The original art was initiated by the Warli tribe with whom we are working in the Palghar district. Warli art, is a treasure to be explored as a means of livelihood. Hence, through the initiative of Nirmala Institute, GCC is serving the Warli communities of Dahanu and Talasari talukas in Karajgaon.

GCC is a skilled based training centre and is known as a community college. The staff of GCC serves in identifying the needs of the tribal communities, helping the target group of the youth to preserve their original culture using local resources, understanding their seasonal calendar, and including the excluded in the mainstream of society. Following the COVID pandemic, several of the Warli tribe lost their job and were living in dire poverty.

Warli art portrays community life, customs, traditions and realities of the tribal society. GCC has identified the target group who are school and college drop outs by providing them with opportunities in communication, marketing and budgeting skills in Warli art. The centre focuses on livelihood aspects in Warli art on cloth, ceramic articles, mud pots, wood, bamboo and stone as an academic course.

The students gain confidence in using natural dye for example, of beetroot, marigold, mud, coal, cow dung and acrylic colors for painting with zero number brushes, on fabrics, dishes, drawing pads, colorful chart papers, boards, cloth and stationary. It is the need of the hour to develop this Warli art and empower the Warli youth to use it as a means of livelihood

Those trained in GCC have succeeded in obtaining skill employment in Textile Mills, local schools, and industries in the Palghar District. Hence the expected outcome is positive and encouraging.

GCC offers the following long-term courses:

1. Basic Fashion Designing
2. Montessori Teachers’ Training
3. Computer Courses
4. Warli art
5. These four courses are for a duration of 10 months enabling students to receive a Government Certificate which will qualify them to be employed in private and government institutions. Besides, GCC also provides the following short-term courses which permit the use of local resources to be recycled and reused creatively and productively thus permitting the tribal youth in self-employment and to be economically independent.

Short Term courses:

2. Coconut and bamboo craft
3. Tailoring
4. Papad (using local grains), pickle, jam, mango and chikoo chips
5. Herbal medicines
6. Various handicrafts and bouquets made with coloured paper, cloth flowers, date leaves re made into sleeping mats, creative articles are made with wooden branches from the nearby forest areas
7. Coasters, door mats are stitched from discarded clothes.

GCC courses are government recognised, the students appear for the theory and practical exams and receive government certificates which is an asset to obtain employment. The GCC staff is qualified, experienced and committed to the integral development of the students. The academic year is from July to April from Monday to Saturday. The students have public holidays, holidays for Indigenous festivals and Christmas holidays.

Each course has a well-organized curriculum for theory and practical with exposure visits to government educational institutions, offices, to private organizations and to factories in the Palghar district and to the Maharashtra and Gujarat Industrial zones. As some of the students are school drop outs they are trained in Basic Fashion Designing with a government approved course where they are trained in basic garments to children’s, ladies and men’s garments. They are taken on exposure visits to garment factories where they are given an exposure to electric machines and bulk production on a commercial basis.

The Warli tribal community live close to the natural ecological environment of trees, plants, fruits, flowers and vegetables. They are accustomed to traditional local resources for their basic human living of food, water, housing, health, education and spiritual well-being. Compost manure of dry and wet waste- leaves, gobar gas….

They are well versed in the root, bark, leaves, seedlings, fruits, flowers of trees, of seasonal plants, creepers, mud, water, quality of the soil. They extract oil from various plants. They depend largely on traditional medicine mainly based on plant remedies for a wide range of ailments and health related problems.

The students are introduced to herbal medicine, food products such as papads, pickles, spices of tej leaves from locally grown vegetables and fruits of mangoes, chikoos, bananas, avalas, organic turmeric, locally collected honey from bee hives.

Bamboo and coconut shell handicrafts

Thick forest area, connected with nature. Bamboo is used for construction of their houses and Warli art form. Containers used in the house are made of bamboo, bamboo sticks are used for cowsheds, firewood,

Tender bamboo is used as vegetable and is considered nourishing. Bamboo is for cultural activities for various community games. The use bamboo stick chewed at the end to make it as a supple as a paint brush. Their wall painting are done for special occasions such as weddings and harvest festivals. They also make the musical instrument called tharpa of bamboo which is native to the community. They perform the tharpa dance in the community and with the community showing their unity.

