Bhakti Chalak

In 2021, Aslam Shaikh, a diploma holder in agriculture, took charge of the Thikekarwadi Gram Panchayat as Gram Sevak. His arrival accelerated the village's development. During his tenure, the village won the first prize of Rs 1 crore across the entire country under the 'Gram Urja Swaraj Visesh Panchayat Puraskar 2023'.

The award ceremony was organised at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. At this grand event, President Droupadi Murmu presented a certificate of honour, a memento, and a cheque of Rs 1 crore to Thikekarwadi’s Sarpanch Santosh Thikekar, Gram Sevak Aslam Shaikh, and Block Development Officer (BDO) Sharadchandra Mali.

When this trio returned to the village with this special honour, a historic victory celebration was held across Thikekarwadi with the sounds of traditional instruments, fireworks, and women’s singing troupes.

Thikekarwadi’s Sarpanch Santosh Thikekar said, "We have worked with Aslam Chacha for many years. He executes his work with absolute honesty. He was highly cooperative. We received excellent support from him."

President Droupadi Murmu awarding Thikekarwadi’s Sarpanch Santosh Thikekar, Gram Sevak Aslam Shaikh,(Extreme right) and BDO Sharadchandra Mali.

Aslam Hussain Shaikh once cleaned the office of the Gram Panchayat of Thikekarwadi as a peon.

Aslam Hussain Shaikh hails from an ordinary family. He completed his schooling from a Zilla Parishad school in Narayangaon and Guruvarya Rajaram Parshuram Sabnis Vidyamandir.

In 1982, when he was in the eighth standard, his parents suddenly passed away. He was left to fend for himself. However, the villagers did not leave him alone.

The late Bhagubai Shelar, Bhamabai Walke, and their families took care of Aslam.

It was because of their support that Aslam could study up to the tenth standard. Throughout this journey, his sister, Babyjan Inamdar, also played the role of a parent for him.

After passing the tenth standard in 1984, Aslam started his career as a peon in the Warulwadi Gram Panchayat. It was Krushiratna awardee Anil Meher, who gave Aslam his first opportunity to work as a peon.

Even while working, Aslam never gave up his determination to study further. In the next two years, he completed his Agriculture Diploma with distinction from the Agriculture College in Manjari Farm. He also passed his 12th exams as an external student from Manchar College.

His first wife Shamim Shaikh, who passed away, and his second wife Biismillah Shaikh have played great roles in his life. Aslam Hussain Shaikh and Bismillah have a son named Sajid and a daughter named Mumtaz

Thikekarwadi’s Sarpanch Santosh Thikekar, Gram Sevak Aslam Shaikh, and (BDO) Sharadchandra Mali at Vigyan Bhawan

Aslam Hussain Shaikh faced a rough patch in his life when, due to a freeze on appointments, Aslam could not get a government job.

Finally, in 1989, he was appointed as a clerk in the Narayangaon Gram Panchayat, where he worked till 2006.

In 2006, the Pune Zilla Parishad opened up contractual Gram Sevak recruitments through a 10 per cent quota for Gram Panchayat employees.

Based on his Agriculture Diploma, Aslam wrote the exam and scored the highest marks in Maharashtra. He was appointed as a Gram Sevak.

He left a remarkable imprint of his work in various Gram Panchayats in the Junnar taluka, including Aptale, Nirgude, Ambegavan, Rohokadi, and Thikekarwadi.

Aslam Shaikh and Sarpanch Santosh Thikekar worked together to turn this tiny village into a 'smart village'. During his tenure, they executed several major developmental projects.

• 100% Use of Solar Energy: Special subsidies were secured for all families in the village to use solar energy. Today, 100% of the households in the village use solar water heaters for hot water.
• Self-Generated Electricity: The village set up solar plants, biogas plants, and windmills to generate up to 10,000 watts of electricity, effectively bringing the village's electricity bill down to zero.
• Complete Measurement of Agricultural Land: Thikekarwadi possibly became the first village in Maharashtra to have all its agricultural land officially measured by the government.
• 100% Drip Irrigation: With the help of the agriculture department, all farmers in the village were motivated to use drip irrigation methods for 100 percent of their farming.
• Soil Health Testing: To understand the deficiency of nutrients in the soil, a special soil testing initiative was launched in the village, the benefits of which farmers are reaping to this day.

Aslam Shaikh with his wife Bismillah Shaikh

Village Honoured with Over 45 Awards

Thanks to the precise planning of the Gram Panchayat, Thikekarwadi has received over 45 big and small awards to date. Under the 'Sant Gadgebaba Gram Swachhata Abhiyan', the village won the first prize in the state of Maharashtra. Along with this, by winning the highly prestigious national-level 'Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Spardha Puraskar', this village became the number one Gram Panchayat in the country.

Aslam is as good a citizen as he is an honest worker. Expressing his concern over the current social climate, Aslam says, "There are very bizarre attempts being made right now to create social polarisation. The situation was not like this before. People used to live in harmony with each other. This harmony is the hallmark of our Narayangaon."

Aslam further states, "I have been seeing this since childhood; till date, no incident causing religious tension has ever occurred here. We celebrate all festivals together joyfully. I have served as the secretary of the Mahasaroday Ganeshotsav Mandal for 10 years, and as its vice president for another 10 years."

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Summarising his entire journey, he gives one final, invaluable message. He says, "Our country will only progress if we all live united and with one heart. If we all stay united, our future is very bright."