30 MARCH 2006

Elected women representatives of Orissa share their accomplishments with the media.

 

Orissa’s Elected Women Representatives in Bubaneshwar for the Media Interaction  

Bubaneshwar, Orissa 30 March 2006:The Hunger Project (THP) organized a media workshop in Bubaneshwar, Orissa on 30 March 2006. The aim was to get the media to meet the women leaders. 42 journalists from the regional press interacted with nine elected women representatives (EWRs) from the six districts of Orissa where THP works -- Kalahandi, Nuapada, Rayagada, Dhenkanal, Angul and Gajapati. THP intends to work in other districts after the February 2007 Panchayat elections, especially focusing on Scheduled Areas that have a sizeable Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes and Dalit community, who have remained marginalized and sidelined from the emerging changes in society.

The main aim of such interaction between the media and elected women representative is that as grassroots leaders women get an opportunity to talk about their work and leadership to the media that still harbors cynicism about their ability as leaders. The intention is that media takes the message of the accomplishments of the elected women representatives to a larger audience sharing their breakthrough’s in addressing issues of  hunger, poverty and social injustice.

THP intends to continue with a series of such workshops to also take the Sarojini Naidu Prize (SNP) 2006 forward. The prize is given to journalists for best writing on women in Panchayati Raj. THP hopes that such interaction will generate more media stories on EWRs and make the work they do for their community and villages more visible to civil society, bureaucrats and stakeholders.    

According to the State Elections Commission, in 2002, out of the total 100862 number of elected representative of the Panchayats, 36086 were women. Of which 2188 women are elected as Sarpanch (President of village Council). Opening the one-day programme Aradhana Nanda, State Coordinator, Orissa, told the media that she hoped such interaction would lead to the media writing more on women grassroots leadership. Most of the EWRs were first timers and although they have comparatively less experience as leaders, their proximity to people, native courage and understanding, helps them to work and deliver as leaders. They all spoke with immense spirit and enthusiasm of the work they did in their villages.

Members of the press asking questions to EWRs, mostly on corruption, bribes and their ability to deliver as leaders

24-year-old Phoolme Majhi is a Sarpanch of her Scheduled tribe, Khond, in Bhandhpari Panchayat, Lanjigarh Block, district Kalahandi, was only 19 when her village elected her Sarpanch. Phoolme used to work as an animator for an NGO called Friends Association for Rural Reconstruction (FARR). Motivating the women in her village to form Self Help Groups, Phoolme, took on other issues that plagued her village even before she was elected to the Panchayat. She had motivated the village youth to apply for the non-formal educational guarantee scheme run by the District Primary Education Board. It was then she saw how the former Sarpanch and the district officials refused to put their seal and signature on the petition, as they wanted the benefits of the scheme to go to their own candidates. It made Phoolme determined to work for the people without taking any benefits of office. Says Phoolme, “I tell the people that it is only through education that we will get information and better life. We cannot remain confined to our tribal ways.” Her efforts have borne fruit and 12 tribal children have recently joined Kalinga Institute of Information Technology, seven of who are girls.

Phoolme Majhi is a Sarpanch Bhandhpari Panchayat, Lanjigarh Block, district Kalahandi

Krishna Kumari, Sarpanch Sanama Panchayat, Block Guderi, district Raigada.

Says Krishna Kumari, Sarpanch Sanama Panchayat, Block Guderi, district Raigada. “On of the major problem we face in Orissa is liquor, our men work as labour and for a whole day of labour they get only Rs 52. The men drink away more than half of their daily wages; the family often has to go hungry. If men are not drinking they are spending on satta (gambling), or ganja (drugs). We took out a major anti-liquor Campaign, and forced the village liquor shop to close. There was peace for a while but the government has reissued the licenses and the shops have opened again. We know that liquor gets the government money but it is at the cost of us poor people. We intend to start the Anti-Liquor Campaign again.”

Krishna says her village falls in pre-dominant Naxal area making the law and order situation often unpredictable. The last threat she received from the Naxals was they would parade her naked in her village. Angered by their constant threats, she confronted the Naxals and throwing her saree aside she yelled for them to carry out the threat. The villagers had gathered as silent spectators forcing the Naxals to leave the village. It was a small victory but the one that left her determined not to cower down to pressure. Krishna intends to stand for the coming elections this time as the Chairperson of Panchayat Samiti. “People say I am courageous. I don’t think I am strong, if people have elected me I cannot give in to fear.”

Of the nine EWRs present most had on an average just studied up to primary schools and married between 12-15 years. Becoming elected to office meant they had to get their family to take them seriously and their community to recognize them as leaders.

Their moving testimonies did little to undo the cynicism with which the media views women grassroots leadership. One of the very first questions that the media leveled at them was if they were open to taking bribes. None of the women had any interaction with the media, however they were unanimous on how they defined a leader. “We want our leader to be honest, selfless, open, fair and put others before herself,” said Sangeeta Naik, a 44 year old Schedule caste Sarpanch from Borda village panchayat, Block Bhawani Patna, district Kalahandi

Sangeeta Naik, a 44 year old Schedule caste Sarpanch from Borda village panchayat, Block Bhawani Patna, district Kalahandi

The women together spoke of the two-child norm that disqualified elected representatives. There was not single EWR who was not clued up or had an opinion on it. M Kumari, a Naab Sarpanch of Bangi MIP colony, G Gulumunda panchayat, Block Ramnaguda, district Rayagada, spoke eloquently on the issue saying, “What guarantee is there that our children will survive as infant mortality is so high in Orissa. Secondly the same rule is not applicable for MLA, MPs and all government officials who we look up to as our role models. The law has to be fair before it is universal.”

The women countered the media question about their ability as leaders pointing out that although they were not very educated they would willingly join adult education and secondary education classes to enhance their learning and capabilities. More importantly they all said they used their native learning and courage to be just leaders. None of them were into drinking, gambling, taking bribes and put service before self, which they insisted made them more effective leaders. Each one of them felt their traditional roles of just being mothers, wives and daughter-in-law was not enough, instead they all aspired to fight the coming elections again for a higher post and were routing in with THP’s slogan: ‘Each Panchayat seat is a woman seat.’   

 

State Coordinator of Orissa, Ms Aradhana Nanda on the extreme left with The Hunger Project Team, partners and the Elected Women Representatives.