On 1 February 2003, the world lost an icon in Kalpana Chawla, who along with six other crew members, died in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. She was only 40 at the time of her death, but the legacy she leaves behind is immeasurable.

National Geographic has sought to capture her inspirational journey in their documentary, Kalpana, which will premier at 9:00 pm IST on 8 March, 2020.

Kalpana, just like her name, lived her imagination and visualised infinite possibilities. A role model for many young women in India and around the world, she will always be remembered for her incredible journey from Karnal, where she was born, to NASA, where she fulfilled her dream of reaching the stars.

In a fascinating old clip, which you can watch here, she says, “It was very far fetched for me to think that I would get to fly in a space shuttle. I lived in a very small town in India. Forget about space, I didn’t even know whether my folks would let me go to engineering college. I think I was very lucky that we lived in a town which had flying clubs. We would see these small airplanes and would ask my dad if we could get a ride in one of these planes. He took us to the flying club and got us a ride.”

Bucking the trend, she chose to study aeronautical engineering instead of the more popular mechanical engineering at Punjab Engineering College, which also didn’t have a girls hostel at the time. After obtaining her degree, she did her Masters at the University of Texas.

She would go onto earn her PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder and began working at the NASA Ames Research Centre studying computational fluid dynamics.

Despite working in NASA, she always had her final goal in sight, which was to become an astronaut. She applied for the NASA Astronaut Corps in the early 1990s and joined them in 1995 after undergoing a brutal programme.

In 1996, she was selected for her first flight, and her first space mission began on 19 November 1997, as part of a six-member crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. The rest, as they say, is history.

Speaking to The Better India, her father Banarasi Lal Chawla vividly talks about the legacy she leaves behind and the enduring message of her life.

“Her dream was that no one in this world should be deprived of an education. More specifically, no one should miss out on learning about the wonders of science. She also wanted people to exhibit kindness, compassion, love and encouragement. She believed that the world is one. When in space, someone asked her how it felt to make it there from India. Paraphrasing the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca, she said, ‘I was not born for a corner of the universe. The whole universe is my native land. The people living in this universe are my family.’ In her life, she remained true to these ideals,” says Chawla.

There are so many examples from her life where she exhibited a humanism that we rarely find now. Chawla remembers one instance when a computer engineer from Nigeria called him up in the aftermath of Kalpana’s demise. Although he couldn’t recall the young engineer’s name, the episode gives us a glimpse of the kind of person Kalpana was.

“I was in Karnal when I received the call, and he spoke about wanting to meet me. Initially, I rejected the idea telling him that if he wanted to say anything to me, he could say on the phone instead of spending a lot of money on a long journey. But he was adamant about meeting me in person,” he recalls.

One beautiful day, Chawla got another call from him, and this time the engineer had landed in Delhi. After taking down Chawla’s address, he drove down 125 km to meet him.

“He began the story by telling me that he had first met Kalpana when she had visited his university in the States to give a lecture. They remained in touch and when he faced a difficult financial situation, Kalpana met him, gave him sound advice on his academics and career, and wished him all the best. But there was more to it. She also sent monthly checks to him from her own account. Thanks to her assistance, he graduated from university and became a successful computer engineer,” recalls Chawla.

Thanks to Kalpana, this man from Nigeria could pursue what he loved and earn a livelihood.

“When he got news of the tragic accident, he found my number from the people at NASA and called me. Upon meeting me and expressing his gratitude, he told me that it felt like a massive weight off his chest. Kalpana wished that no one in this world remained unlettered, poor and despondent. She felt it was her solemn duty to work with people and help others in any way she could,” he adds.

Another facet of her humanism was a deep desire to open doors for young girls in India into the world of science. When Kalpana was working with NASA, she would often tell her parents how she missed her school Tagore Bal Niketan in Karnal and wanted to do something for them.

When Geoffrey Munes, the Director of the International Space School Foundation at NASA, asked Kalpana to suggest some Indian students for a summer programme, she knew exactly who to call—her old alma mater.

“She wrote a letter to the school telling them that she was once a student there, who works at NASA and requested that they send two of their brightest girl students to the States, where she would show them around. From picking them up at the airport, giving them accommodation to even cooking meals, Kalpana took care of the girls,” says Chawla.

Every year, these girls would attend a 15-day summer session of the International Summer Space School Foundation at NASA, and starting from 1998 until her demise, she hosted 14 girl students. Even though Kalpana has left this world, this practice continues till this day.

“The world is a beautiful place, but we must strive to make it better. In particular, we must do whatever we can ensure young girls get an education, particularly those whose circumstances make it difficult for them to study. If given a chance, these young girls will shine and share their wealth of knowledge with the world. This is the message I want to relay to the world. This is what Kalpana would have also wanted,” says Chawla.

Finally, another facet of her humanism was her remarkable pursuit of knowledge and dedication to her craft. This was best exemplified during her last mission in space.

One of the complicated experiments the crew aboard Columbia had to conduct was the water-mist fire suppression experiment (MIST) overseen by Dr Angel Abbud-Madrid on Earth. Today, he is the Director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines. The results of this complicated experiment led to the design, test and launch of the water-mist portable fire extinguishers, which are now part of the International Space Station.

In an emotional letter Dr Abbud-Madrid wrote after Kalpana’s tragic death, he said,

Needless to say I will be forever thankful for the extra effort you put to recover the experiment after its initial leak problem. Five hours of volunteered off-duty and meal time were unheard of and definitely never to be expected from any crew member according to NASA rules. But you knew very well that the effort meant rescuing MIST and five long years of hard work and high hopes. Once we were up and running you do not have an idea how grateful I was and how desperately I wanted to let you know and thank you.

My only consolation is that you may have read the flight note uplinked at the end of MIST operations explaining our outstanding results and our many thanks to the crew. Everything worked just right and we obtained more science than we had expected. I cannot lie and pretend I do not feel a mixture of joy and sadness when I watch and listen to the videos downlinked from space. They acted as an electronic lifeline that captured the voice and actions of all of you in space and brought them down to Earth to preserve them forever…

You see KC [Kalpana Chawla], we need real heroes and role models and you have definitely broken every barrier and defy many stereotypes. Your example has and will continue to open doors for many people following your same dreams.

What Kalpana did with her life was making young girls in India believe that such a dream is even possible.

That’s where her magic continues to reside.

Also Read: ‘Women Can’t Do Science’: 8 Trailblazing Scientists Busting The Myth

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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India has always had a fascination for Mathematics. From Bhaskaracharya to Srinivasa Ramanujam, Indian mathematicians have made vital contributions to this field. In this long line of eminent math wizards, proudly stands Parimala Raman, a mathematician known globally for her contribution in the field of algebra. She spoke to The Better India about her early influences, challenges, and gave a message to those students who wish to pursue a career in math.

The Seeds of Love for a Subject Are Sown Early

“I owe it to my wonderful teachers in Sarada Vidyalaya, Chennai, who taught me math well and got me attracted to it,” begins Parimala. Parimala’s early years were spent in Chennai where she completed her schooling and went to Stella Maris College for Women.

Parimala shares that during her college days, Professor Thangamani was of great help to her, and influenced her career choice.

During her time at Stella Maris College, there was a brief period where Parimala contemplated taking up Sanskrit poetry but numbers had truly taken over her heart. “Math has the beauty of poetry,” she says.

Being a scholar in the Mathematical arena is not the default career option that most families understand. Parimala credits her parents with supporting her and letting her find her own space. Parimala says, “I had such enlightened parents who encouraged me to do whatever I excelled in to the best possible manner.”

Support From Her Family

Parimala’s father was an English Professor who guided her through her choice of a research institution, while her mother was the rock of support during Parimala’s entire career. With the solid backing of her family, Parimala took up her research work at the Ramanujan Institute for Advanced Studies in Mathematics.

There she met a couple of mentors who would guide her in higher math. She says, “I also must mention the mathematicians at the Ramanujan Institute, particularly Professor Bhanumurthy and Professor Rema for the encouragement and support during the initial year of my research.”

Awards and Accolades

The recipient of several national and international awards, which include Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (1987). In 2010, Parimala received one of the highest global honours in her field when she was selected as the plenary speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Earlier this month, the government decided to establish eleven chairs to honour women scientists who have contributed to the field of science. It is also to inspire women and encourage participation of young girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Parimala is the only living person on the list. Her area of research is algebra with connections to algebraic geometry and number theory. She is also well-recognised for her solution to the second Serre conjecture.

Support of her husband

Parimala credits her husband, Raman, for helping her in the pursuit of her passion for Math post marriage. After their wedding, Parimala who was a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, took leave for a year and accompanied husband to Dares-Salaam. Raman worked as the Chief Internal Auditor with the Board of Internal Trade, Tanzania.

“I had no clear plan for my career. In a few months, Raman took an extraordinary decision. He quit his job to accompany me to E.T.H. Zurich so that I could do post-doctoral work.” It was this critical decision that helped Parimala get back to research and mathematics.

“But for his support, I would have given up my career at some point. More than support, his enthusiasm for the research I do and rejoicing when I get recognition were steering forces for me to continue to this date in the profession. He is immensely proud of me,” smiles Parimala.

As my final question, I asked her about what she would say to many like me who grow up fearing numbers and mathematics. She laughs heartily and says, “My message is that a career in mathematics is full of challenges and rewards; it gives an opportunity for students with a passion for mathematics limitless possibilities for creative thinking. It gives students with a passion for mathematics limitless possibilities for creative thinking. There are globe-trotting opportunities to meet with mathematicians world over. Imparting your knowledge through teaching and mentoring is part of the reward of this career.”

Also Read: How Kolams Changed This 40-YO Chennai Designer’s Life After a Massive Burnout

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Off the top of your head, how many women in science can you name from across the globe? Go ahead, take your time. Now that you have done that, how many Indian women in science can you think of? Does the name Darshan Ranganathan crop up in your head?

A pioneer in the field of chemistry, among the many awards she had won for her work, Darshan was the recipient of Third World Academy of Sciences Award for her outstanding contributions to bio-organic chemistry.

In a world where the representation of women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) is quite low, the legacy left behind by women like Darshan can be a guiding force for many girls who want to make a mark in the field of science.

Darshan Ranganathan not only made strides in the field of bio-organic chemistry research, but funded her entire career with multiple fellowships. One of these fellowships even gave her the opportunity to travel all the way to Imperial College in London for a post-doctoral in the late 1960s!

Darshan Ranganathan – Her Early Life

Darshan was born in Karol Bagh, New Delhi on 4 June, 1941 and was the third child to Shantiswarup Makan and Vidyavati Markan. She completed her early education from Aryaamamj Girl’s Primary School in Delhi after which she studied in Indraprastha Higher Secondary School.

Here, her teacher S V L Ratan was a great influence on her and inspired by her to make a career in the field of Chemistry. She graduated in the subject from Delhi University. Later, Darshan completed her PhD in organic Chemistry in the same university, under the guidance of Prof. TR Seshadri. During her PhD, she also taught he subject at the Miranda college. Her hard work led her to receive The Senior Research Scholarship of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

This helped her carry out her post-doctoral work with Professor DHR Barton at the Imperial College London.

Entering The World of Organic Chemistry

It was at the Imperial College, London that she started studying cycloartenol in jackfruit and on photochemical reactions of steroids.

Darshan had always been interested in studying the structure or organic compounds and she ended up doing some pioneering work in the field of protein folding. This basically means that she studied the three-dimensional structure of plant-based atoms. With a passion for reproducing biochemical processes in the laboratory, she would often go to great lengths in fulfilling her research work.

Cycloartenol is a biologically active compound found in plants and the professor with whom she was working, wanted to clarify the confusion regarding it’s actual structure found in plants.

But, since jackfruit was not available in London, she went to the extent of asking her mother to ship it to her from Delhi in dry form. Hence, her involvement in the project helped the professor further the research work.

Additionally, the other leading work she did was to create a protocol for the autonomous reproduction of imidazole. This is an organic compound that is an important ingredient found in antifungal drugs and antibiotics, which is why it has great pharmaceutical importance. She returned to India in 1969.

Life of a Researcher

Upon her return, Darshan met Subramania Ranganathan, at a symposium. A few months later, he proposed to her and they married on 4 June 1970.

Just 12 days after her marriage, she joined the laboratory at IIT Kanpur, where her husband also worked. At the time, she did not really have any scholarship but she enjoyed working long hours.

In a glorious eulogy, her husband wrote:

I told her that from the very first day, we would share my resources as an Assistant Professor of the Department, by way of students, equipment, chemicals, project funds and that we will work in different domains of research. With all the trials, tribulations and various types of prejudices she did exceedingly well on her own.

He adds that she had independently published in several journals and was already a member of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Together, they even co-authored, ‘Current Organic chemistry highlights’. Her husband wrote, “Those days, I typed on a stencil and she drew the structures beautifully.”

In 1992, she got her first real job at the Regional Research Laboratory, Trivandrum in 1992 and ended up setting up a laboratory for her research.

Achievements and Last Few Days

The biggest feat for Darshan was that she could manage her entire career of research by securing fellowships. In 1991, she got the fellowships of the Indian Academy of Sciences, The Indian National Science Academy in 1996, AV Rama Rao Foundation Award (JNCASR), Third world Academy of Sciences award (TWAS) in Chemistry (1999) among several others.

In 1998, she and her husband moved to Hyderabad on invitation by Dr Raghavan, Director, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.

She was later diagnosed with cancer and died on the day she was born, on 4 June 2001 at the age of sixty. Her son Anand, who was born in 1972, also followed his parent’s footsteps and became a scientist.

This is what her husband had to say for the eminent scientist:

She was a star. For such a wonderful human being, the end should come so early and so painfully is indeed a cruel twist of destiny. She fought her long suffering just as bravely.” But he says that their time together were the “golden years that went by, a dream never to return.

He truly looks up to his wife and says that her career path is one that can be emulated. “Summarising Darshan’s genius is even more difficult. At the time of her passing away, she was the most prolific organic biochemist in India,” he wrote.

Also Read: Kamal Ranadive, The Unsung Scientist Who Made Science Accessible to All Women

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Nothing gives Sneha Sharma, a professional Formula 4 race car driver and commercial pilot flying with IndiGo Airlines, a better adrenaline rush than speed.

“I was 14 when I discovered my irresistible passion for speed at a now defunct go-karting track in Powai. I had never experienced such a rush before; I felt one with the car. That is when I decided that racing is what I wanted to do with my life,” says Sneha, in a conversation with The Better India.

During her off days at school, she would spend her time at the track. However, she didn’t have access to professional training and would initially take on odd mechanic jobs and watching professional race car drivers compete.

