Dialogue, Research, and Lezim: The True Story of a Village’s Transformation

[Shahrukh Atpade]

Hello, I am Shahrukh. I work as a Facilitator at Avani organization in Kolhapur, Maharashtra under the ARC project. Currently, we are a team of 4 people, known as the Smile Team. For more than 3 years, we have been working in Nandwal village using the SALT approach. I work with groups of young boys, men, and elderly people. I conduct both individual and group SALT activities with them. In these sessions, I ask them to recall moments of pride, happiness, and satisfaction from their lives. People happily share and remember these moments. After the SALT activity, we bring them together and ask about their dreams for the village, youth, and community. Everything was going well, but then a serious problem arose in the village.
Suddenly, people in the village started dying by suicide. Within one year, 1 elderly person, 4 young people, and 1 man died by suicide over small reasons. This created fear and concern among us and the villagers. During this time, after discussion with Ritu, we started visiting people in the village. We had conversations with different groups—youth, women, middle-aged men and women, and elderly people. Everyone agreed that these suicides must stop.
We asked them, “Who should take responsibility and how?” People agreed to work together and formed a research team. In the beginning, more than 30 people joined. They created a questionnaire and visited around 300 households to collect information. From this, some key issues came out, such as lack of communication within families, mobile phone overuse, and addiction.
The research team presented these findings in front of the village through a drama. More than 100 villagers were present. Everyone agreed to take action together.After this, I continued SALT activities and also started discussions on masculinity with young boys, men, and elderly people. These discussions helped them open up and speak deeply. They shared many personal struggles they faced as men. Talking openly gave them relief and satisfaction. They also suggested some solutions.
During these discussions, they shared old memories of playing the traditional game Lezim in the village. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lf55Am3ReHQ32u-OcRNWiceZ1h7RLKlN/v...

They said this game helped them stay physically and mentally healthy. When I spoke with people aged from 21 to 85, they all talked about this game with great interest. They described it so emotionally that it felt like they were reliving those moments.

Today, we say this is the 21st century and youth are very advanced. Mobile phones have taken over their time. But some things cannot be replaced. During SALT conversations, youth often remembered stories of Lezim told by their fathers and grandfathers. They wanted to restart the game but faced many difficulties. Many young people were busy with farming or jobs outside, so it was hard to give daily time.
I usually meet them in the evening. We had many discussions about how to overcome these challenges. Their strong willpower helped them find solutions.
In the month of March, the youth started giving 2 hours daily for practice. They also began training 25 school children in the village. On the first day, 23 children, 5 youth, and 6 men joined. Slowly, the number increased. By the fourth day, 19 youth and 11 men were participating. Some people even repaired broken Lezim instruments using their own money.
After playing, we sat together for a discussion. I asked them why the game had stopped earlier. They said they were busy with work, farming, jobs, and mobile phones. People stopped gathering together, and slowly the game ended.
I asked about the benefits. They said Lezim keeps the body fit and the mind happy. It brings people together, increases communication, reduces stress, and removes loneliness. Children also learn good habits.
I asked about their future plans. They said they want to spread this game to more people, involve more youth and children, and perform it during festivals and events. When I asked if they would continue regularly, they said even if not daily, they will play weekly and maintain consistency. They will plan timing together and continue even during challenges like rain.
Finally, I asked how they will sustain this tradition. They said they will teach children, build a new generation, create a group in the village, share responsibilities, and give importance to Lezim during festivals.
On April 2, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, a procession of traditional games was organized in the village from 9 PM to 11 PM. Children, youth, men, and elderly people presented Lezim and other traditional martial arts like Dandpatta. This year, youth had trained children, and villagers appreciated them with applause. From this whole process, as a facilitator, I learned that people already have the power to bring change. They just need the right space to talk and be heard. Through the SALT process, people shared their experiences, feelings, and problems openly, which helped identify real issues. Discussions on masculinity helped men and youth open up more.
Even in a serious issue like suicide, people themselves took initiative, formed a research team, collected data, and found solutions. This showed me that solutions exist within the community. Through traditional games like Lezim, they found ways to improve mental and physical health and rebuild unity.
I also realized the importance of continuous dialogue and trust-building. As a facilitator, my role was only to guide. The decisions and actions were taken by the people themselves. And this is the true way to create lasting and sustainable change.

In Likndin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shahrukh-atpade-a59348251_salt-commu...