Real Heroes of Rural India
Rubina Shaikh is pursuing her 3 year LLB course from G.J .Advani Law college, Mumbai. She loves reading and writing. She believes in letting dreams being bigger than fears and actions speaking louder than words.
Real Heroes of Rural India
It’s very easy to achieve something when you have all the facilities and opportunities around you, but to achieve something when there is no way and no guidance and you don’t have many options; when you just have a thought of doing something which will benefit not just you but others too, that is truly remarkable and commendable. These situations give rise to real heroes who overcome all obstacles and come out winners. This is a story of one such winner- Nauroti Devi. She belongs to rural India where there isn’t much scope for women. Even so, she fought against all odds around her and has become an inspiration for others.
Nauroti Devi was born in a poor Dalit family in Kishangarh District of Rajasthan. She never received a formal education and worked as a stone cutter at construction sites. Like other labourers, she also faced problems regarding payment of wages. It’s a common problem in India that labourers are often not given the wages as they are promised. So, Nauroti Devi started raising her voice against this injustice by mobilizing other labourers and became the voice of agitation.
Nauroti Devi got elected as a “Sarpanch” of the Gram Panchayat in Harmada, Ajmer District, Rajasthan. Later on, she also decided to complete her education by joining the Barefoot College Tilonia founded by Bunker Roy. She displayed all the qualities needed to be a good leader- her boldness, her ability to learn quickly made her stand apart from others. She also became a “Saathin” for Women’s Empowerment and would travel to villages in the region to educate them about their Rights. Thereafter, she started to train other women who had never had the opportunity to go to schools.
Nauroti Devi is an active member of the “Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan”. In 1981 she also participated in the Right to Information Campaign in Rajasthan because of which, the Union Government passed the Right to Information Act (RTI) in 2005.
After being elected as a Sarpanch she has fought against many things and done a lot for the development of the villages. She has also trained the Government Panchayat Secretary on using computers for its basic operations. The villagers speak about the development of the villages which took place only due to Nauroti Devi – the construction of water bodies, hand pumps, toilets and houses for those people who live Below the Poverty Line.
Nauroti Devi’s story has become well know across borders. She has become a famous personality because of her hard work and determination. She is a true hero and an inspiration for others to achieve the impossible.