“By the end of each day, I would see these mechanics racing with these tattered karts. I approached them to train me. They were kind enough to teach me the basics of steering, cornering, overtaking and breaking. Look, you don’t need fancy degrees or equipment to make it in life. Since racing is an expensive sport, I saved up my pocket money and whatever else I could to get some training and race a few laps on the track,” she recalls.

Soon, she began competing in city-level races, which she won or finished on the podium. Her desire to compete professionally was ignited one fine day during practice when she saw two racing drivers.

“When I asked who they were, I was told they were national racing drivers. Seeing their poise and how they expertly maneuvered around the track inspired me. As my journey continued, I drove many races, a lot of which I would win. In one such race organized by the Times of India, I defeated many professionally trained and seasoned drivers, and also caught the eye of many important people. When I won the race, I got picked up by a national racing team, and got to compete in the national championships,” she recalls.

By the time she was 16, Sneha was studying in junior college, doing pilot ground classes and competing in races. She was obese too. To fulfil her dreams of racing, she had to reduce her weight from 90 kg to 60 kg within months because racing is an extremely demanding sport.

“The hardest part was managing my time from racing, college to flying lessons and fitness work. But I did it. My family didn’t support my dreams because they thought it was a dangerous sport and a big hindrance to my studies. Initially, they thought it was just a passing fad, but I kept at it. Sometimes I would leave my helmet outside the house, lie to my parents about where I was going and race. While sneaking out to race, I ensured that I carried my books to the track, studied between practice sessions and races,” she says.

Fortunately, she graduated from school with flying colours and even competed at the MRF National Karting Championship and was also the only girl to qualify for the KCT category, where only ten drivers across the country would be selected to race.

But just as she was finding her feet in the professional race car driving scene, Sneha had the chance to fulfil another long-standing passion of hers, which is flying.

At the age of 17 in 2007, she had to put down her racing helmet and put on a flying headset for her commercial pilot licence. Her family had taken loans to make this happen. It was a difficult time, and she didn’t know whether she would ever see the inside of a race car again. When she came back from the States after more than a year later, her passion for racing had not diminished in any way. In fact, she came back hungry as ever.

Until she converted her US flying licence into an Indian one in 2011, she continued to do part-time jobs at racing tracks as a mechanic, working on engines, training, maintaining accounts and loading/unloading equipment. This was rather exhausting because she had to work on other cars till the wee hours so that she could wake up the next day and race.

But 2009 turned out to be a breakthrough year for Sneha as she came back better than ever and earned a podium finish in the National Karting Championship.

Her objective has always been to venture into single-seating racing, but in 2010 she raced in the Volkswagen Polo Cup (a touring car series), followed by a stint in the Toyota Etios series before earning a top-five finish in the Mercedes young driver star programme. There, she drove her car at an astounding 270 kmph at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida.

Meanwhile, by 2011 she had found a job as a commercial pilot for IndiGo airlines. Once she had a steady source of income, she decided to invest her own money into her racing career, because professional racing is a costly sport.

For a while, she did race under closed roofs, but the attraction of formula cars was too much to resist. Finally, she made it in the JK Tyre’s LGB category—the first step to the single-seater racing—in 2013. In her very first formula race, she finished in fourth place.

Despite her long-standing dream to drive Formula 1, she did sponsored racing events for a while and joined IndiGo as a commercial pilot. Fortunately, JK Tyres came calling, and even IndiGo came on-board, and they have been sponsoring her ever since. Today, she competes in international Formula 4 championships around the world, while as a pilot, she flies the Airbus 320 for six days a month.

“When I started racing and sometimes even today, I was the only girl on track among 22 guys. Most would hate losing to a fellow male competitor, but if they lost to me, they would add a lot of harsh statements like ‘women don’t know how to drive’. It was rough, particularly early on, but I made sure it never slowed me down. I would channel all that anger into my performance. When the helmet is on, I am not a man or woman, but a race car driver. This aggression is reflected in my driving. I am a fast driver who isn’t afraid to exploit any opening my competitors give. If I see an opportunity to race ahead, I dive in. Yes, I have had my share of injuries like hairline fractures, spinal injuries, shattered knees and even petrol burns, but that has never deterred me,” she says while describing her outlook to racing.

It’s the same outlook that gave her a leg up in life at a time when no one gave her a chance.

Also Read: Exclusive: Meet India’s First Woman to Win An Olympic Medal & Lift a Nation

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Back in the ‘90s, the idea of working women was an alien concept in Ayali Khurd, a tiny hamlet in Punjab’s West Ludhiana district. This was especially true in lesser privileged households.

In 1995, when Gurdev Kaur Deol first arrived in the pind (village) as a newlywed bride, the situation was no different for her. However, she pushed back. While she had been persuaded to get married while pursuing her BEd degree, the ambitious woman was not ready to cower down to the patriarchal social constraints and embarked on a unique professional journey.

Gurdev had always fascinated by honeybees, and so she became a beekeeper, becoming only the second-ever woman in the entire state to be involved in this unusual vocation.

25 years later, Ludhiana knows Gurdev as a trailblazer and inspiration for hundreds of women. Through her organisation, the Global Self Help Group, she has employed over 350 women, most of whom hail from a lesser privileged background and once struggled to make ends meet.

From beekeeping, Gurdev has gradually ventured into organic farming and food products processed from 100% organic produce. Her honey, pickles, jams, eco-friendly detergents, shampoo, and even biodegradable sanitary napkins have almost become staple now in households of Ludhiana and beyond.

From a Beekeeper With 5 Boxes to an Employer of 350+ Women

Gurdev’s commitment towards her customers becomes evident at the very first minute of her phone conversation with us. She patiently answers a sceptical customer’s flurry of questions about the ingredients in her achaar, while fielding questions in an interview with The Better India.

With an apologetic pause, she opens up about her journey, from being a beekeeper with a few boxes to managing a successful food product business.

“It took me almost a year to master the art of humane beekeeping. I started with 5 boxes in my backyard, and within the next four years, I owned 450 boxes, with each box yielding about 20 to 25 kg of pure, unadulterated honey,” informs Gurdev

“I was overseeing everything by myself, with three male workers assisting in the day-to-day operations since no women would come forward to do this unusual work. But, I must admit, that several women across Punjab have now graciously picked up beekeeping as a full-time profession,” she adds, humbly implying how she has managed to inspire women around the state.

It was, however, an operational challenge that led Gurdev to start her entrepreneurial venture. After being a seasoned beekeeper and trader of honey, she began to notice how the retail market often offered much less a rate than the actual worth of pure honey. “

So, I decided to start bottling and selling honey on my own. One thing led to another and before long, I was dealing with homemade food products well and beyond honey, like pickles, jam, Murabba (sugar-coated sweet), sherbet, jaggery, papad and spices—around 32 products in total,” she reveals.

Around 1997, she started selling her honey under the brand name ‘Apni Mandi,’ which soon expanded to ‘Apni Kisan Mandi’ that comprised several agro-based products. She would set up makeshift tabletop stalls at fairs, exhibitions and even on the roadside to sell her products.

“I saw how farmers were often deprived of due prices for their products, and decided to put an end to such unfair practices.”

Gurdev started sourcing her raw materials from local farmers who in turn, were provided with a percentage of the profits. Today, her organisation is integrally engaged with over 500 farming families across Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, all of whom essentially practise 100% organic farming.

Acquainting Rural Women With Financial Freedom

Before launching her own venture, Gurdev underwent meticulous training at the workshops organised by Punjab Agricultural University, where she learnt the techniques of processing different food products sans any chemical additive.

Initially, she was a one-woman army, single-handedly managing beekeeping, food processing and the sales as well. Gradually, as the business grew, she hired other workers to aid her.

“That’s when I thought, why don’t I start training and employing other women like me?”

Following her intuition, she started giving free hands-on training in food processing to the local women from underprivileged families. She made them aware of the concept of a self-help group, where 15 women first experienced the taste of financial independence.

Gurdev advised them to deposit Rs 100 every month into the business, thereby acquainting them with the idea of micro-credit.

Within 6 months, the bank approved a business loan to the group, allowing her to start the operations of Global Self Help Group.

After a few years of successful business and proliferation, Global Self Help Group was officially registered as an organisation in 2008. At present, over 350 women are working at the SHG, which often works in close collaboration with the Punjab state agricultural department. Product-wise, Gurdev has branched out beyond food and honey and has established herself as a pioneer in the domain of all sustainable products.

A Successful Entrepreneur & Organic Farmer

“We have multiple manufacturing centres spread across Ludhiana. Aside from food processing units, we also produce eco-friendly handmade detergents, soaps and shampoo, which are popularising the concept of sustainable household essentials in the state. We manufacture biodegradable sanitary napkins with cotton fabric to promote sustainable menstruation. I also have a dairy farm and processing unit where products like lassi, paneer, dahi etc. are made.”

Most of the products are marketed locally, though Gurdev also participates in agricultural exhibitions in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and other cities. She has found a loyal customer base for Global Agro Products in her hometown, who help her fetch around Rs 32-33 lakh annual turnover, maintaining a profit margin of Rs 10 lakh on an average.

The women employed at her SHG are paid on a daily wage basis, and Gurdev makes sure to handpick her employees diligently. She visits door-to-door in nearby villages, offering free training women from low-income families.

She then asks them to try making those products at home for their kids, their families and relatives and earn their feedback, following which these women are officially welcomed into the Global SHG family.

It would be an injustice to write about Gurdev and limit her to the definition of an entrepreneur, as the plucky lady is also a progressive organic farmer.

“I spent a fair amount of time across farms in Bengaluru, learning the basics of organic farming. I returned home, and applied my learning in a 3-acre plot of land,” she says.

Today, she cultivates pulses, peas, baby corn, sweet corn and a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and fruits. She feels organic farming is the need of the hour, but the practice is yet to catch up in her home state, which is why she promotes the idea as much as possible.

“Gurdev is a true role model for women in Ludhiana and beyond.”

“She has helped us understand the real meaning of women empowerment.”

“She is setting sustainability goals for the entire state.”

Such appreciation has become regular for Gurdev, and she has also received several awards and honours by the government and non-government entities. In rural Punjab, she is genuinely redefining the notions of women empowerment as well as sustainability.

Also Read: ‘The Organic Women of Changali Wala’, The Force That Transformed a Remote Punjab Village

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Image Credits: Global Self Help Group/Apni Kheti

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From the martyrdom of Haipou Jadonang, the Rongmei Naga leader who built an army of 500 to take on the British in the early 20th century to Rani Gaidinliu, who called upon ethnic Naga tribes to challenge the colonial administration at the age of 13, the contributions of the Northeastern states in the popular discourse surrounding India’s freedom struggle, has been largely forgotten.

While these were rebellions centred around influential personalities, the Nupi Lan (Women’s War) movements of the early 20th century were movements led by masses of women without a discernible central personality.

The first Nupi Lan movement broke out in 1904 in response to the reintroduction of the Lallup System, wherein local men were obligated to offer free labour for 10 days after every 30 days.

The second one began in 1939 against the indiscriminate export of rice from the state resulting in a famine-like situation.

Historians argue that these movements not only sowed the seeds of economic and political reform but also inspired generations of women to assert their rights as equal citizens from the Meria Paibi movement in the 1970s against alcoholism and drug abuse to the anti-AFSPA movement in 2004.

In many ways, these movements shaped Manipur’s future.

What’s particularly unique about these movements was where these agitations took place—the Ima Keithal or ‘Mother’s Market’—established in the late 16th century, which is today believed to be the largest all-women market in Asia, and possibly the world.

The First Nupi Lan

As stated earlier, the catalyst behind the first Nupi Lan movement was the reintroduction of the Lallup System by Colonel John Maxwell, the first British political agent appointed after the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891.

Following the war, the British took direct control of Manipur till 1907 when they handed it to Raja Churachand Singh, whose administration was overseen by a political agent appointed by the British.

Colonel Maxwell had temporarily reintroduced the Lallup System following the burning down of two bungalows owned by British officials in 1904, and he wanted the local men to rebuild these bungalows for free.

But the women of Manipur had other ideas as they rose in unison to protest against this system of forced labour.

In September 1904, thousands of them came together and marched towards the Colonel’s official residence, and seeing them; the administration promised to reconsider their decision, which they did not. Unhappy with their inaction, nearly 5,000 women gathered at Ima Keithel in protest and refused to move out of there till the order was retracted.

“The violent agitations and demonstrations led by the market women had to be dispersed by the use of force, but ultimately the British had to build the houses at their own expense,” wrote Sanamani Yambem in the Economic and Political Weekly.

In other words, the women could accomplish what their men couldn’t, but this was not going to be the last time they raised their voice. Once again in 1925, when the administration raised the tax on water supply, it was the tradeswoman of Ima Keithel who stood up and demonstrated against this order. They never took things lying down.

The Second Nupi Lan

The Manipur valley has long witnessed the cultivation and export of rice even before the war in 1891. Following the war, however, the volume of rice exported from the valley increased exponentially irrespective of how much was produced and what the residents needed to survive.

This sudden spurt in exports was driven by the transport of rice on motorised vehicles instead of bullock carts. This unfair system of trade suffocated the valley’s residents.

Moreover, like what they did in the rest of India, the British practised their time tested economic method of swamping the local economy with cheaper imported goods which eventually destroyed the local cottage industry.

Meanwhile, Marwari traders brought in by the British had settled down in the region, taking over large segments of the rice trade by buying out a lot of land for paddy cultivation and setting up massive rice mills.

“[The] Second Nupi Lan of 1939 was a movement against the export of rice amidst acute scarcity in Manipur. Analysing the antecedents and the activities of Nupi Lan one may conclude that it was more of expression of economic grievances. Technology also served as [a] hindrance towards livelihood. The mills used to thrash the paddy deprived the women of Manipur of their earnings from husking paddy. The movement was not viewed as a class conflict between the Marwari rice traders and the people of Manipur who were poor and dependent on lands. It is interpreted as a freedom movement,” says this academic document on the history of social movements in Manipur.

Combine all these factors, and it only needed one season of either excessive rain or drought to push the residents to the wall.

And that’s exactly what happened in 1939 when excessive rains from July-August and November wreaked havoc on local paddy production.

In desperation, the farmers reached out to Raja Churachand’s durbar seeking a ban on export so that residents could at least survive on the rice they produced. Although the king’s durbar had initially agreed, the decision was soon overturned with pressure from the British and local exporters. This shortage of rice devastated the poorer Manipuris very hard and resulted in a near famine-like situation.

Angry at the status quo, on December 12 hundreds of women took to the streets of Imphal demanding a ban on rice exports and sealing of rice mills. They marched to the durbar office, but the Maharaja wasn’t present since he was out of station.

