Nalini Mole from Brahmangaon in Ase Gram Panchayat was part of a Self Help Group. She joined the AROEHAN initiated committee Pada Samiti and got herself trained on the various roles as a pada samiti member can play. She understood the issues of water scarcity in her village, she raised her voice for availing water schemes, however there was no response. Nalini encouraged people in her village towards demanding for their basic needs and also protested at Gram Panchayat. Her efforts have bore results and Nalini has received water in her vicinity. Nalini took a step further and contested for Gram Panchayat elections. She is now part of Gram Panchayat and takes care of issues faced by the villagers in Ase Gram Panchayat.
In 2021, three Self Help Groups of landless Adivasi women, and one of women from the Katkari tribe (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) in Mokhada embarked on a journey to establish mango nurseries. Unfortunately, they faced several setbacks along the way. These challenges included issues with seed quality, heavy rainfall, and a low germination rate.
Undeterred by these obstacles, the SHGs decided to make a fresh attempt. This time, they collected local seeds from villagers, ensuring better seed quality. To create an optimal environment for the saplings, they ingeniously constructed a low-cost polyhouse using recyclable materials like polythene. This polyhouse allowed them to nurture the seedlings under controlled environmental conditions.
Their dedication and hard work finally paid off, yielding successful results. In August of this year, they successfully cultivated 8,500 mango grafts.
Wild edible vegetables or plants play a significant role in the sustenance of tribal people residing in forested areas. Even in difficult conditions such as drought and famine, wild plants are known to be edible and readily available. Such wild species are recognized in the same way that cultivated species, and they play a vital role in resolving the world’s numerous food problems. The tribal areas of Palghar district are known for the vegetation of such wild species which serve as an important source of nutrition and livelihood for the local tribes. A Taluka Level Wild Vegetable Festival Competition was organised by AROEHAN in Jawhar. AROEHAN organises similar events under the programme ‘National Nutrition Month’ – POSHAN MAAH, with the main goal of reducing malnutrition in mind. The wild vegetable competition was organised to emphasise the importance of wild vegetables, to improve the usage of vegetables in everyday diet, and to promote livelihood options for the locals. As many as 20 self-help groups participated from the area. Anjali Daroge, dietitian of the NRC department, retired professor and social activist Dr. Pragya Kulkarni, Pandurang Pilane, a local vegetable connoisseur and teacher, Manoj Kamdi, a trainer and social activist of Yashada Sanstha, played a crucial role in selecting the winners.
The Saptshringi Self-Association Group of Jamsar got the second position, while the Mayuri Self-Association Group of Kashivali bagged the third position. All the participating women were felicitated by giving certificates of appreciation. The first prize went to Sonali Mahila Sahat Gat of Kalidhond who presented a massive total of 155 recipes made of various wild vegetables. More than 500 people visited the exhibition including students from schools and colleges to acquire knowledge about wild vegetables. J.S.W. representative Santosh Mahajan, head of the Millet Programme Foundation Ganpat Bheskar, and director of the Kharonda Farmers Producers Association were also present at the festival.
Even though the exchange of letters has fallen out as a necessary means of communication in today’s Internet age, people in remote areas still largely rely on the postal service for receiving important documents from the government ID cards and several other crucial documents necessary to qualify for government schemes are still sent by post. However, what if these priceless documents never reach us? What if they disappear along the route? Just the thought is enough to make one’s heart skip a beat. If there is a possibility of that happening to the well-educated or urban population, its unimaginable what the tribal population will go through, a person who work as daily wager and is largely affected by it! Losing an important identity document costs these tribals at multiple levels. They pay the transportation fares to visit the government office and miss out on their wage for that particular day; the chances of them receiving their documents in a single trip are woefully low, leading to the rightful fear of losing daily wages for each subsequent visit. The process of applying for a new document is a tedious task for tribals. Due to the lower literacy level among tribal areas, they often have to search for someone literate to fill out the forms for them. This is followed by assembling the required documents, which are unavailable due to the same negligence from the postal service. At last, they have to wait restlessly for months for their documents to arrive and there is a fear of never receiving them. Chari-Kotbi in Dahanu Taluka is a village which is far from the main road. However, it has a decent route that connects it to the main road. Along the interior of this route lies a tribal settlement. Since last year, AROEHAN has been working on health and local governance in this village through public participation. At each hamlet, AROEHAN has created committees, called Pada Samiti, consisting of selected locals in an effort to solve hamlet-level problems via the Gram sabha and bring in local governance. During a training session for the Pada Samiti members, villagers made a shocking revelation that they don’t receive their letters. The postman responsible for the same drops off all the letters at a villager named Kuna and asks him to distribute them throughout the village. Some of the testimonials spoke that despite applying for Aadhar Card months ago, they have not received them yet. Not only did some important documents did not reach them but some were deemed to have been lost on the way. This not only made them feel the regret about being assumed as uneducated, but also enraged that the fundamental right of having their letters delivered to their home was being denied.
