Jaipur:
Santosh Bai, a member of the most vulnerable of Sahariya tribal community of Balada in Baran tehsil of Rajasthan, was amongst the 11 women who received the WWSF Prize 2010 for Women's Creativity in Rural Life.
She was recently honoured at a function held to commemorate the 50th year of panchayati raj by a local NGO.
The WWSF award is been conferred by Women World Summit Foundation (WWSF) organisation and International Empowerment Network for Women each year since 1994.
WWSF organisation is based in Geneva at Switzerland.
Bai, 35, an outstanding tribal woman among the most deprived and disadvantage community, committed herself to end harmful myths and practices, poverty and discrimination against women.
She was the first woman who protested the custom and started wearing slippers and also challenged the guts of male members who stopped her.
She boldly demanded that when male members start carrying shoes with their hands while passing a temple or bungalow only then she will accept their custom and follow the same.
Bai depended upon the limited minor forest produces for livelihood. She was married at the age of 15 and has two sons. Later when her husband died, she started taking part in the development activities in the village. She joined Swachh Sanitation Project (a local village group) and started working as a volunteer.
Slowly, she became one of the important organiser of the whole tehsil and has given back the pride to the downtrodden. She also participated in various training workshop organised by a local NGO -- CECOEDECON -- within the area. On being insisted by villagers, Santosh contested in the election and was appointed as a sarpanch from Balada panchayat.
There were some elected representatives in the gram panchayat who did not want her as an active sarpanch. Other elected and corrupted representatives were interested in saving money from development fund but Bai strictly protested.
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