Introduction – Tree of Widow Oppression, Kollegal
Swaraj and its network have held many Marmaras in Bhalki taluk of Bidar district and Kollegal taluk of Chamrajnagar district in the months of April and May on the issue of violence on women in general and widow oppression in particular at the village cluster levels. The details of the places are mentioned at the end of the summary report.
Many of the women gathered around the Neem tree spoke of the Marmara as a space that had many more meanings than that of just listening to women’s voices. They spoke of how :
- it provides clean air and shadow to all without any discrimination (i.e. caste, gender, class)
- our voices should be as strong as the roots
- the Neem trees which are valuable herbal medicinal plants is losing its importance because of the kind of school education that we are taught today
- sitting below this huge tree that has withstood strong winds, heavy rains so to must their community based organisation stand
Following this, three survivors of violence shared their stories
27th March, Bidar
Kashemma
“my daughter and our neighbor boy fell in love and decided to marry. But the boy’s mother was opposing it and she was a powerful woman in our village. She beat me several times which was not condemned by my neighbors and the police refused to book a complaint”.
On May 13, a very happy Kashemma came to the meeting as she was able to resolve the issue. She narrated “that women from their village had decided to lodge a complaint against the boy and his mother. But the boy felt that his mother was negating him by wanting dowry. One day he came to Kashemma’s house and told her that he has decided to marry his daughter and would stay in their house after which the women’s group lodged a complaint in the local police station and arranging for the registration of the marriage.
Bidar District
24th April, Kerur village
This was a Marmara on widow oppression and the discussion focused on the abuse faced by the widows, particularly the choice of words used by society in their verbal abuses. Rande is a common and dehumanizing word used in Bidar to berate a widow. While returning from the meeting, a man from their village scolded them saying “these rande’s have no work. They loaf around saying that they are going for meetings”. Angered, the women’s group of this village decided to lodge and register a complaint in the police station. This man approached the local MLA (Eashwar Khandre) who put pressure on the police to cancel their complaint. The women went to the MLA’s house and told him what had happened to them and asked him not to intervene and to allow the legal process to continue.
This issue was finally resolved after getting a letter in writing from the accused stating that he will not abuse any women in the village in the future.
Chamrajanagar District
12th April, Tagarpura village
This was the first meeting and on the issue of violence on women.
A drunkard had deserted his wife and daughter. Puttamma’s team placed this case in front of the Kula Panchayath to resolve it. The Kula Panchayath told him that “now this is in the hands of the women’s group. They will not allow you to escape. It is better you take your family responsibility or else this will be taken to the police station” thereafter which the man went back to hiswife and daughter
It was only because of Puttamma’s leadership and her work in this village that this case was resolved.
30th April, Theramballi village
The old women who had gathered shared that “widow oppression has started now. When we were young we had nothing to eat. Now we have money to purchase sarees and other things”.
One could discern from this that
- widow oppression is a recent phenomenon and is only 20 years old
- the market economy is engendering violence on women
- young widowed women are protected from being victimized as widows because of the work of women’s groups
The women feel that the tree was a good place for conversations and interactions and decided to continue most of their meetings under the tree. They plan to occupy the Peepal tree which is usually meant for and occupied by men for their meetings.
District wise details of Marmaras held so far:
Bhalki taluk, Bidar district
In the month of April
7 and 28: Bhalki at the Taluk level
10 and 18: Khanapur cluster level in which 9 village representatives participated
24: Kerur and Ahmedabad at the village level
25: Kurub Khelagi and Chitta at the village level
Bidar taluk, Bidar district:
In the months of March and May
27 March: Chinthalgere cluster in which 5 village and 28 women participated
6 May: Bidar Taluk in which 8 villages 46 women participated
13 May: Mannalli cluster level in which 5 villages and 26 women participated
Kollegal taluk, Chamrajnagar district:
In the months of April and May
1 April and May: Theramballi village
5 April and May: Chilkvadi village
6 April and May: Singanallur village
7 April and May: Arale village
8 April and May: Kamagere village
12 April and May: Tagarpura village
25 April: Doddinduvadi village
15 and 30 April: Kunthur cluster level
27 April and 29 May: Kollegal taluk level
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