Quiet Rebellions
Puducherry:
Across coastal villages in Puducherry’s Karaikal district, the ur (village) panchayat is all-powerful. These village councils don’t have state recognition, but they control the economic and social lives of the residents of fishing villages.
Ur panchayats dictate fishing rights – they allocate fishing grounds, oversee the marketing of fish, and enforce seasonal fishing bans. Even in personal matters, they have a lot of power. Every matrimonial alliance requires their approval. They settle marital disputes, including those involving physical violence and abandoned spouses. Violating their diktat can result in excommunication – a power panchayats often exercise, and residents greatly fear.
Even though these informal village councils dictate all spheres of their lives, women have zero representation in them. None of the 51 villages across Puducherry have a single woman panchayat member. Panchayats did not allow women to attend their meetings or even present a petition. Women relied on male relatives to represent them.
In this oral history, women of Karaikal speak about how the panchayats’ decisions have affected their lives. They also narrate how, over the last four decades, they have organised themselves to deal with the panchayat. They have mastered the art of navigating complex social hierarchies. In rare cases, it’s a full-blown altercation, but more often, it’s a tactical negotiation.
As a result, women have compelled the panchayats to allow them to attend meetings and present petitions. Bolstered, some women now dream of joining the panchayats.
Note:
*Speaker’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
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Personal Relations
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The panchayat regularly interferes in personal matters to the extent of coercing people into marriages. Domestic abuse has been a glaring blind spot.
Dawa Cheluvi, Karaikalmedu
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I was 15 years old. I got involved in a love affair. Now I can’t say it was a love affair, but at that time, I believed it was one.
He worked at the Vizag court. He told me we had to go to Vizag and get married so that nobody would oppose us. I trusted him and we eloped.
I stayed at his house only for a day. When he left for work, I was alone and had nothing to do. I noticed everything around the house; I marked his birthday on a calendar. The next day, a person from his village, who lived in Vizag, died. When his relatives arrived in Vizag, he hid me at a friend’s place. This made me doubt him. I started to think he was using me. I didn’t like it. So I started crying, asking him to send me home.
I was in Vizag for only six days. Or maybe ten days. By the time I got back home, everybody was looking for me. The panchayat summoned my mother and me.
I told the panchayat I was in Vizag with him. The panchayat said he would have to marry me if he had used me after promising marriage. But he told the panchayat I was lying and refused to marry me. The panchayat asked me to prove my claim. So 14 of us – 10 panchayat members, the man, his father, my mother and I – went to Vizag.
I found my way to the room we stayed in. It looked different. He had removed some items, including the calendar. But the neighbours recognised me and told the panchayat, “Yes, she was here with him”.
With some trouble, I located his friend’s house. The friend’s family refused to recognise me. Even the small children, whose names I knew, said I hadn’t been there. But the shopkeeper next door said that I had lived with that family for a few days. Then, the family caved in and admitted the truth.
Now, everything was proven. The panchayat asked him to marry me. We got married on December 12, 2002.
I believed whatever he said and obeyed him. Once he gave me 15 sleeping pills, saying, “Take these and sleep for two days, then nobody will disturb you.” I took them. I don’t know why I did that, but I did.
It had been two years since the wedding.
Video Transcript: When all these problems were going on, I got pregnant. He said that it will cause a lot of problems right now. So I had an abortion. Three months later, I conceived again. When he asked me to abort again, I refused. He said, "If I drink a lot and kick you hard" "it will abort the baby." "It will cause more problems." I left his house and handed over my thaali to him. He said leave everything here and go. The Panchayat supported me during the birth of my daughter. They said the husband will not go anywhere once the child is born. He will be with you. They said I should stay at my mother's house until delivery. I left him on 2nd (December). The tsunami hit on the 26th. He escaped. When the tsunami hit, he escaped. When the whole village was in Mandapam I could see his family leaving in vehicles. That was the last time I saw him. For 16-17 years, I have not seen him. Where is he now…
Now, the panchayat stopped giving his family permission for weddings and other social affairs. In desperation, in 2013, his family approached the panchayat. They offered to pay me Rs 25,000 and pledged to give five sovereigns of gold when my daughter gets married. I signed this agreement reluctantly. For nine years, I had worked hard to raise my child alone.
When my daughter was small, I told her that her father was dead. But now, she knows the truth. She says that none of this is her mistake. That her father needs to accept her as his daughter. She says that she only wants him to fulfill his duty towards her. But I know that she longs for her father’s love.