Palghar district is a coastal area surrounded by coconut trees. People offer coconut as offerings in the temples. Creating wealth from waste is evident in the practical and creative handicrafts of coconut shells into a variety of spoons of different sizes for cooking and serving food, scholastic emblems for educational institutions, beautiful flower stands etc. It is a time long local custom of using coconut spoons. Warli youth and women are trained in cutting and shaping coconut shells with an electric cutter, varnishing and painting. Eco-art shows the strong link between creativity and nature offering a deep exploration of environmental awareness.

Palghar district is nationally and internationally known for the local fruit of ‘chikoo’, several delicious products are made of chikoo, such as chickoo chips, pickles, jams, candy, ice cream etc…Chikoo chips are cut and dried in solar panels.

Creative use is made of old and discarded clothes into door mats, coasters, shopping bags, hot pan holders etc…

Thanks to the sixty-year-old well, water supply is regular and constant in the campus to students, hostel and kitchen gardens. The well is fixed with a motor pump and well covered for safety.

The College of Social Work-CSW conducted a medical camp in 2017 in Savroli -Anvir village Gram Panchayat in the Talasari taluka. The outcome of the camp revealed cases of malnutrition, sickle cell, anemia which was rampant termed as SAM-Severe Acute Malnutrion, MAM – Moderate Acute Malnutrition. Hence the CSW initiated Spandan is a field action project with services for the safety and development of the tribal. The name Spandan means heart beat and is a motivation from the heart to serve for the integral growth of the tribal communities. Spandan works on the following five topics in 10 villages in Talasari taluka- Karajgaon, Vasa, Kawada, Dongari, Savroli, and Dahanu taluka-Dhamangaon, Gangangoan, Ganjad, Dhamotane, Nikne

1. Satwahar – nutrition for Anganwadi children through local resources -plants in the kitchen garden- involved in the Farmers’ sale in NN on December 20^th 2024; had training programme with the women on low cost diet. In collaboration with the Health Promotion Trust-Mumbai had various sessions in the villages. In all ten villages the women were given seedlings of vegetables and encourage to cultivate it in an organic manner. They were closely followed, they were invited to the Farmers’ meet in NN on December 20^th 2024where they exhibited the vegetables for sale. The women were invited to GCC for a training in herbal medicine from local resources and plants.
2. Sahayogi –In the courseof strengthening the nutrition of children, it was observed that several adults and children had physical deformities and were physically challenged. This was the genesis of Sahayogi. In 2023, Spandan organized a camp in collaboration with National Association of Social and Education Opportunities for the Handicapped-NASEOH who came with their medical team for the physically challenged tribal communities. There was a good response with more than 75 physically challenged children and adults were examined. The Director of NASEOH visited GCC and distributed the wheel chairs, walking aids, braces and other equipment by Santosh a young male was provided with a wheel chair and later helped with a stall in the market to earn his livelihood. Periodic visits to encourage him and his family are regularly paid by Spandan team. Neelam Kurkute is also motivated by Spandan to be independent, both these young Warli youth live in Bapugaon which is a village on the outskirts of the Dahanu taluka. Neelam with her mother stayed in the GCC hostel for some time for physical massage of her legs too enable her to stand up and learn tailoring with machine equipment. Both Santosh and Neelam were given seedlings for nutritious vegetables. Constitutional values of gender equality, freedom and human rights are imparted through Sahayogi

3. Sakhi –work with women, regular meetings are organized with tribal women on topics of women’s rights, literacy, livelihood development, employment, education and care of children, women’s health, domestic violence, legal advocacy, access to official documents of Aadhar card, pan card, election card, caste certificate, opening of bank accounts etc. Experienced and trained resource professionals are invited to conduct these sessions in the local language through Power Point Presentations, skits, creative posters and exposure visits to local and national government offices, banks, police stations, hospitals, schools etc…Women are thus enabled to gain self-confidence, knowledge and practical approach for the progress of their families and for themselves.

