The Rajghat Rural Centre, Varanasi, India

"Why do you want to do social work? Is it because you see misery in the world -- starvation, disease, exploitation, the brutal indifference of great wealth side by side with appalling poverty, the enmity between man and man? Do you want to do social work because in your heart there is love and therefore you are not concerned with your own fulfillment? Or is social work a means of escape from yourself? ...If it is a means of escape, or if you are merely pursuing an ideal established by a leader or a priest, or by yourself then any social work you may do will only create further misery. But if you have love in your heart, if you are no longer ambitious, no longer pursuing success and your virtue is not leading to respectability, then your very life will help bring about a total transformation of the society."

--J. Krishnamurti

The Rajghat Rural Centre was founded by Mr. Achyut Patwardhan, a close associate of J. Krishnamurti, in the year 1953. It has a campus of 125 acres located on the eastern bank of the Varuna and the northern bank of the Ganga. Through these lands the Buddha is said to have walked to Sarnath 2500 years ago!

Immediately adjoining the rural center are the villages of Sarai-Mohana and Kapil-dhara with a total population of 12,000 very poor and uneducated villagers. Most of them are small farmers, fishermen, or weavers of silk sarees and grass mats. Further on there are about ten villages to which the rural centre has been extending its educational and health care facilities. These consist of :

The Rural Primary School.

This school, located in the Sarai-mohana village, offers free education to nearly 600 children ranging in age from 3 to 12 years. It has 12 teachers and educates children from the pre-kindergarten to Grade VI. It is proposed to extend the school up to Grade VIII and offer free mid-day meals for the children.

The Sanjivan Hospital

A 10-bedded rural hospital which functions as a primary health-care centre which caters to the needs of 50 to 100 out-patients every day. The hospital has one doctor, a compounder, and two nurses, and provides free medicines to the extent donations are available for it. Complicated cases are referred to the city hospitals.

The Centre for Vocational Training of Women

This project trains village women to learn tailoring, embroidery and handicrafts. To enable them to earn and support their families and become economically independent. It also aims at increasing the literacy among women in the village. At present there are 30 students undergoing training at a time.

The Agricultural Farm

The rural centre has a 110-acre farm,of which nearly 85 acres are under cultivation. There are three tube-wells for irrigation. The farm produces seeds of high-yielding cereal and vegetable crops for supply to local farmers and demonstrates their benefits to them. The surplus produced is used by the school and college hostels.

The Live-Stock Farm

This consists of approximately 80 cross-bred cows and operates as a demonstration unit for the surrounding village farmers and cattle breeders. It provides improved cross-bred bulls for natural breeding and veterinary aid for the rural masses. The milk is supplied to the school and college hostels for the students.

	Afforestation A major afforestation project has recently been completed on the banks of the Varuna. With the planting of ten thousand trees a beautiful forest has grown which is becoming a sanctuary for birds and animals. The Rajghat Rural Centre is extending this project to cover other areas in the vicinity.

Afforestation

A major afforestation project has recently been completed on the banks of the Varuna. With the planting of ten thousand trees a beautiful forest has grown which is becoming a sanctuary for birds and animals. The Rajghat Rural Centre is extending this project to cover other areas in the vicinity.

Donations

The rural centre has virtually no income since it offers free services. Consequently the facilities offered to the poor villagers are heavily dependent on donations received for this work from the public. Income-tax exemptions are available for the donors under the Indian Income Tax Act.