Equality and Empowerment: Manorama Ekka’s Approach to Community Development

Manorama Ekka is a resident of Lohardaga, Jharkhand. An educated and independent woman belonging to the tribal community, Manorama Ekka is a leader and an inspiration for those around her. She spent much of her life studying and working in the US. Currently, she lives and works in her community in Jharkhand. Manorama Ekka is a member of various international groups and women’s forums. She also became a member of the ward committee in 2013 and 2018. Even though she could not win the subsequent elections, her spirits remained high, and she continued working towards the betterment of her community.

For Manorama Ekka, leadership is not about a social or political position; it means fulfilling one’s social responsibility by leading change. It is her resilience, dedication, and optimism that make it possible for her to work and inspire change in her community.

Earlier, Manorama Ekka worked as a fellow in a fellowship sponsored by Azim Premji, and it was during this time that she discovered her potential for leadership and decided to explore it further. After this, there was no looking back. Soon after, she established her own organization – Hope – working for gender rights and environmental change. Today, Hope is working with over five thousand women in 11 Panchayats across Jharkhand, providing a strong platform for women’s empowerment and environmental protection.

Manorama Ekka is a firm believer in Constitutional rights and values and practices them in her life and work. The MOIC session of We, The People Abhiyan inspired her to understand the Constitution and its importance in depth. Ever since the session, she has been driven to impart Constitutional awareness in her community. She encourages women in her community to read the Constitution, understand their rights, and raise their voices when needed. Manorama Ekka leads by example; she is always ready to fight for women’s rights, especially tribal rights, and she does not hesitate to contact officials when necessary to get the work done.

Her deep attachment to the Constitution reflects in her practices in life. She always keeps a copy of it in her office. She also takes the initiative to hold discussions to explain the importance of the Constitution to the members of her organization every year on 26th November – Constitution Day.

Manorama Ekka’s journey, though inspiring, has not always been easy. On several occasions, she has had to experience discrimination because of her tribal identity. To keep working, she has also had to overcome financial hardships. But she has never let this come in the way of her goals. To change this mindset, in her organization, she fosters an environment of equality and diversity where people from different social backgrounds come together to work towards the same goal – equality and empowerment. She also ensures that those who work for her are paid the value for their work. For a leader like Manorama Ekka, everyone working in her organization is equal, including her. She wears traditional tribal attire to work, sometimes leading to her being misunderstood as the staff, but this does not bother her.

Manorama Ekka believes that having a tribal Chief Minister in a state like Jharkhand is natural, as the state falls under the Fifth Schedule and has a large tribal population.

Recently, she explained this perspective to an engineer, emphasizing how having a tribal Chief Minister aligns with Jharkhand’s social structure and history.

Manorama Ekka wants to empower her community through her work. As one of the primary steps for this, she wishes to empower her team through the WTPA training; she hopes that the knowledge they will gain through the training will enhance their work. She also wishes to join the Jan Collective campaign with WTPA.

Manorama Ekka’s journey is an inspirational one. Through all the years, she has worked hard and proved that our intention to bring change makes change possible. She leads her life abiding by constitutional values and encourages others to do the same. Manorama Ekka is resilient and dedicated and continues to inspire.

The above story has been written and published with the explicit consent of the individual involved. All facts presented are based on WTPA's direct interaction with the individual, ensuring accuracy and integrity in our reporting.