26th May, Udaipur: Our caravan has been blessed. Several mahila sarpanch (women village leaders) participated in our public meeting in Udaipur today and left us feeling validated and encouraged. Their message had conviction and confidence that comes with experience. Each of these women shared their respective ‘kitchen to the panchayat hall’ journeys. ‘It is difficult in the beginning. There is stiff opposition. We faced it too. Take the support you get. If you do not, just hang in there. Women and men need to show solidarity beyond their caste, religion and class and make the Women Reservation Bill a reality’, said one of them.

Another woman leader punched holes in the argument about educated-versus-uneducated women coming to power. Holding a political position is about moral responsibility to social consciousness, she claimed, which does come necessarily come with degrees. However, it is crucial that every woman is educated and that educated women (and men) come to hold important positions.

In the blazing heat of Rajasthan, 150-odd women came to attend our Udaipur meeting from Sehore and other neighbouring villages. We are grateful for the moral you left us with: persistence and solidarity.