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A Single Woman’s March for Justice
A report by Frame Works Research and Media Collective (2008)
As per the Census figures of 2001, there are about two lakh twenty nine
thousand widows in Himachal Pradesh and over eight thousand divorcees.
There could be many more such women who are not listed in these official
estimates. These records also do not take into account a large number of women
who may have been abandoned by their husbands or others who may have
remained unmarried (beyond the age of 40). Today, some of these single women
have organized themselves through Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan (ENSS) in order
to highlight their issues in the public domain. ENSS was founded in 2005 with
support from Society for Social Uplift Through Rural Action (SUTRA), a civil
society organization that has been working for over three decades on issues of
gender and local self‐governance at the grassroots level in Himachal Pradesh.
Rural single women are the most marginalized section of society, lacking any
form of social, economic or political support. Most of these women, once “left”
by their husbands or widowed, have no other choice but to return to their
parents’ homes. In order to avoid costs of alimony or maintenance, neither a
legal settlement nor proper divorce proceedings are followed in cases of failed
marriages. Evicted from their matrimonial homes, a woman’s share in the
property or assets of the husband’s family is never acknowledged. In many
cases, their names are struck off the family registers in their in‐laws’ Panchayats.
Since they are not officially divorced or separated, re‐enlisting themselves in the
Panchayats of their parental village becomes difficult. Completely dependent on
their natal homes that are already strained for resources, rural single women are
forced into becoming social and economic liabilities. A few of these women who
have pursued legal battles to claim their rights have become trapped in the
tedium of law suits, eroding whatever is left of their scant resources. For those
who are not legally recognized, availing the benefits of government schemes for
single women becomes impossible. Given the prejudice against single women,
creating livelihoods to support themselves and their children is a struggle.
Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan seeks to provide a platform to bring the needs and
issues of single women to the fore. Today, about 6,053 women of Himachal
Pradesh are an integral part of the Sangathan. The Sangathan has spread its
membership base through local Non‐Governmental Organisations working in
different districts of Himachal Pradesh. Besides a State Level Coordinator,
various districts have their own coordinators who bring single women together
for counseling, legal aid, meetings and discussions. All the coordinators and
volunteers meet once a month to chart out future strategies and plans of the
Sangathan. All office bearers of ENSS – themselves single, draw on their own
personal experience and struggles, to guide other women who may be in similar
circumstances today.
For fourteen months after her marriage, Hardei suffered extreme physical abuse and
mental trauma, as her husband and mother‐ in‐ law would beat her up badly on the
smallest of pretexts. Often, bruised and covered in blood, Hardei would seek help from
other families in the village but they remained tacit observers. No one came forward to
protect her or intervene on her behalf. When her first child was born a girl, things became
worse for her. Finally, a month after the birth of her child, Hardei walked out of the house
one night, draped in blood‐ emotionally shattered and defeated, and had no choice but to
return to her parents’ house. Ever since, Hardei has done all kinds of odd jobs so as to not
over‐burden her family with her responsibilities.
In 2005, Hardei became a member of ENSS. Meeting other women like her, reading and
talking about the status of single women and meeting various volunteers and civil society
members helped her build an understanding of her entitlements and rights as a single
woman. While teaching sewing to other young girls in her village, Hardei would advise
them on marriage, their rights, how to stand up in the face of violence‐ things she had
suffered in silence once. Today, Hardei is an active member of the Sangathan‐ “My father
sometime tells me that I have too much ‘kranti’ (revolution) in me now”, she says with
pride. “But I tell him that at least you can walk with your head held high because of me.”
There is nothing in the world now that she is afraid of, says Hardei, and she wants her
daughter‐ now 10 years old, to make her own, informed choices in life. Marriage, she
feels, can either be heaven or hell, depending on how one wants to mould the relationship.
Through her struggles, Hardei has emerged as a strong pillar of support for many other
women in the Sangathan today.
About 3000 single women from nine districts of Himachal Pradesh undertook a
padyatra from Dhami to the State
capital, Shimla from the 1st to the
3rd of April 2008. The objective of
the three‐ day padyatra was to
create awareness about issues
affecting single women and to
impress upon the government,
the need to formulate
appropriate policies that could
address their problems. Rather
than patronage, ENSS demands a
policy approach that safeguards
the rights of single women. Through the padyatra, ENSS put forward some of
their main demands before the State ‐
• For older single women, Social Security Pension policy should be framed
on the principle of `inclusiveness’, which means every single woman
should be entitled to Social Security Pension (except those who have
alternate sources of pension / salary or are Income Tax payers);
• Those single women who are fighting to secure their rights vis‐à‐vis their
in‐ laws’ family, should be provided with free legal aid and their cases
must be referred to fast track courts. Also, the spouses of all single women
who are not paying the maintenance amount as decreed by either the
gram panchayats or the civil courts, should be legally challenged through
fast track courts;
• The State should ensure that 2 acres of land is granted on a long‐term
lease (from the government’s surplus land pool) to all economically weak
single women who are capable and eager to work as self‐employed
farmers;
• Every single woman should be provided with health care facilities from
the primary to the tertiary level, free of cost.
