Arsha Bharath

Summary of Achivements

The main thrust of ARSHABHARATH has been to facilitate radical change in the perspective and practice of people, through a paradigm shift in vision and attitude. This has happened to a large extent. People have started asking questions they never asked about the wisdom of following their old pattern of thinking and reacting.

  • The eco-spirituality advocated by ARSHABHARATH has gone home to many. This becomes evident from their conviction that nature is the greatest book, which reveals the ultimate meaning and purpose of life. People have started taking greater interest in appreciating and conserving nature.
  • Water’s pre-eminence in sustainable development has been a constant theme of ARSHABHARATH. It is heartening to see people taking the trouble to protect the springs and streams in their areas.
  • Gender equity and women’s security were among the prominent concerns of ARSHABHARATH although. People have become more sensitive about healthy man-woman relationships and the need to protect women’s rights.
  • Food security is yet another leading concern of the organization. ARSHABHARATH has been campaigning for the cause of conserving local food crops and homestead food crop cultivation. Many families and groups of farmers have made it a point to set apart a portion of their land exclusively for growing food crops.
  • As a result of the watershed project implemented by the organization, soil erosion has been checked, soil moisture and fertility increased, springs recharged, under-ground water table risen, crop productivity improved.
  • Vital safe drinking water has been made available to thousands of families.
  • Organic farming is being practiced by increasing number of farmers.
  • Farmer groups and federation have promoted the much needed solidarity in the farming communities.
  • Dozens of streams have been revived and protected, with plenty of water in them throughout the year, serving various purposes, including drinking, farming, cattle rearing.
  • Reclamation and protection of farm ponds have enabled hundreds of farmers to do paddy cultivation in fields which were lying barren for years.
  • Planting of thousands of tree saplings has protected the banks of streams and promoted bio-diversity in a big way, since the presence of thickets has attracted many birds, which had earlier left for want of proper habitat.
  • The standard of living of thousands of farmers, hundreds of tribal families and scores of SC families has improved as a result of the income generation programs promoted by the organization.
  • Numerous individuals and families have been helped to resolve their psycho-social problems through family and individual counseling services.
  • Many women victims of domestic violence have been rescued and re-habilitated.
  • Hundreds of female sex workers have been helped to avoid getting infected by HIV/AIDS. Their economic as well as social status has been improved.
  • Dozens of young children have been taken care of, fed and educated in the crèche run by ARSHABHARATH.
  • The books, booklets, audios and videos published by ARSHABHARATH have helped improve the awareness level of thousands of people.
  • The organization has succeeded in imprinting the message of national integration and communal harmony through appropriate cultural programs.

Future Vision

ARSHABHARATH intends to continue its mission of being a social change agent with focus on conservation of nature and women’s security. Our future thrust areas include

  • Nature conservation with focus on conserving the Western Ghat ecology.
  • Promotion of local food security by promoting family food crop cultivation.
  • Promotion of holistic health through embracing holistic lifestyles
  • ​​Providing security to women in distress by operating a short stay home.
  • Educating people on the importance of bio-diversity conservation
  • Enabling people to develop skills for coping with the challenges posed by problems such as climate change.
  • ​Promoting and strengthening people’s organizations, such as farmer groups, women’s groups, youth clubs, children’s clubs, eco-groups, farmer producer companies and so forth.
  • Publish books, booklets, videos and audios on themes of environmental protection, women’s security, food security etc.
  • ​Establish village knowledge centers for pooling and disseminating knowledge for conserving ecology and improving the quality of life.
  • Promote national integration and communal harmony using modern means of communication.
  • ​Work for the conservation and appreciation of ethnic culture.