Since this problem was prolific in not just one, but in multiple hamlets of the village, all the Pada Samitis took the unanimous decision to write a letter to the post-master informing him about the same. During the late evening hours when everyone returned from their daily wage work, Pada Samiti members held a formal meeting. Since the current postman was a resident of the village and could lose his job if a formal complaint was lodged, all the Pada Samiti representatives decided to solve the issue by talking with him. This sensible decision was accepted by all with no objections. The Pada Samiti members informed the postman of their troubles and suggested him to deliver the letters directly to each recipient’s home. In the meantime, the postman, who used to work on a contract basis, left his job due to personal reasons. The very next month, a new postwoman took up this post and now the letters are finally being delivered to the recipient’s doors.
As people believed that not receiving their letters was a personal problem, they did not take any initiative to fix it, being afraid that their voices wouldn’t be heard. However, seeing it at as a community problem – suffering the same strife, they concluded that the governmental systems won’t notice them unless they come together and speak against this injustice as one. Only then could they deal with this vexing trouble by themselves. Even though this issue and the consequent change brought; may seem minuscule to some, it helped ignite the confidence among the villagers of being able to overcome their own struggles in an organized manner by coming together as one.
The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, or PESA is a law enacted by the Government of India for ensuring self-governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India. Panchayati Raj is the system of local self-governance of villages in rural India. It consists of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) tasked with, economic development, strengthening social justice, and implementation of Central and State Government Schemes, through which self-governance is realised. On April 24, 1993, the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act of 1992 came into force in India to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. AROEHAN is celebrating PESA and Panchayat Raj Awareness Month from March 15th to April 2023 in accordance with the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the PESA Act, and the 30th anniversary of the Panchayat Raj Act.
We conducted awareness programmes in 150 hamlets of Mokhada, Jawhar, and Dahanu. In order to raise social consciousness in society, awareness rallies were held by AROEHAN with the participation of students and locals. AROEHAN conducted an exhibition for locals of the IEC material including booklets and posters on the Forest Rights Act, Ration Dakkshata Samiti, Maharashtra Gramin Yojana, Gram Sabha Kosh Samiti, and MGNREGA.
On April 11th, a PESA awareness programme was held in Banachiwadi. AROEHAN’s Pada Samiti and the newly elected PESA Gram Kosh Committee facilitated the programme. Sarpanch, Deputy Chairman, Zilla Parishad members, Agriculture Assistants, Anganwadi workers, and Gram Panchayat members were present in the programme. A Shivar Pheri was conducted to assess the needs in the village for the preparation of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). In the presence of 55 villagers, we raised awareness about the PESA Act and the rights and entitlements of the residents of tribal villages.
On 17th February 2023, a group of girls from Mokhada came to visit the Palghar Zilla Parishad for an exposure visit. At first, they visited AROEHAN’s Project Office in Palghar, where they were greeted by CEO Mr. Amit Narkar. Out of almost 47 of those who visited, 32 girls were visiting Palghar for the first time. The group included adolescent girls between the ages of 11-19 years, including students, school and college dropouts and even young mothers accompanied by their children. AROEHAN Prerikas, PCMs, Health PO Tamanna, Documentation Officer Naitri Patel and admin PA Pramila Watas were part of the visit.
