Reema Chowdhary, I Watitula Longkumer & Nirmala Menon
The post-economic-liberalization in India saw the rapid surfacing of women in socio-political milieu and their presence as leaders, activists, workers and professionals. An example of such visible activism is Sampat Pal Devi from Banda district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Sampat Pal Devi is the founder of Gulabi Gang, a group distinguished by their pink saris. The gang works against caste system, child marriage, dowry, domestic violence, and promotes women empowerment through literacy and concrete committed action in redefining stereotyped gender bias. She is the source of inspiration and strength to thousands of women associated with her in relentlessly correcting patriarchal inequalities inherent in the society we inhabit. Her popularity through films and media has brought her worldwide recognition. In this interface, conducted two years ago at her home in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, Sampat Pal Devi responds enthusiastically to the probing questions by Reema Chowdhary & I Watitula Longkumer to illuminate various dimensions of the origin, role and function of the Gulabi Gang she has been proudly leading since its inception in 2006.
Interviewers: Thank you for this opportunity to talk and
interact with you. Can you briefly tell us about your personal life? How did
you see yourself moving into social activism?
Sampat Pal Devi:
Before forming this organization Gulabi Gang, I was a homemaker. Within the
confines of my home I was aware of the female problems that were going around
in my community. After I got married at the age of twelve I began to observe
and disagree with many issues such as whether women should wear a veil, if they
should be permitted to talk to other men and why meals should be served first
to men. Few incidents which I observed and experienced, I will share with you:
1) when we were sent to fields we faced no restriction from conversing freely
with men (only because we were working), but the situation was completely
reversed once we got home from work. 2) Once I was very hungry so I sat down to
eat and, to my surprise, my mother-in-law came and snatched the plate from me
saying that I should not eat before my husband takes his meal. I was very
troubled by this incident. These incidents made me think about what I can do to
change the system. The next day I repeated the same act and was again rebuked
by my mother-in-law. This time I did not keep quiet and responded to her
saying, “I cook, so I have every right to have the food first after which I
will serve to the rest of the family members. Is it necessary to eat after the
man? Whosoever is hungry they should start eating.” I often think if it is a
tradition to eat the leftover food of the husband. If yes, I feel this
tradition needs to be broken.
Interviewers: Is there any particular incident that
motivated you to start Gulabi Gang?
Sampat Pal Devi: A
woman residing near my place was beaten by her husband every day, so I asked
her the reason. She answered by saying that she was accused of not working and
being lazy. To help her out, I met her husband, but in return, he abused her at
home for inviting an outsider (me). The harassment continued. So, one day I
gathered few women who were not aware of my intentions. While returning from
the field with some of the women, I saw him coming back from the field. I
kicked him from behind, following which I immediately shouted and manipulated a
scene pretending that he attacked me first. All the women around me gathered and
started beating the man. This was the very first step I took for the welfare of
women in my community and made a point from that day onwards that women must be
respected in and out of their homes.
Interviewers: What
was your age when you started this organization? Have you registered your
organization?
Sampat Pal Devi: I
was twenty-years old. I started Gulabi Gang on 14 February 2006 and it is
registered under Adivasi Mahila Utthan
Gram Udyog Seva Sansthan (Tribal Women and Rural Development
Organization).
Interviewers: You
got married at the age of twelve and started this organization at the age of
twenty. How did you manage these eight years in between? Did you receive
support from your husband?
Sampat Pal Devi: I
kept on fighting, trying to convince people around me. I tried explaining to my
in-laws the advantages and disadvantages of taking responsibility of the
societal pressures. In the beginning, I did not receive any support from my
family or the neighbors. I began to self-school myself by reading whatever was
available to me. Around my place, I came across some girls who were grazing
cattle. I used to sit with them and tried to educate them on the importance of
schooling. People complained to my husband saying that I was characterless for
the acts that I was involved with and this news quickly spread over
neighbouring villages. People stopped talking to me, and while I went out for
fetching water they did not touch my water pot considering me an outcast. I
then informed my husband who supported me. I suggested to him to move to
another place. He agreed and we moved to Badausa, a town in Uttar Pradesh,
where we opened a tea stall to earn our livelihood.
Interviewers: Tell
us how did you decide on the name Gulabi (Pink) Gang?
Sampat Pal Devi:
There is an incident which I would like to tell you. Once while travelling with
my group members by train, an aged lady among us fell asleep and travelled
further to another location. I got worried and we started searching for her and
somehow managed to find her. After this, I decided that I give some colour to
my organization for a unique identification. I collected Rs.100 from all of
them and went to Kanpur where we visited a sari shop. The shopkeeper showed us
a blue sari but we did not prefer that as it symbolized a particular political
party. They showed us several other colours that did not work well with us.
Then I saw a pink dupatta. I asked
the ladies to wear them and while we were standing on the street, the Sub-Divisional
Magistrate who was passing by asked us what was going on. In a sudden response,
I uttered this is Gulabi Gang. Since then we named our organization as Gulabi
Gang.
Interviewers: Can
you tell us a little bit on how you managed to gather a large number of women
as part of your gang? How did you convince them to join?
