They came in thousands, in boats, across rivers so huge that you often lose sight of the banks. On 21 February, they had set out at the crack of dawn, when a pale mist still hung over the waters, and sailed for hours (some for as many as seven) from islands that lay deep inside the wilderness of the Sundarbans. They were women coming to attend a conference where they would reaffirm their pledge to fight on for a better world. The conference is held each year on the island of Rangabelia. It is organised by the Tagore Society for Rural Development(TSRD), a frontline voluntary body that has brought about a sea change in West Bengal's back of beyond.