Meet grandmothers from Rajasthan who have done their villages proud

She may have some problems in seeing and hearing properly, but 84-year-old. Galku Maa of Paner village (Ajmer district) is still willing to stand up for a good cause. It has become almost a habit, as for the last 30 years she has been involved repeatedly in one public cause after another.

The age of 54 may be late for others to join social movements but not for Galku. Maa. Surrounded by her grandchildren and great grandchildren, Galku Maa recalls the days when she first got involved with a woman's group in her village after they invited her to look after a creche. This is why many grown up men remember her as a mother-like figure as she provided them loving care when they were small children. Soon Galku got increasingly involved in women group's protest actions. She camped at Jaipur's historic dharna for right to information (RTI) for 53 days at a stretch where she was a much-in-demand speaker. She forced the pace of a movement for claiming long delayed wages to such an extent that officials had to arrange payment at night. Her growing popularity led to her election as a ward member.

Rukma Maa (65) of Pingun village has also been active in struggles for three decades. She bravely faced strong repression when the police tried to break her protest fast for payment of minimum wages. When a landlord obstructed rainwater flowing to a common village pond to irrigate his own field, Rukma helped to mobilise over 2000 women from surrounding areas so that the flow of water to the village pond could be restored.

Mangi Maa (60), a Dalit from Singla Ka Dhaani, is a woman of multiple talents - she works as a midwife, looked after a creche, constructed smokeless hearths, made decorative craft items, and after training worked as a mate to supervise drought- relief work, checking many irregularities. She mobilised women to check exploitative money lending and to correct the BPL (below poverty line) list. She participated in social audits, RTI campaign and protest actions. Methi Maa (65) overcame great adversities in her personal life to become such a skilled midwife that people came even from other villages to seek her help. . She was elected as a ward member from a general seat. She mobilised women to evict a liquor vend which was becoming a nuisance for the village.

When a woman from a poor family was declared a witch, Methi bravely come to her help and did not rest till this stigma around the victim was removed. Methi went to Delhi and many parts of Rajasthan to participate in RTI dharnas and rallies. What is common to all these women is that they have been associated with the women's groups formed by the Barefoot College in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. The villages are rightly proud of these grandmas who have contributed so much to the welfare of the villages. They overcame many difficulties of their own life to contribute to the creation of a better world.