He Was Once a Drunkard. Today Ajjappa Shivalingappa Is Making His Village Alcohol Free

Meet Ajjappa, the 54-year-old man who not only got rid of his increasing alcohol addiction in an amazing way, but also resolved to make his village a 100 percent alcohol free zone. And he is already on his way to success. This is his story.

By Shreya Pareek

August 29, 2015

Ajjappa Shivalingappa Pyati of Ghodageri village was once a heavy drinker. He would often get very drunk and would be found sleeping on the roadside, or falling in gutters. Despite coming from a well to do and reputed family, he used to beg for money just to buy some more liquor for himself.

He was soon a topic of discussion among the villagers. As his addiction grew more, Ajjappa lost his reputation and was looked down upon by the society.

We have often seen many individuals like him, who end up losing all they have because of their addiction to alcohol. But 54-year-old Ajjappa was not destined to be one of them.

Today, he has not only left his own alcohol addiction behind, but has also made his entire village alcohol free.

Photo for representation purpose only. Source: Michael Cannon/Flickr

Seven years ago, his life took a complete turn when Ajjappa attended a taluk level awareness programme discussing the ill effects of alcohol addiction. While sharing his experiences, he realised how he has fallen down both socially and economically. The programme was an eye opener and he took an oath to never drink alcohol in the future.

But this wasn’t enough for the changed man who wanted to bring others out of this bad habit too. So he made it his mission to make his birthplace 100 percent alcohol free.

For this, he started by setting up a team of 60 volunteers who took on the task of shutting liquor shops in the village. Four years ago, after a lot of agitation, denial and trouble, Ajjappa’s team was successful in making Ghodageri free of liquor shops.

His next task was to counsel the addicts and with regular intervention, he has already made over 90 percent of them quit alcohol.

The rest 10 percent drink less since there are no liquor shops in the village and they have to go to nearby villages to purchase alcohol.

Ajjappa is confident that he will manage to make his village a 100 percent alcohol free zone. He is the perfect example of how a transformed man can bring a larger impact. He shows that if one has the dedication and a strong will power, nothing is impossible.

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