non ASEAN countries - one from Japan and the other one from India. Tvam was overwhelmed when Harshit Sehdev was invited for the forum as the only representative from India. Harshit was invited as a resource person in the forum where he gave a presentation on Effective and Efficient Education and Public Services for ASEAN Disablity Society.

Following are excerpts of his experience in the ASEAN disability forum 2014 and Myanmar-

It was a wonderful experience to be a part of the international group and the learning was immense, claims Harshit. Harshit brought a whole new dynamics to the presentation by challenging the audience with the understanding of word disability. He met some so called disabled people and told them that he does not see them as disabled people rather he sees them as differently abled people who can do amazing things in life. He further went on to boldly say to them that he does not want to look at them with pity and sympathy but rather he wants to look at them with empathy and treat them with warmth and compassion as he would treat any other citizen of the planet. His ideas were highly appreciated by the participants specially the so called disabled people.

At ASEAN Disability Forum, Yangon, Myanmar - Dec 2014

After his presentation that lasted for about one hour participants raised questions about what is happening in India in context of disabled people. Harshit responded by saying, 'Though my mother could not walk properly and had a handicapped certificate I never saw her as a disabled person. She was able to inspire faith and confidence in so many people that were working under her'.

Delivering presentation on Effective and Efficient Education and Public Services for ASEAN Disablity Society

Harshit also pointed out to the audience about the various schemes and policies that government of India has for it's so called disabled people. He also told them about the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped aka nivh people in his own city Dehradun. He told the audience about how movie star Aamir Khan has bought issue of dyslexia in his famous movie, 'Taare Zameen Par' and also in his television serial, 'Satyameva Jayate'. People in India are more aware of Autism, thanks to the superstar Shahrukh Khan's movie, 'My name is Khan'.

The greatest psychological need of a human being irrespective of caste, colour, creed, gender, age, ability or disability is the need to be understood. Having a background in non-directive counselling and life coaching methods of listening, Harshit emphasized on this want in the human beings and demonstrated to the august audience, how effective few moments spent in understanding others can be. The message was appreciated and received delightfully by the people from different countries.

Receiving Souvenir after the speech at ASEAN disability forum at Hotel Sedona, Yangon, Myanmar

Apart from the disability issue people in Myanmar and people from different countries specially women were concerned about security of women in India. Most people raised their concern about visiting India. Harshit responded by saying that, 'women's security and safety is a global issue and I do not want to defend about the wrongs that are happening in India. Not every women who visits India is raped or looted, if you visit my country the chances of you getting raped or looted are very less and this danger lies even if you visit USA. Are women in other countries completely safe or are men completely safe. If you visit my country you will definitely find gem of men and women, completely free from blemish; of-course you will also find mischievous people and you need to be careful. I assure you that, if you come to the place where I live you will be relatively as safe as you are in your own country.' He also said that according the right to education law, ' every Indian citizen irrespective of his economic status or physical or mental disability must get access to proper education and that normal schools cannot suspend or dismiss a child just because he/she happens to be dyslexic.

Harshit Sehdev also got an opportunity to visit The Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) where he met Mr Cho Thiri Maung, Central Executive Committee Member of UMFCCI; Mr  Sisamouth Chanthavong, head division of planning in Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare Department of Myanmar; Mrs Thinn Thinn Sett, Central Executive Member and Joint Secretary of the Republic of UMFCCI and various other dignitaries of Myanmar.


Thereafter Harshit also did a workshop on life skills and stress management at Zifam Pharamaceuticals, Yangon, Maynmar. The managerial staff of the company attended the training program wherein Harshit shared powerful ideas to increase their potential, improve their productivity at work and home and how to strike a balance between work and personal life. The entire staff took active participation in the workshop and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Zifam Pharmaceuticals, Yangon, Maynmar

Tvam's Life skills workshop at Zifam Pharmaceuticals, Myanmar by Harshit Sehdev

Tvam's Life skills workshop at Zifam Pharmaceuticals, Myanmar by Harshit Sehdev

Harshit utilized the last three days of his stay in Myanmar to visit the beautiful places such as Bagan and Mandalay which are popular tourist destinations in Mynamar.

With all the fond memories of an eventful trip to Myanmar, Harshit returned back to India on 28th Dec 2014 and has since been engaged in other activities of Tvam and building awareness of people towards ASEAN disability forum.

What is ASEAN disability forum?

The Association of South East Asian Nations (refer - ASEAN) is an influential political and economic power that has about 100 million population and 1,500 billion dollars in GDP. On the other hand there are about 60 million citizens with disabilities living in this region, according to the UN estimation. Though ASEAN is an economically emerging region, most of this population is still marginalised from the mainstream of the society.

Persons with disabilities , especially those requiring intensive support , are denied to have access to their communities, but are cared solely by their families members at home or isolated in residential institutions life-long. There are a majority of causes of disabilities including traumas of war, disease, congenital disorder, mal-practice, working accident, and others. Especially in Indochinese countries, the rate of disabilities caused by war is relatively high due to bomb. After the war, bombs have lied under the ground and still injure the people. Currently people living in these areas are affected generations after generations and require global support.

In Dec. 2008 ASEAN chapter came into its force. It's article 1 declares that one of the purposes of ASEAN is 'to promote a people oriented ASEAN in which all sections of society are encouraged to participate in , and benefit from the process of ASEAN integration and community building.' ASEAN chapter also emphasises its purpose of providing people of ASEAN 'with equitable and access to opportunities for human development, social welfare and justice.' Disability sector in ASEAN with 60 million population is also the one which shall be encouraged and provided with equitable access through the ASEAN mechanism.

On 30th November and 1st December 2010, Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific (DPIAP) organised an informal consultation on ASEAN disability forum (ADF) in Jakarta, Indonesia. The meeting was attended by individual experts from different sectors, including disabled people's organisations (DPOs), their parents organisations and international donors. The discussion resulted in a declaration which reads as follows:

1. ASEAN Disability Forum should be established as a joint effort of multi stakeholders, including ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN member states, international development agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs), media, business sectors, academic groups, disability related organisations and disabled people's organisations (DPOs) and their family organisations.

2. ASEAN Disability forum will organise its inaugural meeting in 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand and will have annual meetings with the participation of multi stake holders.

Considering the circumstances of the ASEAN region , ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF) undertakes functional cooperation in the fields of people to people interactions, cultural tourism, academic exchanges, promotion and protection of human rights and social justice of all vulnerable groups including women and children, and information exchanges through broadcast, print and electronic media and takes into consideration the interest of ASEAN dialogue partners and relevant United Nations and international/regional agencies to work with ASEAN to support the ASEAN community building by 2015.