India`s fastest woman lives in poverty… and in hope

grassroots
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting reportage on the human condition
J a n u a ry 1 5 , 2 0 1 2 - Vo l u m e 4 Is s u e 1
Rs 15
India’s fastest woman lives
in poverty… and in hope
inside
grassroots
Athletics has always been a neglected part of Indian sport for years. In a country where even
the national sport, hockey, is given short shrift, chances of a promising young woman getting
proper logistic and economic support to help her achieve her dreams seem remote. Despite
the overwhelming apathy, it is the undaunted spirit of athletes, from Milkha Singh to P.T. Usha,
that has kept athletic aspirations alive in India. Today, Asha Roy displays the same spirit
S
he doesn’t get two square meals
a day, lives in a mud house and
helps her father, a vegetable
seller, eke out a meagre living. But
despite the odds, Asha Roy is the
fastest woman in India today, having
clocked 11.85 seconds in the 100metre dash at the 51st National Open
Athletics Championships in Kolkata
last year. The national record is 11.38
seconds – set by Rachita Mistry in
Thiruvananthapuram in 2000. The
21-year-old from Ghanshyampur, a
village in Singur in West Bengal’s
Hooghly District, also ran the fastest
in the 200 metres, clocking 24.36
seconds, and anchored Bengal’s
4x100-metre relay team, which won
the silver with a timing of 47.29
seconds at the championships.
Asha, the third among four sisters,
is a first-year student in Srirampore
College in the same district, studying
for her Bachelor’s degree. While
her eldest and youngest sisters
are already married, the second is
a school dropout. Only Asha has
managed to continue with her studies
and diligently pursue her dream of
becoming one of the best athletes in
the country. “I am illiterate and I could
never get a proper job because of it. I
wanted my daughters to study. Asha
is the only one who has sustained the
effort and is now studying for her
degree,” says a proud Bholanath Roy,
Asha’s father. He earns just about Rs
3000 a month by selling vegetables
door-to-door in his village.
Adds Bulu, 45, Asha’s homemaker
mother, “We live in abject poverty.
When my husband falls ill, it becomes
Asha Roy training with her coach Prabir
Chandra, and (right) the fastest Indian
woman proudly shows off her medal.
Photos: Anik Dey\WFS
Ajitha Menon
Away from the track, Asha makes
a meal for her family.
difficult for the family to make ends
meet. However, we have encouraged
Asha in her running and never put
pressure on her to get married. We
are unable to provide her with the
nutrition or training she requires to
become the best, but despite that Asha
has thrived purely on her talent.”
Coach Prabir Chandra spotted
Asha when she came first at a school
meet as a student of Class III. “I
discussed her talent with her father
and when I realised how needy the
family was, I decided to take on the
full responsibility for her training,”
recalls Chandra. He reveals that Asha
helps her father in selling vegetables
for some time every day and then
she trains, quite often on an empty
stomach.
Under Chandra’s guidance, Asha
started her athletic career. In Class
IV she became a member of the
Bengal athletic team; in Class VI she
participated in the Nationals. In 2004
she won four gold medals and was
given the honour of being the Best
Athlete in the school games. In 2006
she came second in the long jump
and in the 100 metres at the Junior
Nationals. In 2009, she won the gold
for 100 metres at the Indo-Bangla
International Meet and in 2010 she
won the silver at the University Meet.
Last year, she has bagged the gold in
the 100-metre and 200-metre races
and the silver in the 400-metre relay
in the National Open Athletics Meet.
However, to build on her
achievements and to ensure a long
career as a successful sportsperson,
what Asha desperately needs today
is something as basic as food. “I need
food, nutrition. I train from 7 am to 9
am and then from 3 pm to 5 pm. I am
now concentrating only on the 100metre sprint and hope to qualify for
the South Asian Federation (SAF)
Games, to be held in New Delhi in
2012. But without proper nutrition or
competitive training, it’s going to be
extremely difficult. I seek help from
everyone. I want to make my country
proud,” she says. Coach Chandra
is also concerned about her future,
given her extremely impoverished
background. As he puts it, “She has
reached this level through sheer grit
and determination and because she is
extremely hard-working. However,
now that she has proven her worth,
she certainly needs outside help.”
For Bholanath and Bulu, their
daughter’s success so far has been a
matter of great pride. “We are happy
and proud that Asha has made a name
for herself. We have not given her
much, except the freedom to follow
her dream. She helps the family earn
a livelihood and eats frugally since
that’s all we can afford. But she has
trained tirelessly for years. We hope
some support will come for her
now,” says Bholanath.
Both the Indian Railways and
the State Government of West
Bengal have made promises of a
job and monetary assistance after
her performance at the National
Open Meet. “Nothing concrete has
materialised so far. If I get some
offer, I will choose carefully so that
I can train well for the SAF Games
and then the Olympics,” says Asha.
But she adds that she is not going to
be dependent on it. “I have struggled
so far and am willing to do so in
future if need be, with the support of
my family and coach.”
<
(Courtesy: Women’s Feature Service)
For needy schoolchildren,
he is the good Samaritan ...2
When women are unsafe in
God's Own Country ........... 3
Using dance as therapy to
provide a new lease
of life ........................................ 4
Exploited children in a
railway station find a
guardian angel ..................... 5
Educating marginalised
youngsters, building
lives .......................................... 6
Families of BSF personnel
know there’s somebody
to care for them .................... 7
Life isn’t silky smooth for
farmers weaving the
fine, soft thread .................... 8
It’s a different rath yatra –
and it’s all about
communal amity ................. 10
Three years, two cyclones…
and the Burmese
still await relief .................... 11
Wishing You a Very Happy
and Prosperous
New Year!
2
grassroots
January 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
grassroots
Focus
For needy schoolchildren,
he is the good Samaritan
He walked barefoot five miles to school and remembers the difficulties he had to undergo while pursuing education.
His experience has inspired him to help and encourage needy children in state-run schools, especially those in rural
India, by gifting them dictionaries, atlases, even furniture. N. Subramanian is convinced that if each senior citizen has
the urge to give back to society in whatever way possible, there will be many chains going and society will become
better, more equitable and advanced
Photos: Susan Philip
Susan Philip, Chennai
Subramanian (standing, extreme right) has always wanted to help
children from poor and marginalised backgrounds. For the past
several years, he has been gifting needy children 'education kits'
which includes a dictonary, an atlas and a copy of the Thiru-kKural. Here, children in a Corporation school benefit from his
generocity.
H
e studied in classrooms
where maps of the world
and the country were hung
high up on the walls, well above
the reach of little hands, and also
of little eyes. They were precious
because they were hard to come by,
and the authorities did not want to
risk having them torn and dirtied
by curious children. They weren’t
teaching aids, more like ‘props’ for
the classroom. He walked five miles
each way to school, in rain and shine,
as bus connectivity in his village
was rare, not to mention expensive.
And he walked barefoot, as footwear
was a luxury. N. Subramanian, now
running 68, remembers those early
days vividly.
Subramanian
was
fortunate,
in that he completed his school
education and immediately got a
state government job where he had
undreamed-of ‘power’ and perks such
as a jeep and driver at his disposal. A
couple of years later, he got a job with
the Railways, from where he retired
as a Grade 1 Office Superintendent in
the Signals and Telecommunications
Section after 37 years of service. But
the hardships he suffered in the pursuit
of education has left in Subramanian
a single-minded desire to see that
children in rural India and from poor
and marginalised backgrounds in
cities are given some sparks that will
hopefully fire in them an enthusiasm
for learning.
“Population and poverty are still
the twin banes of India. If you go to
rural areas, you’ll find that much the
same situation prevails in schools
there as it did during my time, in the
1950s and early Sixties. Even in some
parts of Chennai, the condition of
children studying in Corporation and
other state-run institutions is pitiable.
They have no food or footwear still,”
says Subramanian. “Teachers are
uninvolved; parents are in the grip of
poverty and ignorance. Government
machinery is lethargic, people in
authority don’t realise the immense
potential they have for making a
difference. Many village schools don’t
have a playground, they don’t even
have basic learning tools and toys,
maybe not even a useable ball,” he
points out. The condition of Chennai
Corporation schools is gradually
improving, he acknowledges, but sees
immense scope for improvement.
Subramanian is a man with a
mission. “I thought education is a
good field to work in, especially
where very small children are
concerned,” he says. “I concentrate
on children in Corporation, Panchayat
and Adi-Dravidar schools studying in
Standard I as I feel these children are
even more at a disadvantage when
it comes to education, than their
economic and social standing, when
compared to their elite counterparts.
