A Cycle of Change

Coming together as a group, collectively staking their right to making decisions about what crops to grow, challenging prevalent traditions, the women of the SHG find their confidence and strength by becoming forces to reckon with in their community.

M Y LIFE WAS WONDERFUL, especially because I was an only child. I was allowed to do anything I wanted and was frequently told by my mother, “Tui amader sudhu meye nosh, amader chele o tui. (You are not just a daughter but a son to us.)”

THAT DAY WAS LIKE ANY OTHER NORMAL DAY. I was on my way to Sundari village for an SHG meeting at Bartoli...my head buzzing with plans. I reached the meeting and was welcomed by the didis of the SHG with folded hands and smiling faces. This SHG was not new to me. I had been here several times earlier, to plan their agriculture.

I was greeted with the ‘dream come true’ words by Sther didi, “Agle saal ke liye hum sab abhi se tayyari kar rahe hain (We are planning for the next year now).” She was a member of the Champa Baha Mahila Mandal. The confidence in her voice and the sparkle of pride in her eyes amazed me and took me back the timeline and her transformational journey flashed before my eyes.

Several questions erupted in my mind. Is this the same SHG that was apprehensive about practising agriculture last year? Is this the same Sther didi, who had given up all hope of earning from agriculture in summer? Is this the same SHG that was always seeking support from me in every decision on livelihoods? That day...I felt that my continuing efforts to bring change in their existing practices was successful. ‘What has happened to them?’ I wondered. The courage, the confidence, the decisionmaking ability… where had these all come from?