Sampat Pal Devi: Like
the incident I narrated earlier of the man in the field, the women in my
community saw the actions I took and began to think positively of the change
that they could bring in their lives. It started with a small group that gradually
increased to ten thousand. I counseled them to realize their self-worth as a
woman, which further created a sense of trust between us.
Interviewers: How
is your network and outreach at present?
Sampat Pal Devi: At
present, our connection is strong and is spread over many places both at the
national and international level. Usually, the sufferers come to us and they
stay with us. Since I do good work even at the local level the police complies with
my grievances knowing full well that I do not use bribes for achieving justice.
My outreach also allowed me, at one point of my life, to participate in
elections at various stages.
Interviewers: We
heard about a fake organization with the same name that operated your website.
Are you aware of it?
Sampat Pal Devi: Yes,
there was a fake organization made by an ex-member of my organization. I didn’t
know about it and it came to my knowledge that they were extracting donations
in my name. It was then that I bought a computer, fixed the Internet and asked
my son to investigate the matter. We found that the organization that formed
the website had links with some bigwigs in political circles in Delhi. When we
raised the question further, we were told that one Jai Prakash Tiwari was the
person behind it. I immediately filed against him the case under Section 420 of
the Indian Penal Code for forgery. We also lodged a legal complaint in the IT
cell against him. The police at the local level did not cooperate. At that
point, I had a deep inclination that my son and my life could be at stake as I
received several threats of murder over the phone. However, this did not bother
me as I was clear about what I was doing.
Interviewers: Did
this dummy organization affect your practices in any way?
Sampat Pal Devi: This
did not affect me much as people who wanted to contact me managed in some or
the other way to reach me. In fact, I got connected to more people through my
participation in a reality show Big Boss
that airs on Indian television channel. Media also supported me by putting
forward my issues in popular news channels such as IBN7, Zee News, 24/7, Aaj
Tak, etc.
Interviewers: Have
you watched the movie Gulaab Gang directed by Soumik Sen, starring Madhuri
Dixit? What is your take on that?
Sampat Pal Devi: Yes,
and I have a lot of problem with the movie and the story it projects. After
hearing about the film, I went to Delhi on 5th March 2014, a day
before its release. The lower court allowed my appeal for a stay against the release of the movie. The
filmmakers and the double bench court convinced me that the film was not based
on my organization or me. However, I did not agree and questioned them why the
actresses in the film wear pink saris and wield lathis and why the title of the film Gulaab Gang resembles my organization name. I demanded that they
should remove these similarities. They showed me the movie on the 8th,
where I found that the movie had no substantial background, as there were lots
of scenes where actresses used guns and weapons to combat violence. Such scenes
in the movie, to me, create a negative image to what I practice, as my group
never uses such weapons to abuse or threaten men. The way Madhuri Dixit (the
leading actress) has dramatized her role by using weapons and stunts informs
that women can never be empowered in this way. There are few documentaries and
films, where I have acted, based on my real life, which people can watch if
they wish to know the real practices of Gulabi Gang.
Interviewers: We
would also like to know your opinion on how the film tries to tell the stories
of women?
Sampat Pal Devi: I do
not deny that this movie reflects and revolves around women’s issues. However,
the point where I completely disagree is the use of dangerous weapons and the
practice of felony to resolve problems. Women-centric movies should be directed
and produced but with more peaceful discussions and dialogues. In my
organization, I do not encourage the use of violent weapons. We do use the lathi as a weapon, but that stands to
serve only as a symbol of our strength and self-defense. Our fight against
dowry, sexual harassment, domestic violence etc. is exercised at a very
peaceful level. Madhuri’s movie projects a lot of open and violent rape,
bloodshed and molestation, which also reminds me of how Phoolan Devi (a bandit
in Chambal valley of Uttar Pradesh) is projected in the movie Bandit Queen, merely as a rape victim.
Such kind of one-sided projection reflects our nation’s social cleavages that
are very narrow and restricted in depicting women characters as sheer objects
of the entertainment industry.
Interviewers: How
many films have been made so far on you and your Galabi Gang?
Sampat Pal Devi: Two
major documentaries, one directed by Kim Longinotto Pink Saris and the other by Nishtha Jain named Gulabi Gang besides hundreds of short films.
Interviewers:
India is a nation of diverse cultures. What is your opinion on inter-caste
marriages?
Sampat Pal Devi: I am
not against such kind of union. I feel that if both the parties are mature and
adult then I think it is absolutely fine. There is nothing called caste. I
consider myself a human being first, rather than a casteist. I have intervened
and made possible hundreds of such inter-caste and inter-religion marriages.
Interviewers: Do
you feel there has been a positive influence in the society after you started
this organization?
Sampat Pal Devi: Yes,
there is a lot of positive influence around the society. I see that all the
apprehensions that were there, in the beginning, have gradually subsided.
Today, people around me show a lot of respect and call me Devi because they believe that with my involvement they will definitely get justice.
Interviewers:
Thank you for your time. We wish you and your organization every success in all
your endeavours.
Sampat Pal Devi:
Thank you too for the opportunity to share my work and views with you.
· Reema Chowdhary & I Watitula Longkumer are Doctroral Research Scholars at IIT, Indore. Dr. Nirmala Menon is Associate Professor in the Discipline of English Language and Literature, Digital Humanities and Publishing Studies Research Group, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
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