Honored killing are an illegitimate justification to save a fragile caste structure?

Kill to Honor the caste system

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Roshini Devi remained remorseless in accepting the fact that she and her family killed their daughter Sunita, a divorcee living with her lover Jasbir against the wishes of their family in particular and society in general, in Karnal district of Haryana state. Jasbir’s mother though felt grave loss of her son yet had to succumb to the social pressure in pretending as if she was happy with the way her son and his lover met their end.

Honored killing may not be in the official dictionary of India but such incidents are not isolated and are happening on a regular interval. The only fact is that the media does not have enough time to discuss over this, and if they discuss it, they shout on the technicality of the issue like lack of police action, therefore making it a crime story. Ofcourse, it is a crime but much bigger than what an ordinary criminal could do. As it involves those who believe in superfluous racial philosophy which believe that intermingling of different communities by way of marriage must not only be disowned but also discouraged. And if some one dare to go against their dictates, the result is the brutal killings and the atrocious display of dead bodies in public so that future generations, young children should remain caution to understand their boundaries. The politicians, as usual get into the news only when we have to look politically correct. Haryana and western Uttar-Pradesh are notorious in this regard where killing for the honor of family and society is the order of the day.

A few days back, the caste Panchayat sat in karnal and forced Jasbir’s parents to withdraw the case against the girl’s parents. These caste Panchayats are rampant in India and are a result of our over emphasis on ‘identity’ and ‘culture’. Of late, it has become fashion in Uttar-Pradesh that every caste is organizing its own Panchayat, predominantly male chauvinist, they are the law themselves. It is this arrogance and deep abhorrence for law, that an old rustic fellow like Mahendra Singh Tikait can abuse the chief Minister of Uttar-Pradesh and get away with it. Though the Uttar-Pradesh Chief Minister Ms Mayawati, brought him to knees yet the fact is that Tikait got support from all the political parties who rather than condemning his caste-ist remark, made a beeline to support him. When everything is politics, the biggest casualty would be the rule of law. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that though India has a political constitution which is secular and gives one man equal right to vote, it is the Manu Smriti and its laws which runs our social structure. And our political laws and constitution remain helpless to this and it should remain our biggest concern.

India declared itself a secular republic with a progressive constitution yet its girls are killed for falling in love with person of their choice. Such stories are not even reported.

About a fortnight ago we heard the killing of a boy who happened to be a Muslim and fell in love with a girl who was daughter of a local political leader of the Hindutva brigade in Indore. The couple was threatened. They ran from Indore to Mumbai, even approached a TV channel and gave their perception live on the TV that they are under the threat. And many months back, when the girl was pregnant, they thought that now the things are calm down, they went back to Indore. The very next morning the boy was killed. The remorseless mother did not utter anything.

The political parties and societies at large in India remain fixated to old mindset and this over emphasis on culture and values with a superficial belief of a superior culture has led to this killing in the name of honor. There is no war against it. After the great war of Ambedkar who declared openly that Indian village system need to improve, who was apprehensive of village politics and caste Panchayats and the dominance of the powerful upper castes in it, no real political battle has been fought against it. The political battle of between the champion of Hindu values verses secular values is a clear deviation from the real battle where India should have prioritized.

The stratified Indian society did not jolt even with the powerful waves of Tsunami. The caste system is so strong here that Tsunami would fail and every Indian, it seems, is proud of his/her lineage. Hence the focus on identities not only fetch good votes to you but also burry the dissents with in the communities. Today, the identity politics has far reaching impact. With male chauvinists sitting everywhere, they are using identities for their own nefarious purposes and find motivation and suspicion on every one who questions these values.

It is across communities. Girls are to be won over. The global markets do the same thing by parading them at the ramps while the traditional markets do not allow them to select their own choices. Perhaps, the fear is in the mindset that once they start deciding about their choice, our family system, the much respected system on which bollywood’s outdated films have spend millions of rupees, would become redundant. The glamour, the hoopla and the industry behind this fad create an artificial aura of the Indian family system and marriages without realizing that they are just keeping together for the sake of society and not for themselves. And if divorces are growing today, it is not that there are bad values but there is a choice now for women to opt out of the marriage.

How can the writ of constitution run large in society where religion is being marketed not by the political parties but by the big corporations also to boost their sale? The film stars make good film but end up in globalizing the tainted Indian belief system. Irony is that there is no movement against the atrocious value system and even the so-called civil society harp on our great past and cultural legacy.

Our histories as well as mythologies are full of so-called illicit relationships. There were multiple queens and concubines and all these things were considered as usual and ‘leelas’ as justification. While the case of Rakshasas, these things were shown as bad but for the ‘gods’ they were ‘leelas’, or what I would call ‘theatre of absurd’. These absurdities are part of our value system and we continue to eulogize them. Rules are different for different people based on their castes.

This consciousness related to colour, caste, region and religion has created an ugly situation in India. A state which claims to be secular has in fact promoted multicultural fanaticism in the past fifty years. In the name of multi-culturalism, we are witnessing promotion of patriarchical fanaticism by the state. It is a situation ‘ you are happy in your house and we are in our house constructed by some ‘wise’ men. These wise men are seculars who sit together and strengthen each other. Their secularism is under the threat when a woman ask for justice or there is an inter religious or inter-caste match. All of them are up in arms to discount that. Political leaders consider that a threat to peace and social activists do not take up the issue. And Haryana’s case is a grim reminder where nobody came to cremate the woman despite police approaching a local NGO for the same, it refused. It also caste shadow of the self styled social action which are witnessing in the past twenty years. We are all active in the front which are non controversial and do not really threaten our status quo.

In the Bhadohi town of Uttar-Pradesh, the daughter of a ‘social activist’ disappeared and he filed an FIR against a Muslim exporter for allegedly kidnapping her. Though in normal circumstances all the ‘parents’ do lodge FIRs against the boys and their families if their daughters ‘disappear’. But this case was different. Here was one well known activist fighting against the ‘carpet mafia of Bhadohi’ and claiming victimization from them, hence the social activists in the state capital also jumped into the fray. Protests, Dharanas and everything took place. The police arrested the ‘accused’. I am narrating this incident to portray India’s casteist social action groups and how they promote their caste men as ‘simple’, ‘honest’ and ‘revolutionary’ working for the ‘poor’, these days ‘dalits’ and ‘marginalized.’

In the Varanasi case, police swung into action after a lot of pressure and finally after two-three months later they were able to trace the ‘disappeared’ girl and her ‘husband’. The girl went away from her family and married to a man of her choice, who was known in the family. Since, parents in India including social activists, feel highly offended and embarrassed if their children decide about their own and particularly if any one of them is either from a down trodden community or married or physical challenged, our honor is at stake. So, the entire episode of disappearance was created and an innocent man was made scapegoat to save the ‘honor’ of ‘social activist’. And so far none of the other friends who participated for the ‘honor’ of ‘social activist’ had the courage to tell people that their campaign was wrongly done and need apologies.

The Indian police and Indian State does not come out clean on these things well. About five years back one Balmiki boy from Delhi fell in love with a girl who happened to be from a Jaat family. Balmikis are the lowest even among the formerly untouchable communities and Jaats are powerful middle caste peasantry dominant in western Uttar-Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. They have been the best beneficiary of the green revolution but a highly conservative community and resist marriages with in the community as well as any self arrange marriages. Every community in the western Uttar Pradesh has its own caste panchayats. These caste Panchayats are called to determine the fate of the youngsters who defy social norms. The Balmiki Boy of Delhi and the Jaat girl married in a court. Immediately after the incidents, the Jaats attacked the village of Balmikis in a Delhi suburban area and demolished their houses and huts. The girl’s parents filed case of abduction against the boy’s family and the police starting torturing this. Since the boys brother has been in social action for years, some of us decided to form a committee and met the police officials. We met a senior police officer who said that it was a ‘social’ problem and ask us not to take it as an ‘administrative’ problem. ‘ You see policemen do also have castes and most of the Delhi police personnel hail from the Jaat, Gujjar and other communities from Western Uttar-Pradesh and Haryana. This lower staff of ours has its own social values and would go by the social norms.’ The officer suggested that we should do some ‘social reform’ in the region. It is shocking that this view point comes from a senior official who is given responsibility to uphold the law. I said,’ Sir, why can not you tell your junior officers to follow the law and protect the innocent.’ Despite the police officials assurance, things did not change. The girl was put under tremendous pressure where she changed her statement many time. The case is in the Delhi high court and it has asked quashing of FIR against the boy and his family. Since this is a battle between two unequal, the forces of Manu Smriti are powerful the forces of the constitution of India. The police, the administration and other powerful organs of the state remain to the side of law breakers.

In the west, honored killing is basically linked to the Islamic world but the thing is that we are no better in India. Any marriage without consent of the parents is considered an embarrassment and humiliation. Parents do not marry their child; instead they marry with power and prestige. This disease is contagious and spreading like a wild fire. The terms may change, the glamour may be there but ultimately the Indian marriages are big fad and an impediment in the way of choice of an individual.

We continue to live in clan and identities. These identities are basically male dominance cultural values in our society. It helps the Parochial values of a period when women were kept in Hamams, as well as where the kings, Zamindars and others were keeping women of their choice. It is a culture we appreciate. Today, when these things are being questioned and people are marrying out of their choices, the biggest mental block comes from a false notion of superiority. That is why these honored killing. People talk of social backwardness, education and economic upliftment but caste can not be eliminated by these factors alone unless we are interested in it. The report from UK are disappointing as how South Asians living in that country are indulging in honored killings. It shows that our mindset will not change with mere shifting our places and earning a few dollars and pounds. More importantly it also shows that we do not go to any place because we respect their values but we want their money. Most of these Desis who are living abroad are there not for British value system or European value system but for their own earnings. It is tragic that they become more fundamentalists and this argument of culture values and religion has put them into the company of new breed of Swamis and Babas who are earning millions from their trips abroad. Every body is looking for Nirwana but with in their ‘cultural’ boundaries.

Honored killing is not a ‘problem’ in India as those who are supposed to raise the issue in the human rights forum, in their own caste forums, in their communities, fear that it would open floodgates for ‘liberation’ and it is this fear of liberation of women, particularly her right to chose her partner, that would threaten our family values and structure. We are worried that if we are unable to ‘honor’ our family values, our system will crack. Therefore, even the activists fail to come forward to take on this honor but if we fail to respond to this urgent call, I am afraid, it will be too late.

