SRI NARAYAN JEE PROFILE
Sri Narayan Jee Started Organization Adim Jati Sewa Mandal.
Adim Jati Sewa Mandal is one of oldest organization of undivided stated of Bihar. Great leaders of the country like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Shri A.V. Thakkar, Shri Govind Ballabh Path and others had assembled at Ramgarh (Now a District at Jharkhand) in the year 1939 for the annual session of all India Congress committee. During that period they came in contact with Adivasis of the region and were impressed by their patriotism, devotion to duty, sense of sacrifice and simplicity. However, their primitive way of living got them disturbed and they felt the necessity to work for them to improve their economic social and cultural condition to come out of the primitive way of living.
Having the above view in mind, a social service center was established at district Gumla; in the year 1940 under the leadership of Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Shri Narayan jee was the first person to offer his full time service to this center and the center started its activities by opening a few primary schools and Khadi Production Center with the help of some devoted workers like Shri Anirudh Prasad Singh, Shri Dhanush Prasad Singh, Shri Champa Bhagat, Shri Mahli Bhagat, Shri Ganpatilal Khandelwal, Shri Ganga Maharaj etc. Soon after i.e. in the year 1942, “Quit India Movement” for the independence took its final shape, in which all the leaders and many active workers of the country participated in the movement including Shri Narayan Jee were put behind the bars. Thus the work of the center, virtually, came to stand still. They were released only in the year 1945 they again rushed to their respective places. Accordingly, all of them assembled at Gumla to work out their future plan. Consequently, Gumla was selected as the heaquarter and a village named “Phori” was selected as the place of work where a Khadi production center was established and a sale center was established at Gumla under the administrative control of Shri Anirudh Prasad Singh.
It was a very crucial period for these workers as they had lost all sources of their livelihood, because of the stoppage of the financial help from Gandh Sewa Sangh run by Mahatma Gandhi.
Due to above reasons, all workers under the leadership of Shri Narayan jee decided to yoke out their livelihood by doing agriculture work at village “Phori”, where Shri Narayajee had purchased some land out of his own resources. Shri A.V.Thakkar popularly known as “Thakkar Bappaa” and Dr. Rajendra Prasad had given their all out support the endeavor of the workers.
As a result of worker’s efforts, the Khadi Production center was fully established. The Tribal folk were fully engaged in the pursuit of the economic development. They started spinning with handmade “Charkha” and the yarn used to be knitted at Phori Ashram to be converted into clothes. These clothes used at sale center at Gumla.
A large number of night schools were also started side by side to spread literacy among the tribals.
Combined endeavor of workers gained them popularity among the Tribals of the area, which resulted in the success of Shri Nagar Mal Modi in the first assembly election for forming interim government in the year 1946. In the year 1948, center’s head quarter was shifted to Ranchi and the center was named as Adim Jati Sewa Mandal. It was also registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860 in the year 1947.
Since then, the Sewa Mandal is working continuously for the upliftment of adivasis and under-privileged members of the society. It also motivated innocent adivasis to avoid conversion of their religion. As mentioned earlier, Sewa Mandal’s activities, in the beginning, are confined mainly to impart education to children and production of Khadi and sale. This continued for a long time and by the year 1972-73, it had nearly 500 (Five hundred) centers – Primary and Secondary High Schools, residential Schools Teachers Training Schools and Hostels both boys and girls- catering to the needs of about 20000 (twenty thousand) students. The efforts made through Sewa Mandal during the last 26 – 27 years had a miraculous affect on adivasis of the region. Their primitive way of living changed to a great extent. They began cultivating land and livelihood. They even became conscious of their rights and responsibilities and many of them entered in government services. Leaders of earlier generation had passed away by then. Some of the politicians of the younger generation also co-operated with missionaries and finally in the year 1975, all the educational institutions of Sewa Mandal were taken over by the State Government in their direct control and grants given by them for the purpose were stopped. Thus, the activities of Sewa Mandal, relating to imparting of education came to a close for the time being. However, other activities of Sewa Mandal, like Khadi Production and its sale, Sewing class for girls Home for destitute etc. continued.
