Examination Day: Passed with Flying Colours!

Working closely with women at the grass roots, helping them gain the confidence to find their voice, blurring the divisive lines of caste and religion, and uniting them to work towards their dreams of living vibrant and dignified lives is a reality we can work towards

T he sun was about to reach its peak in the sky and the mercury was on a constant rise. I was visiting Namatanr, a part of Bareria village of Baghmundi block, Purulia. Bareria is a small, crowded village growing rice twice in a year. The village is a mélange of all sorts of people—from people who own a lodge in town to people who are struggling to earn their daily bread. It has the usual drunkards, who often created chaos, and it has people, who work hard in the fields and brick kilns, all for 100 days of work.

I cursed the bumpy and dirty roads and the open drainage so close to the houses. The children were playing barefoot on the roads where grey water flowed like a stream. I made a note in my head to bring this up in the meeting. It was going to be one of the usual meetings with the landless women of the village and my head was filled with the tasks I had to finish before calling it a day.

The Didis, as we called the women, began to arrive soon, and they gathered and sat forming a circle. As I opened my diary and wrote the date—9th February—I realized that I was into the sixth month of my Development Apprenticeship. The training, so far, had already been somewhat of a life-changing event. This organization had given me one year to gain an understanding of and to familiarize myself with rural life. I realized that, in the process, I am also being able to explore and connect with myself.