I was threatened, even beaten up. But I did not give up: Manjulata Sahoo

[UN Women South Asia]

Brutal physical assault, blackmail, threatening calls from the local villagers. These are but some of the hardships that have come in the way of Manjulata Sahu, the first woman Sarpanch ( head of village council) of Nadra Gram Panchayat (village council) in Odisha state of India.

Before becoming a Sarpanch, Manjulata was an active social worker, besides being the President of the Federation of Self-Help groups in her village. She stood for elections after the village community encouraged her to run for the post of Sarpanch, contesting against five men and four women in the general category. Such was the faith and confidence that people reposed in her, that two neighbouring villages who had not voted in the electoral process for 15 years, citing lack of development as a reason, came out in huge numbers to support 32-year-old Manjulata.

Having worked as a Sarpanch for almost five years now, she feels she has been able to fulfill most of the villager’s expectations.

In her tenure as Sarpanch, close to 100 people have received old age and widow pension, while 65 families have been granted the Indrawas Yojana ( a national housing scheme). Vegetable gardens have sprung up across the village, especially in areas that were very underdeveloped. Individual cultivation is also encouraged and fertilizer seeds are provided by the Sarpanch. Three tube wells have been installed in the village. Almost Rs 2,200 has been spent to build latrines for the village schools, besides sensitising people about the importance of hygiene and sanitation in their daily life.

‘’Under Manjulata, almost 100 widows got pensions. The work that was not done by a male Sarpanch, has now been done by women Sarpanch and we are proud of that’’, says 71-year-old Basant Kumar Sahoo, an attendee of the Palli Sabha ( village council meetings).

It has not, however, been a smooth ride for Manjulata who has faced numerous hurdles in her fight against corruption. She came to know that a fellow member of the village council was enjoying the benefits of the Indira Awaas Yojana that is, meant for poor and homeless people. She complained to the Block Development Officer and even endured severe physical assault by the ward member’s family but in the end was successful in getting the grant transferred to a poor widow.

‘’I was under the priority list for the Indira Awaas Yojana but it was instead granted to a ward member. It was because of the support of Manjulata that I managed to receive the grant. It will certainly make a difference in my life’’, says 20-year-old Kalpana Behra, a widow and a mother of two small children.

There are several others people like Kalpana whose lives have changed for the better with Manjulata’s efforts
In another instance, an official managing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act got a project sanctioned twice from the government. Manjulata opposed it and sent letters to various bureaucrats and politicians such as the Block Development Officer, Member of the Legislative Assembly,and Member of the Parliament. She received death threats for her decision. But nothing could deter her. The case is now being investigated and the project has been stalled.

Manjulata feels that training by UN Women with The Hunger Project and People's Institute for Participatory Action (PIPAR ) have helped her in overcoming her fears and also motivated her to perform better. She gets tremendous mental, physical & emotional support from the team.
Shankar Sana Hota from PIPAR, feels the capacity building and leadership programmes by PIPAR have helped in educating and empowering women. ‘’Earlier women would not have a say in most matters because the men had the upper hand, both at home and at panchayats. But after receiving training, women now actively participate in the decision making process’’ he says.
The establishment of the Jagruk Manch, another strategy of the programme which has helped to uplift the spirits of the women.
Manjulata’s story has inspired other women too. They realise that there is not much difference between a man and woman, and if given a chance they can perform at par with men, if not better.