But who will initiate the process? Once we fight against honored killing which are actually racial in nature as it is caste based violence, the forces of the status quo will be in action. Today, the priest is not speaking Sankrit but he is anglicized with a computer. Already, you have seen preachers entering; there are classes for girls, as how to be good ‘wives’, daughter in laws and mother. They are making huge money and people are put into caste structures. The newspaper industry will die, the fraudulent preachers will lose their jobs, the priests and all other will die with out funds if our boys and girls chose their own partners and live happily. Yes honored marriages have the potential to make many workless but definitely they will revive our love and give honor to individual. Nothing is happier and satisfying than human freedom. The so-called freedom from the British was a political battle that many feel we won, but we have not yet won our battle for individual freedom and their right to choose their faith as well as their partners. India has a long way to be called a civilized nation as it has not yet been able to protect those individuals who chose to live together despite all the protest from the society. A society can not be bigger than the choices of two individuals to come together. This is the biggest challenge that we face today in India where the individuals have to face the might of society based on Manusmriti. Time has come to demolish it and ensure a dignified and honored life for our children.

Dalit Bahujan protests against the neo colonization process in Andhra

Polepally struggles against Special Exploitative Zone

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Hyderabad vs Banglore, says an advertisement of Congress Party for the Karnataka elections and the mascot is S.M.Krishna, the original feel good man of the Congress Party. Chandra Babu Naidu’s became the darling of English media for his ‘revolutionary’ role in changing the lives of millions of people in Andhra Pradesh but his dream to rule India was shattered the people defeated him in the subsequent elections. Unfortunately, the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh refused to learn lessons from the defeat of Telugu Desham Party and continue to feel good that ‘Hyderabad’ city has turned hi-tech and big investment keep coming in the state. In the loud noise of hi-tech Andhra, Chandra Babu forgot that farmers were dying and agriculture was facing stiff challenge from the corporate and strain from the new zamindars of the land such as powerful builders, a majority of whom have turned to be politicians or have strong political affiliations. Rajshekar Reddy came in the aftermath of that defeat of Telugu Desham in the hope that he would do something for the farmers, though, many of us who have been constantly following the Congress’s economic policies understand that the party of Zamindars of the past is fast turning to Party of the new liberal econocrats and it goes by the advice of the English media which is mostly urbanized and has deep disdain for rural India and agriculture sector.

Hence after the defeat of Chandra Babu Naidu, followed by Congress’s much touted liberal regimes, it was expected that the government would understand the crisis looming over the farm sector and would not involve itself in the loot. But it looks that the politicians are happy to be a part of this loot of the nation which is called SEZ. Land Acquisition anywhere is becoming a highly charged issue and political parties and governments are only opposing it where they find it political correct. For ruling parties SEZ and land acquisition under any name is becoming another instrument to loot and fill their coffers.

Just three hours drive from Hyderabad to Mehboob Nagar district present the irony of current phase of development that is taking shape in our country. Over 1240 acres of land has been acquired from 350 families in Polepally, a majority of who belong to Dalit Bahujan communities. The land has been acquired three years back and compensation has been much below the normal standard. The Dalits and OBCs who got government land several years back for their livelihood have been given a paltry sum of Rs 18,000 per acre. Those who had their own land or purchased land several years back got Rs 50,000/- per acre. Yahiya, who owned 6 acres of land was compelled to take the compensation for Rs 3,00,000/-. ‘ If you want to take the compensation, take it otherwise we would put in your bank account’, said the government officials. Yehiya was threatened much time. He says that this land is gold. We do not need anything. Such a fertile land today would fetch a price of Rs 30 lakh per acre. That is the market rate today, as the land is very much on the highway.

‘ We had every product like Rice, Jowar, cotton and vegetables. One acre of land would produce about 15-20 quintal of cotton for a market price of Rs 2,500-3000/- per quintal. Tor dal would go for Rs 1,600/- per quintal and an acre would easily produce 10 quintal.

Ramesh Gowda is an anguished person as ‘no body takes interest’ for the cause of the farmers, he says. Ramesh had a total of 8 Acre of land. 2 acres of land was acquired in 1998-99 by the TDP government for Rs 24,000 per acre, to redistribute the same to the Schedule Castes. The rest 6 acres of land have been acquired by the government for the SEZ purposes. He has got Rs 3,00000/- for a land which could have easily provided him nearly Rs 90,00000/- ( Rs Ninety Lakh Only). ‘ We have lost our land. We lost our touch with the earth. It was gold, as we were able to fetch our family. My elder son is doing MCA. I put my daughters in best schools. How am I going to serve them? I have got Rs 3 lakh as compensation. What can I do with that? I do not have work to fetch my family.’ says Gowda.

Dalits are one of the biggest affected communities apart from the other bahujan communities. Out of total 41 deaths in the past two years, more than 50% belong to SC category owning land between one acre to 5 acres. One fourth of them are tribal and shockingly the average age of those who died is 46. These deaths are out of shock after losing their land and therefore the onus of these deaths goes on the government of Andhra Pradesh which is shamelessly pursuing its land grab agenda. It is therefore a big lie when the government and many experts suggest that Dalits have nothing to lose in the SEZ. G.Vanketesh, a dalit farmer today has become totally landless and looking for work. ‘ We work as laborers and do not get even Rs 100/- per day. It is a difficult job. In the village the so-called NREGS is basically in the hands of contractors,’ says Venketesh, 28. We had three acres of land given to us by the government but today that land has been acquired and we were given a compensation of Rs 18,000 per acre. In fact, we got only Rs 16,000/- as the balance money was grabbed by the authorities. Venkatesh has a family of five. His father can not work. For him it is the loss of inheritance. Where to go for work and how to feed his family are his immediate concerns.

Bachanna is about 55 years of age and have two sons. He belongs to Mala community. He only got Rs 16,000 and that too for one acre of land. He is shocked to see the callous attitude of the official who denies him even peeping in that land which gave him so much.

Karmaiya, a Dalit farmers had to give away his 6 acre land. Instead of getting Rs 1,08,000/- he got Rs54,000/-. Actually, the compensation packages are not easy to handle. Poor farmers, who are most of the time illiterate, are betrayed by their ‘own’ people who turn middleman to the officials. The officials have linkages with the middlemen and bank managers of the rural banks.

Many farmers did not even get 10,000/- at the end though it is Rupees Eighteen thousand on paper. Yadaiah, got only Rupees Nine thousand for all his 5 acres of land, he says he got only for two acres but he doesn’t know where the rest of the money has gone, most probably to the middlemen who play a link between the bank officials, the authorities and the farmers. .hivli, a tribal woman, do not even know who got money, she did not get any money. The problem with women is many fold. They are victims at home, they work harder and if they are single or widowed then the amount of oppression is simply inexplicable.

A number of these farmers were arrested when they protested against this illegal land grab. ‘Nobody came to support them. The authorities do not allow them to go near the field. They are now considered as threat.

Shankaraiah, 34, has five daughters. With his 3 acre land now gone to the government he does not known where his future lies. There is no work in the village at the moment. Their families are in deep distress. They do not really know how to get out of the crisis that mercenaries masquerading as politicians have done it to them.

As mark of protest against the political system, the struggling farmers of Polepally have decided to contest the coming bi-election in Mehboobnagar. It is a unique way of protest. Rather than boycotting the elections, they have decided to contest the poll and will be forcing the authorities to take note of their protest. About 70 of them want to contest but finances are a big concern. Most of them are poor farmers and therefore seeking support from all those who believe that Polepally’s farmer’s can show a way to other people in resisting these Special Exploitative Zones, which are killing the Dalit Bahujan communities and snatching the country from its highly rich natural resources as well as bio diversity. It is this threat to our nature, our rivers, and our forests that we must protect. In democracy, we can only protest through the legitimate mean but if it fails the people either enter into deep shells of depressions or pick up guns to protect their honor and dignity.

The colonization process of our natural resources is now being legitimized by the state power. Polepally’s farmer’s are resisting it with their conviction, and their faith in democracy which is essentially very difficult given the nature of battle for the control over natural resources have rarely been democratic as democracy today do not seem to support people’s voice but it look it has become an instrument to legitimize the corporate's unrestricted control over our resources as well as lives.

One can differ with the nature of protest as different perceptions come in mind. Some of the Telanganites suggest that first they should get the Telangana state first and these issues could be resolved later. This was very similar to what Gandhi had told Ambedkar when the latter asked for a separate electorate. The issue is that who would be forces dominating in the new Telengana state. And secondly, would such movements have anything to do with those groups who are ready to shake hand with the Hindutva fascists or corporate supported parties whether they are in power or opposition in the state. In fact, the silver line is that the Dalits are leading the protests and a substantial number of women are raring to challenge the traditional political parties, says Sujatha Surepally, who is a leading light of the campaign against SEZ under the banner of POLEPALLY SEZ VYATIREKA IKYA SANGHATANA. The struggle of Polepally would strengthen the unity between the Dalit-Bahujan communities including Muslims, tribals and farmers. Sujatha further says that SEZ is a new colonization process to keep Dalit Bahujan communities subjugated for ever. Madhu Kagula, who is spearheading the campaign against SEZ says that Telangana is not different from its dying and starving people. Why are the political parties and so called social organizations silent on the issue of Polepally, he laments. When people are dying, women have become widows, the parties and their supporters ask us to wait for the new state to get it resolved. The problem according to both Sujatha and Madhu is that no party has taken a stand against the SEZ. And it is this frustration that has led the people to protest in this unique way, they say.

Polepally’s people need support, not just moral and physical but also financial support to keep their momentum going unless they get justice. Those who wish to support the movement for social justice and dignity of the people of Polepally may write to Sujatha Surepally at ssurepally@gmail.com

An Ambedkarite artist challenges the brahmanical hegemony

Art as the form of political protest : A Dalit artist challenge brahmanical hegemony


By Vidya Bhushan Rawat


Every time Savi Savarkar wanted to exhibit his paintings at the Ravindra Bhawan at the Lalit Kala Academy, Delhi, the hidden agenda of the Hindutva ensured that he does not get space for his paintings. After many efforts he got permission to exhibit those wonderful paintings which are actually Ambedkar’s statements against brahmanical social order. As I write this, Savarakar’s paintings are in the last days of their exhibitions. When a friend suggested that we should go see Savarkar’s paintings at Ravindra Bhavan, the first thought that came in mind ( and that is our ignorance level about Dalit art) was Vir Savarkar. I felt, this friend was joking. May be Sangh Parivar has put some paintings but he confirmed to me about Savi Savarkar, a man from Maharastra and his wonderful work. Savi Savarkar fought many battle because of his caste and his paintings have challenged the brahmanical hegemony.

