The women, included teachers of the Lakshmi Ashram and social workers from their various rural centers. Lakshmi Ashram stands for women's education in the hills, established by Sarala Bahen, an inmate of Gandhiji's Ashram. Lakshmi Ashram's pioneering work in women's education on Gandhian line is well recognized. Most of the ladies had been actively involved in Satyagraha, picketing and campaign against liquor shops in their respective areas and suffered the ire of the liquor mafia, such as abduction of their family members; intimidation, and harassment. Because of the interest the reading of Hind Swaraj generated, the Shivir was extended for a day. "Initially" Rajiv Vora states, "as I set before the thirty bold women, I asked myself how am I going to keep them interested for continuously three days! They were not intellectuals. And this was my first encounter with mainly a women's group, and only second workshop." Later they also expressed having similar doubt initially. "Ashram had asked us therefore we came - we were sure it was going to be hard to suffer a Gandhian with his usual talk about Gram Swaraj, politics and some economics of Swadeshi." They said "but it all changed within the very first 10 minutes as the very title Hind Swaraj was being defined." said Vimalaji and Chandraji " It went down in hearts as it was not the routine political talk. it was about our inner self and its power. God and politics were no two different things." Kavitaji of Dhauiya said "It was not a religious language, nor a political, it was Mahatmaji's language of our culture and our dharma." Gayatribahen thought that the uniqueness of Gandhiji's Hind Swaraj was that it is not talking of any one aspect of life as separated from others."

They all unanimously thought that such camps should be held atleast once a year and that this message should reach every village.

Lakshmi Ashram decided to conduct readings of Hind Swaraj regularly. It was because of this enthusiasm that the workshop continued beyond its time.