As we honor Freedom fighters, our nation must pay homage to those who bravely confronted cast discrimination and intolerance. The Self Help Group members will truly help India in a new direction away from social discrimination toward social change. Our country’s advancements over 65 years have been astonishing. Indians collectively can take pride in moving past the Indian society of 1947. But, as we pat ourselves on our backs, a mere look around with open eyes reveals much work still needs to be done. The Indian rural challenge today is twofold: creating opportunities for all and forcing ourselves to stop continuing, discrimination, inequalities based on caste, sex, class, area and religion. The Self Help Group must work to create an Indian rural society, which is both diverse and inclusive, where opportunity is limited by one’s own hard work and not by which caste we belong or where we were born. We must recognize our individual and S.H. G. efforts to have an impact on the lives of rural poor are fundamental to where our country goes in the future. Understanding where we are today requires us to keep working on the Indian dream. We refuse to believe the unorganized rural poor will be poor forever. S.H.G. is a means, way and method to reach this goal where we will experience dignity, justice and equality for all.
