The Hindu : Willpower and determination kept them going

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 07, 2003

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Willpower and determination kept them going

By Our Staff Correspondent

An inter-active session at the ``Panchayat to Parliament'' organised by the Women Press Corps to mark the International Women's Day in New Delhi on Thursday. — Photo: Sandeep Saxena

NEW DELHI MARCH 6. Indo Devi did not become the sarpanch of a village panchayat in Bihar only because the post was reserved for women. Her strong willpower and capacity to fight back were also considered by the villagers when they chose her to contest the panchayat elections.

When she was just 13 years, Indo Devi had performed the last rites of her mother and, six years later, her father's because she did not have a brother. Relating her experiences at a meeting on "Panchayat to Parliament", organised by the Indian Women Press Corps to mark the International Women's Day, she said her worst opponents were her cousins, who had not only threatened to kill her when she lit her father's pyre but also left no stone unturned to grab the 25 acres of land she inherited from him.

Things did not improve even after she was elected "sarpanch" as she now had to face threats from her political opponents. She was not allowed to function but it was sheer determination that kept her going and her panchayat was adjudged the best by the Collector. "I married of my own choice and my husband stays with me. But I always believe village panchayat is the first step into politics and one should remain sincere," she said.

Dalibehn, sarpanch of a village panchayat in Banaskantha district of Gujarat, took pride in saying that there had been no communal violence in her village when the entire State was burning in communal frenzy.

When Chanda Devi of Gram Malsisar in Rajasthan was approached by villagers to contest for the post of "sarpanch", she had no clue what it meant. "I thought I was chosen because my husband had a good reputation; because politicians lied and made money. But when I took over, I did not want to be a rubberstamp and let others do the work on my behalf," she said. Chanda Devi approached a non-governmental organisation where she learnt about panchayati raj.

Today, she goes to the panchayat bhavan regularly and refuses to sign any paper without going through it.

The women spoke about their experiences, particularly the hardships they had to face after they were elected. Some faced it bravely while others thought of quitting, only to be talked back into it by the villagers due to their excellent track record.

Parveen of Himachal Pradesh contested the elections for the first time in 1995 on the request of the villagers because they did not want the then "sarpanch" fielding his wife. "The villagers stood by me and I was elected despite all kinds of threats and harassment from various quarters. I was so upset that I did not want to contest the second time."

It was again the villagers who supported her and she won with a bigger margin, throwing to the winds the concept of anti-incumbency factor, she said.

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