"The life of a woman is not easy," Kunta continues. "Many of them are not allowed to step out of their homes. They are socially repressed and quietly tolerate a lot of injustices. But I try to help such women and ask them not to succumb to societal pressures. Husbands and other family members should not deter us in our path of empowerment. Women will have to step out of their homes; meet and talk to more people for improving their understanding and for getting new ideas.
"I tell even my daughters-in-law not to get cowed down by others, or by me, but chalk out a future for themselves. SHGs have gone a long way in empowering women by making them financially independent.
"It is important to be fearless and have that inner fire to learn and do new things. I am illiterate, yet I have been to Nainital, Lucknow, Jalandhar, and Dehradun to attend training programmes and workshops. We have to get rid of our internal imaginary fears and face the world boldly."
Then and now
"Today I am much better off," says Kunta. "My standard of living has improved and so has my self-confidence. I now own a buffalo and a cow. I sell some of the milk and the rest is used in the family. Today I am an established woman farmer. I do all the work--cutting the fodder, milking the cows, and working in the fields.
"I am a member of the gayatri parivar (a religious order with modernistic views) and have imbibed good learnings from their discourses. From them I have learnt not to fear challenges but face life fearlessly as it comes."
Message
Kunta sums up her message. "Speak your world. Women should not remain quiet out of fear and false sense of pride. They should not be scared of the outside world but face it with confidence and fight for their rights. One must neither suppress others nor get suppressed by them. Even if you have no one to support you, there is no point in lying low. So rise to the occasion and fight it out. If you walk the straight path you will never be defeated."
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