Desperate to enforce a ban on exports, the women physically dragged the president of the Manipur state durbar, TA Sharpe, took him to the local telegraph office and made him send an urgent telegram to the travelling Maharaja. Till a response came, Sharpe and other durbar officials were held captive at the telegraph office by the women whose numbers had swelled to nearly 4,000.

Eventually, a team of Assam Rifles soldiers came and brutally dispersed the women. In response to the beat down suffered by these women, the Ima Keithel was shut down for nearly a year. Upon hearing the news of this episode, the Maharaja too sought the stoppage of rice exports on the very next day. Meanwhile, traders who attempted to export again or engage in milling were met with protesting women.

“The Nupi Lan, which started as an agitation by Manipuri women against the economic policies of the Maharaja and the Marwari monopolists, later on, changed its character to become a movement for constitutional and administrative reform in Manipur,” adds Yamben.

Besides ignoring the contributions of the Northeast in our freedom struggle, the popular discourse surrounding it also ignores many of its women. In telling the brief story of movements like the Nupi Lan, one hopes that this changes.

Also Read: Manipur Girl Quits Singapore Job, Brews Up Herb Tea to Empower Local Ladies!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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I was in school when I came across an immortal line of poetry which read, “Khoob Ladi Mardani, Woh toh Jhansi wali Rani Thi’‘ penned by legendary Hindi poet and freedom fighter Subhadra Kumari Chauhan.

While many column inches have been dedicated to the life of Lakshmibai, the Rani (Queen) of Jhansi, a leading figure in the First War of Independence in 1857, little is known about the poet who probably did more to keep her memory alive.

A glance at the life of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan will give many the impression that she lived her own life in the mould of the very woman she wrote about. In her own way, she dedicated herself to the freedom struggle and paid a very dear price for it.

Rebel With a Cause

Subhadra was born on August 16, 1904, into a zamindar family in Nihalpur village, Allahabad district, and eschewed tradition and convention right from the start.

Even though her family practised untouchability at home, she made it a point to actively engage with the domestic helpers in completing their chores.

In school, Subhadra was a prodigy of sorts penning her first poem when she was just nine years old. She was a few classes senior to Mahadevi Verma, who would also go on to become a famous Hindi poet. In between classes, the duo would write poems and thus began a friendship that would last till her premature death at the age of 44.

After passing secondary school exams at the age of 15, she married Lakshman Singh Chauhan, a member of various social reform movements from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, who participated in campaigns against the dowry system and the wearing of the veil, i.e., ghoonghat or purdah.

In Subhadra’s parental home, women were forced to wear a ghoonghat. Following her wedding, Subhadra gave it up tuck to her guns even though this move caused an uproar in both extended families.

An Ardent Supporter of the Freedom Struggle

In 1921, the couple joined the Non-Cooperation Movement and led the Jhanda Satyagraha in Jabalpur two years later, when the Indian national flag was hoisted all over the city. Subhadra was pregnant with their first child when she was imprisoned for the first time in 1923 but was released a few months later because of her pregnancy.

Besides engaging in various activities supporting the freedom struggle, she also wrote nearly 100 poems and 50 short stories through these turbulent years that ran well into the 1930s. She would write on subjects like caste discrimination, dowry system, gender inequality and class.

Among her most famous works is a collection of poems titled Mukul, which was published in 1930. This collection contains the legendary Jhansi Ki Rani poem. Politically, she was actively managing the women’s section of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee. In 1936, she was even elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the erstwhile Central Provinces.

Her next significant involvement with the freedom struggle came in 1942 with the Quit India Movement. By that time, however, both Subhadra and her husband Lakshman had five children—and the youngest was a toddler who had a cleft palate that impaired her speech.

Lakshman was arrested by the colonial administration, while Subhadra took her children to Bombay (Mumbai), where she single handedly managed everything–from doctor visits to being an active part of the Quit India Movement while also battling for her husband’s release.

Eventually, the administration caught up to Subhadra and arrested her. By then, she had prepared her eldest daughter Sudha to look after her siblings, leaving behind enough rations for them.

Despite her struggles, Subhadra actively worked for the welfare of her fellow prisoners.

On occasions, she would give up her meals to other inmates suffering brutal punishment. Nonetheless, it was a life-threatening illness that eventually got her out of prison a few months later.

Failing health notwithstanding, she was once again elected to the legislative assembly of the Central Provinces and continued to break down social barriers in her own immediate life.

On one occasion, she attended the wedding of her domestic help’s daughter, which caused much consternation among the elders present there because of her decision to eat together with other workers present, notes this Live History India article. On another occasion, Subhadra supported her daughter Sudha’s decision to marry Amrit Rai, the son of legendary literary figure Premchand. Despite marrying out of their caste and the consternation it caused among certain relatives and the larger society, Subhadra backed her daughter all the way.

Setbacks

Even though Subhadra and her husband witnessed the fulfillment of a long standing dream when India attained Independence, the communal disharmony and violence that ensued following Partition deeply saddened them.

Another setback was the cruel assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948. Despite these setbacks, they promised to continue working towards establishing communal harmony and nation-building.

Sadly, a month later, when Subhadra was returning to Jabalpur from Nagpur after attending an educational conference, she suffered a terrible accident and passed away at the age of 44.

Keeping her memory alive

Unfortunately, Subhadra isn’t as revered as she should be, but her daughter Sudha and grandson Prof Alok Rai are doing their best to maintain her legacy. Mila Tej Se Tej (As Effulgence Met Effulgence), a book written by Sudha, chronicles her mother’s life and times, while Prof Alok Rai is translating her memoirs into English.

There is no question a lesser person would have crumbled under the societal, familial and political pressure that she endured for most of her life. But she didn’t let any of that get in her way in the fight against colonial rule.

In her very own way, she was the Jhansi Ki Rani of the 20th century.

Also Read: When Their Men Demurred, Here’s How 1000’s of Manipuri Women Battled the British

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Years ago, when Bina Devi married into a family of Dhauri village, Munger district, Bihar, things were not any different from any other village of the country. Like the other women, she would spend her days cleaning, cooking and doing household chores limited within the boundaries of her new home. Any work outside the doors of the house was considered beyond the capacity of a woman.

Little did anyone know that Bina was different. With the right encouragement and training, this woman would pick up farming equipment, earn the moniker of ‘Mushroom Mahila’ of Munger, empower hundreds of her sisterhood and receive an award from the President of India! All due to the grit and guts she has in abundance.

“I had a fire within me. One that was silent but continuously burning, looking for a direction. And after some time, I found it,” recalls Bina who was one of the many women trained by Munger’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Agriculture Science Centre), an agriculture extension under the government.

The training was a bid to empower rural women to get involved in organic farming that will not only benefit their households financially, but also contribute to the well being of the environment.

While the training program gave her the tools, Bina’s growing interest in the field introduced her to yet another natural wonder – mushroom farming. “I was fascinated by it and how easy it was to grow them. What was even more shocking that very few people knew or indulged in this trade. So I decided I would,” she says.

In 2013, Bina began her journey of breaking gender stereotypes from within the very doors of her home. And, it all started from under her bed!

“I got in touch with the Krishi Vigyan Centre people and they explained to me all the nitty gritties of growing mushrooms. I had an old palang or cot lying around the house and so started with growing a kilo of mushroom under it. Mushrooms are highly nutritious and also have a high value in the market compared to many other fruits or vegetables. I was not just farming at home but also going out and selling it in the haat or bazaar and that was something, not just for me, but for all the women in the area,” she shares.

The journey from that 1 kilo to the recognition as ‘Mushroom Mahila’ of Munger has been exponential and extremely humbling, she says, in response to the recent Nari Shakti Puraskar she won from President Ram Nath Kovind. On 8 March, she was among 16 other women who were honoured with this prestigious award.

“I was so overwhelmed to meet the President and receive such a big award. All I wanted to do was help my family and do more than what society was expecting of me, and in return I got the world,” adds the 43-year-old who has now popularised mushroom farming in five blocks and 105 neighbouring villages in the district by training almost 10,000 rural women.

Fifteen hundred 1,500 of those women have already adopted mushroom farming and are reaping its benefits.

However, breaking the glass ceiling of patriarchy was not easy for Bina. She recalls being discouraged and made fun of in the initial stages. “People in the village would call me crazy for doing this. Even in usual vegetable farming, I would make jaivik (organic) manure using dairy waste like cow urine and dung, and that would often disgust people and give them a chance to ridicule me,” she says.

“But, I stuck to it and worked hard, and in no time, the results were out in the open for all to see. I didn’t have to say anything, my actions proved the merit of my work and changed their perspective. Soon other women began to join me,”

Helping Women and Farmers

Bina has also been involved in spreading digital literacy among women and was awarded by Tata Trusts, for training 700 women how to use mobile. She has also helped 2,500 farmers create self-help groups, and taught them the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of crop farming.

Owing to her extensive work in this sector as well as her contribution in rural development, Bina also served as the sarpanch or village head of Dhauri Panchayat in Tetiabamber block for five years. During her time, she not only promoted organic and mushroom farming, but also trained people in vermi-compost production, organic insecticide and dairy farming.

Today, she single-handedly supports an entire family of 18 members, with her monthly earning of Rs.90,000 (Rs 30,000 from mushroom farming and Rs 60,000 from organic farming of miscellaneous vegetables), while also financing the education of her four children.

“I have 3 sons and 1 daughter and all are studying outside in various parts of India. Apart from my boys, my daughter is also studying hard to become an engineer. People ask about her marriage plans and I say I don’t care because I want her to be independent first. It is the most important gift a parent can give to their children, especially daughters. Because, when women are encouraged and supported they can truly make any impossible possible!” she concludes.

Also Read: The Goan Doctor Who Risked His Life to Treat 18,000 Mumbaikars From Bubonic Plague

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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New mothers face several challenges post-pregnancy, and it was the same for Farah Menzies and Shreya Lamba. However, what they didn’t anticipate was that amid everything,  they would discover an untapped gap in the food industry in India, and their attempts to fill this gap, would lead to a super successful business venture named Mumum Co.!

“Children love to snack all the time, but there is a serious lack of ready-to-eat snacks in India that are also healthy and this got me thinking,” explains Farah.

With her corporate experience and an MBA from Harvard to bank on, Farah decided to pursue her dream of becoming an entrepreneur and laid the foundation for Mumum Co.

Having obtained her post-graduate degree from the London School of Economics and an MBA from INSEAD, Shreya too came in with a strong business background lending her expertise to the company.

By December 2016, Shreya also quit her job in Delhi and decided to step in as a full-time partner in the company.

Today, Mumum Co. focuses on daily and weekly snack boxes for children which are delicious and at the same time meets their nutritional needs.

“Being mothers, we were very particular about being completely transparent and having all the ingredients listed on the label because our children deserve only the best” she adds.

The duo have marked their presence in more than 100 trade and neighbourhood stores across metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore and numerous online platforms.

In the future, they aim to build a diverse team of women with expertise in different fields for the development of Mumum Co. and help women, who have quit their jobs to raise children, re-enter the workforce again.

Wholesome, Healthy Snacks for Kids

“The first product from the Mumum Co. was “Cool Crunchies,” which are star-shaped puffs of jowar, ragi and corn tossed with real fruit and veggie powders. This snack, which is rich in fibre, calcium, protein and minerals became a big hit in India,” says Shreya.

After this, the duo launched ‘Mighty Melties’ that are pure-fruit snacks, or as the pair calls them, “smoothies on the go.”

“Mighty Melties are 100% natural fruit, blended and freeze-dried, and rich in vitamin C, potassium and fibre. We’ve also recently launched “Super Sprinklies,” that are super-grain puffs of rice and barley tossed with real fruit powder,” says Farah.

“From the feedback that we’ve got from our customers, we’ve understood that parents are always on the lookout for real and healthy snacks that excite children and Mumum Co. has been able to meet this need with our range of products,” she adds.

It is because of healthy ventures like Mumum Co. that we can provide our children with nutritious snacking alternatives, and we applaud these mothers for providing us with innovative snacking options.

Also Read: Ladies, Looking to Restart a Career? IIT-Madras’ New Courses Will Help You Upskill

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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This article has been sponsored by Ariel

When was the last time you went to sleep without worrying about the next day’s meal or the unending list of chores you need to complete? This is a question I often ask my mother when on a call with her. And the answer always starts with a soft sigh followed by a change of topic.

A harder nudge only lets out an age-old lesson taught by generations of mothers to their daughters – ‘The family depends on us. So, we women always have to balance the scales of work outside and at home. You will understand when you grow up.’

Well, I have grown up and I still don’t understand why she or I would have to get up before everyone and sleep last. The house is not just our responsibility.

24-year-old Anoushka Jain, a daughter who had to move out of her home in Delhi for a job, shares her observations on the matter- “Growing up, my sister and I were quite aware that our mother would remain ill on most days because of her migraine. So it only natural to help her out. My father, despite having limited knowledge of cooking, started taking charge of the household chores. From getting us ready for school to cooking food, making sure everyone is fed, he did it all. We all had assigned chores from bedding, dusting the house, drying the clothes, folding them in the evening and helping with the kitchen. It was only later that I had the shocking realisation that most households did not run like that.

“If each individual in the family does their basic part, and looks after themselves, women too will have better lives. One of the most infuriating scenarios of Indian society that I have observed in most households is that men are not even taught to keep their unclean dishes in the sink.

Change indeed begins at home and one step towards that is to involve the entire household in chores and treat house work like everyone’s responsibility. This is the wave of change Ariel is trying to bring through its #ShareTheLoad movement and curb gender inequality starting from home.

A mirror to society, Ariel has been raising important questions since 2015 to bring to light the importance of sharing workload at home.

From talking about distribution of domestic chores because laundry is not only a woman’s job, to the ‘Dads Share The Load’ movement in 2016 that shattered prejudice around household chores — the overall movement has been asking pertinent questions for social change.

This year, Chapter 4 of the #ShareTheLoad campaign looks a little deeper into the problem, taking the conversation around a harsh reality which manifests due to unequal distribution of work at home. 71 percent women in India sleep less than their husbands due to household chores, suggests a survey by Toluna. And caught in this race of balancing work outside and at home while providing only the best for their families, they compromise on rest and most importantly, personal time.

A husband and a young father, 32-year-old Rickson Mathew adds to the conversation, “I grew up in a family full of women, with my mother, grandmother and a sister. So things around me were always magically sorted out. My morning breakfast would be ready, school uniform would be ironed and hung near the cupboard, bags packed, shoes polished and so on. Even when in college, I somehow never felt the need to do anything.”

