People's Democracy

TAMILNADU AIDWA CONFERENCE

‘We Will Take Forward The Struggle For Equal Rights’

Sudha Sundararaman

WE are not the torchbearers of a tradition that glorifies Sati Savitri, Nalayini, Sita or Kannagi as embodiments of Indian womanhood. We are the proud inheritors of a tradition of struggle and sacrifice, personified by Godavari Paruleker, Susheela Gopalan, R Kasthuri, and our brave martyr Leelavathy who fought against injustice and for women’s rights to a life of dignity.

INAUGURAL

SESSION

With these words in the presidential address delivered by Pappa Umanath, the three-day Tamilnadu state conference of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) got off to a rousing start. Held in Virudhunagar from August 10 to 12, it was attended by 453 delegates elected from 34 district conferences. On this occasion, they thronged around the open air dais where the martyrs torches brought from Kanyakumari, Theni, and Madurai in memory of the above said AIDWA leaders were handed over to senior state leaders, in an inspiring event. As working president Mythily Sivaraman hoisted the tenth conference flag, the delegates raised slogans heralding a successful conference.

The conference was indeed a successful one. The AIDWA’a all-India president Subhashini Ali’s inaugural address detailed the situation in which the conference was taking place, a situation in which the women’s movement was facing challenges on all fronts --- economic, social and cultural. Her overview of the international and national situation aptly summed up the linkages between older and newer forms of exploitation that were strengthened by the new global dispensation in favour of the rich nations. She pointed out how the minds of people were a new battleground in the current globalisation ethos and how the canker of communalism posed special threats to the women’s movement.

Subhashini Ali’s address, along with AIDWA general secretary Brinda Karat’s few well-chosen remarks on the political space that women have to fight for and the importance of recognising that globalisation has a
differential impact on different sections of women, gave a meaningful tenor to the discussion that followed.

The inaugural session also saw six of Tamilnadu AIDWA leaders being honoured.

THEY REFUSED TO BE COWED DOWN

A special session was devoted to the women who had overcome adverse circumstances and faced up to violence with their acts of courage. They included a 13 years old girl who had refused to give in to her mother’s attempts to marry her off as a second wife to a 55 years old man as a form of protection for her. Instead, she asserted her right to education and, after registering her complaint with the local police station, she is now back at school. There was also a girl who had been a child labourer but who became a schoolteacher through her own efforts and sheer perseverance. There was the mother of a 14 years old girl whose gangrape cum murder case was fought at all levels to get maximum penalty for the four criminals. One of the women invited was a victim of eve teasing. When she refused to accept the harassment in silence, the anti-socials threw acid on her and her sister who are now fighting for penal action against the criminals. Those invited included a young woman who refused to kill her female baby in spite of the pressure mounted on her by her husband and his family.

These voices of protest against violence, of resistance to unjust practices also underlined the importance of organisational support to such individuals to ensure that larger mobilisation could be initiated on such issues.

The grave gender imbalance, as reflected in the adverse sex ratio, was linked to female foeticide and infanticide in many districts of Tamilnadu. A doctor from the IMA spoke of the role of the medical fraternity in preventing sex-selective abortions and called for strict implementation of the PNDT Act. The conference resolved to tackle the multiple roots of this extreme form of violence so as to arrest the trend.

AIDWA state joint secretary Balabharati moved a resolution on the crisis in the handloom industry and the need for long term measures and policy level changes to protect thousands of weaver families in the state.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

In delegates session, state AIDWA general secretary Sudha Sundararaman placed a report on status of women, work report and the organisational report. As many as 60 delegates participated in the 7 hours long discussion, which helped to sharpen the report and identify areas for future intervention. The participation of many young women in the discussion, the coverage of class, caste and gender aspects of the women’s issues, and a self-critical look on the organisation were some of the positive features. The summing-up also recognised the importance of intensifying our campaigns on livelihood issues and bringing in women from different sections by taking up their issues.

After the accounts and the reports were passed, Brinda Karat spoke on the strengths of the organisation in Tamilnadu while pointing out the need for overcoming some weaknesses. The initiatives taken on sectional issues like Dalit women, agricultural women, minority women, etc, had been useful at the state as well as the central level. But she said the challenge now is to take
the agenda forward and translate the demands into actions, involving the mass of women. Karat also stressed the need for developing independent initiatives right up to the unit level and linking this to struggles on macro economic issues.

