Seeds of Change: The Quiet Rural Revolution by Chandrawati Devi
In the heart of rural India lies the quaint village of Nigai, where the landscape gently rolls like time and merges into the daily rhythm of subsistence farming on terraced fields. In this picturesque land lives Chandrawati Devi. A mother of 4, Chandrawati’s days are filled with finding the right balance between the weight of household chores and the labor-intensive work of tending to the land alongside her husband, Bhagwan Singh.
Chandrawti’s life was an easy fit in the mold of life patterns common in this region — working for a noble job like farming to keep the family afloat, but there was no room or space to dream for a safe and bright future. Like every other woman in her village, Chandrawati ran the household with grace and gratitude, but deep inside, there was a longing for something more — Education, economic stability, an idea of independence for herself and her family.
Then, about a year ago, almost as if destiny decided to intervene, life took an unexpected turn. Development Alternatives (DA), a social enterprise with its partner LIC-HFL, working in the neighboring village of Dumur introduced the revolutionary idea of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) — a small, safe and empowering space under their project HRIDAY where women gather to pool savings, access credit, create a support system for one another and most important create their own future. The hint that a woman could steer and change the course of her life? That was a profound shift for women like Chandrawati. A new kind of freedom.
Inspired by the promise of a brighter future and financial freedom, Chandrawati seized the moment. She did not just join the initiative rather took the lead. In no time, she was at the helm of Nigai’s own SHG, becoming a leader by instinct and necessity. This group started meeting monthly to save small amounts of money, discuss community issues and explore new methods of generating income. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, a huge change occurred not just in Chandrawati but in the women around her.?
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Soon, under DA’s guidance, the group ventured into vermicomposting. This new endeavor wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was definitely transformative. The project, while modest, proved to be a financial success. In just a couple of months, these women with their efforts made ?110,000 by turning organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. It was a quiet triumph, but in the context of these women’s lives, it was humongous.
Seeing the seismic success of this project, Chandrawati, ever the visionary, decided to expand into goat farming, seeking a diverse way to increase the group’s income while walking towards a future she could scarcely have imagined before.
Today, Chandrawati serves as the secretary of the Jagrook Self-Help Group. But her role goes beyond regular bookkeeping. Being the heart and soul of this movement, she manages the group’s operations, savings, and ongoing projects. Chandrawati gives the entire credit of this transformative Hriday Project by Development Alternatives and LIC-HFL, thanking them for providing essential training, teaching the value of saving and being the support that catalyzed this transformation. But make no mistake, this is solely Chandrawati’s story—a story of reclamation, of self-determination, and of a quiet, relentless revolution. This is a story of what is possible when women in villages like Nigai come together to take control of their own destinies.
In the end, Chandrawati Devi’s story is not just a story of one woman. Rather it mirrors the struggle and resilience of countless rural Indian women who have decided to leave behind the shadows of poverty and rise from the margins. It’s the story of an entire community creating waves of empowerment —? one savings pool, one vermicompost pile, one goat at a time