ABSTRACT
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of India (CPI), the women in the Terai region of West Bengal were organized well before the Naxalbari movement flamed and claimed the centre stage. The Terai region, where the mountains of Himalayas start its ascent, is covered with numerous verdant tea plantations. Women had been a large part of the labour force of these plantations and were subjected to exploitation at both home and workplace. Against this exploitation, women from the very beginning assumed leadership in organizing and unionizing themselves. During the Naxalite movement this tradition of courageous rebellion and the spirit of organizing was very much part of women’s lives. They continued to assist the Naxalite workers in any capacity that they could. Refusing to be mere spectators in the Naxalbari movement, they plunged in organizational work, participated in marches and meetings, risked their livelihood, acted as shelter providers, messengers, couriers for food and even arms, and eventually as combatants too, yet again proving that women were in no way inferior to men in the battle of life.
