Member Shri. Babulal Gandhi Babulal Ghandhi’s organically grown farm and nature conservation exercise at Vinchuni stands out as an oasis in the dry, degraded, waste lands around. He very systematically and lovingly nurtured the land by first banning free grazing of animals, cutting of trees and catching and killing of wildlife. Then he built bunds and check dame to collect water and conserve soil. He has several cows and uses their dung and urine to grow earth-warms and also for the biogas plant, the slurry from which goes into making a special fertilizer for his fruit trees.
Babulal was born and brought up in Phaltan. He did his M.A. from Saint Stephen’s College, New Delhi and was influenced by Professor R.V. Rao, the famous economist. Following graduation Babulal offered his life to the developmental work for the country under Vinoba and became a member of the Sarvodaya Movement. He was active in the Bhoodan Movement during which he walked the breadth and length of India. He was given the Jamanaben Kutumutia Award at Malegaon for his work against cow slaughter.
Babulal got connected with Pragat Shikshan Sanstha in 1985. Since then he has been a governing council member, and the KNB and Apli Shala students are always welcome on his farm.
Today his farm has two farm ponds, a large bund that looks like Bharatpur bird sanctuary inventor, fruit trees, about a hundred peacocks, lizards, snakes and even an occasional wolf. This was possible only through his sustainable lifestyle for which he was awarded the Kirloskar Vasundhara Mitra Award for 2012. |