Faced with problems of shelter, denied property rights, excluded from social functions and sexually exploited, more than 33,000,000 widows and single women (those who have been divorced or abandoned) in India face immense problems of survival.

In Rajasthan, however, the Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan, facilitated by Astha Sansthan of Udaipur, has demonstrated that no single woman need feel vulnerable or alone any more. With a collective strength of 20,164 members and still growing, the Sangathan women have smashed social taboos such as viewing the single woman as inauspicious. This is often done through symbolic acts and advocacy. In the case of the widow Kamal Patik, her ‘alternative family’ draped a red chundari around her and put a bindi on her forehead as she celebrated her son’s nuptials in defiance of her in-laws.

Exploitation is manifested as superstition and the women are often ostracized as they are referred to as ‘witches’. However, Ekal Nari counters this with the threat of using Section 499 of the Indian Penal code, which deals with defamation of character. Economic security is assured by enabling the women to access land rights, pensions and subsidized grains through knowledge of the law and government schemes.

The Sangathan works at two levels. The Block Level Committee is the frontline of the organization. Meetings are held every month where problems are taken up and new members enrolled at Rs 11 for life membership. The State Level Committee works on issues of advocacy – lobbying with the government to initiate schemes, change laws and influence policies, like successfully persuading the state government to allot drought-relief work to low-income single women. Eight thousand copies of the government order were printed and given to the women to counter male dominance.

Along wit h its training and advocacy efforts, Astha Sansthan firmly believes that its guiding principle is of building up leadership from wit hin. And to keep the movement growing, these foot-soldiers of Rajasthan also train single women in Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

A grant of Rs 6.00 million was sanctioned in 2006-2007, from the RD Tata Trust, for three years.