Says Nimisha Desai of Olakh, ``As our experience grew, there was this nagging feeling that we were working on the gender perspective only at a superficial level. It was felt that development would benefit only if the women's viewpoint was brought out forcefully. For this it was important to reach not only the mainstream but also the grassroot development worker''.

An objective was thus developed to disseminate information on women's issues by publishing material in the local language and reaching out to the masses. Olakh today runs a full-fledged feminist documentation and research centre along with a mobile library open to all. Explains Desai, ``Though much is being done in Gujarat towards women's development, little documentation about the issues and solutions can be found in the vernacular medium. Our centre hopes to change that and strengthen the grassroot workers by giving them all possible information''.

The centre annually publishes calenders and diaries based on the theme of women-related issues such as physical abuse, female foeticide and infanticide, reservation in Parliament, single womenhood and the like. ``It could be a simple slogan or a poem voicing a woman's fears, sorrows or anger. But the crux is to tell them to identify themselves and their contribution to the world as a human being,'' says Desai.

Olakh is particularly going strong on providing a platform for single women, a group, Desai feels ``is growing in numbers and being marginalised within the social set up''. ``We are looking at all women outside the institution of marriage -- spinsters, widows, divorcees, nuns and prostitutes alike -- who are discriminated against only because their marital status is `single','' she adds.

Desai informs that Olakh aims to shortly conduct ``an indepth and holistic research on single womenhood'', judging its strengths and weaknesses within a patriarchal structure yet cutting across class, caste, cultural and regional barriers.

Among other activities, Olakh organises gender awareness programmes for men and women, NGOs and other groups taking up various women's issues besides lobbying for changes in policies, legislations in favour of women.

While Desai appears fairly satisfied with women welfare initiatives and the ``mobility'' of womenfolk in Gujarat, she perceives a need for ``a space for women''. ``No matter how a woman may excel in performing her various roles, there comes a time when she becomes unwanted. Our centre has increasingly come across married women with minor psychological problems which do not call for confinement in mental homes but also cannot be cured by medication alone. We offer them some counselling but having returned to the same environment, they tend to lose their confidence''.

Desai feels a ``short stay home'' for such women could be the solution ``where non-traditional training could be given to help them regain their confidence.'' However, not all change lies in the hands of women's organisations, Desai remarks. ``My appeal to the masses is that they should lessen their expectations from women's groups and think what they themselves are doing and can do for the woman. Only then can we bring about a change,'' she says.