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Hope shines bright at the launch of abook on women sarpanches OF THE many problems a woman sarpanch has to live with, the worst is distrust. After fighting mindsets that owe their origin entirely to biology, oppression of every kind and roadblocks at every step, they finally get elected to the offices that are rightfully theirs. Only to deal with a casual throwaway line that assumes the real power resides only with their husbands, fathers or the other male figures around them. That may be true for some women, but for the genuine village leaders, the indiscriminate assumption negates all their efforts. It is precisely this mindset that Sarpanch Sahib: Changing the Face of India sets out to change. The book, edited by Manjima Bhattacharjya and published by HarperCollins in association with The Hunger Project, was unveiled at the India International Centre on Thursday evening by senior journalist Mrinal Pande in the presence of some of the seven women sarpanches who have been profiled in the book. The launch was followed by a reading of excerpts by Manju Kapur, the novelist who also teaches English Literature at Miranda House, and journalist Abhilasha Ojha. Both are part of the group of authors and journalists who trawled the country to meet women sarpanches and narrate their awe- inspiring stories. The others include Mumbai- based freelance journalists Sonia Faleiro and Kalpana Sharma as well as authors/ activists Indira Maya Ganesh and Tishani Doshi. The Hunger Project works with women leaders at the panchayat level and trains them to handle meetings as well as think and deal with development issues. And judging by some of the women leaders present at the gathering, the NGO seems to have done a fine job of it. Bhattacharjya spoke of AC Nielsen studies that have been carried out to prove that such women representatives are not merely puppets in the hands of their husbands and other male relatives. “ But the title of the book is an example of how deeply gender is intertwined with politics,” she said. Kapur spoke of how Sunita, the elected woman representative of Tighra village in the Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, made her “ feel like a loser and a whinger.” In the same vein, Ojha, who profiled Maya Bhakuni of Boonga village in Uttarakhand, spoke of her harsh schedule, which she stuck to without losing her sense of humour and her smile. Mrinal Pande made a pitch for translating the book into the regional languages of the women featured in it to ensure that it got read widely. She even drew parallels between her life and those of women sarpanches . “ When I became an editor, I did not even get a chair of my size,” she said. “ I was told the chairs were made only for men. So if you feel like that, take heart — things will only get harder from here.” V EENA DEVI, elected woman representative of Loharpur village in Bihar, spoke of her many tribulations after she was elected. She was even implicated in a false murder case. Kenchamma, representative of Birur village in Karnataka, was one of the first Dalit women to be elected to her position in 1993, when the 73rd Amendment, which paved the way for 33 per cent reservation for women in village panchayat s, went into effect. She said she barely got to open her mouth in the first two years that she would go for the meetings. “ I would be served tea in earthenware that didn’t have to be washed,” she says, pointing out the grim realities of being doubly marginalised, being a Dalit woman. These troubles, however, were forgotten at the book release. Maya Bhakuni made light of them and chose instead to thank her husband and family. She was profiled after she lost the election but the work she had started in her community continues to speed ahead. She still wakes up at 4 am to finish her household chores and then go for village meetings. Maloti Gowalla, of Titabar town in Assam’s Jorhat district, also follows a similar, trying schedule too. She wakes up at the crack of dawn to finish her work in the tea estate she lives on and then cycles 18 kms to attend meetings, where she has pushed through a number of projects relating to women’s education and personal hygiene. Ask her why she got involved with politics at all and she shrugs and says, “ Because it is important.” Those of us who live in the city and keep complaining about juggling the pace of our hectic jobs and family responsibilities would be better off taking a leaf out of the lives of these women. They have not allowed themselves to be beaten down by adversity. They’ve just shrugged and gone on with their work. karanjeet. kaur@ mailtoday. in |