From Gandhian Thought to Grassroots Action: Ruma Devi’s Role in Women’s Empowerment in the Thar Desert

Abstract

This paper focuses on the social innovations stemming from the philosophy of rural development of Mahatma Gandhi as exemplified by Ruma Devi, a grassroots leader in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. It uses the historical case study methodology. It examines Devi's life from a poor artisan to a leader of thousands of rural women artisans. It places her initiatives against the socio-economic backdrop of India after its economic liberalization, tracing the channels of direct and Gandhian influence – both indirect – on her empowerment strategies. The case concludes that Devi incorporated the Gandhian principles of self-sufficiency or swadeshi, cooperation or sarvodaya, and the dignity of labour in her revival of traditional industries and women’s self-help groups. Devi not only constructed self-sustaining women’s self-help groups that were economically deprived, but also subverted and challenged the patriarchal norms of a conservative region by redefining craftwork as a form of feminist expression. Key findings include how her leadership initiated collective action, the infusion of ideology to the global market, and the paradox of praising individual change-makers and social movements. The paradoxes of the case suggest case of individual leadership and action complacently along with the social movements individual and collective. Devi's case exemplifies how grassroots development and agency are essential in the sustaining of Gandhian thought in development practice today.