Women and Poverty

Women and Poverty

Freedom from the culture of subjugation and oppression

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

In the country of one billion people over 24% of the population belong to Dalits and tribals. Nearly 80% of the Dalit population in India lives in villages and very interestingly the gender ratio is about 936 women per thousand men, which is slightly higher than the national average.
Dalit women suffer from double disability in our society. The first disability of being woman is doubled with the caste tag over head. Women remain the most 'sought after' 'object' in our society and 'honour' of our families. Her honour is a subject of contention between warring brothers, avenging communities and destroying civilization. From Gujarat to Kashmir, the honour of women became the major issue in our uncivilized world. Even where there is no war, the powerful peasantry with inexplicable caste identities kept women subjugated for years despite her contribution both at home and at the field. It is therefore not surprising that great green revolution of India ultimately strengthened the hand of feudal patriarchy resulting in greater gender chaos in the region. Since agrarian reform had never been feminised and farmer's movement in India caged in the confines of upper caste feudal patriarchy and any voices of dissent are muzzled with atrocious caste consciousness. Today, women are short in supply in Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar-Pradesh and still the caste Panchayats are playing their dubious role by organizing Kangaroo courts for those who try to challenge the status quo. Ultimately, it is the woman who becomes victim of such notoriety of the system. Therefore, cases like Imrana, should not be seen as a problem of the Muslim society. It would be absolutely farcical to confine Imrana's story to an issue of Muslim society. Imrana is the symptom of greater gender discrimination prevalent in the feudal social system of Western Uttar-Pradesh irrespective of religious identities. These actually reflect the feudal pattern of our social system.

Dalit women suffer from double disability in our society. The first disability of being woman is doubled with the caste tag over head. Women remain the most 'sought after' 'object' in our society and 'honour' of our families. Her honour is a subject of contention between warring brothers, avenging communities and destroying civilization. From Gujarat to Kashmir, the honour of women became the major issue in our uncivilized world.

Even where there is no war, the powerful peasantry with inexplicable caste identities kept women subjugated for years despite her contribution both at home and at the field. It is therefore not surprising that great green revolution of India ultimately strengthened the hand of feudal patriarchy resulting in greater gender chaos in the region. Since agrarian reform had never been feminised and farmer's movement in India caged in the confines of upper caste feudal patriarchy and any voices of dissent are muzzled with atrocious caste consciousness. Today, women are short in supply in Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar-Pradesh and still the caste Panchayats are playing their dubious role by organizing Kangaroo courts for those who try to challenge the status quo. Ultimately, it is the woman who becomes victim of such notoriety of the system. Therefore, cases like Imrana, should not be seen as a problem of the Muslim society. It would be absolutely farcical to confine Imrana's story to an issue of Muslim society. Imrana is the symptom of greater gender discrimination prevalent in the feudal social system of Western Uttar-Pradesh irrespective of religious identities. These actually reflect the feudal pattern of our social system.

The war for land and water is still not over and promises yet to fulfilled by respective governments but the new forms of discriminations and colonisations have begun. It is acknowledged by the UN Secretary General Kofee Annan in his report that nearly 25 million people have become displaced due to various internal factors while 20 million people have been killed due to various diseases like HIV AIDs. In the trouble torn state of Kashmir, one can see the miserable condition of women whose husbands, and children are killed in the violence.Whether it is to sustain culture or values, women are the foremost to be used in the wider patriarchical design of subjugation. Therefore modesty, chastity, culture and values are specific to women's world. Every time, she tries to cross them or come in conflict with them, the cries are loud enough to rock our political system. If one has to find a malnourished child in our families, one could easily finger towards the girl who has to do all work at home and yet remain hungry for the full day. It is not surprising that it is women who become victim of 'spirit' and other such practices in our villages. In Tsunami, a majority of women died because men could throw away their lungis when the water forced them to swim while women's modesty took their lives. For them throwing away their Sarees and Petticoats would have become too immodest to face the world hence they could not swim.