After visiting his painting exhibition, I remain spell bound and thank to our friend for opening me a new front of art. I am not an art critique yet always found that despite India’s art work were the creations of Dalit Bahujans, we never saw art as a mean of protest. Even when the Dalits created and constructed Indian art whether it is Madhubani paintings or elsewhere, they confined themselves with in the parameters of the brahmanical value system or their gods and goddesses. Art was mostly ‘godly’ which is actually unlikely of being a Dalit as God never really came for the rescue of Dalits particularly in India.

When one goes through those paintings in complete Ambedkarite thoughts, it gives us enough hope that Modern art will now have to cope with the fiercely competitive Dalit protests which were not there earlier. Brahmins have always been shown as pious, poor but honest in all our art form. But thankfully, the first time, one can see how notorious they look when you see the painting ‘ Brahmin and Ganga’, oil on canvass-2006. Its interesting how Savi has used the most famous sacred river Ganga being used by the Brahmins to uphold their traditions. And this is an important factor even today that for the growth of brahmancal values, they have used every form whether it is nature or now science.

In the past, artists have made Devdasi paintings for purely arts sake, appreciating their beauty, curves and hair but Savarkar paints many forms of Devdasis. He is not satisfied with terming them as woman but look beyond that. Devdasi’s are victim of the caste system. The way he has described and painted them exposing the cultural values and big mutths which had Devdasis is worthy of mentioning here.

Artists always involved in not only introspections but also expertise themselves with comparative studies. One of the sketches made in 2002 named as Fish and Blue Face are a comparative study of Chippas tribal in Mexico with that of the Dalits in India. Both says Savarkar, work hard and are mentally strong, despite the fact that their bodies are overburdened with work and to him that the hands and legs work but body disappear.

Narrating an event which forced him to make ‘ Woman out of woman’, Savarkar says how he got frustrated when he saw the life experience of Joginis. He felt helpless that time. How paradoxical it is that Brahmin have sex with Devdasis but bring his own water to drink. Can there be any other system which is hippocratic, racist and abusive in nature?
Says Savi, when Devdasis come to the street even there the people make her pregnant. It is a story which can make any ‘thinking’ person mad and frustrated. And that has reflected in the paintings where the naked face of Brahminism is exposed.

There are so many paintings and for an art lover they are a complete treat to observe. For a lay person like me, it is the intensity which is attractive. The colors that he chose to depict and the face of the Brahmanism which is not only intrusive but also intimidating are the real protests.

In fact, Gujarat-2002 was a blot on the face of democracy. Artists were against the communal carnage. We saw many exhibitions at the secular platform decrying the goons of Hindutva and lamenting on the decline of our ‘golden’ past. The Hindutva goons also attacked exhibitions of M.F. Hussain, who they claimed to denigrate the Hindu gods and goddesses. What makes Savi Savarkar different from others is his unambiguous war against Brahmanism. He portrays Gujarat carnage not exactly in terms of RSS verses the Muslims but in terms of Brahmanical intimidations and farce. Savi saw the majority of Muslims being attacked as hailing the Dalit community and hence the bias against them was more than being against an ordinary Muslim. Thus, his paintings have exposed that Gujarat violence was not just a communal carnage unleashed by the Sangh Parivar and their different offshoots but the brahmanical intimidations and annihilation of the Dalits and people like them. The most important factor of Savi’s artistic expression is expose of an order build and developed by Manu that degraded men not on the basis of their castes but also gender. And therefore, as an artist, he has not confined himself to the issue of caste violence but has shown more concern on the condition of women. He makes it clear how women are victim of caste prejudices, patriarchical system and religious values. Not only this, he is able to show how during the so-called communal violence in Gujarat, it is the women who face the victimization from the forces of the brahmanical social order.

It’s very rare to find such political statement through art. Savi Savarkar is going to exhibit his paintings in Paris soon. But before he could do that, all those who value art as freedom of expression and choice must support his cause. After much financial hardship Savi Savarkar was able to exhibit his works at the Ravindar Bhavan. All those who value art and feel that art has a political statement against brahmanical values and bramindom must survive and grow, should visit Savi’s exhibition and support the cause. One hope that you would be able to see this extraordinary man’s passion for the civilized society as demonstrated in Dr Ambedkar’s writing. It is therefore refreshing to see that art which had been a domain of brahmanical values, has now found Ambedkarite protest in the form of Savi’s imagination and expressions. And one must appreciate his work for that. One hope that many more artists from Dalit-Bahujan communities would learn and adopt this form of art against the brahmanical value system and hopefully they would be able to project and portray the real face of Dalit vision, which means freedom of expression, freedom of choice and a society based on equality of human being without any prejudice against women.

Savi’s work would be there at Ravindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Academy till May 8th, 2008. Those of you who wish to know more about his work can visit his website at www.savisawarkar.arttimes.in and he can be contacted at savisawarkar@yahoo.com

Endangered Food Security

The crisis looming over agricultural sector and food security

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat



Latest FAO report on the food crisis has sent worrying signals all over the world. Those of us who have been working on the issue of hunger and starvation understand that this crisis is not surprising and sudden. The threat to faming sector is world over as the masters of technology want to control our food habits and give us food of their choice. The agricultural production in India has been facing slump and was systematically reduced by successive governments. World over, it has been accepted norm that land and agrarian reforms were key to poverty alleviation programs but unfortunately here in India, the issue of land was made a state subject and therefore lot of manipulations and political gimmickries resulted their complete failures. Courts also came to rescue of the powerful and despite ceiling on land, people had huge track of lands, even in the names of their pets. So while more than 90% population involved in farming did not have 5 acres of land, a tiny population was controlling huge land holding. This tiny population of Zamindars have become today’s farmer leaders and dictate our policies in Delhi. With the advent of market in the post 90s, these Zamindars have become multi billionaires as the land prices soared up and they used power and positions to grab more. They were on a spree to hand over huge track of land to companies who allured them with huge money and the result is today the corporate are not the submissive to the government but have become masters of the government. They are accorded status of state guest; speak to special sessions of assemblies and chief ministers and their associates bow in front of them. This is the change in the post globalization regime that business tycoons have become our masters and those who who votes in large number are voiceless. The situation is depressing.
Three years ago on a trip to Bundelkhand with a friend from abroad who was pursuing her PhD on Indian agriculture, I got an opportunity to sit with the vice chancellor of of the University there, who informed how he belonged to a farmer community and is a pass out from IIT. Vice chancellor was speaking of the green revolution and the changes in the Indian farm sector. I was silently listening to his views which looked as if he was not talking of farmers but of the corporate honchos who have realized the farm sector as the next important thing to invade.

After much discussion, this woman posed a question to the vice chancellor about the growing stress in the farming community particularly in Maharastra. Since she had visited several parts of Andhra also that time particularly Chittoor district, she mentioned the agrarian crisis of Andhra Pradesh as well. The VC listened to her and said that the farmers in Maharastra and Andhra were too emotional and are unable to bear the stress and that is why they are committing suicide. He gave other reasons also which include loans for the marriage purposes of their daughters and failing to repay that. I was shocked to here this answer from a person of his stature. ‘But sir, farmers are committing suicide in Punjab too and Sikhs are always known to be very hard working community. And one village people were so disturbed with their inability to pay the loans that they put a board in the village Panchayat that ‘village was for sale’ as people had nothing to repay. Today, going by the latest stress factors, Bundelkhand is becoming another Vidarbha in the North which has send the government of not only Uttar-Pradesh but also of the centre into deep distress. Daily, the reports of farmers committing suicide are coming from the area.

To understand the agrarian crisis, we have to understand the nature of people we are talking about and the entry of the corporate in it. The dangers and implications of that. We can also learn a few lessons from African food crisis and how the colonization of that country created this crisis which was one of the most natural places of the world. The analyst of the agrarian crisis in India are switching between green revolution and post green revolution India and that is why it is easier for us to blame the economic policies or so-called privatization. The fact is that Indian farming and its methodologies of the green revolution ask for serious introspection not only in terms of economic growth but social exclusion, gender equity and bio-diversity.

Take the case of Punjab and Haryana which benefited from the Green Revolution, the most. What happened? Definitely, it was not the hard work of the Punjab Sikh community but also the real work done by the migrant Bihar labors. Secondly, despite all the profits, why are the Sikhs ready to become cab driver in London, New York or even farm laborers in Toronto and Montréal? What about Haryana. It is one of the most fertile states and latest NSSO data reveals that it has more Crorepatis than we have in Mumbai. But how come so many crorepaties. What is Haryana doing and you will see, again, big malls, SEZ for Mukesh Ambanis and many more things. But these crorepaties do not make Haryana great state at the social indicators are concern. We will come to that later but let us also talk of the third important benefactor of the Green Revolution and it is Western Uttar-Pradesh and here the farmers or so-called farmers are the powerful jaats and Gujjars of the sugarcane growers. All the three states, these farmers are basically middle class peasantry communities who live in their own traditions and patterns. Farming unfortunately faces two threats. It needs to change itself to save it from the corporatisation which definitely hurt the national food security and second, its traditional thinking creates a social chaos and oppression.

The green revolution in India actually killed the traditional knowledge system of farming. It created a new rowdy class of upper caste peasantry which would arrogate itself to talk on any subject under the sun, take moral positioning and became highly biased and gender prejudiced. Today, India is facing regular slump in agricultural production and the responsibility of this must be shared by high profile ‘farmers’ and innovators like M.S.Swaminathan. In the traditional pattern where small and marginal people could produce enough for their survival, but green revolution made us believe that farming needs big land holdings resulting in crisis in the family. The farmers became biggest enemies of land reform as the land meant for the Dalits and landless workers were illegally occupied violently or fraudulently in these regions by these farmers. The water level in Punjab and Haryana has depleted and therefore aggravated the crisis further. Moreover, the pesticides and their companies added salt to the injury. Punjab’s farmer’s switched to ‘cash crop’ and therefore would like to produce ‘rose’ for the Valentine day abroad and sun flower for the exporters, rather than producing wheat and rice. When he produces more, the prices are down but it is not his fault. It is the manipulation by the ‘market’ which our political class is involving every where as a theme song to eliminate the crisis. Whether it will eliminate the crisis or escalate it further needs discussion. And some more examples would suffice the point. Today, the farming by the corporate need big land holding. We abolished Zamindari system long back though much in papers but with the entry of corporate and SEZ’s we are entering into a new fascist zone where the corporate goons will take every step to kill the legitimate demands of the people. Yes, I remember not to long back a great friend said that India will face the corporate fascism in future and that is coming true. The vulgar display of wealth and material in public, the purchase of national players, the skimpy cloths girl who are dancing at every four and sixes at the cricket matches is the sign of the future India. While you may boast this, Adivasis would die of hunger in most fertile land of Kalahandi, Akru Valley, in industrialized Maharastra or a Bahujanised Uttar-Pradesh or in Santhal Pargana in Jharkhand. The political class is busy playing politics, people trapped in identities of caste and region, nobody is there to question their manipulations. It is a frustrating situation today.

