On International Women's Day, read the story of Mahananda Metri, an extraordinary woman who battled inequality and conquered the odds to provide a better life for her daughters.
Every year, the international community bands together on March 8 to celebrate Women’s Day. From retailers throwing sales to social activists and organisations hosting various events – the focus through March is on women: their victories, their needs, their issues. This year, the International Women’s Day theme is 'Make it Happen' – a call for greater equality for women, a celebration of their achievements. Mahananda Metri is one such extraordinary woman who battled inequality and conquered the odds to 'make a better life happen' for her daughters.
An enslaved mother, Mahananda rebuilt her life to protect the future of her daughters.
Dire Beginnings
When Mahananda was 16, her mother fell seriously ill. Living in the remote village of Kappalagudi in Belgaum, Karnataka, her family was poor and there was no money to get her mother the treatment she needed to survive the illness. So her uncles stepped in to help and paid the medical bills which amounted to Rs 3,000. Young Mahananda was grateful. But when her uncles sought their money back, she couldn't possibly repay them. So to recover their money, Mahananda was made a Devadasi (temple slave). This meant that Mahananda and any children she would have, were doomed to a sub-human life of slavery and exploitation.
A Determined Fight
But Mahananda fought back. Watch the video for her story of enslavement, escape, and triumph:
Mahananda’s Victory
It is now a year since this above video was filmed. Mahananda has been running her sewing business for four years now. Her daughters were accepted in the Morarji Residential School, where they study free of cost. Rekha, the older one, is completing her pre-University Science course, and aims for a career in medicine. Puja, the younger one, has yet to decide her goals.
With their college education coming up, Mahananda now needs to earn more. Under Milaap’s Hope Project, she applied for an enterprise loan and bought three more sewing machines with a plan to employ three more former Devadasis. She runs a small training program, teaching 10 other former Devadasis to sew, charging them each a monthly fee of Rs 100. She also works on farms all morning, because in their remote village, work and income from tailoring is not always enough.
Mahananda started with nothing, and was constantly pushed back by society. But she never gave up, and now, her daughters have a better life. She is living testament to the power of a mother’s love and a woman’s strength. This has created a new future not just for her daughters, but has empowered her to help other women like herself, former Devadasis who also want to make a new beginning.
The encouraging reality of her story is that Mahananda is not the only one. Across rural India, women with little education and benefits are battling socio-economic setbacks to build a better tomorrow for their children. They are seeking training and financial support. They are setting out bravely on their own as women entrepreneurs, rallying support for each other, breaking barriers, and bringing on a revolution.
If we can support their movement, recognise these efforts, and give brave women like Mahananda a boost, the effects of it would last beyond merely celebrating them on Women’s Day.
The author works with Milaap.org
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