On a recent visit to Jamshedpur, my thoughts were about this great Indian visionary, Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata.

His dream was to see India transformed into a thriving industrial nation. Sadly he did not live long enough to see his vision fructify but was specific enough to leave detailed instructions to his sons of how the city had to be planned:

"Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees – every other of a quick growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns & gardens. Reserve large areas for foot-ball,hockey and parks and finally ear-mark areas for Hindu temples, Mohemedan mosques and Christian churches".

Jamshedpur is now not just a steel city but a thriving industrial complex, ever striving towards world standards.

It was a short but eventful time that a group of IC/MRA (Initiative of Change/Moral Re-armament) friends spent in Jamshedpur from December 5 to 7, 2004. Hosted by the large IC team, they were indeed eventful and heart-warming days. It revealed to me the impact that MRA's ideology has had on this town-ship resulting in deep and lasting change. Let me enumerate a few examples through the men and women we were privileged to meet.

Driving out early one morning to the Adivasi village of Hurlung, just outside Jamshedpur, we met Budheshwar Mahato, a local villager. Coming in touch with MRA friends in Jamshedpur and subsequently through his visits to Asia Plateau, Panchgani, he along with his compatriots, was able to bring about a revolutionary change in the entire village. The main occupation of the village had been distilling illicit liquor to become the main supplier of booze to the town of Jamshedpur! Budheshwar's conviction was strong enough to turn the entire occupation of the village. Discarding the illicit trade, they started going back to the fields, growing luscious vegetables and starting a piggery as suppliers to the villages around.

Budheshwar next showed us the large pond dug by the villagers for water harvesting and fish farming. "This water will be enough for our daily use until the next monsoon" he proudly said. A team effort, which was productive to be shared by all.

Krishna Lohar was the other villager from Garudbasa. He has a lot to be proud of pointing to a drawing of a small hut, which was the original village school, we were now entering an extended school building, one section of it is still under construction. "We now have every boy and girl coming to this school from the villages all around". Pointing to an old man, Krishna says, "He is our chief cashier and accountant and thanks to the scrupulous accounts he has kept over the years, we have enough money for our teachers' salaries etc".

The next halt was an enclave of a few huts. On display were strung a row of newly stitched clothes such as baby frocks, skirts, ladies blouses etc. Krishna Lohar explains that no thought had been given for the upliftment of the women of these villages. Mrs. Anita Singh, wife of Harendra Pratap Singh, a trade union leader, thought of using her own skills to teach the women tailoring. Within a period of time not only do these women produce the needs of their own families, but the clothes on display were the ones they would sell in the local market!

The visit to Salboni village was an unforgettable experience. Nityanand and his team has set up a centre for educating and training 30 adivasi girls from the remotest villages of Jharkhand. They learn many life skills including basket weaving, mushroom cultivation, candle making, goat rearing, herbal medicine, handicrafts, agri-related products, etc. which enable them to earn a living when they return to their homes.

Driving out of Jamshdepur I recalled that J.R.D. Tata was one of the signatories to the invitation sent to Dr. Frank Buchman in 1951 to come with his team to India. The seeds sown from that visit had struck deep roots into the hearts of ordinary men and women of Jamshedpur. Their work matches the commitment, as deep and profound, to similar ideals, which have always guided the House of Tatas!

Khorshed Gandhy