Lots of people agree how great Gandhi was, but how many seriously try to follow in his footsteps? Rangaswamy Elango is a doer, not just a dreamer. He has managed in a few short years to completely turn around his village. Kuthambakkam, Elango’s home town, is now widely regarded as a model village for rural India. Elango’s goal is networking with other village leaders to create “economies of permanence” or local self-reliant sustainable villages in India. His story is very inspiring, so much so that I seriously considered moving to his village to learn more.
Here are a few links to help you learn more about Rangaswamy Elango’s village work:
http://india.ashoka.org/fellow/elango-rangaswamy
http://goodnewsindia.com/index.php/magazine/story/elango-kuthambakkam
http://www.oocities.org/indianliving/kuthambakkam_panchayat_academy_.htm
+91 44 25016595 and Email: panchayat@yahoo.com
http://www.global1.youth-leader.org/2011/01/rangaswamy-ilango-transforming-rural-india-one-village-at-a-time/
http://www.modelvillageindia.org.in/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1sOKR7K-EU Elango the changemaker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8xdB5TYlm4 Dignified toilet project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRxfzO8i6b8 ABC documentary