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I dont know my name!

Memories of two incidents are bugging my mind today. I will be short though not so sweet here!

Thakur Ranh Singh walked across the main village lane. He was silent but his walking stick filled up the silent streets and conveyed the necessary message. No one turned up in the meeting that was planned long ago. We were in a village in Jaisalmer to hold a meeting against sex selective abortion and female infanticide. Ranh Singh is a member of the Village Health and Sanitation Committee. Technically he should have been the one organising the meeting with us. But that was not to be. His granddaughter had died within days of being born . The villagers' eyes changed colors when one enquired about the reason. One could hardly keep the news hushed...the baby was killed with a high dose of opium in the very home that she wanted to call her own. Asking for a home for a women in India? A sacrilege indeed!

We organised a training for women of Uttar Pradesh on health. Participants were in the age group of 25-45. It is another matter that no one looked less than 40! As usual the day started with a round of introduction. But we were soon to learn a few lesson on assuming the usual. One after the other women murmured their name among nervous laughter till one just refused to speak. The group nudged and prodded her to talk about herself. After much insistence she murmured the name of her village and asked the group to move on. But, this group was not ready to do so. They persisted. The facilitator was getting agitated, the other group members were commenting in this unreasonable behavior till she shouted out, "Now, I dont remember my name. I dont even know if I ever had one. I never went to school. I was Ramavtar ki bitiya  and then became Rampravesh ki awrat before I became Yogesh ki amma! No one has ever called me by any other name. No one has even asked whether I have a name. What is this joke that you have started here! Stop this now or let me go back to my housework." She was really annoyed. Asking a woman to remember her name? A sacrilege indeed!
Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 8, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    This is why CHild Sex Ratio is declining, Nayana as you know... The question is where to start initiating the change. I have been a part of Mahila Samakhya's documentation, and I learnt, Rights based, women's organisation is probably one answer. I am impressed of their works... Will send you a CD, Ashok sircar

    ReplyDelete
  2. LadybugApril 8, 2011 at 8:54 PM

    Thanks Ashokda! I would have really liked if you could have visited my groups' work in UP. But please read "Chamkala ba dekho sabki pardhaniya". Empowering Rural Program is a result of my continuous learning regarding community organisation processes. I have carefully learnt the dos and donts.

    Child sex ratio will never improve unless we strengthen the position of the mother. There is no place for a half hearted effort in it

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