Date:07/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/07/stories/2007060710310400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government holds out hope to Devadasis

Staff Reporter

H.K. Kumaraswamy promises hike in pension, grant of land

DRAWING ATTENTION: Devadasis from various districts who arrived in Bangalore on Wednesday to place their demands before the Government. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Over 1,000 Devadasis from Belgaum, Bijapur, Chitradurga and neighbouring districts converged here on Wednesday and extracted an assurance from the Minister for Women and Child Welfare H.K. Kumaraswamy that a re-survey would be conducted to determine the exact number of Devadasis who need to be rehabilitated.

The Minister announced that Rs. 7 crore had been earmarked for constructing 15,000 houses at a cost of Rs. 30,000 each for Devadasis.

The Devadasis arrived by train in the morning under the banner of the Karnataka Rajya Devadasi Mahileyara Vimukti Okkoota and the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).

They waited for the Minister in Gandhinagar with a list of demands that included free housing and education for the children, pension and other benefits.

While awaiting the arrival of the Minister, okkoota president Parimala Vijayakumar addressed the Devadasis. She exhorted them to "help themselves first", as the first step to empowerment.

While the women huddled together in groups, sharing meals of "jolada rotti" and an assortment of spicy powders and curries which they had brought along with them, Ms. Vijayakumar read from a representation that they submitted to Mr. Kumaraswamy in which the reasons for the persistence of this social evil had been highlighted.

She said the government officials were not clear about the definition of a Devadasi although the Karnataka Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act, 1982, clearly said that a woman who had been dedicated through a ritual or a ceremony was a "Devadasi."

But, the authorities considered as Devadasis only those women who had dedicated themselves to the service of God, but were leading the life of sex workers. Not all Devadasis were sex workers, she contended. A good number of them led their lives by begging and doing petty business such as selling vegetables in weekly markets in villages, after being abandoned by their families.

Convenor of the okkoota N. Shivanna said the rally could be rated a success since the Devadasis had been given an assurance by the Government on several demands. The Minister said girls and women "dedicated" through the ritual of tying pearls to fulfil a vow should also be considered as Devadasis.

He promised to consider increasing the monthly pension for Devadasis from Rs. 400 to Rs. 1,000, and also remove the age criterion for eligibility. The request to grant three acres of land to Devadasis would also be considered, he added.

Loans at low interest rates and subsidy for dairy farming were also on the cards, he said.

For Malavva from a village in Belgaum, the trip has been fruitful. She hopes the pension will be hiked soon. For Kamalavva, the idea of being able to send her little boy and girl to school is exciting. For younger women like Asha and Devi, this is a chance to get a fresh start in life.