Utthan’s journey began in 1981, when four women chose to work in the desolate Bhal region of Gujarat, helping marginalized communities to self-organise around critical livelihood issues and develop local leadership. Utthan, which means ‘upliftment’ in Hindi initiated a people’s movement comprising a large number of women and youth, to address their rights to regular, safe drinking water, protecting and accessing common land for their livelihood security, challenging patriarchy, feudal exploitation and caste discrimination at local levels. In the process, Utthan facilitated the formation of a community-based organisation known as Mahiti (knowledge), which has been a local force since 1994.