“Things changed when I moved out. I was hit with the hard reality of doing things on my own. A few years later, post my marriage, I began to notice how my wife would juggle with her office work and home. That realization brought back all the instances where the women in my family strived to provide for us, while also managing work outside. I have a son now and I am trying to break that cycle. My wife and I have created a chores duty-list that divides the work between all of us, including my 10-year-old,” shares Rickson, a Bengaluru resident.

Trapped in the gender constraints, this practice of keeping men away from household chores acts as a deterrent for women in many ways.

“It is a life skill if not a survival skill. All these things which my mother made me learn during my childhood have become a way of life for me. I have been away from my family since high-school, during this time becoming self-reliant came to me easier than so many of my friends and I think this is the result of all that helping I did in the past,” says Omkar Pathradhar (26), a Pune-resident who is on the pursuit of self-reliance.

“Sharing the workload at home is important because we all should be able to take care of ourselves and the people we care about. The hours and the energy that goes in housework is as important as in any other officially categorised ‘work’. I have had to shift to a hostel for some time and the sheer significance of “home food” that I had taken for granted all these years has turned out to be a true awakening for me,” adds Soumya Johri, 24, a research Scholar, Women and Gender Studies at Ambedkar University Delhi.

It is this idea of sharing the workload that Ariel believes in. As a brand, Ariel has been raising the right questions over the years through various campaigns and has become the facilitator of change in many Indian households. With #ShareTheLoad as their central message, Ariel has been curbing inequality within households, while drawing attention to the uneven distribution of domestic chores.

And this time, they are back with information on the impact of unequal distribution. While Ariel has seen change over the years, there is still a long way to go. According to their survey, 79 per cent men thought laundry is only a woman’s job in 2014. This number went down to 41 per cent in 2019. With significant influence on the thought process, Ariel has now taken the onus to drive action. This is because even though men have started to increase their involvement in domestic chores, the women still takes the responsibility of getting everything done. This means that the mental load is still for women to take up. Thus, Ariel aims to make laundry the face of this movement against inequality within households by urging men to take the first step to #ShareTheLaundry and eventually, #ShareTheLoad for #EqualSleep.

So, let’s get together, start the conversation, extend a helping hand and set the right examples for society at large.

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They say it takes a village to raise a child – Neela Kaushik, founder of GurgaonMoms, a robust online community with a membership of more than 30k decided in 2010 that she would just create that village for herself and her son in their new town – Gurgaon.

Twelve years ago, Neela moved to Gurugram, then Gurgaon, from the United States of America. With no family or friends to help her out, and having basic questions that she wanted answers for, she turned to the virtual world and sought help. Her strong feelings of a sense of frustration triggered her decision to form GurgaonMoms – which in a sense becomes the first port of call for any new entrant to Gurgaon.

In this free-wheeling conversation with The Better India, Neela speaks of how the community came into being, the impact that it has created, and shares with us various little tid-bits and anecdotes that help us understand this community a little better.

How it all started?

“Some of the initial questions I wanted to find answers to revolved around which play school I could enrol my son in, which doctor would be available on weekends etc. I realised that these were questions that parents usually discussed with their peers and friends over their evening park strolls and social circles. Since I did not have those, I sought answers online,” begins Neela.

Neela started an online Facebook community in 2010, at a time when Facebook groups were not so common. “It was an experiment, that in hindsight has done and fared extremely well,” she says and added that her background in digital marketing helped. Initially though she started the community anonymously. “I started the community anonymously, secretly wishing that someone will suggest joining it to me.” She felt that it would give her the ultimate satisfaction of having created something.

Imagine her happiness when that actually happened. Recollecting it like it happened just yesterday, Neela says, “While I don’t remember who steered me towards the online community, I remember feeling elated when it actually happened. It was like getting something that I was ardently hoping for.”

Why GurgaonMoms?

“Mothers,” she says as a tribe are always looking for more information and in a community like GurgaonMoms one is able to get any and all information at one place. “It is also a community that allows women to speak their mind without any fear of being judged.” While in the early years conversation flowed on its own easily, it was only later with the community growing to a larger number that moderating conversations started to take place.

Initial year and a half the number of members in the community grew at a slow pace and once it started picking up, by word of mouth, the numbers reached 300. Over the last decade the community has seen an exponential growth – from a community of a few like-minded women, it has grown to accommodate more than 30,000 women, and continues to grow.

Online to Offline

“I think it was around 2012, when we were about 350 or so strong when one of the members suggested that we all meet, in person,” recollects Neela. While the very first meeting saw only about 12 members showing up, seeing the people you interacted with online in flesh and blood, Neela felt, made a huge difference and everyone started to feel so much more connected.

We then started doing evening outs. Neela says, “Many of the members, who also happened to be mothers, missed stepping out at night because of having the home and children to tend to. I still remember the amount of fun we all had.” It was a group of mothers having similar interests, similar constraints, just stepping out and having fun.

We also created micro-communities within the GurgaonMoms umbrella – Book Clubs, Regional Moms Groups, which could meet and have events on their own. The regional groups were a big hit, especially as many people have migrated from multiple other regions into Gurgaon. For example, Madras Moms – a smaller community of members from Tamil Nadu, would meet and celebrate their festivals, like a family would. All these strengthened the bonds of fellowship.

Neela realised that to scale her platform well, she needed help. A core team was formed tasked with the group’s administration. “It was an important coming together and it’s that team that now handles various things for the community. We have a book club, we conduct regular events – both online and offline, and the more hands on deck, the smoother the ship will sail.”

Beyond motherhood

Having stepped back from a corporate career post motherhood, Neela intuitively understood that there is more to moms than just being mothers. In 2013 Neela launched what she called Mom Achiever’s Summit – a day long event which brings together industry experts, fitness enthusiasts, moms who have made a success of their lives to encourage many others.

GurgaonMoms can also credit itself with having helped many women become first time entrepreneurs. “Slurp Farm, a made-in-India organic food brand offering health and yummy treats for babies and kids, as an idea was first floated within the community. Infact they also did a lot of their initial sampling in the community,” she says.

The platform has scale significantly and Neela’s pride comes through as she says, “We even have a mentorship programme wherein we help women entrepreneurs scale up, and even have various life coaches on-board who hand hold these entrepreneurs.”

The community that was originally started as an information sharing platform has come alive and evolved into a powerful network of women supporting, encouraging, and mentoring women.

GurgaonMom – a Google case-study!

Personally for Neela, being chosen as one of Google’s case study to Help Women Get Online was a milestone. She says, “Having always wanting to work for Google, here I was being chosen as one of their case-studies. It was a huge deal for me to be acknowledged by an organisation that I have a great deal of admiration for.”

“Being one of the chosen groups made me feel accomplished,” she shares. Besides all this the group also extends help by connecting women in distress to self-help groups, finding them lawyers, and ensuring that they are able to share within the community without fear.

When asked where she sees this community going, Neela says, “I want to take this to other cities, I see great potential in that and see how these meaningful conversations can make a difference.”

Just as we end our conversation, Neela says, “it all boils down to just one thing – A happy mom builds a happy home.”

Also Read: Attention, Women Entrepreneurs: Meet 5 Homemakers Using WhatsApp To Make Profits

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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Having worked with women entrepreneurs over the last couple of years, I have witnessed their stories of struggle. Start-ups, in general, come with their own set of obstacles and issues. As entrepreneurs, women have even bigger mountains to climb. Resisting gender biases and preconceived notions regarding ambition, it is not easy for them to step into the world of business. Lack of family support, inadequate structures around accessing finance, limited access to education, technology, and insufficient collateral rights, are just some of the challenges.

The same sentiment is reflected in statistics.

The MasterCard 2018 Index of Women Entrepreneurs ranks India 52nd of 57 countries surveyed. At the same time, the World Bank report (2018) ranks India 120th among 131 countries in terms of female labour-force participation. This is despite gender equality and economic empowerment of women being at the core of the 2030 Agenda.

Only around 14 per cent of the businesses in India are run by women, with around 79 per cent of them being self-financed due to the lack of access to financial assistance.

Investing in women is good for everyone. Because when you invest in a woman, she invests back in her family, her children, and the society. Women entrepreneurs have the power to bring about positive outcomes for everyone (especially women) and in the creation of employment.

According to the sixth economic census, an estimated 13.5-15.7 million women-owned and -controlled enterprises are creating direct employment for 22-27 million people in India

It is ever so inspiring that despite all the odds, women entrepreneurs have some of the most powerful and compelling stories. Not only do their enterprises showcase tremendous growth potential but are also excellent examples of innovative social welfare solutions.

In this article, we bring you stories of two such inspiring women-led enterprises making a difference!

1. Madhurita–Revolutionising Menstrual Waste Disposal

Dr Madhurita Gupta is the creator of Solarlajja, a solar-powered Soiled Sanitary Napkin and Diaper Incinerator.

In 2017, Madhurita was working on a project to address the growing human-wildlife conflict in Rajasthan. She was disturbed to see that most of the victims were women.

“My team and I undertook a pattern analysis which showed that the victims were women in over 90 per cent of the cases, A majority of these incidents occurred when the women went to the jungle to dispose of their soiled sanitary napkins/cotton pads, and the smell of human blood attracted the animals, making them easy prey,” she recalls.

To address the issue, especially in remote areas deprived of easy access to electricity, the team developed ‘SolarLajja’. It is a solar-backed sustainable solution for the safe disposal of soiled sanitary napkins, which consumes about 25 times less energy as compared to conventional electrical incinerators.

Solar Lajja was developed with two design options:

i) Standalone as a Community Facility Unit, for use in slum areas, government schools and colleges, and
ii) Modular as Individual Unit, for the requirements of basic sanitation and hygiene in homes.

The design is compact and the product is modern, and most importantly, affordable. Each unit of the community facility unit is priced around Rs 57, 000 with a payback capacity within seven months (owing to its energy saving attribute).

So far, 54 Solarlajja units have been installed across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.

While Madhurita is now a seasoned entrepreneur, winning many prestigious accolades for her product, it wasn’t as easy when she started.

“As a woman entrepreneur, I have faced many barriers which men normally do not face. As a mother of a six-year-old, it was quite challenging for me to strike a balance, and my entrepreneurial decision was often frowned upon. Further, it was a task to make my mark, especially in the technology space which is largely dominated by men,” she says.

Madhurita is a passionate changemaker and is directly helping menstruating women and young girls with safe, dignified, environmentally-friendly sanitation facilities. In the process, she has also been creating awareness and employment for rural women who work with her in her project.

Given that Solarlajja is solar-powered, it also helps in electricity and fuel conservation, with each unit critically saving up to 48,000 Watts of electricity, thereby reducing carbon footprints.

She has also represented India in INSPRENEUER 3.0 at Singapore and was recognised as among 100 Top Social Innovations by Maharashtra State Innovation Society 2019.

As she continues to create impact, she hopes for a more conducive environment for women entrepreneurs with better access to critical resources like mentors and finance to help them reach their full potential.

2. Shailaja–Creating Value from Waste

Growing up in the 90s, Shailaja Rangarajan took the well-traversed path of an engineering degree, followed by an MBA that led her to the corporate industry.

“While I had a comfortable corporate life, I realised it wasn’t my calling. I wanted to engage in something meaningful that would create a positive difference in people’s lives,” she recalls.

That is how ‘Rimagined’ was born.

Rimagined was launched as an online store for upcycled products in April 2016. It works with fabric and denim waste, woollen and cotton yarn waste, wood scrap, and glass, transforming these into unique and usable upcycled products like bags, belts, apparels, bedsheets, and home décor items. They now have a retail outlet in Bengaluru.

“From a team of six, we are a team of 34 members, 65 per cent of whom are women. Our production units are located across the country which has helped us create more employment opportunities for the urban poor and rural populations,” says Shailaja.

The first production unit was set up in Kolkata, which employed the mothers of special kids. These women were mainly working as household helps and struggling to make ends meet. With training and hand holding, Rimagined provided them with a dignified working opportunity.

Starting with a group of five, the team in Kolkata has grown to 15 members. These women now contribute to their families, send their children to school, and avail home loans, with the vision for a better life.

Similarly, in Odisha, the 15-member team comprises traditional weavers and artisans in dire need of work. By generating employment, Shailaja also hopes to reduce migration in the area by leveraging the skills already available.

Like most entrepreneurs, she had an interesting journey.

As a first-generation entrepreneur in a family of academicians, her struggles were like those of any budding entrepreneurs.

“Given that we do not have an established industry for upcycling, with no benchmarks to follow, the learning curve has been pretty steep, and the only way to learn has been on the job. But I see Rimagined poised to become a benchmark organisation in the upcycling space; the key requirements in our endeavor are going to be network support and access to easy funding to scale,” she shares.

Also Read: Attention, Women Entrepreneurs! 8 Govt Schemes You Should Be Aware Of

Recognising the immense potential of women entrepreneurs, we, at the United Nations (UN), have been addressing the most pertinent needs of women entrepreneurs and identifying solutions.

One such initiative is the United Nations-NITI Aayog Investor Consortium for Women Entrepreneurs. The UN (led by UNDP and UN-Women) and the Women Entrepreneurial Platform of NITI Aayog (WEP) have partnered to establish the investor’s consortium–a platform which advocates a reduction in gender disparities in start-up investments.

To date, more than 50 women entrepreneurs have showcased their work and pitched their ideas for funding and mentorship to several leading investors in the ecosystem. Going ahead, we plan to reach out to more women entrepreneurs to help them with a critical support system in terms of access to finance and mentorship, and the capacity to build and market

We believe positive affirmations around the work of women like Shailaja and Madhurita can help us keep the community of women entrepreneurs growing!

(Written by Sayantani Mukherjee and Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Sayantani Mukherjee is Women’s Entrepreneurship & Financial Inclusion Associate at UNDP India. A development professional, Sayantani is passionate about capturing and narrating compelling stories of social change.

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Twenty years ago, if someone would have told Seenat Kokkur that she would one day be an expert agriculturist and transform the lives of many women, she wouldn’t have believed it.

But that’s precisely what happened. Seenat, who is 40 today, is the founder of an all women’s farming group called ‘Penmitra’ which has encouraged an entire village to take up organic farming!

Penmitra: The Way Up

Seenat comes from a family of farmers and had to discontinue schooling after Class 10. Not too shortly after that, she was married.

“I had never thought that life would come to a standstill after my wedding, and since I was only educated till Class 10. I couldn’t apply for a formal job. So, I continued as a homemaker. But coming from a family of farmers, I thought I should try my hand at agriculture and decided to cultivate whatever I could in my surroundings,” Seenat explains.

Seenat sourced saplings and seeds from the nearby Krishi Bhavan and got around 20 grow bags from the Mannuthi Agricultural University and planted tomatoes in all of them. After a few weeks, she began to experience the joy of farming when the plants bore fruit.

