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Find
here some of the editorials that earlier appeared on our Home Page.
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A Mission to Empower Women
Talking of women’s empowerment is one thing, implementing it in real terms is another. A
movement named Mission Shakti in Orissa has achieved the latter. By calling it a movement we do not mean to imply that it
has been a spontaneous initiative that has grown out of public aspirations. Rather the initiative in this case has come from
the government. Given that most of the social projects launched by various state governments in India, more often than not, face
failure at the end, the exceptional success of this laudable mission launched by the Govt. of Orissa leaves one astonished.
What Mission Shakti has achieved today is no small feat. It has rather surpassed its set objectives. When in a review meeting, held recently at Bhubaneswar, the chief minister Mr.
Naveen Patnaik enumerated the progress so far of the mission which was launched in 2001, the fact sheet made startling revelations.
For the numerous women’s self-help groups (SHGs) spread throughout the state under the umbrella of Mission Shakti have
actively involved themselves in specified community activities that so far remained within the domain of government departments.
And the results have been spectacular.
The SHGs in Orissa today play a vital role in implementation of the mid-day meal programme
of the govt. Enthusiastic women of these SHGs have taken upon themselves the responsibility of running the mid-day meal scheme
in 41,000 schools of the state. Because of the dedicated hard work of the SHGs at the village level the number of children
suffering from malnutrition has significantly gone down in Orissa, compared to other states.
Another area where women under the aegis of Mission Shakti have made a mark is the procurement
of paddy. Since beginning this has been deemed to be a function of the government machinery. But now by taking over the responsibility
much more effectively the women of Orissa have shown that they are no less than others when it comes to strenuous activity
such as the procurement of paddy from farmers. They have even exceeded the targets set by government in this regard.
During the current year 959 SHGs have procured 50, 000 tonne of paddy from villages in Orissa.
Interestingly such a level of active involvement of women in implementation of govt. programmes
was not envisaged when Mission Shakti was launched way back in 2001. The goals and objectives spelt out in the mission statement
did not include active participation of women in govt. schemes so as to enable them to earn sustainable resources. But in
due course by showing that there were enough avenues available for meaningful activities where women could empower themselves,
Mission Shakti has proven that such initiatives can also surpass the set objectives beyond one's imagination.
Another aspect that is equally interesting is that in 2001 with the launching of Mission
Shakti the Govt. of Orissa aimed at mobilising around one lakh women’s SHGs in the state, whereas the number of
SHGs under the command of the mission today has touched 3.87 lakhs with a total membership of 46 lakhs. Such an astounding
response at the grass roots level has made the mission a mass movement in real sense.
The wide network of socially aware and active women spread from the remotest village to the
highest populated city in Orissa has prompted the state govt. to entrust many more of its development schemes to these
SHGs. The ‘total sanitation programme’ is one such scheme which the govt. has decided to implement through the
women’s SHGs in the coming days.
Now that Mission Shakti has achieved a bench mark of growth which is beyond projections, the
govt. should take effective steps to further broad-base its activities while at the same time ensuring the same level of enthusiasm
and participation of women in the movement. For this what is more important is to let the best management practices and organisational
system evolve from out of the women members themselves rather than allowing the govt. machinery to make rampant interventions
where it is not necessary.
(Published on 1 May 2010)
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Oriya Women Lead Migration Race
Women of Orissa have proved to be in the forefront when it comes to migration. By
migration here we mean the movement of people from one place to the other for the purpose of settlement, which includes movements across all geographical
boundaries, such as inter-district, inter-state or inter-national ones. That the number of woman migrants in Orissa is much
more than their male counterparts could surprise many.
The recently released Human Development Report of the UNDP highlights certain interesting
revelations. It says that out of the total 37 million population of Orissa, about 11 million (i.e., almost one out of every
four) are on the move. But much more peculiar is the finding that while out of the total migrants about 2.5 million
are male migrants the remaining 8.6 million are female.
