The Institute as a whole is dedicated to turning the ideological guidelines from which we took our initial inspiration into projects that improve the lives of the rural poor in Rajasthan. This is the arena in which we have the opportunity to help the people achieve, on a localized basis, the vision we inherited from Gandhi of a good society. The fundamentals of this vision do not differ substantially from ideals that have motivated a thousand influential political thinkers. Embracing the marginalized, creating an environment in which all are free to grow to their fullest potential and so on, must occupy principal roles.
The
main distinction is the primacy accorded to the issue of sustainability,
which in this context, and with conditions in the field - as well as on
a global scale - being as they are, has to be paramount. In order to ensure
that sustainability is the driving force behind our projects, the Institute
carries out its own surveys of the field, and the social and environmental
issues within it. We then work in partnership with our various funding
agencies to implement the right kind of development at grassroots level.
In
line with the Gandhian concept of Gram Swaraj, we have found the best
way to empower communities is to provide them with the right conditions
to implement a self -governance system. This system, once established
provides a forum for the communal representation of hitherto marginalized
sections of the community. From within this inclusive framework, decisions
affecting the lives of all the villagers can be taken with the input of
women, children and socially and economically weaker sections of the community.
The forums are the first real platforms for decision making in which all
voices can be heard. The Institute feels that it is this kind of progress,
as much as the physical deepening of wells and leveling of land, which
is critical in giving the villagers a new sense of control over and pride
in their lives.
Our mission, then, can be described as to work towards the holistic and
sustainable development of rural people, with a view to providing the
groundwork for a more secure, equitable and prosperous society. Details
of the procedures we use to work towards this end can be found in the
'Activities' section.