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Everybody have their hero's and heroines and for many of us the word hero's, heroines stop with the silver screen one's. But there are some real life hero/heroine's, who are far more inspiring than the silver screen ones these are hero/heroine's who are really really fighting the bad guys on the street for us.But some how they never get mentioned, they are easily forgotten. Here is one such Heroine.



I wrote about RTI(Right to Information Act) one of the most important law that was passed in recent times, last month. But this law didn't come just like that, there was a big struggle behind it. A struggle that started 13 years back. Lot of people fought for the law.

Parivartan was one of the important organization that used the Delhi RTI act well to fight against the corruption in delhi, mainly with the ration shops.Parivartan was successfully able to make people of many slum/resettlement area ask questions against the ration shop owners. The people started demanding there right and questioning the corruption that was happening at the ration shops.The owners who were making hell a lot of money by selling the ration materials in the black market got irked.

Santosh is a volunteer of parivartan who creates awareness among people about the RTI.Her involvement with Parivartan's efforts irked the ration shop owners. On 13th December 2004 , Santosh was assaulted by two boys in the office compound of Assistant Commissioner of Food (North East), when she was guiding some poor and illiterate people on how to get their ration cards made or names added/deleted in ration cards. She escaped, but she didn't budge she went ahead with her job of helping people.

But she wasn't lucky the next time.On December 30th,

Santosh who was on her beat of Sundernagari's streets was attacked again. An unidentified man, slashed her throat and disappeared in the crowd. People scooped their darling and raced to a hospital. As the tiny girl lay close to death, anger and impatience rose. After several days, Santosh came through, reborn as it were, heralding major changes in the country.

Delhi Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit got pro-active and met Aruna Roy and Arvind Kejriwal to discuss ways to clean up the PDS. They decided to make Sundernagari a laboratory. A new Food Commissioner threw open the stock books for public scrutiny. Penalties up to Rs.5000 were announced. They had won. Kejriwal admits things have changed and people feel in control. Santosh merely smiles, an uncelebrated heroine ignored by the educated classes.more

Recalling the sequence of events, Santosh said, I was attacked for the first time on December 13, but I escaped with only my hair getting cut. I was again attacked on December 30, when a man tried to slit my throat. I have survived two attacks and the next time I may not be so lucky.more

Many people including former prime minister V.P.Singh condemned the attack and backed RTI.It is sad that someone like santosh should have to go through this.And the great thing about her is that she is still doing social work even after the attack.But even after all this she is largely unknown to the people.Thanxs to the media which is more worried about the health of amitab bachan and the new lip surgery of rajinikanth.I think at least we the Bloggers, should write & speak up for these kind of inspiring real life hero's.

Links:
Attack on activist blow to RTI Act
Right To Information Agitation
Attack on santosh
Akshaya writes on Safdar Hashmi