Video Transcript: No one in my situation should get married. Such a girl is only a child. Instead if she studied, she would know better. Then she can distinguish between good and bad. At that young age she will make mistakes. Older girls will understand. Girls understand what is good and bad. I thought I had made a mistake. But when I started working for ChildLine (helpline) I started to understand that I had made no mistake. I was too young to understand.
Malini, Kilinjalmedu
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I got married when I was 13. The panchayat had approved it. I have four sons.
My husband deserted me 16 years ago. When he lived with me, he physically abused me often. He once attacked me with a sunki (a weapon with a sharp and twisted end), bringing my innards out.
Video Transcript: After my older son was born, I would get beaten everyday. Especially by my mother-in-law. She would be beat me with a broomstick or the rice vessel, or the curry pot. Whatever she could get her hands on. Mother-in-law would make me do all the work. From cleaning fish, drying it, and selling it. I would buy fresh fruits for my mother-in-law. She would only give me the spoilt fruits. I would pick that and feed my children.
I complained to the panchayat about it. Most of the panchayat members were my husband’s relatives. They questioned me in a derogatory manner; it hurt me greatly. I stopped complaining to them. I don’t want to go to the panchayat ever again.
Video Transcript: After our wedding, he stayed with me for a few years. And then he took off to Kerala. He didn't leave money for kids' expenses and nobody from his family supported us. It was just me and my four children. Two of my children would go to the sea, catch fish, and sell them. They would make Rs 30-40 and give it to me. My children would bring me food they got at school… and that is when I ate.
My husband lives with his other family in Kerala. So, the panchayat has excommunicated my husband. But he visits the village, and everybody treats him well. What kind of excommunication is this?
Post-tsunami, when the government built houses for survivors, they allotted one to my husband, not me. He stays in that house for a couple of days a year when he visits. My four sons and I, who live here permanently, don’t own a house.
The panchayat supports you if you have money. I don’t have any faith in the panchayat. No matter what I go through, I don’t appeal to them.
Anandi, Karaikalmedu
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I was childhood friends with the man I married. We fell in love. The panchayat approved our wedding. We have two children – a five-year-old boy, and a three-year-old girl. My husband used to beat me often, but it got worse after my daughter was born.
Video Transcript: One night, I gave birth. When he came in the morning, he asked me the sex of the child. I told him it's a girl and we came back home. He called and asked me to get a sterilisation procedure. He asked me to leave the child at the hospital otherwise he wouldn't come back home. He said, "I don't want a girl child."
Somehow I convinced him to come home, but he kept beating me. He continued to abuse me until he abandoned me for another woman. When he went out, he wouldn’t come home. When I called, his phone was on waiting. The beatings got more frequent. While my daughter slept on the floor, he would kick her.
I complained to the panchayat. If it wasn’t for the beatings, I wouldn’t have complained. He told them that he couldn’t have fathered a girl. They scolded him and made him submit in writing that he wouldn’t pursue his affair. But, within two days, he abandoned me to live with her.
The panchayat excommunicated him. The woman is from the same caste. Our panchayat discussed it with her panchayat. They also banned her. So, they both moved to another village. The two panchayats worked with the panchayat in the new village to ban them. This way, they were banned from several surrounding villages. Finally, they started living in Nagapattinam town. Panchayats can’t enforce a ban there. Despite all this, he visits this village often enough without a problem.
I sell fish to support myself. My mother-in-law and I go to the harbour at 2 am to buy fish; we sell it in the village. She supports me in managing household expenses and raising my children. My unmarried sister-in-law takes care of my children while I’m working.
I want the panchayat to help me access the government schemes meant for destitute women. But the rules say that I need to have been abandoned for at least seven years. The MLA says that my husband might come back in that duration. In that case, it would be a waste of government money.
The panchayat doesn’t like people approaching the police or court.
If I go to the police, my mother-in-law will stop supporting me.
Video Transcript: For one year, I waited for him. I called him and asked him to come back. It was a love marriage… And because I couldn't forget, I said Come back my love. Come back. Don't stay there, stay here. Even when I said it myself, he didn't come. (He felt) repulsed. I have support… that is how I feed my children. I have my children, that's enough. I don't need him.
