Words From the Wise.

During the same EG monthly training in the Jalore district I also had the pleasure of meeting Gomati, a village elder who regularly attends these sessions. I was drawn to her instantly. Her powerful aura and keen interest was about all I could interpret from the long string of Hindi words she spoke in between the training. The woman’s skin was dark and weathered with her dress draped, and the bangles and earrings she wore were equally worn down. But she was strong in her words and her presence, which I found inspiring, and I wanted to talk with her. When the training was finished, Deepmala and I sat with her for introductions. Gomati is n elderly, widowed woman with 3 daughters and 1 son, all of which are grown and have their own children. As a child she was never enrolled in school, or has had any formal education. Her children went to school, but only completed up to the 5^th standard.

At the moment Gomati is struggling and is worried about her financial status since becoming a widow. She performs odd jobs around her village to make ends meet. The small pay she lives on provides for her food, home, and daily life. Although this is a difficult time for her, she continues to travel to surrounding villages for other meetings and trainings. Her determination is strong; as though she has waited her entire life for this type of involvement and change. It has been a meaningful experience because it has given me a view of my own access to education and ambition in higher education. I grew up, a young girl attending primary school and all the way into high school, with no problem and no one to tell me I couldn’t go. In a way, its as though my struggles in university (and there have been some) are almost mundane against the passion and commitment that Gomati has brought into light. At the same time, I feel as though we have similar interests and that is why I was drawn to speak with her. We both value education and what benefits it would bring for young girls and we both want to learn how we can support and contribute marginalized communities. We have different lives and different backgrounds, our cultures are thousands of miles apart and completely different, but our interests seemed to go along together. We both had an understanding of why each of us was there.

Now that Gomati is alone, her husband has expired and her children are living their own lives, she has taken it upon herself to become involved in the social issues of her community, village, and of Rajasthan. She attends many meetings in other districts to become informed and to inform others. As her life is coming to a close Gomati wants to be able to do some good by participating in social matters, especially that of women’s education and empowerment. She sees the trainings and meetings as a way to become educated. An education she never had. With this new knowledge she has conversations and dialogue with other women and young girls that live in her village. I could see that education to her was precious and valuable. Even though Gomati has never had a formal education, she is taking it upon herself to support and advocate for girls to have what she didn’t. It is this type of women’s peace-building which is engaging and self-sustaining that will move us into improving women’s education in India, as well as around the globe. When a woman, such as Gomati, can realize her commitment and ability to advocate, she brings acknowledgement to the issue and that the cause is worth fighting for.