Voice, Agency & Empowerment: Stories from the margins

KL Hatke’s new series is an attempt to hold space for stories of women from Bundelkhand and beyond; women who don’t come from privilege but are pushing boundaries in their own way and enabling others along the way. These are women who we simply don’t hear enough about. In the first part, we bring you the iconic stories of Rajkumari, Phoolan, Ram Lali and Shobha. Their life-stories are rich and complex, pursuits diverse and they redefine success in different ways – survival, financial independence, fame and finding agency amidst restrictive social structures to name a few.    Rajkumari: Chitrakoot’s Water Warrior The year was 1992, when a newly married Rajkumari, all of 14, moved to Chitrakoot. From the outset, she