God Knows, I Need To Get Free!

She was feeling liberated. Indeed, she got liberated from the decades old debt burden that her father had to embrace a two- mortgaging his land to the local moneylender. Though her eyes were wet, but her face was glowing with joy. From today Sita'slife is going to be transformed forever. This lady of Kadaperi village of Tamil Nadu state with the help and guidance of the sisters of ShriMathuramman, a self-help group, paid off 60000 rupees to settle down the debt and eventually got her ancestral land back.Now the honor of her family had restored.

Sunder Laxman Ji, a senior RSSPracharak, tells how people like Sitaacquired such a strength to rewrite their destiny. “ Twenty years ago with the sole objective of empowering the people in backward and tribal villages of Tamil Nadu, Sewa Bharti started formation of self-help groups.”, he shares, adding today over 4000 such self-help groups, all across theTamilanadu, are under operation, which are linked with Sewa Bharti. These groups promote feelings of mutual cooperation – besides economic empowerment of the underprivileged segments of society. Poor Raju of Anchukanndarad village wouldn’t have been alive today, if he hadn’t been associated with one such self-help group. A few years back, when Raju suffered a heart attack necessitating instant surgery – his daughter received the requisite amount from members of ten self-help groups. On the other hand, when the house of a poor old widow belonging to Thadikkarkonam village was accidentally burnt down, the female members of a self-help group pooled their resources to collect the requisite household articles for her and even constructed a concrete house to help the poor widow in distress.

In the noble words of senior R.S.S. Pracharak Sunder Laxman Ji who is touring varied places for establishing such self-help groups all across India – the female members of self-help groups in the Thiraprapu village in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu courageously confronted the powerful caste Panchayat, without displaying fear or hesitation. When the caste Panchayat took the decision of ostracizing backward class women – all women members rejected this and refused to abide by this dictatorial decision.

Such self-help group members didn’t hesitate to fight against caste discrimination and exploitation by moneylenders, besides initiating a campaign against alcohol consumption. In order to remove alcohol outlets from Thattikre village, the female members contacted the district collector, and carried on a sustained campaign till the alcohol outlets were officially dismantled. Similarly, the women associated with a self-help group at Muruthankode village established an inspiring example by shutting down an illegal alcohol manufacturing unit that was manufacturing illicit liquor in the fake name of ayurvedic medicine ‘Arishtnam’. Several people had died after consuming such illicit liquor. The women members fought a spirited legal battle that ultimately culminated in the revocation of the license of this illicit liquor factory.

  In this modern era of weakening human sensitivity – such self-help groups have emerged as new role models for human collaboration and fraternity. The women members of a village in the Nagarkovil district of Tamilnadu state – contributed the entire amount for the remarriage of 23 year old widowed daughter of Bharatkali. Similarly, in another nearby village, these women members provided all necessary financial and social help, besides solemnizing the marriage of Anita and Kala – the two orphaned daughters of a cancer afflicted poor woman farm laborer.

The R.S.S. Swayamsevaks are busy in establishing such self-help groups under the name of ‘Vaibhavshri’ - with the sole aim of all-round development of people – based upon the lofty ideals of self – help, self-dependence, self-esteem and mutual trust – so that self- confidence and self-esteem increases amongst the poor, needy and underprivileged sections of society.

  CONTACT : SUNDAR LAKSHMAN

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