The cultural oppression and social subjugation result in limiting the economic development and opportunities to work out. Who would allow his wife or daughter to work out if she report the other day that a colleague passed some remark on her appearance. In most of the cases, women are asked to sit back. So the policy of the existing social system is to hit the victim and kill her self-esteem.But despite all this, the changes are visible in Dalit women whose case history is something different than the upper caste women. The middle class upper caste women, who never worked on the field or came in open due to their own purdah system, were always told

' women from respected families do not work out'. Dalit women have always worked on the field hence going in open with purdah was their culture. Even Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar when first burnt Manu Smriti in 1927 as a mark of protest against racial and gender prejudices in the book, at Mahad, had to rely heavily on women. One of the progressive side of the Dalit movements is that women became an inherent part of it though patriarchy was also visible there in the movement yet not to the comparison of the brahmanical system. Dalit women retaliate and are not told to sit and depressed. Therefore, the revolt of Phoolan Devi is an example. She fought for her dignity and rights. Could we imagined if any middle class upper caste Hindu family would allow their daughter to fight back and not die in humiliation? Recently, Mayawati lit the pyre of her mentor Kanshiram in Delhi, sought to break away from the age-old hold of the patriarchy during such time. By performing the last rites she has send the signal that Dalit political leadership does believe in changing and not glorifying everything which is traditional in the name of culture, such as upper caste Hindu women leaders have always done. Despite a powerful woman, Indira Gandhi always wanted to visit the 'Jagannath temple' and could not fulfill her wish.

This social bias again women results in our day to day life. Hence whether it is the Panchayats or any other government schemes, women have not got their due. We Indians are expert in finding our ways out without breaking our system. Hence when we thought that 33% reservation for women would bring a remarkable change in our life, our men used their social status ( pati devo bhav) to dupe their wives. So once they lost their seats to women, they fielded their wives (preferring wives is a clear option over other females like daughter, mother) as she would obedient more than any other. Since, it is said that husband is your God whatever big you might be in social-political life. So the revolution failed because women are just rubber stamp and husband an unaccountable Laloo for whose sins Rabri would have to pay.Many of us thought that with the advent of market many things would change, life of women become free and independent yet this disillusionment is growing. The results are threatening. Market is hitting at our social structure but at the same point of time strengthening the puritan cultural values, which destroyed dignity of women. Market glamorizes oppression and rituals related to women. Therefore, we see a sudden growth of festivals, which people considered as degrading to women. Question is market have always objectified women and therefore trapped them in another stereotype that women are good for certain thing and not for everything and these include look better in providing 'hospitality' as they smile better and on the ramp. We make them feel that it is their freedom

It is therefore important to understand that the new economic paradigms are killing more and producing little. The issues of displacement and deforestation again put the clock back as 'family' comes first and women despite all our courage comes back to the family, to save it and to take care of it. In 1990 Nobel Laureate Octavo Paz, in his acceptance of the award said ' The market economy.. cannot be simply a cause for joy. As a mechanism, the market is efficient, but like all machines, it lacks both conscience and compassion. We must find a way of integrating it into society so that it expresses the social contracts and become an instrument for justice and fairness.The advanced democratic societies have reached an enviable level of prosperity at the same point of time they are islands of abundance in an ocean of universal misery. A society possessed by frantic need to produce more in order to consume more tends to reduce ideas, feelings, art, love, friendship and people themselves to consumer good. Everything becomes an item to be bought, used and then thrown on the rubbish dump..India is a signatory to convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Apart from this, we have ratified many other international treaties yet a lot remain to be done. We have one of the finest constitution of the world which gave women right to vote even at the time when many others in the 'developed' world were struggling to get the same. Our constitution says equal pay for equal work. We had a woman prime ministers and many ministers. We have women chief ministers and a lot. Yet, violence against women continues, unabated. Our laws become redundant when issue of woman comes to the fore. We have dowry laws and now the Domestic Violence Act.

We have given 'property rights' to women and yet she suffers a lot. In this cruel world of subcontinent, under pressure from a civilised world, we have done everything to look secular as well as civilized and yet when the issue of implementation comes, it is a matter of great disappointment. It is therefore important to understand that the new economic paradigms are killing more and producing little. The issues of displacement and deforestation again put the clock back as 'family' comes first and women despite all our courage comes back to the family, to save it and to take care of it.

