Guest Contributor

From beedi workers in Madhya Pradesh to tea garden labourers in Bengal and fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu, three grassroots leaders are helping women reclaim dignity, rights, and safety at work.

Development Alternatives’ Urja Mandala empowers rural women to manage solar mini-grids, create jobs, cut 100 tonnes of CO2 yearly, & drive climate action.

Bandana Jain fell in love with cardboard in art school. Today, from her Vasai studio, she sculpts life-sized installations from discarded boxes — and trains rural women to turn waste into art, income, and dignity.

When tragedy struck Pahalgam, 16-year-old Rubeena — lovingly called Kashmir’s ‘Rabbit Girl’ — opened her heart and home to frightened tourists. With courage beyond her years, she helped strangers find safety, offering quiet kindness in a time of fear.

Manohari Doss, Prabha Yadav, and Kalavapalli Lavannya are leading powerful grassroots movements to advance Dalit women’s rights, dignity, and leadership across India.

Rupesh Chopdekar's home biogas plant has a capacity of 2 cubic metres and costs Rs 65,000, with a subsidy covering nearly half the cost. The plant can process about 5 kg of kitchen waste daily, generating up to two hours of cooking gas.

In Aldona, Goa, 66-year-old Krishna Kerkar has spent 45 years rearing cows and farming, upholding a century-old family legacy. Though he earns no profit, spends Rs 20,000 monthly on fodder, and battles back pain, his bond with the animals he calls family remains unshaken.

Led by 22-year-old Musadiq Bashir, Kashmir Youth Courage has mobilised over 600 young volunteers to rescue, rehabilitate, and restore dignity to the abandoned.

Blood transcends all divisions — race, religion, caste, or creed. When a life is at stake, these differences disappear, Mario points out.

Kifayatullah Malik knows the pain of nearly losing his education. Now, at 25, he’s helping tribal children overcome the same struggles — ensuring they stay in school despite financial difficulties. His inspiring efforts won him the President’s Award, but his true victory lies in changing lives, one child at a time.