By Lalita, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: On March 12, 2014, hundreds of Dalit women from many states, including Bihar, Chattishgarh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, arrived at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for a large public meeting to share experiences and express collective declaration for their rights and dignity.
The Dalit Mahila Swabhiman Yatra (Dalit women pride march) traversed hundreds of kilometers across the country from Haryana to UP to Bihar, carrying the burning flames of resistance and struggle. As reported earlier by TCN, the Yatra began to protest about the atrocities on dalit women by the state administration and public officials, and to spread awareness about the issues facing dalit women throughout the country.
The culminating day of the yatra, that is 12th March, witnessed speeches by various active leaders and people from civil society, dances, poems, songs from various states of India. The most attractive event of the day was the play based on Dr B R Ambedkar, presented by the students and members of All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM). The play highlighted the struggles taken up by Baba Saheb for reaching up to equality for dalits, who were then excluded by the caste system of hindu society. It called out to the current society to look back and remember the spirit of his works and the constitution. The participants and the audience, made his efforts and successes as the basis of their struggles and commitments.
The impact of this Yatra has been far reaching, said the volunteers and other participants. They have been able to alert people towards the urgent need to address the issues of equality as proposed by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the man behind the constitution of India. Most importantly the participants reached out to the authorities and successfully registered cases against officials violating the principles of fundamental rights. The Yatra essentially involved scores of volunteers, new Dalit women leaders, involvement of students and committed young men and women from the community, who are surging ahead with great energy and conviction.
Dalit women from Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi expressed deep mistrust in the current state institutions and governments, consistently asserting to be actively judging the candidates in upcoming lok sabha election. While each of them spoke about the neglect the dalit women face in their respective states, they challenged the exploitative forces as they are ready to answer them back. The essential component of such events remains absent here too, that is media. With the event happening at such a large scale with participants from throughout the country, much media coverage could have been given which could have led to increased information sharing. The absence however, became one of the reasons of the members criticizing the media, in not supporting them in their fight. Bharati from MP remarked that coverage if so low that a rape is committed in neighborhood of Bhopal and nobody there knows about it.
Women shouted ‘Jai Bhim’ throughout the activities, asserting consistently the rights of Dalits as deriving from Bhim Rao Ambedkar, and invoking his ideas of equality and prohibition of any kind of exploitation. The day ended by everyone present taking a pledge to strive for justice for everyone, being ready to fight for equality and dignity, and continuing the spirit of the Yatra that culminates there.
Related:
Dalit women in Haryana to march for redressal of cases of atrocities committed by upper caste men