Nayla (Rajasthan), Nov. 5: Remember Nayla, the quaint little Rajasthan hamlet then US President Bill Clinton had charmed back in March 2000? Where he had danced an impromptu jig with village women in colourful saris as they twirled to the sound of Rajasthani folk songs? Where Mohini Bai had shot to fame for tying a rakhi around the world’s then most powerful wrist?
No, Nayla isn’t on Barack Obama’s itinerary this coming weekend nor is it grabbing eyeballs for anything spectacular. Rather, it lies forgotten, forlorn and fly-infested, as though time has stood still for ten, long years.
All five-year-old Munni with the toothy grin knows is that one President Clinton from America had made her dadisaa (grandmother) Mohini Bai famous several years ago. Otherwise, Nayla is as Nayla was; the only change possibly is that the girls’ school is richer by 25 chairs and five computers gifted by Clinton.
Take a dekko of Nayla Garh, the 135-year-old haveli the big guy with the boyish charm held in thrall, and you’ll realise that the village, some 22km from Jaipur, has gained nothing from Clinton’s visit save transient fame.
The rural health training centre and attached hospital in the haveli are in dilapidated condition. Cobwebs stare out of every visible corner and pigeon feathers carpet the ground. The haveli itself is crumbling. There are no signs to show this was the place where Clinton had spent an historic hour connecting with “grassroots democracy”.
The girls’ school nearby has yet to be upgraded to higher secondary level; girls who want to study beyond Class X either have to go to Jaipur or join the boys’ school. The hospital in the village of some 12,000 people has minimal facilities and is ill-equipped to tackle emergencies. Anyone critically ill is promptly referred to Jaipur hospitals.
“Clinton’s visit only made the village famous, it did not lead to any progress on the ground,” said Mahendra Singh, who was a panchayat member at the time of the visit.
“We thought at least the girls’ school would be upgraded because women running a computerised dairy development co-operative were showcased before him. In fact, just before he came, we quickly passed a panchayat resolution for the school, thinking now the state government will definitely listen to us. But nothing has happened even after several representations to the state government.”
Mahendra said all the world had seen was the so-called “empowerment” of the women who ran the dairy co-operative and gave Clinton a membership smart card and a loan to raise milch cows. None knew that many of these women had been brought in from neighbouring Dhobalai village and that many from Nayla had been packed off to unknown places for the duration of his visit.
“The whole thing was like a film set, rehearsed and well scripted, where President Clinton came in and left as the hero. And the village remained just as it always was.”
Satyanaren Jhalani, a male nurse, who works at the rural health training centre, added: “We were all shooed away during Clinton’s visit. The whole village was overtaken by his commandos and securitymen. Only the dairy co-operative women who were to be showcased before him were allowed to stay.
“Not that we minded that, we only wanted this old haveli to be given some attention. But see the cobwebs, the pigeon holes, the stones, the feathers strewn all around and the crumbling haveli. Isn’t Rajasthan supposed to be promoting tourism? If this haveli was maintained, Nayla could have turned into a good tourist destination.”
If that’s the opinion of the aam aadmi, why was it that the Rajasthan powers-that-be didn’t milk the massive publicity Clinton brought Nayla to ensure its transformation into a model for development? How come none thought of tapping Clinton’s charity for funds? Why did the then state panchayati raj minister, C.P. Joshi, allow such a godsend to go totally waste?
“Much water has flowed since then and now. A BJP government came to power in 2003. So, I cannot comment on the condition of Nayla now,” said Joshi, now the Union panchayati raj minister. Prodded further, he said: “Ask the concerned state minister about it.”
The state panchayati raj minister, Bharat Raj, said it was “unfortunate” Nayla hadn’t seen development in the past 10 years. “Everybody is accountable and responsible for it.... It is not a case of which government is in power, whether Congress or BJP. Everybody is equally responsible for no development in the villages.”
According to CII northern region member and industrialist R.K. Poddar, the root of all problems in India was lack of governance. “Our country is high up on conceptualisation but poor in implementation. It is the same with Nayla. There is no accountability and answerability in governance....
“Look at the Commonwealth Games scam. Would any private organisation have been able to afford 700 per cent overspending? But it has been so with the government. So has it been with the NREGA scheme, a wonderful idea for all-inclusive growth. But now the workers are demanding increase in wages, meaning the money has been going into somebody’s pockets. Here, good governance is lacking and that is the root of all problems.”
But Vijayshankar Vyas, the deputy chairperson of the state planning board, put a part of the blame on the people, too. “Once Nayla was showcased as a model village, the people should have seized the opportunity and pursued the government to maintain it as an ideal village... the people should have understood it was their duty too. Both the panchayat and the people should have been proactive.... An individual may be interested in development but the will of the people to work together and get things moving their way counts.”
The one person who is not upset in spite of everything is Mohini Bai. “Clinton was our guest and we welcomed him as a guest. Yes, we had expected some progress, but then guests are guests and should be treated warmly. But yes, the computers he donated are working and the chairs are being used.”
Her sole gripe: Clinton did not acknowledge the rakhi she sent him the year after.