They are encouraged to cultivate and provided seeds to plant local grains, vegetables, fruits in kitchen gardens. They are motivated to utilize the harvest for nutritious meals for their children and families.

4. Kishore Dhara –work with youth – they are given sessions on Career education and options, Family Life Education-FLE, Budgeting, Decision Making, Communication, Government Schemes, Importance of Education especially of girls, issues related to adolescence such as menstruation cycle, etc. The youth are encouraged for skill and livelihood education, input sessions from personnel from government, police, bank, companies and corporates. They participated in the Para Legal Volunteer training programme and motivated to help the tribal communities to obtain tribal certificate, Aadhar and Pan card and assist in times of legal needs and conflicts.
5. Unnati – coconut and bamboo handicrafts- One-month training was organised by Mr. Parmeshwaran from Kerala for Warli youth and individuals by College of Social Work-CSW-NN, supported by RUSA. They were trained as a team to create artistic handicrafts of coconut shell and bamboo such as key chains, earrings, various sizes of spoons, soap dishes, musical instrument-tharpa, emblems, etc…The Coconut shell and bamboo symbols are sold in educational institutions and there is good demand. The Extension Centre of the CSW- NN, Goregaon ordered the symbols of coconut shell handicrafts which was highly appreciated. An eco-friendly shed is constructed in the premises of GCC for work in Unnati group. The equipment of cutting machine, varnishing etc for the coconut shell handicrafts are available in the shed. In 2022, eco-friendly trophies were creatively made by Unnati for the Extension Services of CSW, for the inter-collegiate competition. The trophies were well appreciated. On 8^th and 9^th February 2025 Unnati craftsman participated in the Chikoo Festival in Dahanu Taluka with very artistic chikoo trophies.

Spandan organised the Para Legal Volunteers training with local and High Court lawyers-PLV. This training programme for 40 members was in collaboration with District Legal Service Authority -DLSA and Taluka Legal Service Authority-TLSA. Monthly sessions on various topics are organised regularly. In the Zilla Parishad and Ashram schools training for school students on Protection of Children from Sexual Act-2012 – POCSA. PLV members are accompanying the Warli families to the local Police station. PLV members were given a session on Warli art block printing, each member made a bag with Warli art block printing.

Gnanajyoti Warli Kala Savardhan Abhinoy is registered as an independent Society and is the first such registered Society in the Palghar District. GCC conducts regular Warli art painting courses for the Warli youth, adults and school children in Zilla Parishad as well as in private schools. The students are provided with acrylic paints, paint brushes and taught to paint on cloth, paper, glass, earthenware articles, river stones, bamboo and coconut handicrafts. A experienced and trained teacher teaches them very creative and indigenous Warli art painting. This Society is a guided initiative of the Collector -Mr. Govind Bodke -9730684666 of Palghar District and the Registrar – Mr. Kulkarni who were very helpful in the process of obtaining the official certificate received on 5^th February 2024.

Networking is anessential dimension of GCC for updated and promoting the mission for the development of the tribal population. GCC networks with Nirmala Institute which is a registered trust for effective implementation of the various services and courses. GCC networks with funding agencies national and international for financial resources to sustain its mission with Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan -RUSA through the CSW, Nirmala Niketan and Isabel Martin Foundation in Spain. Society of Dyers and Colourists Education Charity – SDCEC for training of aril youth in creative and artistic handicrafts from local resources such as bamboo, earthenware articles, paper, textile etc.

Gram Panchayat at taluka, Panchayat Samiti at the district level Tribal Dept. Mantralaya

NSS camps-St. Pauls, CSW, C.H. Sc. Godavari College-Talasari

The tribal youth need patient understanding because if they are depressed and in conflict there is a suicidal tendency. Similarly the tribal adults need high level legal intervention in relation to marital violence, property matters and other personal and economic problems.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Periodic evaluation are conducted in each course with the students and staff and the necessary changes are made accordingly.