At Zilla Parishad, the Extension Officer Mr. Govind Dhanga greeted the group and introduced the girls to different departments within the building. The group took a tour of the Health department, Education department, Women and child development department and CO offices. They were guided thoroughly by officials at each department. The group gathered in a speaker hall and conveyed their concerns regarding healthcare to the Extension Officer and other officers. They spoke up about the lack of resources and facilities in the healthcare systems of the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and rural hospitals. AROEHAN’s activists as well as locals from Mokhada were also vocal about the negligence of government employees toward the needs of the communities and their arrogance toward the tribes. They requested to look into the lack of resources in their areas and suggested supervising the situation.
Later, the group visited the office of Childline 1098 in Palghar. They were guided by Rushabh Nikam about the organisation’s work for child protection and safety. Most of the group had never seen a railway station or travelled in railways. Hence visiting Palghar Railway station was also a part of this exposure visit. They were guided about trains and train platforms and were provided with a demonstration for purchasing train tickets.
Indian social refomers and social leaders have time and again insisted on the importance of education in personal, social and national development. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule has underlined the necessity of education in six simple lines.
विद्येविना मती गेली मति विना नि ती गेली निति विना गती गेली गति विना वित्त गेले वित्तविना शुद्र खचले एवढे सारे अनर््थ एका अविद्येने केले
So there is no need to reiterate how important education is. However, considering the state the education of the downtrodden has reached today, it is important to stress upon this topic.
Today we can say that the progressive and upper classes in the society have understood the importance of education. The work of a visionary like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar also ensured that education reached the Dalit community. However, if we look at the downtrodden communities, we can observe that adivasi and nomadic communities stil have a long way to go as far as education is concerned.
Why are Adivasis lagging behind in education?
The horrifying statistics on the state of education in the Katkari tribe show that only 9 percent men in the community are literate, while the percentage amid Katkari women is barely 3 percent. Why is the situation in the community this miserable? On careful consideration, we would notice that the roots of this problem lie in the economic, social, geographic situation and a pessimistic mindset. That is why, the society and the government must strive to help these communities through optimistic approach and find appropriate solutions.
General understanding
When teachers, government officials or people in general talk about education among adivasis, you can often hear them complaining, “We have tried a lot for their literacy, development, but they do not cooperate with us.” Some also go a step ahead and say, “Afterall they are Adivasis! No matter what you do for them, they will stay the same… They will stay illiterate!” The progressive people in the society often agree with them too. While many would believe this to be the truth, on introspection, we will realise that this is not the reality. It’s us who fall short of understanding this reality, or probably, we ignore it as well. Therefore we need to analyse what the ground situation is and take steps accordingly.
Why are Adivasis not getting educated?
Why are adivasi children falling behind in education? Generally speaking, the answer lies in poverty, lack of interest in school, apathy of parents towards education, migration and so on. If we look at these reasons through a holistic approach and ask ourselves who is responsible for these issues, we will realise that it’s the hundreds of years of exploitation, injustice, atrocities and slavery imposed upon these communities. (For many, the situation still hasn’t changed much.) Thus, education has continued to remain the last of their priorities. Their mindset does not let them believe that even they could win or have a free will. In such a situation, how are they to be blamed for their indifference towards education that has stemmed from this pessimism and poverty? It is our failure that we do not ask ourselves these questions. They have faced exploitation for ages. Now when we ask them to ‘get’ education, their pessimism and the trauma of exploitation make it difficult for them to ‘get’ education. This might, in fact, also come across to them as a new form of exploitation. And there is nothing unnatural in it. We cannot take it for granted that the mindset formed over a period of hundreds of years would change within merely 10-15 years. For this to happen, it is necessary that we create an environment of assurance and trust for them. Even today, adivasis and other such communities struggle to find work in villages after harvest. Thus they are left with no other option but to migrate in search of work, along with their children. They call it ‘moving for a living. The poverty that they are enduring as a result of the traditional exploitation has confined them in a vicious circle of migrating for survival and neglect of education. Which parent would not want for their children to get education? Who would want their children live a life of struggle and labour like they did? Which parent would not want their children to prosper? There are no answers to these questions. And that is why, it is very necessary that while looking at the educational woes of adivasi children, the society and the government agency must analyse their socio-economic and geographic background, their mindset and their material situation. Once they start reaping the benefits of education, the task will become much easier. Until then, we must not lose hope.
