Chandwad Convention created awareness and established Shetkari Mahila Aaghadi, Amravati Convention provided programmes and weapons for action. Joshi commented, ‘An incredible transformation has taken place in the villages of Maharashtra during these three years. The changes that took place are more revolutionary than the changes brought about by Shetkari Sanghatana.’ Women who generally never stepped out of their homes came out because of these two Conventions. The way women led the rasta roko in December 1986 was a good example of that. With most men in jail, it was left to those like Suman Agarwal, Saroj Kashikar, Shailaja Deshpande, Ashwini Sabane, Sunanda Tupkar, Anjali Paturkar, Neela Naik, Mrunalini Khairnar and many others like that. Women who had never worn anything other than a saree came out wearing a Punjabi dress for the first time. Evading the police, they somehow managed to reach the railway tracks and simply laid themselves over it to block the railway. Till they were arrested and forcibly removed by the police they remained in that position and after them another batch took over to do likewise. This continued for the next three hours. We all know how filthy are the railway tracks, but these women never bothered. For them it was an unforgettable experience. It was a new expression of Women Power. It made SS an organization of the farming families. During the Dandi March of 1930, several ordinary people entered the freedom struggle led by Gandhiji. Describing their spirit Pandit Nehru in his autobiography wrote, ‘Feet of clay caught the spark of life.’ Those beautiful words were equally applicable to the participation of village women in SS struggles. One expression of the increased awareness amongst the farmer women was their campaign for closure of liquor shops. Wherever Joshi travelled he used to meet women saying that Women Power - New Expression
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