:लक्ष्मी चाँद त्यागी;1 January 1945 - 27 July 2005), known as LC, was an Indian agriculturalist, social leader, and founder of GRAVIS

Gravis

Gravis can have multiple meanings:*Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti, an Indian NGO*Advanced Gravis Computer Technology, manufacturer of computer peripherals and joysticks*Gravis, a Slovak music band...

.

Early life

Born in the village of Vaira Firojpur, Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh in 1945, Tyagi was influenced by the philosophies of Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave

Vinoba Bhave

Vinoba Bhave , born Vinayak Narahari Bhave often called Acharya , was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. He is best known for the Bhoodan Andolan...

 in his college years. After completing a masters degree in Agriculture at Agra University in 1967, he joined the Bhoodan-Gramdan mission of Vinoba Bhave. It was at this point that he began to embody his personal philosophies by changing his attire from machine made linens to the Khadi

Khadi

The term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...

 promoted by Gandhi and to devote his life to the betterment of the underprivileged classes of India.

Career

Laxmi Tyagi completed a post-graduate qualification in Agricultural Science from Agra University in 1967. After marrying in 1967, Tyagi spend the next ten years managing village development projects in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

. For seven of those years he served as a Programmes Head for Banwasi Sewa Ashram at Govindpur in the north-Indian state of UP. He then moved to Uttaranchal to develop a 4 district employment program for the Government of India. With success there, he became a governing board member of the Banwasi Seva Ashram.

In 1983, after having worked in Jodhpur

Jodhpur

Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...

 for three years, Tyagi saw a desperate need for social change and progressive thought in the rural areas of the Thar Desert

Thar Desert

The Thar Desert |Punjab]] province. The Cholistan Desert adjoins the Thar desert spreading into Pakistani Punjab province.-Location and description:...

. At the request of his mentor Acharya Kriplani

Jivatram Kripalani

Acharya Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani was an Indian politician, noted particularly for holding the presidency of the Indian National Congress during the transfer of power in 1947. During the election for the post of the future Prime Minister of India held by the Congress party, he had the second...

, Tyagi began a rural development experiment in Jelu-Gagadi village. The organization founded by him is known as GRAVIS and is currently one of the leading NGOs in India working for rural development. Tyagi made deep-rooted contacts with the rural communities and proposed pioneering initiatives in the spheres of water security, food security, education and health care. The initiatives led by him reached over 50,000 households and gave birth to a number of organizations working at the grass-root level. GRAVIS, his creation, is currently led by his wife Shashi Tyagi and his son Prakash Tyagi.

During his public life, he contributed to many social movements across India and supported a large number of development activists and small-scale groups working at the grass. He represented various governing bodies and advisory councils of a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations. During is life, he also extensively traveled globally for exchnage of ideas and knowledge.

Laxmi Tyagi possessed a unique ability of understanding people's wisdom and blending it with science. During his life, he wrote numerous reports and articles focusing on community-based development.

Personal life

Renowned for his warm personality and uncanny ability to empathize with villagers, Tyagi was a respected and loved social crusader. Living by his principles, even when in opposition, he was a supporter of women’s rights, horizontal stratification of social class, and the right of choice against archaic propriety.

He was married to Shashi Tyagi, a student of education, and father to Abha and Prakash Tyagi. Both his children are medical doctors.

In his daily life, he adopted the khadi dress of Gandhi and had a passion for active participation in his endeavors. He is remembered for working in the fields, despite injury, every day until midday and equal separation of household and community duties. Approachable by nature, many of his successes can be attributed to the trust and rapport he established with the people he was trying to help. With his devotion and self-less life, he won many friends all over the world. "Let us leave no stones unturned"was his favourite quote when it came to working with the community.

In his honor, his family, friends and GRAVIS have started L. C. Tyagi Fellowship Award to promote higher education among rural youth, especially among backward sections of the community.

Death

He died of a renal faliure in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...

, Gujarat on July 27, 2005. Over 8,000 friends and supporters came to pay him last tributes in his funeral in Jodhpur, India. After his death, the work of GRAVIS continues with same dedication following his ideology.