People's Democracy

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF AIDWA

The Social Reform Jatha Wheels Through The Country

AIDWA jatha of the Delhi state committee on its way for campaigning

Sudha Sundararaman

ANDHRA, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh…. To the beat of drums, and the sound of slogans….. here comes the AIDWA jatha.

As the van, decorated with AIDWA flags and banners and posters proclaiming – “We want protection for the female foetus: No more murders of unborn girls; Women’s rights are human rights; Equal rights is our demand; Pass the Women’s Reservation Bill now; – rolls into the area, children, and the women who have been waiting cluster around with anticipation. AIDWA activists, and in some places, cultural troupes of young girls clamber out of the van, a mini truck, complete with mike and amplifiers.

The reception committee is waiting – generally the area unit of AIDWA – and proudly welcomes them. The women are greeted with rousing slogans and garlands. Brightly coloured notices are distributed to the curious bystanders. The jatha troupe is introduced, and yes, it is time for a song – Come, sing with me, so that we can take on the world, come sing with me … Even as the music draws the crowds round the van, as the general public gathers around to see what all the excitement is about, the cultural troupe has started its performance. Little snippets from daily life are enacted, and the audience responds warmly. Issues like dowry, child marriage, honour killings, female foeticide, sexual harassment, etc –– all come to life on this roadside impromptu stage.

Quite a crowd has collected, to listen as the speakers explain why the AIDWA is launching the jatha in the states and how it has been fighting against the many kinds of problems that women face for 25 years and more. This is no ordinary organization. It is a militant one and its leaders like Susheela Gopalan, Vimal Ranadive, Kanak Mukherjee, Moturu Udayam and many others, though no longer present, have inspired the organisation with the spirit of undying struggle. Our brave freedom fighters, some still with us like Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, Mallu Swarajyam, Ahilya Ranganekar, Pappa Umanath, etc, have shown through their own experience that the fight for independence, and for women’s rights – the fight against colonialism, feudalism, and patriarchy – are intertwined, and has to be undertaken together.

From everyday hardship with ration paani to the larger impact of policies, and the way that society still discriminates against women, the speakers cover a large canvas. When they finish, there is a lot of cheering, and vibrant slogans rent the air. All India leaders, state leaders are feted, and the team is treated to tea, snacks, and an exchange of views with the women who come up and ask questions, share their problems. The jatha has successfully raised many issues that are relevant for the people, especially the women of that area, it has motivated the area unit, and it carries on, enthused by the tremendous response it has received from the general public. 

ENCOURAGING RESPONSE

This has been the encouraging experience of the AIDWA jatha that has taken off in the above mentioned states. Of course, there are state-level variations. In Delhi, the dates of the jatha were from November 1 to 7, and in Kerala from November 23 to 30. Most of the other states have launched their jathas on November 7. It is a day of great significance for the women’s movement since, for the first time in history, a socialist government was formed in Soviet Russia. Creating equality between the sexes was one of its priority concerns, and this was expedited by ensuring a woman’s right to education, employment, health care, state supported child care, and of course universal franchise –– a concept which was non existent till then.

The jatha aims at recounting the multifarious achievements of AIDWA over these years. The many entitlements it has won by mobilising the mass of women, and the innumerable policy level interventions that have been successful. Another important objective of the jatha is to strengthen the agenda of social reform, which is vital to the spread of the democratic movement today.

States had planned accordingly, and some had linked the jatha meetings to places where our great social reformers were born. The Madhya Pradesh jatha began with an impressive meeting in Mhow – BalaSaheb Ambedkar’s birthplace. The participants in the public meeting highlighted his contribution as upholder of the rights of women and dalits, who attacked Manu dharma for its notions of caste and gender exclusion, and who did not hesitate to resign from the union cabinet when his amendments for making the Hindu Personal Code more equal to women were turned down by the traditionalists.

Andhra chose the birthplace of Ailamma – the legendary warrior of Telengana who fought for land reforms – to start one of their four jathas. Another began in Nellore to highlight the anti-arrack struggle initiated there. For each jatha, a cultural team of about 10 girls was trained, and they covered 20 districts, giving about 7 to 8 performances per day.

In Karnataka too, cultural teams accompanied their four jathas. The one that started from Basavakalyan in Gulbarga evoked the memory of a 12th century reformer – perhaps the earliest social reformer to have spoken against gender and caste inequalities in that region – the unforgettable Akka mahadevi. The drama troupes perform to big audiences, and follow up with a street collection as well!

In Haryana, Hissar was chosen as a starting point, famous for being a crucible of the freedom movement. Skits performed by the cultural troupes highlighting issues like son preference, female foeticide, honour killings etc are receiving very good response from the people. Booklets on these issues have been published and are being sold along with the jatha. 

Inspiring reports are still coming in, as the jatha in many regions is still underway. In its silver jubilee year, AIDWA has also been successful in releasing a cassette of songs in Hindi. Andhra too has released a cassette of songs in Telugu. On November 21, Delhi will witness a huge concluding meeting, a celebration, where the diverse experiences of AIDWA and its many struggles will be highlighted.

By seamlessly integrating the fight for social justice and social reform with the process of economic and political struggle, the jatha has expanded AIDWA’s field of activity, and the influence that the organisation is sure to exert in the coming days.