Dehradun, March 7
Behind the ever-smiling face of Garhwali women lies steely resolve and hard work. From discharging her duties at home to participating in social movements, the women are the main cogs in the wheel driving the state of Uttarakhand.

However, the route to empowerment of women has not been without its fair share of upheavals. Caught in the vicious circle of expectations from a traditional society and their own desire to reach for the stars, these women in the hills have been miserably let down by a society that still does not allow them the freedom to shape their lives, control resources and access basic facilities.

The demand for control on ‘jungle, zamin and pani’ is as old as the hills and women activists have been front-runners in launching movements to save the forests and water resources.

There is miniscule representation of women in mainstream politics of the state but 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats has opened doors for them to make a mark at the grassroots level.

In the 2007 Assembly elections, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal allocated three
tickets to women, while the BJP gave seven and the Congress gave six for the
70 assembly constituencies.

“Where ever women are in control of their environment, they manage to have an upper hand. 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats will make the difference,” Dr Zainab Rehman, head of Sociology Department, MKP PG College, and the author of ‘Empowerment of Rural Indian Women - Study of Uttarakhand’.

“I think women in the hills are known for their courage, perseverance and hard work but they need to be involved more and more in decision making. At the village level, they need to be given access to basic facilities,” she added.

In the recently concluded Panchayati Raj elections in the state that came after the 50 per cent reservation for women in all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj institution was implemented, the showing by women was encouraging.

“The total number of women who won in the three tiers of Panchayati Raj institutions including ward members in Uttarakhand is 30,473; out of which 25,000 are ward members. Women have been elected unopposed on 520 seats as pradhans and BDC members. The number of women who won at the panchayat level is 5,473,” said Avdhesh Kaushal, chairperson of Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra.

The ride to power for most of the newly elected Panchayat Raj functionaries has not been smooth.

For Beena Negi, it was her first election and she had to get over several difficulties before getting elected as gram pradhan of Shibu Nagar village, Kotdwar, Pauri. More than anything else, the absence of hard cash brought in a new set of worries.

“It is not easy for first timers. There is huge competition and people in villages are ready to spend. I ended up spending quite a large sum on my election,” she said.

Similar views were echoed by Shaila Rani Rawat, zila panchayat member, Rudraprayag, “Money has begun to play an important part even in panchayat elections. If this trend continues, the common man will not be able to fight elections,” she asserted.

For Poonam, being elected as kshetra panchayat member from Nangoo in Chakrata block has come with its set of difficulties. It was her husband who coaxed her into fighting the election as the seat had become reserved for women.

After winning the election, she was required to participate in several trainings and had to cover huge distances to get herself acquainted with the functioning of the panchayats. As a result, her husband was forced to look after their toddler son.

“My victory has come at a heavy price. My husband is forced to play dual roles and it appears that I have taken a second place in my son’s life,” Poonam opined.

Time and time again, women have taken up issues of jungle, zamin and pani. However, they face an uphill task fighting the government which is engaged in taking up power projects on all major rivers in the state.

In 2007, a group of women led a ‘padyatra’ along the Kosi river, starting from Pinnath forest, covering the three valleys of Someshwar, Mansa Nala and Lodh.

“Women will be the biggest losers in the entire process as they will have nothing to fall back on. The Uttarakhand hills are alive because of our resources but whenever projects are taken up the stake holders are never involved,” asserted Radha Behan, who has launched a movement in the hills for saving rivers and is also the chairperson of Gandhi Peace Foundation.

They took exception to the government move to increase target revenue of liquor sale in the coming financial year.

Dehradun, March 7
As many as 12 women were honoured for their achievements in different fields, ahead of the International Women’s Day, at ‘Sakshra Utsav’, organised by Mahila Samakhya, an organisation engaged in women-related activities and established by the Human Resource Department (GOI).

