(Translated from hindi )
I’m Tukaram and I work in Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai as gardener since 1995. I used to drink a lot. Everyday atleast two packets of Bristol and whatever alcohol from desi to angreji was my consumption. I went to many people like Mulana, Bhagat and saint to leave it, but it did not work out.
On 24 feb 2012, I went to meet Vijay Vankade Sir in Krunja village of Vikramgarh Taluka in Palgarh district. He is a high school teacher since more than 20 years. He was an alcholic too. He left alcohol when he cae across Ganpad ji from Gujrat. He took loan from bank and built a hall in his village. Every sunday since last ten years people from andra, odisha, karnatka comes here to leave alcohol. Atleast 35000 people have left alcohol since then.
Two years have been passed since I left it. I don’t earn more money, but whatever I have, I save some.After leaving it for seven eight months, I realised to do the same, so I used to take one or two person every Sunday there. Till now my members are around 200, who have left it. On 4 nov I took 45 people there, and 35 of them were from TISS, some are staff, but no students. I hoe they will join soon. I used to drink with many and now they ask me how did you leave it, when I say no to them. So they come with me.
In this hall, everything is free. The only expense is to take people from here. So I do some shaving, work here and there, and save money to take people there. They give some ayurvedic medicine, which is taken like chai, and is supposed to be good for liver.
This place is just 100 km from here. One of the person who left it also published a book about it :”Daru shoda sansar joda’ Leave alcohol and connect the world.
English