In a weird sense, Velammal (name changed) represents the `modern Indian woman.' The description would certainly conjure up images of an upmarket, independent kind of a woman who walks proudly with her modern outfit.

Velammal have stitched a few of those clothes but she definitely can't afford any of them. Nor can she boast of salaries that would rival the bank balance of the garment factory she had worked for.

On the contrary, Velammal's claims to represent modern women of this country are purely based on the problems she faces. Thousands of her gender in this country have bravely fought poverty in previous decades with whatever skills they had. But Velammal's fight is with a dreadful condition: HIV/AIDS, something beyond what her frail body and failing health can take.

Yet, like women of the previous generation, Velammal can't take dignity as sure thing and have to work to earn her bred and respect. And she has to fight the monster called `stigma'. She is at least fortunate that an NGO, Milana, has come to her aid in this struggle.

"I collect cloth materials from Milana," Velammal says. "I make garments with that using a sewing machine I have borrowed and return the finished product to Milana. They support me well and without support from them and from my family, it is very hard to continue life as usual."

Jyothi Kiran, Project Co-ordinator at Milana, explains the delicate business arrangement her organisation have to make with positive women.

"I know positive women like Velammal are physically ok today," Jyothi says. "But they are prone to frequent ill health and that shouldn't obstruct their work and stop the money, which is vital in some cases. So, we involve the family of the positive women who can step in for them if needed."

Sangeetha's (not the real name) is another case in point. She is a sex worker who has sought the help of the NGO Vimochana to fight the forces that threaten several women like her: gangsters, pimps, and the police, who regularly arrest and harass them.

Work with the NGO has given her respectability, but Sangeetha is still struggling to convince the society that viewing women like her from a moral high ground is not the best way to alleviate their suffering.

"Perhaps what makes them come to us is this," explains Madhu Bhushan from Vimochana. "We don't pronounce judgments on them or consider them morally inferior. All that we do is to empathise with them and help them tackle the threats they face. Of course, those who express the desire to get out of prostitution, we offer them the alternative."

Ramammal (name changed), another example of the modern woman, thought she would never leave the confines of her house to work.

The fact that she is disabled prompted her excessively protective parents to keep her at home, rather than put her through the risk of managing issues like chaotic city traffic and unfriendly buildings.

But Ramammal's determination triumphed in the end: she sought the help of Association of People with Disability (APD) and has gained confidence to work and earn.

Spellbound

These are women who told their stories to the spell bound audience at the Medico Pastoral Association, where the NGOs supporting them were showcasing their projects to empower marginalised women.

"All these years, our focus has been on the welfare of children; encouraging them to go to school," says Dola Mohapatra, National Director, Christian Children's Fund (CCF-India), who have organised the event along with Child India Fund.

"But children's welfare is inextricably tied to the welfare of women, especially those who are marginalised. That's why we are shifting our focus to women like those who you heard today."

As Mr Mohapatra explains, it isn't just poverty or inequality the marginalised women are fighting. For (HIV/AIDS) positive women, the issue is more about fighting stigma, discrimination and winning recognition for their right to live with dignity and honour.

For women with disability or women from tribal areas, the struggle isn't any different. Organisations like CCF-India have started to recognise this in recent times and stretch out their helping hands to marginalised women through NGOs that support them.