Cristine5684: Bio!

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Bio!

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{{Short description|Indian social activist and water conservationist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Laxman Singh
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Lapodiya village, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Social activist, Water conservationist
| known_for = [[Water conservation]], [[Chauka]] system
| organization = [[GVNML|Gram Vikas Nav Yuvak Mandal Lapodiya]] (GVNML)
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] (2023)<br>[[Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards|Vrikshamitra Award]] (1994)
}}
'''Laxman Singh''' is an Indian social activist and water conservationist from Lapodiya village in [[Jaipur]], [[Rajasthan]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Harsha Kumari |last2=Srinivasan |first2=Chandrashekar |title=How One Rajasthan Village Still Has Water Even After A Long, Dry Summer |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/how-one-rajasthan-village-still-has-water-even-after-a-long-dry-summer-2069363 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |date=14 July 2019}}</ref> known for his work in water conservation<ref>{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Shoeb |title=Since the summer of 1969, he cut soil with a shovel to script water history in Rajasthan village |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/since-the-summer-of-1969-he-cut-soil-with-a-shovel-to-script-water-history/articleshow/97756466.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=9 February 2023}}</ref> and developing water conservation techniques such as [[Chauka]], which has helped improve the livelihoods of villagers in Rajasthan.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Indra Shekhar |title=Meet the Water Warrior, Laxman Singh, Who Invented a New Method of Water Conservation |url=https://thewire.in/environment/laxman-singh-chauka-system-water-conservation-rajasthan |publisher=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] |date=7 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The chauka magic |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/the--chauka-magic-20492 |publisher=[[Down to Earth (magazine)|Down to Earth]] |date=30 September 1999}}</ref> He is the founder of non-profit organisation [[GVNML|Gram Vikas Nav Yuvak Mandal Lapodiya]] (GVNML).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Shaurabh |title=Saving raindrops for thirty years |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/saving-raindrops-for-thirty-years/articleshow/52058307.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=1 May 2016}}</ref> The Government of India awarded him the [[Padma Shri]] for his work in conserving water and protecting the environment.<ref>{{cite news |title=जयपुर के लक्ष्मण सिंह को पद्मश्री:पानी बचाने की चौका तकनीक से तालाब रिचार्ज किए, चारागाह बचाए |url=https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/news/president-awarded-padmshri-to-laxman-singh-lapodia-for-water-consrvation-131070956.html |publisher=[[Dainik Bhaskar]] |date=22 March 2023 |language=Hindi}}</ref>

== Life and work ==
Laxman Singh hails from a farming background. He has dedicated over four decades of his life to water conservation efforts. In 1977, at the age of 18, his journey began when he witnessed water scarcity in his village.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abraham |first1=Bobins |title=World Water Week: How Laxman Singh Turned Rajasthan's Lapodia Into A Drought-Proof Village |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/world-water-week-how-laxman-singh-turned-rajasthans-lapodia-into-a-drought-proof-village-612755.html |publisher=[[India Times]] |date=23 August 2023}}</ref> He started restoring the village's old ponds through voluntary efforts when he saw his villagers forced to draw water from deep wells and witnessed others leaving the village for better opportunities in urban areas. Singh went on to construct numerous ponds in the village using a technique he invented known as the 'chauka system,' which helps conserve rainwater.<ref name=tv9>{{cite news |last1=Parikh |first1=Awadhesh |title=लापोड़िया के लक्ष्मण सिंह को पद्मश्री, चोका सिस्टम से बदली गांव की तस्वीर…जल संरक्षण सिखाने गए इजराइल |url=https://www.tv9hindi.com/state/rajasthan/jaipur-lapodiya-village-lakshman-singh-water-conservation-got-padma-shri-award-2023-au275-1682973.html |publisher=[[TV9 Bharatvarsh]] |date=26 January 2023 |language=Hindi}}</ref>

The [[Chauka]] system involves creating mud ridges to slow down water flow and enable percolation into the ground. The water then accumulates in interconnected ponds, allowing overflow to move to the next one. This method has made his village Laporia drought-proof. Singh has since spread the idea to over 200 other villages which has benefited more than 3.5 Lakh people.<ref>{{cite news |title=Unsung Lakshman Singh |url=https://www.unsung.in/lakshman-singh/ |publisher=Unsung.in}}</ref>

Laxman Singh founded the [[GVNML|Gram Vikas Nav Yuvak Mandal]], an NGO to engage youth in community development. He inspired about 80 youngsters to build ponds in the village and encouraged neighbouring villages to do the same.<ref name=tv9/>
Singh established schools in approximately 50 villages, providing free education regardless of socio-economic status. He managed these schools from 1980 to 2006, ultimately closing them when government schools were established in these areas.<ref name=tv9/>

He also holds a bachelor's degree in Social Work from [[Rajasthan University]].<ref name=Ashoka/>

== Awards and recognition ==
Laxman Singh was awarded the Loknayak Jaiprakash Award in Delhi on 11 October 2022. In 2023, he was conferred with the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian honor of India, in recognition of his contributions to social work.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pandey |first1=Santosh |title=पद्मश्री पाने वाले लक्ष्मण ने जल संरक्षण और शिक्षा के लिए वर्षों से जगाई अलख, बदल गई हजारों की 'डगर' |url=https://www.abplive.com/states/rajasthan/laxman-singh-laporiya-awakened-for-years-for-water-conservation-and-education-in-rajasthan-ann-2317592 |publisher=[[ABP News]] |date=26 January 2023 |language=Hindi}}</ref>

In 1991, he was honored with the Nehru Youth Award by the [[Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan|Nehru Yuva Kendra]] (NYK) Sangathan, under the [[Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports]], India. In 1994, he received the [[Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards|Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award]] from the [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change|Ministry of Environment and Forests]], [[Government of India]]. In 1998, he was elected as an [[Ashoka Fellow]].<ref name=Ashoka>{{cite news |title=Ashoka Fellow since 1998 Laxman Singh |url=https://www.ashoka.org/en-in/fellow/laxman-singh |publisher=Ashoka.org}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The 2021 documentary film, ''Lakshmanrekha'', directed by [[Nandan Saxena]] and Kavita Bahl and produced by [[Public Service Broadcasting Trust]] and [[Films Division of India|Films Division]], portrays the life and work of Laxman Singh.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ravi |first1=S. |title=Documentary 'Lakshmanrekha' sheds light on indigenous methods for preserving water |url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/documentary-lakshmanrekha-sheds-light-on-indigenous-methods-for-preserving-water/article30575009.ece |date=16 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116161637/http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/documentary-lakshmanrekha-sheds-light-on-indigenous-methods-for-preserving-water/article30575009.ece |archive-date=16 January 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Chauka]]
* [[GVNML]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Social Work}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Lakshman}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian conservationists]]
[[Category:Water conservation in India]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work]]
[[Category:People from Jaipur district]]
[[Category:Social workers from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Activists from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Laxman Singh (conservationist) - Revision history

Cristine5684: Bio!