The Hindu : National : Keep communal forces at bay, women's organisations told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 19, 2004

National

National

Keep communal forces at bay, women's organisations told

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR, NOV. 18. A combined effort by various women's organisations to carry forward the struggle against exploitation of women was stressed at the inaugural session of the seventh national conference of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) here today.

Leaders of AIDWA and other prominent women's organisations who addressed the delegates from different parts of the country said a joint effort by women's organisations was required to keep the communal forces at bay and to fight for the protection of women's rights.

Inaugurating the four-day conference, Capt. Lakshmi Sahgal called for strengthening the movement to help development of women, particularly those belonging to the economically and socially exploited sections.

Call for expansion

Expressing satisfaction over the growth of AIDWA since its first national conference in Chennai, she said the organisation had more members in States such as West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. AIDWA should strengthen its base in the Hindi-speaking belt, where women were harassed the most, she said.

Calling on women to continue their struggle against exploitation at various levels of society, she said although the country had achieved independence, real freedom was yet to come. "We will get the real taste of freedom when every woman will be liberated from all sorts of exploitation."

Among others who addressed the inaugural session were prominent women's rights activists Ahilya Rangnekar, Kanak Mukherjee, and Brinda Karat of AIDWA; Mary Khemchand of the Young Women's Christian Association; Jyotsna Chatterjee of the Joint Women's Programme and Primila Loomba and Saheba Farooqui of the National Federation of Indian Women.

The movement for the protection of women's rights will achieve its goal only when the women's organisations work in close coordination with each other, they said.

The inaugural session was presided over by Suhashini Ali, president of AIDWA.

Book released

A book titled "Breaking Barriers, Stories of Twelve Women," was released on the occasion.

It is about 12 extraordinary women who, in the course of their lives, challenged an exploitative situation and built a national movement for women's emancipation by working both independently and collectively.

Releasing the book, the noted women's activist, Veena Majumdar, demanded that it be made a textbook for high school students across the country.

The 12 women in the book are Ahilya Rangnekar, Ila Bhattacharya, Kanak Mukherjee, Lakshmi Sahgal, Mallu Swarajyam, Mangleswari Deb Burman, Manjari Gupta, Moturu Udayam, Pankaj Acharya, Pappa Umanath, Suseela Gopalan and Vimal Ranadive.

The noted street theatre personality, Mala Hashmi, was felicitated on the occasion for her dedicated efforts to highlight various social problems through her colleagues in the Jana Natya Manch.

Personal experiences

The session ended with seven women recounting their personal experiences in leading struggles for women's rights. They included Shobhamati Jamatiya, who left the All Tripura Tiger Force when disillusioned and is now with AIDWA; Salma, a Block Panchayat president from Marad near Kozhikode who led the struggle against Hindu-Muslim communal forces; and Damayanti, a Dalit district secretary of AIDWA from Sivaganga district who led a struggle against the setting up of a Coca Cola manufacturing plant.

Others who recounted their stories of struggle were Sheila from Haryana; Rani, a Dalit woman from Andhra Pradesh; Gita Hasdar from West Bengal and Ramila from Manipur.

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