A woman is a woman but we tried to define her in terms of her relationship and use this emotion to serve patriarchy. Her identity as a woman is overshadowed by her identity as a mother, sister, wife or a daughter. Constitutionally, we might be a democracy but that democratic spirit has really not crept in our social life, which remains socially oppressive and culturally brutal. Our forefathers did what they could have by providing us a secular progressive constitution yet very few of them thought the keys to success of model constitution lies somewhere else. In our social fabric which remain compartmentalized and thoroughly regimented, and, where our morality differ from each other, writ of the constitution need to be strengthened. It is quintessential, therefore, that the moral values erupt from secular and progressive outlook and not to subjugate those voices of freedom and liberty.

Dalit assertion in Maharastra on rise

Khairlanji's Dalit Victims want justice with dignity

Democracy must serve the Dalits as it survives due to their participation
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The fire of Khairlanji in Bhandara district of Maharastra refuse to recede and has now entered in Delhi also. At the India Social Forum 2006, Dalit organizations led by National Conference of Dalit Organisations, NACDOR, held a strong demonstration at the Jantar Mantar where a large number of human rights activists, Dalit activists from different parts of the country expressed deep anguish and wanted immediate punishment for the tormentors of the heinous crime against humanity.

Chhaya Khobargade, who has been actively involved in the agitation felt that the congress government has not taken any action against the guilty. Instead it is taking action the activists who have been staging protest against the incident. ' If the Maharastra government does not take action against the culprits, the situation would go out of hand,' she warned.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Nitin Chaudhury, Convener, NACDOR, Maharastra asked the R.R.Patil, deputy chief minister of Maharastra must apologize from the Dalit community for his irresponsible utterances. Former Union Minister Sanjay Paswan also expressed his solidarity with the agitating members. At the Dalit sector meeting in ISF2006, Mr Ashok Bharati, Convener, National Conference of Dalit Organisations expressed deep anguish over the attitude of Maharastra government which he termed was no different than the fascist government of Gujarat led by Narendra Modi. Bharati warned that Dalits would not rest silently if there dignity continue to be attacked by the upper caste goons. He also blamed the organizers of the World Social Forum with prejudices against the Dalits. While Protests in Delhi continues and more so because United Dalit Student Forum in JNU along with other students organizations are planning massive protests against Mahrastra government's inaction. In Bhandara people expressed their anger against the visit of Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh who offered a job to the relative of the deceased family. ' We want honour and dignity and not job, was the categorical answer from the family. It is the tribute to Ambedkar's campaign for human Rights and dignity that dalits consider it too small to bargain a massacre of a family with a job. That may be possible in the Hindu system and not with enlightened Ambekarite Buddhists.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Nitin Chaudhury, Convener, NACDOR, Maharastra asked the R.R.Patil, deputy chief minister of Maharastra must apologize from the Dalit community for his irresponsible utterances. Former Union Minister Sanjay Paswan also expressed his solidarity with the agitating members.

At the Dalit sector meeting in ISF2006, Mr Ashok Bharati, Convener, National Conference of Dalit Organisations expressed deep anguish over the attitude of Maharastra government which he termed was no different than the fascist government of Gujarat led by Narendra Modi. Bharati warned that Dalits would not rest silently if there dignity continue to be attacked by the upper caste goons. He also blamed the organizers of the World Social Forum with prejudices against the Dalits.

While Protests in Delhi continues and more so because United Dalit Student Forum in JNU along with other students organizations are planning massive protests against Mahrastra government's inaction. In Bhandara people expressed their anger against the visit of Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh who offered a job to the relative of the deceased family. ' We want honour and dignity and not job, was the categorical answer from the family. It is the tribute to Ambedkar's campaign for human Rights and dignity that dalits consider it too small to bargain a massacre of a family with a job. That may be possible in the Hindu system and not with enlightened Ambekarite Buddhists.