In order to sensitise the government about their demands, ENSS sent
various memorandums and petitions to the State government much before
the padyatra was undertaken. When the State Legislative Assembly
elections were declared in November‐December 2007 in Himachal Pradesh,
ENSS strategically used this opportunity to mainstream their demands into
the election manifestos of various political parties and accordingly released
the ‘Manifesto of the Vulnerable’, projecting the problems faced by single
women. Presenting such a manifesto was a rare move, much appreciated by
the people and forcing the political candidates to take notice and pledge
their assurance to work for the issue. After the elections, ENSS decided to
carry on with the padyatra to Shimla, in order to pressurise the newly
elected members to respond to their demands.
Careful planning and discussions, months in advance, went into the organisation
of this padyatra. ENSS coordinators and volunteers held extensive meetings with
their groups in different parts of the state, outlining the rationale behind the
yatra to Sangathan members and motivating them to participate. By generating
awareness about issues that the Sangathan stood for, the women gathered
support from other community members in their respective villages, who
extended whatever help they could‐ monetarily or in kind. Local political
leaders and Panchayat Pradhans also gave donations while a few private
transporters charged minimal rates for their services. Kanta, an ENSS
member from Una, recalled how a CID official came to inquire about the
forthcoming padyatra on being intimated about it. Instead of offering
justification, Kanta explained the Sangathan’s objective and vision behind the
padyatra to him. Not only did the official himself give a contribution of Rs 100
for the yatra, the following day the local police station put together a donation of
Rs 500 to support the cause. All the units of ENSS raised enough funds through
public contributions that were used for the journey from their respective areas to
Dhami, the place where the yatra began. Other supporters of ENSS‐ activists,
organizations like Christian Aid, OXFAM, SWISSAID, The Hunger Project and
individuals from Canada, parts of Europe and the United States of America also
gave donations that made the padyatra possible.
However there were many challenges on the way. Vested interests, in an attempt
to weaken the morale of the women, spread various kinds of rumours regarding
the forthcoming padyatra‐ from spreading stories about how the yatris would be
“bombed” at Shimla to how if a woman panchayat member participated in the
yatra, all financial aid to her panchayat would be stopped. Some local MLAs, in a
bid to divide the strength of the Sangathan carried out village to village
campaigns against the padyatra. From within the Sangathan, some ENSS groups
felt that sending a women’s delegation to Shimla instead of conducting the yatra,
would be a better alternative. Disagreements on this with the larger Sangathan
members led to such ENSS units dropping out of the yatra. Despite these
obstacles, the Sangathan was firm in its resolve of marching to Shimla to present
the Charter of Demands to the government. More than 3,000 single women
enrolled for the padyatra.
A few members of the Sangathan surveyed the designated route prior to the
yatra to locate places where the women could be accommodated. Given the
mountainous terrain, it was difficult to find large, flat grounds where such a high
number of padyatris could be put up. The village Panchayats en route Dhami to
Shimla were extremely helpful‐ they allocated panchayat/anganwadi grounds for
the padyatris, and local community members helped in making food, security
and other such arrangements for the women during the stay in their village.
Nehru Yuva Kendra groups of these villages offered valuable assistance and
helped in smoothening out logistical difficulties that were bound to arise in
coordinating more than 2000 women.
A newspaper report in a local Hindi daily on the eve of the Padyatra
An eighty‐ year old woman; a young mother with her ten‐ month old son,
abandoned by her husband; another, barely twenty and already a widow‐ many
single women of varying age groups from different districts of Himachal Pradesh
congregated in Dhami on the evening of the 31st, determined in their resolve to
begin the march to Shimla the next day. Many of the women who chose to
participate in the padyatra manage their households single‐handed and they had
made arrangements for their family members – young children or ageing
parents, while they were away.
On the eve of the yatra, 1,785 Sangathan members met in Dhami but their
number increased to 2,065 on the second day as more women joined in from the
other districts. On the final day, nearly 3,000 ENSS women walked to Shimla to
present their charter of demands to the government. There was however no
representation from Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba districts, where the Sangathan
is still at a nascent stage. To express solidarity with the hill women, five women
representatives of the Ekal Nari Sangathan in Rajasthan also came for the march.