Shortcomings of schemes and their implementation
The Right to Education proved to be a major step in the educational development of downtrodden communities. However, such schemes and laws are not implemented with the required sensitivity and passion. The reason for this is also hidden in our social inequalities. The govenment has entrusted authorised school management committees and local governance bodies with the implemantation of these schemes.
However, we are all well aware of the efficiency with which these institutions function. These institutions do not seem to be taking any efficient measures to empower these committees. They think their duty is over once they take one or two routine training sessions every year. The organisations working for the education of the marginalised communities are often obstructed by keeping them running in a loop of seeking permissions. The government agencies would not do anything new, neither would they let someone else experiment. Until the government officials/employees and people’s representatives do not let go of their arrogance and greed, the laws/schemes for the marginalised will remain merely on paper. The funds that are allotted for the same will keep getting swallowed, but the adivasis will stay as they are. There is a need to fundamentally change the way the society and government agency looks at the educational issues of the downtrodden.
The obstacles in education
The reasons mentioned in the article earlier about why adivasis are not getting educated are also the obstacles that they face. But apart from these, the lack of social, political and administrative will to get adivasi children to the school is also a major obstacle. Other major hindrances also include the negative approach of the primary teachers and government officials towards the education of the marginalised, apathy towards the community, the shortcomings and flaws in the implementation of various schemes, etc.
Solutions
It is essential that we get rid of these obstacles in order to ensure that education truly reaches the marginalised communities. It is important to explain the importance of education and its benefits to this community and to create an atmosphere of trust and necessary facilities for the same. At the adminstrative level, there is a need to shift the perspective of the government officials-employees so that they perform their duties with passion and honesty that emanate from a sense of social responsibility. Making learning a fun activity will help prevent children from dropping out of Zilla Parishad Schools. Teachers must be given as little non-academic work as possible. The government must seek assistance of the organisations that can help implement different schemes efficiently. Gram Panchayats must take up the responsibity to ensure that no child in their village stays out of school. Eduation should be a permanent subject of the Gram Sabha agenda. Understanding that afterall adivasis are also an integral part of the nation and to give them education or do everthing necessary to make it available is a moral responsibility of each citizen as their development is integral to national development. When everyone starts working together with this understanding, only then will the marginalised obtain access to education.
In the month of November, AROEHAN launched a new initiative called Mata Melava in the hamlets of Mokhada and Jawhar. This event intends to give a refreshing break to the mothers outside their homes and taking care of their daily chores. Here we also take the opportunity to honour mothers and pregnant women following our guidance and counselling about taking care of themselves and their children. The event took place in Pimpalshet, Nandgaon, Aaina, and Sarsun Gram Panchayats in Jawhar. The mothers whose children are in good health and gaining appropriate weight were awarded. They set an example for other mothers about nourishment and motivated them to take care of children, thus avoiding malnutrition among children. The pregnant women were also awarded for registering themselves at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs), going for sonography check-ups, and taking necessary measures for their health. These women were felicitated with gifts like tiffin boxes, cooking utensils, and lunch kits containing groundnuts, sugar, broken pulses, etc.
AROEHAN aims to improve the attitude of people around mother and child healthcare. There is a lack of scientific temperament among a large population of India regarding the upbringing of infants. It leads to several superstitious practices still being followed in these households. Hence, we make sure that mothers and caretakers are educated well during our health-related interventions including counselling, during community-based events, and individual care through home visits. In the same spirit, we conducted a trivia segment as well during the Mata Melava. The participants were asked questions regarding vaccines for children, PHC registration, checking Haemoglobin levels, etc. This was not only to test their knowledge but also to remind everyone about the different nourishment requirements. Participants who answered the given questions correctly were given prizes. At the end of the event, we played games of musical chairs and spoon with lemon race with all the mothers. It was a refreshing day for all the women and they had a good time. The total participation in all four Gram Panchayats was 264 and 156 awards and prizes were distributed on the occasion.
