“After my divorce, I moved back home. With a house of 12 people, I was teased for contributing nothing to the household.

"Once upon a time, I used to lease this field out to another farmer, as I just felt there was no money to be earned in rice. I concentrated my efforts on vegetables and goat/cow rearing to keep food on the table. But after learning about the System of Rice Intensification, I changed my mind. I thought – let me try my hand at this and see if I can make it work.

“We used to grow maize on our land but life was hard and it just never delivered the returns. I learnt about poly-house cultivation and took a chance – building a 4000 sq.mt. house complete with drip irrigation and solar pump. Everyone thought I was mad – me just a housewife and with no experience in farming.

“I was very passionate about trying my hand at growing vegetables, but could not convince my husband to let me try it. I secretly attended a training course by Ambuja Foundation and with their guidance and support, I found a way to get through to my husband. He finally gave me 10 katha (7,200 sq ft) of land to cultivate on my own.

“Just 1 year back, Kukudsath was as ordinary as any other village. We had a lot of problems and were wondering where should we begin?

“20 years ago, we grew one crop of groundnuts a year – the crop was always poor because the groundwater we used was saline. Salinity had crept in 15 kms from the coast and we even struggled to find sweet water to drink. A government pipeline delivered drinking water to us from 30 kms away, but by the time it reached us, we had no idea of the water quality.

“A 'neonatal death' is defined as a death during the first 28 days of life and globally, this period carries the highest risk of mortality, per day, than any other period during childhood. In 2014 in Farakka, West Bengal, the neonatal mortality rate was incredibly high - 43.85 out of every 1000 - compared to a national rate of 28.

“We noticed cases of stomach and digestive ailments coming into the Health Clinic so we decided to test the water.

“It was a bitter pill to swallow - I was 59. I'd just retired. And was broken.

Since childhood, I saw my father struggling to make agriculture profitable. I was very sure that I could do better. That with my hard work and skill, I’d earn more. But somehow, it never happened …

“In West Bengal, Mandals are known to be cultivators. So despite earning my trade as an electrician at ITI, I turned to the 30-acre family farm to work hard and build a business.

“When I joined as principal of Zilla Parishad School in Pimpalgaon in 2013, children from the community were mostly going to faraway schools for education. Teachers were even waiting to get their transfer orders and shift to other schools.