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In the remote Sundarbans, in the hamlet of North Mamudpur in Hingalganj, poverty and patriarchal tradition once defined the lives of many, perhaps especially of girls born into conservative households. But out of that struggle emerged a voice that would refuse to be silenced. That voice belongs to Halima Khatun, whose determination, courage, and tireless work have transformed not only her own life but the lives of thousands of women and girls in Sundarbans and beyond.
Early Life: Seeds of Courage
Born in North Mamudpur, a small village in Hingalganj in the Sundarbans, she grew up in poverty. Her parents rolled bidis to keep the household running, their fingers roughened by endless and yet the low-paying labour. Her parents’ hands were raw from work, but they made a decision rare in their community: they insisted that their daughter be educated. In a region where many girls do not complete school, let alone proceed to higher education, this insistence set Halima apart and set in motion a journey of resistance and transformation.
As the first girl from her village to be admitted to Calcutta University, Halima faced criticism and scorn. When she left home for Kolkata for higher studies, many in her village saw her decision as defiance. But rather than be intimidated, she turned every whisper of dissent into fuel for her resolve. It was in university that she first observed the quiet struggles of women from fishing communities back homestruggles rooted in lack of basic documentation, lack of rights, lack of voice.
From Observation to Action
After her studies, Halima joined ActionAid India in 2009, working across the backward areas of North 24 Parganas. It was here, in the thick of poverty and marginalization, that Halima’s activism assumed shape. She encountered communities where voter IDs and ration cards were rare, where girls dropped out of school early, and where women were deeply constrained by local power structures.
Halima did not wait for change from above. She stepped into villages, organized meetings with women, listened to their stories, and helped them articulate their challenges. She brought training sessions from village to village, linking women across village panchayats. These small acts built trust, solidarity and courage.
Building a Movement: The Mahila Sangh
The grassroots efforts coalesced into the Hasnabad-Hingalganj Muslim Mahila Sangh, a network now bringing together over two thousand women across fifteen village panchayats. Under Halima’s leadership, this Sangh has not just raised voices—it has achieved concrete victories.
Perhaps one of the most visible manifestations of Halima’s courage is her fight against child marriage. She didn’t merely lobby from the periphery: she sometimes walked into wedding ceremonies—accompanied by police—and halted them before they were formalized. Such acts aroused resistance, but they also inspired admiration and change. So much so that people now call her “Dabang”—the fearless enforcer against injustice.
Facing Resistance, Refusing to Yield
The journey has not been free of threats. Hardliners branded her a corrupt influence, even accused her of provoking women to demand rights they supposedly should not. She received threats of violence and warnings of sexual assault. Yet Halima’s commitment did not waver. Instead, she doubled down.
She continued balancing her personal roles—as wife and mother—with her public role as an activist. And slowly, even among her critics, perceptions began to shift. When villagers saw Halima’s work on television, read about it in newspapers, or witnessed the changes in neighboring villages—scholarships awarded, child marriages stopped they began to listen.
Bigger Dreams, Broader Reach
While Halima remains heavily involved in Hingalganj and its neighbouring panchayats, her ambitions now reach further. She is working to build the Paschim Banga Muslim Mahila Sangathan, a platform to unite women across all of West Bengal. Her desire is not merely to replicate her achievements locally, but to enable millions of women to gain access to education, justice, voice, and basic rights.
Her frustration with slow progress is real especially given that even with her highest educational qualification (a Master’s degree), the delta remains haunted by illiteracy, poverty, and perennial environmental vulnerability. But so is her conviction. She believes in working collectively, in never accepting defeat, in stepping again and again into danger, driven by the certainty that change is not only possible—it is necessary.
What began in a poor village where few expected change—has grown into a movement. Where once women lived in silence, now thousands speak out. Where once daughters were married off too young, many now stay in school. Where once bidi workers were anonymous, they now hold identity cards and rights.
Halima Khatun’s success is a success of many: women empowered, communities inspired, traditions questioned. In a corner of the Sundarbans, she has redefined possibility. Her story reminds us that one person’s courage rooted in conviction and nurtured by solidarity—can indeed alter the course of many lives.