Lakshmamma sits on the floor of the Maruvapalli School Building, the same place where the first sangham of the Maruvapalli region was created in 1996. At 76 years old, she remembers the origins of it all as if it were yesterday: “The first meetings with women to form the sangham were in Bathalapalli, which was far from Maruvapalli, and I remember my husband scolding me; he didn’t like me going to the meetings.”

This situation changed as the Sanghams began to benefit families. “Neither my husband nor I have an education. When we got married, we had to start working for the landowners. The sangham helped build our independence as women, it also educated us in many things, such as how to get government aid, take care of our own health, or financial safety”, says  Lakshmamma. 

While working with the landowners, Lakshmamma’s husband was in charge of farming and harvesting. Their income was insufficient to cover their children’s education; however, Lakshmamma has always believed in the importance of education in one’s life. “Our future depends on the courage and confidence we have in ourselves. If I change, society will also be part of that change. Thanks to the change, now women can study just like men. We must understand that education is the most important thing,” she says.

A light in their lives

In the village of Maruvapalli, four sangham groups were formed during different periods and generations of women. Lakshmamma belongs to the first and oldest in her village, created in 1996. Lakshmamma looks at the school building reminiscing about the first meeting. She looks at it with a smile, thinking about the old stories and conversations, “I have a very good relationship with my sangham companions; we have been here since the beginning. We have always helped each other in everything, and we solve any problem together,” she says.

When she started receiving microloans from Sanghams, Lakshmamma stopped working for the landowners and dedicated herself to caring for more than ten buffaloes, from which she obtained profits from selling milk. As she got older, she sold the cattle. Lakshmamma never stays still, “Now I sing. I’ve always liked singing. Many times, they called me on the radio to come and sing in the programs. I prepare my songs myself; I write and tune them the same day and memorise them. Then I can’t repeat them anymore because I don’t remember.”

Text: Aurora Díaz

Photography: Paloma Navas