"We believe in five principles", Sumati started again with a smile (she was amused that she had to repeat it), "We make collectives. Our collectives bring us strength. The strength helps us to get access to resources. These resources help in bringing solutions to social problems. And finally the solutions bring peace in the long run". Several of the gathered women repeated the principles with equal ease. Sumati and the others present have formed a village level organisation to struggle for their rights, which they call Mahila Sangathan. ERW program The Mahila Sangathan did not only take up issues of five entitlements, that they call their resources, which are, 100 days' job card, ration card (access to subsidized food-grain), Mamata card (health entitlements), houses and land patta (registration) but also worked towards sorting social problems such as excessive drinking among men. They have made sure that although their God still needed an offering of li