In Madhya Pradesh’s Sorwa, Sarma bai has been collecting Mahua seeds and flowers since she was eight-years-old. Every season, she and the other tribal women leave their homes before dawn, walk at least two kilometres into the forest, and spend the day gathering flowers and seeds from the indigenous Mahua trees. They bring their meals with them. They return by evening. Then they go home and cook. Harvesting Mahua is a source of steady income for these women.
Sorwa is one of many areas across 15 states where the Mahua tree grows wild. The tree has a long and layered history in India with its flowers used for liquor, its seed oil for skin healing, its bark for medicine and its leaves as a remedy for inflammation. For centuries, harvesting it has been central to women's lives and their economic role in the community. But when the British colonised India, Mahua was banned. The colonial administration, wary of competition with imported wine, deemed the locally sourced liquor harmful. The stigma, along with the bureaucratic red tape, has lingered ever since.
‘They just sort of created a lot of negative publicity around it,’ says Khanak, the Co-founder and CEO of Sohrai, a brand working to bring Mahua into contemporary skincare. ‘And there's a lot of red-taping because of it till now.’ Her co-founder, Rupesh, who grew up watching his mother pick Mahua flowers, saw the potential in revisiting the tree for urban consumers. Sohrai now uses Mahua across its product range, formulating its seed oil with scientifically-backed actives to create what the brand describes as high-performing skincare.
For the women of Sorwa, the resurgence of interest in Mahua has meant something more immediate: a dependable income. The women earn up to ₹500-600 a day during harvest season. Many of these women continue to collect Mahua and pursue their college education.
The harvest is communal by nature. Women form groups, collect together, dry the flowers on their terraces and take them to sell at the bazaar. In a region where drought is common and alternative sources of income are scarce, a good Mahua harvest can fund a wedding. ‘Women harvest Mahua a lot more than men,’ Sarma bai. ‘They bring their meals and water with them. We collect the flowers and seeds all day, make a group and work together.’
The women harvesters of Mahua have now passed the knowledge of the tree to their daughters, as their own mother passed it to them. The Women For The Planet series, in which this film appears, frames the women of Sorwa not as custodians of a dying tradition, but as those actively keeping it alive.
About Women for the Planet:
‘Women for the Planet’ is Her Circle’s inspiring video series that aims to highlight the extraordinary contributions of women toward protecting and preserving the planet. These women, from diverse backgrounds and regions, are driving change in unique ways- reviving traditional crafts, championing sustainable practices, uplifting their communities, and redefining what it means to live in harmony with nature. With the series, the goal is to foster awareness and appreciation for women-led sustainability efforts and inspire action through relatable stories of resilience and innovation.