'Women play a crucial role in ushering in change in their communities'
By Anuja Agrawal

'How did such a strong woman living in a nondescript corner of Manipur emerge as such a pillar of strength?'
By Anjulika Thingnam

'I was fed throughout my stay on the farm on homegrown vegetables plucked right before my eyes'
By Aparna Pallavi

'After a day in the saltpans, I can never again think of white as a "cool" colour'
By Geeta Seshu

'Despite the worry that another tsunami could strike, the people here are moving on'
By Hema Vijay

'Where is the rest of the rice? The question kept nagging me'
By Linda Chhakchhuak

'The lyrics acquire a personal meaning for the young boy singing so earnestly'
By Manipadma Jena

'Here I was before a woman who was resilient enough to emerge unscathed every time she was attacked'
By Manisha Prakash

'Seeing the scene I was transported back to the 70s and 80s, when the women's movement was blossoming'
By Nirupama Dutt

'If the women refuse to sell fish, the men would be at a loss'
By  Prakriiti Gupta

'They had not become politicians even though they held a political office'
By  Soma Mitra Mukherjee

'She may look like any other ordinary woman but her achievements are not ordinary' By  Shuriah Niazi

'What was even more amazing was that almost everyone stopped to greet her and touch her feet'
By Swapna Majumdar

'There was no false modesty or shame about displaying the use of a female condom'
By  Tarannum Manjul

'It is a swim upstream every day for these women'
By  Usha Turaga-Revelli

Search ARCHIVES for 'features' and 'in brief' items

'They had not become politicians even though they held a political office' By Soma Mitra Mukherjee

Women can undergo a complete metamorphosis for their survival. This is the lesson I learnt in the forests of West Midnapore district. The women in various forest areas like Godapeasal or Sakhisole had a common bond. Their first requirement was firewood to keep the home fires burning. And the best way to get firewood was to get control of the forest. Almost every woman I spoke to said their primary reason for joining the Forest Protection Committees as guards was firewood. And this need brought them out of their orthodox, backward, doormat-like social existences and converted them into vigilant brave soldiers ready to protect the forests from any outsider. Next came the monetary aspect. These rural women quickly caught on to the benefits of a community fund. The most humbling experience for me was to realize that these uneducated, extremely poor, unpolished, unsophisticated women could, without hesitation, put community needs above individual needs. We put great emphasis on education, privileges, social background, but these women have proven that it's the vision that counts.

I also realized the huge gap that exists between rural and urban India as far as priorities are concerned. For the urban woman today, a good job, luxurious lifestyle, an upwardly mobile husband, and well-educated children are the priorities. These rural women, in contrast, dream of water for all, schools for the children, firewood for all, good roads, sanitation, and a community hall. The preoccupations of the urban women are centered on the individual, rural women in contrast are totally community-oriented.

Karisunda is about 85 kms from Bankura town. The neat row of toilets next to every house catches the eye as one travels along the murram roads. Meeting the driving force behind this successful sanitation campaign - the women members of the gram panchayat - was a fantastic experience. Every member was present at the panchayat office at 10 am. The most impressive thing was their professionalism. They had all the facts and figures at their fingertips. They could quote from memory the number of school buildings they had built, or how many kilometres of road they had repaired in the 22 villages that come under the panchayat.

It was obvious that every member, including those who were illiterate, knew about the money they had received and how it was spent. What struck me was the pride they took in their work. Almost all the 15 women members come to office on bicycles they've bought for themselves through bank loans. They said their biggest achievement was that they could find a voice in society - they could be part of decisions not just within their families but also in their village and panchayat. Interestingly, they had not become politicians even though they held a political office through elections after contesting on a party ticket. Each one of them maintained that the people had elected them because of their social work, so they were social workers first and last.

Sandeshkhali Block I and II are a three-hour drive from Kolkata, although many villages here are accessible only by ferry. The most noticeable thing was the good state of the road that led to the interior areas of both North and South 24 Parganas. It is obvious that a lot of developmental activities are taking place in the region thanks to the promotion of tourism. Poverty, cited as the main reason for the area becoming a factory of child domestic workers, might gradually ease with time. At least, that is what one hopes.

What I found most heartening was speaking to the young girls at the Bridge Course Centres - some of them were repatriated child domestic workers and former school dropouts. They were a happy lot, singing and dancing with abandon and talked excitedly about joining mainstream educational institutions soon. Their favourite actor was Shahrukh Khan, their favourite song the 'Vande Mataram' and they all adore 'Maharaj', as cricketer Sourav Ganguly is known in Bengal.

I came back with their young voices ringing in my ears. Finally, these adolescents were getting the opportunity to be children first and children last.

home| current features | media centre | theme of the month |  wfs services | archives |conferences | about us