Though our society may promote a regressive thought that women are weak and vulnerable, here at IFORHER, we bring the most inspiring stories that show how courage and strength know no gender. Our brave and courageous women are shattering the gender roles to show the world our real potential. And, one such inspiring woman is Jyoti Deshmukh.
Maharashtra’s Jyoti Deshmukh, who lives in a remote village in Akola, is a real-life example of courage, determination, and hope. She lost her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law to suicide. All these three men were farmers, who worked on a 29-acre land to support their family members. But, the lockdown hit the family really hard. Due to lockdown and its financial stress, the 3 men lost hope and died by suicide.
As per the report by BBC, after their death, the rest of the family members and especially the society tried to convince her to sell off the land. But Jyoti refused to listen to the negative voices. Rather, she gathered all her courage and strength to support her family. What she did next made her a real hero not only in the eyes of her family but also of the society.
She decided to farm the land herself.
But, her battle to support her family has been anything but easy. During the earlier days, when Jyoti asked other villagers, who have a tractor to help her in farming. But no-one showed up. She didn’t lose her hope because of it. Rather, she made up her mind to buy a tractor herself and that’s what she did!
While sharing her inspiring story with the BBC, she mentioned:
“I was told that a woman can’t do farming and I shouldn’t do farming either. People urged me to sell the land and stay at home. I was told that women of the Deshmukh household don’t do farming. I was made fun of and had to hear several other things. But I never paid attention to their words.”
Jyoti learned everything about farming herself, without anyone’s help, and proved that a woman can pursue farming if she wants to. Now through her inspiring story, she is urging women in her village to do things that they like and not pay attention to what society has to say. She further adds:
“No matter what we do, how we live, society will always have something awful to say. It’s best to not pay attention to them and focus on our work, our principles instead.”
ज्योति के पति, ससुर और देवर ने आत्महत्या कर ली. लेकिन ज्योति ने हिम्मत नहीं हारी और अकेले दम पर खेती कर अपने परिवार को संभाला.
रिपोर्टः श्रीकांत बांगले
कैमराः गणेश वासलकर
वीडियो एडिटः राहुल रणसुबे pic.twitter.com/oo5gHwlxut— BBC News Hindi (@BBCHindi) September 4, 2020
In her inspiring interview, she did mention how farming taught her to be fearless. Though earlier she was afraid of everyone, she mentioned how after working in the field, she isn’t afraid anymore.
At IFORHER, we are in awe of Jyoti Deshmukh, whose story is an inspiration for millions of women whom society tries to control. We hope many more would shatter the social norms and pursue their dreams. We salute her and her courage!