What is happening today in Punjab and Haryana, will shock any new moralist but not the social scientists who have seen the dangers of the growth of the ‘agrarian crisis’. Since, green revolution asked for big land holdings, family system, division is creating further chaos. In many places in Punjab, to avoid division of land further, brothers married one woman to keep the land holding intact? In all these places, violence against the Dalits is rampant and mostly goes unreported. Women are considered as subject. There are no women in India’s so called farmer’s movement and not even the Dalit. It became another bashing point and platform for political manipulations by those who used farmer’s identity to boost their political ambitions. Thus, Charan Singh, Devi Lal, Ajit Singh, Prakash Singh Badal, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Om Prakash Chautala, Chandra Babu Naidu, Sharad Pawar, Y.Rajshekar Reddy, Mahendra Singh Tikait, all are farmers and unfortunately nobody questions their business interest and their stand on these crisis. We all feel proud of these farmers who just do not have time to look beyond their own families and their business interest that route through farming. Today, they remain unquestioned leaders of farming communities despite their important role in the current crisis. If we leave Tikait who never tasted political power though his social clout can give Bal Thackeray a run for his rhetoric.

These leaders and others like them (and the list could go on, it was just a sample) are ‘farmer leaders’ but is that true? What are their issues? We do not pay electricity bills, we do not pay fertilizers bill, ask sugar factories to raise the price of sugarcane and so on. When the agricultural sector is in crisis, our farmer leaders have no time for it. Actually, they use farming as a tool to mobilize their own interest and their strength come from their caste identity. Take the case of Sharad Pawar, the mighty Maratha man, who is busy with cricket these days and have rarely visited Vidarbha where his own community persons are committing suicide.

There are bigger issues in suicide. It is not just distress due to agriculture but due to our very own social system. As most of them hail from upper middle sections of the upper castes and politically mobile backward communities, prestige is a big issue. They are not supposed to do ‘NREGS’ work or labour work as it is beyond their dignity. Despite crop failures, our family system is that you can not stop important family functions like marriages of daughters and sons. It is here that this false prestige is taking its toll. We are on spending spree despite our problems and hence the loans that the farmers take may not be for the farming but getting other things done like marriage of daughter, buying a tractor, constructing house or buying for pesticide and so on. Once the crop fails, he has no option. But one factor is there that ‘dream’ sold to them by big companies and moneylenders resulted in the crisis which has turned manifold today. Farmer’s in Maharastra were in distress because they adopted a new technology highly unsuited for them. What should be a farmer’s choice has been left to profiteering corporate and the result is farmers who thought of making good money with high yields got nothing. And mind you, it is not just high yield, the quality of product that needs to be checked. Those who advocate latest technology for the current food crisis and for GM foods are corporate who want to control the vast market of India. India’s rural sector is the future of the country as far as marketing forces are concern. After some time, there would be saturation like Europe in the metros and cities and then these forces would go to the villages and hence they are trying to gain their access there. The idiocies of the farmer leaders are coming handy. The problem is not that technology is good or bad. Question is even criticism is politicized and take away the entire debate from one point to another point and debate become highly emotional and charged and leads no where.

Technology is good and we all welcome it. It is for us but it cannot be the only criteria. You may bring thrashers, tractors and many new machines and thus kill the labor force, the vast human resource that exists in our villages. The relationship between people and their role in production would be reduced by the mechanization process. Could we understand the enormous social cultural chaos that we would go through this? It would be unimaginable.

And let us be fair. Bring technology and socalled professionalism but first fulfill your promises. Have we implemented land reforms completely? Ask any state government? Contrary to fulfilling their own agendas, the state went on distributing people’s land, selling forests and water to industries. Do you think people would keep quiet at this and you would be allowed to do things that easily? No government or political class should think of that. The conditions are volcanic and one hopes that the examples from Orissa, Chhatisharh and Jharkhand are not encouraging where the governance is hostage to Naxals. It is tragic but truth. The failure of political class will send people to those who claim to revolutionise the system. Though it does not happen but betrayal of the political class is much bigger an issue. Nepal’s verdict has clearly been a vote against corrupt political leaders and people’s faith in those who bring changes with Danda. While, it’s not that the Maoists are too big a revolutionary yet given such situations of desperations, people want those who speak for them and talk their issues. We should introspect this as we just can not survive on the laurels of democracy which is totally in the hands of corporate czars and being played at their whims and fancies. While the Prime Minister can say that there is no crisis as it is a political statement, the fact is that it not just the crisis but volcano that is waiting to erupt and the impact would be widely felt and catastrophic to the nation.

New Democracy in Nepal

Democratic Secular Republic of Nepal By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Cynics in India might feel offended as how the only ‘Hindu’ Rastra of the world has democratically sealed the fate of an over pampered as well as highly autocratic monarchy in the recently held elections. For them Hindu dharma epitomizes the democratic spirit in true sense, for that matter the reason of India’s being secular republic. Yes, the present elections in Nepal has thrown more challenges in front of the future leaders, for it is definitely a different world of agitational work and when you are in power and will have to see interest of various parties, communities as well as ethnicities. Nepal lost its tryst with democracy many times in the past as the political parties behaved in entirely undemocratic way as well as were thoroughly corrupted and used their proximity to the Royal palace to settle their scores with each other, giving the over sized king enough ammunition to intervene whenever and wherever he wished.

Therefore when the Maoists made a clean sweep in Nepal, it raised many eyebrows in India, not because the Indian establishment will be threatened with Maoists power but for sure, the fear is in Delhi is that a Maoist democratic government will undermine New Delhi’s controlling mechanism in Nepal. And the indication from Nepal have clearly reflected in that it is poised for an independent foreign policy and want to remain a younger brother of India and not as a colony of India. Nepalese have often resented this despite the fact that Nepal and India share common cultural values and have close relationship but then so are India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Do we not have relations and common culture of language and food habits? Don’t Muslims in India have family relations with Pakistanis and Bangladeshis and Tamils in Tamilnadu with Sri Lankan people? Don’t the Pakistani Hindus have relations in India like the Bangladeshi Hindus? But this over emphasis on Indo Nepali friendship comes from Nepal’s Hindu background. This was used by the Monarchs in Nepal for their own benefits, strengthening their own positions and denying Nepal a truly democratic government. A rigid Hindu regime in Nepal not only denied people opportunity for social reform but in certain pockets Nepal follows outdated brahmanical values. That Brahmins and Kshatriyas remained too powerful in Nepal because of such crafty politics that Nepal’s governing castes played on various occasions. And while the change in Nepal is welcome yet it is the beginning of another order which will be democratic but the real transition of Nepal will only happen once the democracy reach the grassroots and the tribal and Dalit minorities in Nepal stand up against the corrupt social order which is patriarchical and feudal. One does not know how the so-called Maoists with red mark over their head will deal with this. Whether, their secularism will ever stop that the religious holidays in the government offices be reduced. Whether the form of rigid varnashram dharma that we witness in Nepal will end? Whether the Maoist government will have fair representative of various communities in Nepal or whether it will turn out another dose of brahmanical system that we have witnessed in India under secular garb.

Democracy is not just ‘secular’ government or government of ‘proletariat’. Unfortunately, both democracy and, communism rarely went together and we have seen various example. We might boast some of these great in Latin America and elsewhere where they ‘take on’ the ‘mighty’ George Bush. It is the double standard when we cry for the freedom of expression at one place and keep quiet in our own place. Clearly, it is the ideology which has become powerful than the people. People have to be slaughtered for ideology, a very similar exercise that the religious thugs did in the past world over where religion became a tool to slaughter the people. Comerade Prachanda and his company must not repeat the same. Democracy in Nepal should mean end of not only Monarchy but also hegemonies that exists in Nepal’s village. And for that Nepal can take a few lessons from India, for its constitution was drafted by a true republican called Ambedkar. The man who came from the formerly untouchable communities, championed the cause of freedom and dignity, decried the much romantic Indian village system. ‘Indian villages are den of corruption, nepotism and feudalism,’ he said. Castes live in Indian villages. Every caste is a village and Indian republic is failing in dismantling it. The 9% growth rate does not help if these caste republics in India are not destroyed. I am sure the Maoists know it well that Nepal’s villages are not heaven as the rigid caste system that pervades in Nepal lives in villages predominantly. And how will that end. It will not end with just upper caste leaders of the Nepali dalits. No doubt, we need ideologically committed people and I am sure Nepal’s Dalits and ethnic communities will throw some great leaders in future who will not participate in democracy just as a Dalit but as leaders of the society. Change makers of society, if I could say them. Some time construction of these identities creates further middlemen who sale communities interest for their own one and equate both as happened in the case of India. But democracy strengthened with the participation of people. It will learn from mistakes, as in India, the Dalit and other minorities are learning. It is a new phase where people would not question their own party and leaders because the ‘others’ have rarely helped them, so some time leadership which manipulate survive because of the absence of an alternative. But today, if we see growth of the politics and groups of the marginalized in India right from Panchayats to every political party, there is a lesson, that the communities will challenge every one, even the so-called own leaders. Ultimately, it is the people who have to be benefited. People can not remain happy to see one former milk seller riding helicopter or becoming chief minister. That is a great thing but you can not exploit that sentiments for next twenty years and that question would always come. Hence Prachanda’s ‘revolutionary’ leaders have brought many hopes to millions of the people in Nepal, but it need to be seen how revolutionaries are they. Whether they have guts to challenge the status quo in Nepal or not or they will be another instrument in maintaining the status quo ante in the social system, it will be the biggest questions for all of to observe.