They were presented commendation certificates. For 60-year-old Kusma Devi, who belongs to Tharu community of Vigarbag village, Udham Singh Nagar, marriage to an alcoholic husband exposed her to the seamier side of life.

She was forced to eke out a living for her family early in her married life. Not given to despondency and self-pity, she started working at the fields but the earnings were meagre prompting her to look for some other means.

She took the decision of utilising a bullock cart to ferry goods to shopkeepers from Khatima, her native village.

“From childhood, I was quite bold. Since my build was quite sturdy, it was easy controlling the cart. I was only 25 years at that point in time. My earnings helped me in getting my son and daughter settled,” added Kusma Devi. An injury, which she sustained three years ago while driving the cart, forced her to opt for retirement.

A rustic woman who is not given to celebrating occasions like International Women’s Day, she nevertheless said, “I have no expectations from anybody as I learnt the hard way. I will like that the women folk, who are better off than me, to be more sensitive to the needs of others.”

While 57-year-old Laxmi Devi of Chanthi Patti village, Tehri district, has been waging a relentless battle against the land mafia. Though illiterate, she was also at the helm of the anti-liquor campaign.

She is credited with staging a hunger-strike urging the administration to build a bridge in her village. “I staged a nine-day hunger strike as a result of which the construction of the bridge at Dobra village was initiated,” said Laxmi Devi.

Ranu Bisht and Dr Sandhya Joshi from Dehradun were honoured for being successful entrepreneurs. Ranu Bisht has a printing business and is an active member of the Akhil Garhwal Sabha.

“We are trying to revive the arts and crafts of Uttarakhand. It is a difficult task but we are sure that one day, we will be successful,” she said. She has also started school for poor children.

Dr Sandhya Joshi has started the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment (WISE), an initiative that is financially empowering women.

Hema Devi of Dadima village, Ramgarh, Nainital, was honoured for reviving ‘van panchayats’ in her area.

She also led a crusade against illegal mining. “I would like the country to have a good judicial system whose roots spread down to the villages. Otherwise, people will get disillusioned,” she said.

Gaura Devi of Dakhyata village in Uttarkashi was recognised for her services in the field of environment care. Not only does she undertake regular tree plantations herself, she has involved other women as well.

The others who were honoured include Poonam Devi, Kirti Devi, Savitri Devi, Chashmi Devi, Damayanti Devi, Dheera Devi and Devki Devi.

Head of the sociology department of local MKP Girls PG college, Dr Zainab Rehman, who is also involved in various studies concerning women from the hills felt that women should be motivated to be self-reliant.

“Women, whether she is a housewife or an entrepreneur, should take pride in whatever they are doing,” she said.

Dr Zainab Rehman comparing the situation of women in different parts of the country said that women are better placed in the hills than in the plains.

Roorkee, March 7
Markets here are being flooded by Chinese items related to Holi which falls on March 11. These items like ‘pichkaris’, colourful sprays, ‘gulal’, musical water guns, glittering dry colours, magic liquid colours and water balloons are capturing the imagination of children as well as adults here.

Being more attractive, better designed and cheap than Indian products, the gun and umbrella-shaped ‘pichkaris’ from China are selling like hot cakes.

“Chinese items offer a lot of variety and also cheaper. As these items are only for one-day use, people go for these,” said Rakesh Aggarwal, a local shopkeeper adding that most of the Chinese ‘pichkaries’ were in the range of Rs 25 to Rs 250.

Apart from popular cartoon characters, reel-life characters like Spiderman, Batman, Harry Porter and Krishh masks are in high demand among children, added Aggarwal.

According to the local shopkeepers, the domination of Chinese items is quite evident during the festival. Only a few health-conscious customers demand Indian herbal colours and ‘gulal’.

Flaying cheap Chinese items as a health hazard, Amit Gupta, a student of the College of Engineering, Roorkee, said, “It has been proved by scientific tests that cheap foreign goods contain lead and cadmium which cause asthma and cancer. People should refrain from buying these items.”