Collective Action – My Dream of a Village

Seeing the women of Darbha standing upto domestic violence, organizing themselves into a sangh and taking part in the gram sabha proactively, the author dreams of a time when they stake their claim to equality and dignity, raising their collective voice for their rights and entitlements

A ite didi lives in a home that she can confidently call her own. It’s a home that she has built with her husband, Sonsingh, and their three children. The journey was not easy; and she covered the distance nevertheless. Aite stood up for herself against domestic violence, displaying strength and courage and, in the process, became a role model for many.

Over the years, Aite has learnt to assert herself and firmly communicate her stand to Sonsingh. Over and over again, she had to tell him that she was his equal in the relationship that they shared in marriage and that he had no right or business to physically and emotionally abuse her. She also had every right to stand up against his misdemeanours and abusive nature. Aite’s fellow SHG members were her backbone in the journey. “It would have been simply impossible without my samhooh (SHG) didis,” she says. “The village kotwar and the block thana inspector were very understanding of my plight and helped sensitize Sonsingh too.” Aite didi’s son, Anantram, recently graduated from ITI and is working with Samsung in the Jagdalpur–Darbha division. His job is to install the Samsung TVs that people buy, in their homes. Earlier, when he was studying in the sixth standard, he had contemplated quitting his studies. The situation at home was difficult, with his mother being the only earning member, his father drinking away all his earnings and his youngest sister being ill. However, his mother wouldn’t hear of it. “We’ll work something out,” she used to say. “I am not alone now. My samhooh is with me, my sankul (cluster) is with me and my sangh is with me too".

I’m hopeful, something will work.” And true to what she said, things did work out. Aite didi and several other didis, all samhooh members across Darbha, worked hard to form a Federation, their very own sangh (federation). Besides being registered as a Society and being financially independent, the sangh federation gave Aite didi and her sakhis a collective voice to claim their rights and entitlements.