Kavitha*, a minor girl from a fishing village
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Video Transcript: One day I returned home from school. I told my mother I was not feeling well. My head was spinning, and I felt very tired. So she took me to Karaikal Medical Hospital. They said to send me in an ambulance to the General Hospital. "Your daughter is pregnant," someone told my mother. She didn't know that I was in love with a boy. That is when I told her. When I came back home everyone in the village learnt about my situation. After they got to know, nobody came to support me. An ayah (maid) lived next door. Only she stayed with me and helped me.
This happened in early 2021.
I first met the boy at a relative’s engagement in October 2020. He said he was in love with me and gave me his phone number. When I returned home, I called him. We met near Karaikal Beach. We drank some juice at a stall and then went to a secluded part of the beach. He repeatedly promised to marry me. We met three times.
After discovering my pregnancy, my mother approached the panchayat, who informed the boy’s panchayat. At a joint meeting of the two panchayats, I narrated what had happened. But the boy and his family denied his involvement.
Two subsequent meetings went in vain. His family skipped one meeting because the boy was in jail. Another meeting was inconclusive.
In July 2021, I delivered a girl. The panchayats convened another meeting. He still denied he was the father. The panchayats collectively suggested a DNA test on my baby to establish her paternity. I agreed immediately. Under pressure, he admitted that he was indeed the father.
The panchayat has ruled that he has to marry me. But I’m only 15, and he is also not of marriageable age. So, the panchayat has ordered him to marry me once I am 18. Until then, he has to pay Rs 4,000 every month to cover expenses. But he has only paid Rs 500 once when he visited my baby.
The panchayat has supported me. I have faith in them. Without their pressure, he wouldn’t have agreed.
I’m only 15. I really want to study.
But how can I, with a child in my arms?
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Political and Social Participation
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Panchayats impede women’s political and social representation. But women have learnt to navigate their way around this. They achieve their goals tactfully, getting into an open clash only when absolutely required. Guided by the NGO Sneha, the women have organised themselves into 111 sangams (self-help groups). The Women’s Federation, a network of sangam representatives, has played a pivotal role in strengthening their position within their households and in their social circles.
Vedavalli, member of women’s federation, Karaikalmedu
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Back in the day, men didn’t allow women to step out. In 1986, Christy from Sneha visited villages in this region and spoke to panchayats.
When a shrimp factory started here, Christy assembled the panchayats. He also gathered the women and told us how the factory would affect our livelihoods. He asked us to create women’s sangams (self-help groups).
The first women to organise were from my village, Karaikalmedu. We would gather to discuss the impact of the Coastal Regulation Zones notification and the shrimp industry. We realised that one village sangam wasn’t enough to stop it. It took us three years to form women’s sangams in all ten villages. Some panchayats and our women’s federation started a struggle against the shrimp industry.
Video Transcript: Some panchayats were less supportive saying these were government projects. "We can't stop them," they said. "No, we can stop it," I told them. One panchayat member challenged me "I will shave my head if you stop the project." "I will shave my head," he said. I retorted, "Then you will end up shaving your head." We gathered all the people. This is how our struggle began.
We formed a human chain in front of the district collector’s (DC’s) office. Our protest failed as they allowed another shrimp factory at Nagapattinam. We decided to go on a hunger strike. It was a relay strike. People from one village sat for a day. The next day, another village would take over. But I sat there every day from 6 am to 10 pm. I had a young son at home, but I didn’t think about it and decided to sit in protest. On day 4, we were arrested. Men slowly escaped, citing some work or the other. But our women’s federation resolved to continue.
After the women decided to take charge, people from all 74 villages gathered at the DC’s office. The DC promised to stop the shrimp industry. We ended the strike.
Video Transcript: Now, on that land, there are agricultural, engineering, and medical colleges. These three colleges have come up in Karaikalmedu. It happened because that land was bought by an MLA. They needed the support of women, so they cancelled the deal. After the medical college started a small shrimp farm came up. All the women went and demolished it and threw everything into the sea.
Gradually, for resolution of disputes, women started approaching the federation, instead of the ur panchayat. But our first big case came in 1997. It shook the prevailing order in many ways.
A women’s society rented out a vehicle to fish vendors. But one member of the society cornered all the profit. The society approached the women’s federation – Veliyamma was the president of the federation, and I was the secretary. We ordered division of money into equal shares for each member.
