CONTINUATION OF A DREAM Surya Prakash Srivastava, who lives in Bharawan block of Hardoi District and is popularly known as Babaji in the area, went to attend a meeting of Gandhiji in 1932 when he was still a 17 year old youth in Lucknow. He had heard of a brave man whom even the British government used to fear. He had gone to the public meeting expecting to see the like of Shivaji or Maha Rana Pratap. The large number of police there confirmed his assumption. But when the loin cloth Gandhiji arrived on stage he couldn't believe himself. The truth dawned on him. Gandhi represented a moral force which was even more powerful than the brute force. That was the moment of transformation for Surya Prakash Srivastava. From then on he closely followed the life of Gandhiji until his death and once even went to Sewagram in Wardha to meet him. He fondly remembers being served the neem chatni by Kasturba which prepared by Gandhiji himself during a meal there. Drawing inspiration from Gandhiji's advice that the educated should go to the villages he decided to give up his job as a Principal of a higher secondary school in Lucknow and move 60 km outside in a rural area in 1954. Today at the age of 84 years he lives on the premises of a girl's intermediate college that he himself set up. In fact his major contribution to the area has been that of setting up of 9-10 intermediate colleges in the area with contributions raised totally from local people. When he moved into the area 55 years back people were skeptical. He used to collect contributions in kind, like food grains, bamboo, etc., to create schools. Gradually with his dedication, perseverance and simplicity of life he won over the people and today he is the most respected citizen in the area. He lives a very simple Gandhian life in one small room of the college. What would have been more appropriate than Babaji's presence at the site in Lalpur, close to Bharawan, when the foundations were being laid for the construction of a rural campus of Asha, in the mould of an ashram, which is going to be the centre of an experiment in education based primarily on the Gandhian ideology. Babaji is overwhelmed. His joys know no bound as he takes a look around the ashram site. Some people have arrived who could carry his dream forward. He narrates how difficult it has been for him to carry out his work in the area. During the initial years even the teachers would protest the admission of Harijan students to his schools. The upper caste could not simply accept the fact that Harijan children were going to sit with their children in the same classroom. Once Babaji created a uproar when he asked a Mehtar for a glass of water. The Mehtar too couldn't believe that he was being asked to do a job meant only for the more privileged. When Babaji went on a 3 day fast once he got his fast broken by accepting juice from a Harijan. When he went out for collecting contributions people would ridicule him. Things have changed since them but the caste system has definitely not been wiped out. In fact the roots are still strong. The Asha team has publicly announced its resolve to break the caste barriers and has made it a point to visit each of the about 40 Chamar and Arakh households of Lalpur to accept food there, still considered a taboo by the upper caste of the area. By Sandeep Address: A-893 Indira Nagar, Lucknow-226016, U.P. Phone: (0522) 347365; E-mail: ashain@l...