India sure is making a steady progress in every field but our society is still riddled with superstitions which hold back society's development. Some of us might find it difficult to believe but people in many rural areas in India believe that witches exist. Beating and killing of women on the suspicion of witchcraft is a common occurring and not much has been done by the government to eradicate this practice. But there is always a ray of hope, and for Assam, that ray of hope is Birubala Rabha, a 66-year-old woman whose fight against the evil-practice is commendable. Here's her inspiring story. It was nearly 30 years ago, when Birubala was in her mid 80s and her eldest son fell ill. She visited a village quack who told her that a fairy was pregnant with her son, and that he would die as soon as the fairy's child was born. But when her son recuperated and got back in good health, she realized that these quacks were only frauds.

Birubala Rabha has saved at least 35 women who were branded as witches in the past decade. Her efforts paid when the Assam government brought India's toughest anti-witch hunting law which mandates up to 7 years of imprisonment for branding someone a witch.

Nothing seems to stop the determined woman and she has a message for everyone. "They will always find new reasons to brand women as witches. But don't be scared, challenge the offenders and report them to the police. This battle is not going to end anytime soon", she tells BBC.

For her continuous efforts, she has been conferred an honorary Doctorate degree by Gauhati University.