Children of affluent parents go
through crèche, play-school, LKG
and UKG before coming to Standard
I, whereas poor children, or children
in villages, start their education only
at the age of six. It is these children I
want to encourage.”
For the past several years,
Subramanian has been focussing on
children from these backgrounds,
and gifting them what can be called
‘education kits’. Each kit comprises a
dictionary, a school atlas and a copy
of the Thiru-k-kural, a collection
of evergreen couplets dealing with
life and living written by Tamil
Nadu’s most famous sage-poet,
Thiruvalluvar. “I feel these are gifts
no one can forget or throw out, unlike
other things which may be discarded”,
he explains.
Subramanian
started
his
philanthropic work immediately after
retirement. He is of the view that up
until the age of 60, a man can only
be expected to help those in need to
the extent possible. However, post
retirement, most people would have
discharged their major responsibilities
to their families, and will find leisure
and some amount of money at their
disposal. It is incumbent on senior
citizens to give back to society – to do
dharmam or charity work, he feels.
No one knows his departure date and
time, he says, resorting to Railway
jargon. “We must all be prepared. The
most important time is now”.
Subramanian has three children,
all of them married and well-settled,
with children of their own. “I am
fortunate that I have a fully supportive
family,” he says, adding that he often
takes his wife, daughters-in-law or
grandchildren along when he makes
school visits. Only the first time did
he rope in others in his philanthropic
efforts. This, he says, was in
keeping with the teachings of Hindu
philosophy, which stipulates that
Subramanian's focus has been on children studying in Corporation,
Panchayat and Adi-Dravidar schools. Here, he presents children
in a Panchayat school atlases. He has also given schools benches,
cupboards and other necessities for learning.
good work is best done collectively.
He gathered together 15 like-minded
colleagues who each contributed
some funds, and they bought furniture
and books for children in a needy
school. But ever since then, he’s been
traversing a lone path. “This way, I
can do what I want the way I want
to,” he says.
Subramanian has a soft corner
for the institution where he had
his early education, as he feels it is
responsible to a great degree for what
he is today. At this village school,
his philanthropy extends to children
of other classes and to the teachers,
too. He has also given furniture
such as benches and cupboards, and
other necessities for learning, to
various schools. Subramanian spends
between Rs 2000 and Rs 4000 of his
pension every month to further his
aim of igniting the untouched minds
of school ‘freshers’ each year. He
doesn’t stop at mere philanthropy.
He’s also bubbling over with ideas
to make education in India a more
meaningful and enjoyable exercise
for those who may be first-generation
learners, or hailing from families too
poor to attach lasting importance
to books over the possibility of
increasing the family earnings.
Changing the annual school holidays
from the summer months to the rainy
season is one idea he is promoting.
Subramanian visits nine schools in
Chennai and in rural areas during the
nine months of the academic year and
distributes the educational kits. He
doesn’t know the children to whom
he does this service, nor do they
know him. Chances are, they’ll never
meet again. And that’s just the way he
wants it. “Even when you put a couple
of coins into a temple hundi, you do
it on the heels of a prayer, asking
God to do this or that for you. Your
donation is with the expectation of a
reward. Here, I don’t expect anything
in return. The only thing I hope for is
that the children will realise the value
of the books I have given them and,
as they grow up, keep it in mind that
they were given by a stranger. I hope
this memory will prompt them to do
something for others in their turn,” he
says. All he wants, in other words,<
is
for the chain to continue.
grassroots
Ja n u a ry 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
When you think
about Kerala, the
images that often
come to mind are
those of backwaters,
canals, boats,
swaying palms,
green fields, hills,
temples, literacy, a
certain standard of
living… But all that
seems a veneer of
make-believe, and
it is beginning to
crack. When girls are
sexually abused or
raped and women
are harassed and live
in constant fear, and
when even fathers
don’t mind bartering
daughters for money,
it is clear that pockets
in a society have
fallen ‘sick’. Is the
visual media or the
Internet to blame,
and what really can
be done to control
the malaise?
Leela Menon
Monster dad: Sudheer (right),
the father of the sexually abused
Parur girl, who was arrested by
the police along with 30 others
accused in the sex racket.
T
he rise in sexual crimes against
women is a growing concern
in India, widely reported and
debated upon. Delhi has seen at least
one rape every day this year (2011),
with five cases of sexual assault
occurring within hours of each other
recently. Mayawati's Uttar Pradesh
has been declared a state that sees at
least two rapes every day. But guess
which state has the worst record on
this score? The one that is said to
enjoy the best human development
indices in the country and which is
promoted as God's Own Country:
Kerala. Unfortunately, despite having
the highest female literacy rate in the
country, India's southern-most state
has emerged with the worst record in
terms of protecting women.
Sample this: According to crime
branch statistics, 357 rape cases were
reported in Kerala in just three months
this year, as against 617 for the whole
of 2010. This means that at least four
or five women have been sexually
attacked every day. Statistics also
reveal that 60 per cent of the violence
against women takes place within
the home. If you think this violence
is limited to domestic violence, think
again. Young girl are at constant risk
of being sexually abused or raped, at
the hands of not just their neighbours,
but their brothers, cousins, uncles,
and even fathers. So it seems that if
India is fourth in the list of countries
where women are sexually harassed
the most, Kerala must top the list
of states reporting the maximum
atrocities.
Take a look at a roster of crimes:
Soumya, who while travelling in the
ladies compartment of the Shornur
Passenger train, was pushed out by
one Govindasway, and then raped and
killed. A nurse returning home from
duty in an autorickshaw in Kottayam
had to jump out of the moving vehicle
to escape an attempt of sexual assault.
She sustained serious injuries in the
process. A woman travelling alone
in a taxi in Pathanamthitta in south
Kerala was gang-raped by the driver
and his friends. Even a woman IG
of police was not spared: She was
reportedly harassed while on her
morning walk. But what has truly
triggered widespread horror and
shock is the serial rape case of a 14year-old girl from Parur, near Kochi.
She was first raped by her own father,
who later pushed her into the sex
trade. According to a rough estimate
she had been sexually abused by
more than 100 people - ranging
from politicians and businessmen, to
contractors and even filmmakers and
artistes.
When the police busted the
particular sex racket, the teenager
revealed that her father first raped her
and then threatened to kill her if she
disclosed this to her mother. An agent
who provided young extras to the TV
industry, the monster dad didn't just
stop at that. Tempted by the monetary
gains that could be had, he decided to
trade on his daughter's body. When
she refused to cooperate, he tied her
younger brother upside down to a
ceiling fan and threatened to kill him
if she did not comply. She yielded.
grassroots
Photos: Leela Menon/WFS
When women are unsafe
in God's Own Country
Thasni Banu, who was attacked by men on her way to work with
a male colleague, speaks to journalists at the Press Club in
Ernakulam.
Once the case came to public notice,
an apathetic police force suddenly
went on an arresting spree and has
brought over 30 people into custody
in this connection, including a CPM
local secretary. Sadly, it is not an
isolated incident. Just days after the
Parur incident came to light, another
young girl in Narakkal, a short distance
from Kochi, complained to the police
that her father had been raping her for
the past three years. The case of a 14year-old girl also raped by her father
and then trafficked to the sex industry
emerged. Today, the father and other
criminals are behind bars. Yet another
alarming trend that has reared its ugly
head is that of 12- and 13-year-old
school boys raping or attempting to
rape four or five year old girls in their
neighbourhood. In a recent case, one
girl was found dead in a pond and
medical examination revealed that
there was attempted rape.
What are the factors that have
contributed to a complete degeneration
of social values and mores within
Kerala society? Why have incidents
of fathers sexually exploiting their
3
daughters and friends assaulting their
neighbours become so commonplace?
Psychiatrist Dr C.J. John of the
Medical Trust Hospital blames it on
the media. “Advertisements project
women in a demeaning manner. Their
bodies are framed as objects for sexual
gratification. Sexual content pervades
the visual media and Internet. This
constant exposure to pornographic
visuals, even soft porn, is certainly
having an impact,” he observes. Adds
Dr John, "A general lack of openness
about sexuality, the all-pervasiveness
ignorance about sexual health, and a
denial of the inroads pornographic
material has made into society, are all
factors to be considered.”
Social scientist Dr P.O. George,
who heads the Juvenile Justice
Committee in Trichur (a governmentconstituted district committee), is
also worried about the emergence of
sexual perversion transcending even
familial bonds and leaving daughters
vulnerable at an early stage in their
lives when they lack agency and
information. He reveals that in the
one year that the welfare committee
has been constituted more than 15
incidents have come to its notice. He
also believes that the pervasiveness
of pornographic content is one of the
major causes for the present scenario,
although he also points to other
causative factors. “The increasing
divorce rate, the disintegration of
families, the fact that parents today
have no time for their children, have
all played their part,” he says.
