User:Hadapsar/Dada Gujar

thumb|right|Dr S.T GujarDr. Sitaram Tukaram Gujar alias Dr. Dada Gujar; 15 th August 1930 - 2nd March 2006 was a well known social activist from Pune, India. He was a modest man and with untiring efforts, sincerity of purpose and strong will power became a true missionary of integral rural development and served the people. He was born in a very poor family in Manjrod, a small village in Dhule district of Maharashtra, India. Having seen extreme poverty, where people would die because of not getting access to doctors he decided that he would become a doctor and serve the public.

Education

He was inspired by the words and deeds of Sane Guruji, the roots of the activities of Rashtra Seva Dal and S.M Joshi. He decided to move to Pune for higher education and successfully got the Graduate of Faculty of Ayurvedic Medicine (GFAM) degree, which combines modern allopathic medicine and is more suitable to the culture of Indian population.

Social Work

After graduation, Dr. S.T. Gujar chose, to devote his life for the welfare of rural mass through the medium of Maharashtra Arogya Mandal (MAM)[1] founded by him along with few close with colleagues in 1960 at Hadapsar. Sane Guruji Rugnalaya - was started as a mere four beds hospital. Today it has grown into a modern 200 beds hospital- and is aspiring to grow stronger. The hospital is now state of art and now has a fully functional ICU and a special unit for neonatal care. Many well known specialist doctors from a variety of fields visit the hospital.[2]

The area around Pune (Hadapsar) was not well developed during the 1960's. There were a lot of small villages in and around the Hadapsar area. Merely treating incoming patients was too inadequate to cope with malnutrition and waterborne diseases. Dr. Gujar along with his team undertook extensive touring of nearby villages around Hadapsar to propagate the "small family" norm, to impart health, education, to teach villages the benefits of immunization his tours and close contact helped him to go to the roots of their problems and to evolve a new approach to rural development. Scarcity of water - both for drinking and for crops- and overwhelming burden of population were identified by him as root causes of overall ill- health, Strategies to combat both these problems formed the planks of his work in the vicinity of 125 Sq. Kms. Area.

Below is a summary of his work:

His fields of activity were medical service, family planning, education (general and technical including medical, nursing, child care, rural development including water resource development & agricultural development).

• Family Planning : The achievements of Dr. Gujar and his team in propagating family welfare have been widely recognised and appreciated. His institute (MAM) won the National Best Performance Award for Family Planning in 1968-69. The Indian Merchant's Chamber Platinum Jubilee Endowment Trust [3] honoured him in 1990, for excellence in the family planning work with Citation and cash Award of Rs. 1,00,000/-.

• Water Management : Working on problems of cluster of 9 villages around Hadapsar, Dr. Gujar's approach to health by more food production and safe drinking water has become a model since 1971. Percolation tanks, mini dams, counter trenching on hill slopes and afforestation were four-fold aspects adopted by him for water harvesting in addition to orientation of farmers for dry land farming. For clean drinking water, village wells were deepened, fortified to check seepage of pollutants. This massive drive not only checked water-borne diseases, but also increased food production and the quality of life improved over these past 40 years spent for over 25 villages, large number of trees were planted on barren lands. Drought is now a past event from these villages by tactful water resources management.

• Extension : Dr. Gujar started village lift-irrigation and milk producers co-operatives. He was the founder of Sadhana Sahakari Bank, Dr.Dada Gujar Co-operative Credit Society as well as the Sadhana Co-operative Housing Society at Hadapsar.He initiated Balsadan a home for destitute children and is the founder trustee of Balgram Maharashtra. He has also started a school from kindergarten to 10th standard.

• Tribal Development : Convinced by the efficacy of the above mentioned comprehensive approach to rural well being, principals of watershed development were extended to the cluster of 116 hamlets in the tribal area of Bhimashankar valley in Ambegaon Taluka of Pune district. Water resource development by building continuous trenches on hill slopes development of new paddy fields, protection of lands by bunding has improved the food production, which has helped the tribals live a self sufficient life. Water ponds and bore wells have been build to ease the drinking water problem. Dr. Gujar believed that for the family to succeed the girl child had to be educated. He started a girls hostel - Muktangan in the tribal area of Narodi, Tal. Ambegaon, India. Poor girls attending school, are allowed to stay free of cost and given nutritious food. Dr. Gujar along with Dr. Kate started a project to serve the tribal people in Dhadgaon, Nandurbar, India. Sickle cell anemia is widely observed in people of this region. A small hospital was setup where diagnosis, treatment and follow up are provided. A population genetic screening programme has been started. Health education, counselling, prenatal diagnosis and training is also being provided.[4]

Ayurved Propagation

Dr. Gujar was a keen researcher. True to integrated approach to various systems of medicine, he earmarked the entire purse presented at his 60th birthday gathering, for establishment of DRIMS (Dhanvantari Research Institute of Medical Sciences) for research in Ayurvedic and allied bio-medical sciences.

