Sunday, January 7, 2001		Scene Stealers

Bankura, in the heartland of rural Bengal, has been caught between the twin pincers of flood and famine. Though it is one of the worst poverty-stricken regions of the country, it is also known for its crafts like bell-metal wares, fine silk, the famous Baluchari sarees and conch-shell engravings. In spite of this, the economic conditions, (even in 1980s) were so bad that at the end of the day a handful of maize boiled in water was the entire meal for a family.

It was at the end of 1980 that a women’s camp at Jhilimili village was organised by a local person called Benoy Babu. One of the resource persons invited was Dr. Vina Mazumdar, Director of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies. Neglected by government functionaries, the women of the village were surprised and impassive when they came to the camp at Jhilimili. One of them even asked Vina Mazumdar why she was being asked about her sukh and dukh.

This first camp led to the formation of samitis, and became a watershed for the women at Bankura. The CWDS, and its Director, Vina, initiated two action research projects in Bankura. Studies confirmed that there was a significant, direct correlation between seasonal migration and infant mortality, poor health in women, and poverty. This gave rise to the first women’s collective called Grameen Mahila Shramik Unnayan Samiti. The success of one project became the catalyst for initiating other projects.

In other villages too, the mahila samitis located fallow land and planted Arjun and Asan trees on them. Tassar cocoon farming got a boost. The tassar fields have since flourished (one estimate puts the income from tassar at Rs. 7,000 a year, per hectare).

Today there are many visible and invisible changes that have taken place in the area. In one of the villages, a woman Rashi Mudi said perceptively. "More than what we earn through the samitis it is the power that we have come to wield that is important. The big income is knowledge and power." Much of the social gains are an offshoot of the empowerment that has followed from women who are now earning and keeping their income separately.

It is not as if life has changed completely or these samitis are a role model of NGO work. CDWS workers themselves admit, "It is just a drop in the ocean but the samitis have worked among the poorest of the poor — the Santhal tribes."

These samitis have become the base of information and news. They inform the locals about opportunities for employment and government grants. They are also educating the villagers about social malpractices like multiple weddings, wife-beating and so on.

In case of wife-beating or desertion, the women from the samiti visit both parties and try to bring about a settlement. If it still does not work, the wife is given work to help her earn a livelihood. In economic terms, there has been improvement from nothing in the pot to rough rice and coarse cloth.

The CWDS has been able to lobby with the Central Government and its ministries to mobilise funds. As is often the case with the government, the effort has to be renewed every year. The biggest dollop of foreign assistance has come from the ILO under the umbrella of its Rural Women and Wastelands Projects. The others too pitch in with aid are the Ford Foundation, The Australian High Commission, UK, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and others.

The central objective of the CWDS is to leave behind people, who are adequately equipped to face new challenges confidently and with the assurances that they would never lose their determination to improve their lot in this world.

Today, the 24 samitis are covering 60 villages. The Bankura Project is at a point of decision and self-renewal, reformed and rejuvenated. The Centre for Women’s Development Studies, with its headquarters at Delhi, started as a group of research professionals but has also, over the years, been involved in policy interventions, and educational research. It has taken many projects which are being implemented with dedication.

— Belu Maheshwari