Miracle man
pied-piper of Saurashtra, rainmaker, one-man army, messiah. Revered by villagers, Shamjibhai Jadavbhai Antala, 62, has been given many such names. He has, in more than one way, accomplished the impossible in a land with a history of severe water scarcity, hostile climate and rocky topography. A resident of Dhoraji, a nondescript town 25 km downstream of the river Bhadar in Saurashtra, Gujarat, Shamjibhai has been working not only to ensure that fields remain green but has been teaching the local people the importance of rainwater harvesting. He shot into fame for raising a voice against the polluting textile dyeing and printing units in Jetpur, upstream of Bhadar. In 1997, after a relatively long struggle, the Gujarat High Court ordered closure of nearly 200 industrial units until proper effluent treatment plants were installed.
For a living, Shamjibhai undertook many odd jobs, the last one being that of circulation manager for Phulchhab, a Gujarati newspaper, until his retirement in 1997. It was during his several trips to the villages across Saurashtra as part of his commitments to the newspaper that he was moved by the plight of the people. A hostile, parched land with no perennial river for subsistence, where the farmers were forever praying for rain. This scarcity was further compounded by the severe drought of 1984 that stretched over a period of nearly four years. Further, the only river
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