Shripad Dabholkar

Shripad A. Dabholkar is an intellectual and activist from India born in 1924. He's the founder of a non-structured methodology of grassroot networking for nature-friendly and human-friendly neighbourhood development called the Prayog Pariwar methodology.

Biography

Shripad A. Dabholkar is an educationist of a unique kind. His efforts are to shape education as a tool for total change in the life situation of an average worker in rural areas. Gifted with originality in thinking, Dabholkar dares to take the untrodden path. Realizing the limitation of conventional academic system in which he player a part as a teacher for 25 years, he left it to undertake the task of educating farmers through demystification of science, adopting innovative non-formal methods of knowledge communication. He was a lone campaigner, typical of his independent temperament. But being a man of conviction, he decided to reach solutions in his own life situations. He succeeded in creating mass awareness and interest in farmers, who the formed their own groups called Prayog Pariwar (experimenting cells), even in his absence. This was network building par excellence, resulting in a new sociology of science and education. Dabholkar started his mission in Tasgaon, a village in Sangli district in Maharashtra, among the grape cultivators. Soon the productivity in the district rose to world standards and grape production became a highly productive activity, inducing small farmers to turn to it. Dabholkar has then successfully extended the applied research to other crops as well.

Prayog Pariwar methodology

Prayog Pariwar methodology is about networking of self-experiment ventures for nature friendly and human friendly prosperity.

The central thesis is that without depending on foreign aid or imported technology, economic development can be achieved by experimenting farmers and by common individuals in their own neighborhoods. It evolved out from an initiative by S.A. Dabholkar in Maharashtra, India, in the mid-1960s. By then the network was called Swashraya Vikas Mandal, meaning self-help and self-reliance for building new possibilities by working in one's own real-life situation.

These groups also pioneered collaborative networking practices and an Internet-type information exchange using postcards.

Dabholkar described the Prayog Pariwar methodology in the book "Plenty for all" (Mehta Publishing House, 1998) where he defines and establishes a non structured approach for development in the neighborhood through:
* grassroot networking
* demystification of latest science, knowledge and new thoughts to generate and propagate
* people's own techno-scientific ventures
* full fledged eco-motive rurban development all over the world.

Links

* [http://www.prayogpariwar.net/ Prayog Pariwar network website]
* [http://shourie.bharatvani.org/articles/19970705.htm An article on Shripad A. Dabholkar]
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/8171617492 Plenty for All ; Prayog Pariwar Methodology, Unto this Last : Networking of Self-experimenting Ventures for Nature-friendly and Human-friendly Prosperity]