“True power isn’t about bodily means, however the will to maintain shifting ahead, irrespective of the problem.”
Polio, a merciless illness, robbed Abhay Todkar of the power to stroll freely. But it surely couldn’t steal his spirit. Born in Dahiwadi, Satara District, Maharashtra, this 44-year-old has defied adversity and emerged as a beacon of hope for his group.
Right this moment, Abhay is a residing embodiment of hope and transformation. His work not solely highlights the ability of tenacity but in addition proves that irrespective of the percentages, a steadfast coronary heart and perception in oneself can flip even the best obstacles into stepping stones for change.
Rising up in rural India, the place bodily prowess is commonly celebrated, Abhay confronted a double problem. Polio left him with a weakened physique, making on a regular basis duties harder. But, as a substitute of succumbing to adversity, Abhay ignited a fierce willpower inside him — a willpower that will carry water to drought-prone villages within the arid Satara district.
“I needed to dwell a traditional life,” he tells The Higher India. “I by no means let polio outline me. I gave 100% in every thing I did, whether or not it was sports activities or life. My mindset was all the time optimistic, and with my household’s assist, I pushed past my limits. It’s not concerning the challenges you face, however the effort you set in.”
A enterprise, a realisation, and discovering function
On the age of 20, Abhay began working in an STD sales space enterprise that his father had arrange for him. Though the enterprise offered Abhay with useful classes in entrepreneurship, it didn’t yield instant monetary success. Regardless of his willpower, a way of frustration continued, as his aspirations prolonged far past the small enterprise he was managing. His need for a larger function continued to develop, and it was solely when life took an sudden flip that he found his true calling.
Abhay had all the time dreamt of shaping younger minds, incomes a diploma in schooling to develop into a major faculty instructor. Nonetheless, a sudden courtroom ruling halted instructor appointments, abruptly derailing his plans. Undeterred by this setback, he pivoted his aspirations and ventured into the world of wholesale enterprise. His journey started with lengthy, arduous travels to close by villages round Dahiwadi, counting on state transport buses to navigate the winding roads.
“I might carry baggage of products on my head and promote them to native distributors. I additionally constructed numerous connections throughout the area,” he remembers. Though the monetary rewards had been modest, Abhay’s willpower stored him going. “My dad and mom and spouse believed in me, even after I had little to supply,” he says. Their assist grew to become his anchor, serving to him keep centered on his bigger aspirations.
The turning level in Abhay’s life got here when he noticed an commercial within the newspaper for an LPG company with Hindustan Petroleum. He determined to use, and to his shock, his identify was chosen in a fortunate draw, giving him the chance to run his personal fuel company.
“I used to be overjoyed after I noticed my identify, however little did I do know that this success would carry its personal set of obstacles,” Abhay says.
The stress of managing the rising enterprise started to take a toll on his well being, and he discovered himself in fixed battle with clients and even his household. “I used to be so centered on the enterprise that I overpassed what actually mattered. I felt like I used to be solely chasing after cash,” he admits. It was throughout this tough interval that Abhay had a realisation that true success wasn’t nearly enterprise achievements, it was about residing a life with function.
In 2012, he enrolled within the Sudarshan Kriya programme underneath ‘Artwork of Residing’. This resolution marked the second main turning level in his life. “The Sudarshan Kriya programme modified every thing,” Abhay displays. “It helped me let go of stress and gave me a way of calm that I had by no means skilled earlier than.” By way of the programme, he learnt the ability of a optimistic mindset, a useful software that will not solely enhance his psychological well-being but in addition positively affect his private {and professional} life.
Out of the blue, Abhay noticed life via a brand new lens. His enterprise was now not the centre of his world. He started to grasp that success was not measured by monetary wealth, however by how a lot good one may do for others. This mindset shift led him to have interaction extra deeply in social work. His perception that “service to mankind is service to God” grew to become the muse of his group initiatives. Abhay quickly started organising cleanliness drives (Swachhata Abhiyaan) in his village, Dahiwadi, and realised that he may create lasting change via group involvement.
Bringing water to drought-prone villages
Having grown up in a area suffering from recurring droughts, Abhay had firsthand expertise of the immense hardship confronted by his group in securing water. The fixed reliance on costly water tankers was a stark actuality, highlighting the pressing want for sustainable options. Pushed by a need to alleviate this struggling, Abhay launched into an formidable mission to handle the urgent subject of water shortage in Dahiwadi and its surrounding areas.
