In This Crime-Free Maharashtrian Village, Homes Are Owned by Women & Residents Are Organ Donors

The streets of Anandwadi village are no different from most villages in the country to a casual onlooker. After all, the village in Maharashtra’s Latur district is one bustling with activity as villagers go about their business. At the outset, you really won’t find anything too extraordinary.

But extraordinary, it truly is.

You see, nearly every single home in this little village is owned in the name of a woman.

Post a decision that seems to have come directly from the villagers themselves during a gram sabha meeting, all the houses in this village are now legally owned by the women of the households.

And in addition to that, a good portion of the residents are also transferring other forms of property, such as farms, to women as well.

Image for representation. Photo source: Wikimedia 

Nyanoba Chame, one of the members of the gram sabha, spoke to the Times of India, noting that this move was taken in a bid to counter a patriarchal mindset. Nyanoba said, “Like we bring the goddess Laxmi to our house every Diwali, we decided to honour our Laxmis (wives/daughters) by taking this decision. Women shouldn’t feel the need to be dependent on anyone, since they run the home. Why shouldn’t they also own it? This will also help to get rid of the patriarchal mindset of people.”

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Along with the 165 homes that are all in women’s names, the village also boasts a crime-free environment. There hasn’t been a single police case lodged in the past 15 years and about 410 of its residents have also taken pledges to be organ donors. And because of that, in order to ensure the good health of its residents, the village has successfully banned smoking and tobacco as well. And since last year, the residents have put aside one day a year to finance and conduct mass weddings and everyone contributes for the cause. This year it will take place on April 29.

Utopia is a real place and its name seems to be Anandwadi.

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