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Usha Narayane, an low-caste born Indian, is a social activist who led a community-wide movement to end the oppression from a rapist terrorizing her neighborhood.

Born in 1979, Narayane grew up as an untouchable at the very bottom of India’s caste system. Narayane was raised in Kasturba Nagar, a slum neighborhood in the city of Nagpur. In her community, it was extremely rare for women to have access to education. Narayane’s family and community, however, had high hopes for her future. She chose not to marry, instead focusing on work and study. Narayane’s parents, Madhukar and Alka Narayane, provided her with an opportunity for success that very few had by sending her and her siblings through college. Narayane worked her way up and ended up getting a college diploma for hotel management. Because of her family’s rare access to education, many were wary of attempting to harm them, despite the fact that they were living in a slum with groups notorious for attacking whole communities. This includes Akku Yadav, a rapist within her slum that had been terrorizing its inhabitants to establish dominance for more than 15 years. When visiting her slum on a vacation after moving out for a job in hotel management, Narayane witnessed Yadav harassing her neighbors and was threatened that if she went to the police, Yadav would harm her. Bravely, she chose to go anyway. The situation quickly escalated and Yadav showed up at Narayane’s house, threatening to burn her with acid and then rape and kill her. Definitely, Narayane turned on her gas and grabbed a match, suggesting that she would blow up Yadav and his gang if they entered her home. Her neighbors, inspired by Narayane’s extreme bravery, gathered and burned down Yadav’s house. He ended up turning himself in to the police for protection. Narayane was one of the first to stand up to Yadav, and soon, her entire community stood with her to end his reign. Many women and families were furious with their police’s ignorance towards Yadav’s crimes and dismissal of their claims. Narayane, along with a mob of 200 other women, killed Yadav on his way to the courthouse, frustrated with their police system’s inability to stop his terrorization.

Like stated above, Narayane and her community had high hopes for her future as a hotel manager. She has what seemed to be a very successful life ahead of her. However, facing Yadav meant sacrificing that future to make a change. Now, freed from prison on bail, Narayane’s future as a hotel manager wavers and she has taken on the role of a social activist. She helps slum dwellers to make food and clothing that’ll support them financially while navigating the poverty that many in their community face.

Narayane is featured in Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, which touches on the stories of many remarkable female activists who faced oppression and fought against it to make a change within their developing countries.

https://www.giraffe.org/usha-narayane

https://mnsfoundation.org/leader/usha-narayna/