A Buddhist stupa in Baudhawadi, the Dalit colony of Kapadgaon
Both Gandhiji and Ambedkar would have been proud of Kapadgaon in Ratnagiri District, an idyllic settlement nestled in the rolling landscape of the Western Ghats, which was the first village to be felicitated by the Maharashtra government in 2002 for being a Tantamukt Gaav (Dispute-free village) and Vyasanmukt Gaav (Vice-free village). In addition, for a village that is home to roughly 2000 people it is remarkably free of the typical rural ills of feudalism, landlessness, caste discrimination and alcoholism. How this came to be is a heartening tale of social reform through caste emancipation and successful land redistribution. Continue reading
