About Organization

MARUDHAR GANGA SOCIETY
Post – Manaklav, Via – Mathania,
Jodhpur - 342305
CONTEXT

Rajasthan is situated in the northwestern part of India. Rajasthan could be divided into two major Geo-climate region – one Thar desert region and two – Aravali hill region. Over sixty per cent of the Thar desert region is covered by desert and receives scanty rainfall. Barren hills and rocky plains characterize this arid zone. Drought is a recurrent phenomenon.

The demographic study of the state reveals that the marginalized section of the society namely women and dalit are dominated by exploitative class of the society. The region have low indicators related to any economic well-being or social condition. Women generally play a subdued role and are relegated from the peripheries of the decision making process in the family and community. A wider form of gender discrimination is prevalent in the area. Female infanticide is widely prevalent and practices largely.

Geographically this semi arid area has adverse physical conditions. Because of recurrent drought livelihoods of animal husbandry and agriculture has badly affected, which are major livelihood source traditionally. Most of the farms are rain fed and people does subsistence agriculture. Because of scarcity of water, livelihood and fodder people have to migrate themselves in search of the employment. Overall condition of health and education is very poor.

The lives of dalits are marked by their lowest position in social order and untouchability. The life of dalit is full of economic dependence, social discrimination, political alienation and cultural subjugation. This has resulted in malnutrition, high rate of infant mortality, alcoholism, prostitution, low level of literacy, cultural illpractices and major identity crisis. Development in communication and commercialization coupled with safeguards given by constitution has reduced physical discrimination considerably, but it has taken new forms, where by they have to face attitudinal and mental discrimination by caste Hindus. Sanskritisation amongst dalits led them to live life of “Savarna”, which can never end their stigma.

The incidences of discrimination of Dalits by caste elements are largely prevailed in a highly feudal state like Rajasthan. The condition of Dalits is further found in a pitiable condition in western Rajasthan, given the dominant caste system prevailing over here. The per cent of schedule caste and schedule tribe population is very high in Rajasthan, which is 17.08% and 12.21% respectively according to 1991 census.

Discrimination of dalits
Untouchability is related to avoidance to physical contact with a person because of believes relating to 'pollution'. Because of modernisation and 'Sanskritisation' among the dalit communities, the practice of physical untouchability is slowly disappearing. But discriminatory attitude and behaviour toward dalits is deep rooted. Casteist forces have been using these social discrimination for economic exploitation and political alienation as per their convenience. This leads to denial of accessibility to public utilities like water and other basic services.

Atrocities against dalits
Rajasthan comes second in incidences of crimes against dalits. Large numbers of atrocities are unnoticed due to apathetic attitude of police and large-scale unawareness amongst dalits. Most of the time atrocity occurs when any dalit raises his/her voice against injustice to him/her.

Political Participation
Political participation of both dalit men and women are also very limited. Because of the age old patronising of the caste forces despite dalit reservation, they are not able to independently exercise the leadership. In most of the reserved seat at local governing institutions the dominant caste people put up dummy candidates and continue proxy governing. Dalit elected representatives, who try to work independently, either has to face atrocity or political alienation by the hands of non dalits.

Livelihood
Livelihood in the Rajasthan is centred around agriculture and agriculture labour. Most of the dalits are either marginalised farmers or land less labours. Land alienation has emerged as a pressing problem affecting the livelihood of the dalit community (schedule caste and schedule tribes) on a large scale in western parts of Rajasthan. The problems date back to the early nineteen century, when majority of the land (about 60 %) in western parts of Rajasthan belonged to the dalit community. The process of alienation started when local influential caste forces forcibly occupy the land of the dalits. In some cases they purchases the lands forcing the dalits. Threats were commonly applied when enticement failed to do the tricks. The local influential caste forces in communion with political elements had played a significant role in grabbing lands belonging to the dalit community. The Rajasthan Land Tenancy Act, 1955 created to regularise the land possession and collection of revenues was also routinely manoeuvred to by the influential families to gain control of lands owned by the dalit community.
Scarcity of water is again a factor which is heavily affecting the livelhoods of dalits. They have to spent considerable time and money for drinking water. Drought is a recurrent phenomena here. Dalits because of their financial constrains are not able to harvest rain water as others. Poor quality of water is again adding to their health problems. Because of recurrent drought their livelihoods of agriculture and livestock rearing has also badly affected.

Dalit women
Dalit women have to face all kinds of social, cultural, political, economical and religious oppression. Prejudices concerning Dalit women are still predominant and turn everyday life into a daily survival struggle. Dalit women are working under extremely bad conditions: they are victims of low wages, irregular employment, lack of social security benefits, they are often cheated regarding the salary and are exposed to sexual harassment or encroachments within the employment. Most of the women are working in the informal sector, mainly in agriculture, construction work, factory work, etc. It appears as if participation of Dalit women in organised sector is considerably low or negligible. In addition to this hard work they have to keep their households and families running. For a lot of Dalit women the struggle continues within their families: due to excessive drinking of their men, Dalit women have to face domestic violence. Not seldom the women’s salary is spent for liquor.

In rural India the rigidity of caste system emerges more than in the urban context. Violence, humiliation, dependence and oppression become evident in a great extent and determine everyday life of Dalit women.

