Women can change the world if given the right platform : Mahila Saksham Samman

It’s almost 16 years travelling rural libraries and meeting with communities sharing their joy and sorrows with me. I am so humbled to give them the space to share freely as providing an opportunity to share their stories is a great healing for them.

Recently I was in Bhanwargarh, Kelwara and Shahbad in Baran, the aspirational district of Rajasthan. Met with many girls and married women. Listened to them, understood their aspirations and the challenges too. Laughed with them and also clicked selfies too because they capture these moments for the re-joying time and again as these memories are stored with them.

Met Gunjan, daughter of Meena Prajapat(https://youtu.be/xT0iKMsJfqE ), whom I know from a decade, went to meet them many a times and witness the sea change in their lives. Meena showed me her newly constructed house with excitement on one hand to manifest her own economic growth but she is a leader for hundreds of girls and women with whom she spends her time, motivate them and make them learn a skill and enabling them to be independent, stand on their own feet and do not look back. Life teaches us a lot, ups and downs, but constant and consistent efforts made by these women with the magic of strong peer learning is transforming their lives. They stand by the side of their children, they support their husbands brothers elders and are there during tough times.

On 10th March, many such women and girls were invited in Delhi at the occasion of making them realise their sky rock potential and wisdom they developed in the past five years or so and become the shining stars of not only their parents, but their own communities and setting samples for the upcoming generations. They collectively celebrated the Mahila Saksham Samman under the big banner of International Women’s Day. I do not want to focus on numbers though more than a million women and girls across rural India are part of this mission which READ India has brought at their door steps, but the change witnessed the power in them with positive spirits values and protection of their own culture.

This social change witnessed by them made them economically empowered as they learnt to positively convince their parents that they are no less than boys, they save money to support their families and above all continue their higher education. Padega India Badega India. Saksham Mahila can change the Samaj we live in, what they need is mutual respect and self-dignity. Let join hands to take this mission ahead and make our Nation proud!