What makes our women take the lead in the race for resettlement? Prima facie it appears to be a function of the socio-cultural and economic realities prevailing in Orissa.
It may be noticed that the migration data mentioned above also includes intra-district and inter district migrations. It has
been found that seeking employment has not been one of the main reasons for women to switch locations, which of course is
not the case with men. It is easy to guess that the main reason why Oriya women have to move from one place to the other is their
marriage. It has much to do with the traditional Oriya custom of women having to move to their in-laws’ place or the
place of their husbands' employment after marriage.
There are also women who migrate for the purpose of their own employment. But as statistical
data reveals, the majority of such women belong to tribal dominated areas. These are women who seek employment elsewhere mostly
in unskilled occupations. This is an indicator of the precarious state of affairs prevailing in the tribal belts
of Orissa so far as employment avenues are concerned.
It is relevant to take note of what the eminent Magsaysay Award winning social activist Jockin
Aruputham had to say on the occasion of release of the UNDP report: “Women play an important role in migration, both
at the source and at the destination. Community mobilization and empowerment can immensely improve the quality of life of
migrants. And nobody, no policy makers, no government ever think about making their lives better,” he said.
Thus the migratory trend among women can also be viewed as a positive contributor to their
empowerment and well being. It also shows that women are actively participating in a process of socio-economic transformation.
It could even lead to a day when the role of women in our society would get redefined.
But what's important is to ensure that the need for migrating to a new place is not
a result of compulsions under helplessness. Rather it would be more welcome if such migrations take place as a function of
choice. It will be a pleasure if competent women either at the home or in the professional front move out of our state
to place themselves in dignified positions so showcase their excellence. It will be one way of spreading the typical Oriya
values and culture in diverse locations. The trend might ultimately result in establishment of the image of the Oriyas
as a community that excels in adapting itself to remote social environments while at the same time retaining the essence of
its own cultural ethos.
But unluckily in Orissa migrations take place not as a matter of choice but as a measure
adopted under compulsions. If this is nearer to fact, then it’s an admission of our state’s failure
in the economic front indicating decline in employment avenues. It may be noted that the migration figures mentioned
above also include intra-district relocations, mostly from rural to urban areas, which again goes on to show that governmental
initiatives to strengthen the rural economy and infrastructure has yet to achieve its goals.
However our prime concern remains why the trend of migration among
the women of Orissa is higher in comparison with other states. It is not so much an indicator of their empowerment. As one
can surmise, it is an outcome of the inclination of Oriya women to follow the footsteps of their husbands upon marriage.
Or are there other factors involved? The issue calls for an in-depth study, which sociological scholars should take
up.
(Published on 2 November 2009)
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Women take pala to new heights
In the arena of performing arts in Orissa a silent transformation has taken place in the
rich and traditional form of folk song called ‘pala’. Any Oriya who has been blessed with the privilege of being
born and brought up in the rural or semi-urban belt of the state would vividly recall the humble group of five folk singers
clad in religious outfit singing out excerpts from literary Oriya verse, annotating and explaining its nuances in common
language.
In the pre-television era ‘pala’ served as one of the most sought
after forms of intellectual entertainment. People gathered in big numbers to watch and patronise 'pala' groups all around
the villages and towns. This valuable constituent of the great Orissan heritage in performing arts was considered to be being
on the verge of extinction a few decades back. Luckily this dying folk tradition has been resurrected after the entry of women
performers into the field.
Earlier the very possibility of a woman participating in a 'pala' troupe was an unthought-of
proposition. Now it has become a reality; so much so that today the 'pala' scene in Orissa is dominated by woman
singers in large numbers. It has interestingly added to the popularity of the folk form which was on the verge being written
off as a form without any future.
