Women from the hills.
After meeting these women from the Kumaon region I realized that even they are in the position of power.
Khati, Kumaon Himalayas, Uttarakhand (one of the remotest and lastly inhabited village)
Many cultural myths and norms have accustomed women to live the life of inferiority in rural areas. Where women are the catalyst of development, they are often pulled down to the ground of limits.
I regularly meet these women from the lap of Himalayas as I'm on a fellowship here. After my visits I have always reassured myself that some external forces have been controlling power of a woman. This has continued for ages and long. Lets compare them with the woman at positions, what do we see? Only the difference of education, residence & employment. Eventually all women are efficient managers of their families and also their lives.
Followed by the regular interventions in the community and with an understanding achieved from the experiences of my co-fellows, I initiated personal discussions with many commuters and families on my level. I tried to learn and observe the role of a woman in the rural society. Because I was concerned about the imbalanced condition of a woman in terms of decision making in the family. Majority people responded unconvincingly to this query. Something that people from all societies so far must have commented. They mentioned that the absence of a woman in any field or platform is not a sign of underachievement to be dissatisfied about.What shocked me more was their explanation on the same.They believe in preserving a woman and her delicate beauty as a goddess and this is why they don’t strain her with other responsibilities that only includes an independent life.
But I believe that these are gender stereotypical cases. In fact excluding positions of woman and their powers results to retardation of equalization.
These underlying factors run on the cycle of perceptions by all beings which must be changed and will consume time. The women here are highly empowered given all the issues as they have to take charge of their families. In a region popular for tourism and alcoholism at the same time, the ruling perception ends with scars on a woman’s body.
Here the schools and houses are on the toughest terrain and the resources don’t exist largely. Sometimes farming is the only option. These are brave women who happen to multitask all the work of their house and the men of the family either are in Army or out of the village due to work. In majority cases they are unemployed and addicted to the toxic things. So from roof to ground a women handles all the necessary aspects of running a family.
Village Bhaiyo, Kakot Block, Bageshwar District, Uttarakhand
Why is every rural community configured on the basis of power and gender not being independent?
My practical view here is that if women are more worshiping toward their work they will also encourage a decent working atmosphere that involves less corruption psychologically. Though their positions are always pulled down by the authorities that want to be powerful as usual.
What gives us a good hope is that irrespective of their locations, the willpower and determination of women. If she still emerges to take the challenges and grow then she is surely a super hero. I believe that anything can not kill the courage of a woman of inspiration.
