Signposts and Imprints
Editorial
October 2006, volume 30, No 10

There are signposts and imprints in the text and even the subtext that evoked instant recognition having traversed them myself—as a feminist, as a woman and as one involved in the inception of a grassroot organization: the intersecting themes of the book lured me on. The agonized comments of the feminist founders in their endeavour to confirm to a collectivist form to ensure egalitarianism and democratic way of functioning, and the compulsions of adopting some bureaucratic features, “ It’s not just practical”, or “ We really tried and then decided we could not continue this way”, resonates of a familiar conflict between ideals/beliefs and reality /practice. “The new staff just does not have the same values”. It is a book that a number of social activists all over the country would identify with and therefore a must-read for them and all those interested in knowing more about the women run NGOs and even more for those who love stories of everyday heroines, true stories of women living on the edge and making it work for them. A book of fresh perspective on partnerships between women of privileges and the underprivileged.

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