The credit for ushering in the women’s era in 'pala' goes to Pandit Nimbudhr Padhi
of Sasanga village in Keonjhar District. Being himself a leading 'pala' gayak, the idea of imparting training in the folk
song to his daughter Rebati occurred to him in the mid-1970s. The performance of Rebati on stage stunned the audiences. It
opened up the prospect of including woman singers in other 'pala' groups. The trend continued to grow rapidly and now it has
reached a stage when the most popular 'pala' groups are those which exclusively consist of women singers only.
This transition of 'pala' into a women oriented song-form has brought about an evolution and
it can now be compared with the famous Padavani performance by Tijan Bai of Chhatisgarh. The woman pala singers
have today also emerged as the saviours of the popularity of Oriya literary verse written by eminent poets, especiallly of
the medieval era. It is by lending a voice to their poetic work in a raw and rustic tune that woman pala singers have been
able to reach the masses successfully. In the process they have also proved to be promoters of traditional values, as the
narratives from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the puranas presented by them with a touch of wit and humour have left a lasting
impression in the minds of their audiences.
Among the prominent woman performers of 'pala' we would like to mention the name of Kumudini
Patel of the Sambalpur district who inspite of being physically challenged with one of her legs maimed due to polio has been moving around from place to place performing 'pala' and earning applause for
her extrordinary talent and hard work. Some of the other woman artistes active in the field are Anjana Behera, Kumudini Panda,
Manorama Panda, Laxmi Priya Dash and Swarna Prabha Lenka. According to an estimate the number of woman ‘gayikas’
in pala troupes of Orissa is more than 200. The number would cross 400 if the women serving in the troupes
as ‘palias’ are also included.
It
is relieving that many of such 'pala' singers have been able to adopt it as a full time career. The assignments that come
their way have been reasonably remunerative. It has been encouraging more and more number of woman performers to
step into the field. What’s more important is that these outstanding women have been able to save 'pala' from the clutches
of extinction which their male counterparts failed to do at some point of time.
The cultural department of the government of Orissa should take notice of this silent
change of guard taking place in one of the oldest folk cultural forms of the state. Every possible measure should be taken
to encourage and promote these angels with ‘chamar’, ‘gini’ and ‘jhanja’ in hand bringing
about a silent cultural movement in Orissa. It is also the duty of the citizenry to patronise such 'pala' troupes in the spirit
of protecting the endangered cultural traditions of the state.
(Published on 15 July 2009)
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She'll Never Become a Widow
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| SASHIMANI - THE LAST DEVADASI |
She is the only one who can assert with certainty that she will never
become a widow. The red mark of vermilion (sindoor) on her head confirms her status as a married lady. She performs
the traditional ritual of Savitri Brata every year that’s performed by only the married women seeking the wellbeing
and long life of their husbands. She is indeed a privileged wife. For her husband is none other than the lord of the
universe – Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of the grand temple of Puri.
Yes, she is married to God. “I have closely felt His presence
when I go to deep sleep. We are just like husband and wife. We both are connected with the cord of eternal love, which is
above human relations,” she relates before media persons.
Sashimani , aged 87, is the only surviving Devadasi of Puri. For that
matter she is the last torch-bearer of the great mahari tradition to which Odissi dance owes its origination.
Devadasis, or the maharis as they are known in Puri, have been performing song and dance rituals in the holy temple for centuries
together. The Devadasi system was introduced in the Jagannath temple by king Chodagangadev in the 12th century
as an integral part of the essential sevas (services) of the temple.
Lamentably Sashimani, due to her frail health, is today not able to
perform even a token song presentation before the Lord. Thus has come to an end the age-old tradition of song and dance performances
before Lord Jagannath behind the closed doors of the sanctum sanctorium. Kokila Prabha, another Devadasi, used to sing the Gita Govinda everyday
during the bed-time of the deity until her death in 1992. After her the daily ritual came to a virtual
end.
