The Sarpanch

That night was a full moon night of winter. The annual anniversary ceremony of the youth club of the village, Nuagaon, was in full swing by that time. Ms. Rina, the Sarpanch of the village, arrived. She was the newly elected lady of Nuagaon for the first time. All the young men and young women greeted her warmly. She hailed from a reputed middle-class family of the village. Moreover, she was a graduate spinster. Her aim was to do social service lifelong. Out of the three daughters of her parents, she was the third one. She was liked by everybody in the village for her good moral character. Nevertheless, she had to face a lot of criticism from the conservative villagers and a lot of controversies of the local politicians, but she could never lose her heart. Rather she faced it with utmost boldness. She was also inclined to reformative works for the village.

 

Hence, the villagers who were supporting her requested her to deliver a speech on the occasion. She could not refuse to speak notwithstanding she was well aware of the fact that her straightforward speech might hamper the sentiments of a number of corrupted and selfish motivated persons of the locality which might jeopardize her style of living. However, she dared to speak on the decorated dias as per the requests of the audiences.

 

She addressed, "My dear co-villagers and honorable guests, I would like to tell you tonight on the occasion of our village youth club as per the request of some enthusiasts. Man is born extraordinary in comparison with all the animals. The basic need of everyone in human society is for a decent living; peace and harmony. If one loses these two important requisites, one's living must be detrimental to one's progress. In our country after independence, a Democratic Government was formulated which Indian people could not experience beforehand. Our country was being ruled by foreigners for a long time. Their administration was somewhat weird for the Indian people. But the major impact on Indian culture and tradition was affected by British administration which has been dominating in the minds of Indians as yet; nevertheless, we are now democratic citizens. Both positive and negative impacts are found in this democratic rule. The disparity in social status between common mass and privileged mass is also coming into focus in the present Indian society. One honest and sincere citizen is unable to raise his or her own status in comparison with a corrupted citizen. As previously, our society was patriarchal or male-dominated, women were not given a chance to raise their voice against corruption. Though a small number of Indian women like Laxmi Bai, Sarojini Naidu, Captain Laxmi Sehgal, etc. who were exceptional Indian ladies in the past, now in ultramodern net society most of the qualified Indian ladies are now at the zenith of success in every work field, who are superseding their male counterparts except in the field of reformation. So a golden period has come now for women to abolish the patriarchal domination after all. They are now backed by the Women's Empowerment project. Once Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Give a good mother, I can give a good nation." A woman is more powerful than a man despite their delicate physical structure. Moreover, firstly a house, secondly a village, thirdly a district, fourthly a state, fifthly a country is formed. The root of all these activities is a woman. If there were no woman, no human society could have come into existence in the world. Above all, I am an Indian woman under a chaotic democratic regime I would like to motivate every housewife of Nuagaon towards reformative activities on a tentative basis. Also, I may suggest both educated and non-educated women about something for the eradication of corruption and sadism in our democratic society." There was a pause in the speech as Ms. Rina, the strong-willed Sarpanch liked to take a glass of water for clearance of her throat. Here it may be cited that Ms. Rina was not a mere graduate lady. She also bore a good moral character. Besides, she was a sports champion and a good martial artist as well as a benevolent social servant wherefore all the villagers were loving her cordially.

 

After taking a glass of water, Ms. Rina addressed the villagers, "My dear villagers, I am going to establish a training institute for women in our village. I have also requested our Chief Minister through BDO and Women's Empowerment Committee in this regard. The Institute will impart martial arts training and other gymnastics cost-free. It must be compulsory training for all age groups, even including housewives. The headman of the village and each family must be aware of the fact that unless village women are not trained in this line, the sadism cannot be uprooted. Male domination mentality and underestimation for women must be subdued at any cost. So I seek your opinion whether you are agreed with my proposition. If any one of you has objection may raise their hands up." The suggestion of Ms. Rina, the Sarpanch, was accepted by all as no one raised their hand. The way was clear for Rina to put this benevolent deed into action. Then the meeting was over with a big round of applause. Headman of the village and family heads were very glad. They appreciated Ms. Rina for a positive step taken by her for women's welfare and empowerment. Secretary and president of the SHG group also praised her by clapping their hands. Then the meeting of Youth Club was over after a snack and tea intake. The Senior citizen group of the village garlanded her besides presenting a bouquet to her. All returned homes after that.

 

Time passed on. Construction work of the institute was on. After six months, the training institute was inaugurated by the Chief Minister. He was happy and gracious towards the initiative taken by the Sarpanch. Moreover, the CM donated 10 lakh rupees to the Women's Welfare Fund of the village. Gradually, most of the village women acquired physical fitness to tackle any obstacle on their way of progress. Neighboring village women were also motivated and got admitted to the institute. By the by, a decade completed. By virtue of God's mercy, the village, Naugaon, became prominent through media. People knew about the noble deed of Ms. Rina. The day came when the ruffians and county rapists were terribly afraid of moving inside the village, Naugaon, during the festival seasons.