Had the case gone to the panchayat, they would have kept half the money for the village fund and distributed the rest among the society members. But we didn’t take a cut. Many in the village were pleased with our resolution. But the panchayat feared that we would grow stronger hereafter.
So, five panchayat members summoned Veliyamma to the seashore and imposed a fine on her. All the federation members decided to share the penalty, but Veliyamma declined.
Video Transcript: We didn't do anything wrong. We didn't take even one paisa. Then why should we pay the 10,000 rupee fine. We won't pay it. Let's go give a complaint. If we couldn't sort it with them, we decided to go to the police. The fine of 10,000 rupees is not a big deal. Whether it is a large amount or just one rupee a fine is a fine. We wouldn't let go of it and filed a complaint.
This case went on for a year. When the Superintendent of Police (SP) summoned the federation, the panchayat issued a gag order. Still, we presented ourselves in front of the SP, stood there and said nothing. Eventually, the women won.
Men think that women are under their control. Very few panchayats believe in the development of women. Men consider women as lower beings. This is true even today. But the degree is different today; it’s better now. When I meet panchayat members, I tell them: “I am 70 years old. I have 35 years’ experience doing this. You are here for only two or three years. You don’t have much experience.” I tell them that.
Thilagavathi, Karaikalmedu
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This was in the beginning (of women organising). There was a co-operative in the village with both men and women as members. But women were outnumbered and men never listened to us.
A few women approached the panchayat for permission to form an exclusive cooperative for women. The panchayat refused. The fisheries department refused to allow it either.
So, the women found a clever workaround. With the help of the NGO Sneha, they met the chief minister.
Video Transcript: Through the NGO, with the help of Christy sir 25 women got together and went to the state assembly. We went and told him (Chief Minister). He asked us to form a group of 35 women. Soon our leaders Vedavalli and Jayanthi got 35 women together to start a group. We spoke to the Chief Minister the MLA, and fisheries department officials. In Karaikalmedu on 1st August 2002 we formed a fisherwomen's self help group. None of the men opposed us. Even today, the self help group is functional.
The women in the co-operative society contribute Rs 1,600 to a fund. The state and Central governments match this contribution. During the fishing ban season (April-June), the fund is used to pay each woman Rs 4,700. It’s a great help for households when men lose fishing income. With the membership fee we pay, we are also eligible to get a loan from the co-operative.
Today, 1,200 women in this village benefit because of the women who fought for our own co-operative society.
Selvi, member of women’s federation, Kilinjalmedu
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Video Transcript: I can tell you a case from our village. The man married a woman from a backward caste. They lived in a joint family. Thinking of dowry the mother-in-law and sister-in-law started to harass her. The woman died by suicide. The police came and questioned the neighbours. We told them it was a case of mental harassment. The family was arrested… arrested at the police station. Initially, everyone was furious. "The woman is the victim of a grave injustice." "He should be severely punished for it." This was what the village residents and the Panchayat wanted. Over time, the husband's family met the panchayat members frequently. They requested that the punishment be decided by the panchayat and asked to withdraw the police case. The Panchayat asked the two parties to compromise and withdraw the case. After a few days, the husband got bail and came home. Later, the case was withdrawn. Five years later, he married again. The Panchayat had taken no action against him. The government didn't do anything. The panchayat also did nothing.
This situation prevails because the panchayat doesn’t take decisive actions when it comes to women’s problems. If women become panchayat members, this can change. It’s not that we will blindly take a woman’s side. We will hear from both parties. But if justice is on the woman’s side, we will support her.
If women don’t support other women, who will support them?
In some instances, we (the women’s federation) need to work together with the panchayat, especially regarding family matters. Only then can we expect an effective result for women. As far as the village goes, the panchayat will be Number One.
We are not allowed to enter the panchayat. Even if we are allowed, only one woman is offered a chair. Men sit in their chairs and ask us questions, and we need to answer standing. But some of us know our rights. We pull the chairs ourselves, sit and talk to the men.
The government offers many benefits for women from fishing villages. There is a government scheme where a women’s (co-operative) society can avail benefits from the fisheries department. We went to the panchayat and asked them: ‘Karaikalmedu, Kotichenmedu and Kasakodimedu (These villages are headed by Kilinjalmedu) have these societies, but T R Puram and Kilijalmedu do not. Why are you not letting us form a women’s society? We also want to access the benefits these societies offer.’