The conference wound up on an upbeat note, with several important resolutions being passed. A new 80-member state committee was elected, that in turn elected an 18-member secretariat with Sudha Sundararaman as president, U Vasuki as general secretary and B Jhansi Rani as treasurer. Veteran leader Pappa Umanath was made the organisation’s patron.

CALLS OF THE CONFERENCE

In the backdrop of the priorities identified by delegates during the discussion, a few important tasks were adopted as conference calls. They are as below ---

Gherao of collectors’ offices across the state on the issue of handloom crisis, and in 6 districts on the issue of untouchability on September 12 (Kasturi Memorial Day).

Burning of obscene audiocassettes being played in buses.

Dharna outside the houses of those who write sexually suggestive songs.

An anti-eve-teasing campaign in districts with high occurrence of harassment.

An anti-dowry campaign as part of the all-India call.

Collection of 2 lakh signatures for a proper act to curb domestic violence and prosecution of the offenders.

Statewide padayatra on survival issues like drinking water, basic amenities, right to food and sufficient rations through the public distribution system, alternate employment for recently displaced sections, etc, to culminate in a mass picketing on October 17 (Global Anti-Poverty Day).

On the second day, the delegates were divided into 6 groups for a more detailed discussion on the following issues of immediate relevance: (1) Food security and some of the recent changes in agriculture, (2) Female foeticide and infanticide, (3) The experience of Self-Help Groups, (4) legal rights of women, (5) politics of the media, and (6) women’s rights --- yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The group discussions were productive and thought-provoking as the delegates drew upon their experiences to make suggestions. These were to be incorporated into the commission papers and which would help to formulate the action programmes on these issues.

One of the conference highlights was a public seminar on Towards Change, where Dr Vasanthi Devi, chairperson of the State Commission for Women, spoke on the issue of communalism, the recent carnage in Gujarat and the need for preserving our secular ideals. Prof Madasamy dealt with cultural changes in the era of globalisation; state AIAWU secretary Thirunavukkarasu addressed the issue of growing crisis in agriculture due to policy changes and AIDWA president Subhashini Ali talked of the continuing oppression of Dalits and the great need for social reform.

The seminar was preceded by the release of a conference souvenir by Brinda Karat who spoke of her recent visit as part of an AIDWA team to Srivilliputhur and the travails of handloom weavers caused by changes in the state and central governments’ policies.

The Path We Traversed was the theme of an exhibition in commemoration of the tenth state conference. Set up by the reception committee, it displayed an inspiring collection of information and images which brought out the action priorities of AIDWA over the years and reminded the viewers of the various types of struggles that had been launched, and the sacrifices made by the AIDWA activists.

Andhra Pradesh AIDWA general secretary, Pavani, greeted the conference, sharing very effectively the experience of militant struggle in Andhra Pradesh against Naidu’s LPG policies and the new areas of intervention that AIDWA was beginning to identify there. NFIW state president and state secretary of the Women Panchayats Confederation also greeted the conference and underlined the importance of joint action.

CREDENTIALS REPORT

The credentials committee report revealed that a majority of 453 delegates were between 31-40 years of age; almost all were married (only 7 were unmarried); 97 delegates (nearly 1/5) had chosen their own life partners; and a majority had two-child families.

About 27.1 per cent were educated upto fifth standard (including seven illiterates), another 22.7 per cent upto eighth, 20.7 per cent were educated between eighth and tenth classes while another 14.3 per cent had completed the 12th. Of the delegates, 15.9 per cent were graduates while two held doctorates.

Many of the delegates were willing for "arranged marriages" rather than for "love marriages" for their offspring. About a fifth of them had "dowry" given in their marriages.

Some ¾ of the delegates were from working class or agricultural background; 108 were SC/STs. More than one third of the delegates were employed though the remuneration for a majority was less than Rs 1000.

Whereas a sizeable majority was attending their first conference, significantly 15 per cent had attended all the 10 conferences.

The conference came to a close with a big rally in which more than 10,000 women marched through the streets of Virudhunagar, holding aloft flags and banners and raising slogans until they reached the venue for the public meeting. With Pappa Umanath presiding, Brinda Karat and Subhashini Ali’s reassertion of women’s militancy in face of repeated assaults was received with applause from the audience. Newly elected office-bearers outlined
the resolutions and action programmes.

The conference concluded with the Safdar Hashmi cultural troupe rendering evocative songs that reiterated once again the AIDWA members’ determination to take the struggle for equality forward.