weaving and knitting. Now women participate fully in Panchayat meetings.
Before this, there was little concern for women’s needs. Once, when I had
helped with the cement flooring of the schools, many people protested that
they wanted roads to be constructed first. I argued that, it is women who
have to wash dirty uniforms and stitch them when they get torn on the rough
floor of the schools. Then, I saw that women carry cow dung and manure,
take animals, and collect firewood, and the footpath they use is very thin and
rough. It becomes slippery during the rains. Women fall and suffer injuries.
We decided to do something about this and constructed a ‘pukka’ cement
footpath through the village. Again, people protested but, as I am blessed with
a good tongue, I said, “because of the condition of the footpath it is women
suffer the most. The women of this village will use this road. This is a chance
for women to get something better, you men never bother about her. It is a
loss for the entire family if something happens to her.” Until now whenever I
meet women in the fields, they thank me, saying that the cement footpath has
helped them and that it is the best thing that I have done.
It is difficult to build support among the people, but if you have a good
rationale then you can progress. Otherwise, people will come together against
you and they will question your judgment. There are endless stories of my
struggle. I do not know where to start and where to end. I am thankful that
various trainings have prepared me to work in the Panchayat and to fight
against injustice. When I first joined, I was not aware of the 73rd Amendment
and did not know about women’s rights. Now, I am full of confidence. One
day, some people questioned me and said, “how can you consider yourself a
leader, you don’t have enough to feed yourself, you don’t have any power and
money to run a village,” I replied in one line, “I have the good luck to have the
73rd Amendment Act with me.”