She decided to expand her vegetable garden with ladies finger, green chillies and even cauliflower. Within no time, women from nearby households started approaching her for her unique techniques and tips.

That’s when an idea occurred to her, and acting on it, she started an all women’s farming group under the name ‘Penmitra’ (a woman’s friend) that could bring together the women in her neighbourhood to cultivate vegetables that they could sell or use for their own needs.

What started as a 10-member group has now expanded into a group of 50 that cultivates vegetables, fruits and even paddy.

Penmitra didn’t stop at that. They started attending workshops, classes to expand their knowledge in agriculture and soon gained popularity when they started selling their organic produce at yearly harvest markets.

“Penmitra started in 2015, and we never imagined that it would expand so much in just five years, but now there is not a single home in Kokkur that doesn’t follow organic farming. I feel proud that we were able to motivate an entire village to grow their own vegetables!” Seenat exclaims.

Into The Paddy Fields

After their initial success, Seenat and her team decided to try out paddy cultivation. Although they were using fresh vegetables from their farms, they realised that the rice was still from the markets.

So starting with 5 acres of land on lease, Penmitra prepared the soil for paddy cultivation.

The youths in the Kokkur village who were fascinated by the expansion of what was once a small farming unit, decided to help out and do their part.

“Paddy cultivation requires a lot of physical work, and when these children came together to help us out in the fields, we were more than happy to welcome them. They started coordinating among themselves and formed Whatsapp groups so that they could work in shifts. It was truly a kind gesture,” Seenat recalls.

Despite the water crisis, Penmitra was able to get a decent harvest.

“People who have been cultivating paddy for ages were shocked at the amount of harvest that we had got. Since we were beginners, we had asked for advice from agricultural experts from the Krishi Bhavan which had helped us a lot,” explains Nirupama, another member of Penmitra.

Exposure to Different Fields

In 5 years, Penmitra began to be recognised as a source for economic independence for women.

“We started showcasing our product at various farm fests, and besides farming, we took up new hobbies like creating curios and accessories from the natural waste material like coconut shells and husks which also became famous at exhibitions,” Seenat explains.

Seenat now aims to expand Penmitra’s activities into poultry and dairy farming and even invest in the cultivation of tapioca and coconuts.

Life Today

“I had given up on so many dreams when I was young, and even when I decided to start with Penmitra, my husband and some close friends discouraged me from doing something that involved a lot of physical labour. But none of that stopped me,” says Seenat.

Along the way, Seenat also managed to complete her schooling and attend college. When Penmitra started to fall into place, Seenat decided to take up long-distance education from the Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU) to fulfil her dream of completing her education. Today, she not only heads an all women’s farming group but is also a karate expert with a BA in History.

“Nothing should put a stop to your dreams, not your gender, age, or your family. All you need is a little bit of faith in yourself,” Seenat concludes.

Also Read: Kerala Man Digs 1000+ Cave Wells in 50 Years, Builds Rare ‘Suranga’ Water System

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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On 22 August 2015, Indrani Sinha, one of India’s foremost crusaders against human trafficking, passed away at the age of 65 following a heart attack.

Tirelessly working for the most vulnerable through her organisation Sanlaap, she brought love, dignity and a sense of security into the lives of thousands of young women and children who were once trapped by the horrors of human trafficking.

Despite receiving multiple threats to her life, she never backed down. Nearly five years after her untimely passing, The Better India pays tribute to this unique soul.

Early life of struggle, finding her way

Born on 15 March 1950, in Kolkata, Indrani had to grow up faster than most. Her father, by all accounts a decent man, could never find a steady job. As a consequence, by the age of 17, she was compelled to balance her academics and run a household.

Married off at a young age of 23, she had a son the following year. Unfortunately, that marriage did not last long, and she soon left him, along with her young son.

“I met Indrani in 1979; we were both working in an international agency called the Mennonite Central Committee. At the time, she was providing not just for her son but also her parents, younger brother and sister. Before 1979, she had worked as a teacher in a private school and an organisation named TDH (Terre des hommes),” says her second husband, Pinaki Ranjan Sinha, who now serves as the Executive Director of Sanlaap.

After working with MCC for about two years, she joined the Oxfam India Trust. During her three-year stint in Oxfam, Indrani was working on women issues and women empowerment with various organisations throughout the country that were in partnership with the non-profit.

Following her stint there, she started her own consultancies that were mainly focused on women’s rights issues.

“In one of her consultancy assignments to South 24 Parganas, she was to ascertain the status of women who were fry catchers and stumbled upon the appalling economic condition of their families. The men almost did nothing to earn and took whatever little the women earned from selling fries to middlemen. She also found out that many young children (mostly girls) and women from the village had gone missing. They told her that most of them were taken to the big city (Kolkata) and were never heard from since,” he says.

Sanlaap: Speaking up for those who cannot

What followed was the creation of Sanlaap (‘Dialogue’) in 1987, a non-government organisation to combat trafficking in persons for any form of exploitation.

Formally established in 1989, Sanlaap was the medium through which she would speak for those who couldn’t. The NGO works for minor trafficked victims, women in prostitution, vulnerable women and young girl children in the red light areas and victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the various districts of West Bengal. It also works for the rescue, rehabilitation, restoration and repatriation of minor trafficked victims.

The first study she conducted in 1989-90 on sexually-abused children took her to the brothels of Kolkata and the city’s suburbs. There, she met hundreds of young women and girls, who spoke of their horrific plight and total lack of agency.

She heard their stories of exploitation, how they were deceived into the profession, poor health conditions and torture. She heard how they had little choice but to accept this misery because of the stigma attached to their profession, the lack of legal protections and fear of a tyrannical prostitution mafia.

In a 2006 interview, Indrani talks about what she learnt from her conversations.

“When I started in 1989, I did not have any role models from whom I could learn. Therefore, our mode of functioning was to learn from the women in red-light areas, listen to their needs and work on them. That is how we have moved on our path. Our philosophy has changed along the way. Now we do not call the women ’sex workers’, but ‘women in prostitution’. Now we know that they did not have any agency or choice to be there, and the traffickers have exploited their vulnerability and put them there,” she said.

Back in the 1990s, Sanlaap’s child protection initiatives were singularly focussed on children born in red light areas (RLAs). Initially, it was a community-based programme. After a while, the need for institutional care was felt, and a shelter home for vulnerable girl children from the RLA’s was established in 1992.

Since then this programme has continued successfully.

“At the end of 1995, a different need was felt; it was learning from the process. The idea of a holistic approach started being discussed. The significant event was [the] rescue of minor girls from forced prostitution in other states of India by the police, who were produced before the judiciary for restoration. The system was not at all encouraging. In many cases, the children were handed over to fake parents and were re-trafficked. As a recognised institution under the Juvenile Justice Act, Sanlaap started conducting Family Identification and restoration of these girls. A need was felt to reach the source areas, learn the trends of migration and trafficking and implement an effective prevention programme,” states the organisation on its Facebook page.

By the following decade, the non-profit began directly intervening in two districts—South and North 24 Parganas—through inspired volunteers trained by them. But there was a feeling among those in Sanlaap that they needed to reach places where each girl was restored.

“From our restoration records nine districts were identified, the (North & South) Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad in South Bengal and Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Darjeeling in North Bengal. While choosing the intervention areas we had kept in mind the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders and specific vulnerable areas like NJP (New Jalpaiguri) Railway Station, RLAs of Murshidabad, [the] island of Bhootni in Malda, tea gardens of Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, Tribal Forest villages of Alipurduar, border entry points of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal,” it adds.

Thus far, Sanlaap has rescued more than 2,000 minor trafficked victims and rehabilitated more than 10,000. Sanlaap has been running several shelter/rehabilitation homes in West Bengal.

During their stay before repatriation or restorations take place, these girls are given support for their education, vocational training, skill development, dance and music training, self-defence and working in various income-generating programs.

“Depending on the skills of each individual, Sanlaap admits them to mainstream schools. On attaining majority, Sanlaap provides employment opportunities to various institutions, also in-house to earn a living,” adds Pinaki Sinha.

In the 1990s, the organisation ran shelters in different parts of West Bengal. But later on due to administrative and other issues Sanlaap started operating from one shelter which is SNEHA at Narendrapur, South 24 Parganas.

“In this shelter, we house almost 130-150 trafficked girls. Additionally, we also run a crisis centre in the heart of Kolkata (Khidderpore) where we house almost 20 small children up to the age of 14 who are the children of women in prostitution. This is a 24×7 shelter, and they are given all forms of support so that they can continue to grow up in mainstream society. Sanlaap also has a very innovative project through which we run a shelter/hostel for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, where they are now studying law, social welfare and the police service. This year our first budding lawyer will graduate and in the coming years, we will have more lawyers passing through our system,” says Pinaki Sinha.

Over the years there have also been thousands of girls who have been rescued, reintegrated and repatriated to countries like Bangladesh and Nepal thanks to Sanlaap.

At the core of their work, however, is the power of collaboration, particularly with partner organisations that can reach and engage with those vulnerable communities, and of course collaborating with State and Central government agencies.

“We work very closely with them on the common issues related to our work and collaborating with them in implementing activities. Sanlaap also provides legal training on anti-trafficking to various law enforcing agencies like the police and BSF and SSB. We work with all the border areas of Nepal and Bangladesh on cross border trafficking issues,” he adds.

Speaking to The Better India, Hasina Kharbhih, the founder of Impulse NGO Network, a major organisation battling the scourge of human trafficking in the Northeast, talks about her collaboration with Sanlaap.

“Indrani and I regularly shared insights on both curbing trafficking and ensuring livelihood for rescued women and children to prevent re-victimization. She was always keen on establishing a partnership of the livelihood initiatives established by our respective organisations in order to arrest the plague of human trafficking. I am glad that even after her death, we have been able to honour her wishes and fulfil her dream. My visit to Sanlaap last year and my ongoing communication with the present leadership have paved the way for ISE and Sanlaap to work together. Currently, mapping exercises are being conducted and the conversation is being taken forward on broadening the economic initiatives,” says Hasina.

In its three decades of existence Sanlaap has received multiple accolades, ranging from the National Award for Child Welfare for the President of India in 1997 and a National Commission for Women award in 2000. In 2003-04, she was invited by the United Nations to work for their mission in Kosovo as well.

However, there were difficulties as well. Naturally, in challenging the might of the prostitution mafia in West Bengal, she received numerous threats.

“We were only 8 and 9 respectively when my sister and I were sent to a boarding school in Andhra Pradesh called Rishi Valley School because she often got calls threatening our abduction,” recalls her daughter Oindrila, in this moving Facebook post.

Prostitution: Legal or not?

Unlike many advocates of legalising prostitution, Indrani believed that the very idea was a non-starter. “Would we advocate that child labour be legalised just because it exists? A form of violence cannot be accepted merely because it is there and has been for centuries; the basis of its existence needs to be challenged,” she said in the 2006 interview.

“Before we speak on the issue of legalisation of prostitution, we need to recognise prostitution for what it is: a situation which begins with rape and a choiceless choice, and continues with denial and exploitation,” she adds.

Indrani was a complete non-believer of legalisation of prostitution. She believed that if governments legalised prostitution, it would strengthen the hands of pimps and traffickers.

“She did not believe it to be ‘work’ and hence chose to never use the term ‘sex worker’ and always addressed them as ‘women in prostitution’. She professed anti-legalisation and advocated the same all over the world. She got a lot of support for the same,” says Pinaki.

Legacy

Till her untimely passing, Indrani continued working and travelling the world, spreading awareness about human trafficking and expending all her energy to help vulnerable girls and women.

“She had been involved in the fight against human trafficking longer than I had and admired her a lot for the work she was doing. I will remember Indrani as a strong and motivated woman who never gave up. Her energy, determination and far-sightedness have always resonated with me and her dedication to the cause remains an inspiration,” says Hasina.

“She wanted and somewhere from above still wants and hopes for everyone to understand and fight against human trafficking. And the fact that it is NOT okay. We strive to work harder and take her belief forward. She inspires us, and we know she will be proud of us for taking this forward,” says Sinha.

It’s a sentiment his daughter Oindrila, who also works with Sanlaap, echoes as well. “On 22 August 2015, she breathed her last, but that did not stop us from taking her work forward. We strive to work harder and hope that somewhere from there above, she is watching us and will be proud of us. She inspires us every day,” she says.

Also Read: This Shillong-Based NGO Has Saved Over 72,000 Victims of Human Trafficking!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Assam, in the late 1970s and 80s, was rife with social unrest and conflict over the issue of illegal immigrants. Mandira Baruah was all of 16 when none other than her school principal brought a marriage proposal for the girl to her family in Jorhat. She vouched for a very cultured family in Tezpur who were related to her. The boy was a civil servant and the family was progressive.

Although not of marriageable age, she said that Mandira would be encouraged to complete her education and go for higher studies. Given the uncertain times in the state, settling a young and beautiful daughter was a wise decision, she advised.

Mandira agreed, and the wedding was solemnised.

On the night of the wedding, her mother-in-law handed her two things – keys to the household and a life insurance policy.

Her husband had a heart condition, and Mandira was expected to take charge, just as her mother-in-law had done for all these years.

As she walked to her bedroom in a daze, unsure how to respond to this news, her husband looked at her sheepishly, admitting that he could not stand up to his mother and her intense desire to see him married. But Mandira was free to walk away and nullify the marriage since it really wasn’t fair to expect her to commit to a situation that was only going to go downhill.

Mandira had to make a choice. And she did.

She stayed.

Testing nerves and patience while coping with complexities

As an Executive Engineer in the Department of Water Resources of the Government of Assam, her husband was well placed. In the initial years of marriage, his medical condition was manageable. It was when he began to find it hard to walk and move, that his health began to deteriorate.

Before they could celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, he was advised bed rest and to work from home. She devoted the next decade of her life in caring for her husband and bringing up their son.

“There was no time for blame or self-pity. I just had to cope and manage changing situations all the time,” she recalls.

She realised that finances were a constraint, and with time, cash reserves too began to dwindle.

Their family house was mortgaged and had to be sold. They shifted to a smaller place on rent. She could not pick up a job because she had to be at home, fulfilling her domestic duties and caring for her husband, infant son and a dependent mother-in-law.

Being self respecting and private, she did not reach out to her parents and family, not wanting them to live with the guilt of making a wrong decision for their only daughter. In hindsight, Mandira feels this helped her realise early in her marriage that she could only depend on herself and that she would have to step up and do whatever was required to keep her family afloat.

Her husband was on a wheelchair and needed nursing care. He had to be taken to the hospital for an ECG scan, injections, and medication, daily. Unable to afford a full-time nurse, Mandira took up a short training under the guidance of Dr Noren Dutta, a doctor in a local hospital. She doubled up to be a nurse and caregiver, apart from being the cook, cleaner, gardener, babysitter, elder caregiver and home entrepreneur. She even worked part time as a Cardiology assistant under a senior specialist.

