AID Saathi Richa Singh and her "sangtins" Surbala and Richa Nagar visited the Minneapolis chapter in April and shared their insights into women’s empowerment. They are among the seven founding members of the Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sanghatan (SKMS), a movement that has grown to include nearly 3,000 people in Sitapur district, UP. They told us that sangtin is a term used by a woman to refer to a female companion who sees her through life’s struggles.

Earlier, they were taught to demand equal rights from their husbands. But over the years, they realized that the real struggle is for full rights (livelihood for the entire family, food, water etc.) as well as equal rights. They also found that many NGOs work on directives “from top” that are not necessarily peoples' issues. As a solution, they formed the SKMS three years ago. After discussions with the villagers, SKMS protested in solidarity, performed shramdaan to clean up the canals, and questioned the corrupt bureaucracy, which finally resulted in small farmers getting more water. Richa and Surbala also shared their recent efforts to obtain NREGA job cards for the people. Overall, it was fascinating for us to understand people's movements: their formation, organization and even internal struggles. We were floored by their passion, commitment & clearheaded thinking!

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Leena Ranade, Minneapolis

[A book written by the sangtin women, about their personal journeys and insights into women's empowerment, is now published in English as Playing with Fire and is available in most bookstores.]