Our team of committed workers, helped secure the rights for 40 homeless families, living on the roadside and helped them obtain government housing. As they felt the walls, the doors, the permanent roof, it was evident that they had mixed emotions. On one hand, they felt that this was too good to be true, while on the other, they were afraid that this would be taken away from them soon. But this time it is for real and it for them to stay as long as they want.
For the last several decades they were living under an open electrical transformer by the road side in the city of Ajmer. Time again road accidents had snatched their children several others had died while coming in contact with live wires in and around the transformer. In spite of these dangers, they felt that they could not move from that location. This was their inheritance, passed down by their forefathers and they had become accustomed to it.
One of the officers present at the special handing over function summed it up well when he remarked, “Five district collectors have changed since we built these homes but none of these homes have been occupied. How could you do the impossible?”
Popularly known as Gadia Lohars, the name, Gadia means carriages, which is central to their lives. It is their means of living, commutation and their makeshift house. The other name Lohar, means metal workers. Thus originally these are metal workers who move from place to place in their bullock carts. They normally deal in making iron items. Working in open makeshift furnaces, they fashion iron tools for local selling. It is said that their ancestors were blacksmiths to the army of the legendary Rajasthani warrior king, Maharana Pratap of Mewar.
This move was the result of the constant prayers of the saints and also the tireless efforts of the Brother Bipin, who coordinates the work there among this special group. In his own words, “There was no opening whatsoever into this special community. Then God allowed us to start literacy classes among them. Lohar students are coming daily for Hindi language along with Maths and are learning well. Even the “koli” people (Bidi rolling caste) are coming to learn and write along with them. 3 Lohars kids have started going to school when their parents were made to understand the value of literacy in their life. Praise God. In another location, the church is going good by his grace… Many are coming to faith from many walks of life every Sunday… Night prayer is continuous feature now at believer’s homes… Please pray that once the Lohars get houses, God would open their doors for salvation…”
We need your prayers as the work continues among this nomadic tribe. Our immediate aim is to secure means of livelihood for the people and then a start a regular prayer among them.
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