From getting married at 5, working as an Anganwadi cook, and the face of Mission Shakti – the story of Odisha MP Pramila Bisoi

While the number of women elected to Parliament this year may not be very significant in terms of numbers, but 78 is still huge in a country where politics is still not considered a woman’s domain.

But each of these 78 women, who have risen to the top by the mandate of the people, has a story to tell – of fortitude, grit, determination, and of battling against different odds.

Among these women is 68-year-old Pramila Bisoi, a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP from Aska constituency in Odisha.

Pramila’s is an interesting story - of a woman who broke the shackles of patriarchy to prove women need not limit themselves to what “fate has in store for them” as they are want to do.

She was married off at the tender age of five and her schooling stopped soon after. Soon, she started working as a cook in the Anganwadi in her village. Not content with just looking at a means of employment, she wanted to improve her skills and joined a self-help group, which brought her out into her own.

In due course, her dedication and will to learn paid off. She became a representative for Mission Shakti, the women’s SHG movement of Odisha. Over the years, Pramila has been involved in promoting women’s participation in civil society and pushing for their employment. The self-help group has encouraged families to send their children to Anganwadi centres and worked extensively on sanitation, health and nutrition in villages in her region.

Pramila lives life as an ordinary farmer and owns less than an acre of land. One of her sons runs a tea stall and the other works in a garage. Two of her daughters are married, and the family still depends on the land for their income.

She was a surprise candidate for the Aska parliamentary seat, which is a prestigious constituency for the BJD. While a few may have raised their eyebrows at this, none were surprised when she went on to defeat her nearest opponent, BJP candidate Anita Subhadarshini by a margin of more than two lakh votes.

It may have taken long for Pramila Bisoi to get a seat of power to make a difference, but it’s not too late.

With women’s empowerment as her focus to move forward, there’s a lot we can expect from this 68-year-old as she makes her foray into the Parliament as one of its much-loved and respected members.

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