As the future head of Nepal, Prachand’s demand to reevaluate the Indo-Nepalese treaty is welcome. Nepal is an independent country and its people have a right to decide about its relationship with India and any country in the similar way as India has a right to plan its strategic interest in Nepal but Indian establishment must not shy away in welcoming the change in Nepal. When Nepal become a republic, it will have to shed many burden of its past. The migration is growing phenomenon world over and Nepal is not new. The only thing is that Nepal’s politicians and monarchy did everything to kill the spirit of the Nepalese. Nepal is at the threshold of a new era when in democracy its citizens will take pride and in return democracy would provide equal opportunity to every one which theocratic Nepal never did to its untouchable population. If democracy remained caged to gimmickries and rhetoric’s of imperialism and capitalism, then contradictions in the Nepalese society would deepen. Every body wants freedom. We all enjoy it and aspire for it hence when Nepal enjoy political freedom, how can it deny social-cultural and economic freedom to a vast segment of Nepali population which are treated as unequal. Nepal’s future leaders will have to keep that in mind and resolve it. Often the ruling elite create an enemy to suppress the internal contradictions and one hope that the dispensation which take over Nepal would not do the same to retain its power and position by creating false enemies. They will have to deliver and now when they have the power with them, further pretence would not work. Anti Indian sentiments in Nepal are some time used for political purposes which ignore the vital factor of genuineness of the grievances that the Nepali people have towards India and its ruling establishment which never supported democratic movements any where despite people protest, popular uprisings, under the pretext of ‘internal’ problems of the country. It is also interesting that Prachanda has spoken against the recruitment of the Nepalese soldiers in Indian as well as British army but one does not know whether those who join the forces as a lucrative profession would take such a stand lightly. Nepalese as brave fighters are well known and as long as they get good salaries should not have that concern but Prachanda should focus more on agrarian reform, pending land reform, land entitlements to ethnic minorities, Dalits and also the pathetic conditions of the Nepalese migrants in India. That is an image which hurt Nepal a lot and it has reflected in the Nepalese middle class and intellectuals as they have to go through that image problem created by the Indian middle classes and media about Nepal due migrants laborers in various Indian cities. When the Indians tourists travel to Nepal, this image of immigrant Nepali workers again force them think of not just a big brother but big boss of Nepal and that baggage of past must go. Yes, India and Nepal will have to sit together and sort out their issues and strengthen their legacy.

These results of the elections in Nepal and its transformation to democracy, secular republic can be a lesson to India’s right wing elements who considered the Monarch of Nepal as the true symbol of Hindu pride. Nepalese do not take pride in an autocratic king which the political formations in the name of Hindus in India do. Modern nation need modern ideas and secular inclusive constitution which have no place for old fashioned monarch who consider himself as the sole representative of Vishnu. We need true representative of the people who can serve them and not enjoy on the fruits of the poor. Nepal must shun the values of an old kingdom which was religious based. It must ensure not only political representation to all sections of Nepali population and ethnicities but also special arrangements should be made to bring these people into the mainstream of the country, in the government jobs, in judiciary, in the police and army. Unless, each section is represented in government and power structure, Nepal transition to democracy and secularism would just proves hollow and people will rise against those in power. Once people taste freedom and democracy, it would be difficult for any regime to suppress their ideas and aspirations. One hope that the would be prime minister of Nepal and his government would understand that people of Nepal have huge expectations from them. They have decided to do away with a Monarchy which is a good step though it will be seen when they are able to do so and then they need to deliver to the people and dismantle the feudal and casteist structure prevailing in the Himalayan kingdom and first step in that direction would be to admit the problem that Nepal’s problem does not lie in economic issues only but deep rooted socio-cultural prejudices. Hence many observers might claim that Nepal has won a class war but it will always be superficial and hollow without the participation of Dalits and ethnic minorities in the power structure as well as in village republics that the new democracy will throw. One sincerely hope that democracy does not strengthen the old feudal structure where the marginalized, the Dalits, religious and ethnic minorities and women, just remain the vote banks and the elite become ‘revolutionaries’. Nepal’s tryst with democracy has just begun and one hope the present dispensation on whose soldier people have highest hope will not fail it.

Betrayal of the rural Poor

Is NREGS promoting contract labor without any social responsibility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

More than 112 wage workers mostly landless agricultural workers belonging to Dalit community are agitated against what they termed gross violation of labour laws in the NREGS work they did in village Rupchandrapur under Badlpaur block of Jaunpur district in Uttar-Pradesh. Under the scheme, the village Pradhan wanted to dig a local village pond and develop it further. The work was tough as the land was full of concrete. The laborers started their work on the pond from December 17th, 2007 and finished it on December 30th, 2007. While there was no objection from the authorities, till one day when the laborers went to ask for their payments, they were rudely informed that there are lots of discrepancies in their work and that it will have to reevaluated and remeasured. Re-evaluation and reassessment of work is in the hands of the officer who use this as a stick to beat the rural poor and blackmail them. ‘You either keep quiet or face reassessment of your work, which will seal the fate of the workers. Is not it strange that after working for 14 days from morning till evening, full 7-8 hours, the workers are told that their total amount of work comes much below than 7 days?

This is miraculous in the NREGS. How our sarkari babus who are not working on contract and no ministers and no parliamentarian is ever asking how much unit days of work they do, plan out such projects which do not have anything for social security. How can they make a project which does not have social security and equality of rights? While they can claim that every one is protected under the act, one need to ask the basic question to the government why the benefits as insurance cover, medical expenses and education is outside its purview. Can not government register the children of those working in the NREGS in the government school? But who bothers in the government? When the women go to work, they are discouraged saying that you do not do enough work. When the people with physical disability go and ask for work, they are humiliated and when the old goes, they are told to rest and do not take away work of the youngsters. This is purely commercial mindset which is working these days where the older, physically challenged, the women become compulsory burden of any project and therefore need to be discouraged.

Timmal, who is about 60 years of age, can not really raise his hand, but he thought that NREGS would help him gain some work with dignity. He worked for one or two days in entirely adverse circumstances but his hand started paining. He was insulted not to come to work as he is of new use. He is a landless agricultural worker. It is shameful that rather than showing sympathy and providing him work according to his conditions, he was rebuked. In the NREGS act it has been clearly mentioned that people would be given work according to their conditions and there was work meant for even child care as well as providing other assistance to the workers.


But then child care is not in the dictionary of the officials. And for them every worker who asks for work is a beggar and therefore the beggars have no right to complain and ask for anything with dignity. Child care therefore does not come into picture and clearly means that women with children are discouraged. Soni, a young woman in her twenties lost her husband a year ago. Feeding her young child, she portrayed a picture of a woman who is uncertain about her future. Despite a child who she was breast feeding, there was no facility for taking care of her. Who would then take care of her child in the sun? ‘Her other children who themselves are too young to understand things, but she had to work for the fear of being rejected. With no one to take care of her, Soni today show the pain of a woman who work for full 14 days and when she go and ask for her salary, she was told that it comes out to be just 7 days, shocked, she refused to accept the payment. Its over two months and Soni and many others like her who have children do not have anywhere to complain. They went to the BDO, who blamed that there was no money. The Pradhan says when the money would come only then he would pay them. Once the people realized that there was some money, the Pradhan said that the work was reassessed that it was found out that every one of them work much below then the expected lines.

Kumari Devi have two children and both of them have disability. One can not even walk and the other have a psychological disorder. Her husband is a landless labor who worked for 14 days and yet got nothing so far. According to the assessment of the officials, his work comes out to be of 7 days.

Roshan Lal is a young person from the village Rupchandrapur, who came in touch with Bharatiya Jan Sewa Ashram, a local social organizations working with the Dalits and realized that he must involve himself in the work. He applied for the job and got the work for this pond. He says, ‘The Pradhan asks us to go to BDO for the payment as he did not have money. The BDO said that when the money would arrive, he would do the needful.
After some days, the Panchayat Secretary informed them that there number of unit days are ( Manav diwas) is about 7 days and hence the amount due is Rs 700/-. Shocked at this, Roshan Lal decided not to take money. But he says in the village when people do not have money, these power people blackmail them. We are told that we won’t get any work further if we do not clear our old dues. But, how can we forgo our amount we worked for.

Similarly Nand Lal, a father of five children feels disturbed. His children are starving. Most of the time people are eating Gur and drink water. Now, I am not getting any work as they want us to forcefully accept the payment for 7 days.

One question often asks is whether the amount of work being asked to complete in a day is genuine. And in UP it is said that one has to dig 3 cubic meter space to be called one unit day’s work. Unfortunately, the authorities want every one to dig including women and physically challenged people. Secondly, the authorities rarely realize that some land is soft while other is concreted waste land. It would be hugely difficult to dig this much of space in a day if the land is concrete. The pond which was being worked on was on a concrete area and each one of these verified that it was impossible to dig 3 cubic meters
Land in a day.

Renu, a social activist working with BJSA Badlapur said that according to act of NREGS, there is every facility and women were happy. ‘We have made them aware that there are so much of facilities for them in the act. Unfortunately, it has turned into a contractual labor where you need ‘strong’ men who could dig more than required. There is no need of women, old aged and disabled persons. They are humiliated by asking how will you do this work. Women are depressed today. Muster role is not filled regularly and manipulated. Regular attendance is not being recorded in the muster role or presence register as it would expose them. You are registered as per unit days, so that nobody could question the amount of work as well as days involved in the work. What is this, if not contract?” Renu further make startling revelations. ‘Medical facilities are not there. Now the labor knows that this is in the act and hence he ask for it. To create more problems for them, the officials, the Panchayat secretary ask them to first get the treatment and then get a bill. It is difficult to get a bill in the villages as well as how long will the labor wait to get it clarified. Why is the medical facility at least the primary health care not available on the site? She says that no help come from the Pradhan or the contractors in the case of any eventuality.

Actually, such things reinforce the rural beliefs that women and disabled are good for nothing. Numerous research have been done that Dalit women never used to live in Purdah but they started following this traditions as a follow up of what the ‘elderly’ and ‘big’ people do in the villages. Therefore in this part of UP, condition of women and particularly of the Dalit women is really a matter of concern. But despite that they do work on the land and earn for their family. Unfortunately, the authorities have discouraged them from working as they assume that women do less work. And in this world where every inch is being calculated and measured as per unit days, women remain unwelcome and unwanted. This is a matter of serious concern and need strong reactions from the government. Even if for argument’s sake, they keep women for work, she will never get the amount of payment equal to her male partner.

The complaints are not received by the authorities. They are asked to give the application and action will be taken but the Sarkari babus never receive anything. If any body forces them to sign, they would make some mark as signature which means nothing.

