"Women work in the fields but do not have land in their names. If land is in the wife's name, the husband will not be able to intimidate her or throw her out of the house or indulge in domestic violence. Land ownership is a big weapon in a woman's hand. It acts as a deterrent for men to beat their wives, sell their farmland, and/or waste money on alcohol" said Lilawati to Citizen News Service (CNS).
"Out of the 40 bighas of land that I own, 5 bighas are in my husband's name and the rest is in my name. I have registered 2 bighas in the name of my widowed daughter-in-law. I am in the process of getting land registered in the names of other daughters-in-law too".
Women's education, marriage and family planning
"I think education is very important in one's life. Girls should be educated to be economically independent, so that they have something to fall back upon in case there is problem after marriage or even otherwise. Also if they are educated they are better able to educate their children. Unfortunately, due to economic problems I could manage to educate my children only up to class 10".
"Girls should also not get married at an early age. This not only compels them to leave their studies midway, but also endangers their health. Being immature at that young age, they are also not able to take proper care of their children and look after their education. I did not marry any of my children young". "Families should be small so that the children get a good life and education. Too many children spell trouble for all".
Women empowerment
"I want women to be independent. They should not be begging for small sums of money from their husbands. Women will have to come out of their homes. It is only through exchange of ideas that we can become more empowered and strengthened. I got the inspiration to move ahead in life by learning from others who had similar achievements. Their lives encouraged me to work for my betterment and I did what I knew best--farming and teaching".
"I have faced many problems in my life, but with dedication and consistent hard work I have worked my way up the ladder. When my kids were small, it would be an ordeal to buy even a copy or a pen for them. There was never enough money to buy more than one or two pair of clothes in the entire year. But now I have everything. I can even afford to hire a tutor for my grandchildren. Earlier I had only 5 bighas of land, but gradually I managed to buy more--I educated my children and increased my landed property as well. Today I have 40 bighas of land.
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