How a committed leadership transformed a village

The purpose of this article is to examine the role of leadership in transforming a village into a model village. A leader will motivate, influence and empower people to contribute to the effectiveness and success of organisations, villages and nations. Successful management involves proper planning, organising, mobilising, cooperation and coordination among the people to achieve common goals.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. It is the process of influencing others to follow enthusiastically towards realisation of shared goals. A leader is one who knows the way, who shows the way and who goes the way along with the followers, and who can turn adversities into opportunities. Leadership also influences the changes in the behavior of people.

Coming to the village aforementioned, Gangadevipalli is located 15 km away from Warangal town in Telangana State. With a population of 1,352 (Females: 692, Males: 660). It has 281 households. Earlier to September 1994, it was a village on the suburbs of Machapur village panchayat. After 1994 it became an independent village panchayat. Prior to 1994 there were only huts, illiteracy, lack of proper roads, and absence of toilets, sanitation, street lights and drinking water.

A committed leader Kusam Raja Mouli was not comfortable with his village situation. He wanted to bring about a significant change in the village, visualising a situation where unity prevails; people cooperate and participate in initiating innovative activities using local resources rather than depending on external assistance. He realised the importance of people’s commitment and participation for sustainable community development.

He shared his dreams and convinced fellow leaders and through them the total community that something needed to be done. As a first step, the leader succeeded in educating the villagers about the problems of alcohol consumption and could bring about a mental revolution among the villagers.

Gangadevipalli village development is the result of the management of the village through successful functioning of various developmental committees such as: Safe Drinking Water Committee; Toilets Construction Committee; Clean And Green Committee; Alcohol Prohibition Committee; Loans Recovery Committee; Plastic Prohibition Committee; Education Committee; Internal Audit Committee; Andhra Pradesh Academy Of Rural Development (APARD) Training Centre; Women Problems Resolving Committee; Farmers Committee; Youth Committee; Widows Committee; Pensioners Committee; Differently Abled Persons Welfare Committee; Mothers Committee; Civil Supplies Committee; Craft Persons Coordination Committee; Ganga Dish Committee; Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP); Women Development Committee; Chaitanya Training Committee; Gramykya Sangam; and Coordination Committee.

Development of village:
On account of the Leadership and Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and effective functioning of the committees, the village has been transformed into a model village in terms of 100 per cent achievement in prohibition of alcohol, literacy, enrolment in schools, supply of protected drinking water to all families, collection of house taxes, construction and use of toilets, observance of family planning by all eligible couples, enrollment of families in bank saving schemes, eradication of child labour, clean and green, sanitation in the village, plastic eradication etc.

The village has achieved so much that the State government has included a lesson on Gangadevipalli village in Social Studies in 6th standard. The village has bagged several national awards, attracted representatives from various states within India and from other countries. Gangadevipalli village is now setting new benchmarks in community development and inspiring people from all walks of life. The visionary, committed, selfless and effective leadership has transformed a normal backward village into a model village in terms of cent per cent development and self-reliance.

The management practices followed through the committee system ensured people’s co-operation and participation in every developmental activity. The frequently held meetings of committees and coordination among various committees assured transparency and accountability in every activity. The village leadership acts as a frontline driver of positive social change, reshaping the village by changing the performance capacity of the community, and improving the quality of life of the people.

The innovative approaches in sustainable community driven development at Gangadevipalli village are attracting visitors every year from different sections of society not only from India but from all over the World. Now every citizen of the village is proud of living with dignity and security in a scenario of all round development. (Writer is pursuing B Tech IV-Year (Computer Science) at IIIT D&M, Kancheepuram, TN)

By T Chetana Rohit