Page 97 - SocialHarmony

13

Woman Power Leads to the Survival

of Social Life

(On the occasion of Women’s Day, Helipad,
Gandhinagar. March 8, 2003)

Recently, the efforts towards women empowerment through
self-help groups received a great impetus. There is no
provision for spices in any government plan, but the women of
Sabarkantha district in Gujarat thought that if they can prepare
spices for their own families, then why not for the whole village?
And if they can make spices for the village then why not for the
entire district? We have been watching advertisements of Lijjat
papad on television and reading about its availability in the menu
cards of the best hotels in India. Do you know who makes these
Lijjat papads? This unconventional business activity was started
in the form of a cooperative union by women in South Gujarat,
most of whom were tribals. The papads made by these women
has reached all over the world. This shows that women are
capable of building up great organizations, only if they have
the determination for it. All of us know about the success story
of Amul. The path-breaking success of Amul is attributable to
the women in villages of Gujarat. These women breed cattle
and supply milk to the cooperative dairy, as well as participate
in the management of the dairy. The precision of the village
women in Gujarat has led to Amul becoming renowned all over
India. Whether women start up a large or small venture, definite
and quality results are always seen if they work together with
determination. This is the reason why we emphasize on village