For many women in India, a signature is more than a mark on paper. It is the first proof of identity they can claim as their own.
Not long ago, most women in Kukraun, a village in Bihar’s Purnea district, relied on thumb impressions for official work. Today, nearly 80 per cent can sign their names.
This shift did not come from a policy push. It came from deliberate interventions led by one woman who understood what it meant to be left behind.
A childhood cut short
Afsana Begum grew up in Khanuha village, where schooling often ended early for girls.
She completed Class 8 at a government school and later pursued intermediate education through a madrassa. But her formal education ended there.
The absence of nearby schools meant that continuing studies required travelling long distances — something few families allowed their daughters to do.
That unfinished chapter stayed with her.
Years later, when she contested and won the 2021 Panchayat elections, those memories shaped her priorities.
Her leadership was rooted in a lived understanding of what rural women lacked: access, confidence, and opportunity.
Bringing education closer to home
In 2021, the nearest option for education beyond Class 8 was about eight kilometres away. For many girls, that distance marked the end of their academic journey.
Afsana began working to change this.
She focused on ensuring that girls stayed in school and on building local systems that made education more accessible. Over the past five years, the results have begun to show.
At least six girls from the village are now trained teachers in government-supported schools, while several others are pursuing higher studies.
Families that once hesitated are now more willing to send their daughters to study.
From thumbprints to signatures
There was another barrier that Afsana identified — the inability of women to sign their own names.
It was not just about literacy; it was about dignity.
Families that once hesitated are now more willing to send their daughters to study.
She initiated basic training sessions where women learned to write their names, so that signing a document, opening a bank account, or handling official work no longer required dependence on others.
Today, most women in the Panchayat can sign their names.
A market that changed mobility and money
But empowerment also required income.
For years, women in Kukraun West had to walk nearly 12 kilometres to access the nearest market. The journey consumed time, energy, and money.
To address this, Afsana set up a weekly haat within the village. Although it began as a solution to a logistical problem, it soon turned into an economic engine.
More than 120 small shops now operate in the market, many run by women. They sell vegetables, household essentials, and locally sourced goods.
The haat has reduced travel, saved costs, and created livelihoods within walking distance.
Today, around 70 per cent of women in the Panchayat have some form of income.
In Kukraun, change did not arrive through a single intervention. It grew through small, deliberate steps — a school closer to home, a market within reach, and the simple yet powerful act of writing one’s own name.
