15 Villages With Inspiring Stories That Will Make Every Indian Proud

If urban folks think they¡¯re nailing life by merely existing in an urban space, working in a posh company, and probably driving an AC car, well, they¡¯re mighty mistaken. From lush green landscapes to winter wonderlands, Indian villages offer it all. If you are on the lookout for something extraordinary, our villages will not disappoint you.

Villages incidentally also play a major role in the Indian economy as it is majorly based on agriculture. On that note, here are some unique villages which will leave you feeling proud.

1. Mawlynnong, Meghalaya

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Mawlynnong, located in Meghalaya, is called ¡°God¡¯s own Garden¡± and has enough reasons for that. It was awarded the title ¡°cleanest village in Asia¡± by Discover India in 2003. Cleanliness must be its most important aspect, but it has achieved so much more than that. From a full hundred percent literacy rate to a highly progressive scenario for women, it has struck all the correct chords.

2. Dharmaj, Gujarat

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The tiny Dharmaj village in Anand district, about 70 km from here, has a population of only 11,333 but has as many as 13 banks. The village is nicknamed the "village of NRIs" due to the large number of families who have moved abroad. It is one of the richest and most developed villages in India.

For the past several decades, NRIs in this village have been depositing money in banks and post offices and the kitty today has grown to over Rs 1,000 crore, making it one of the richest villages in the country and with the highest NRI deposits.

Rich flow of funds has made Dharmaj one of the richest and most literate villages not only in the state but across the country.

The over 3,000 Patidar families live life king size and zip past in swanky cars and almost every family in the village has a member sending in the money for several decades. As many as 13 major nationalised banks, private banks and a cooperative bank are located in this village.

3. Kedia village, Bihar

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In the middle of the ongoing agricultural crisis devastating lives and fields across India, comes a story of incredible hope, from Kedia village in Jamui district of Bihar. On the occasion of World Environment Day, Greenpeace India launched its ¡®Food for Life¡¯ campaign, bringing the Kedia success story to urban consumers in three metros, in an effort to bridge the gap between farmers and urban consumers.

The Food for Life campaign is based on a ¡®Living Soils¡¯ approach; an attempt to fix the broken agricultural system, reduce chemical dependency and restore soil health by focussing on replenishing the nutrient value of the soil with biomass-based organic supplements.

The success of this eco-agricultural model village Kedia was brought to life at the World Environment Day event through a film screening and a street play, followed by a panel discussion allowing the urban audience to thoroughly investigate this alternative way of farming.

4. Dharnai, Bihar

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Once struggling to get basic electricity like most villages in India, citizens of Dharnai, a small village near Bodhgaya in the eastern Indian state of BiharDharnai has now changed its fate and become the first village in India to completely run on solar power. Residents of Dharnai had been using diesel-based generators and hazardous fuel like cow dung to meet the electricity requirement for decades, which were both costly and unhealthy. Since the launch of Greenpeace¡¯s solar-powered 100-kilowatt micro-grid in 2014, quality electricity is being provided to more than 2,400 people living in this village in Jehanabad district.

5. Muhamma, Kerala

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Muhamma grama panchayat in Alappuzha is all set to become the first synthetic pad-free panchayat in India. Efforts will be made to eliminate Menstrual Waste (waste caused by pads) in the village.

A project to manage menstrual waste by encouraging women to switch to reusable pads made of clothes and menstrual cups was launched by Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman. As part of the project, the panchayat has started distributing cloth pads and menstrual cups to women. The local body has also joined hands with the Health Department to achieve the aim.

6. Madhapar village, Gujarat

Richest village in world | Geo.tv

India has one of the richest villages in the world in terms of bank deposits and it is in the Kutch district of Gujarat. The Madhapar village has around 7,600 houses and 17 banks and the owners of these houses mostly reside in the UK, the USA, Canada and other parts of the world.

Though the people of the village live abroad they prefer to deposit their money in the banks of the village which have deposits worth over Rs 5,000 crore.

7. Jakhni Village, UP

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While most parts of Bundelkhand is reeling under a severe water crisis, a village in the drought-hit Banda district of UP has gone back to traditional conservation techniques to revive existing water bodies and is serving as a role model to others.

In this region, many villages grapple with water scarcity, Jakhni village, popularly known as 'Galgram' (water village) that is situated around 20 kilometres from Banda city has its ponds, wells and other water bodies brimming with water.

