Two women from the lowest rung of India’s society are carrying the torch of courage despite insurmountable obstacles coming in their way right from childhood.

Mind you, these are not fictional stories from Bollywood – these are real stories of a couple of very courageous women.

The first story is of Girija Devi from the untouchable community of Musahar from the backward state of Bihar. This community is so poor that their diet sometimes includes rats. This community comprises of over one and a quarter million, with 99% illiteracy rate and 98% of them are landless. They are unemployed for about eight months in a year. Alcoholism is rampant among the men in this community, who squander over half their meager earnings on cheap liquor. The men would come home and physically abuse their wives! Girija Devi had enough of it. She led by example and converted her husband to a non-alcoholic. She had the moral courage to spread her message to rest of her village, and then eventually she converted 125 surrounding villages to alcohol-free villages. She led a group of local women and demolished toddy pots hanging on the trees, and local liquor shops.

Girija Devi did not stop with combating alcoholism alone. She became a social activist and pushed for roads, schools, teachers and doctors in the villages. Her village has a primary school, a brick-road, drinking water-supply, and government-built homes. She is still not finished her vision yet. Her aspirations include a high school, better health care and jobs.

She has been asked to speak at UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affair’s meeting in NY. She believes that there should be total prohibition in the world. Watch out Hillary!

The second story is even more inspiring, and the woman more courageous. Nicholos D. Kristoff of New York Times wrote an amazing story of Usha Narayane from a slum in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Yakku Yadav, a local thug ruled over a slum for a long, long time. He disparately stole, murdered and raped and no one spoke up, not even the police. But Yakku Yadav’s gang did not torment one family because one father sent all his children to college, unlike all other children in the slum. One of the five children was Usha Narayane. Once, Yakku Yadav attacked Usha’s next door neighbor. Usha was warned not to contact the police, but she courageously did so. The gang-members surrounded her shack and threatened her with the worst possible consequences which he was notorious for. Usha turned on the gas, grabbed a match-box and threatened to blow up everyone if they did not back off. They backed off. More important, the slum-dwellers finally found courage and burned down the gang lord’s house. He in turn surrendered to the police for protection!

A court-hearing was set. Word spread in the slum that he would be released. Instead of running away in fear, hundreds of women marched to the courthouse. Yakku Yadav threatened a lady whom he had previously raped. The lady began beating him with her chappals. Other women threw chilly powder on his face, and soon he was slaughtered to death by the women. All the women jointly declared that they had all joined in the killing. Usha was also arrested. She is sure that the remaining gang members will go after her, but, she is being courageous and becoming a social activist. She is helping the slum dwellers make food and clothing so that they can increase their standard of living. While I should be condemning the killing of a human-being, Yakku was not one.

Girija Devi and Usha Narayane are shining examples of the power of Shakti still burning in our Indian women! Hopefully, more and more of such women will change India for the better.

While this real-life stories of courage displayed by women warms your heart, India continues to be the leading nation of female abortions in the world. This bad karma needs to be changed quickly. Swami Agnivesh and all other religions leaders are leading a campaign to change this forever. Key difference will be education, and the spreading of courageous stories of brave women like Girija Devi and Usha Narayane. Vedic Heritage Inc.’s Village Seva Fund Foundation will also spread these messages, and our goals include educating the villagers, eradicating alcoholism and spreading education. Come and join us change India!