Padayatra to promote village concept

Nalgonda: An NRI woman Lalitha Dwivedula, native of Visakhapatnam, who settled in Canada, has embarked on a long march on foot to cover 2,600 km across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Her mission is to inculcate village concept among people. She started her padyatra from Dhanushkodi near Rameshwaram of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of January 1.

She walked on an average 20-40 km a day, educating rural people on development village on their own contribution. She covered a distance of 1,035 km in just 35 days, covering Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and set foot in Telangana via Dameracherla.

When Lalitha along with her family friend Rajsharma reached Miryalaguda on Tuesday, she spoke to The Hans India in an exclusive interview on her padayatra. She said she was on padayatra to create awareness among the rural people and teach village concept, besides raising funds to support the development of local infrastructure.

The Hans India took a special interview about her padayatra. during the interview introducing her self she said her name is Lalitha Dwivedula and she is walking 2,600 Kilometers in India, to raise awareness among the rural people on contribute your village concept and to raise funds to support the development of local infrastructure of a small village, Kindam Agraharam in Vizianagaram district. She has adopted the village.

After completing higher studies, she went to the US in 1998 and worked there for five years and immigrated to Canada in 2003. She is working as senior tax professional in a private organisation. She along with spiritual and service oriented people in the Year 2007-08 she started Sri Ananga Datta Society of Calgary of Canada. Besides social service activities to spread Indian culture, the society collectively constructed temples of Goddess Anaga and Saibaba at Calgiri, she added.

On her association with her adopted village Kindam Agraharam, she said it is her grandmother's native and spent her childhood in the village. After a long gap in the year 2014, on the occasion of distribution of clothes to poor in memory of her grandmother she came to the village. During her visit, she interacted with the people and examined their life style and facilities in village.

She went to Canada and narrated her experiences to her children Kavya and Pranav and her husband Shailesh Bhagavatula, software engineer. She told them that she intended adopt the village and contribute to its development. With the backing of her family members, she came back to the village and explained to the villagers of her mission.

Her plans include setting up of a reverse osmosis plant to ensure potable water to the villagers, mobile clinic and building toilets. Apart from it, she is determined to improve facilities in the existing school and build a community centre at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore from her own funds and also contributions from the public. Her padayatra will come to end at Naimisharanya in UP in the north via Ayodhya on Sriram Navami festival.

By Deekonda Ravishankar