But far from provoking a public
conversation on the right of every
woman to live and move without fear,
what is emerging is an ugly moral
vigilantism. Women moving out after
dark are all-too-often labeled as being
sexually available. Thasni Banu,
who is in her twenties and works in
a BPO office at Kochi's Infopark, was
attacked by some men on the road.
On the day of the incident, she was
being dropped off by a male friend on
his bike. Just as they were nearing the
office her companion stopped to buy a
cigarette. That is when a crowd closed
in and began to abuse her. When
Thasni retorted back, one man came
forward aggressively. Thasni slapped
him. The infuriated man slapped her
back and twisted her arm so badly,
she had to be admitted into hospital.
Thasni was courageous enough to
alert the police about this incident
through a friend, but no action was
taken on the grounds that she had not
filed a formal complaint.
Women's organisations protested
the violence against Thasni and
managed to force Kerala chief
minister Oommen Chandy to instruct
his police to take action against the
men who assaulted and abused the
youngster. A couple of arrests were
made in the case. But what is to be
done to ensure that such incidents
don't occur in the first place? In God's
Own Country today, women continue
to lack a sense of security, whether
at home, in public spaces or in the
workplace and, unfortunately, the
state, and those who administer it,
continue to be in denial.
<
(Courtesy: Women’s Feature Service)
Nominations invited for
Chameli Devi Jain Award 2011-12
The Media Foundation is pleased to invite nominations for its annual Chameli Devi Jain Award for an
Outstanding Woman Mediaperson for 2011-12. Journalists in the print, broadcast and current affairs
documentary film media (any language) are eligible, including photographers, cartoonists and newspaper
designers. Names and addresses of sponsors or references should be clearly mentioned with email and
phone numbers. The criteria for selection will be excellence, analytical skill, social concern, insights, style,
innovation, courage and compassion. Other things being equal, preference will be given to small town/
rural and Indian language journalists. The entries will be evaluated by an independent panel of jurists whose
verdict shall be final. Nominations should include a bio-data (with complete postal address, telephone, fax
numbers and email address, for facility of communication), together with a selection of the best work done
during 2010-11 in the form of three or four clippings/tapes/CDs. These should be accompanied by a brief
appreciation of why the candidate is especially deserving of recognition. Nominations addressed to B.G.
Verghese, coordinator, C-11 Dewan Shree Apartments, 30 Ferozshah Road, New Delhi -110001
(Tel: 2335 5099; 98189 16923) should be received not later than February 15, 2012. The Award will
be announced some days before it is presented at the India International Centre Multipurpose Hall in Delhi
on Friday, March 16, 2012.
grassroots
grassroots
Heard of dance movement therapy? Well,
backed by success with rescued victims
of trafficking and sexual abuse, an NGO
in Kolkata uses the therapy to rehabilitate,
counsel, empower and heal such victims, as
well as those who are mentally challenged or
suffering from HIV/AIDS. Many young men
and women, once confined to the margins
and seemingly lost without hope, have found
new meaning in living after rediscovering
happiness and joy
Photos: Sanved Web site
Shoma A. Chatterji, Kolkata
A group performance by Sanved volunteers at a concert at
Max Mueller Bhavan.
D
January 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
ance as a way of mainstreaming
people with mental and
physical disabilities, or people
who are socially handicapped, is used
by Kolkata Sanved, an NGO that
is a centre of excellence for dance
movement therapy in South Asia. It is
registered as a society under the West
Bengal Society RegistrationAct. “Ours
is a pioneer organisation in dance
movement therapy in South Asia.
We use therapy to achieve psychosocial rehabilitation, counselling,
empowerment, healing and a mode
of expression for victims of violence
and trafficking, marginalised people,
people facing mental challenges and
people suffering from HIV/AIDS,”
says Sohini Chakraborty, founderdirector, Kolkata Sanved.
“Kolkata Sanved began as an
experiment in a shelter home for
rescued victims of trafficking and
sexual abuse some years ago. Most
of these girls became dance trainers
with us and willingly take part in
all our projects. The experiment
grew into a movement now adopted
by over 30 partner organisations
in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Kolkata Sanved has directly worked
with 2500 individuals and indirectly
influenced over 5000 people with its
programmes,” Chakraborty explains.
Kolkata Sanved helps adolescent
and child victims of sexual exploitation
to assert their rights as individuals
and to find a place in the mainstream.
It aims at building the capacity of
NGOs and government shelter homes
for professional development of
victims of abuse as peer educators
and activists. A group of young
girls and a boy – Khateja Lhatun,
Sudeshna Bag, Laxmi Khatun, Sabita
Debnath, Nasima Khatun, Jhulan
Sarkar, Ashley Fargnoli and Bappa
Ghosh – trained in dance by Kolkata
Sanved as trainee-teachers, train
the inmates of other NGOs such as
Anjali, ApneAap Women Worldwide,
All Bengal Women’s Union, NirmanBaruipur, and New Light.
“We have expanded our reach to
include people living with mental
illness. People with mental health
problems are largely ignored. They
are invisible and stigmatised. The
mainstream does not know much
about mental health or about the
people who suffer mental illnesses,”
says Chakraborty. Kolkata Sanved,
Using dance as
therapy to provide
a new lease of life
in collaboration with Anjali, a strong
human rights organisation that also
works with the mentally ill, undertook
a research study to find out the
impact of dance movement therapy
on people living with mental illness.
A report, Dance & Recovery, was
released some time ago. “The specific
objective is to determine the extent
to which the participants exhibit a
change in their behaviour so that they
can be reintegrated into their family
and community,” she adds.
The study covered 27 participants,
eight women and 19 men. They
were inpatients of two city hospitals
(Lumbini Park Hospital and Pavlov
Hospital) for an average period of
four years to 14 years. Their disorders
included schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, major depression and other
severe and persistent disorders.
Though they are currently in remission
they need medication and supervision.
“Many near-normal inmates want to
go home, their families do not want
them back. They cite reasons like fear
of relapse, consequent difficulties
in getting them re-admitted to the
hospitals considering that this calls
for a court order, etc. These families
refuse to take responsibility of a
non-contributing family member,”
explains
Chakraborty,
adding,
“Most of them have their families in
Kolkata while some have come from
villages within the state. We hope
these findings raise awareness about
the impact of the therapy on mental
health and encourage greater public
intervention on the issue.”
“Respondents
can
be
temperamental. It is hard to gauge
Sudeshna and Khateja – two
volunteer-trainers at Sanved.
The therapeutic process transforms ‘victims’ into bold and creative
artists and provides them a platform to excel and recognise their own
potential, develop their own ideas, express themselves in innovative
ways and to perform.
why someone is in a bad mood. Rupa
(a respondent) wanted to hit Mita
(another respondent) but mistook
her for someone else and hit her
instead. This tendency has lessened
after dance movement therapy. If it
does happen, Rupa is willing to talk
about it,” says one trainer. Another
trainer adds, “Renu would tug at
our hands and disturb the class. She
would sometimes leave in the middle
of the class. When I asked her to use
her imagination, she would string
together unrelated visuals. Now she
does some of the exercises.” “These
classes helped me place my personal
grief and anxieties in perspective. I
realised that my problems are a mere
drop in the endless ocean they are
drowned in,” says Nipuna, a trainer.
The participants are vocal. “Dance
has made me humane. It has made me
agile and my foot ache has decreased.
I can also visualise my childhood
vividly now,” says a female participant.
“When I perform in functions, I cry
because I am reminded of home. But
I am also better equipped to deal with
grief because I know others too have
similar experiences,” says a male
participant. Another male participant
says that the dance classes have made
him more intelligent. The classes have
helped them make friends and share
their concerns about their families
back home with one another. “After
many years, I can feel the blood
flowing in my veins. Dance gives a
sense of rhythm to my life,” says a
female participant. “I want to dance
in programmes because I like the
applause. I want to learn more dance
steps. Dance can be a medicine.
It makes me happy and gives me
recognition,” says a male.
“Our trainers have drawn on the
therapeutic elements in Indian dance
forms to create a unique and holistic
approach to deal with psychological
issues of trauma. They have taken
some footwork from Kathak to
trigger the release of anger, some
bodily postures from Bharata Natyam
to rethink the image of the body
and its relation to space, and most
importantly, stress on the importance
of team work through incorporation of
folk dance forms,” says Chakraborty.
