Turning Points: Stories of Change from the Field
BY SHABERI DAS AND SULEKHA LAHA • May 22, 2025
From market dependency to garden abundance: Sandhya Sardar’s journey of empowerment in the Indian Sundarbans
In the village of Kukrekhali, nestled in the Sandeshkhali I block of the Indian Sundarbans, Sandhya Sardar’s life was once shaped by routine hardship. With a family of five, she spent a significant portion of each day navigating the rising costs of daily living, particularly the vegetables that formed the foundation of their meals. With no kitchen garden of her own, she relied heavily on the local market, spending ₹40 – 50 each day to feed her family.
That changed in February 2023, when Sandhya became acquainted with Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC) through the Sound of Silence project. The initiative of promoting organic nutrition gardening in rural households, came to her village with a promise – not just of food security, but of dignity, sustainability, and self-reliance.
Figure: Sandhya Sardar at work in her thriving nutrition garden.
Encouraged by the DRCSC staff and supported by the project’s women’s mutual cooperation group she joined, Sandhya decided to give nutrition gardening a chance. With seeds and regular guidance provided by the project team, she began to reclaim the unused patch of land next to her home. What started as a small experiment soon grew into a passionate pursuit. With each training session and follow-up visit from the staff and other members of the group, Sandhya’s confidence grew. She began to see her garden not just as a food source, but as a living expression of care – a space she nurtured “like a mother,” as she describes it.
Figure: Seasonal greens flourish in Sandhya’s nutrition garden.
Soon, her family no longer needed to buy vegetables from the market. Her garden – lush, vibrant, and chemical-free – yielded enough for daily consumption. Overflowing with seasonal greens, chillies, and everyday aromatics like ginger, garlic, and onion, her garden became a source of pride and joy. What she didn’t use, she generously shared with her neighbours and friends, transforming her role in the community from a recipient of support to a provider of abundance.
Sandhya adopted organic practices with wholehearted commitment. She used cow dung and urine from her own livestock and even began preparing Amrit-paani, a traditional tonic for plants prepared with fermented cow dung, after receiving hands-on training from DRCSC. Her dedication was so contagious that her husband, too, joined her in tending to the garden – a partnership that has deepened their bond and brought new meaning to their daily lives.
Figure: Sandhya prepares organic manure to nourish her plants.
In just one year, Sandhya’s nutrition garden produced vegetables worth ₹19,000 – a remarkable achievement for a household that had once been dependent on market purchases. But more than the monetary value, it is the shift in her sense of agency that marks a true turning point. Sandhya now walks with her head held high, knowing she can feed her family with what she has grown with her own hands. Her story is not just about cultivation of crops; it is about the cultivation of confidence, capability, and community spirit.
Figure: Sandhya proudly showcases her home-grown vegetables.
From uncertainty to self-sufficiency, Sandhya Sardar’s journey is a testament to how the seeds of change, once sown with care, can bloom into a future full of pride, purpose, and possibility.
Feathers of hope: Purnima Sardar’s journey from livelihood support to lasting empowerment in the Indian Sundarbans
Until recently, Purnima Sardar, also a resident of Kukrekhali in Sandeshkhali I block, passed her days like those of many other women in her community – governed by routine, survival, and the quiet acceptance of limited means, within her small family of three. But a turning point came in February 2023, when she crossed paths with DRCSC through the Sound of Silence project. As part of the project’s initiative to strengthen integrated livelihood support, Purnima received a promising gift in June that year: seven ducks, worth ₹2,100.
Figure: Purnima Sardar receives ducks from DRCSC under the Sound of Silence project.
At the time, she accepted the support with gratitude, though the real value of what she had received hadn’t quite dawned on her. But with regular training in livestock care and one-on-one guidance from DRCSC staff, Purnima’s mindset began to shift. Encouraged and supported every step of the way, she built a proper shelter for the ducks and began tending to their needs with quiet dedication.
Soon enough, the ducks began to lay eggs. It started simply – eggs for her family’s own consumption, a small relief in daily expenses. But before long, there were more than they could eat. Purnima began selling the surplus, generating a stream of income of her own. At first, she used the earnings to buy herself little things – tokens of joy she had long deferred.
Figure: Purnima tends lovingly to her ducks at home.
Then, during one of the women’s mutual cooperation group meetings, a new idea was introduced: the importance of saving. The concept resonated with her, and when her husband brought home an earthen piggy bank, Purnima embraced the practice wholeheartedly. From that day on, she began setting aside her earnings. Over time, the clink of coins became a quiet but steady rhythm of hope. Today, that piggy bank holds ₹6,500 – not just in money, but in pride and possibility.
But Purnima’s vision has not stopped there. Buoyed by her success and growing self-confidence, she is now planning to expand her work – not only selling eggs but also raising ducklings to sell. What began as seven ducks has become a symbol of a larger transformation. Her story is now rippling through the community, inspiring other women to believe in what’s possible when care, knowledge, and opportunity come together.
Figure: Purnima proudly holds a basket of fresh duck eggs.
Purnima Sardar’s journey is a testament to how even the smallest intervention, when rooted in care and supported with patience, can ignite change. From quiet beginnings to confident planning, she is charting a new path, showing her village and beyond that resilience, when nurtured, leads to empowerment.
