Mridula Chauhan
From my childhood until now, whenever I crossed Kudeshia crossing in Bareilly, I noticed a row of temporary houses along the roadside. Later, I learned they belonged to the Gadiya Lohar (blacksmith) community. Over the years, the surroundings have changed. Flyovers have been built, and underpasses constructed, but the lives of these families have stayed the same, trapped in a cycle of hardship and neglect. My conscience always urged me to do something for them, but I never had the right opportunity. Through my current research and fellowship, I have finally had the chance to closely observe their lives, especially those of the women, who are central to the community’s survival and progress.
Through this blog, I shared my insights from creative ethnographic research, which documents the everyday leadership of Gadiya Lohar women in Bareilly. Traditionally nomadic blacksmiths, the Gadiya Lohars are now settled in roadside clusters, living precarious lives with little access to clean water, sanitation, housing, or education. During this struggle, women face triple marginalisation as women, as nomads, and as urban poor. Their leadership comes from the need to survive, not from any position or privilege.
Further this blog used an innovative approach that blends participant observation, deep interview, and semi-structured discussions. Instead of speaking for the community, I wanted them to speak for themselves. I obtained informed consent before taking each photo and provided thorough field notes to back them up. The visuals gained emotional depth from audio narratives derived from these interactions. I considered my responsibilities as a researcher as well.
Key Insights and Reflections
- Leadership Rooted in Survival, Not Power
Savita (name changed) taught herself to sign her name so her children’s school forms would not be rejected. Another woman organized others to demand a water tank during peak summer. These actions are not symbolic; they show real, grassroots organizing. - Caregiving as Community Building
Women here co-parent across families, looking after each other’s children while working. This shared caregiving is not just a domestic responsibility; it is a survival strategy that lets them continue their ironwork and earn a living. - Negotiating the System from the Margins
Despite being denied ration cards or Aadhaar cards because of their “unofficial” slum status, these women persist. They approach local NGOs, petition ward members, and repeatedly visit tehsil offices. They are active negotiators, not passive recipients. - Children’s Education as a Political Act
Almost all women stressed the importance of educating their children, especially daughters, beyond primary school. In their context, sending a girl to school, despite safety and distance issues, is an act of defiance against generational illiteracy.
Central Research Question
What does leadership look like when it comes from survival, not privilege or formal authority?
In answering this, the project challenges narrow definitions of “empowerment” and “leadership.” It highlights everyday resistance and informal leadership as powerful forms of social change.
Policy Implications
The lived realities of Gadiya Lohar women reveal urgent policy needs:
- Modify welfare schemes for mobile and slum-based communities.
- Change housing and documentation access for semi-nomadic groups.
- Recognize and include informal, community-rooted leadership in women’s empowerment programs.
- Work with women who are already functioning as community leaders to design gender sensitive interventions.
Conclusion
The Gadiya Lohar women of Bareilly may not hold formal authority, but they lead small worlds of resistance, care, and change. Recognizing them is not only a moral obligation; it is a policy necessity. As India advances its inclusive development agenda, we must not overlook those who are already leading change quietly, persistently, and effectively. Through everyday acts organizing resources for survival, mediating disputes, ensuring children’s education, and safeguarding cultural traditions they shape the social fabric from the ground up. These women practice a form of leadership that is neither ceremonial nor hierarchical but deeply embedded in lived experience, resilience, and mutual care.
Recognizing such grassroots leadership is not merely an act of symbolic appreciation; it is a crucial step in reshaping how we define and value leadership itself. In the context of India’s ongoing commitment to inclusive development, policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors must acknowledge that leadership does not always emerge from the top it often flourishes in the margins, in informal spaces, and through the quiet persistence of women whose labor is invisible to the mainstream.
As India works toward building a future that leaves no one behind, the Gadiya Lohar women offer a model of community-driven progress. Their leadership rooted in empathy, adaptability, and collective strength reminds us that real change often begins not with grand speeches, but with small, consistent acts of courage.
Acknowledgement (From the Author)– I sincerely thank the IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute for providing the platform through the YWLPPYF 3.0 fellowship to share my research-based insights. I am deeply grateful to the Gadiya Lohar women of Bareilly for their trust, time, and openness in sharing their experiences, and to all those who supported and guided me in bringing this narrative to light.
About the contributor: Mridula Chauhan is an Assistant Professor at Lokmani Law College, Bijnor (Affiliated with MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly), Uttar Pradesh, India. She is a fellow of the YWLPPF 3.0 – Young Women Leaders in Public Policy Fellowship, Cohort 3.0.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
Read more at IMPRI:
e-ShodhSindhu (eSS) Scheme, 2015: Democratizing Knowledge Access in Indian Higher Education
Namami Gange Programme (NGP), 2014: Rejuvenating the National River Ganga
Acknowledgement: This article was posted by Rashmi Kumari, a research intern at IMPRI.
