The Money Changer

THIS year the Chhattisgarh government gave its prestigious Mini Mata award to 32-year-old Phulbasin Bai from Sululdaihan village, 12 km from...

THIS year the Chhattisgarh government gave its prestigious Mini Mata award to 32-year-old Phulbasin Bai from Sululdaihan village, 12 km from Rajnandgaon district, for her outstanding work in women empowerment and social change. Outside the state no one knows her, but in Rajnandgaon she8217;s the woman women in need turn to.

In her village, she runs a campaign against gambling and illiteracy. She runs a midday meal scheme, handles several health programmes that target pulse polio, family planning, child and mother health and rural sanitation.

She has even taught about 100 women how to cycle. 8216;8216;Earlier people would laugh at us, but we didn8217;t feel disheartened. We took this as a challenge. Men seem to have accepted the change now,8217;8217; says Keja Bai, a member of Phulbasin8217;s group.

BUT Phulbasin8217;s success hasn8217;t come easy. Educated till Class VIII, married at 14 and a mother at 15, she was not always this confident. Until three years ago, she couldn8217;t think beyond her family. Till Dinesh Srivastava, then district collector, spotted her and encouraged her to lead other women. Today, she is gently guiding change into her village. Whether it8217;s the local liquor mafia or the moneylenders, she8217;s taking on everyone with confidence. 8216;8216;No challenge is beyond me. I can do anything, go anywhere to help women,8217;8217; she says.

It was in 2001 that Phulbasin first decided to organise women in her village. Together they formed self-help groups. Though she never dreamt of becoming a banker, within a year, the SHG8217;s microsavings rose to Rs 20,000. She started extending small loans to the group members and also reinvesting the money in profitable economic activities8212;running village haats, breeding fish, rearing goats, building ponds, roads and toilets.

Now, the original group has Rs 85,000 cash in hand and nearly double of that invested in local ventures. The village currently has 14 other SHGs, each with 15 to 18 members, working under one umbrella, Maa Bamleshwari Samooh.

In the district, which is fast becoming an oasis of women empowerment, there are more than 7,000 women SHGs 8212;the total savings have already exceeded Rs 3.50 crore. Over one lakh women are now part of this movement.

In the past two years, Phulbasin has traveled from village to village, organising women, not only to facilitate microsaving but also to create awareness about their rights. 8216;8216;Over the years, she has gained an exceptional capability to motivate women and deliver lectures. She is traveling district-to-district to carry forward her struggle for social change and women empowerment,8217;8217; says Rajnandgaon8217;s new collector G S Mishra.