The odds were never in Hasrat Bano’s favour. She and her husband – who didn’t have a regular source of income would eke out a meagre living from their 7 acre farm in a drought-prone Palamu’s Khanwa village.
Hasrat Bano had high hopes for her progeny, an entrepreneurial mindset, a broad mind and the willpower to walk that extra step.
With seven children and faced with such straitened means, it would have been natural for Hasrat Bano to resent having seven mouths to feed. But all she wanted was to educate her children well.
Although from a conservative Muslim family, 44 years old and not educated beyond class VIII herself, Hasrat Bano had high hopes for her progeny, an entrepreneurial mindset, a broad mind and the willpower to walk that extra step.
She first set up an atta chakki, or flour grinding shop, with the help of a Rs 70,000 loan from Sakhi Mandal, a women’s self-help group. However, the approximate monthly earnings of Rs 15,000 from it proved to be insufficient in making ends meet.
Hasrat then began paying more attention to her fields, increasing their yields with natural fertilising. She grasped the concept and popularity of ‘organic’ farming in today’s world and slowly, the literal fruits of her labour were visible in her fields.
“We cannot afford using costly chemical fertilisers,” says Hasrat. “Biofertilisers such as cow dung and urine or decomposed leaves and other organic waste can give us better yields.”
Outside the fields too, she has expanded her horizons. She began speaking about organic farming and composting techniques with other villagers too and soon became a Krishak Mitra, literally translated to ‘friend of the farmer.’ Now, she mobilises women to tour nearby villages and propound the use of low cost, new technologies of agriculture.
She also owns a footwear shop that provides additional financial support to her family. “My two sons are doing their postgraduation at Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi. My youngest son is doing his graduation,” she says proudly.
But what really sets Hasrat apart from the milieu, is her belief that all children should be given the gift of education – including girls. “One of my daughters too is a postgraduate,” she smiles. “Another daughter is trying to secure admission to a B Ed course. I urge women, especially those belonging to my community, to educate their children.” Hasrat has made certain she fulfils the meaning of her name – for herself and others.