To earn some additional income, she tried her hand at several home businesses like baking, flower arrangements, and organising birthday parties. She also learnt driving and took a loan to buy an SUV. This would make it easier for her to take her husband for his check-ups and accommodate his wheelchair.

Around this time, she made a bold decision. She decided to sign up as a cab driver for late evening and early morning rides. Once, she was hailed to drop a customer to the airport and reached his pick-up point two minutes late. He screamed at her all through the ride even though they made it to the airport on time. She later found that he was a local politician.

With each such incident and exposure to the world, Mandira got the confidence of dealing with different kinds of people, achieving small goals, and most importantly, making the stretch in her abilities.

She says, “I realised that I had to constantly challenge myself and do things I could never have dreamt of doing, so that I could achieve my goal, which was to safeguard the interests of my family with my self-respect intact.”

Working her way up from ground-zero

As a 28-year-old simple housewife, she once went to the District Collector’s office without an appointment and insisted on meeting him. When she was granted an audience, she told him of her situation and how she was supporting her sick husband, her mother-in-law, and an infant, and that she had no money to pay the rent for their home. The official accommodation which her husband was entitled to had not been given to them despite being in the queue for so many years.

She told him point blank that she was not leaving his office without a resolution to her problem.

The official was compassionate; he consulted a few officials and told her that they could give her an isolated piece of land on which she could build her home and live there till her husband’s retirement and then return it to them.

Mandira took this up as a challenge. She spent six months creating a little oasis with flower beds, a vegetable garden, and a tiny cottage that she tended to single-handedly. People began to come from nearby areas to see what she had created out of a barren piece of land in a secluded spot.

The wave of sympathy and praise that came her way made her realise that she could indeed create something of value and merit. This set her thinking about how she could help other women like her. Thus, the idea of Satsaree was born.

So when the time came for her to vacate the house after her husband’s death in 2001, she was ready to launch ‘Satsaree’. It ‘integrity and dignity’ and was a befitting name for her NGO, which was dedicated to empowering women with knowledge, skills, and resources to help improve their lives.

Registered in 2002, Satsaree grew organically, getting funding and support from a host of patrons along the way. Mandira recounts, “I just kept doing what made sense to me, responding to the needs of the women around me. I was quite oblivious of the number of women that Satsaree was reaching and was astounded when my team told me in 2010 that we had reached over 10,000 women.”

Quick at seeding and implementing ideas

When girls from nearby villages started coming to her, requesting to be hired for respectable jobs, she drew from her own experience and thought of training them in basic nursing care.

She set up ‘Mandira Solutions’ where girls were trained and employed in residences, nursing homes, old-age homes and other institutions. Set up in 2010, it trained 25-30 girls every year. The nursing school provided her with financial security while keeping her free to pursue other initiatives.

Having been a cab driver, much before Uber and Ola came into the market, she knew there was scope in ferrying people to the airport. She pressed two more cars into service, to take care of the increasing demand, pumping the money back into the NGO. Many women took to driving, shunning societal conditioning and feeling proud of successfully storming male bastions.

Two of the cab drivers hired by Mandira, Krishna Kanta Pathak and Rinku Deka, went on to start their own travel agency. Rinku recounts, “Who would have thought we would be entrepreneurs one day? By having faith in our abilities, Mandira baideo (elder sister) made us believe in ourselves, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Mandira’s taxi service eventually transitioned into a travel agency which is presently run by her son.

From capacity building and training to awareness programmes and advocacy to providing relief, she expanded her network to reach more women by connecting with resident welfare associations, schools, universities, state government and other NGOs. Arranging funds for activities that were ongoing and not project-based was a challenge.

To date, Mandira diverts her own savings to sustain the momentum of her work which is owned by a group of past and present members. For her, it is important to keep the Satsaree flag hoisted.

As the word spread, more people joined the NGO in different capacities. Some provided expertise and services, others came in to give motivational talks and many offered to fund projects, special drives and public events. Assam State Culture and Women and Child Development departments regularly step forward to disburse funds for campaigns and other mass mobilisation activities.

Dr Pratima Devi Sharma, an office bearer with Satsaree until recently, says, “The unique thing about this NGO is the charismatic personality of Mandira Baruah and her inspiring story. She has built this single-handedly like everything else in her life. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the neglected girls and women of Assam see her as a role model and feel that if they are associated with her, they too will be able to fix all the wrongs in their life. This is a powerful and mystical force that is keeping Satsaree in fine fettle.”

In 2018, Satsaree earned the unique distinction of a world record with the highest number of women participants in the annual Bihu dance in October, a popular festival in Assam.

Mandira explains, “It was my dream to bring our rich Assamese culture to a more international platform and show the world how beautiful, musical and festive it is, and how it brings men, women and children together.”

She composed a special set of songs and began rehearsals in her courtyard with 7-10 girls. Videos were made and forwarded to different NGOs across the state. Responses poured in, expressing interest to be a part of the main event.

Mandira and her team visited villages in the Upper Assam area. Through more than 60 cultural organisations and other social networks, she mobilised girls and women who could spread the message of “women standing by one another in their hour of need” using the medium of song and dance.

On 31 March 2019, Satsaree organised the performance of 700 nasoni (female Bihu dancers) and 150 dhuliya (male Bihu dancers) and performed live in Guwahati. This world record will be mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records 2020.

A role model for women

Today, Satsaree has found employment for over 5,000 women through direct and indirect ways. It has given them the confidence to fight their own battles, to deal with exploitation, to say ‘no’ to dowry, to stand up to harassment and domestic abuse, to report cases of sexual abuse and any other violations.

Ghunasa Deka was associated with Satsaree around 2006 for a few years and availed of several of its facilities and services including the course on nursing. Today, she is head nurse at the district Public Health Centre in Sonapur, Assam. She says, “A woman-led organisation provides a strong sense of comfort to women who have no more doors left to knock on. Satsaree has always embraced women of all backgrounds and religions and has done its bit to put them back on their feet. We need many more such organisations because there are still countless women who are afraid to step out and seek help.”

51-year old Mandira Baruah is a known face and name in Assam, called upon to inaugurate functions and ceremonies. She is frequently invited on television talk shows. Her only regret is her inability to converse in English, which she hopes to overcome. The future plan of Satsaree is to make more women economically stable, and mentally and physically healthy. She is hopeful that young Assamese girls will continue to take pride in their art and culture and not let it fade away in the name of modernity.

Also Read: More Than a Towel: How Assam’s ‘Gamosa’ Made It to The Guinness World Records!

At times, she gets overwhelmed with the attention she receives. However, one validation that came her way remains special in her heart–it was a phone call from the same politician who had given her a mouthful for delaying his airport drop by two minutes; he apologised to her for his impatience and said he held her in very high regard for everything she did. That, to Mandira, summed up everything she stood for.

Although her husband is no longer alive, she has maintained cordial relations with her mother-in-law and has no ill-feeling towards anyone.

(Written by Taru Bahl and Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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Growing up during the late 1990s, in Irengbam, a small village situated in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, Ngangom Bala Devi was a regular presence on the local football field. Encouraged by her father, a former player, and her elder brother, this talented girl would go toe to toe against the local boys and beat them. Yes, there was the odd disparaging comment, but it only added further fuel to the fire within this prodigiously gifted athlete.

“My father, an ex-player, and my brother encouraged me to play football from a young age. I must have first kicked a football when I was 4 or 5 years old. But it was in 2002 when I fell in love with the game after watching Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the World Cup,” said Bala, during a conversation with The Better India (TBI) in late February.

More than two decades later and barely a week before her 30th birthday on 29 January 2020, Glasgow-based Scottish giants Rangers Football Club (FC) announced that they had signed her on an 18-month contract.

Bala Devi had made history. With the move official, she had become the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer and sign a contract with a European club.

“To play my football in Europe with one of the biggest clubs in the world is something I could never have dreamed of. I hope my move to Rangers serves as an example to all the women footballers back home in India who dream of taking up the sport professionally,” said Bala Devi, in a conversation with the in-house club website.

Early Years

Bala Devi was barely 11 years old, when she joined a local girl’s football club, ICSA, and began competing in district-level matches. But the centre forward’s ability stood way above her peers. Bala was barely 12 when she was first considered to play for the Under-19 women’s national team. However, she was deemed too young and was asked to come back after turning 14. At age 15, she played for the Under-15, Under-19 and the senior women’s national team as well.

The trajectory of Bala’s early career mirrored that of her idol Oinam Bembem Devi, the Padma Shri-award winning midfielder from Manipur, who also made her debut for the senior team at 15. Bembem would go on to carry Indian women’s football on her sturdy shoulders for over two decades before playing her last national team match in 2016.

Following a short stint in an Imphal club, Bala Devi joined the Manipur Police Sports Club, a team that also produced Bembem Devi. She played for them semi-professionally and worked as a policewoman for the Manipur Police Department until her move to Rangers FC.

The presence of phenomenal players like Bembem and Bala ensured that Manipur’s women team ended up winning 20 of the 25 national championships held since 1991.

Phenomenal Record

Playing for the national team, Bala has scored a sensational 52 goals in 58 appearances since 2010, which also makes her the top international goalscorer in South Asia.

Top-scoring in the Hero Indian Women’s League for the past two seasons, she has also earned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women’s Player of the Year award twice in 2015 and 2016. She has also served as her national team captain in a distinguished international career. During her stint with the national side, she has won the SAFF Women’s Championship (also known as South Asian Football Federation Women’s Cup) three times (2010, 2014 and 2016) and three gold medals (2010, 2016 and 2019) in the South Asian Games as well.

Style of Play, Pure Talent & India’s best Woman Footballer

Addressing the press on the day Bala was signed, Amy McDonald, the Rangers Women’s and Girls’ Football Manager, described her game as a “playmaker who likes to play as a number 10” who they believe will contribute goals and assists to the team.” She duly delivered in her debut match versus Hearts on 23 February, with first assist for the club playing a deft one-two pass with 18-year-old striker Megan Bell.

“Coming from a humble background in rural Manipur, Bala has an incredible work ethic. She has been playing for the national team since she was 15, and is known for her speed, athleticism, game intelligence and skill. She made her mark playing the centre forward position banging in the goals. However, in the past few years, her vision and game intelligence has also developed significantly and as a result she has withdrawn to a more attacking or central midfielder role. From these positions, she can control the game better and bring more of her teammates into play. At Rangers, she is playing both a centre forward and attacking midfield roles,” says Anuj Kichlu, her representative, speaking to TBI.

Like Kichlu, who has known about her talent since 2007/08, former Indian men’s team player and mentor Renedy Singh is all praises for his fellow Manipuri’s ability.

“For years, I had heard about Bala Devi’s talent on the field. Although our women’s game has been neglected for many years, she always stood out for the number of goals scored during competitions like the SAFF Women’s Championships. Although those in the national setup knew of her talent, other casual viewers knew nothing because of how little they cared for the women’s game. But I saw Bala Devi play for the first time in the flesh during an exhibition game at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, which was held in the run up to the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India,” he recalls.

Legends of the international game including Carlos Valderrama, Fernando Morientes, Marcel Desailly, Jorge Campos and Emmanuel Amuneke took on a mixed gendered Indian contingent which included Singh, Steven Dias, Bembem Devi and Bala Devi in the five-a-side game. The Indian contingent won the match 5-4.

“Bala came on for a couple of minutes, scored two goals and that’s when I truly understood her level of talent. Her skill and ability really stood out,” adds Singh.

Move to Rangers

Anuj Kichlu, a sports agent working out of Mumbai, Kolkata and Madrid, was in Manipur at the time and looking for Bala.

“Anuj had always wanted to do something for women’s football in India. He felt that with greater exposure abroad talented women players in India could really develop their game and what better way to start than Bala. I introduced Bala to Anuj, following which the two of them had a conversation,” says Renedy.

“During our discussions, we decided that to explore options for Bala to play professional football abroad full-time and pave the way for other Indian players as well,” says Anuj, recalling his meeting with her.

From that moment forward, Bala expressed her desire to play in a top European club, and the best way to approach that was to obtain a trial. Unlike the ISL for the men’s game, there was very little attention for women’s football.

There are two aspects of how the deal with Rangers FC came to fruition. It first began with the Indian women’s team participation in the COTIF Cup 2019 in Valencia (Spain) in July where they played four games. Winning against Bolivia (7-0) and Mauritania (3-1) and losing two against Spanish club Villarreal (0-2) and Spain Under-19 (0-2).

Playing in these matches, Bala impressed and was selected in the team of the tournament. After the tournament, club sides from Sweden, Spain and Norway had approached her but none of them came up with a concrete offer. Nonetheless, she was on their radar.

The second aspect of this transfer involves Bengaluru FC, which forged a partnership with Rangers FC in September last year. While senior Bengaluru FC officials were in Scotland for the announcement of a tie up, they had some discussions with Rangers’ Women’s and Girls’ Football Manager Amy McDonald. Since the club does not have a women’s team, they thought about sending someone from the Indian women’s national team for a trial.

Upon their return to India, Bengaluru FC officials felt Bala Devi was the best possible candidate. Also, Rangers were looking to further develop their women’s team, seeking talent from around the world. Ranked 55 in the world, they thought India has a decent national women’s team, and maybe getting their top player onboard could be a real possibility.

“Rangers agreed to take a look at Bala Devi, watching her game up close. She did really well in her trials there in November, and the club offered her a 18-month contract,” says Anuj.

During her trial, she scored twice in one of the games they played among fellow Rangers players.

However, there was another element to the transfer. Due to the Indian women’s football team’s FIFA ranking outside the top-40, she did not automatically fulfill the eligibility criteria to play in the United Kingdom. The eligibility rules state that the player’s country must rank within the top-40 and that she has had to play 75 per cent or more of the national team’s games in the past two years. She didn’t fulfill the first criteria.

Fortunately, a six-member panel to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) granted Bala the UK work permit on a special exemption after the Rangers FC team presented their case and members of the Indian football fraternity including AIFF president Praful Patel, Indian women’s team coach Maymol Rocky, Bembem Devi, Bhaichung Bhutia, Renedy Singh, and the current national team captain Sunil Chhetri, all wrote recommendation letters.

After all the paperwork was sorted out, the transfer was finalised on 29 January.

What does her transfer to Rangers FC mean?

“Bala’s move to a big European club is such an inspiration to women not only in Manipur and Northeast, but all over India. I want her to play week-in and week-out and do well so that players here can get inspired. She is a pioneer for the women’s game in India,” says Singh.