Hand gestures are used as tools for
storytelling. Facial expressions open
a window to human emotions. There
is nothing like a ‘wrong step’ or
‘right step’ because the participants
are trained to create movements that
are their spontaneous responses to
experience. Flexibility of the body,
limbs and face are given free play.
After initial training, the participants
are asked to act out their own stories
through dance movements and
express their unspoken emotions.
Through dance movement therapy,
the participants have responded as
a group. They have rediscovered
memories of joy and happiness and
have woven these into their dance
compositions and performances.
They have learnt to rediscover their
body and to cultivate a positive body
image. They have come out of their
inhibitions, their self-imposed silence,
to talk about their emotions and have
learnt to connect and communicate
among themselves.
<
4
grassroots
Ja n u a ry 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
5
grassroots
Exploited children in a railway
station find a guardian angel
Poor children being forced to work, ill-treated and deprived of the joys of childhood is a sad reality in India. But
how many of us really fend for them? One sensitive woman in Lucknow decided to do something. Her painstaking
work has led the Charbagh Railway Station to become the first in India to be declared free of child labour. Her
organisation, Ehsaas, has rescued more than 100 children from the station and the city streets. Working closely with
the railway police force, Shachi Singh has brought light and cheer to the lives of the children for whom there once
seemed no future
T
en years ago, a young woman
happened to be at the Charbagh
Railway Station in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh's state capital, when
a young boy of around 10 came up
to her. Dressed in tatters, his face
streaked with mud, he tried to sell
her a bottle of water. “I felt pained
to see this helpless boy desperate to
sell me the water. It was tap water
poured into a plastic bottle bearing
a mineral water label. A few minutes
later, after he had moved away, I saw
a policeman brutally thrashing him,”
she recalls. She was moved to tears
by that sight. She promised herself
that one day she would do something
for the numerous children she saw
about her who, instead of spending
their days studying and enjoying their
childhood, were being forced to work
in the most inhuman conditions and
cope with the repression of the law
enforcement authorities.
And she has. After completing
her master’s in Social Work, Shachi
Singh, now in her thirties, set up
Ehsaas, an organisation that works
with children living on the streets
or at the railway station, spending
their days doing small-time work to
make ends meet. Indeed, today it's
because of all the good work done
by Shachi and her Ehsaas team that
the Charbagh Railway Station has
become the first station in India to be
declared child labour free. Moreover,
the Government Railway Police
officers posted there double up as
Special Child Welfare Officers to
protect the disadvantaged children.
Says Shachi: “Ehsaas was formed in
2002 as we wanted to have a platform
where we could work on the rights of
those children who are out of home.
This helped to focus on children
living on footpaths and in railway
stations. We not only wanted them
to have a decent life, but also a life
free from the fear of the police, who
invariably vented their frustration on
these kids.”
Says a visibly happy Sonu, one
of the many children who have been
rescued by Shachi, “I belong to
Jharkhand and ran away from home.
I used to sell bottles of water at the
station when Didi (elder sister) met
me. It was she who forced me to leave
this work and study. Shachi Didi even
ensured that the police didn't beat me
or my friends up anymore.” Sonu
now lives in Ehsaas's shelter home
for children. Like Sonu, Shachi's
organisation has rescued and given
a home to more than 100 children
once living at the Lucknow Station
and on the streets in the city. Through
education,
vocational
training,
counselling and other such activity,
efforts have been made to rehabilitate
the youngsters and bring them into the
mainstream. Wherever possible, there
is also a conscious attempt to reunite
the children with their families.
However, all this did not happen
overnight. It's been a difficult
journey – for the activist as well
as the rescued children. When the
organisation first started taking the
kids off the platforms and the streets,
they would run away from Shachi
Photos: Tarannum\WFS
Tarannum
Shachi Singh (centre, behind) with the children she rescued from the
Lucknow Railway Station. Thanks to her organisation, Ehsaas, the
station is free of child labour now.
and her team, fearing that they would
be caught and beaten up. “We had to
make them understand that we were
their friends. There were times when
we had to fight with the police to
save the children, which eventually
made them trust us and draw closer
to us. They started coming to us with
their small problems, which we used
to sort out for them. Slowly, they
Owning to Shachi's efforts to sensitise the Government Railway Police, the police have today created a
child-friendly booth for lost children across the 72 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Police officials have also
been given additional responsibility as child welfare officers.
became our friends,” recalls Neeraj,
who works with Shachi in Ehsaas.
The breakthrough was just a modest
start. There were many more troubles
in store for the team. "The personnel
from the Government Railway Police
as well as the Railway Protection
Force were apprehensive about our
work. They thought we were intruding
into their territory. Not only did they
just refuse to talk to us, they even
threatened us,” says Neeraj.
It was then that Shachi decided
that if she needed to make the life
of children on the platforms better,
she would need to make the railway
police force conscious of the fact that
the children had rights and needs, too.
As she puts it, “How could they be
brutal to small kids? They were only
working for their survival. At times,
children would come to us crying
that the police had taken away their
day’s earnings, calling it illegal. We
would then fight for these kids.” The
efforts to sensitise the police went on
for a while, but without any results.
Slowly, however, things began to
change. Recalls Shachi, “We kept
trying to convince them to at least sit
with us and talk. And then, the arrival
of a sensitive station manager came as
a blessing for us.” Together with him,
the Shachi team began the seemingly
impossible task of making the station
free from child labour.
First, they worked towards
ensuring that no shopkeeper at the
station hired children. Those who
did have them on their rolls were
asked to let them go. “Some agreed,
while others had to be threatened.
The consequences of hiring child
labour were explained to them,”
elaborates Rajesh Kumar, a railway
police inspector at Lucknow Station.
Then, in 2010, Shachi managed to
rope in additional director general
of the Government Railway Police,
A.K. Jain, to help in the project. “We
told him how the police was being
brutal to the kids and how child rights
protected each and every child who
lived on the street as well. He heard
us out and allowed us to hold regular
sensitising sessions with his men on
duty at the Lucknow Station. In fact,
with his orders in hand, we were able
to ensure that at least the personnel
heard us out,” Shachi says.
In April, Shachi was able to achieve
what she had set out to do nearly a
decade ago. Today, the Lucknow
Railway Station is completely child
labour free. The police has also
created a child-friendly booth for lost
children and across the 72 districts
of Uttar Pradesh; railway police
officials have been given additional
responsibility as child welfare
officers. “We now realise that these
children need to be handled with care.
And if not anything else, the least we
can do is to ensure that they live in a
safe environment,” says Kumar.
Shachi and her dedicated team even
earned praise from Yogesh Dubey, a
member of the National Commission
for Protection of Child Rights, who
recently visited the Charbagh Station
and found that there was “not a single
child working on the station”. But
Shachi work doesn't end here. There
are many things she wants to do for
her “friends from the streets”. On the
agenda is the setting up of short-stay
centres in areas where it's been found
that children either run away or are
forced out of their homes. There are
also plans to establish a vocational
centre providing computer training
among other skills. For the children
who had once lived off the mean
streets of Lucknow, the future has just
<
got brighter.
(Courtesy: Women’s Feature Service)
6
grassroots
January 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
Educating
marginalised
youngsters,
building lives
They were mainly school dropouts, ages
18-24 years, most of them forced years
earlier to quit school and driven to work
to supplement family incomes. It seemed
the end of the road for them as far as
education was concerned. Until an NGO
called the Institute for Livelihood Education
and Development set up a vocational
training programme in Moradabad, drew to
it youngsters who were wasting their lives
doing nothing, equipped them with suitable
skills enough to earn a living and gave
them a sense of direction and purpose.
It’s changed the dynamics on the ground,
with fewer children being driven to the
heartless labour market
Anjali Singh, Lucknow
Eighteen-year-old Ankit with his 21-year-old sister who he got
enrolled for the Information Technology classes at the training
institute in Moradabad.
Photos: Anjali Singh/WFS
grassroots
Lecturers sit in conference discussing the applications of child labour siblings wishing to join training
courses run by I-LEAD in Moradabad UP. The initiative has helped youngsters become productive and
it has also received encouraging response.
E
ighteen-year-old Ankit made a
monumental decision, one that
helped change the life of his
21-year-old sister, Shivani. Ankit did
that by not only suggesting that she
enroll in a training institute to learn
livelihood skills but by also taking
up cudgels with his reluctant family
in Shivani’s favour. As routine as that
may sound, for Shivani, the daughter
of a shopkeeper in Moradabad, a
district in Uttar Pradesh where child
labour is rampant, such an opportunity
would never have come her way had
her brother not taken up her case.
