Women Lead the Change in Murgabani Step by Step

Kanad Ghosh . November 15, 2016

Perseverance, determination, some guidance, and knowledge about rights and entitlements saw a few SHG members through a challenging situation, in which they crossed swords the powerful head of the village

Perseverance, determination, some guidance, and knowledge about rights and entitlements saw a few SHG members through a challenging situation, in which they crossed swords the powerful head of the village

M arch 2013. Mangali was very happy. She was returning home after attending the Mahadhivesan. She had no clue what lay ahead. When she reached home in the morning, her husband was drunk and was annoyed that she had stayed out at night. He was so angry that he beat her up brutally. Mangali fainted. Although she was a Federation Board Member (FBM), she could not stop her drunkard husband, who seemed to have totally lost his senses..

Beating women was a regular occurrence among the tribal population Murgabani village. Because domestic violence was so much a part of life, and quarrels between husbands and wives a natural phenomenon, other women did not become involved in the matter. And that morning, many SHG members were resting after their overnight Mahadhivesan; it was, therefore, some time before they noticed Mangali’s plight

Alaka Baskey (SHG member) first saw her lying unconscious on the ground and her husband sleeping on the cot. Alaka called the other members, who were shocked to at the sight of Mangali lying unconscious. They did not know what to do immediately. Coincidentally, Sadmani Saren another Federation leader, and some other women from Tilabani (a neighbouring village) came to Murgabani for some work. When she came to know of the incident, Sadmani immediately said, “Taratari haspatal na legle u morei jabo; kotha bolte parchilo nai sudhu tuku tuku jol khacchilo (If we do not take her to the hospital, she might die; she cannot talk, and she’s only sipping a little bit of water).”

She asked the SHG members to call an ambulance and take Mangali to the Barabazar block hospital, saying, “Amader jiban ta to ektai, amra na darale habek nai (Our life is one, it will not work if we don’t stand with each other).”

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