United they stand!

The sight was unique. More so because of the inclement weather and rain as women marched to meet the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Single women in that hill state had united to come under one banner and press for some state support for themselves. Their success is bound to spur others in the rest of the country to make common their cause for better results. 

They came from all over Himachal Pradesh. They were old and there were destitute; there were deserted and the divorced; the widows and the spinsters; they were all single women living in different parts of the State in a world dominated by men with little support from the society or the government. These women had united under the banner of Ekal Naari Shakti Sangthan and were determined to express their voice and seek justice.

The Ekal Naari Shakti Sangthan had brought more than 2500 women together and they had decided to resort to the time tested method of padyatra. Ever since Mahatma Gandhi launched his historical Dandi March, padyatra has become a tool for those who wish to draw attention to their cause. These women, suffering alone the indignities caused by circumstances and society, had also decided to use it to draw the attention of the newly installed BJP government in Shimla.

They had not walked all the way from their respective dwellings, for that would have been impossible, but had all gathered at a place about 30 kms away from the state capital. What had been a gathering of 1500, swelled to a thousand more by the time they reached the Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal. By then it had begun to rain and the winds had become icy but nothing was going to stop them.

The night before had been a real test of their character and they had emerged with steely resolve though a little help from the administration would have been welcome. Undeterred by the heavy rain, which upset the entire stay arrangements in tents at Ghannati the night before, over 1,800 women continued with their march and reached Hiranagar, on outskirts of the Shimla.

The women specially the older one had a harrowing time as the Baba Ram Dev ground in Nehra village where tents had been put for their night stay was flooded with water. In fact, the food was also flooded with water and it was only at 1 am that food could be readied for the women who had trudged a distance of 14 km after starting their march from Dhami.

With the heavy downpour rendering the tents unfit for night stay, the organisers had a difficult time adjusting them in houses and the building of a defunct medical college. “Had our request to the secretary Education to allow us stay in the school building from 6 pm to 6 am today been accepted we would have been saved of the inconvenience,” said Subhash Mendhapurkar, director Sutra. However, they sang and danced through the two nights at Ghannati and Hiranagar when forced to sit under leaking tents. Even while waiting outside the Vidhan Sabha their spirits were high as they sang and raised slogans in support of their demands.

Despite their commitment to the cause of single women, over 500 women above the age of 70 and those suffering from some disability were forced to traverse the 10 km distance in buses. However, the young and spirited kept the march going and they reached Hiranagar in the evening.

The sanghathan has been demanding pension for all single women above the age of 65 years on Haryana pattern, two acres of land to undertake agriculture and free medical services and finally when these detemined women met the Chief Minister outside the Vidhan Sabha, he assured them that directions would be issued to panchayat pradhans to certify if a woman was living alone with no support so that she can have a ration card in her name. “We have already taken a decisions to dispose of all pending pension cases of widows and destitute women so that they are eligible for financial help,” he announced.

Dhumal said he was aware that there were many problems being faced by single women but then addressing them would take some time and planning. “On the very first day after assuming power, we announced a hike of Rs 100 in social security pension,” he said. Accompanied by social justice and empowerment minister Shraveen Chaudhary he said they could approach her anytime with their problems. 

Keeping in mind the major demand of tribal women for being given property rights on the lines of the Hindu Succession Act, he said this could be done only by an amendment to the Act by the Centre. Earlier in the morning Shraveen Chaudhary too addressed the women at Hiranagar, assuring them all possible help. 

With their mission being accomplished to a great extent, these women have returned home with a sense of achievement and hope that all promises would be implemented in letter and in spirit.