Avers Ankit, “The institute where
we are both enrolled now, is the one I
initially went to, to join alone. When
I began training, I realised that this
was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for
children like us who dropped out of
school to work as daily-wage earners
and had passed the age of getting
formal education. The more classes
I attended, the more I felt my sister
was missing something she needed
in terms of life skills to make herself
financially independent.” The rest is
history. Who knows, Ankit’s initiative
might just inspire other families in the
state that have children employed, to
stop the practice and change for the
better. However, in the absence of
meaningful solutions to provide such
families a sustainable livelihood,
a number of families will continue
to use children as working hands to
earn a square meal a day, not really
bothered about such practice being
illegal.
Against such a dismal background,
an enterprising initiative by I-LEAD
(Institute for Livelihood Education and
Development), a Moradabad-based
NGO, is helping to develop a new
alternative meant for older siblings
of children who are made to work;
the initiative has helped such siblings
become productive. Not surprisingly,
most of those who take up the
alternative education for livelihood
are school dropouts who were earlier
engaged in labour in Moradabad, the
industrial capital of western Uttar
Pradesh. The courses run by I-LEAD
at its Moradabad training centre as a
vocational training programme has
received overwhelming response.
Most courses are tailor-made to suit
the needs of the children who are
well past the age (18-24 years) of
enrolling in schools and cannot find
a suitable job to sustain their families.
The institute helps identify and polish
the skills of the children who enrol.
The programme focuses on what the
children can do with ease and imparts
training for a period of three months,
sufficient to enable them to stand
on their own feet and earn a steady
income.
Explains Mahesh Chandra, a
former mechanical engineer who gave
up a career in the corporate world to
do his bit for social empowerment of
the underprivileged, “As a faculty at
the institute, it is easy to understand
the reasons that force a parent to send
a child to work; in almost all the cases
it is the poor financial condition of the
family. At I-LEAD, the focus is on
building lives through education, not
on imparting the general curriculum
as in the formal education system.
The emphasis is more on generating
livelihood
through
education
which can empower the student
economically.”
Chandra, who takes classes in
welding, emphasises that the aim is to
provide the students with sustainable
skills that can match the requirements
of today’s job market. “The demand
for trained manpower and skilled
work is on the rise and we make an
effort to fulfil it by imparting specific
training to our students. None or little
formal education is not allowed to be
a constraint. We counsel the children,
offer them specific subjects and begin
training. Post training, they can easily
get a job and support the family
income.”
Once trained in subjects such
as retail management, IT-enabled
services, personality development,
marketing management, English
speaking and Public Relations, the
students are able to get entry-level
jobs in companies and start earning
Rs 3000-8000 a month. This, despite
the lack of any formal educational
qualification for the job. The result is
a huge burden off the shoulders of the
younger siblings who now don’t have
to work to support the family.
Explains Shraddha Sinha, project
coordinator, Skill Development
Programme, Aide et Action, “The
concept of I-LEAD was developed
by Aide et Action, a French NGO
working in the area of child labour.
When UNICEF approached us to be
a part of the Child Rights Protection
Project, we extended the programme
to the different slum localities in
Moradabad where the number of
children engaged in labour is huge.
Currently, we are training the seventh
batch and soon they will be placed in
jobs and start earning income for their
families. The whole course is totally
free of cost and over 20 children out of
the 36 we have trained are earning.”
Twenty-year-old Rakhi dropped
out of school in Class 8. “My father
is a rickshaw puller and we live in
Mahjola, a slum in Moradabad. I have
grown up in dire poverty and had to
leave school as my father could not
afford the fees. I had begun to think
that I too would end up as a domestic
servant like many girls in my locality,
but when I heard of I-LEAD and the
courses it was offering I was excited
and convinced my father to let me
join. Since it was free, he agreed and
today I am learning computer skills.
It was a huge challenge for me to
step out of home and come to the
institute but I have done it and am
very confident that I can support my
family and myself now,” she says.
Eighteen-year-old
Neha
has
another story. “I have four brothers,
all younger to me, and they all go
to work; no one goes to school. But
being a girl, I was not allowed to
work or study. My youngest sibling
is ten years old and it is horrible to
see him work as a daily wage earner.
After a great deal of effort I was able
to convince my father to let me join
I-LEAD but he very clearly told me
that after training he won’t allow
me to work as he feels girls should
not step out of the house or even be
outdoors after 5 pm. I am studying
Personality Development and English
and want to work after that but I know
it will be difficult.”
It’s a problem that most girl students
enrolled at I-LEAD experience, says
Preety Saini, faculty, Soft Skills and
Personality Development. “Such
constraints are common with the
girl students. They opt for soft skills
training and Personality Development,
which makes them eligible for jobs at
the front office or in customer care at
retail outlets, but the work hours are
long. Most are not allowed to continue
working after a few weeks and their
families refuse to let them go out
alone or interact with people openly.
We are in the process of counselling
parents and they are opening up to
suggestions, but it will take time to
change mindsets completely.”
<
grassroots
Ja n u a ry 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
7
grassroots
Affected families of BSF personnel
know there’s somebody
to care for them
The Indian jawan or soldier leads a tough life. Often posted far away from home, in inhospitable conditions, he
does his duty well despite bearing hardships and longing to get back to his family. Sadly, many jawans do not
return home, killed in the line of duty. There are others who return with terrible injuries or are forced to retire. But
helping families cope with loss and tragedy, and looking after their welfare and security is the BSF Wives’ Welfare
Association, which strives to reach out to those who need support the most
Photos: Aditi Bhaduri/WFS
Aditi Bhaduri
Barnali Ravidas, the daughter of BSF constable Nandlal Ravidas, with her creation at an exhibition
organised by BWWA in Delhi.
N
avin Devi's world fell apart
one fateful day in 2009
when she received news of
her husband's death. They had been
married for 12 years but for much of
their married life they had been forced
to live apart. Her husband, a jawan
(soldier) with the Border Security
Force (BSF) was invariably posted
in the border areas, a long way from
their village in Haryana. And so they
lived, with Navin looking after the
home and their son, and counting the
days to the brief spell that would reunite her with her husband, when he
visited home. Then one day, she was
told that he would no longer return.
Tears still well up in her eyes as
she remembers him and recalls their
times together. But dwelling on the
past is a luxury Navin cannot indulge
in, beset as she is with the problems
of survival. But help finally did come.
In a strange way, it was as if her
husband stepped in once again to help
her – through an organisation set up
by the BSF. The BSF Wives’ Welfare
Association (BWWA) was formed
precisely to reach out to women like
Navin, the wives and daughters of the
jawans who often served in far-flung
areas. India’s borderlands, over which
the BSF stands guard, are varied
and often hostile in terms of living
conditions. Kutch in Gujarat is as
different from the hot, humid, thickly
forested borders of the northeast,
as it is from the freezing heights of
Kashmir. Because of the inhospitable
terrain and the nature of their work,
there were many casualties in the
BSF, several of which may not even
be directly linked to action. The whole
rationale for BWWA was to give the
families of these personnel a sense
of security and a feeling of having
an extended family within the BSF.
And it is because of the organisation
that Navin today can earn a livelihood
for herself and her family through a
store opened by BWWA in the CGO
complex in Delhi that houses several
government offices.
Navin runs the shop along with
Nanumaya Thapa, the widow of
another constable with the BSF and
a mother of two little girls. Navin
and Nanumaya are not isolated cases.
Since its establishment in 1992,
the BWWA has been engaged in
promoting the welfare and security
of those like Navin and Nanumaya
and hundreds of others like them. An
organisation based on the principle of
‘women for women’, it works towards
the welfare and advancement of the
wives of retired, deceased, disabled
ad serving personnel of the BSF. One
of BWWA's major aims is to make
the women it assists self-dependent.
Which is why it runs vocational
training, including programmes that
help the women learn skills like
making agarbattis (incense sticks),
packaging biscuits and spices and
tailoring garments for women and
children.
The wife of the director general
of the BSF traditionally becomes
the president of the BWWA and it
is she who gives direction to the
organisation. The present president
is Anjali Shrivastava, the wife of
Raman Shrivastava, the current
director general of the BSF. The softspoken, multi-faceted woman also
happens to be a talented artist. In her
50s, she became the BWWA president
in August 2009, and has since been
systematising and documenting the
work that BWWA has been engaged
in. One of her first initiatives in
her drive to make the organisation
more dynamic was to celebrate
Women's Day. Shrivastava made it
mandatory that each battalion of the
BSF celebrates the occasion across
the country. The act was extremely
symbolic. It forced each BSF
personnel to reflect and acknowledge
the role and contribution women
make to society and at the personal
level.