It is beyond any body's belief how four family members of Buddhist Dalit family were butchered to death mercilessly by the upper caste hegemonists of Khairlanji village who wanted to grab the land of this Dalit family. 'The Panchayat had already taken over about 2 acres of land in the name of common passage for the village and the upper caste were pressurizing that the family also get out of remaining 3 acres of land, says Sujata Parimita, a women's rights activist from Mumbai. How brutal and inhuman could these upper caste be, is reflected in the nature of the killing. Surekha ( 44 years), her daughter Priyanka 18 years, sons Rakesh 23 years and Sudhir, 29 years were first pulled out from their hut and stripped naked. According to Sujata and Chhaya Khobargade, 'these women were stripped naked by the uppercaste women'. Those women's right activists must understand who say that 'women do not have caste. Not all women are equal. Upper caste women can never understand the plight of Dalit women from their caste prism and would have to shed those prejudices before claiming to work for women's right movement of all. Surekha's sons were also stripped and asked to rape their mother and sister when they refused to follow, they were hacked to death. One of the son named Sudhir was a physically challenge person. Later, the mother and daughters were also raped and killed. Their bodies were found next day with brutal marks of killing on their body, lying naked.Now, the attempt to wash the entire thing has already begun. The police says that they are not getting any eyewitness of the event while the medical report does not make a rape case. It is shocking beyond doubt, as Sujata Parimita says, 'when the Delhi High Court cold send Santosh Singh to the gallows using circumstantial evidences, why is police in Bhandara not doing its work and collecting the circumstantial evidences. Moreover, some of the family member including Surekha's cousin Siddhartha Gajbhiye have already told police what he saw on that fateful day. What does the naked body indicate?' The upper caste feudal police is not interested in resolving the crisis. Siddhartaha was a political activist and living in another village and Surekha had contacted him to help her as the upper castes were putting a lot of pressure on them to relinquish the 3 acres of land that they possessed. To get rid of the intervention, the villagers alleged that Surekha had an illicit relationship with Suresh. But even if that was true, why the hell these upper castes were concern about that ?

It is beyond any body's belief how four family members of Buddhist Dalit family were butchered to death mercilessly by the upper caste hegemonists of Khairlanji village who wanted to grab the land of this Dalit family. 'The Panchayat had already taken over about 2 acres of land in the name of common passage for the village and the upper caste were pressurizing that the family also get out of remaining 3 acres of land, says Sujata Parimita, a women's rights activist from Mumbai. How brutal and inhuman could these upper caste be, is reflected in the nature of the killing. Surekha ( 44 years), her daughter Priyanka 18 years, sons Rakesh 23 years and Sudhir, 29 years were first pulled out from their hut and stripped naked. According to Sujata and Chhaya Khobargade, 'these women were stripped naked by the uppercaste women'. Those women's right activists must understand who say that 'women do not have caste. Not all women are equal. Upper caste women can never understand the plight of Dalit women from their caste prism and would have to shed those prejudices before claiming to work for women's right movement of all. Surekha's sons were also stripped and asked to rape their mother and sister when they refused to follow, they were hacked to death. One of the son named Sudhir was a physically challenge person. Later, the mother and daughters were also raped and killed. Their bodies were found next day with brutal marks of killing on their body, lying naked.

Now, the attempt to wash the entire thing has already begun. The police says that they are not getting any eyewitness of the event while the medical report does not make a rape case. It is shocking beyond doubt, as Sujata Parimita says, 'when the Delhi High Court cold send Santosh Singh to the gallows using circumstantial evidences, why is police in Bhandara not doing its work and collecting the circumstantial evidences. Moreover, some of the family member including Surekha's cousin Siddhartha Gajbhiye have already told police what he saw on that fateful day. What does the naked body indicate?' The upper caste feudal police is not interested in resolving the crisis. Siddhartaha was a political activist and living in another village and Surekha had contacted him to help her as the upper castes were putting a lot of pressure on them to relinquish the 3 acres of land that they possessed. To get rid of the intervention, the villagers alleged that Surekha had an illicit relationship with Suresh. But even if that was true, why the hell these upper castes were concern about that ?

