Maitreya Bauddha Vihar: An ideal of community service through community mobilisation during COVID-19 lockdown crisis

Bhandara is a small town in Vidarbha and a vibrant centre of Ambedkarite and Buddhist movement. The Ambedkarites from Bhandara are scattered all over the places and wherever they go, they take Babasaheb and the Buddha. Babasaheb visited Bhandara and addressed the community. He even contested the election in 1954 from Bhandara and Ambedkarites stood rock solid behind him, but the Congress ensured that he will not win. Patel wrote letters and paid special attention to this constituency pumping money against Babasaheb.

Maitreya Bauddha Vihar started in 1996 in Bhandara by a few youths is a model Buddha Vihar where young students have been studying in its library, hundreds of them got into government and non-government jobs. The women are the core of the Maitreya Bauddha Vihar.

The Vihar activities and management is led by Prashant Deshbhratar: the committed Ambedkarite.

Since lockdown began, thousands of laborers and daily wagers started walking from Hyderabad to their villages in Chattisgarh and Odisha. Bhandara town is located on a national highway and is a major town and exodus of 500-1000 tired, wary, and hungry men and women passed through Bhandara.

Read also – Ambedkarite Thinkers Series – Vimal Kumar, Founder of Movement for Scavengers Community

Maitreya Bauddha Vihar mobilised 50,000 in cash and hundreds of kgs of rice through its vast network of Vihar devotees and wellwishers in just one day. As the raw food is useless to the walking laborers who are walking hundreds of kilometres, the Buddhist women started preparing food in the makeshift kitchen in the Buddha Vihar itself.

The food is given on a daily basis and a daily supply to 50 people who are confined in Bhandara is ensured for the next 20 days.

Maitreya Bauddha vihar shows how communities can be mobilised for a greater humanitarian cause.

Please contact Prashant Deshbhratar if you wish to extend help.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale, Human Rights Activist