Shrivastava also realised that
if BWWA has to perform its role,
the principle of inclusiveness was
essential. Involving the wives and
children of constables on an occasion
like the BSF Raising Day, in which
only officers’ families traditionally
participated, was one of the steps
she took to further this. She was also
determined to raise awareness about
social issues, so she ensured that
both Health Day and Environment
Day were celebrated across BSF
battalions, with the latter marked by
large-scale tree-planting initiatives.
Since self-dependence was their aim,
projects like masala grinding and
tailoring were introduced to ensure
that the wives of BSF jawans could
get some additional income. For this,
the BWWA has tied up with Usha
International, the well-known brand
of sewing machines, to conduct
a six-month tailoring course after
which successful participants receive
professional certificates. Many of the
Navin Devi makes a living by working in the BWWA shop in Delhi.
She runs the shop along with another widow, Nanmaya Thapa.
projects proved profitable and since
2009, they have generated an income
of Rs 1.68 lakh, which has gone some
way in augmenting the incomes of
families of the constables.
But what is perhaps the most
creditable of all BWWA’s activities
has been its ability to reach out to
those who need it most: Widows and
daughters of personnel who have lost
their lives. Recently, it was successful
in providing accommodation to
Shakuntala Devi, the widow of a
BSF constable who had served in
the 42 Battalion. It has even been
able to arrange marriages for 42
BSF widows. Women like Shilpa
Chowdhury Mandal, the widow of
Manwar Hussein Mandal, who is
today happily married to Ukhandi
Verma of the 77 Battalian Tripura
Frontier. Children too have been
looked after, through scholarships and
special talent spotting programmes.
Talking of talent spotting,
Shrivastava – an artist specialising in
Tanjore paintings – after noticing some
of the art work of BSF constables, hit
upon the idea of holding an exhibition
of their work in Delhi. The BWWA
tied up with the Lalit Kala Akademi
to organise it, and it proved to be a
great success, encouraging BSF
personnel and their family members
to nurture their creative spirit despite
the hardships that sometimes come
their way. It was at that exhibition
that Barnali, the daughter of BSF
constable Nandlal Ravidas, found
her painting being gifted to the
Union home minister who had come
to inaugurate the exhibition. Says
the young girl with a wide smile, "I
just could not believe it. It was such
a wonderful and proud moment for
me!"
BWWA's success can be measured
by precisely such responses. Says
Anjana Gupta, wife of Virendra Gupta,
inspector general (personnel), who is
the secretary of the organisation, “At
the end of the day it's a very satisfying
experience. If earlier public functions
were about playing tambola, now
there is a feeling of having done
something constructive. Families of
BSF personnel know that somebody
cares for them.”
<
(Courtesy: Women’s Feature Service. The article
was written when Raman Shrivastava was
director general, BSF. He has since retired.)
8
grassroots
January 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
grassroots
Life isn’t silky smooth
for farmers weaving
the fine, soft thread
Photos: Pushpa Achanta
Silk is often considered exquisite, something that can be afforded
only by the wealthy. But the people who rear silkworms to produce
raw silk, the silk farmers in Karnataka, are leading a difficult life. It
all began when the government allowed the duty-free import of raw
silk; and despite its promise to stabilise the price of raw silk, nothing
happened. The situation worsened when cheap Chinese raw silk
entered the market. A host of other factors, including borrowing
from moneylenders to survive, have affected the farmers badly,
driving a few of them to despair and suicide
Bore Gowda (left) with Krishna Gowda, convener, KPRS,
Mandya, at a farmers' protest in Bangalore.
S
tatistics available with the
Central Silk Board (Ministry of
Textiles, Government of India)
show that Karnataka produces about
50 per cent of the national production
of around 18000 metric tonnes.
Introduced by Tipu Sultan more than
200 years ago, silk cocoon cultivation
by farmers (whose number exceeds a
lakh) is high in Mandya, Ramnagaram,
Kolar and Chikballapur Districts in
southern Karnataka. Problems for
the small farmers in the sericulture
business (feeding silkworm larvae
mulberry leaves and getting them to
spin their silken cocoons, reeling the
silk filaments and combining them to
form threads, and plying the threads
together to form yarn) who rent
mulberry fields and breeding space
for silkworms started between 1999
and 2003.
Implementing
GATT/WTO
policies destabilised the prices of
raw silk (a perishable commodity)
because imports were allowed dutyfree. Protests by silk farmers led to
the import tax being fixed at about
31 per cent. However, in August
2010, the Union Ministry of Textiles
allowed duty-free import of 2500
metric tonnes of raw silk of 3A grade
and above, primarily for small and
traditional handloom and powerloom weavers. This met some of the
total shortfall of 10000 metric tonnes
of raw silk (the national demand
totalled 28000 metric tonnes). Says
T. Yashavantha, a 30-year-old silk
farmer from Maddur Taluk in Mandya
District and the local secretary of the
Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha
(KPRS), a farmer support group:
“The government assured us that the
import would not impact those who
reared cocoons and were engaged in
reeling silk. It promised to introduce
a system to stabilise and monitor
cocoon and silk yarn prices. But the
government did nothing.”
The woes of the silk farmers
worsened as cheap Chinese raw silk
entered the market and made the
price of cocoons volatile. The Union
budget presented in 2011 (February
28) decreased the import duty to 5
per cent. According to KPRS sources,
this lowered the price of the fibre from
nearly Rs 2900 a kg to Rs 1700 a kg.
The cocoon price fell from Rs 325 a
kg to Rs 160 a kg (1 kg of raw silk
needs 8-9 kg of cocoons) impacting
anticipated sales badly. “Around
26th February, big silk traders with
stocks of raw silk jammed the market
while the cocoon buyers stayed away.
Obviously, they knew that the fibre’s
price would crash,” Yashvantha
points out.
Now, Vasanthamma, the 28year-old wife of a marginal silk
farmer named Swami Gowda from
Valagere Doddi (a small village in
Malavalli Taluk of Mandya District
near Mysore) realised that she
would have to struggle to repay the
Rs 1.2 lakh she owed a local selfhelp group. In early March, fearing
creditors, Vasanthamma and Gowda,
age 33, hanged themselves to death,
Pushpa Achanta, Bangalore
leaving behind their three children,
Chandrika, age 5, Kirtana, 3, and
Sharath, 2. “The responsibility of
looking after our young grandchildren
enhances the burden of age and
poverty,” says grief-stricken 65-yearold Bore Gowda, Swami Gowda’s
father. Chowdamma, Vasantamma’s
widowed mother, is also affected.
With Bore Gowda owning a small
plot of land, the government
considered him an independent entity
and provided no monetary support.
According to Yashavantha, continued
pressure for compensation by KPRS
activists forced the district collector
to intervene; the local tehsildar then
granted Rs 50000.
The nearly 100 families in
Valagere Doddi and hamlets such
as Vodeyarbasappura near Halagur
Town in Malavalli Taluk contribute
to the silk and sugar industries in
Karnataka. They also grow rice and
ragi (millet). “We never expected
Vasanthamma and Swami Gowda to
kill themselves,” the villagers say.
In the district, two other small silk
farmers committed suicide in the
past eight months while a third is
still critical, but the families receive
no government support. All of them
have borrowed Rs 1-2.5 lakh from
moneylenders for digging bore wells,
hiring space to rear cocoons, etc.
In Mandya, most silk farmers
are small or landless people, taking
land on rent ranging from Rs 20000
to 40000 an acre a year. Although
women and other family members
assist in the labour-intensive cocoon
rearing, sericulture requires male
labour. Men are paid Rs 150-200 a
day and women Rs 50-80 a day to
work in the mulberry fields. Costs are
incurred for transportation, fertiliser,
pesticide, and silkworm eggs at Rs
1200-1800 a kg from private agents,
and sometimes water at Rs 70 an hour.
As the breeding cycle lasts 30-45 days
and the weather is usually conducive
the year round, silk farmers rear
cocoons four or five times a year. At
a yield of 50-60 kg cocoon per cycle,
Women labour on silk farms
Chikkamma, Jayamma and Susilamma are young landless labourers toiling on small silk farms in Mandya
District. Barely literate but well informed, the women get a fraction of the returns from the crops. “Our kids must
not struggle like us. That is why they should study,” says 27-year-old Jayamma who believes that education will
fetch a secure and better future for her children. She sends her sprightly kids to the local government primary
school which has only two or three rooms. Its bright colours seem welcoming though. “If we pass, we will go the
higher grade,” is the common refrain of the children here. The high school is in Halagur, walking distance of an
hour. Jayamma's husband, a daily wage mason, sometimes does not get enough assignments. Their household
expenses average Rs 100 a day, including the cost for his alcohol and
beedis. “He knows his responsibilities and is not violent towards me or the
kids,” says Jayamma. Susilamma, 50, has been a farm labourer for 30
years. The economic conditions of her family are similar to Jayamma’s.
