Women in dozens of remote villages of Pali and Pratapgarh districts of Rajasthan have initiated a series of changes that contribute in significant ways not just to their increasing economic security but also to significant social reforms. A remarkable aspect of these changes has been the ability of the women to go much beyond relatively narrower economic goals towards mobilizing for wider social tasks.
In the case of the Garasia tribal women in Bali block of Pali district, for instance, the initial aim of self-help groups (linked now to Ghoomar Mahila Samiti) to increase savings and reduce dependence on moneylenders was achieved well. However, whenever the groups met to discuss issues relating to savings and loans, they invariably talked of other problems affecting them. In discussions, the issue of distress caused to families by increasing alcoholism was highlighted. On the one hand, women were struggling hard to increase savings in self-help groups, but on the other, hard-earned savings were being used to buy alcohol due to the proliferation of illegal as well as legal liquor selling points connected to powerful people in the area.
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The availability of alcohol close to home in remote villages was an important factor driving the consumption of liquor as well as increasing addiction to it. Women were distressed by denial of food and education to children resulting from this but when they tried to check this in their households, it often resulted in domestic violence. Solutions, women realized, must be found at the social level. After careful planning, they took out a march of about 2,000 women covering most of the area over which these villages are spread, in the process also smashing up several illegal liquor joints or bhattis. This was followed up by a wider dialogue with officials as well as at the community level which resulted in curbing the drift towards alcoholism.
To symbolize their growing unity, women also prepared pink dresses which have become their identity as group members. The success of the march and of the other efforts of these women was remarkable because several powerful persons were firmly opposed to their endeavors. Earlier some powerful moneylenders who had prospered from exploitative practices had also opposed the formation of savings and self-help groups of these women. The growing social consciousness of women is also evident from the stand they have taken against child marriage and domestic violence, issues which they also highlighted at the anti-liquor protest.
Another emerging and encouraging trend has been that while savings of women for economic activities like buying dairy animals or improving farming or starting a small shop, apart from meeting emergency needs, they are also used for increasing access to education, including education of girls. Kamli Bai told me proudly, “I am not only sending my daughter to college, I am also sending my two daughters-in-law to college.” Another woman, Kheema, said that after marriage she first worked hard to complete her graduation, and then took a loan from the group to finance the further education of her husband.
This helped him to become a teacher, improving the overall economic prospects of the family which was once very difficult. Several such instances of growing unity and determination to bring socio-economic change can also be seen in Suhagpura block of Pratapgarh district where groups of Meena adivasi women organized themselves to form a farmer-producer organization. While the initial success of this effort can be seen from orchards of fruits and diverse vegetables, contributing to increasing income as well as improved nutrition, the women’s groups here are also involved with wider social issues. Perhaps the most serious problem in some of the villages is acute water scarcity during roughly the first half of the year. The burden of this falls most of all on women who often have to spend almost half of the day to fetch water.
In Chittodia village, women told me that on a typical summer day only one hand-pump works in the village of 80 Meena tribal households and a woman has to make five to six rounds to this hand-pump in hot weather, sometimes carrying one pitcher, sometimes two. They also have to wait at the hand pump because it provides water only haltingly as the summer advances. This situation can be improved significantly in most villages with adequate water conservation efforts. In Chittodia village, this requires an investment of a million rupees or so to create a satisfactory structure for preventing all rainwater from flowing away rapidly. Once such conservation progresses, women here would be relieved from a lot of drudgery and would have more time to contribute in meaningful ways to social change.
Most of the women’s groups here were initiated by the Srijan voluntary organisation. After a certain stage, this organization hands over responsibility to local communities, as it has already done in Bali block, thereby making the entire effort self-reliant and ensuring sustained and longer term impact. More support for such work, particularly water conservation, is needed so that the tremendous potential of women for encouraging social and economic change can be realized more widely.
(The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include A Day in 2071, Planet in Peril and Protecting Earth for Children.)