ABSTRACT

India, which is the most diversified and rich country in the world in terms of societies, cultures and religions, is also one of those countries which has the maximum number of geographical and climatic zones. The Bundelkhand region in the central part of India has been a culturally rich region that occupies a great place in Indian history as well. However, the women in the region have remained marginalized despite significant contributions to the household economies, especially in the rural parts of the region. Doing hard work for longer hours on a daily basis to manage water needs for domestic and livestock needs is the brightest contribution of the countryside women living in the water scarcity areas of Bundelkhand.

The chapter attempts to throw light on their lives, full of hardships but extremely and exclusively contributive in managing the water needs at the household level. In order to portray the hardships of the lives of the countryside women in the Bundelkhand region, this chapter also brings the points and investigates various forms of sufferings and sacrifices these women have been making.