Strength.

Left: An elderly tribal woman hoeing a new plot of land near the Kabini Backwater.

A few weeks ago, our group traveled to each SVYM project site. As we drove along the red dirt road, past farmland and through little villages, the role of women in farming livelihood became increasingly apparent. Here, the plow is considered to be sacred – and women, being impure, are not allowed to use the plow. Therefore, all of the backbreaking farm labor is left to women – picking stones, hoeing, weeding the fields, planting the crops – in addition to preparing and bringing food and water to their men in the fields. 

The strength of women, physically, mentally and spiritually, is incredible. While men sit around town and adolescent boys play cricket, women are nowhere to be seen. They are the invisible backbone of society, whose silent productivity allows their men to live the lives they do.