Mumbai: Don’t let their humble appearances and soft-spoken personalities fool you. There is more to these women than just their looks!

Responsible for forcibly shutting down 58 bars and over 38 alcohol dens in various regions of the Yavatmal district, these 14 women, acknowledged as ‘durgas’ in their village are living examples of will and strength.

After witnessing her cousin’s husband attempting to sell her in the local market, Gopibai Harirathod of Dabadi in Yavatmal decided to fight back.

“I had to take up cudgels against my cousin’s alcoholic husband, who tried sell her so he could use the money to buy country liquor. Then I decided to extend my fight to free my village from this scourge which afflicted almost all homes in our area,” Harirathod said.
Claiming that alcohol runs in the veins of teenagers, who have not even had their first shave, Harirathod, with the proactive support of 13 other women from nearby hamlets, formed a team under the name ‘Daru-bandi Mohim’ (anti-alcohol movement), to tackle the problems arising from the country liquor bars mushrooming in the district.

“Things have not been smooth for us. We have been threatened, verbally abused, assaulted and at times there have even been attempts to kidnap us, but nothing can make us drift from our path,” Pramila Bhikushahare, a member said.

Regretting that only one man backed the cause and struggle these women were espousing, members of the group said that the State government needs to provide protection for these women during their campaign against armed men.

Neither expecting nor pining for any award or recognition, the women of the ‘Daru-bandi Mohim’ from Yavatmal voiced that the smile on the faces of the women in the district, no longer troubled and forced to sleep in hunger, by their drunk husbands and sons, is their winning certificate.
“We were awarded Rs 30, 000 by Minister for Cooperation Harshwardhan Patil in Pune recently, where we requested him to promote such programmes in other parts of the State as well,” Harirathod said.