Deepmala: Change Begins With a Question

“If what you are doing is right, then write it down and give it to the police.Tell them that this practice of ours is justified”

Twelve years ago, Deepmala stood in the sarpanch’s courtyard in Ranipur and said exactly that. The sarpanch was a woman, but everyone knew the real power lay with her husband, a policeman. Inside their home, they had built a pit latrine that was emptied manually by someone else, because the women of that household were not allowed to step outside. During a meeting held in their courtyard, Deepmala discovered this practice and that her own mausi was being forced to clean that latrine. She protested but the sarpanch accused her of creating unnecessary trouble. But Deepmala stood her ground. She demanded to put this in writing and hading it over to the police. The sarpanch’s family though affected, dismissed her word and their son threatened her, warning her never to return to the village. 

However, this struggle was not new to Deepmala. She was born in Mohammadabad, Gazipur into a community that was forced for generations into manual scavenging - cleaning human waste with bare hands, without dignity or decent pay. She remembers herself questioning this practice, since she was child. She would wonder, “Why only us? Why this work? Why must we always be untouchable?”

These questions paved her path and eventually brought her to the courtyard, where she asked a question no one had asked before.

But this time, it came with a change. 

Two months later, Deepmala found out that the toilet was rebuilt, so that no one had to clean it by hand. It was a small structure, but the change it represented was larger than bricks. The incident strengthened her courage. She began questioning people further - talking to them and listening to their perspectives. Many resisted, saying, “If we stop, what will we feed our children?” But she persisted, “If others can survive through different work, why should our children inherit this?”

Her fight against caste discrimination led her to other problems as well. She soon realized how deeply caste and gender were entangled. In her basti, girls were not allowed to cross the chauraha, the main village square. Families feared harassment, abduction, and shame. Even girls with degrees often could not read a paragraph; education was just a ticket to marriage, not independence. Deepmala used her own story to challenge this mindset - how her father had sent her all the way to Allahabad to study. If she could, why not others? The contrast made people pause and reflect on her questions.

Deepmala’s determination planted a seed of change in people’s minds. Families began to declare that they would be the last generation to do scavenging. Their children would not inherit this life. Girls, once hidden away, started stepping out. Today, from her basti where daughters were once confined, girls are studying in Banaras, Lucknow, and Allahabad. They are enrolling in colleges, preparing for competitive exams, and dreaming of futures their mothers could never imagine. 

Deepmala’s work grew beyond her own community. Today she works with Global Champions for Dalit Women. Earlier, she has worked independently and with different groups. During her time as a Disom Fellow, she attended a Capacity Building training We The People Abhiyan, where she learned to turn conversations into structured discussions using training modules and explaining constitutional rights in ways people could understand.  These tools amplified her impact. With young people, she also started an Ambedkar Social Café - a space for debate, learning, and imagining equality.

The story of change in her community is not simple or linear. It is a loop of threats and courage, resistance and hope, slow progress and sudden breakthroughs. Sometimes her own people opposed her. Sometimes organizations refused to support her. But she held on to one belief: change is possible.

And that change begins with a question.It grows with courage.And it survives in the belief that dignity is not a dream-  it is a right.

The above story has been written and published with the explicit consent of the individual involved. All facts presented are based on WTPA's direct interaction with the individual, ensuring accuracy and integrity in our reporting.