International Women’s Year (1975) and International Women’s Decade (1976-1985) led to increasing feminist consciousness on gender based subordination and violence. This context gave impetus to formation of autonomous women’s collectives/groups. Manch is one of such early collectives started working informally on the issue of gender based violence. The nature of work was of intervention in the complaints of domestic violence through providing for speak out, visits to their homes, assisting women for police complaint if required and so on. Soon it was realized that just helping women would not be enough, but creating awareness and sensitizing men along with women was necessary. This led to conducting awareness campaigns on the issue of gender based violence to sensitize women and men.

The value of ‘Equality’ is quoted in the very name of ‘Nari Samata Manch’. Starting form prevention of gender based violence, Nari Samata Manch (henceforth mentioned as Manch) expanded its work to different issues of rural and tribal development such as education, health and water supply. Manch has been actively working on the issues of Gender based violence such as domestic violence, assaults on young women from one sided attraction as well sexual harassment of women at workplace.

Considering ‘Gender’ as a basic category, we try to analyse gender realities in different relationships. We felt need of expanding gender analysis as gender is not limited to relationships but present in all social structures and institutions. In this mission, we consider marginalized people as our allies and hence expanded our work with rural and tribal communities. Similarly considering importance of intervention in democratic institutions, we work with the approach of gender integration in local self-government units. The journey is on for last 35 years, keeping itself part of broader social progressive movement.