We gathered information from the welfare department, fisheries department and other government departments. We shared the details with the panchayat: ‘This won’t cause any problems for men, so you should allow women to progress.’ They asked us to visit after they discussed it.
Video Transcript: When we go speak to them, they tell us, "Why are you speaking so boldly?" "If you start your own society" "You will have power." "We will be weakened." "So we are not ready to allow it." We explained to them, "Like in other villages, you will be consulted." "In these villages, you can see how the women behave." "We won't bypass the men." "Women and men will sit together," "discuss and make a decision." But the fisheries department listens to the panchayat. When we ask them they make us fill forms with our names. They said we've sent everything to Pondicherry and it's come. When we went back and asked, it had all stopped. There was nothing there.
At a meeting at the MPEDA office, I questioned the fisheries department about allowing bigger boats in coastal areas. They didn’t issue such licences earlier, and I demanded that they stop it; otherwise the sea would be destroyed.
I spoke boldly at the meeting. Many people supported me. But my ur panchayat head said: ‘We can’t allow her to speak this way. Let’s not inform her about such meetings.’
Another time, the Swaminathan Foundation selected a group of women for a training to produce export-quality dry fish using solar power. The panchayat didn’t support us, but we went ahead. The Foundation trained us for a week and got us to open a bank account, but didn’t set up the drying unit. When we enquired, they said the scheme was transferred to an engineering college.
They informed us that the site our panchayat offered for the drying unit was next to a garbage dump yard. The panchayat slyly got our project cancelled.
Indrani, member of women’s federation, Karaikalmedu
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After the tsunami in 2004, Sneha NGO built eight activity centres for women and children in Karaikal. The Koticherumedu panchayat asked the women to swap their activity centre with the panchayat’s ration shop, which had some leakage and was unsuitable for storing grains. The women’s federation insisted the panchayat put this agreement in writing.
After strong protest, the panchayat issued a letter.
Meanwhile, in 2009, Sneha began some livelihood programmes to support women, under which women at Koticherumedu started producing phenyl at the Panchayat’s building.
In 2021, the panchayat demanded that the women pay rent for using the panchayat’s building since 2009. The women approached the federation.
I, along with some federation members, went to the panchayat office. We presented two letters. In one, the panchayat had asked to use the women’s building for three months; in the second, they requested an extension for six months. The arrangement was supposed to last only a few months, but the panchayat had been using the women’s centre for over 10 years. Still, they were adamant.
Video Transcript: The panchayat asked why the women spoke so harshly. "If you talk this way, it won't work." "You come to the panchayat and discuss" "Or it will turn into an ugly fight." I told them it's not that. Who are the people involved? It's your women. It's women from your village. It's your sisters. It can be your aunt, or cousin sister. Your relatives. I told them we could settle this in a civil manner. If panchayat asks women to vacate, the fight will get bigger. You have taken it on rent. Since you have been running a society in these premises you should pay women for all those years. It's over 12 years. Only then will we pay the rent due to you.
The tsunami showed another difference in how men and women function. Post-tsunami, the panchayat handled all the relief work. Their list of groceries only had rice and dal. There were also problems with distribution.
On Sneha NGO’s insistence, women were included in relief work. We included spices and tamarind, and sanitary pads, in our list. Adolescent girls faced a lot of difficulty without sanitary napkins. We invited quotations from several shops and chose the one that offered the best price. We bought all the items on the list. Women gathered at a marriage hall, weighed items and made packets. We hired vehicles and brought the material to villages. Our distribution was fair.
Had the panchayat run this programme, they wouldn’t have cared for women’s needs.
Video Transcript: In traditional panchayat meetings women are not allowed to sit and talk. Only men sit together, and only they talk. If women have a petition, we need to stand there with folded hands. In 1995, for a problem the men called us for a public meeting. At the meeting we were all standing. A government official asked us to sit down. We sat together in the middle. That was the first time women were asked to sit.
Men accepting women’s attendance at meetings, offering us chairs, or letting us sit down… That has been made possible because of the work of the women’s federations.
In a few cases, they serve justice in women’s favour. But, in most cases, that doesn’t happen, especially when the man involved in the dispute is rich or influential. In cases of dowry deaths – actually dowry murders – decisions are always in men’s favour. The women’s parents usually don’t demand punishment for the son-in-law.
Social beliefs that women need to behave in a certain way are not exclusive to the panchayat; the whole village shares them.
Now, the panchayat is increasingly allowing love marriages. But they demand to be informed.