As I came out of the pond, the village Pradhan was passing through the same area. The villagers surrounded him and started a volley of question which was difficult to answer. On the road, I saw a board for the building of a proposed school. The corner stone mention the date of the inaugural as October 2, 2006. Clear enough the birthdays of our political leaders are useful to grab land and these days the best thing to grab land in UP is to either start a statue or build a muth or temple and if you are ‘social worker’ then start a school for the ‘poor’. This betrayal of people continues despite change of power in Lucknow. These changes remain cosmetic as the local power politics would always side with those who are in power.

Under the NREGS, enough of UP have been worked. One does wonder as why there is no other activity involved in it. One great thing was for the Dalits to get funds for leveling of the land but then not even the so-called civil society is interested in it. The pond which was ‘created’ after the digging, will ultimately go to the ‘school’ which will probably never open unless one day the owner of the school with the help of MLA’s or MPs local area fund manage some money and deny the people their right over land. Nobody is there to question as why the school has not come up and why should it be made on the village land. Nobody question whether the pond which was developed will remain there or not after two years.


Meanwhile, Rupchandrapur people are wondering whether they will be able to get their total amount or not. If for 14 days of work, an individual get Rs 400/- as per calculation of the babus which turn out to be Rs 28.57p per day or for Rs 700/- it comes out to be Rs 50/- per day, it is much below the minimum wages of the state. That the state government increased the minimum wage to Rs 100/- per day immediately after it assumed power in Lucknow, has been made redundant by this miraculous work of the government officials. Now, you are getting much below the minimum wages of the state. This shows how much is the gap between government’s announcement and actual receipt of the people. And mind this story is not just one village, Uttar-Pradesh has become notorious for the failure of NREGS.

NREGS need serious introspection. In the hands of Babus and our jealous political leaders it is becoming another betrayal of the rural poor. You get him or her involved in this, ignore his pleas for livelihood and cheat him with the money for this also. Perhaps more monitoring and more intervention from civil society are needed.

SDF-UPLA Lucknow Convention Report

Report of the three days Convention of Social Development Foundation and Uttar-Pradesh Land Alliance at the Chhedi Lal Dharmshala, Lucknow 21st-23rd January 2008


Introduction


SDF & UPLA have been organizing their annual conventions every year since 2004. The first meeting to start Uttar-Pradesh Land Alliance was organized in Ghazipur, followed by Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, Chauri Chaura, and Kushingagar. This was the fifth convention where the organizations working on the issue of land and livelihood came and discussed their issues. For the first time after the inception of the UPLA, the convention was organized in Lucknow to enable people from other states to join the meet and share their experiences with us.

About 300 participants from over 150 organisations, community based organizations, individuals, joined the discussions for the two days. The participation ranged from states like Uttar-Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhatishgarh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Goa. The Uttar-Pradesh’s participation covered almost all the regions of the state. A rainbow coalition of communities was visible in the meet. It is rare that people from different communities came forward and discussed the issue confronting them. Moreover, the social movements are ultimately witnessing a change, as women as set to take over the change. Its going to be women’s leadership in future leading the social movements.

The programme began with Mr Ram Chandra Prasad and Mr Raj Kapoor Rawat, Coordinators of UPLA as well as Social Development Foundation, made their presentations for the last one-year programmes and activities undertaken by the organizations.

Exposing the miracles


The first session was devoted to ‘Miracle Exposure’. SDF is a secular humanist organization and it understands that superstitions are imposed on the exploited communities in the garb of cultural practices. These outdated practices become source of exploitation and particularly women bear brunt of it. To keep in mind, as most of SDF-UPLA member, member organizations comes from Dalit-tribal background, it was important to educate them on the issue. Apart from this, a very large chunk of our members hail from Muslim community, which has faced the traumas of the fundamentalist threat from outside as well as from with in the community. Hence the issue of ‘ Secularisation of civil society’ was an important agenda item to discuss. A large number of fundamentalist mindset have now started shifting the agenda of the civil society and hence it is important to question this intrusion in the civil society agendas by hate mongers.

Prof Narendra Nayak, President of Federation of Indian Rationalist Association, had kept the participants spell bound with his expose of the miracles. Prof Nayak remain a favorite of the participants since he had his first direct interaction some three months back in Kushingar where a large number of SDF-UPLA partners participated in his training workshops. For nearly three hours, despite his bad throat, Prof Nayak explained the ways of the quacks that exploit the rural people in the name of Gods and miracles. The reason for his instant hit programmes are the socio-cultural environ around us where people particularly rural poor particularly women face the worst of such practice routinely. We cannot really keep away from the incident of terming women as Dayan, whore or under the influence of evil spirit.

Idea of UPLA

Secularisation of Civil Society was an important discussion point initiated by Vidya Bhushan Rawat. He pointed out how the radical right were also participating in civil society actions and silently pushing their agendas. Women and children become their victim. In Uttar-Pradesh and other north Indian states, the condition is grim as old parochial people have started trusts and societies and are using ‘civil liberties’ and NGOs for their own nefarious purposes. In the name of NGOs people are on the land grab. They are acquiring huge track of land for false purposes. This has to stop. UPLA will oppose any such land grab by the so-called civil society organisations. VB Rawat also outlined the aim of UPLA and why we have a stated position on certain issues. UPLA has its constituency from the Dalits who were denied human rights for long in the name of traditions. These cultural values were completely alien to the Dalits and were instrumental in their subjugation and their justification. Therefore UPLA’s official stand is against imposing a culture of value and tradition on unwanted communities. Secondly, UPLA cannot keep quiet on the growing target on its member constituents because of their religion and caste. The current situation is quite depressing as far as the civil society is concern and is a challenge to meet. Some time, the civil society networks glorify the past and communal identities become powerful to lord over the individual identity. Identity works to certain extent but also keep people subjugated to certain thoughts that outlived their utility. When communities like Mushahars, Bansfors, Scavengers work with us, we can not ask them to stick to their traditional occupations. They will have to look for new. That those professions which were unclean became their entrypoint to a hell where they are still trapped in.

Ofcourse, as the modernization and science can not remain unquestioned as one friend Ram Bhuvan question about the mechanized farming and inorganic products. When UPLA support modernization ‘ will it support’ contract farming and mechanized farming he asked. ‘ Yes, the question is very important and delicate. You have to choose between tradition and modernity. Our stand is that not everything is bad in tradition. There is ample knowledge among our communities. That knowledge need to be documented. In fact UPLA will take lead in doing so. Secondly, UPLA is not an organization ingrained in some tainted vision of ideology. It look ahead and learn a lesson from history. It reflect in diversity. Despite not believing in caste, we still try to bring various caste identities. Between the human rights of a peasant or ideology, we will definitely be with the rights side of a community. That is why UPLA is always with the struggling masses and so many people, beyond our expectations here, are a tribute to the work of UPLA activists.

Since, it is still in the nascent stage, that is why this ideological discussions are taking place. These discussions here are meant to upgrade us as well as you about the latest happening in civil society. A civil society is first a civil society and later working on a particular issue. Hence we should adhere to basic ideas of human liberty, rule of law, non violence, respect for the marginalized, physically challenged, women and minorities and provide them space and opportunities in our forum. That is one reason why we have so much of discussion on various issues but all of them ultimately revolve around land and livelihood.

Mission Land Literacy

An important part of the first day’s programme was the book ‘ Bhumi Shaksharata ki aur’ compiled by Vidya Bhushan Rawat. The book contains short narratives regarding land movements in India, its current issues, administrative problems, and practical tools for the grassroots activists to know about the measurement of land etc. It has human rights treaties and issue of SEZ and other challenges that today’s land rights movement have. This apart, the book, had provided information regarding reports writing and institutions for their remedies.

The book was released by five girls from Mohammdabad, Ghazipur where SDF is successfully running a women’s development programme including change in mindset and providing alternative module to the scavenger girls. Deep Mala, who is now volunteering with SDF, apart from her education said that the book would definitely be a milestone for activists as they would learn from it about their right and fight more competently for the land rights?

Afterwards, other activists shared their opinion about the book. Munni Begum said that it is a great work, which will help women like her to learn their rights so that they can fight with more confidence and get the justice. Suman Singh also praised the work. Mr Ram Chandra Prasad mentioned that the book could be good tool to spread land literacy movement all over the state.

Ms Sujatha from Hyderabad said that the book land literacy will be a milestone for every activist at the grassroot. She expressed her desire to develop a similar manual in Telugu, for the Andhra Pradesh activists.

After the release the girls from Mohammadabad danced and sang a humanist song penned by SDF’s coordinator Raj Kapoor Rawat.

Hunger and Starvation:

The issue of hunger and starvation has rocked Uttar-Pradesh. The authorities and the government might not agree that there are hunger deaths but if living conditions and the governance is any criteria then we seem to have failed. In fact, recently Commissioners to the Supreme Court of India have given report on the existing farm crisis in Bundelkhand region. In fact, most of the persons dying and starving of hunger are those who have lost access to their livelihood. Whether it is fishermen or Mushahars, Bansfors ( bamboo workers) or scavengers ( who clean shit), all of them are facing worst crisis of their lives. Forest communities in Uttar-Pradesh have rarely been recognized. The Tharus in the Tarai and Kols in Bundelkhand have virtually no access to forest produce and are victimized by the forest department officials. Mushahars used to depend on forest but if they venture today, they are caught and arrested.

The so-called anti poverty programmes are miserably failed. The condition of NREGA is worthy of mentioning here. It would be asking for too much if individuals got employment for even 30 days under this scheme. Wrong entries, card held up with the Sarpanches, women being denied equal wages and work with machines are some of the ‘hallmark’ of the NREGA programme in Uttar-Pradesh.

When such conditions are prevalent in Uttar-Pradesh, MCK Food for Hungary Foundation joined hand with SDF and UPLA and adopted a village in Malwabar Mushahar Bastee and is supporting the mid day meal programme for the school children. Though, the school if still informal and it need an overhauling of the society particularly in the village to bring the habit of study among the students as well as their parents. It also shows that mere talk of rights will not work. Rights have to be preceded with charity so that rural poor is not fed with an artificial dose of ideologies to sidetrack his issues.

MCK Food for Hungary Foundation is developing a ‘Zero Hunger Act’ proposal on behalf of the civil society. UPLA-SDF team has been supporting them in this initiative. Two of their representatives, Ms Baby Rani and Gufran, made two separate presentations related to this. A wide discussion was held on the issue. Both the participants from MCKS Food for Hungary Foundation informed the members and participants of UPLA that further consultation need on this important issue. It was decided that national regional consultation would be organized to understand the entire issue and find out new ideas before submitting it to the government, as it would be difficult for participants to give input to an issue that they have not thought so far.