Dhami, a place where the Begaar freedom struggle against the oppression of the
aristocracy took place in 1939 in Himachal Pradesh, was an appropriate starting
point for the padyatra. Amidst slogans and songs, ENSS members began the
padyatra by tying red threads around each other’s wrists and applied teekas ‐ a
symbolic gesture marking the unity and
strength of the Sangathan. The oldest
member of the ENSS, a 90‐year old woman
from Kangra, flagged off the march.
Holding hands, in rows of twos, the
women walked on the National Highway
88 towards Shimla, raising slogans that
drew much attention and public curiosity.
Even though the first afternoon witnessed
unexpected bad weather, the women were
not discouraged. However some vehicles had to be arranged at short notice
because of heavy rain so that the older participants could be taken to Nehra, the
first halt.
The morning of each day of the yatra began with motivational speeches and
slogans as the padyatris readied themselves for the day ahead. On the second
day, as the women walked through a crowded market street in Ghanahatti to
their next halt near Heeranagar, the passersby stood transfixed, overwhelmed by
the sight they were witnessing‐ a long, serpentine chain of women, with banners
and posters held up high, their slogans
resonating as they moved on. Some curious
onlookers even fetched their cameras to
capture this brilliant spectacle. Some aged
and ailing members had to be ferried in
buses to the next halt due to unpredictable
weather. Despite inclement weather and
daily fatigue, the determination and
enthusiasm of the women was apparent ‐
songs written by the Sangathan members describing their struggles and their
demands, folk songs of their respective areas, or groups of women matching
their steps to collective rhythms of clapping and cheering would run deep into
the night.
Nirmala, dressed in a bright yellow salwar kameez, danced in circles, holding hands, to
the words of a Sangathan song‐ “Dear sisters, break all the barriers and come to Shimla”.
About a year ago, Nirmala had been thrown out of her in‐laws house as her husband was
having an affair with another woman. Even though her village Panchayat tried to resolve
her case and summoned her husband often, he refused to appear before the bench.
An ENSS worker heard about Nirmala and the Sangathan took up her case. The ENSS
members called for a hearing of Nirmala’s case in the presence of Panchayat members of
not just her in‐law’s village but the Pradhan and Up‐Pradhan from her paternal village,
as well. A Block Development Committee member, Zila Parishad representative, other
ENSS members from adjoining villages and Mahila Mandal members were also asked to
sit in the hearing. Given the presence of so many functionaries, Nirmala’s husband’s
family was obliged to accept their collective decision‐ of providing separate living
arrangements for her in the matrimonial home as well as a monthly maintenance of Rs.
1000. In order to ensure that the maintenance amount would reach Nirmala, the
representatives allocated the responsibility of collecting the money and handing it over to
her to the Up‐Pradhan of the village. Even though such measures may not restore
Nirmala’s relationship with her husband, they were important steps in securing what
was rightfully due to her. Presently, she is an anganwadi worker and is also an active
ENSS member in her area.
For the women, the padyatra was not Adarsh, Arti’s ten- month old son, clung
simply a show of strength, it was a to his mother as she walked on the road,
joining in the slogans, gently, tentatively,
symbol of all that they had suffered while attending to her baby. Arti’s
and overcome, something that husband left her for another woman. She
validated their daily battle for underwent severe physical torture and
survival. Ageing widows, helpless and mental trauma for many years and
bereft of family support or care in their shadows of her past still haunt her young
face. Left with her daughter and son, Arti
old age, completely dependent on
has moved back to her parents’ house
their sons’ families, taunted and jibed recently. The night she returned, her
at for being a “burden” walked husband made an attempt to set her
resolutely to meet the “Chief parents’ house on fire but despite
Minister”. “We have given him our lodging a complaint with the police, no
vote”, said an old lady, “He is like my action was taken against him. Even
though Arti filed a case against her
son. If I can put him in that seat of
husband, the police and the lawyers were
power, I can also bring him down. He bought over. Vulnerable and lost, the
has to listen to our demands.” Those young mother is trying hard to piece her
who are “recognized” as widows are life together though traces of pain and
entitled to a Widow’s Pension of Rs‐ fear are hard to erase. Arti, scared for
300 per month from the government. the life of her and her children hopes that
one day she would be able to leave her
This is hardly sufficient to be self‐
past behind for a better future.
sustainable, especially at an age when
one is not physically strong enough to
earn a living otherwise. And then there are many others, struggling to prove
their “widowhood” to get these basic entitlements.