People mostly accept the panchayat’s decisions. Lately, there have been some cases where people haven’t accepted the panchayat’s decision and approached the court. In some other cases, they approach a higher panchayat (at the head village). So far, women have never gone against the panchayat’s decision. It’s only men who appeal elsewhere. These days, panchayat is okay with women approaching the police in cases involving dowry, rape, etc. But they insist that they be informed first.
It’s a men’s panchayat. They have no women members. We want women to be included. The first opportunity might be only for women who have run the federation. But younger women will follow, I hope.
Video Transcript: QUESTION: 'Would you like to become a Panchayat member?' I definitely want to join. LAUGHS Yes…(that's my) vision. Yeah…that has been my wish for a long time.
Chaitra*, Akkampete
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In a village nearby… I don’t want to mention the name of the village. There was a wedding — they fell in love and got into an arranged marriage. They had three daughters. Blaming the wife for giving birth to three girls, the husband wished to abandon her. He wanted to live with another woman from the fishing community in a bigger village. The wife appealed to the women’s sangam. In that village, there are seven sangams; they collectively asked the panchayat to intervene.
After counselling the couple and issuing multiple warnings to the husband, the panchayat asked the wife to complain to the Women and Child Welfare Department. The husband was taken to a police station. But he used his money to get out on bail.
This panchayat contacted the panchayat of the village where he lived with another woman. That panchayat warned him of excommunication. But he moved to another town with the woman, got a job and started a family. The panchayats hid this fact from his wife. For two years, he didn’t come to his village. They took no action against him.
In another case, a man had three daughters. He remarried and stayed away for two years. Then, he came back to his village, built a house, and has been living happily with his new family. His first wife is raising her children with difficulty, working as an idli seller. The man has not spent a single penny on his three daughters’ education or health. The panchayat has taken no action against him. The panchayats abandon or ignore such cases.
Occasionally, the panchayat makes good decisions in women’s favour. But often, their decisions go against the woman. Since the panchayat is composed of all men, they make judgements in favour of men. This is why I want to be a panchayat member.
Video Transcript: It takes both men and women to create a society. Men alone cannot create a society. So if a panchayat has five men, it should also have five women. Only then can the panchayat see women's perspectives. In the future, women should be a part of the panchayat. We can't raise our voice even slightly. Women don't have that freedom. We only have 30% of men's freedom. Usually, the panchayat members say "To put us down and use us as dummies," "women speak in raised voices." If women show some progress or talk about something we know they say we are raising our voice and being angry. "Women will put us down and make us dummies," they say.
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Livelihoods
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The decisions and actions of the panchayat have often been detrimental to women. Panchayats have asked for a cut in the money women make, including the money they get from the government and charities. However, in one instance, the panchayat showed how their action could help women.
Kokila, President of fish vendors’ association, Karaikalmedu
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In mid-2020, women fish vendors went on a strike. We demanded that small fish vendors should be given the first right to purchase fish from boats. Only after we’ve bought fish, bigger traders from outside should be allowed.
From each village, 100–150 women joined the protests. So, in total, around 10,000 women from 74 villages went on strike. The panchayats agreed immediately.
By now, some villages have stopped this practice. But many villages still give us the first preference. Women protested because this work sustains them.
Video Transcript: It is more important for women. Because when men abandon women, their lives become very difficult. To avoid relying on men women can run their households with their business earnings. Whether it is a widow or an abandoned woman, this work becomes necessary for them. They can raise their children from this income.
Jayanthi, member of women’s sangam, Karaikalmedu
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In cases like mine, there was no help from the panchayat. Boat owners would pay around Rs 5,000 to the families of those who died. But the government, through the fisheries department, used to give Rs 35,000. I’m talking about the year 1982. Later, it became Rs 50,000. Now they give Rs 1-2 lakh.
In 2020, a relative of mine died. The panchayat gave Rs 1 lakh to his family from the village fund. They never did this earlier. Since the deceased had small children and his young wife had no work, they decided to support his family.
Claiming government compensation is hard. For this, you need a certificate from the panchayat. Some get it, but most can’t.
It is tougher still if the body is missing. You need to wait for seven and a half years before you can make the claim. That is a long time. I am yet to receive this certificate from the panchayat. It has been 33 years. They haven’t given it.