Sashimani regrets that today no other parent wishes to dedicate his
or her daughter at the service of Lord Jagannath. As per tradition the girl in order to become a Devadasi should be inducted
into the holy service before she attains the age of puberty. She is then treated as married to the Lord for the rest of her
life, thus forgoing the prospect of getting married again to any one in flesh and blood. This level of supreme sacrifice
is unparalleled in our society. But given that such a sacrifice was in the earlier times being made unilaterally by the parents
without taking into account the consent or otherwise of the ‘victims’ the rationalist sections of the society
began raising voices against the same.
This is the reason why when in the early 90s the Jagannath temple
administration attempted to enrol new Devadasis, it met with nation-wide protests. Commenting upon this Sashimani says, “No
girl should be forced to become a Devadasi as it is against wishes of the Lord.”
What does a Devadasi gain besides the intangible glory of being the
wife of God? In materialistic terms: nothing. Hardly does any one bother to understand the plight of a living Devadasi. For
Sashimani today receives only a paltry monthly pension of Rs.300 from the temple administration. “Many come and
go, paying lip service. Very few understand the difficulties a Devadasi goes through,” she says.
While it would be a misplaced aspiration to expect the revival of
the Devadasi tradition in Puri, one should not bury into oblivion the sacrifices made by generations of Devadasis in upholding
a valuable ritual of the Jagannath temple and in the process nurturing the growth of a great form of classical dance
now known world-wide as Odissi. We pay our obeisance to the blessed ‘wives’ of the Lord who have sacrificed life-time
of their comforts for a spiritual cause.
(Published on 10 January 2010)
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No Cheer Girls at Last
Finally good sense has prevailed. The Orissa Cricket Association has
decided to do away with the idea of fielding cheer girls in the one-day international cricket match at Cuttack. And we,
the worried lot about an impending act of violation of women’s dignity in public arena, have reasons to be cheerful.
One considered it a disgrace to the solemnity of performing arts in
particular and womanhood in general when one came across the news of the Orissa Cricket Association toying with the idea
of making the cheer girls appear and perform in the traditional attire of Orissan dance forms such as Odissi and Sambalpuri.
The conscientious among Oriya intellectuals were horrified at this proposal. Voices of protest became louder by the day
in the media.
It’s heartening that good sense has prevailed at last and the
Orissa Cricket Association has taken note of the writing on the wall. “Looking
at the unnecessary controversy, we have decided to stall the plan”, said the secretary of OCA.
So the cricket tournament at the Barabati Stadium would go ahead sans
the cheer girls. It is interesting that until a few years back, this concept of tastelessly clad female performers, euphemistically
called ‘Cheer Leaders’ did not exist at all. South Africa used it for the first time in the T-20 World Cup as
a means of attracting more number of spectators; because they were not sure of the success of the tournament. It is strange
that the organisers of all cricket events thereafter piously continued to ape the system without ever thinking twice about
its relevance.
The concept is all the more far-fetched in the socio-cultural milieu
of India where the idea of adding spices to sports events by making questionably clad dance-girls perform before the cheering
crowds is difficult to be accepted. Still organisers of cricket events elsewhere in the country have managed to go ahead with
it on some pretext of the other. This would also have been the case in Orissa had the organisers here not meddled with the
sacred space of traditional dances of the state.
It appears that someone in the Orissa Cricket Association innocuously
thought it to be an opportunity to showcase the significance of Odissi and Sambalpuri dances to millions of tele-viewers
of the game across the world. If this was the intention in the first place then one is tempted to term it as a misplaced
idea. These are basically not the forms of dance meant for mass consumption. May be Sambalpuri, being a folk form, caters
to a wide spectrum of dance lovers; but not to the kind of masses that congregate at a sports event. Besides we do not need
the crutches provided by a sports body to protect and promote the heritage of our dances.
As matters have turned
out, we in Orissa have finally set a precedent in doing away with the very concept of cheer girls (aka cheer leaders)
of any kind in the international cricket tournaments. It would be a pleasure if cultural activists in other states as well
emulate such efforts and succeed in stalling such ‘cheery’ appearances in future cricket events. Unless it
is done the day may not be far when spectators would find the game being played on the pitch as only secondary to the senseless
gyrations of dancers on the boundary line.
