The east Indian state of Orissa more than 60 different indigenous groups make up nearly a quarter of the state’s population and are amongst the state’s most underprivileged citizens.  Amongst the indigenous group known as the Chakutia Bhunjia, literacy in boys is just over 50% but for girls, it is around 18%.

By Sarada Lahangir, from the Women’s Feature Service

In the district of Nuapada in Orissa, change is in the air. Sanbahali and Junapani are two nondescript villages situated on the 3,000 square foot plateau in the Sunabeda sanctuary area of Nuapada district. And here, four young women - Triveni Chatria, Chandini Chatria, Jayashree Jhankar and Laila Majhi - are daring to dream. They are working as teachers in an ashram school run by the Chakutia Bhunjia Development Agency (CBDA), a local development agency. Every month, they get a salary of Rs 5,000 (around 80 euros).

Girls here are generally not encouraged to go for higher education.  They’re not even allowed to wear blouses, petticoats or don 'chappals' (open footwear), and once they attain puberty, they are not allowed to visit the homes of their relatives.

All four young women faced ostracism by the community for three years, because they not only dared to wear 'chappals' but went out of the village and enrolled themselves in a residential high school at Komna, some distance away.

Family support
While Triveni and Chandini could convince their parents to support them to study further, Laila was not so lucky. For many days nobody spoke to her within her household, and because she wore chappals she was not allowed inside the kitchen. But the young girl held firm to her decision to study. When she failed to convince her parents, she went on a hunger strike. Being the only child, her parents had no option but to finally relent.

Today, Laila's parents realise that they were wrong. Their daughter is now an earning member of the family and her mother no longer has to go into the forest to collect minor forest produce to keep the family going. Kumudini is Laila's mother, "Laila is our only child and I feel proud of her as she helps to shoulder our financial burdens."

Chandini's mother, Ratibai, is also proud of her daughter. Ratibai, was married at the age of ten: "I was married and the mother of four children before I even realised it. I had never stepped out of the village because local customs forbid this. But I am happy that my daughter has not met the same fate."

Triveni's father, Dhansing Chakotia, is illiterate. "Triveni is my youngest daughter. When she showed interest in studying, I decided to send her to high school. Of course, it cost me a lot in many ways. My family was not invited to any social function, nor did anybody attend our functions. But now the villagers are slowly understanding the value of education."
 
Towards Change
According to Himanshu Mahapatra, the CBDA development officer, changes in attitude and lifestyle are crucial for any social change. According to him, the girls “have been able to achieve over the last three or four years what we could not achieve for the last two decades."

But there are many, like Chaitanya Jhankar from a neighbouring village are deeply perturbed by these developments. "We believe that the souls of our forefathers stay with us in our houses and they witness everything. If we try to break any rules they will punish us. So we cannot allow anybody to break our traditions," says the angry 70-year-old.

But Triveni, Chandini, Jayashree and Laila are not allowing themselves to be fazed by such attitudes. They have also learnt to take courage from each other. Laila says, "The courage shown by Jayashree, Triveni and Chandini has really encouraged me." Now she, in turn, will encourage others.

© Women’s Feature Service