They and 30 other women are part of the local mahila sangha (women's
collective). Each of them tries to save up to Rs 100 a week although it
is difficult for them as they earn only around Rs 60 a day (below the
minimum daily wage) when they work. The sangha loans about Rs 10000
to needy members at reasonable interest rates.
Chandrashekhar, who employs Jayamma, Susilamma and Chikkamma,
is a lenient and socially progressive landowner. He pays his workers
regularly and treats them well. “Adversity has toughened me and taught Jayamma (in front, with her children)
responsibility and fairness,” he says.
and Chikkamma - farm labourers.
silk farmers earn Rs 10000-15000
profit if prices are favourable.
“The government stopped selling
eggs at Rs 300 a kilo. Also, the area
under mulberry cultivation reduced
from around 15000 hectares in 200809 to nearly 12000 hectares in early
2011 while cocoon prices fluctuated.
Warmer summers, unpredictable
rains and unreliable electricity
and water supply to the fields and
homes are other challenges. A recent
RTI application to the principal
secretary, Department of Agriculture,
Government of Karnataka, unearthed
a memo from the Union finance
minister informing the Karnataka
chief minister that Central government
intervention is unnecessary to resolve
the problems faced by those engaged
in sericulture in Karnataka,” explains
a KPRS activist.
“Banks in rural India refuse to
lend money to small farmers and
landless labourers easily as they
cannot offer large collateral and may
default or delay repayment. Hence,
marginal
agriculturists
borrow
from micro-finance institutions and
moneylenders at nearly 36 per cent
annual interest. Unreliable returns on
their produce make them debtors,”
says Chandrashekhar, a 35-yearold silk farmer from Halaguru.
Ironically, some of the bank branches
were started mainly to assist the
financially backward rural residents.
Krishne Gowda, engaed in sericulture
and KPRS district convenor adds,
“We have demanded government
compensation of Rs 10 lakh and
educational
and
employment
assistance to the victims’ children.
And the reinstatement of 31 per cent
import duty on raw silk. Further, the
government should fix the market
selling price at Rs 400 a kg of cocoon to
ensure profitability. It must financially
strengthen the Karnataka Marketing
Board Silk and the Karnataka Silk
Industries Corporation to intervene in
the market when prices fall.”
<
10
grassroots
January 15, 2012
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
grassroots
Gorur is typical rural India – a picture-postcard village nestling in the
midst of mist-covered, undulating hills and lush greenery, home to
several communities. Every year, during January-February the village
celebrates Ratha Saptami and that is when it transforms into a sort of
fair-land. The main activity is the pulling of the temple chariot through
the four streets, and lending a helping hand are Muslims as well as
Dalits. It’s reflective of life at the grassroots, of India’s villages where
the nation breathes, far removed from the veneered glitter of city life
Sakuntala Narasimhan, Bangalore
W
hen bananas start flying
through the air like a covey
of yellow birds, it is time to
start the festivities at the annual Ratha
Saptami festival of the famous temple
dedicated to Lord Yoganarasimha
on the banks of River Hemavathi
at Gorur in the Hassan District of
Karnataka. Urchins and adults alike
buy handfuls of ripe bananas from
vendors who congregate specially for
the event which falls on the seventh
day of the lunar calendar in JanuaryFebruary (January 30 this year) and
throw the fruit into the air, in the
direction of the chariot (ther in Tamil
and Kannada) that stands over three
storeys high, decorated elaborately
with flower garlands, colourful
buntings and embroidered silk cloth,
ready to be taken in procession along
the four main streets of the village.
The custom dates back perhaps
to a time when bananas were used
to help smoothen the ground for
the heavy edifice to move forward,
but today it is part of the fun-laced
festivities that form part of the annual
celebrations that draw huge crowds
from surrounding villages. What is
special about the festival is that it
epitomises a dimension of communal
harmony that has been part of even
religious rituals like temple festivals
in our country. The ther does not, and
cannot, start on its ritual rounds of the
four main streets till the Dalits arrive
to help pull it. The Yoganarasimha
deity here is considered one of the
most venerated and powerful in the
Hindu pantheon of gods, but Muslims
and untouchables have important roles
to play in the day’s proceedings.
Gorur, made famous by two of
its sons, the Kannada writer Gorur
Ramaswamy Iyengar and, more
recently, Captain Gopinath who
pioneered low-cost flying in India by
starting Deccan Airways, is a village
nestling amidst beautiful scenery
with mist-covered, undulating hills
and lush greenery. It has, like all
rural communities, changed over the
years, with a large dam across the
Hemavathy, colleges started in recent
years (where, two generations ago,
there was not even a high school) and
advertisements for mobile phones
along rows of shops selling sundry
goods typifying rising prosperity.
Where once rickety buses from
Hassan dropped visitors at the end of
a dusty road from where one had to
walk to the village, now cars and vans
merrily run in and out.
On Ratha Saptami Day, excitement
gathers momentum right from early
morning, when vendors set up
makeshift stalls along the approach
road, selling colourful bangles and
baubles, snacks, balloons and toys,
flowers and puja artefacts (baskets of
fruit, coconuts, garlands, souvenirs
for devotees to carry back). The mela
(fair) atmosphere becomes palpable
as the sun rises and preparations get
underway for pulling the intricately
carved rath out of its resting place
beside the temple. Priests climb up
to stand by to accept offerings from
devotees who begin to mill around
the rath, awaiting the start of its
journey. The utsava murti (image of
the deity) is first brought out, and
then installed atop the chariot, for
the procession to commence. This is
when the bananas begin to fly, aimed
at the chariot but often landing amidst
the throng of devotees. The practice
is to stick a small cluster of fragrant
leaves (marugu-davanam) into each
banana, before it is flung on to the
path of the rath. It is a good day for
banana vendors.
After a ritual bath in the river,
volunteers preparing to lend a hand
in pulling the chariot with the help of
thick ropes and chains, take positions,
with the untouchable castes leading
the throng – and with a collective
shout of excitement the rath moves,
inch by inch. Armies of men follow in
its wake, holding long pieces of strong
wood which they insert under the
massive wheels of the moving chariot
to keep it on course. The rath is so
heavy that its momentum can carry
it off the street and on to the crowds
– and that could be unpleasant. It
takes 20 to 30 men to drag the chariot
forward. As it takes in the four main
streets of the village, it is stopped
every few metres, for householders
along its path to offer camphor
and coconut and seek blessings.
The Hemavathy River, on the banks of which the famous
Yoganarasimha Temple (right) stands.
Photos: Sakuntala Narasimhan
It’s a different rath yatra
– and it’s all about
communal amity
The decorated chariot at the Gorur temple.
It takes over four hours for the rath
to negotiate the four streets – a total
distance of less than a kilometre. As
it returns to its base, the community
feast gets underway – several hundred
visitors are fed a sumptuous lunch at
the Paravasudeva Temple, with four
desserts (sweet pongal, holige, laddu
and jilebi) where devotees sit together
with no distinctions of who is who.
Volunteers drawn from all ages and
walks of life, do duty serving the
items at the open courtyard of the
temple. Another army of volunteers
cleans up and gets ready to serve
the next batch of diners. Donations
from devotees take care of the
expenses of the celebrations and
feast. Prasadam is also generously
handed out to hundreds of visitors
at the Yoganarasimha temple. After
darshan, men women and children all
sit on the banks of the river, enjoying
its cool water and balmy ambience
before setting out on their way back
home, carrying leaf-cups of delicious
puliyohare and prasadam. Here,
far from the madding crowds of the
burgeoning urban conglomerations,
there are lessons in communal
harmony, and peaceful co-existence,
lessons that city folk could well take
a leaf out of.
The stereotype of the urban
conception is that villages are sleepy
little backward clusters of thatched
huts, with no electricity or running
water, and no ‘modern facilities’.
Here at Gorur, even houses built three
generations ago boast of upgraded
facilities and amenities. What is more,
festivals like Ratha Saptami showcase
a dimension of communal amity and
participatory sharing that one does
not often see even among educated
citizens in the urban milieu. Gorur
guards its hoary traditions, especially
those relating to the role of the
different castes and communities in
religious observances, with a tenacity
that has withstood the onslaught of
‘development’ – the dam, the colleges
and the shops. Says Narasimha
Murthy, a scion of one of the leading
families of the village: “Compared
to 10-15 years ago, there are more
participants at the festival today, as
people from surrounding villages too
come over to join us. Previously, that
was not so.” The crowds are larger –
but the rituals remain unchanged over
the years, testifying to the strength of
local traditions.
