Woman farmer’s inspiring struggle

INDORE: She drives a tractor on her farm, transports her milk produce on a motorbike to the market and has even managed the responsibility of heading Mandi Board. Hailing from village Aani, about 20 kilometres from Dhar, Gulab Bai Jat is no ordinary woman.
Daughter of a farmer, she had to drop out of school after completing eighth standard due to her father’s deteriorating health.A single, motherless child with no other family member to look up to for support, she started managing and looking after her father’s agricultural practices at a tender age when all her friends were busy playing and enjoying their childhood.
“It was not difficult for me to understand farming practices as I was born into a farming family. But when I manually handled tasks such as sowing seeds and arranging electricity to drive motor pumps for irrigation, it was a completely different experience,” she said.
After getting married, she lived with her husband’s family for about eight years, but then came back to her maternal home, as her father’s health was declining day by day. “I received no support from my husband’s family, who on the contrary, wanted me to sell off my father’s farmland to obtain some dowry. However, I stuck to my decision and even took my three children with me,” she said.
She worked day and night to fulfill all her responsibilities as a farmer, daughter and a mother. “Every day, I had to get up at four in the morning, and finish all my household chores in advance to be prepared for an exhausting day of farm work. I would often be looked down by people for doing masculine tasks like driving a tractor or negotiating loans; but I had no choice,” she said.
Starting from the scratch, today she is the proud owner of two houses, a tractor, motorbike and a flourishing agricultural business. “If I would have received all the support without facing any adversities, I would not have become who I am today. Women should never give up, even during the most difficult times in their lives,” she said.
Deependra Sharma, a social worker from Dhar said, “I was really impressed by her confidence, integrity and her powerful work, which is a source of inspiration for people”.
He said that women such as Gulab Bai become female role models who might not be very popular or awarded, but want to give out a positive message to their community.