He served as Chairman of Scientific Advisory Committee of the Central Council of Research in Ayurveda and Siddha [5] (CCRAS)for 6 years. He had a lions share in putting Ayurved Rasashala [6](a venerated old pharmacy Ayurved Rasashala of Ayurved at Pune) on sound footing during his tenure as Chairman. He also put his experience to use to develop an in-house pharmacy for Sane Guruji Health Centre for production of effective Ayurvedic drugs. These drugs are now given to patients at the hospital at a nominal cost. He was an Executive Committee Member of Central Council of Indian Medicine (C.C.I.M.)[7] under Ministry of Health, Government of India.

He started an Ayurvedic College - Sumatibhai Shah Ayurved Mahavidyalaya [8] at Hadapsar in 1990 to ensure continued participation of like minded persons in his health mission from coming generation. Today the college is well known for its teaching and practical experience. He also started a Nursing school at Hadapsar.

A post graduate Ayurveda college - Dr. Dada Gujar Institute Of P.G. Studies & Research In Ayurveda [9] has been started in his memory and is offering post graduation in six specialities.

International Recognition

Dr. Gujar was deputed by the International Biogas organisation BORDA [10][11] [12] to study role of bio-gas in rural health in China. The Ministry of Agriculture- Israel invited him for a tour to study optimum water-use to maximum yields. He collaborated for over two and half decades with the German Welfare Organisation 'Arbeiterwohlfahrt' (AWO)[13]. In its mission of rural development the organization honoured him with 'Marie Juchacz Award' installed after its founder president. This was the first time that a person outside Germany had been selected for the prestigious award, which included Rs. 1,85,000/- in cash and a citation. He promptly donated cash award to Maharashtra Arogya Mandal for Research in Ayurveda.

Recognition by local authorities

In recognition of his work in medical and social fields, Pune Municipal Corporation [14] and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation [15] felicitated him and awarded citation depicting his humanitarian and developmental work, which will be an inspiration for young persons taking up the social work. Marathi Vidnyan Parishad Pune felicitated him for his social work. In recognition of altruistic contribution to society in the field social and health development. He was awarded 'Pune Pride 1998' by Residency Club Pune. He was awarded 'Maharshi Annasaheb Patwardhan Vaidyakiya' award in 1999 for his contribution in Propagation of Ayurveda. In year 2001 he was awarded by Bapu Puraskar by Mahatma Gandhi Rashtriya Pratisthan, Pune. Awarded with Hadapsar Bhushan. Awarded with Sane Guruji Jivan Nishta Puraskar. Awarded Sadhana Gaurav Puraskar. Awarded Ratna Puraskar by Government of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi

Committees served

Dr. Gujar worked in following Govt. of India committees:

• Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia committee. (APC)
• Governing body of Central Council for Research in Ayurved and Siddha.(CCRAS)[16]
• Member of Advisory committee for Naturopathy and Yoga.
• Member of Project Sanctioning Committee for Indo -German Watershed Development Programme monitored through NABARD - KFW
• Executive committee member of Central Council of Indian Medicine. (CCIM)
• A member of Ayurved, Siddha, Unani Drug technical advisory Board Govt. of India. (ASUDTAB)
• Governing Body member of National Institute of Ayurved, Jaipur. (NIA)

Dr. Gujar was associated as a trustee with the following organizations since their inception :

• Sakhar Kamgar Hospital - Shrirampur, Dist. Ahmednagar.
• Lokamanya Medical Foundation - Chinchwad, Pune 411 019.
• Ashish Gram Rachana Trust - Pachod, Dist, Ahmednagar.
• National Water Resources Development Association - Pune 411 001;
• Lal Bahadur Shastri National Memorial Trust - New Delhi
• Founder Chairman of Sadhana Sahakari Bank Hadapsar, Pune 41 i 028.
• Chairman - Dr. Dada Gujar Nagari Sahakari Patasanstha Ltd.
• NGO - Committee:
  • Trustee of Balgram /S.O.S. Children's village, Pune.
  • Chairman - Dada Gujar Sahakari Patsanstha Ltd., Hadapsar
  • Chairman of a rural development NGO - called AFARM (Action for Agricultural Renewal in Maharashtra)
  • Member of project sanctioning committee of KFW Indo-German water shed development programme in collaboration with NABARD - National Bank for Rural Development)