Purnima Meher is a staunch advocate of women fishworkers in the coastal state of Maharashtra in India. Purnima, who was born into a fishing community, is a postgraduate in Sociology from the prestigious SNDT University, Pune, and has worked as a social activist in her home state of Maharashtra for about ten years. During this period, she had the opportunity of meeting and working with the activist Medha Patkar, globally known for her long years of involvement in the anti-Narmada Dam struggle in India. This association helped Purnima learn the necessary skills and strategies to organize people at the grassroots level. Raised in a family that subscribed to socialist values, Purnima early on developed a vision of society that allowed her to see beyond the surface and identify the forms and forces of exploitation embedded within the system.