मोखाडा तालुक्यातील पोशेरा कातकरी वाडीतील 11 कातकरी मजुरांना पंढरपूर येथे ऊस तोडणीचे काम देतो असे सांगून उस्मानाबाद येथील सारंग नामक व्यक्तिने 50 हजार रुपयाचे आमिष दाखवून 4 कुटुंबातील 11 मजूर व 6 लहान बालकांना पिक अप गाडीत घालून कर्नाटक मधील तिसऱ्याच मालकाकडे विकले असल्याची माहिती आरोहनची कार्यकर्ती मंजुळाने मला काल दिली. मी तिच्याकडून मजुरांपैकी कोणाचा फोन नंबर मिळतो का याची माहिती घेतली. योगायोगाने एका मजुराचा नंबर मिळाला. त्याच्याकडून मी या प्रकरणाबाबत सविस्तर माहिती जाणून घेतली. तेव्हा त्याने सांगितले की, आम्हाला पंढरपूर येथे ऊसतोडणीचे काम देतो असे खोटे सांगून आम्हाला कर्नाटकच्या बेळगाव मधील एका अनोळखी मालकाच्या ताब्यात देण्यात आले. आमची फसवणूक झाली आहे. तो मालक आम्हाला पहाटे 3 वाजेपासून ते संध्याकाळी सहा वाजेपर्यंत जबरदस्तीने कामाला लावतो. जादा काम करण्यास नकार दिल्यास जीवे मारण्याची धमकी देतो. तेथून आम्हाला तो सोडतही नाही. आम्हाला शिवीगाळ करतो, उस्मानाबादच्या मालकास फोन केल्यास तो तुम्हाला तेथेच काम करावे लागेल असे सांगून मालकाला भडकवतो व आम्हाला धमकवतो. आमचे खाण्यापिण्याचे हाल होत आहेत. आम्हाला कोणताही आधार नसल्याने आम्ही सर्व दहशतीमध्ये असून खूप घाबरलो आहोत. तुमच्या फोनमुळे आम्हाला धीर आला आहे. त्याची ही हकीकत ऐकून मी त्याला आरोहन संस्थेच्या मार्फत लवकरच तुमची सुटका करण्याचा विश्वास दिला. त्याला खूप हायसे वाटले.
या प्रकरणाबाबत मी संस्थेचे सी.इ.ओ. अमित नारकर यांचे समवेत चर्चा केली, चर्चेतून ठरल्याप्रमाने आदिवासी विकास प्रकल्प अधिकारी जव्हार यांना सविस्तर पत्र लिहून भालचंद्र साळवे सह भेटायला गेलो. परंतु त्या कार्यालयात नसल्याने भेट होऊ शकली नाही, मग फोनवरून सांभाषण केले. प्रकरणाचे गंभीर्य ओळखून प्रकल्प अधिकाऱ्यांनी मोखाडा तहसीलदारांना तातडीने कार्यवाहीचे आदेश दिले, त्याप्रमाणे कालपासून त्या मजुरांना सोडविण्याचे प्रयत्न सुरु झाले. आज सकाळी महाराष्ट्र पोलीस मजुरांपर्यंत पोहचले. त्यांनी मजुरांची चौकशी करून त्यांना मूळ गावी येण्यासाठी गाडीची व्यवस्था केली. आज रात्री किंवा उद्या सकाळी हे मजूर आपल्या गावी परतातील. या गंभीर प्रकरणाची दखल जव्हारच्या आदिवासी विकास प्रकल्प अधिकारी श्रीम. आयुषी सिंह यांनी ज्या तात्परतेने व संवेदनशीलतेने घेतली त्याबद्दल त्यांचे अभिनंदन व आभार मानावे तेवढे थोडे आहे. सततच्या पाठपुराव्यामुळे 11 कातकरी मजुरांना वेठीतून मुक्त करण्यास यशस्वी झाल्याचे समाधान वाटते.