“We dwell in a drought-affected space the place rainfall is minimal,” he says. “Water shortage has all the time been a difficulty, however I realised we needed to discover a sustainable resolution.”
His imaginative and prescient for water conservation started with making a construction that will not solely retailer water but in addition scale back dependence on exterior sources. In 2015-16, he spearheaded the creation of one of many largest people-made dams on the Manganga River in Dahiwadi. The challenge marked a major milestone for the group, which got here collectively, impressed by Abhay’s imaginative and prescient.
The success of this challenge was transformative. The tanker vehicles, which had as soon as been an everyday sight in Dahiwadi, now not wanted to ship water. The group now had entry to a dependable water supply. “We saved crores of rupees by eliminating the price of shopping for water,” Abhay says. “The dam gave us the power to outlive even when there have been years with out rainfall.”
Abhay’s success in Dahiwadi grew to become the spark that fuelled a bigger motion. Motivated by the optimistic affect his village had skilled, Abhay expanded his efforts to different villages within the area. From 2018 to 2024, he and his group from ‘Artwork of Residing’ reached 64 villages, specializing in water conservation initiatives, natural farming, and youth management improvement. Collaborating with organisations just like the ‘Paani Basis’, which was based by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, his imaginative and prescient continued to develop.
Abhay tried a wide range of revolutionary strategies to preserve water throughout the villages aside from constructing dams. “We organised competitions between the older and youthful generations to see who may funds water extra successfully. Alongside this, I taught folks the significance of tree plantation. By planting extra timber, we ensured that water was saved underground, which helped keep a provide even throughout droughts. Bushes play a vital function in absorbing and conserving water, providing a lifeline in dry seasons by utilizing moisture effectively and sustaining the land and the group. Within the final 5 years, we’ve planted roughly 1,27,000 timber,” he says.
Many villages had been initially sceptical concerning the thought of water conservation, unsure if the strategies would work in their very own communities. To earn their belief, Abhay selected to steer by instance. “I knew one of the best ways to persuade them was to point out them the ends in Dahiwadi,” he says. “I invited them to go to, allow them to see the affect for themselves, and allowed the work to talk.” Abhay was in a position to flip scepticism into perception, regularly inspiring others to affix his trigger.
One of the vital outstanding success tales got here from the village of Pingali-Kd, positioned simply 5 kilometres from Dahiwadi. Initially, the village confirmed little curiosity in Abhay’s water conservation efforts. “At first, solely 8-10 folks had been ,” Abhay remembers. However as a substitute of giving up, Abhay invited 25 youngsters with disabilities to take part in rallies, specializing in Shramdaan (labour donation). These rallies quickly captured the eye of the whole village.
One of many villagers, Sujata Waghmare, admits, “When Abhay ji first launched the water conservation challenge in our village, I wasn’t actually . However when he requested me to attend the coaching, I made a decision to provide it a attempt. The coaching was so impactful that I instantly realised I needed to be a part of this trigger.”
“Abhay ji introduced a lot power and enthusiasm to the challenge that it felt prefer it was his village. His ardour motivated me to get actively concerned, attending conferences and becoming a member of the initiatives. I additionally inspired others to participate so they might perceive the significance of water conservation. What amazed me most was that regardless that Abhay sir is bodily disabled, his drive to work is past inspiring,” she provides.
As extra villagers grew to become engaged, Pingali-Kd raised the mandatory funds to construct dams. Inside a short while, the village overcame its water shortage points, and even started supplying water to neighbouring villages.
Bapu Kambale from Pingali-Kd shares, “I’m a mechanic, and I do know Abhay ji via Artwork of Residing. Water conservation has all the time been near my coronary heart, as we’ve seen the devastating results of drought. There was a time after we needed to stroll as much as seven kilometres simply to fetch water. Our wells had been dry, and discovering ingesting water was a relentless battle. With such a scarcity, we couldn’t even consider farming.”
“When Abhay ji started his work on water conservation in our village, I joined him. We constructed dams, and Abhay ji took the lead in elevating funds. He stayed in our village for practically 40 days, overseeing the progress and guaranteeing every thing was accomplished correctly,” he says with deep appreciation.
From a boy identified with polio to a person main a motion for water conservation throughout villages, Abhay Todkar’s journey is a supply of hope for others going through related challenges. His story proves that no limitation can maintain again the human spirit when fuelled by grit and a ardour for serving others.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All photographs courtesy Abhay Todkar
