Mahila Mandals

Mahila Mandal representatives meeting at the CORD center

One of the largest programs at CORD is the organization of groups called Mahila Mandals. Mahila Mandals are groups that consist of women from rural villages. The society here is a male dominated society, and the goal of these mandals are to empower women.

Many men in rural India suffer from alcohol abuse, and in turn end up abusing their wives. The Mahila Mandals give an opportunity for these village women to speak up and fight against injustices that would otherwise be overlooked. I did not personally get to participate in a Mahila Mandal meeting, as I was spending most of my time in the farm sector; however, I did get an opportunity to meet a large number of the women who participate in these groups and from I have seen, they seem to be strong, independent women.

The Mahila Mandals provide a forum where local women can come together and talk about their problems, and get advice from their peers on how best to handle these issues. There are approximately 3,000 members of these mandals in Kangra district, if I remember correctly. Overall these mandals are a great way to promote women empowerment, and under the direction of our Dr. Didi, they have been very successful .