With her slightly greying hair and a disarming smile, Jyoti Tigga stands out a mile among the people in Naya Tola, Ranchi, Jharkhand. From living in a single room house with her husband as a newlywed bride, Jyoti has taken massive strides towards standing on her own feet. The initial years were tough for her family as they earned barely enough to support themselves. Her business ventures of opening a vegetable shop and later a tea stall ended abruptly when one was burnt down and another one closed down by the police. Despite her tumultuous financial situation Jyoti has been active in bringing change to her community. She has been instrumental in getting a road and a tap built in her neighbourhood. It took repeated visits to the Block office but she succeeded. “There are some people you meet and say hello to and that’s that. But with Jyoti you immediately feel there is a greater connection there. There are a lot of people who get publicity for doing good things, just because they have someone who is standing behind them and can speak English. People like Jyoti don’t have that but still carry on because they have a fire within,” says Priyasheela Besra, IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent from Ranchi. One Billion Rising: One Billion Rising is an international campaign, which calls on women and men all over the world to rise and demand an end to violence against women. We at Video Volunteers are joining the campaign. Over the next few days we bring you stories from across India. Stories of women who have stood up and demanded their rights, of women who have helped others get what is rightfully theirs, of women who refuse to be silent in the face of an attack. Come join us in signing the pledge: http://onebillionrising.org/page/s/one-billion-rising-pledge Please also share Chanchal Paswan’s appeal and sign the petition on change.org demanding strong legal action against the perpetrators of the acid attack on her here: http://www.change.org/chanchal