Kuravilangad unites in pursuit of happiness

With KILA’s aid, panchayat to evolve into a ‘non-violent zone’, ensuring its residents’ emotional well-being

An entire panchayat is set to reorient its actions towards ensuring happiness. Participants in the endeavour are 3,900-odd households, the panchayat’s administrators and its institutions.

The Kuravilangad grama panchayat in Kottayam district is striving to evolve into a ‘non-violent zone’ by ensuring the emotional well-being of its residents. The project, titled Samanwaya (Socially Aware and Mutually Alert Non Violent Village Atonement Yojana Abhiyan), a first by any local body in the country, is being implemented in association with the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA).

Local Administration Minister A.C. Moideen will inaugurate the project on December 13. The programme comprises three key modules — reducing conflicts, improving community hygiene and establishing locally owned public enterprises. These modules have been developed by a 15-member resource team from the panchayat, in consultation with KILA resource persons.

Ending conflicts

According to K.B. Madan Mohan, Chief Executive Officer, Kerala Grama Panchayat Association, conflict is the most crucial variable in the happiness recipe. To begin with, the resource team has defined the concept of conflict – those within oneself, those between two individuals, in public spaces and those generated by situations.

“We now plan to open discussion forums in each family by handing them a questionnaire on the types of conflicts experienced by them. This will be developed into a common discussion involving several families to enable collective action,” he said.

The second module aims at grass-roots-level discussions on individual and collective hygiene, its impact on the environment and the measures to manage it. The final module envisages developing local ownership enterprises by adopting roads or other public spaces. A 75-member team, which underwent a three-stage training at KILA, has been engaged to coordinate ward-level implementation of the programme. Though no deadlines have been set for the implementation, each activity will have a targeted date of achievement.

According to P.C. Kurian, president of the local body, the panchayat developed the concept of conflict-free zone with the support of the Non-Violence Project Foundation, while they were working together for making schools here more child-friendly.