Complaints were lodged in the police and yet no action was taken. Dalits waited for so many days even no media or the government officials visited them. It took nearly over a month and half when the patience of the Dalits boiled. And what one saw in the streets of various parts of Vidarbha was this Dalit frustration with rule of law. The government did not act but tried to shield its officials and politicians involved in the case.It is more shocking that the high profile Deputy Chief Minister R.R.Patil was busy issuing statements on two counts. One his party has been going overboard over party president Sharad Pawar's alleged'insult' by the Australian players. ' We respect our elders', was the general cry of the political activists in Maharastra. 'We must make the Australians apologize for they do not know what actually the culture is? If the Australian media had known and seen the Bhandara incident and how Indian media reports then they would have probably said that 'your culture is to publicly rape a woman and her daughters in front of her sons and do not ask for justice.' That atrocious upper caste prejudice is still prevalent in Mahrastra and that there is no outrage in the country is itself an outrage. This incident is a grim reminder of how our social system function and whether the Dalits should now not blow up that super structure of democracy which gives one person equal voting right to elect our parliament or assemblies yet do not consider them equal.

Complaints were lodged in the police and yet no action was taken. Dalits waited for so many days even no media or the government officials visited them. It took nearly over a month and half when the patience of the Dalits boiled. And what one saw in the streets of various parts of Vidarbha was this Dalit frustration with rule of law. The government did not act but tried to shield its officials and politicians involved in the case.

It is more shocking that the high profile Deputy Chief Minister R.R.Patil was busy issuing statements on two counts. One his party has been going overboard over party president Sharad Pawar's alleged 'insult' by the Australian players. ' We respect our elders', was the general cry of the political activists in Maharastra. 'We must make the Australians apologize for they do not know what actually the culture is?' If the Australian media had known and seen the Bhandara incident and how Indian media reports then they would have probably said that 'your culture is to publicly rape a woman and her daughters in front of her sons and do not ask for justice.' That atrocious upper caste prejudice is still prevalent in Mahrastra and that there is no outrage in the country is itself an outrage. This incident is a grim reminder of how our social system function and whether the Dalits should now not blow up that super structure of democracy which gives one person equal voting right to elect our parliament or assemblies yet do not consider them equal.

But Dalits taking the street for justice is not new in Maharastra particularly in Nagpur. The state apparatus has always shielded the corrupt upper caste officials, goons who exploit Dalits. There is pain and anguish and to say that it is the work of Naxals is again to relieve oneself from the responsibility. Maharastra's police is considered to be efficient yet it could not fill a sense of confidence among the Dalits. The political class did not find time to visit the place. In fact some of the people have blamed a BJP MLA's involvement in the entire incident.In the 50th year of Dhammachakra parivartan, thousands of people have already embraced Buddhism and standing tall with their new found enlightenment. The Bhotmanges family of Khairlanji was also a Buddhist and learnt to live with dignity which was not accepted by the upper caste Hindus. Their assertion was attacked in the most fascist manner of any system. One does not find parallel to such cruelty, may be during the Nazi assault on the Jews at the concentration camps in Germany.

R R Patil ordered a CID inquiry into the Nagpur incident but not what happened at Bhandara's Kharilanji village. Every body knows how an inquiry proceeds to save the skin of the political leaders. State CIDs are nothing but government's own mindset and Patil has already said that the entire incident of fire and rioting in Nagpur was orchestrated by the Naxal groups. Politicians seldom introspect therefore to expect that Patil and his cohorts would respond responsibly on the issue would be miraculous.

But Dalits taking the street for justice is not new in Maharastra particularly in Nagpur. The state apparatus has always shielded the corrupt upper caste officials, goons who exploit Dalits. There is pain and anguish and to say that it is the work of Naxals is again to relieve oneself from the responsibility. Maharastra's police is considered to be efficient yet it could not fill a sense of confidence among the Dalits. The political class did not find time to visit the place. In fact some of the people have blamed a BJP MLA's involvement in the entire incident.

In the 50th year of Dhammachakra parivartan, thousands of people have already embraced Buddhism and standing tall with their new found enlightenment. The Bhotmanges family of Khairlanji was also a Buddhist and learnt to live with dignity which was not accepted by the upper caste Hindus. Their assertion was attacked in the most fascist manner of any system. One does not find parallel to such cruelty, may be during the Nazi assault on the Jews at the concentration camps in Germany.