More importantly, however, playing full-time professionally at a serious European club will give her the opportunity to play around the year. The current league runs from February to November with matches scheduled regularly in addition to Cup competitions unlike India where the Indian Women’s League runs for just three weeks.

“Unlike the men’s game, which has regular club matches through the I-League and ISL during the course of a year, the women’s league in India barely extends to a month. Many state associations run grassroots programs, but it’s only for a month. What are the players expected to do for the next 10-11 months? Where is their development happening? If you don’t have the money for eight months, do it for four or five at least,” says Singh.

Moreover, unlike the men playing ISL, who are exposed to the professional game and regularly train with quality international players, the women enjoy no such advantages.

“No Indian woman has ever played professionally. For women’s football in India, the set up has been semi-professional with the girls playing also having full time jobs with the government. No woman earns their living playing football full time. Not only does this move help her financially, but it also gives other women in the country an opportunity to compare their standards against European players. The feedback I received is that Indian players are not necessarily weaker, but that they lack regular training and exposure,” he adds.

Moreover, Indian women have not been able to play regularly throughout the year. It’s one thing to get exposure playing for your national team, but another proposition altogether playing 30-odd matches across a ten-month season. “Based on where she stands with other players there, other women players in India can gauge their quality levels as well. She will be the benchmark for Indian women’s football for the next decade,” says Singh.

“Hopefully this move will open up opportunities for other players from India to come here and play. Of course, it depends how I play this season and do during my stint in Europe. I hope many can follow me in the future. We have the skills but do not have the exposure,” says Bala.

Unfortunately for Bala, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown has, for the time being, put  brakes on a promising season. But Anuj doesn’t believe the lockdown will have a significant bearing on her contract or career with the Rangers.

“Unlike the packed men’s schedule that was scheduled to finish by the end of May, the women’s league ends in November. So, there is still time to complete the season and adjust the fixtures,” he says. Meanwhile, in terms of her living situation, it has been an adjustment, particularly the language and understanding the Scottish accent. For the most part, however, she seems to have adjusted well to life in Scotland.

If Bala Devi succeeds in her stint with Rangers FC, it could be a massive turning point for the women’s game in India. Her success there could give the women’s game the necessary attention it deserves.

Also Read: This Gritty Girl From Rural Bihar Is Asia’s Fastest Woman Rugby Player

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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On 1 September 2019, when Mamta Verma was watching the show Dance Plus, she was inspired by Amardeep Singh Natt’s robotic dance moves. The next day she tried this style on a famous Punjabi number, Lamborghini and posted it on TikTok – the video-sharing social networking app.

Little did she know that this was going to make her a star. Within an hour the video had gained 6,000 likes and around 3 lakh followers by the next morning. Today, just within seven months of posting her first Robotic dance video, Mamta has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

“This has changed my life completely. Not that I am earning money from it. The usual struggle to survive is the same, but this has given me confidence and happiness that I never had,” says Mamta, while speaking to The Better India (TBI).

Not An Easy Journey

For a living, Mamta cooks at wedding parties and social gatherings for which she earns Rs. 300 per day. The dancing star has been honing her culinary skills since she was a young girl.

Mamta was just four years old when she lost her father. Her mother became the sole earner of the family and would wash dishes and cook at social events to feed her six children. Being the youngest of all her siblings, Mamta would always accompany her mother to work. Responsibilities and maturity wrapped around the young shoulders early in life.

“I can recall nothing happy about my childhood. My mother has worked hard to support us. She did odd jobs to get food on our table. But never revealed her pain and exhaustion to us. She just wanted all of us to be educated,” shares Mamta.

Born and brought up in Manpur, a small town in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Mamta always wanted to become a policewoman and dreamed of pursuing a career in singing too. But she had no idea how to go about it. She opted to do BHSc (Bachelor of Health Sciences) and would travel 20-22 KM every day to reach her college in Mhow (Dr Ambedkar Nagar).

“There are still no colleges in Manpur. Hence, I had to opt for this college in Mhow. I would go by bus and to earn money for the travel, I started working as a labourer,” says Mamta. Soon Mamta had a degree and wanted to go for her postgraduation too, but it was too difficult for her mother to sustain another degree. Thus, Mamta decided to stop her education and start working.

“I tried for jobs but had to leave my town for it. People in my town are conservative, and my mother was worried that I would not be able to get married if I leave the town for a job,” she informs.

A New Beginning – The Rise of a TitkTok Star

Five years ago, Mamta got married to Suraj Verma, a security guard in a private company. Two years later, the couple welcomed a daughter.

Mamta continued to cook at weddings to support her husband and the struggle to earn better, continued. But, one day Mamta’s neighbour showed a funny TikTok video to her daughter. She was so happy watching it that she asked Mamta to show the video to her every day. Even Mamta liked the videos so much that she finally downloaded the app in March last year.

Initially, she just watched the videos, but later, curious, she tried to make one herself too.

According to Mamta, Vishnupriya’s videos on TikTok inspired her. She made a few lip sync videos initially and earned a few likes. But then she tried Robot dance which became an instant hit.

Mamta continues to work hard and makes these videos to inspire more people like her who have the potential but are too shy to show their talents to the world.

“India has so much talent. People in villages and the housewives are so creative, and the slums are full of stars. But these people do not get the recognition they deserve. I make my videos without doing any makeup or changing the background. I do this to inspire people who are like me,” she says.

So what has changed after a million Tiktok followers?

“My house. It was well-maintained before. Now it is a mess! All because I am busy either in making videos or checking the comments and views,” she laughs.

“But honestly, my perspective towards life has completely changed. Once you get to do things you like and get your share of appreciation too, you hardly think about the less important things in life. I am more confident now. Happier now. All thanks to this one app and my viewers,” she says.

Nowadays, Mamta is at home all the time. The lockdown struck in the middle of wedding season, and she has no work. But Mamta is not complaining. She is utilising her free time to be with her family and making videos.

Once the lockdown is over, she says she will get back to her work and earn for her family. She wishes to get dancing lessons but does not have enough money to spend for the classes.

If you know someone who can teach Mamta for free, then do let us know at manabi@thebetterindia.com.

We wish her the fame she truly deserves. You can follow her on TikTok at mamtaverma000210290

Also Read: ‘I Choose To Be Me’: Meet Eshan Hilal, A Belly Dancer Unlike Any Other You’ve Seen

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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With The Positive Collective, The Better India’s COVID-19 coverage is available to regional language publications for free. Write to editorial@thebetterindia.com for more details.

On Sunday, 3 May, in a horrific sequence of events, a private Instagram group with 100 members—mostly teenage boys from prominent South Delhi schools—called ‘Bois Locker Room’ was first exposed by a few Instagram influencers for sharing pictures of underage girls, sexually objectifying them, and passing lewd comments.

Following a complaint, the Delhi Police Cyber Cell lodged an FIR on Monday. As per the latest reports, the police have apprehended one 15-year-old in the case. Following that, they questioned five students between Classes 10 and 12 from prominent South Delhi schools with their parents for six hours yesterday. As per The Indian Express, notices have been sent to other 21 members in the group by the Delhi Police.

“A private school administration in South Delhi had first filed a complaint at Saket Police Station on Monday, following which we investigated the matter,” says a police officer involved with the case.

“After initiating surveillance, we discovered the registered number of a 15-year-old, who was among those who had shared a photo on the group. Although the said person had switched off his phone, we tracked down his address and picked him up later in the evening,” he added.

The Instagram group was reportedly created by these students during the last week of March, following which they started adding their friends. Some in this group are currently studying in colleges as well, notes the officer.

Exposing the filth

The expose happened when Instagram influencers like Aashna Sharma and @Anuvaa posted screenshots from a group titled ‘Bois locker room’ that they received from a whistleblower.

The post read:

“A group of south Delhi guys aged 17-18 types have this ig gc [Instagram group chat] named “boy’s locker room” where they… objectify and morph pictures of girls their age. Two boys from my school are a part of it. MY FRIENDS AND I ARE FREAKING OUT THIS IS SO EWWW AND NOW MY MOM WANTS ME TO QUIT IG.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A group of teenagers from Delhi were caught with a group chat in which they degraded women in every way possible. I would like to answer back to some of the comments that stood out to me while I followed this exposé. @anuvaa @ashnaasharma

A post shared by Krantikari (@moosejattana) on May 3, 2020 at 8:34pm PDT

Since influencers had shared this on Instagram stories that wouldn’t last beyond 24 hours, other Indian netizens began sharing them as well on their feeds for broader reach.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Trigger warning: Vulgarity, degradation, objectification of women. . Do NOT try to tell me this is normal. You’re EQUALLY responsible if you’re normalizing it. . #boislockerroom #rapeculture #rapeawareness #objectification #report #boysgc #rapistmindset #antirapeculturec #vulgarity #objectification #degradation #sexualremarks #underagegirls #childsexualabuse #sexualabuse #harrasment @kuna_kamra @kushakapila @iawaken.in @takedownthepatriarchy @theanti_rapeculture @lilly @yahyabootwala @fifisdiary @heli_ved @angrybrowngal

A post shared by राधिका 🌪 (@radhika.shekhawat) on May 3, 2020 at 12:39pm PDT

Subsequently, news of the incident found its way to Twitter, and #boyslockerroom began trending on the platform. Once these screenshots began garnering greater attention, the group was named and shamed.

However, instead of exhibiting any semblance of remorse or guilt, they began issuing grotesque threats of rape, violence, kidnapping, and morphing pictures of influencers who had first posted the stories and shared them,

That’s when the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) stepped in and took suo motu cognizance of the matter, as did the Delhi Police Cyber Cell.

Breaking –

DCW chief @SwatiJaiHind issues notice to Instagram and Delhi Police in the matter of a group named “boys locker room” being used by some miscreants to share objectionable pictures of minor girls and planning illegal acts such as rape of minor girls. #boyslockerroom pic.twitter.com/PyzxGCv7kt

— Delhi Commission for Women – DCW (@DCWDelhi) May 4, 2020

Media reports indicate that the FIR filed by the Delhi Police has been registered under Sections 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 469 (forgery for the purpose of harming reputation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and Sections 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) and 67A (publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.

Speaking to The Better India, Shubham Singh, the founder of Cyber World Academy, who routinely works with Mumbai and Maharashtra Police in cyber crime-related cases, said that a couple of outraged Instagram users reached out to him with screenshots of the chats.

“Although some in the group had deleted their Instagram accounts, we were able to track their information from accounts on other social media platforms and email IDs. I have sent all that information to the officers in Delhi Police. They haven’t responded to me yet, but the information I have sent will pass legal scrutiny,” he says.

Singh regularly assists in cases related to financial fraud, social media-related fraud, besides helping the police in analyzing data during their investigations into other conventional crimes committed like extortion and kidnapping.

“What we saw with the recent Bois Locker Room episode on Instagram has happened before on other social media platforms. In fact, similar groups indulging in such behavior came up on Snapchat and Reddit as well. There was already a Boys Locker 2.0 that had also come up, but it was later deleted after the current outrage,” he says.

Singh believes social media platforms have to do a better job of authenticating users on their platform. They are doing a shoddy job of regulating non-consensual explicit content. Meanwhile, for youngsters using these platforms, he has a simple piece of advice.

“My request to potential victims of these acts is that ideally they shouldn’t share private content with another person and as much as possible strengthen the privacy settings on their accounts.”

SM Platforms Need to do More

A Facebook spokesperson issued a statement to the press saying, “We absolutely do not allow behaviour that promotes sexual violence or exploits anyone, especially women and young people, and have actioned content violating our Community Standards as we were made aware of it. We have policies that disallow the sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery, as well as threats to share such imagery, and we take this issue very seriously. Ensuring our community can express themselves in a safe and respectful way is our top priority.”

But talk is cheap. In this particular scenario, they failed massively. Yes, the deeply problematic views expressed by those on the group is reflective of a more extensive societal failing. Still, social media platforms have to do a better job of ensuring these episodes don’t occur. They have to ensure people “can express themselves in a safe and respectful way.”

Also Read: Bois Locker Room: Experts, Counsellors Share How We Can Support The Victims

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Anindita Sarbadhicari, a Kolkata based filmmaker in her 40s, remembers the exact moment when she conceived her child.

“The date was 3 May 2013. I was inside the operating theatre, and Hariprasad Chaurasia’s soulful music was playing in the background. I had a second embryo transfer—I actually saw the little white dot entering my body—and it resulted in a successful IVF pregnancy,” says Anindita, speaking to The Better India.

Six months later, on 21 November 2013, the light of her life, Agnisnato, which means the one who has bathed in fire, was born. He was a few months premature but survived the ordeal of rushing into this world.

For Anindita, it was the culmination of a life-long desire to become a mother and raise her own child. But she brought him into the world entirely on her own. She wasn’t married and didn’t have a partner. Her decision to enter motherhood was a choice she controlled from the start.

It’s an attitude that has driven all her choices in life.

Born and raised in Kolkata until high school, she went onto study theatre at the National School of Drama (NSD) followed by a film direction course at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.

Living what she calls an “extremely bohemian life,” she travelled the world on her own, made documentaries, feature films and even a couple of romantic drama series for Bengali television.

“Of course, I believe in love. I am an incurable romantic, and through my work, I do tell a lot of love stories as well. Admittedly, pure romantic love is never that good in real life. But I have not given up on the real thing and still am looking for love, commitment and a partner. But women have a biological clock as well, and I always harboured a dream of being a mother. As a woman, nature has given me a beautiful gift. While I can fall in love at the age of 70, becoming a mother after 40 is very difficult,” she says.

The Journey Towards Motherhood

Despite not having a male partner, Anindita began discussing the possibility of having a child from her early 30’s with her gynaecologist friend. Also considering the possibility of an assistive reproductive procedure, she did a lot of research on it.

“It was not like I was against adopting a child. But I wanted to experience the magic of creating a life within my body. I wanted to feel the heartbeat and the little kicks in my womb. Had I not been able to conceive a child biologically, I would have certainly chosen to adopt,” she recalls.

First, she tried a less invasive procedure called Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilisation. However, things didn’t work out. Disheartened, she took a one-month break. Following that, she returned to her gynaecologist and told her that she wanted to try IVF.

By December 2012, she began her IVF injections. Although she got pregnant, everything fell apart once again in February 2013, when she had a miscarriage.

“When I started bleeding one day, I knew there was something wrong. I had no choice but to drive myself to the clinic through the pain and get myself admitted. The choice of not having a husband or a male partner has its downside as well. It can get very lonely. Yes, my parents, who were extremely encouraging and supportive throughout the process, were there. But they were old, and I didn’t want to burden them with my insecurities. Going through that journey required a lot of inner strength and self-belief,” she recalls.

Fortunately, all that self-belief finally paid off.