8. Ramchandrapur, Telangana

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The first village in Telangana region to win the Nirmal Puraskar in 2004-05, Ramchandrapur came into focus a decade ago when the villagers pledged to donate their eyes for the visually challenged. Among its many achievements, all the houses in the village have smokeless chullahs and toilets with tap-water facilities. It is the first village in the state to construct a sub-surface dyke on the nearby river and solve drinking water problems by constructing two over-head tanks in each house. The village does not have a drainage system and all the water generated from each house is diverted to the gardens, which are planted by the villagers in each house.

9. Baghuwar, Madhya Pradesh

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Located at a distance of 15 km from Narsinghpur, the small village of Baghuwar has set an exemplary example in every field ¨C from health and sanitation to education and waste management.

Seven years before the launch of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Baghuwar achieved total sanitation to become an Open Defecation-Free (ODF) village in 2007. Along with a toilet in every house, the village of about 2500 people also has a common toilet complex for use during community functions. Cleanliness being a top priority in the village, the concrete streets of Baghuwar are swept every day by the residents.

The village also has a well-functioning underground sewage system and over 55 biogas plants that produce fuel used for cooking and illuminating homes. The cow dung used for biogas generation is collected in 25 pits that have been constructed across the village. An annual auction is organised for the sale of this cow dung and the income generated is used for the upliftment of the village.

10. Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra

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Ralegan Siddhi, a flourishing and self-sufficient village in the Ahmed district of Maharashtra, is recognized as a model of environmental conservation.

For that, we need to go back to the late 20th century where water in Ralegan Siddhi was no less than gold. As it is located in the semi-arid part of Maharashtra, annual rainfall was only 400-500 mm that made it extremely difficult to grow crops and to earn money.

Agriculture was the primary occupation in Ralegan Siddhi, but due to low rainfall and irrigation problems, the land wasn¡¯t fertile enough to grow even basic crops. Because of such a situation, many people around the 1970s left Ralegan Siddhi to find local jobs elsewhere.

But their condition got worse as they didn¡¯t find appropriate work for themselves and returned to their village empty-handed.

Unemployment and poverty rose, and consumption and production of alcohol became their new source of survival because they started producing alcohol as it needed less water and made them earn little money.

11. Chizami, Nagaland

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A tiny Naga village has been spearheading women¡¯s rights and sustainable farming for almost a decade. A model village in the Naga society, Chizami is today visited by youth from Kohima and neighbouring villages for internships in the Chizami model of development. A small village in Nagaland¡¯s Phek district, Chizami has been scripting a quiet revolution in terms of socioeconomic reforms and environmental protection for almost a decade.

This village model focuses on health issues, women¡¯s rights, community programmes, food security, and environmental conservation.

12. Khonoma, Nagaland

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From being a cradle of resistance to British colonial rule, Khonoma has come a long way to become India¡¯s first green village.

Home to a 700-year-old Angami settlement and perfectly terraced fields, this unique, self-sustaining village in Nagaland is a testament to the willpower of the tribal groups of Nagaland to protect and conserve their natural habitat. All hunting is banned in the village, which also practices its own eco-friendly version of jhum agriculture (instead of the traditional slash-and-burn method) that enriches the soil.

13. Punsari village, Gujarat

Punsari village, Gujarat | deshgujarat

Punsari village is considered India's smartest village. The village is located about 80km from the state capital, Gandhinagar. Punsari is 20km from Parvati Hills. Parvati Hills is the largest tabletop land of India.

14. Shani Shingnapur village, Maharashtra

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Shani Shinganapur is known as the safest Indian village, famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors. Despite this, officially no theft was reported in the village although there were reports of theft in 2010 and 2011. The village is known for its popular temple of Shani, 35 km from Ahmednagar city.

15. Patalkot, Madhya Pradesh

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Patalkot, a village located in the low mountain ranges of Satpura in the Chhindwara district has been called 'Atma Nirbhar' in the true sense.

Apparently, the people of this village are so self-reliant that they grow and produce everything on their own. The village is inhabited by the tribal clan Bharia, who have their own way of living for so many years. In fact, it has remained a secret to the world for years until it was recently found out. Located in a secluded forest, Patalkot didn¡¯t even exist on India¡¯s map until recently.

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