Empower Women to Sustain Eco-Systems

Mukti Datta decided to devote her life to social causes, particularly those related to empowerment of women and underprivileged, in the backward district of Kumaon.
Passion, they say, can move mountains. And in this case, it did. In 1986, a 23-year-old lady from Binsar in Uttar Pradesh (now part of Uttarakhand) wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi urging him to take a personal interest in preserving forests and wildlife in the region, which was under threat from timber mafia and poachers. Impressed by the initiative taken by her, the Prime Minister responded to the letter personally, encouraging her to continue her campaign for preservation of unique bio-diversity in Binsar.
The young lady was Mukti Datta and Rajiv Gandhi’s intervention came as a big boost for her crusade to radically improve the situation in Binsar. Datta launched a massive signature campaign to press for her demands and got overwhelming support from inhabitants of the region and the wildlife conservation lobby. To lead the initiative, she founded an NGO, Jan Jagaran Samiti (Society for the Empowerment of the Population), in 1987.
The objective was to involve local population, particularly villagers in Binsar in her initiatives. Support came from the government slowly and in 1988, Jan Jagaran Samiti was given a grant of Rs. 8 lakhs for reforestation in Binsar. Her efforts were finally rewarded the following year; Binsar was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1989.
This was also a personal turning point for Datta. Says Datta: “One day, I saw a big party of hunters with the carcass of a deer. All the hunters were forest department officials. I was appalled and decided not to go to Oxford for further studies as I had planned, but, instead, work for saving the Binsar forest.” Datta’s Jan Jagaran Samiti slowly expanded its scope of activities. One of its major projects was the establishment of a Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre in Almora’s Baldhoti district in 1989. Moved by the plight of lepers in Almora, Datta approached the district administration with a proposal to improve their economic condition. She asked the authorities for land to set up a centre where lepers would be provided food and shelter and training at spinning and weaving tweeds.
The centre, which initially started with about 20 leprosy patients, today houses 60. And it has made a difference to the lives of the inmates; many have even married other patients and started families. Their children, too, are being looked after. Says Rajendra Arya, Manager, Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre, “The children of patients go to private English schools, and the expenses are borne by Jan Jagaran Samiti.” Little wonder then that Datta is worshipped by the inmates who are full of stories of her generosity and big heart.
An inmate says, “She is like God for us,” while another tells you how Datta always helps them when they need money for treatment or for the marriages of their children.
But the most ambitious project undertaken by Jan Jagaran Samiti is the one to empower women of Kumaon by imparting vocational skills in production of woven and knitted products. Datta, during her interactions with numerous local tribes, discovered that the Bhotiyas, based in and around Munsiyari, a small town near Tibetan border, had a cottage industry in weaving.
Bhotiya women were skilled at weaving pashmina shawls, wool fabrics, carpets and blankets. Women in Binsar, by contrast, depended on subsistence agriculture and animal husbandry for their living. Says Datta: “Women in the hills lead narrow, closed and oppressed lives. They are also often victims of domestic violence. I was wondering how I could do something that would enable them to earn a better livelihood and also empower them socially.”
Jan Jagaran Samiti started work on a project to impart training in spinning and weaving with the help of the Bhotiya tribeswomen. Dena Kaye, daughter of Hollywood star Danny Kaye pledged $1 million to the Samiti in 1998 and it was used by Datta over the next few years to set up Panchachuli Women Weavers’ Cooperative, which would transform lives of hundreds of women in Kumaon district. Datta got skilled weavers from Munsiyari to train women around Binsar.
Groups of 20-30 women trainees were formed in 30 villages. Village houses were rented as training centres and raw material was procured in bulk. Local carpenters made looms and spinning wheels using traditional designs and soon, the training programme was on in full swing.
The two production centres she set up can accommodate a workforce of about 600, and the merchandise was (and is) marketed under the Panchachuli brand name. Says Datta: “Panchachuli is a recognised brand name now and stands for women’s empowerment.”
Panchachuli products are now being sold through four retail outlets in Almora, Nainital and Mussoorie. They are also being exported to Europe and the US, and the cooperative has held successful exhibitions in Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur and other North Indian cities.
The project, which started with three women, now employs more than 700 women. Panchachuli has also become a self-sufficient project and funding from Kaye stopped completely in 2005.
Says Padma Shri Lalit Pande, Director of Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi, a local NGO: “Datta is a go-getter and that’s why she can get things done.” And a go-getter with passion gets things done faster and better. And that, in a nutshell, sums up Datta.

– Courtesy: Rishi Joshi for Business Today