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Woman Power Leads to the Survival of Social Life 103

be complete, and celebrate this dual form as God. Such a unique
thought is possible in India only.

Maintaining the family structure is a great challenge all over
the world. Surprisingly, during every presidential election in
USA, candidates promise to revive the family tradition if they
are elected. Our country has a strong family structure since
thousands of years. The credit for this goes not to the men, but
to women who have upheld the family tradition and bonded
families together. In absence of the bonding provided by women,
numerous families would have been ruined. The high level of
tolerance, generosity, ability to withstand difficulties and the
approach of keeping the entire family together exhibited by
women in India, have saved the family tradition. This has
ensured that our society is relatively free of evils and vices. Our
children do not become wayward only because of the strong
family system. This is a huge service rendered to society by
women; it proves the power of motherhood, a power so great
that the entire world should learn from it.

The contribution of women is not limited to agriculture. A
potter’s wife not only cooks for her family, but also helps her
husband by mixing clay and lighting the kiln fire. A fisherman’s
wife may not go out to sea, but she takes up the responsibility
of selling the fish caught by her husband.

Woman power is the underlying strength of our social life.
We aim to convert this strength into the strength of our entire
society in the days to come. It is desirable that women are
empowered, but this empowerment should not be limited to
the family unit alone; it is essential to harness their power for
the benefit of society at large. For this to happen, it is imperative
to involve women in decision-making. The State Government
wished to start the self-help movement in every village. This
movement has the potential to grow into a force that can nurture
society. We appeal to the women who belong to self-help groups
to attend every meeting of their village panchayat, note down
the problems of their village and confront officers with them.
They should not rest till they get the solution to their problems.
We want a change from the grass root level. Awareness about