A few kilometres away lies the
famous shrine of Mavinkere atop a
hillock, again set amidst breathtakingly
beautiful scenery. The air is, for those
from urban metropolises, refreshingly
clean and invigorating. The cave
temple, ensconced within a massive
monolithic rock, lies at the end of a
picturesque road that winds it sway
up through sharp curves, with small
wild animals scurrying for cover as
vehicles approach. As one young
visitor from the city remarked: “This
was a nice daylong outing, the best I
have had, even if we went only to a
village...”
<
11
Ja n u a ry 15, 2012
Three years, two cyclones
… and the Burmese
still await relief
Photos: Narinjara News
Public memory is short. But for those who
suffer as a result of natural calamities,
memories – horrific memories – are difficult
to discard. And so it is for the thousands in
Myanmar who had faced the fury of Cyclones
Nargis and Giri. The first, Nargis, struck more
than three years ago. Yet, under the military
regime which now seems to be thawing
slowly to the outside world, people continue
to suffer badly, with thousands struggling for
food, water and shelter
A mother and her children – left without a home, food or water
after cyclone Nargis caused devastation in the Irrawaddy and
Rangoon Divisions.
E
ven as the military rulers of
Myanmar (erstwhile Burma)
completed a general election
in November 2010 and a new
‘democratic’ regime was installed in
the poverty-stricken country, millions
of Burmese are still living in terrible
conditions in the areas that bore the
brunt of Cylones Nargis and Giri.
There is lack of clean drinking water,
food and proper shelter. The lives
of hundreds and thousands of poor
Burmese women have not changed
though there have been cosmetic
changes such as the release of prodemocracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
After Cyclone Nargis struck
Myanmar on 2nd May 2008, letting
loose a trail of destruction across the
Irrawaddy and Rangoon Divisions,
women and children were the worst
sufferers. Despite more than three
years having passed, relief from
international agencies, blocked earlier
by the military regime, remains
sporadic and paltry, compounding the
agony of the poor Burmese people.
The cyclone, originating in the
Bay of Bengal, also ravaged parts of
the Bago, Mon and Kayin Regions.
A water-wall four metres high is said
to have rolled 25 miles inland across
the Irrawaddy River Valley, flattening
everything in its path. Although
the military government reported
the death toll as 84537, with 53836
missing, independent estimates put
the number at 140000 killed. The
cyclone has had a devastating impact
on the social infrastructure; it wiped
out paddy fields, which at the time
were being readied for the country's
primary rice crop.
Recent reports by Human
Rights Watch has revealed that the
Myanmarese Government continues
to deny basic freedoms and place
restrictions on aid agencies. Human
Rights Watch officials say that the
local aid workers still feel the brunt of
continued repression by the military
authorities. The report quotes many
woman survivors of Cyclone Nargis
narrating their woes.
For example, May Khin, a middleaged woman from Laputta describes
her horrific tale: “Nargis was the worst
experience of my life. The last thing I
remember is the lightning combined
with a strong wind and, later, a
giant wave that covered me and my
daughter while we were running for
safety to the monastery. Suddenly, we
got separated. I was washed away by
the waves and became unconscious.
When I came around, there were no
clothes on my body and I could not
walk as I had no strength. Beside me
lay a dead body.”
The International Organisation
for Migration states that about
400000 people in Myanmar are still
living without a proper home. It says
the government failed to provide
adequate food, water and shelter to
the survivors. “This is an area where
there are still huge needs,” says
Arne Jan Flolo, first secretary of the
Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok.
Even the UN Human Settlements
Program estimates that some 375000
people need housing, 36 months after
the cyclone.
Cyclone Giri of comparatively
lower magnitude struck the Arakan
Coast on October 22, 2011. Over
Nava Thakuria, Assam
100 people were killed and nearly
one million Burmese were affected
by the cyclone. According to the UN,
more than 70000 people were left
homeless by the disaster. Quoting
the Arakan League for Democracy,
Narinjara News, a pro-democracy
portal, reported that villages such
as Kyuntharyar, Pyintharhtwatwa,
Taungpaw,
Angu,
Ywathikay,
Taungnyo, Kangyemaw, Dagon,
Kanthar were severely affected with
people not having access to safe
drinking water.
“There is a shortage of drinking
water. In the contaminated wells
and ponds, saltwater sinks and the
freshwater stays atop. So people
collect and use the water sitting at
the top portion of the well. But it is
not that safe to drink. Some people
still use water contaminated with
saltwater. Some use the water from
the well that is full with garbage,”
says a source.
Responding to this writer’s queries,
a Rangoon-based UN official says that
lessons were not learnt from Cyclone
Nargis and, thus, many deaths could
have avoided when Cyclone Giri
struck. Says Aye Win, an official of
United Nations Information Centre
at Rangoon, “The earthquake in
Tachilek brought greater closeness of
cooperation between the humanitarian
community and the authorities. The
importance of managing disasters
was recently underscored by the visit
of the special representative of the
secretary general on Disaster Risk
Reduction, Margareta Wahlstrom,
to Myanmar in early October. There
is now greater awareness, and
grassroots
A journal of the Press Institute of India promoting the human condition
grassroots
A Journal of the Press Institute of India
Registered with The Registrar of Newspapers for India under
TNENG/2009/27557
Press Institute of India Research Institute for Newspaper Development
Second Main Road, Taramani
CPT Campus, Chennai 600 113
Tel: 044-2254 2344 Telefax: 044-2254 2323
www.pressinstitute.in
Director
V. Murali
[email protected]
Editor
Sashi Nair
[email protected]/
[email protected]
Editorial Assistant
R. Suseela
[email protected]
Design and Production
Seetha Ramesh
[email protected]
Manager
N. Subramanian
[email protected]
Assistant Manager / Librarian
R. Geetha
[email protected]
Office Staff
B. Rajendran
The Press Institute of India does not take
responsibility for returning unsolicited
material. It may not always be possible to
reply to senders of unsolicited material.
Opinions expressed in this publication
do not necessarily reflect the views of the
editor or publisher.
more importantly, greater political
willingness to approach DRR.”
Talking to this writer from New Delhi,
Thin Thin Win, a Burmese woman
living in exile says the regime had
done very little for the rehabilitation of
the cyclone victims, turning out to be
inhuman for the women and children.
From the reality on the ground, it is
clear it will take a few more years to
completely rehabilitate the affected
people, she asserts.
The hapless situation has compelled
the poor Burmese, mostly young
girls and women to fall prey to sex
traffickers, a fact admitted by the UN
official. Burmese children are forced
to work as hawkers and beggars in
Thailand. Many Burmese men, women,
and children who migrate for work to
Bangaldesh, China, India, Malaysia,
South Korea and Thailand are subject
to conditions of forced labour or sex
trafficking in those countries.
Driving
such
undesirable
conditions is sheer poverty, an issue
that is now openly acknowledged.
The US Campaign for Burma
mentions in its report, “Military and
civilian officials subject men, women,
and children to forced labour, and
men and boys as young as 11 years
old are forcibly recruited to serve in
the Burma army as well as the armed
wings of ethnic minority groups
through
intimidation,
coercion,
threats, and violence. Some observers
estimate that thousands of children are
forced to serve in Burma’s national
army as desertions of men in the army
continue.”
<
Every effort has been taken to assure that
the accuracy of information contained
in this publication is based on reliable
sources. All trademarks and trade names
mentioned in this magazine belong to
their respective owners. In case of error
editor/publisher shall not be liable for any
loss or prejudice caused to the reader. The
publisher reserves the copyright of the
materials published in the magazine. No
part of the articles or photographs can be
reproduced without the prior permission of
the publisher. All disputes will be subjected
to the jurisdiction of Chennai only.
Advertisement Tariff
Full Page: B&W: Rs. 5,000
Colour: Rs. 10,000
Half Page: B&W: Rs. 3,000
Colour: Rs. 5,000
Mechanical Details
Bleed : 275 mm x 350 mm
Material can be sent to
[email protected]
or by CD to our address
Annual Subscription
12 Issues Rs. 180
36 Issues Rs. 500
Printed by V.B.S. Moni and published by V.Murali on behalf of The Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development, from RIND premises, Second Main Road, Taramani CPT Campus, Chennai 600 113 and
printed at Print Shop Private Limited, 4/310 Gandhi Street, Kottivakkam, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai 600 096. Editor: Sashi Nair
Registered with The Registrar of Newspapers for India under TNENG/2009/27557