The not-so-aam sabha.
Fluorescent pink, orange, green, yellow and bright sky blue. And the customary regulars- red, brown, grey, black and white. I am not talking about any leading sports brand's jersey colours. It was the myriad shades of head cloth worn by two thousand women at SCRIA Sangathan's Aam Sabha, here in Rewari. Social Centre for Rural Initiatives and Advancement (SCRIA) gave just the right platform for these women not to know that they were just not "mango people" in a "banana republic". The lively banter and jokes flowing in Haryanvi filled the air with giggles and sharp, dramatised reactions. It was but natural for all these women, who never venture out of their homes except to fetch water or to work. Or fight for their rights. Yes, fight for their rights.
That is precisely why they are not "aam" folk. They have fought and are still fighting the social evils in Haryana's Rewari District. They wage frequent battles with the local administration and their men-folk to assert their rights, to demand their fair share. These women are warriors of their own right and I salute their grit. When such women come together, more so in droves of empowered "sangathans", it speaks of a revolution, of a long movement. SCRIA has been around in these villages of south Haryana and North Rajasthan for the last thirty two years. The intensity of their work and the sincerity of their programmes reflects in the enthusiasm of a ninety year old grandmother I saw today and in the optimism of the 20 year old lady I saw today.
Set against the October sky, bright and pleasant, the morning grew heavy with the constant trickling in of women groups, "Block Sanghs" and the district level "Nirnayak Samiti". For a programme scheduled to start at 12 noon, the tent was overcrowded by 11.30. And surprise, more than 300 were yet to arrive! Every lady in the audience had her unique role at the village level body, the sangathan. She was here today to show that it mattered to her that her village prospered, that her family got empowered and that she became stronger. Every woman in the crowd, worth her salt, gave her all to cheer the idea of a "Samman Haryana, Samman Hindustan". She knew what it means to attain gender equality. It liberated her and her peers of burdens that city folk might only read about, rarely encounter.
For a first-timer, like yours truly, the impact of the mission, SCRIA's three projects- Svashaasan, Samriddhi and Sampada Prakritik, the valiant march of these fearless women and their sheer numbers can inject one with giant doses of inspiration and admiration. Svashasaan, self-governance, aims at their political and legal empowerment. Samriddhi, prosperity, aims at their economic empowerment. Sampada Prakritik, natural resources, aims at maintaining an ecological balance. The mahila sangathans are bearers of all three messages and they are also the chief trouble-shooters for other people in their village.
When it was time for them to present their stories, I was constantly amazed at the variety of issues that they had tackled. From inactive headmen to local liquor barons to District Commissioners, these women had fought against a lot of people. From improper allocation of NREGA job cards to shutting down liquour shops to building johads and initiating organic farming, these women had taken up all causes. There was Gita, who mobilized nearly forty of her villagers even when she was sick, to shut the local daru thekka. There was also Pinky, from Teet, who fought hard just to ensure that the mandatory Gram sabha meetings took place. There was Meena, whose village Hairodh had not seen water for nearly two months until she forced the DC to dig a bore well. There were all these countless women who fought everyday to live with dignity. I saw today the many bravehearts and smiling faces behind the orthodox gunghat (viel). In them I see my inspiration to work on grassroot issues. In them I see the indomitable spirit of the human race that is bound by a thousand million fibres.
Fluorescent pink, orange, green, yellow and bright sky blue. And the customary regulars- red, brown, grey, black and white. I am not talking about any leading sports brand's jersey colours. It was the myriad shades of head cloth worn by two thousand women at SCRIA Sangathan's Aam Sabha, here in Rewari. Social Centre for Rural Initiatives and Advancement (SCRIA) gave just the right platform for these women not to know that they were just not "mango people" in a "banana republic". The lively banter and jokes flowing in Haryanvi filled the air with giggles and sharp, dramatised reactions. It was but natural for all these women, who never venture out of their homes except to fetch water or to work. Or fight for their rights. Yes, fight for their rights.
That is precisely why they are not "aam" folk. They have fought and are still fighting the social evils in Haryana's Rewari District. They wage frequent battles with the local administration and their men-folk to assert their rights, to demand their fair share. These women are warriors of their own right and I salute their grit. When such women come together, more so in droves of empowered "sangathans", it speaks of a revolution, of a long movement. SCRIA has been around in these villages of south Haryana and North Rajasthan for the last thirty two years. The intensity of their work and the sincerity of their programmes reflects in the enthusiasm of a ninety year old grandmother I saw today and in the optimism of the 20 year old lady I saw today.
Set against the October sky, bright and pleasant, the morning grew heavy with the constant trickling in of women groups, "Block Sanghs" and the district level "Nirnayak Samiti". For a programme scheduled to start at 12 noon, the tent was overcrowded by 11.30. And surprise, more than 300 were yet to arrive! Every lady in the audience had her unique role at the village level body, the sangathan. She was here today to show that it mattered to her that her village prospered, that her family got empowered and that she became stronger. Every woman in the crowd, worth her salt, gave her all to cheer the idea of a "Samman Haryana, Samman Hindustan". She knew what it means to attain gender equality. It liberated her and her peers of burdens that city folk might only read about, rarely encounter.
For a first-timer, like yours truly, the impact of the mission, SCRIA's three projects- Svashaasan, Samriddhi and Sampada Prakritik, the valiant march of these fearless women and their sheer numbers can inject one with giant doses of inspiration and admiration. Svashasaan, self-governance, aims at their political and legal empowerment. Samriddhi, prosperity, aims at their economic empowerment. Sampada Prakritik, natural resources, aims at maintaining an ecological balance. The mahila sangathans are bearers of all three messages and they are also the chief trouble-shooters for other people in their village.
When it was time for them to present their stories, I was constantly amazed at the variety of issues that they had tackled. From inactive headmen to local liquor barons to District Commissioners, these women had fought against a lot of people. From improper allocation of NREGA job cards to shutting down liquour shops to building johads and initiating organic farming, these women had taken up all causes. There was Gita, who mobilized nearly forty of her villagers even when she was sick, to shut the local daru thekka. There was also Pinky, from Teet, who fought hard just to ensure that the mandatory Gram sabha meetings took place. There was Meena, whose village Hairodh had not seen water for nearly two months until she forced the DC to dig a bore well. There were all these countless women who fought everyday to live with dignity. I saw today the many bravehearts and smiling faces behind the orthodox gunghat (viel). In them I see my inspiration to work on grassroot issues. In them I see the indomitable spirit of the human race that is bound by a thousand million fibres.
