Lighting Up My Village: A Journey Through SALT and Collective Strength

[Momota Chatterjee]

I have been working as a facilitator with Jeevika for about 11 years now. I come from a small village in South 24-Parganas, where I have seen both light and darkness—literally and metaphorically.

There is a club in our village, “SAMALI KALITALA SPORTING CLUB,” and about five years ago, it became a place where some boys from our neighbourhood—and many from outside—would gather to drink alcohol. Because of this, the women and girls in our area felt unsafe. After sunset, they were afraid to step out of their homes. It hurt me to see our mothers, sisters, and daughters living in fear in their own village. 

Some of us in the neighbourhood decided to act. We wrote a petition and submitted it to the panchayat and the local police station. With support from the authorities and after collecting contributions from the local residents, we came up with the decision to install CCTV cameras around the area. That brought a bit of relief, and for some time, the situation has improved. 

However, in the following months, the problem returned. Once again, I noticed young men—mostly outsiders—drinking alcohol and smoking weed on the dark village streets far from where the CCTVs were installed. They would loiter around, speak abusively, and harass passersby. The fear returned. 

I knew I had to do something more meaningful this time—something that came from within the community. In the meantime, I was introduced to the SALT process in our organisation, so I started having SALT conversations with some of my neighbours. I wanted to understand their thoughts and help them reflect on their own strengths, and I initiated deep conversations about what we could do together to stop this. 

Some people were open and supportive, while others were doubtful. But I didn’t stop. I sat with the women and men of the village, listened to them, encouraged them, and helped them see that we already had the strength to bring change. 

Around 4 months ago, some of us decided to act. We collected contributions from within the village and installed street lights on five lampposts in the darkest areas of our neighbourhood. That small act made a big difference—it was like lighting up our hopes again. 

To celebrate this initiative, we even organized a small event on International Mother Language Day. We invited the local Panchayat Pradhan and local police officials to be part of it. During the event, we requested the Pradhan to install more lampposts on the main road and at the entrance of our village. She listened and responded positively. Soon, a few solar lights were installed by the Panchayat.

Following the event, the police even began patrol duties in our village at night. The drinking and weed-smoking on the streets have stopped. The outsiders who used to come and create a nuisance no longer visit. Slowly, peace has returned to our community.

We just didn’t stop there; the women, including me, have formed a group. Every week, we sit together, talk about the problems in our neighbourhood, and plan steps to solve them. These meetings have become a source of power and unity for all of us.

Through this journey, I’ve realized that change doesn’t always come from outside—it begins with us. When we come together, recognize our strengths, and take responsibility, even the darkest corners can be lit up. And that's exactly what we did.

[Rituu B. Nanda]

What stands out for me is that you facilitated change in your own village, beyond the project site. An excellent way to learn facilitation in one's own life. Deep respect for you dear Momota.

[Kaushalya Sumedh Agre]

Excellent work👍👍. Very inspirational story👌👌👌 very well written...!