The panchayat needs to be proactive in such cases. Everyone in the village can see how somebody who has lost her husband is struggling. When the panchayat knows, they must act. When the body is missing and a certificate is not issued, they can write a letter on the panchayat’s letterhead to the fisheries department recommending compensation. But so far, nobody has been given such a letter.
Since I lived in a joint family, I was better off. My mother-in-law and brothers-in-law supported me for six years. Later, I started tailoring work to raise my children, and support myself. There was no support from the village, apart from my tailoring customers.
When I used to stay at home, I felt low. My mother-in-law encouraged me to join the women’s federation. Sneha encouraged me too. Initially, caring for my children was my priority. Later, I became the secretary of the women’s federation. We also started a self-help group in 1996, where I was the president. Some people didn’t view my public engagement positively.
Video Transcript: After joining, I stopped feeling bad. There's an expression…as if water has been sprinkled. A girl from ChildLine told me "You were born to do these meetings." All these activities I do they let me forget my family problems. Many people said to me "How do you…with all your troubles" "endure and talk to everyone with a smile" "and do your work?" I want to continue doing this, so I come out to work.
Panchayats treat women differently too. During Kumbabishekam , none of the panchayats felicitate women. About four years ago, in our village, the panchayat invited us to the temple, placed Kumbam in our hands, and garlanded us. They placed Kumbam in our hands! We were very pleased. This had never happened in any of the 13 villages around.
When they felicitated us in our village, former panchayat members went around the village questioning it: ‘Such a thing has never happened in our villages before. Why are you starting this new trend?’ They tried to rile up other people. The fact that they didn’t question us directly was satisfying in one way.
More recently, during festivals at Karakkalacheri and Akkampete villages, women were felicitated. It’s a recognition by the panchayats of women’s progress.
If we, the women of the VCS (Village Coordination Sangam) present a petition at the panchayat, the men ask: ‘Why are you submitting a petition? We will do it for you.’ One panchayat member, who is my relative, came home to ask me why women were doing this. He said this was a topic of discussion at the village meeting.
Recently, women from our VCS petitioned government departments for amenities at Tsunami Colony (rehabilitation colony built by the government for tsunami survivors). We visited offices, accompanied officials on inspections, and even arranged meals for them. Now, panchayat members claim that they got the work done. It hurts, but we continue doing our job.
Punyavathi, Kilinjalmedu
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During the tsunami, I lost my husband. I was one of 29 women who were widowed because of the tsunami here. A convent offered us help. We prepared a list of widows, including those widowed before the tsunami – a total of 39 widows. We suggested they deposit Rs 1 lakh each in one of our children’s names. The convent said if they gave cash, we’d squander it away, so they would like to help in some other way.
We consulted the panchayat. They advised us to ask for a boat: ‘We will run the boat and give you a share of the profit.’ The convent agreed. When two boats were ready, they were brought to the village. The panchayat decided on a 65-35 split of profits in their favour. We signed an agreement, recording the final decision on the panchayat letterhead. They would lease the boats to a group of men going to sea. After deducting the expenses, the profits from the trip would be deposited with the panchayat. They decided that they would give our share after one year.
After a year, when we asked for our share, the panchayat said that they had given the money to the convent. We said they shouldn’t have done that. Their agreement was with us. They said that the convent would keep the money safely with them, and we could collect it after a few years. They didn’t specify how many years.
The convent said they would not give all the money at once, but give it as loans: ‘You can use it to support your business, but you have to pay it in instalments with interest.’ So for the last 15 years, we have been taking loans from the convent and paying interest.
In 2020, we made one last effort. We asked the convent to pay us our share of the boat profits. We didn’t even know if the boats still went to sea. If we die, we can leave some money for our children. But they didn’t agree.
A month later, we asked them for Rs 20,000 each. Once we got it, we told them: ‘We don’t want any more money, but we won’t repay this loan.’ We ended this cycle as we got back the interest that we had paid so far.
Now, the panchayat has sold the boat at a low price. I am not sure who bought it or for how much. We didn’t get any money from the transaction. When we asked, the panchayat said that they needed money for repairs, painting, buying nets and wooden planks.
Video Transcript: I was extremely distressed. I cried for three days. For three days I cried. People came daily to console me. "Drop it. You can't go against the panchayat." Mine is a small family. If I had more children, it would have been harder.