“Like a Light at the End of a Tunnel”

Although during her pregnancy, both Anindita and her mother braced themselves for uncomfortable looks and judgement, what she underwent was a joyful and “humbling experience.”

“Since I am a filmmaker who is relatively well known in the city, the news of my pregnancy was broken by the media in great detail nearly five months into it. Today, I may have to explain the process through which I got pregnant, but not back then. There wasn’t a single person in the city to whom I had to explain my pregnancy since everyone knew about it either through reading the newspaper or word of mouth. And I was overwhelmed by my neighbourhood’s response!” she says.

From calls congratulating her to boxes of chocolates from her neighbours and letters from different corners of the state, the news had spread far and wide.

By the time Durga Puja came around, Anindita was visibly pregnant, and both she and her mother had their guards up. Although they were once again prepared for awkward looks and uncomfortable questions, the reaction she got from many women touched her heart,

“I was touched by how welcoming they were—we received so much of love and attention. One of them even took charge of bringing coconut water for me everyday because apparently, it’s good for pregnant women. Others would send chocolates, cards, write poetry, and it was all amazing. When my son was born, a septuagenarian even wrote a letter saying, ‘Your news comes like a light at the end of a tunnel,’” she recalls.

First Stumbling Block

The troubles began when Anindita began trying to put her son in school.

“It was my (our) first school interview, and the principal of one of the topmost schools in Kolkata asked me, ‘So, Anindita, why didn’t you get married and why did you have a child this way?.’ Thinking about my child’s future, I did not get angry or aggressive. Instead, I patiently answered her question. My guess is that she was shocked by my profession and life choices, and my son did not get admission. However, I faced an even bigger humiliation in DPS Megacity, the next reputable school I tried,” she recalls.

Despite furnishing a birth certificate, a letter explaining how her son was born and the hospital’s discharge certificate, officials at DPS asked Anindita to provide an affidavit stating that ‘the child has no father and that he is born through IVF.’

This was a clear violation of a 2015 Supreme Court order allowing single mothers the sole guardianship of their children.

“When my son was born, it was the first time the Calcutta Corporation had issued a birth certificate without a father’s name. It took me just two hours to get it. Considering the ease with which I got the birth certificate even before the 2015 Supreme Court order, I thought getting my child admitted into a school in 2017-18 would be a walk in the park. But instead, all three reputed schools in Kolkata (which by the way had women principals) where I had tried to get my son admitted put me through such a humiliating experience,” she says.

On 30 November 2017, when she had first sought to get her son admitted into DPS Megacity, they had first asked her to write a letter to the principal explaining how Agnisnato was born and why the father’s name does not appear in the document. Six days later, the school’s admission office asked Anindita to furnish her private medical records. Although she was getting increasingly irked by their attitude, she still agreed.

“But two days later, the admissions office said that these documents wouldn’t be enough. They said I needed to submit an affidavit stating why the father’s name is absent and how he was born. That’s when I had it and put my foot down. All the documents they had sought from me for the past 8-9 days were not required as per the Supreme Court’s ruling. It states that my name on the birth certificate is enough,” she recalls.

In response, she sent an angry email to the school and forwarded the same to a journalist friend. This news was picked up by national news publications. Unfortunately, that became her undoing because the schools became more guarded.

Subsequently, she went to the state Child Rights Commission, and they wrote a letter to the schools expressing their objections. But the schools paid little heed to their letter because the Right to Education applied for children who are above the age of six. But she wasn’t going to back down.

“I fought this discrimination for seven months, and there were times when I felt for the first time in my child’s existence that I was failing him. As I reached June, which was two months into the school session, I got a little desperate. There were teachers in school who wanted to admit my child, but their administrations refused. They didn’t want my son admitted there because of who I was in life and the choices I made,” argues Anindita.

Fortunately, a friend, who was also a single mother, suggested a school that was a little far away, in South Kolkata.

Within 15 minutes of her meeting with the principal on 25 June, he asked when her son could join. On 27 June, Agnisnato started school. It was a long and hard struggle, but totally worth it.

The Challenges and Joy of Single Motherhood

Anindita doesn’t have a nine to five job, and can choose when she works. So, for the first few years of his life, she decided to exclusively devote her time to Agnisnato.

But just when she started getting back to work, her mother passed away, and Anindita had to take greater responsibility for her home, and her father, who will be turning 80 this year.

“My advice to prospective single mothers taking this route is to ensure that you’re financially very secure. I have never hired any help and do everything myself, and it has been a beautiful journey so far. I truly wanted him in my life. Everything I do is for him, and I love every nanosecond of it. I do not mind not working or earning less because he’s my priority. So, I can live without expensive cosmetics, designer labels, and just need enough for food and petrol. Fortunately, I have my own house as well, but I chose to cut down on my needs and prioritise my child completely,” she argues.

While Anindita insists that managing time to raise her child is not very difficult without a regular job, she also doesn’t get a paycheck at the end of every month.

Nonetheless, she has saved up money for him, which is “untouchable” no matter the circumstances.

“Even if I discover tomorrow that I have cancer, I will not touch that money. Thus, managing finances is critical because I don’t have anything to fall back upon like maintenance, alimony or child support. Since he’s little, what I also do is take him along when I am shooting. I don’t even need a babysitter. Seeing my work, he realises how hard his mother works and gets to see what I do for 14-15 hours a day. He understands the value of money and how much effort I need to put in to buy him things,” says Anindita with a hint of emotion in her voice.

After her film ‘Every 68 Minutes’ starring Adil Hussian was launched on 3 March, she could see the pride in his eyes.

“I can only thank my mother for this. She was a working woman herself and taught me to take pride in my work and ability to earn. I wanted to instill those values in my son,” she says.

Are there questions about the father? No. Agnisnato doesn’t ask about his father because he doesn’t know life any other way. In fact, he makes his mother ‘Father’s Day’ cards as well.

“Sometimes, he jokingly calls me ‘Mama-Papa’. It’s not like he doesn’t know everyone else has a father, but when I asked him ‘don’t you want to know about your daddy’, he replied ‘you’re my daddy’. His friend asked him during the last parent-teacher meeting ‘do you have a father at home’. He replied, ‘I have a dog and my grandfather at home,’” she recalls.

As he grows older, the tone of that question will change, but Anindita is confident that he will sail through because she was very transparent about her entire journey right from the start.

“All the parents of his friends in school know about my journey into motherhood. The world around him is already sensitised to his origins, and by the time he grows up, the questions would have been answered, because I wanted it to be like that, not just for my child and I, but anybody who is like us. Since the birth of my child, I have hand-held a lot of women undertaking similar journeys because their families would not support them,” she says.

Nonetheless, she is under no illusion of the challenges that single mothers face.

“In 2020, the strongest weapon we have as human beings is choice. A woman can choose to be, or not to be a mother, and that should be celebrated as well. Yes, I suppose some people sneer at me, but they don’t exist in my world,” she says.

It remains unclear whether the strong longing for a child is driven by our genes or a social construct. But for many women across the world, the choice of having a child is often driven by social convention or unforeseen circumstances like unplanned pregnancies.

Anindita bucked both situations, and chose to become a mother of her own free will. And she didn’t need an active heterosexual man to help her become a mother or raise her child, while successfully navigating the awkward corners of social convention.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Nanoor, in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, used to be an ordinary village, with most families socially marginalised and living below the poverty line. Led by the women of the village who showed the courage to join a support programme run by an NGO, Banglanatak dot com, it has undergone a sea change over the last decade.

A large section of the population belongs to other backward communities, mainly engaged in daily labour. The women here traditionally stitched kantha (a type of quilt stitched by joining fabric scraps, for covering oneself or children).

Today, the fashion world may have different names and applications for it, but in our childhood, we have all had hand-made kanthas in our homes, using torn and old sarees of our mothers and grandmothers, by the rural service providers.

To make ends meet, a few of Nanoor’s women used to stitch kanthas for sellers and customers in nearby towns. One of them was Tajkira Begum, who toiled to support her children and family, managing both her household and work outside the village.

Using her kantha stitching skills, she would bring orders from various sellers in Bolpur town and deliver the finished goods. She would often walk to work as she could not afford bus fare. Her husband did not have any stable source of income either.

While she was away for the day, leaving her four children and old mother at home, her eldest daughter would take care of everyone, even at the age of eleven.

She says, “My income at the time was Rs 15-20 per day, and even that was not regular. On many days, I would just eat puffed rice as I could not afford a lunch-meal for myself.”

Once Tajkira returned, she would cook, feed her family, finish her work, and finally take some rest to be ready to fight the next day.

Her free mobility was not acceptable to many villagers, who questioned her dignity and intentions. Despite such hindrances, Tajkira knew that she was special, and her strength held her family together. Her husband, who supported her work, did not do so from any sense of power or control. Rather, he showed partnership and companionship by understanding her, appreciating her, being by her side, and boosting her energy whenever she felt hopeless.

Tajkira emphasises that she was lucky. She says, “I could pursue what I wanted to only because my family supported me. My daughter helped me. Sometimes when I felt low and lost hope, my husband encouraged me. That kept me going.”

When she got the opportunity to pursue her skills more seriously, with support from the NGO, she grabbed it and did not turn back. Initially, she trained in diversified products and business intelligence; then, she started teaching some women who joined her.

Together, they formed several self-help groups. Tajkira, the entrepreneur of this group, brought orders from diverse markets and customers and distributed the work to more women in her village to generate a direct source of income for them, thus strengthening their collective.

In Tajkira’s words, this was like a dream come true in a village where women were previously confined to their homes and had no steady source of independent income. Hardly any girl children from the village went to school, and boys’ attendance was also sparse. However, the small steps taken by these women to change their lives led to a sea change in the community.

Soon, about 300 women joined Tajkira. She developed a strategy for distributing work based on their skills, need for money, motivation and interest, and sense of responsibility and accountability. She also ensured that all payments were made on time, even when client payments were delayed.

They made embroidered products as per orders, which included kantha, fabric for apparel, saris, and wall hangings. Many of these women earned a meagre Rs 80-100 over a month, or nothing at all. After joining Tajkira, and being trained on the job, they started earning about Rs 400-500 per month.

For making such timely payments, she sometimes had to pawn whatever little ornaments she had. She let go of her profit margins to help these women earn more. She realised that timely payment was essential to motivate and sustain the engagement of these women, which in turn was fundamental to their collective survival.

Tajkira also passed on what she learnt from her training and interactions with customers to those who showed entrepreneurial flair. Under her leadership, other women entrepreneurs started emerging, gradually expanding the work in the village. They understood that ‘togetherness’, ‘collaboration’, and ‘mutual support’ are the ways to rise above their marginalisation.

Recently, I had a chance to talk to Tajkira, and learn more about her journey. She recalled the time she visited Kolkata for the first time, to participate in an exhibition. She said, “It was like a fantasy. Never before had I gone out of Bolpur,” (the subdivision of her village), and the thought of boarding a train made her scared, anxious, and nervous.

However, there was no stopping her after that first visit, and today, she comfortably travels across the world – to Germany, France, USA, Denmark, etc – and communicates with foreigners through her craft. Boarding her first flight to Germany was a moment of achievement. During these visits, she sells her products in exhibitions and festivals, and also provides kantha training in local schools and art institutions.

She learned to enjoy her own life, drawing inspiration from the women she met and their friendships, and says, “I saw women much older than me working hard while also enjoying life. I thought, ‘I am much younger, so why should I lose hope for the future?’ I was inspired by them.”

In our conversation about her international trips, she mentions Paris as a city she really liked.

Recalling her experiences, she says, “All of us from India attending the event in Paris stayed together in an apartment. We cooked together and had a nice time. I also found that people in those countries do their own work, something I really liked. I also liked that they do not lie. There is no dishonesty in their daily lives. We stayed there for 23 days, travelling in and around Paris. I was often invited at the homes of my new friends and they all referred to me as their Indian teacher. I have never felt so proud and respected before!”

These trips made her more confident and it became her mission to contribute to the well-being of her fellow workers and women. The network she built through these visits helped her get directly linked with international buyers, who became loyal customers through WhatsApp. Her personality and skill attracted many, and through word of mouth, her clientele expanded.

Today, she is a brand in herself.

I asked her how many women she works with, expecting the number to have increased from three hundred. In a satisfied tone, she replied that it was hundred. I was taken aback but soon realised that of the 300 wage labourers, 100 had become small entrepreneurs and emerging leaders who worked with Tajkira.

Today, 600 women are engaged in paid work in their traditional skill of kantha. The wage artisans, who used to earn not more than Rs 500 per month previously, are now earning approximately Rs 2,500-Rs 5,000. Small women entrepreneurs earn between Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000 per month.

And Tajkira herself is a symbol of success and determination.

A few other women who joined our conversation enthusiastically stated that they felt confident as independent earning members of their families, ensuring good lives for their children. One of them says, “As a single mother, it was very difficult for me to support my children’s education and make a living in a closed society. Working with Tajkira-di has helped me earn a decent livelihood, and has also given me confidence to lead life in my way.”

A younger woman says, “Now I can buy the things I want without depending on my husband. I also have a voice in the family.”

Tajkira’s daughter-in-law, who presently looks into the operations of her enterprise, expressed immense gratitude for her mother-in-law. Excitedly, she shares how much she enjoys freely developing new designs and creative ideas, “I get inspiration to create new designs from whatever I see around me, in newspapers or magazines. I am often bored stitching the same patterns, which is an essential part of kantha work. So I often distribute that work to other women, and focus on design innovations to create samples, which we then show to our clients.”

Tajkira, however, does not consider the business as her success. Her satisfaction lies in what she has been able to give to her village. She has donated land worth three lakh rupees to a local Madrassa. She has been able to get most of the girl children to attend school. A village where only a few had completed secondary education, and no one thought of higher studies, today has almost twenty women who have completed their Masters. They now see education as a necessity, not an option.

Tajkira’s pride is in her band of economically and socially empowered women, the prestige and dignity that they have achieved, the trust she has been able to build, and the awards that some of them have received. She also shyly confides that her husband is so proud of her that he goes around telling others that no one can become like her!

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Expressing her sense of fulfillment and happiness, she says, “My next goal is to go out and help train marginalised women in other villages, districts and distant places. I want to spread my knowledge to empower other women.”

She shares a memory which she uses to symbolise aspiration, which is a driver of self-development. During her initial days of struggle, on a hot summer afternoon, she felt like having ice cream but did not have any money. Now, whenever training sessions are organised in her house, she treats everyone with ice cream on the final day!

Amidst all the success, she has not lost her focus and empathy. Her goal is to bring more women to the frontline. She concludes, “I pursue business not only for my home but to pull up other exploited women.”

(Written by Madhura Dutta and Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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