मात्र मोखाडा – जव्हार तालुक्यातील असाहाय व नडलेल्या कातकरी समाजाचे शोषण केव्हा थांबणार? हा प्रश्न मन सुन्न करतो.
Marriage is said to be one of the happiest moments in a person’s life. Some call it a sacred bond. But this true story of a marriage is shocking showing the blackening of humanity. It mirrors the perverse mentality of exploiting and oppressing girls and women (especially tribals) in society by taking advantage of their poverty and helplessness.
This is the story of a 17-year-old minor girl from Katkari Wadi of Mokhada, a tribal-dominated taluka of Palghar district. 5 to 6 Kms from the Taluka location lies a village called Poshera. To the east of this village is Katkari Wadi with a population of around 600-700. It was reported that a minor girl named Abla (the name is changed) was being forced to marry in exchange for money and the girl was being pressured for it. A social worker from AROEHAN came to know about the situation. Realizing the seriousness of the incident, the activists of the organisation reached the village immediately. They met with the minor and her family. The reality of the situation was shocking.
AROEHAN ACTIVISTS INQUIRE THE SITUATION IN KATKARI WADI
It was reported that an unknown person from Chalisgaon-Nagar Deola in Jalgaon district has a connection with a middleman in the tribal community to take the advantage of the poverty and helplessness of tribes. The minor’s aunt revealed that the suspect gave the father Rs. 15,000 in exchange for marrying the girl to him and would give Rs. 50,000 more after the marriage. The father signed the affidavit for it. (This affidavit is available but we do not have a copy with us). The minor’s mother passed when she was young and was looked after by her aunt. The father’s financial condition is poor and is an alcoholic. He does not pay attention to the girl and agreed with the marriage proposal in exchange for money. None of the rites of pre-wedding took place, the girl did not even see the person once. To impress the daughter and the father, the person used to send photos of expensive clothes and sarees and pressured her to get married to him as soon as possible. The girl talked with the boy a couple of times on the phone. As the situation looked suspicious, the relatives told the mediator to make proper arrangements to see the boy. The broker instead told the father to go to the boy’s house and do the “Kumkum ceremony”. The father said they cannot have a such ceremony without the daughter. Upon insistence, both father and girl went to boy’s house but there were no people responsible for the ceremony present. The aunt became suspicious about the situation and asked the girl’s father to take a hard look at the situation. He thought about it and decided not to marry the girl.
After the rejection, the broker pressured the family to return the Rs. 15,000. The father and the daughter were shocked. They could not return the money as it was already spent. They reached out to AROEHAN and we gave them support. We asked them not to give him any money. The broker came to the village and AROEHAN’s activists had a conversation with him. The broker was warned not to pester the family anymore or there will be legal action against him. He publicly agreed to not ask for money again. Though the issue was resolved it brought attention to a bigger issue here. There’s a suspicion there is criminal activity possibly backed by a gang or individual to sell/traffick tribal girls in the name of marriage going on. Because we came to know from many people about the occurrence of such incidents in the area.
According to them, every year in Jawhar and Mokhada many tribal girls go missing. A muffled discussion could be heard about it now and then. These incidents do not come forward due to the dire economic condition of the tribes, lack of awareness among people, and also issues like alcoholism play a role in it. It is said that parents of girls fall prey to the lure of a small amount of money and engage their daughters. Even if there is any sort of opposition, the parents sometimes take the culprit’s side as they have taken the money. They also get afraid of the brokers and the other party thinking they might harm the family or even murder them, and they don’t come forward with the issue. What’s more numbing is that the brokers who arrange such marriages to take advantage of poor people and minor girls are often from their own community and locality. Due to sheer unawareness and fragile conditions, sometimes parents don’t even realise their daughters are been taken advantage of and there is no question of anyone complaining. This terrible reality is not publicly read or recorded anywhere. Even after 75 years of independence tribals are making such bargains for their daughters and their wings are cut before they even get a chance to fly. What kind of freedom do we live in? It’s high time we look at such situations carefully and act now.
-Pradeep Khairkar (translated to English by Naitri Patel) AROEHAN
