“Swagrama Fellowship”

My Village, My Pride

Building an indigenous approach to rural development

Based on the cultural context and uniqueness of the village

On the 75^th year of India's independence for which “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” is being celebrated, we are at the crossroads of our journey into the future. On the one hand, these celebrations remind us that the “freedoms” that we have was made possible by generations of freedom fighters; some known, many unknown. They made great sacrifices. On the other hand, there is a question, what is the place of the values that our ancestors fought for, how do we march into the new world order without sacrificing our existing roots. Can we continue to exist as ourselves and yet march in this journey of progress? 

Indians as a culture and a country suffered great injustices and tyranny under foreign rule. What distinguishes India, however, is that the character of our resistance movements, and the one which finally culminated in independence led by Mahatma Gandhi, was based on the values that were upheld by an ancient civilization that continues to live even today. This movement, a movement to “recover the self” provided us with an invaluable blueprint to not only liberate the nation from colonial regimes but also to rebuild it. Gandhiji's struggle was for a return to the Indian “self”.  It is this quest for the self which marks centuries of history of Indian resistance. 

India’s independence was a result of this struggle in search of self, the recovery and loss were expected to be the focus of our past 75 years. If Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is part of this legacy of recovery, then we must engage in the process of taking stock of where we stand today and what is the direction that defines our future journey. To engage precisely in the question of the search for self, KSRDPU in association with Youth for Seva, Chanakya University, and Abdul Nazeer sab Chair, Kuvempu University has launched a three-year initiative titled “Swagrama Fellowship – My Village, My Pride”. 

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