34-year-old Narasimha is a happy man

A few years ago, Lakshmi Narasimha was like any youngster chasing his dollar dreams. And he had successfully landed a job in Syntel as a software developer. After working for a few months, he was drawn to his native land, which, in the years to come, proved to be his calling.

And today, 34-year-old Narasimha is a happy man, leading a quiet revolution in his village Yajali.Thanks to his initiative, the village now has a Farmers Producers Association, which is supported by leading corporate groups.And what had prompted him to return to his village in the year 2010 was the death of 10 persons in a road accident because of drunk driving. He then decided to his bit to set his ‘home’ right, and launched a movement to create awareness among people about the perils of drinking.

Thus came into being the ‘Yajali - Naa Janmabhommi’ campaign to develop the village into a self-sufficient one.As a step in that direction, he had mobilised a deposit of 10,000 from 65 villagers and formed a trust. They undertook repairs to the old ZP High School and even built an old-age home in 2013.“During my work in the village, I have realised that the real Gram Swaraj is not possible unless farmers get good returns. I have noticed that most of the farmers are trapped in perennial debt with no access to credit from banks. I then persuaded the State Bank of India to open a branch in the village, which led to the flow of credit to the farmers,” said Mr. Narasimha.

Slowly, as things began to take shape, Bapatla Agricultural College had come forward to adopt Yajali.Later, the villagers joined hands to form the Yajali Farmers Producers Cooperative Society.In the meantime, Mr. Narasimha, along with his friends, bought a piece of land at Shamirpet in Hyderabad and began doing natural farming.Mr. Narasimha, who used his network to source support from corporate companies, was finally rewarded for his work in the Rural Achievers Category. He was presented an award at the New India Conclave by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on July 16.

“I feel elated for receiving the award. I cannot forget the moment when the PM patted my back in appreciation,” said Mr. Narasimha.And the high point came when the former CBI Joint Director, V.V. Lakshminarayana, chose the village to launch his campaign for a better society.