Before setting out on the last leg of the yatra on the morning of the 3 , the
rd
Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh,
Shrimati Sarven Choudhary visited the padyatris at their campsite near
Heeranagar. In her address to the women, she said that the life of single women
was not easy and everything must be done to preserve their self‐respect within
society. She added that rather than walking out of a marriage, compromising on
one’s ego for the larger benefit of keeping the family intact must also be thought
about. However, she empathized with women who had been forced to walk out
of their marriage due to unavoidable pressures. She offered suggestions for
income generation like joining Nari Niketans set up by the State or other civil
society initiatives involved with vocational activities like making handicrafts,
sewing or basket‐weaving that could help support one’s family. Although useful
advice, an old ENSS member was unconvinced, “How can I weave baskets in my
old age? I can hardly see properly leave alone weave baskets or put a thread
through a needle?” As she shared her dilemma with others, her eyes welled up
talking about her only son, himself unemployed, who finds the additional
burden of an old mother difficult to bear. But the fact that the Minister had taken
time out to address the women was enough to lift the spirit of the padyatris‐ an
acknowledgement of the fact that their cause had been recognized.
Because of incessant rain, the padyatris had to be taken in buses till Baluganj, a
point of entry for Shimla, from where they walked through the capital to the
Vidhan Sabha. By early afternoon, all the women congregated outside the
Vidhan Sabha, waiting patiently in the rain
amidst heavy police security and media
presence. A delegation of three ENSS
members‐ the State Coordinator, Nirmal
Chandel and two Padyatra Coordinators,
Shichi Angmo and Leela Devi, went in to
meet the Chief Minister, Shri Prem Singh
Dhumal. While the ENSS members waited in
anticipation for the Chief Minister’s response,
the issues of single women were being
simultaneously discussed in the ongoing Assembly session. Members of the
House were engaged in a debate regarding the rights and entitlements of young
widows that the government needed to look into.
At around 4 p.m, the Chief Minister stepped out to meet the women.
Appreciating their resilience and efforts, the CM agreed with two of the
demands that had been put forth by ENSS‐ of providing free health services and
separate ration cards for single women. He stated that his Government had
already increased widow pension marginally since coming into power in January
2008 and added that the feasibility of the
other demands that had been placed
before him would be looked into. One of
the demands of ENSS was to ensure
property rights (in the paternal share) for
tribal women of the State in areas like
Lahaul Spiti, Pangi‐Bharmor and
Kinnaur. Commenting on tribal rights in
India, the CM explained that until a
Central legislation to this effect was
formulated, it was Constitutionally not possible for a State government to
intervene and reformulate laws in tribal areas. However, he gave reassurances
stating that if such a change occurs through a Central legislation, his government
would be the first one to implement it in the State. The Chief Minster’s address
left the women feeling partly victorious and satisfied as some of their demands
had been immediately accepted. At the end of the three‐day yatra, the mood was
one of jubilation as women trooped back from the Vidhan Sabha to catch buses
for their respective areas.
The padyatra has thrown up some critical questions for the ENSS to reflect
upon, in order to chart out its future course of action. Encouraging local
leadership amongst its members, exerting pressure on the government to take
cognizance of other crucial demands like land rights for single women and
capitalizing on the positive outcomes of the yatra are significant issues that the
Sangathan is now faced with.
In order to emerge as a powerful social movement, the Sangathan must work
towards building capacities of not just its office bearers but also the other
members of ENSS, in order to develop a sense of collective ownership and
accountability. Even though 3,900 women had initially enrolled for the yatra, the
final number of padyatris did not match this estimate. Personal limitations could
have been one of the reasons behind this, but it also points to the fact that weak
ground‐level organization and mass support are areas of concern in certain
districts of the State.
Among the districts in Himachal Pradesh, the maximum number of cases of
domestic violence and desertion seem to be from Kangra and Una. An attempt
must be made to examine reasons for these trends and place this data in the
public domain, so that positive political and social action can be formulated to
address this.
Even though the response of the government to some of the demands of ENSS
was positive, one of the main demands with regard to guaranteeing land to
single women for cultivation did not elicit any reaction. The debate in the
Vidhan Sabha regarding single women focused only on the plight of young
widows, ignoring the entitlements of other single women‐ deserted, divorced or
those involved in long‐drawn legal battles against their matrimonial homes.
ENSS must devise strategies in order to draw attention to such issues in the
future.
________________________________________________________________________
Photographs courtesy‐ Priya D. Das
________________________________________________________________________
Frame Works Research and Media Collective, based in New Delhi, uses interdisciplinary
practices to explore development issues and social processes. In working on these issues, they try
and create an interface between research practices and visual/other media like photography,
community radio, film and community art. Besides ethnographic, secondary research and
documentary films, Frame Works consciously adopts participatory community‐based models of
research and media in their work. frameworks.collective@gmail.com