In Orissa we have at least the satisfaction of preventing sports events being turned into dance festivals. We
are sure that a heavy turnout of cricket lovers at the Barabati Stadium is going to prove the irrelevance of cheer girls
as crowd pullers.
(Published on 1 December 2009)
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Sportswomen Shine in Orissa
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| PADMINI ROUT - SHINING IN CHESS |
The sports scene in Orissa
is marked by outstanding accomplishments by many of its sportswomen. It appears that if our state is soon going to make
a mark in international sports it would solely be due to our sportswomen. Recently there has been a series of occasions
when the eves in our sports arena won laurels in a wide number of events ranging from athletics to chess.
Recently when sprinter
Namita Kabata won gold medal in the 800-metre event in the Asian Youth Athletic Championship in Singapore attention got
focused on the state of Orissa as a land that nurtures many a bright promise in sports. That it is the women of the state
who have turned out to be flag bearers in the winning spree in the field of sports has unveiled a new chapter in the sports
history of Orissa.
The prestigious Ekalavya
Award for excellence in sports has recently been conferred on Padmini Rout, the chess celebrity from Orissa. Padmini
has a brilliant track record with her noteworthy performance in the Asian Junior Girls Chess Championship and the Commonwealth
Chess Championship. We are sure the recognition and accolades received by her would inspire more number of girls in the state
to take interest in chess as a career option.
Athlete Shrabani Nanda
is another such talent in sports who has made her marks in various national and international meets. She has recently received
cash award from the Indian Metal Public Charitable Trust for her achievement in the field of athletics.
Another prominent sportswoman
Namita Kabat has demonstrated outstanding performance in international events. She aims at winning gold at the Youth Olympics
to be held in 2010. What’s striking about her career is that she hails from a humble peasant family in a village
in Keonjhar district. The achievement she has made thus far has been in spite of the poor infrastructure and inadequate training
facility that came her way. Now that she is undergoing intensive training at the Sports Authority of India Hostel, she is
in a position to hone her skills so as to realise her dream of touching new heights in sports.
Similarly Ranjita Mahanta
has also charted her own success story. Being the daughter of athlete Prahlad Mahanta and sister of the long-jump athlete
Renubala Mahanta, she has been blessed with the right environment and inspiration within her family herself. She participated
in the 2008 Junior Athletics Chamionship in Mysore and bagged the U-16 girls individual honour. She also represented the country
in the 100m sprint events at the Asian Youth Games in Singapore and the World Athletics Championship in Italy.
It may be observed that the
success story so far of the sportswomen in our state have been a matter of chance rather than being the outcome of a systematic
approach in grooming the identified talents. The government’s response appears to be knee-jerk in that patronage to
the deserving comes only when their exceptional performance in one tourney or the other manages to catch one’s attention.
Then he or she is picked up to be accommodated in a sports hostel with provisions for financial assistance and coaching
within the permissible limits of the bureaucratic set up.
As we have emphasized
earlier in this editorial column, a machinery to systematically identify the sports talents available especially in the rural
and semi-urban areas of our state needs to be in place so that no such athlete or player in the making is nipped in the bud
for want of training, guidance or financial support. The matter gets further aggravated when such a tlent belongs to the feminine
gender. She faces additional hurdles due to lackadaisical attitude of her family and community who normally
consider it unacceptable to visualise a woman in the career of sportswoman.
It
is however heartening to note that in spite of many such obstacles a good number of girls in Orissa have been able to
make their mark in sports. More often than not it has been an outcome of their individual efforts and innate skills.
If such efforts and skills get supplemented with sincere support and guidance from the authorities responsible for promotion
of sports, many of our promising sportswomen would certainly attain golden heights.
(Published on 1
September 2009)
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