How can I say if what the panchayat did was right or wrong? When they say there is no money for repairs, and the sale won’t cover the expenses… When the panchayat members say that, we can only listen…
I am not going to the panchayat over this matter again. Of course, we fear the panchayat. They can ban (excommunicate) us from the village, and deny us ration from shops.
Video Transcript: We make our living by buying fish from them. They will stop selling fish to me. Shops won't give me credit. How will I eat? So whatever those 13 men say, we follow. That is how it works in a village. From birth to death, we need panchayat's support. Even to get married, you need the panchayat. Even grandchildren's marriages need panchayat support. Even if there is a dispute between neighbours we go to them to settle it. We don't go to the court.
Sumathi*
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It was 2004. I was having dinner with my family. Suddenly, the power went out. There was a public announcement that people should come out of their houses immediately. My mother, husband, and I grabbed our grandchildren and ran out. The tsunami had hit our village.
Video Transcript: The water came in, and my mother died right then. She died immediately. The three of us cried out, "Aiya…Amma's dead!" We tried to carry her but couldn't. We searched for the children to make sure they didn't drown. My husband took two children. I took the others. We ran out. When we ran out, we ran forward. When we looked back and saw the water, we couldn't stand it. The stinging, the sludge…on our faces… we couldn't do anything. Our clothes were all gone. Our shirts tore. I only had my underskirt on, the one tied at my waist. Everything else was gone with the force. Sari and all… The wave carried us and dropped us on this road. I didn't know where my husband or children went, where the baby went…I couldn't see anything. I couldn't do anything. My nose was filled with sludge. I had fainted and fallen down. They told me "A girl named Suba" "was washed up beyond the cremation ground." Amma! They said that and then… This was a girl who scored 100 on 100 marks in Class 9. 100% she had scored…this child…in Class 9. Now, she was lying dead there. She was covered in a shroud. A little child, she was in a shroud. She was lying in front of me. Two other children were lying behind me. My husband was able to save my grandson by holding him close to his shoulder. He was able to save only that boy. Everybody else is gone. Two girls are gone, my mother is gone. Only the three of us survived.
My husband and I lost everything in the tsunami. The government started issuing compensation for lives lost. After three months and repeated visits to the police, a lawyer, and the district collector, I received compensation for my mother’s death. But the compensation for my granddaughters was given to their father, even though they lived with me and died in front of my eyes.
I collected a cheque of Rs 2 lakh in the presence of the panchayat. Ten days later, the panchayat asked us to pay Rs 3 lakh to them, claiming that we received a total compensation of Rs 6 lakh for three deaths. My husband said this was untrue, but they persisted.
I was against paying. But, he feared the panchayat and offered to pay INR 50,000 from our old age pension. The panchayat refused and asked us to pay Rs 3 lakh within a week. At this, I decided that I was not going to pay them a paisa.
The panchayat excommunicated me and my family.
Video Transcript: Nobody was allowed to give us water. Nobody was allowed. A government tanker gave us some water. Nobody was allowed to give water to us. Nobody was allowed to speak to us. No store was allowed to sell provisions to us. Everything stopped. For three or four days, my husband and I starved. There was not one person we could speak to. My husband had to cross this village, and walk to the next village, to fetch a bucket of water.
When a government water tanker came, I put two pots in the queue. The tanker driver kicked them. I broke my pots and complained to a higher official. I questioned how they could refuse me water. He assured me I’d get water without any problem and stopped me from going to the police.
Due to the harassment, my husband and I moved to a neighbouring town. We came to the village to observe the 30th day of my mother’s passing. The panchayat forbade everybody from participating in these rites; I heard their announcement. I filed a police complaint against the panchayat.
After many rounds of mediation, the police officer told me it was the two of us against the village and there was no way other than to pay. We filed a case against the panchayat in the court. When the judge asked the reason for the excommunication, the panchayat said that I had stolen Rs 50,000 from the women’s federation and Rs 20,000 from the Parent Teachers Association. I had brought all the accounts, and showed that I had not stolen any money. The judge also questioned why they punished only me when the federation’s vice president also had access to these funds.
He ordered that the panchayat cannot ask my husband or me for money, and threatened to send them to jail if they did so. He commended me for taking on the panchayat despite being an uneducated woman.
On his order, a court peon came to our village and assembled all the residents, including the panchayat members. He made the village crier go around announcing that the ban against my husband and I was lifted; that everybody could maintain relations with me, give me water, and attend weddings.
In the end, I didn’t give them a single paisa.
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