Features & Articles

Meena: An Indefatigable Spirit
Article written by Katyayani Upreti

No one in this village dares to drink, says Meena, the leader of a hugely successful anti-liquor campaign. Weve have made them leave drinking. Let someone indulge in it for once start a fight; he shall with out fail be brought to his senses by our Mahila Mangal Dal.		DHARI VILLAGE, PITHORAGARH, UTTARANCHAL: Men addicted to the bottle are advised to stay clear of Dhari village in Pithoragarh, Uttaranchal. Meena, a courageous woman of 30-35 and a resident of Dhari village, Chana Gram Paqnchayt in Pithoragarh district of Uttaranchal, has a slim constitution, average height, not too fair a color, bright eyes filled with irresistible magnetism. She also happens to be fluent and eloquent speaker. But this is Meenas present avatar; she didnt possess this zeal and spirit eight months ago. Liquor was proving to be her greatest enemy. She journeys back to her past and says, All of us were we living a life full of thorns. Husbands would come home drunk and fight each and every day. I went to my fathers home after one such fight and lived there cursing my fate for several months. Then, Id to come back. A home might not have food, but liquor it certainly had! Even the relatives had stopped visiting us.
Pitambar Joshi, a retired aeronautical engineer from army recalls, The first one was opened by Jogiram, after returning from Delhi. People could not do any thing against him. After it, thirteen bhatties were opened and a situation came when women would work as wage laborers the whole day and their whole earnings were devoured by these bhatties.
This small village had at one time thirteen illegal distilleries, a situation prevailing for 9-10 years. Village people relate how finally some people could take no more of it and formed a Mahila Mangal Dal. It made some meager efforts; but could not evolve in to broad based group and ultimately got defunct. Meena and other women of the village say, We didnt know anything about this group as to who organized it and when. We found it out during our own campaign. Meenas campaign started with a complaint lodged with the Customs & Excise Department and immediately raids were made at the village. They caught canisters and canister of liquor and took away some bhattiwalls as well. Other women of the village came to us and said why we hadnt called them also. Immediately, 30-32 women got together, recalls Meena. However, after five days, few of the bhattiwalls got released. Meena took the whole group to SDM & DM. They were surprised by our consistency and advised us to form a Mahila Mangal Dal. Keeping in view the situation prevailing at the village, they also sent two constables with us. Now, we launched a systematic campaign. A whistle went and all women got together in a group. Some 4-5 boys also accompanied us. On 6th, we destroyed 7 canisters of liquor. Opposition to this initiative was, of course, inevitable and at one point the situation at the village was quite tense. Meena herself faced abuses and threats from the men folk and especially the bhattiwallas. However, the women were so enthusiastic, that they eventually backed off. Pitambar Joshi who provided his support through the whole campaign, says, These women did wonders. They kept a constant vigil at night and hunted for bhattiwallas and drunks and if they founded some one staggering, out went a whistle and all women got together immediately and beat him with bichchupani (a plant that causes immense irritation and pain if touched to body in a wet state).
Nirmaladesh Pandey, the president of the village Mahila Mangal Dal, has the same daring. While campaigning against the bhattis, she even picked up a quarrel with the police. She says about this campaign, Our movement was so powerful that even my husband has to support us though he himself used to drink. Meenas husband also supported us.
According to Meena, We would traverse ten kilometers for making it to Pithorgarh at nights. Sometimes, we would get some vehicle; sometimes we had to travel with out ticket and sometimes had to go on foot. Women would accompany us leaving even their siblings back at home. While doing this, we looked out for drunks and fined them 50 rupees. After some time, local MLA Prakash Pant got the Mahila Dal constituted even on papers. All the bhattis were dismantled in some days. It is better that we didnt break them ourselves. First, we tried to persuade the men folk not to drink; and if the better sense did not prevail, we resorted to touch them with bichchupani. It is obvious that a person thus punished would not dare to drink openly for even the drunks want to have some social respect, she says laughingly.
Now, Meena and other women of the village are happy. Though the families of the bhattiwalls are not on talking terms with her and the Dal; but she too does not accuse them. We took away their livelihood, so their getting begrudged is natural. Their women folk did not side with us for it was they who used to distill liquor. Some literate and educated women too kept a distance because they thought we did not approve of our rough methods. Today Dharis children go to school. Earlier many of them had left their school because of bad domestic environment. Seeing a drunk in the village has become a rare sight. Manohar and Hariram, residents of the village, say, Who would dare to drink. It is not the police, we fear these women more. They laugh along with others. After a pause, Hariram adds, No, they have really done something good and we are with them; had we had some employment as well. There is a tinge of pain in his voice. Even today, Meenas Mangal Dal is not sitting idle after making their village liquor free. It wrote letters to other neighboring villages and inspired their women for launching similar campaigns. They too formed their women groups and tried to make their villages free of this evil. Meenas face and her bright eyes speak volumes of the happiness her success has given her. Her group has no facilities, no office, no grants from the Govt, but she is determined that she will continue her movement. Now, it is the development of the village that is on her agenda. But she is an indefatigable spirit and she fears none, I have conquered fear, she says. She smiles and her bright eyes indicate she would not be defeated.

CHARKHA FEATURE
LAST UPDATED ON October 2004