Chor Vadodara

Chor Vadodara 

The village I have visited recently during School enrolment drive is named Virochan Nagar, named after a Baniya person Shri Virochand. In a population of 6000, it has 2000 Muslims, 2000 Kshatriyas (Darbars) and rest are the Thakardas, Devi Pujak, Dalits, and few Brahmins. The Baniyas are living mostly in Mumbai and hardly come to the village. Selection of the name, Virochan Nagar was a choice of neutrality. 

But the original name of the village was Vadodara. Before independence, it was under British provincial rule, and was located at the border of the Vadodara State. As the surrounding villages, i.e., Govindpura, Kalyanpura, Jakhwada, Chandrasan, etc, were in Vadodara State, therefore, some of the villagers of Vadodara village used to rob the villages of Vadodara Princely State. As the police of Vadodara State can't enter into the British ruled area, the thieves were thieving and living safely in the Vadodara village. It became a village of the thieves, therefore, people named it Chor Vadodara.

It is a birth place of late Gobhakta Shambhu Maharaj. He had devoted his entire life after Goraksha and made it a movement. His son continued with the charity work in the village, his father started. One rotten mango can spoil the basket of mangoes. The rotten apple spoils the barrel. But in Humans, a good person influences everyone he or she comes into contact with, making them good too. Similarly, some people go bad in the company of bad person. Shambhu Maharaj being a good man seeded good culture in the village. However, the Chor mark over the village continued for many years.

The literacy rate, particularly the female literacy is very poor. Most of the girls marry at 14-15 Y age, and squire premature motherhood. The quality of education is poor. The only silver line is that all the school going girls are in the school. Muslim children are punctual in attending Madrasa in the morning (7-10 am). Previously the Madrasa teaching of Holy Quran was in verbal, but last two years they have started it through teaching Arabic alphabets. Therefore, the children are confused with Gujarati and Arabic alphabets when they come to the school. The students regular in Madrasa are irregular in the school. One of the Muslims educated her daughter upto 12th, and she has scored 83% marks in 12th, but due to oppose from her in-laws, she couldn't continue her study further. She was married in the same village with her cousin as per the custom. Her husband is a farmer, doesn't understand the value of her education. Her father is keen to see her in college and to acquire a good job, but the girl is aiming to become an 'anganwadi worker' and applied for the post of Talati. I was happy to know that many Muslims have started thinking for education and development of their children. They have realised the importance of happiness of present life on Earth than the life and heaven after the death. 

Chor Vadodara became Virochan Nagar, and people are conscious about their name, therefore, if quality of education is improved and people's participation is mobilised with some coordination with the Maulvi of the Madrasa, the quality of life of the Muslims can be improved. However, social reforms to oppose child marriages, de-addicting people from chewing gutaka and drinking alcohol to be kept on priority with all the backward castes and communities of the village. With the development of Sanand as one of the industrial hubs of the State, each house has a job either of worker or of helper. The boys in the area are aiming at ITI to acquire industrial skill to get the job after 10th. They are not day dreaming. 

The village, Virochannagar, now in AUDA area, located some 90 kms away from the State Capital is in changing mode.

Punamchand 
16 June 2016