Environmental Challenges & the livelihood of marginalised

As mentioned a number of time that the local distilleries as well as sugar mills have played havoc with the livelihood of both the farmers and fishermen. Mr Ramashraya Nishad, General Secretary of Uttar-Pradesh Machchua Mallah Sangh, said that his community if worst affected from the river pollution. The chemical affluent being flown into various rivers of Poorvanchal (eastern UP) has virtually decimated river, lake and Taals and therefore jeopardizing livelihood of thousands of fishermen. Nishad has launched a war against the polluting companies under UPLA and his organization in the region. There was a time, when the fishermen would get a handsome catch over night but now not only they do not get anything, but also face severe health problems. The water they drink is completely polluted.
Fishermen are migrating to big cities in search of job. Being untrained labour they work as non-skilled labour at the very low rate. The families of fishermen are facing severe hardship. Pollution Control Board has done very little for the cause of the fishermen as Ramashray has time and again written to many in the Ministry, but of no avail.


Rajendra Sahni, from Tal Ratoy Machchua Mallah Samiti, Maryadpur, Mau narrated his experiences. Several years back, with the support of SDF under International Land Coalition’s CEF programme, the fishermen of the area worked hard and developed a Taal, which had virtually become defunct. It was one of the biggest initiatives of our time in independent India as hundreds of fishermen worked on redeveloping the lake. The farmers also joined hand and the result was that over 500 acres of land which was inundated in water for years, was recovered. Today, many of those who had no access to their land for the past fifty years, are tilling the land. This was a great mobilization. Not only the farmers got benefited from it but also the fishermen. But since, it is not just issue of development. The powerful forces in the village, which create differences between different communities, were active again. While farmers and fishermen joined hand, the feudal forces used all tricks to destabilize this unity. Politics is the backbone of the village. Politicization is good but over politicization for narrow personal gains is dangerous aspect of the Indian village system, which is divided on caste line, and every caste is a village and nation.

Today, the Uttar-Pradesh government is trying to divide the community and eyeing on this lake to develop it for ‘tourism’ purposes. SDF had predicted this thing long back that if the fishermen and farmers do not unite, the government wills sale the wonderful water of Ghaghra. Rajinder Sahni is a worried man but he is determined. All the organization with active support of SDF and UPLA plan to launch a Cycle March in the area to mobilize people against this so-called water tourism. The campaign for environmental sustainability has already been raised in the area.

Mr Suresh Yadav, leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union and a solid supporter of UPLA and SDF in the Mau region lambasted on the policies of the government which were anti farmer. Yadav said that the sugar mills have destroyed the farmers in the region. They do not pay the farmers due rates. Farmers have lost their crops to sugarcane, as sugarcane growers cannot really shift to another crop easily. The farmer is over burdened particularly when he feel that the government would provide him money from the sugar mills. While to send the cane to the mills the farmers have to procure everything in cash from the market but the sugar mills never pay him back the cash. Their own money is given to them years after and for that too, the farmers have wage a fierce battle. The sugar mills are enjoying the fruits of the work of the farmers. On the one side, they get huge credit from the farmers and on the other side; their rich chemical affluent is destroying our environment, our land and water. It is the biggest threat.

Mr Yadav also talked about the failed land reform in Uttar-Pradesh. The so-called Gandhian methods failed the people. Vinoba’s Bhoodan was a clever ploy to stop people from capturing land. Where is Bhoodan lad now? Those who ‘donated’ their land have ‘got’ it back through various acts of omissions and commissions. The family of many donors approached the court and got the stay. So, Bhudan was one of the biggest lies of our time.

It was generally suggested that Poorvanchal provide an important entry point for the civil society to intervene on the issue of livelihood and sustainable development. It is a rare opportunity, that the issue of environmental degradation has been directly challenged by the victimized communities and they understand its implications. In fact, Mr. Suresh Yadav, Ramashray Sahni and Rajinder Sahni are planning a anti-environmental campaign with protest marches, sittings at the block headquarters in their respective districts of Mau and Deoria in the coming days. This massive mobilization of fishermen and farmers will ultimately pave way for their coming together and joining hand on various related issues and is a very positive sign. Both SDF and UPLA have pledged their support for the farmers and fishermen’s struggle for sustainable environment and clean water.

Challenges before the Dalit Bahujan Women

This was one of the most fascinating sessions chaired by Ms Surepally Sujatha and the voices of women that came to be heard during this period grabbed the attention of every one. This also showed the great organizational and ideological clarity among women. That they are ready to take on any fundamentalist onslaught. Those sharing the dais with Sujatha were women from the very field, the scavenger women, who had never had the opportunity to speak on a microphone. There were others who are developing as new leaders of the UPLA movement. There was Suman Singh from Kanpur, Deep Mala, from Ghazipur, Urmila from Chitrakoot. Apart from this, many others spoke like Munni Begum, from Pratapgarh, Prem Lata Maurya from Mau.


Beginning her inaugural statement, Sujatha Surepally who has been actively involved in the Dalit Women’s movement in Andhra Pradesh and fought for the rights of tribal women too, said that women’s struggle against patriarchy is a must before we start any other process. She said that women had inherent power in her to face the challenges and her work is not recognized. Women should not just succumb to pulls and pressures but also question and challenge. She has a right to enjoy her life in her own way.

Two scavenger women from Mohammadabad, Ghazipur spoke of their anguish and wished to leave the work they have been forced into. ‘ WE are not interested in doing this dirty work but we do not have any alternative. We have no economic resources to stand on our feet, no land, and no other social security in a village, which is totally dominated by the caste Hindus.

Deep Mala, who is a student of 11th standard and has been associated with the youth wing of SDF, spoke highly of the community initiative taken by SDF in Mohammdabad. ‘ I would not have been here and speak in front of you had SDF not supported me for the past 5 years. I owe it to the organization for taking care of my education and giving me opportunity to excel and speak in front of people like you. I know how difficult it is for the person hailing from a community whose tradition has been scavenging but then she wonder why we do not take a strong stand against it. In her own case, her father, who was jobless, rejected his parents demand to allow his wife to do the ‘cleaning job’. He was so determined that he left his parents house after the marriage and shifted to his mother in laws place and told them that his wife would not in any way be involved in scavenging work. Today, Lal Bahadur’s daughter Deep Mala is growing in front of all of us and giving a new direction and sense of achievement to our work among the community. Deepmala the younger face of the community want more emphasis in education and economic development. She felt that cultural changes are also important for us so that this baggage of the past is eliminated.

Suman Singh spoke about the problems of the women farmers and how they have to face problems. She said it is the women who are working on the field and do not get legitimate acknowledgement for the same. Women are not given priority in the NREGA, Indira Awas Yojana and all other scheme, which are totally dominated by men. It is important that we focus on the work of women and organize them.

Prem Lata Maurya was equally vociferous on the issue of male chauvinism with in the organsiations. Women find it difficult as there is virtually no encouragement and solidarity by the male colleagues. It is important that women be encouraged and given task and support by the male friends.

The session’s most thought provoking statement came from Urmila, from Chitrakoot. Narrating her own struggle and growing patriarchical values even among the ‘civil society’, she hit them hard. The loud voice with emotion actually rattled the audiences and all those who witness her speak realize that women’s day has finally arrived in Uttar-Pradesh. Gone are the days when you would find submissive women working in civil society and adhering the patriarchical values. Now, the things are changing fast and women’s are deciding about their choices and preferences. She was very unhappy with some of the male members attitude’s towards women. ‘Even the social sector men have not got rid of the tainted vision and attitude that they have towards women’, she lambasted. The challenges before the Dalit women are double as she has to fight not only the caste forces outside her community but also the patriarchy with in the community. The identity politics does not allow the issues of women to be highlighted for the fear of changing power equations. Urmila said that a fight for women’s right can not happen unless we take a strong stand the patriacarchical forces, demand women’s right over property and land. Women’s struggle has to be inclusive and not in isolation as many of us might feel. It is not just economic battle but battle of mind, culture and society, she said.

As Urmila finished her remarkable speech, she got a standing ovation from all the women particularly the girl students from Hyderabad. It was thought provoking and equally inspiring presentation.


Issue of Muslims

Uttar-Pradesh has a substantial Muslim populace. Uttar-Pradesh had in past some of the most influential Muslim leaders of the country. It has some of the oldest Muslim lineages, sufi shrines, Mosques, Imambaras which reflect the rich cultural heritage that Islam has brought to India. During the freedom struggle the Muslim fought with Hindus in liberating India and the combined cultural heritage and mutual understanding of the traditions of each other had been the hallmark of Muslim rule in India.

After the independence, Uttar-Pradesh was dogged in a number of communal disturbances. A large number of Muslim dominated towns like Meerut, Moradabad, Aligarh, Kanpur, Lucknow were the target of the communal agenda.

Uttar-Pradesh became hotbed for communal and caste politics and at the end of the day Muslims became further isolated in the entire scheme of things. Their marginalisastion was systematic and nobody was interested in saying that they too had a problem. Once you raise the issue of backwardness of Muslims, it is easier for the communal and sectarian forces to term you as ‘appeasing’ the Muslims. The condition of the poor and women remain a matter of grave concern among the Muslim community. The drop out rate is high and the civil society organizations have rarely reached them. Unfortunately, there have been little efforts to develop civil society organizations in the community. Most of the civil society work is the religious-charitable and therefore on contenscious issues like education, health and empowerment, not much have been achieved. We do not find women’s Self Help Groups among Muslims. A very limited number of people or activists understand the predicament of Muslims. Without understanding the socio-cultural environment of the community, we try to become judgmental on each issue they face. The activists do not go there with a feeling of working with them but more with a loud mouth to preach them. It is here that a number of young Muslim minds joined hand and decided to start a network named as ‘Rehnuma’, which means leader.

Starting with her strong viewpoint, Mohammad Nasim Ansari, from Tarun Chetna Sansthan, Pratapgarh said that time has come to focus on the poverty and educational issues of the Muslim community. The community is legging behind and the developmental programmes are not reaching the community. No attempt is being made to involve the community in the social sector and it is a matter of grave concern, said Ansari. He cited Sachar Commission’s report to point out the growing isolation of Muslims. Time has come when the community and Community Based Organisations should take charge of it and do something. Nasim bhai said the Mirco finance is a must to provide support to Muslim organizations in the rural sector.

