She is popularly known as Bada Maa among the destitute, hapless, rape victims and women facing torture and harassment. She acts as their saviour and fights for them till they get justice.
Meet Minati Moharana (37), a resident of Diwanapatana village under Kendrapada block. For the last two decades, she has been working to provide justice to the victimised women and girls.
“I have been working for the downtrodden, dowry, rape victims and destitute women and getting immense pleasure in coming to their rescue,” stated Minati .
Minati stated that when she was studying Plus II, when she came across the suffering of a gang rape victim. The family members of the victim girl cast her off and she was left to fend for herself. “ There I decided to do something for her and co-operated her to fight against the rapist,” she said.
“After completing my studies, I joined as a superintendent in a short stay home meant for the destitute and hapless women. Though I was not married, but everybody from 5 to 70 years of age addresses me as Bada Maa. What more I want from lifeIJ I have decided not to marry and would work for these hapless victims till my last breath,” Minati said.
Minati has given a new leash of life to about five rape victims by arranging grooms for them. Meanwhile, those victims are leading a happy conjugal life.
When a female is restricted to go to the crematorium to perform the last rites of a dead person, nothing deterred Minati from attending funerals of near and dear. She performed cremation of a couple of destitute.
According to Anjana Sahu, a victimised woman, “Four years back when I was tortured and assaulted by my husband and was driven out of home by my in -laws, it was the Bada Maa who came to my rescue. She not only took care of me and my five years’ old son, but also supported me in getting justice.”
Another rape victim Puja (name changed) said, Bada Maa arranged her marriage. “I am leading a happy married life since then,” she asserted.