Yeh Sab Likha Kaha Hai? When Women Echo the Constitution

In the Udera village of Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, the nights did not bring sleep for women - it brought struggles. Past midnight, the women had to travel in the night, for kilometers, balancing pots on their heads for fetching water - a necessity but still unavailable for these women. On paper, the Nal Jal Yojna promised water; in reality, it delivered only exhaustion.

Applications to fix the problem piled up, but officials ignored them. Silence became the only answer until Suhaniya didi decided to act.

A training with We, The People Abhiyan, in collaboration with PRADAN, had given her a new tool: the Constitution. For the first time, she read the Constitution, understood Fundamental Rights, and realized that dignity, equality, and fraternity were not just words - they were tools. There, she also learned to write effective applications. 

After the training, with eight other women, Suhaniya didi began their first fight for water. 

Aware of the unanswered applications, they took a different approach this time. They started surveying how far the women had to walk, counted working and non-working wells and taps, and measured the gap between what was promised and what was delivered. Then, together they drafted an application - not just words, but words backed by the copy of the Constitution, attaching Article 21: Protection of life and personal liberty. 

When they reached the PSC (Public Service Commission) office, the officer looked at their file and said with surprise,

 “Yeh kaha se seekh ke aaye ho? Mahilaye to badi jagrook ho gayi hain!”

"Where did you learn all this from? The women have become very aware!"

The women didn’t stop there. They also demanded a receiving with a date. The result was immediate. The very next day, surveyors arrived, and within days, repairs began. New taps appeared where they had asked. The same villagers who once doubted them now saw their strength. They were impressed with their determination. 

For Suhaniya didi, the victory was more than water. It was proof of collective action and of the Constitution’s power. “Ek saath kaam karne se vibhaagon par prabhav padta hai” “Working together creates an impact on the departments” she now says with pride.

Inspired by this incident, Suhaniya didi began extending her knowledge to other women. She started training them, introducing the Constitution not as a distant book but as something that shaped their everyday lives. She would visit homes, speak with women and their families, build trust, and gradually open conversations on deeper social concerns. Later, when she became a part of the Dignity Fellowship with Jan Sahas, she began challenging injustices tied to gender and caste. 

Why were widows shunned while widowers remarried freely? Why did caste dictate who could eat together - even within communities? These questions became her way of unsettling the silence and linking everyday struggles back to the promises of equality in the Constitution.

Each time, she pointed to the Constitution and asked, 

 “Yeh sab likha kahan hai?”

"Where is all this written?"

Till now, Suhaniya didi has trained over 6,000 women, building a personal connection with each one of them. Her journey was not without resistance - people whispered behind her back, accusing her of misleading women and breaking caste structures. But she persisted, knowing that change takes time and courage. What kept her going was her faith in the Constitution and the trust she built through her actions. By linking rights to daily struggles, she showed how policies could bring real change. The Nal Jal Yojna became her strongest example, proof that collective action, backed by constitutional rights, could deliver results. 

Today, she continues to train women, using every session to spark conversations on rights, policies, and the Constitution. People keep approaching her for help, and she leaves no stone unturned in supporting them and living every day by the very values she teaches.

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.