The government is discussing things in home ministry about the growing influence of Naxalites in Chandrapur and other parts of Maharastra. This year during the 50th year celebration of Ambedkar's conversion, our friend Sunita Narain of Danish Publications, Delhi was arrested by Chandrapur police for 'clinching' evidence of her 'linkages' with the Naxalites. Sunita has a book stall, at the festival ground, which include Bhagat Singh's memoirs, a book written by Babu Ram Bhattarai, Nepal's Maoist leader, some others like Dr Ambedkar's work on riddles of Hinduism etc. She was released only on the condition that she would be available for further interrogation.One would ask the ministers in Maharastra whether selling literature of revolutionaries any crime and as reported by Sunita, the police officer was asking her ' Why she sale Bhagat Singh when India has already become a democracy'. Yes, India is a democracy of the upper castes where they learn Gandhigiri from a bollywood film but do not use it in their public life. Even Gandhi would have wept and cried seeing his 'followers'.Dalits love literature. It is beyond doubt that Dalits today read much more than the upper caste Hindus study. All the revolutionary writings are liked by Dalits. Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar has given them strength of conviction and character and therefore they go crazy to read literature of revolution. Dalits are going for revolution. Embracing Buddism is itself a revolt against the dominant caste culture of India. Dalits have saved Indian democracy. When the upper castes were busy in their work and money, Dalits voted in the slums and streets. What did they get in return? That their leaders are also purchased and co-opted by the mainstream.

The government is discussing things in home ministry about the growing influence of Naxalites in Chandrapur and other parts of Maharastra. This year during the 50th year celebration of Ambedkar's conversion, our friend Sunita Narain of Danish Publications, Delhi was arrested by Chandrapur police for 'clinching' evidence of her 'linkages' with the Naxalites. Sunita has a book stall, at the festival ground, which include Bhagat Singh's memoirs, a book written by Babu Ram Bhattarai, Nepal's Maoist leader, some others like Dr Ambedkar's work on riddles of Hinduism etc. She was released only on the condition that she would be available for further interrogation.

One would ask the ministers in Maharastra whether selling literature of revolutionaries any crime and as reported by Sunita, the police officer was asking her ' Why she sale Bhagat Singh when India has already become a democracy'. Yes, India is a democracy of the upper castes where they learn Gandhigiri from a bollywood film but do not use it in their public life. Even Gandhi would have wept and cried seeing his 'followers'.

Dalits love literature. It is beyond doubt that Dalits today read much more than the upper caste Hindus study. All the revolutionary writings are liked by Dalits. Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar has given them strength of conviction and character and therefore they go crazy to read literature of revolution. Dalits are going for revolution. Embracing Buddism is itself a revolt against the dominant caste culture of India. Dalits have saved Indian democracy. When the upper castes were busy in their work and money, Dalits voted in the slums and streets. What did they get in return? That their leaders are also purchased and co-opted by the mainstream.

Dalits respect constitution of India because Dr Ambedkar drafted it. Anything that links Dalits to Baba Saheb has an emotional value.We gave a political constitution which suggested two people are equal but in social life, what Ambedkar mentioned during those days, that the two people are not equal. Manu Smriti still rules India. WE must not forget how the Dalit women in Nagpur taught Akka Yadav a lesson of his life. Yes, Yadav was a local goon who would go to any house and ask for the prettiest girl to entertain him. For long the Dalit women tolerated his activities. Also, they realized well that the Akka Yadav had wide political connections and would get release once arrested. After lots of protest Yadav was arrested but the activist got to wind of the police that he might be let off to torture them again. And the massive crowd that swelled in the campus of the local court in Nagpur where Police brought the accused in the van, the crowed attacked Yadav and his friend and killed them on the spot. That was social justice that Nagpur women wanted for them. They were not interested in long arm- twisting tactics of the court and the police which ultimately made them victims and hence they killed the notorious gangster.

Very unfortunately the Maharastra government has not learnt any lesson from the same. It still feels that delay is the best way as people would forget the incident. It would be foolish to think in those terms. The anger of the Dalits in the Maharastra is for her dignity and honour and no government can do away with it. The golden edifice of Indian democracy would not survive if Dalits do not get justice in India. They have already tolerated humiliation heaped upon them related to their integrity, merits, reservation and everything. It is a wake up call for the government failing which they would only lose their credibility and masses would follow what they believe in like what happened to Akka Yadav. Government must not wait and act immediately to get the victims justice otherwise it will have to heavy price for which India at the moment is not prepared and cannot afford.