Dalit woman to address UN session By Prabhakar Kumar, CNN-IBN, January 8, 2006
http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=5049§ion_id=3 Mothari (Bihar): It's a gritty tale of a Dalit woman's strength and determination. Girija Devi, who kickstarted an anti-liquor movement in rural Motihari in Bihar, will now be addressing a bigger audience at the United Nations. A song of freedom echoes through the Dalit settlements in Motihari. A lathi-totting women brigade is on patrol touring the Dalit settlements of all nearby villages to crack down on the sale of liquor. Leading them is Girija Devi, a woman from most backward of Dalit castes - Musahhar. Girija has been chosen by the United Nations to address the 15th session of the 'Commission on the Status of Women'. The woman who has hardly ventured out of her village is now to fly to the USA to address the UN session. "I am very happy about it, but I am also apprehensive of going there alone," Girija Devi, dalit activist. Girija Devi was chosen for this honour for starting the anti-liquor movement. She organized women from several nearby villages under the aegis of 'Musahhar Vikas Manch' and motivated them to raid shops selling liquor. The result - 80 per cent of the men in the village have given up drinking and the average saving of households has gone up. "All the men in the village had to give up drinking after the group was formed. Whoever did not had his face blackened and was paraded around the village, Vinod Manjhi, a villager, says. Most of the other villagers echo this. "They broke the liquor shop and made the men quit," Fulwa Devi, another villager, says. Today, this small initiative has taken shape of a women's movement, which is slowly changing the fate of Musahhars in the district. Several other women are ready to take Girija Devi's legacy forward. Their caste has long accustomed the Musahhars to neglect and apathy. But for once, their voices will be heard. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. -- This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/join/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
