User:SomnolentAlert/Rajkumari Devi (Kisan Chachi)

Rajkumari Devi (born 1958), also known as "Kisan Chachi"   ("Farmer Aunty")  or "Cycle Chachi"  ("Cycle Aunty")  , is an Indian women rights activist and a rural entrepreneur. She is known for mobilizing women in rural Bihar to form self help groups focusing on sustainable agriculture, organic farming and food processing.

Early Life
Rajkumari Devi comes from an agricultural family in Anandpur village in the district of Muzaffarpur. She got married in 1974 to Avdesh Kumar Choudhary even before finishing her matriculation. Soon after the marriage, her father-in-law divided the land among his sons and the only land which was tillable that fell in her husband's share was mere 2.5 bigha s, which was not enough to sustain their livelihood. Avdesh, who was a farmer by profession, used to cultivate tobacco on his land but it made their farmland more prone to police raids. Being a woman, there was also a lot of resistance from her family when she went to the fields to give a helping hand to her husband.

Entrepreneurship
Not being able to sustain their living on the small piece of land, she persuaded her husband to leave tobacco farming and diversify in order to optimize the produce from their reduced plot of land. She then planted a variety of vegetables, fruit trees and shrubs on the plot and was delighted to find that it flourished. She also learnt the techniques of sustainable agriculture from Rajendra Agricultural University and applied it further on their land.

In this bountiful produce, Rajkumari saw a brilliant opportunity - to convert these into products for the local market. Using her existing knowledge of making 'murabbas' ( jams and jellies) and pickles, she turned out a variety of these and supplied them to the markets of big towns like Muzaffarpur and Hajipur. The work grew slowly and Rajkumari was glad to involve other women in the community who were drawn to her work. As sales picked up, proﬁts grew, contributing substantially to the family income - it became obvious that an alternate source of earning had opened up, the lives of women were opening up and a quiet process of empowerment was taking root.

Bracing in her new-found area of work, Rajkumari was lucky enough to ride a bicycle going round in the village, meeting people, talking animatedly about her work and motivating them. She earned the respect of all and began to be affectionately called "Kisan Chachi", an inspirational figure who through her love of labour had not only created a flourishing enterprise but had immense knowledge of diverse aspects of cultivation.

The enterprising woman now produces 23 varieties of jams, pickles, sauces, murabbas, chutneys and pastes under the ‘Kisan Chachi’ brand name, given to her by the community. As her products are free from chemical fertilizers, they are popular in village haats and bazaars in States such as Gujarat and metros including Delhi and Mumbai.

Around 360 women were motivated to take up this work and are now organised into 10 self-help groups across villages in Saraiya. Not only are they contributing towards savings within their group but have also branched out into other areas such as bee-keeping, fish cultivation and animal husbandry.

Women empowerment
In an interview in programme Stree Shakti on DD National she described problems she faced as a woman in rural India. Even a short trip to the market, with her head covered demurely in a 'pallu' would invite disapproval from people in the village. She was after all only a 'bahu' married young, they remained confined to household chores, to looking after children, husband and elders in their marital home -having no voice within their families, or significant roles within the community. An independent identity, in any sphere of life, social, economic or political was inconceivable. Societal norms were deeply etched preventing women from exploring any avenues for their growth in any area outside their home. "I used to see that women worked in the fields only as laborer. They were unaware of any farming techniques. They used to work on the direction of men. This is when i thought that if we women, work so hard in the fields, why not learn superior farming techniques and then practice. I decided to first learn the technique and at the same time encourage other women to do the same."Inspired village women across Saraiya have got together in groups of 10 and formed around 36 SHGs that are working on integrated farming and agri-business. They get the capital to run their farms from bank loans and government support that comes in the form of the Swarna Jayanti Swayam Rozgar Yojna.

She has been participating in agriculture fairs across India sharing her experiences and mobilizing women in rural India.

Awards and Recognitions
Rajkumari Devi was conferred "Kisan Shri Award" by the state government of Bihar that carried a cash prize of Rupees One Lakh (about US $1500) in 2006.

She was applauded by Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, In 2010, for mobilizing women groups in the region.Her efforts were praised by Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat  during the Handicraft and cottage industries fair ,2013, in Ahmedabad.