In 1976, three years after Bangalore Jayamahal was inaugurated, a location to focus our activities on a continuous basis was identified, and Dasarahalli in Arabic College Post, situated about 11 km from Jayamahal was selected. Then a rural and very underdeveloped village with hardly any infrastructure, it did not even boast of a primary school. It was a village like million others in India, where housing for the large majority of the deprived and underprivileged sections consisted of a thatched hut on land over which they had no ownership rights, and no access to even the few rudimentary facilities that the village could boast of.

Inaugurating a janatha house.

Distributing sarees and dothi at adopted village.

Thus housing for those without one, became our primary longterm goal. In addition education for the children by establishing a primary school was also planned. If by 2001, about sixty five landless labour families, from underprivileged sections, have become proud owners of a home, the credit cannot go to Bangalore Jayamahal Lions alone. It has been the achievement of the village community, the State Government and the Lions Club who joined hands to make this possible. The lions urged the State Government to identify and allot land for housing landless labour and when this done in a planned, phased manner, the recipients came forward with physical labour, in a manner they could afford, to construct the dwellings. The lions supplemented the funds sanctioned by the Government under the “Janatha Housing” scheme for weaker sections, and also provided expertise to build cost effective, economical, and durable houses. “Janatha Houses” without lions support, meant houses built of unburnt bricks, and mud plastering, which mostly did not outlive even one monsoon, since the government allotted funds made only this possible. The lions supplemented the construction by providing the much needed stone foundation, cement, burnt bricks, and also intervened to ensure that the scheme could be availed, allotted and implemented without hardship to the beneficiary. Lions made possible houses that were permanent in nature, which stood the passage of time and ravages of nature, and stand as a monument to what lions set out to achieve.

The subsidy which in 1976 amounted to Rs.6000 per house, has with the passage of time and increasing cost of inputs, gone upto to Rs.20,000. However, what makes the Jayamahal Lions proud, is not that they have on this project alone spent over ten lakhs, but the fact that today, no family in the village community remains without a home, and the security that ownership of a home bestows. In addition a school has been started, and class rooms built so as to expand the school from a primary to middle and shortly to high school. Other facilities like borewells, protected water supply, additional classes for the weaker students, teaching aids, sports activities, as also health camps for humans and veterinary camps for animals which form such an important part of a rural community, have been conducted from time to time. Recreational facilities, like community TV sets, sports items for youth, clothing for destitute men and women have also received our attention. To the question, what have Jayamahal Lions achieved in twenty eight years of existence, Dasarahalli can be proudly exhibited as an example of what lions stand for and achieve, a catalyst for a better life and hope for those without hope.

Veterinary Camp at the adopted Village