Naqvi Bhai of the Sadbhavana mission was more categorical about the community’s issue. Today, being Muslim is a crime. Your identity is the baggage you have to carry all the time. You do not get houses on rent, nor even at the hotels once the owner comes to know that you are a Muslim. He said that the community must focus on women’s development, health and education. Land Right campaign for Muslim women is essential if we want to mainstream our work, he said. He blamed the Muslim political leadership for betraying the aspirations of the community. He also said that nothing specific has been done as a civil society among the Muslims. He wanted that even SHGs among the Muslim women are very rare and his organization is now trying to venture into the micro finance. Unfortunately, things move very slowly for the Muslims and support does not come from the donor agencies. In many areas, the condition of Muslims remain a matter of concern and they are legging far behind from other marginalized communities like the Dalits and OBCs.

Munni Begum wanted that the first and foremost priority should be to provide education to the Muslims. She further emphasized that girls education was a must for the Muslims. ‘ How can we gain from reservation, if there are not enough people’, she opined. She also spoke against those men who keep their women inside their houses. Today, she said, if I am here, it is because of our own grit and determination.

Ms Azma Aziz mentioned that need of the hour is to look inward also. She said that as a Muslims, we face many problems which are related to terrorism and extremism but not all Muslims are like that. The danger of stereotyping has made the community more conservative. ‘ We need to come out at our own. Our parents must support us. She thanked her father for her bringing that despite from a Nawab family, she was still not wearing a Burqa.

Ms Sehroj Fatima, from Chitrakoot opined that Muslim women have to come out from the purdah system. We can not allow our women to sit at home and remain uneducated. Education was the key. The organizations must support Muslim women in their endeavour to progress.

Mr Aftab Alam, Behraich, talked about Muslims problems in general and wanted all the organizations to join hand. He also spoke about the Islamic banking.

Sehroj : Spirit of freedom and responsiblity

A Muslim woman’s struggle for social change

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat


She looked bubbly when I first saw her working with a local NGO in Karvy town of Chitrakoot district. She would eagerly listen to our instructions and talks but the environment with in the organization was not suitable for her. The male gaze and contempt for her could be easily found once you talk to them. Character was the easiest virtue that they would talk. Later, when I went on a Padyatra i.e. footmarch from Shivpur Baithakva, in Koraon block of Allahabad district, she was there for the entire fortnight in May 2002. She had some problem in her toe and yet I could feel the pressure of the organization to join her padyatra. I could understand her predicament being a woman and that too being a Muslim woman in an other-wise feudal NGO where people mean your community and family. Yes, I am talking of a woman named Sehroj Fatima, who worked hard with determination to make a mark for her and her community women in Chitrakoot.

Many years later, she came to Delhi to participate in Indian Social Forum, in November 2006, where I met her and inquired as what she was doing. To my surprise she informed me that she has completed her B.A. and wanted to appear in the M.A. examination. I promised to help her but because of certain delay, she missed that opportunity but she is raring to do that too.

Sehroj was born in a very poor family on October 8th, 1980. Her father was a Munshi with a local lawyer but got involved in gambling. He forgot that to fulfill his fantasies he was putting his family in immense difficulties and problems. He sold off everything that his family needed.

They had about 3 bighas of irrigated agricultural land and about three houses. Unfortunately, this habit of betting and gambling completely destroyed the family. The family was starving and her father was auctioning his land and house. The two houses and land slipped from the family. And the family was not small. They were five sisters and three brothers. There was no food to eat. Sehroj and her mother used to go out and virtually beg from the villagers. They would sleep on the thatched hut on the dry leaves and the empty rice bags. ‘ I was fond of reading’, says Sehroj and always thought of moving ahead despite facing such difficulties. When she was in the fifth standard, her mother decided to withdrew her from the school saying, ‘ daughter should not study too much, hence you will not go to school further.’ “ I felt dark in front of my eyes, but some how my father send me back to school. It is surprising that my father did not create hurdle in my studying,’ says Sehroj. Since Sehroj was going out for work and extrovert, most of the neighborhood felt that she was too ‘liberal’. But she was determined to live a dignified life of her own and her family. She passed her high school. But education afterwards became difficult. Her father had been suffering from various ailments. He was bedridden and poor Sehroj and her mother would go and beg in the village to run the family. Being a beautiful child was a problem. Whenever she went out to beg, the male gaze was always at her. It is awkward but those who have seen the North Indian feudal environment would vouch how offensive it looks when the people just ‘watch’ the women, the young girls.. They stare at them shamelessly as if women are some object. It is shocking that the girls, women have to live in such dangerous environment. It become doubly difficult for the girls who want to live a dignified live and yet need societies help for survival.

When Sehroj was in the intermediate (i.e. 12th standard), her father was bed ridden and the family had not eaten for nearly a week. Sehroj showed some courage and went out to work as labour in the neighboring houses, which were being constructed. She got Rs 40/- for that days work. Now the family realized their ‘potential’. So her three sisters along with her started working with other construction labour. By evening shift she would go to write her exams and passed out. In the meanwhile, her father passed away. There was no ‘male’ at home and the five sisters along with her mother needed caring. She had to go out and the locals would laugh at her, charge her with amorous character as well as humiliate her whenever they got an opportunity. Yet she continued. She started teaching at a school as well as some home tuition. Conflict at home was a routine affair. Now those who used to term her as ‘characterless’ talk of her bravery.

Finally, she got a job with a local ‘ NGO’ or self-styled, community based organization where she was told that she would get Rs 5000/- per month for her work. She used to sign on Rs 4,000/- but actually used to get just Rs 1000/-. But compulsion forced her to work with the organization for nearly five years. One can understand how women are treated in the organizations and how the NGOs have ruined the local self respect movements and using everything to maintain the status quo.

In the year 2000 her brother fixed a marriage for Sehroj. Actually her cousins called her to Mumbai. They fixed a match for her. She did not know about it. Her husband was from Moradabad. When she saw her husband on the Nikah day, she was shocked. She was not interested in the marriage but she was forced, and beaten to accept it. When she went to her husband’s home, she found him four time in age than that of her. ‘He already had 8 children from his previous three marriages, says Sehroj and add that it was a bigger humiliation and embarrassment to see that some his children were more in age than Sehroj. The elder sons were unable to accept her in the family and would beat her. ‘There was no possibility of my working with her. He did not care for me. For him it was another domestic servant to take care of him and his children. He would work for one day and rest for next three days. His children’s were of my age and hence it was more difficult for me to adjust. I returned to my mother’s place which was on the verge of hunger and starvation. It was a difficult choice, says Sehroj. Her husband came to her home and asked her to return. Her mother thought that it was better for Sehroj to go back to her ‘home’. Again she was forced to go to her ‘home’ but this time she took her younger sister along with. Unfortunately, she could not match the expectations of her husband and finally returned with in a fortnight.

My mother and younger sisters needed me’, says Sehroj with a moist eyes. I had seen the poverty and hunger and I was determined that I would not allow my family to live in the same circumstances which I faced in my childhood’, she said.

Sehroj took care of her family. She started looking for job again. It is very difficult to get a job in India’s rural structure. It is more difficult for women and that too from the Muslim community as the rural biases and prejudices are already prevailing in our system.

After some search she got a job in Vanangana, a women’s right organization. It gave a new dynamism to Sehroj’s personality. She understood the oppression of women. Her perception change and she started looking it in greater perspective. The work gave her much needed stability as she started uniting her family. Her younger brother had left the family for good with his own family in Mumbai. Two other younger brothers are too young to understand things. She has got her one sister married and says with pride that I want to educate the others and get them ‘settled’.

Still, she had not divorced. Her husband would come and create problem for her. Finally, on the advise of her colleagues and friends, she filed for a divorce and was given it ex-party as her husband never appeared for the case.

It was difficult once again for her. People would make silly remark about her character. She damned everything and continued her education. She completed her BA privately during this period. Unfortunately, she again came into a wedlock with a person who wanted her to stay inside. ‘ Muslim woman should not go outside the house. They are the ‘ijjat’, honor of the family’, her husband would ask her. Sehroj by now had become a woman committed to the cause. She decided against her husband’s dictate and started living separately near his house. He is still ready to accept her provided she leave the job and remain as an ‘honor’ of the family inside the four walls of the house.

Though Sehroj is working with a women’s organization, she want to do specific work for her village. In the spare time she find, she is educating the Dalit girls and want to give them technical skills and educate them about their rights. She says that women too have a right feel happy and enjoy apart from looking after family and children.

Bundelkhand was immortalized by the poetry of Subhudra Kumari Chauhan on Rani Laxmi Bai. But today’s facts reveal the dirty side of Bundelkhand. Despite farmer’s distress, despite water crisis, in one area, Bundelkhand dominate, and that is violence against women. A walk in the street of Karvi town and you would rarely find women going alone with her head high. Even the women’s organizations that worked and changed perception of a number of women’s in the region find it difficult to work in such a hostile terrain. The civil society organizations, which claim to work for the people, do not allow their women to come out. So it is liberation of others not from with in the families. Identities are used to serve purpose of a particular community and person. Bundelkhand has huge organizations. It is easier for them to get vast track of land in their name while the communities are starving. You have trust from big corporations, from local political bigwigs, from the Goons. You have land, thousands of acres in the name of Mutths, colleges, Gaushalas, trusts and temples, but unfortunately there is nothing for the poor. And among the poor, nobody counts women. It is ironical that we are exposing in India’s heartland of Uttar-Pradesh where land for poor is a luxury but land for all other things is available provided you have political clout, power to pay bribed and bureaucratic connections.

Sehroj has a dream. A dream for women of her community to live better lives. To understand their rights and ask for it. Though, she has been serving her mother from the bottom of her heart, she knows well that her mother would never want her share in the property. She says, it is your duty to serve your husband and if you are divorced or destitute, you should serve the brothers.’ ‘ Sewa main he mewa hai, says her mother. Sehroj feel anguished why women are denied right despite of the fact that Shariat has given so much of rights to women. She is going to educate the women of her community that her religion has given them enough right and that they should ask for it. Whenever, she get time, she teach her sisters and village people. Just about 2 kilometer from karvi town is village Taraunha where Sehroj is trying to live an honorable life. A life, which is still uncertain with so much, pulls and pressure from the society, which does not give individual a choice to live with dignity and freedom. She has faced a lot in her life and is determined to make things better. One only hopes that the personal struggle of Sehroj will not go in vain. Her struggle continues, it need acknowledgement and support from the community as well as all those who believe in triumph of human spirit.

( For more on Muslim issues from the grassroots please visit www.rehnuma.blogspot.com)