Grassroots Mobilization: Women, Youth and Rural Empowerment

Abstract

This Chapter touches on Grassroots Mobilisation: Women, Youth and Rural Empowerment where there is the transformational action of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, so that inclusiveness was the thing in the nation building in India. Being a leader who participated very much in the fortunes of the masses, Patel was in a position to know that the real freedom would be attained only at a point when the mass population is empowered, the young generation would be active, and the women can be leaders. In his grass root form of politics, he was able to merge mobilisation of politics and social-economic development where independence did not just present power, but a social upsurge. This is because he was strongly interested in bringing different communities together around a common cause. This is one of the aspects that were witnessed in his leadership of movements like Bardoli Satyagraha. He never doubted in mutual action and power. Agricultural productivity is an aspect he kept an eye on because it is a significant way of depauperizing rural poor. He stimulated the local government by favouring the Panchayati raj system of villages. He not only pushed the aspect of including females as a token representation, but he was broad in his thinking when he incorporated women in the field of education, making decisions and, consequently, establishing gender inclusive governance. Sardar Patel had a vision to become a disciplined citizen, service-harkening citizen who will espouse a value of unity to the youth, integrity and devotion to his country. His focus on moral character, education and civic duty drew a roadmap on the way the youth would be involved in post-independence India. Patel was able to establish a solid base of rural empowerment and participatory democracy through the policy campaigns, the grassroot campaigns as well as his indomitable spirit of seeing that unity is achieved. His vision is also re-read and turns an object of teachings, which could be implemented concerning the situation in modern India in the sphere of rural development, the problem of gender equality and youth empowerment, finding his old spirit of nation-first.