Saraswati, is a Dalit woman who is in her late 40s, was married off when she was only 12 years old and therefore never went to school. Her husband, himself a fifth standard drop out, was a head loader, a low wage occupation mostly done by the lower caste people. Saraswati joined the Mahila Samakhya Sangha when she was 25 years old. “I can’t thank the federation enough for what I am today. I knew nothing when I first went to a Sangha meeting back in 2009. The literacy classes run by the federation motivated me to hop on the education bus, something I had missed in my childhood. In six months, I was able to read simple sentences and numbers. This gave me lot of confidence,” she said.
Saraswati said that she was surprised to observe that there was no caste-based discrimination among the Sangha members. Everyone shared the same meeting place, greeted each other, sang and danced together. She said, “What bonded us was the everydayness of gender-based violence, community and institutional apathy towards issues of women like me, and unimaginable poverty. We were looking for answers to these issues as a collective. In this process, the tangible gain was not the literacy skills or the bonding with other women but the self-confidence and sense of self-respect I felt within. Saraswati has been part of many struggles that the federation has fought by representing thousands of women. Today, she is one of the most sought-after persons in not only her Panchayat but also in the surrounding villages. People seek her advice and support if they are turned down by the local officials including Panchayat presidents. “I have also been elected by over 3000 members of the Jyoti Mahila Samakhya to preside over it” recalls Sarasvati with beaming eyes.