Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Foreign volunteers witnessed the golden jubilee celebrations of Project Maliwada, an initiative started in 1975 by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, India (ICA), to provide civic amenities in rural areas. The celebrations were held at Maliwada village on Sunday, marking 50 years of the project.
The foreign guests were welcomed by villagers with Dhol-Tasha performances, Lezim demonstrations and a shower of flowers. Project Maliwada was launched at a time when the village lacked basic facilities such as electricity, roads and healthcare. With donations from villagers and support from the ICA, the project was initiated to address these deficiencies.
Electricity was supplied to the village for the first time in 1975. Four to five foreign volunteers stayed in Maliwada and helped establish essential facilities, including schools, a bank, a post office and small-scale industries. Villagers Vinod Parekh, Shankar Devvkar, Dhondiram Jagdhane, Gautam Goswavi, Hiraman Gawan and others played a key role in the success of the project.
The golden jubilee function was organised by Sarpanch Jyoti Muley, Deputy Sarpanch Manish Gajare, Pramod Sathe and members of the gram panchayat. Girl students welcomed the guests with ‘aukshan’. The visitors later inspected the facilities in the village and were served the traditional Maharashtrian delicacy puranpoli.
