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Monday, Jul 04, 2005

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Two Dalit women in race for Nobel

PATNA: Two women from the underprivileged class America Devi and Tiliya Devi of Madhubani district have been nominated for 2005 Nobel prize.

Tiliya Devi (40) and America Devi (35) are among 92 women from India and 158 in South Asia to have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Non-violent struggle

Tiliya, a mother of six children and a farm labourer, led a non-violent agitation to `free' the land from clutches of powerful local people in her village Lakhanpur Khairi.

She fought opposition from all corners, including her home, for bringing a change in the life of the downtrodden community. In course of her struggle, she mobilised women in favour of her struggle to free 156 acres of land belonging to the Mushars (Scheduled Caste) forcibly captured by the upper caste people.

Sharing her experience Tiliya Devi told newspersons here today that she had successfully freed 13 acre of land from the upper caste people.

America Devi is also a peasant labourer of Sohraiya village in Lakhanpur block. She opposed former minister Roop Narayan Jha, who had forcibly taken control of a pond spread over seven acres of land. In her struggle, America Devi faced strong objection from her husband and villagers, however, the situation did not dampen her spirit. -- UNI

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Two Dalit women in race for Nobel