GURUGRAM: A tiny village in Sohna tehsil has set a big precedent for gender equality. It has become the first village in the district to allow women to attend its chaupal. Considering Haryana’s infamous patriarchal society, this can bring a big wave of change, with women venturing into the male domain.
Khatrika is a tiny village, with agriculture as the main source of income. The village has only 70 people, living in 17 houses. Of these, 28 are women. However, their small number did not deter them from doing something big. In February, the villagers decided to bridge the gender gap by allowing their women in their chaupal — the raised area at the centre of the village where the village council is held, community decisions are taken, and where only men were traditionally allowed.
The change came after former president Pranab Mukherjee adopted villages in Sohna block last year. In December 2017, a village library for women — Laado Pustakalaya — was set up in the village. Khatrika’s 53-year-old sarpanch (headman) Vijay Pal realised that though the focus was on educating girls, it didn’t give them the power to be part of decision-making. So he decided to set up the library at the chaupal, and allow women of the village to go there to read. His inspiration came from the Bibipur Model of women empowerment and village development, named after Bibipur in Jind district, which built a a separate Mahila Chabutra for women to meet.
“The thinking that women should remain inside the house is of the past. We now have equal education opportunities, so why shouldn’t they be allowed to step out and utilise the education to uplift society?” said Pal. So, women now visit the library, read books and spend time discussing among themselves.
“No one in my maai-ka (parental house) has heard of women at a chaupal. They are all surprised, and I feel proud,” said Nisha, a village resident. “This was a big step for us. Never in my lifetime could I have thought something like this could happen. The female domain was within the haveli. But if women are ruling the country, protecting our borders, winning sports medals, then why not attend the chaupal?” said 55-year-old Sumitra.
In Haryana’s villages, the chaupal is considered to be equivalent to the village temple in importance. Women are expected to cover their faces with their ghoonghat while crossing it, even if there are no men present there. But now, even that is about to change. Women have been asked to only cover their heads and not cover their faces any more. The three steps to the chaupal changed their lives.
“There has been a drastic change in thinking of late. We can now even take jobs if we want,” said Ekta Kumari. “We feel liberated. It’s not that we were suffering, but there is excitement and confidence in the women now, a sense that we now truly belong here,” said Vinod Bala, an elected panchayat representative.
Sunil Jaglan, founder of Selfie With Daughter Foundation, who set up the Bibipur Model, said, “This is just a beginning. We can now go to other villages and convince them there are no repercussions for treating women as equals. Instead, girls are more focused and excel in all fields. They just need the freedom,” said Jaglan.
Article Source: Times of India