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

Marudhar Ganga Society was registered under Rajasthan Society Act 1958 in the year 1993. Presently organisation has been working in 80 villages of Mandore and Osian panchayat Samitis of Jodhpur district. Organisation has been working for overall empowerment of weaker sections of the society namely women and dalits. Organisation believes in lights of its experiences that unless these marginalized section of the society do not raise the issues related to denial of their basic rights by themselves there can not be sustainable and meaningful impact on their lives. The dalit men and women can only lead a dignified life if they can exercise their rights. However, the social norms are so deep rooted that the dalits have internalized the subordination. Hence the dalits needs to develop a positive self image and identity, collectively voice against injustice. Any voice to oppose this age - old discriminatory practices carried against Dalit should come out from the Dalit community only.

Mission: “TO BUILD CAPACITIES OF DALITS AND MARGINALISED SECTIONS OF THE SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY WOMEN, AROUND ISSUES RELATED TO THEIR LIVES AND LIVELIHOOODS SO THAT THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIVES”

Organisation has been making efforts in the direction of its mission through capacity building programme for leadership development in the area through structured and unstructured initiatives.
Secretary – Mr. Bharat kumar Bhati

A born rebel, a non believer in religion, a born leaders, a dalit. Born in Meghwal dalit family with seven siblings to decide what was best for him, he was married when he was still in his teens, forcing him to discontinue his education and start looking after an equally young wife and a widowed mother.

However, what scarred him for life and propelled him to become what he is today was him “belonging to a low caste” according to the varnas. Humiliation by the higher castes, be it in school where he was given water from a separate tap, the village barber who refused to cut his hair or stories of harrassment at the hands of influential thakurs and rajputs, Bhatiji had faced it and assumed it as part of life early on.

In school itself, when higher caste students roughed up his friends, for no other reason than that they were dalits, the seeds of protest had been sown. He managed to collect 1000 people and marched to the Jodhpur collector’s office in protest. Police beatings and protest marches became a way of live after this.

Marudhar Ganga Society (MGS) was born thus in the form of a community based organisation (CBO) with its base in Manaklav, 25 Kms. Away from Jodhpur city.

The journey of this man and the organisation through last twelve years has been full of twists and turns, successes and failures, partnerships and dismissals. Having to support a family, restricting his dream of studying further and coping with the mental pressure of being a dalit were just some of his hardships.

ACTIVITIES

Marudhar Ganga Socieity has been making efforts in two way to empower vulnerable sections of the society. One is organising on issues related to basic rights and secondly promoting livelihood amongst the community.

The organisation is currently involved with a movement “Dalit Rights Campaign” in Osian and Mandore blocks of Jodhpur district. The campaign is a part of initiative undertaken in seven blocks of Jodhpur and Barmer district in collaboration with a set of principally agreeable partner voluntary agencies and independent Dalit activists of Western Rajasthan. The core strategy of the initiative is awareness and leadership promotion among dalit community, so that they can take up initiatives to raise issues affecting their lives and livelihood.

The movement is facilitated by Dalit Resource Centre, which is primarily run by block level committee of Dalit leaders. The existing Dalit Resource Centres (DRC) at Maneklav has clearly emerged as a block level apex institutions for mobilisation, organising and struggle for equity and social justice. This centre has been working as a platform for planning, designing interventions, management of the movement, monitoring and furthering the ongoing dalit rights campaign. Organisation has facilitated around 40 village level groups which have been federated at block level.

The organisation has been addressing following issues;
1. Raising issues related to denial of basic rights
i. Dalit mobalising and organizing
ii. Elimination of discrimination with the dalits at public places
iii. Addressing the cases of dalit atrocity

2. Strengthening livelihoods of dalits
i. Linking dalits with government programmes
ii. Releasing encroached land of dalits
iii. Eliminating social ill practices amongst dalit castes.


A. Raising issues related to denial of basic rights

1. Strengthening dalit organising and mobilising
Any voice to oppose age-old discriminatory practices carries against Dalit should come out from the Dalit community only. Based on the understanding organisation has engaged itself in identifying and nurturing a brigade of Dalit community leaders through a series of capacity building interventions. The idea behind such approach is to promote both individual and collective leadership among dalit community.
Block level committee members

Presently around 25 village institutions have been formed at the village level to oppose any forms of discrimination. These village level committees are further federated at the block level to give a wider reach. Around 100 village level leaders have been identified and nurtured under the canvas of this committees. These leaders have started asserting their basic rights with a higher degree of self-confidence. Various training programmes have been organised for these leaders for their leadership development and perspective building.


2. Campaign against discrimination of Dalits at public places

Dalits are treated as untouchables and denied access to water, public services and other common village resources. Untouchability can be observed in overt and crudest form in the common public places like primary schools, Public Health Centres, Panchayat buildings, water collection points, temples etc.

A campaign has been initiated by the civil society leaders collectively to eliminate discrimination against dalit practices in common public places under the banner of Dalit Adhikar Abhiyan. These leaders have raises such cases through the platform of the village and block level people’s institutions.
Every month the community leaders identify discriminatory practices at the village level and complain the matter to the district administration, the state human right commission, collector, divisional commissionar etc were also apprised of these complains.

Dharna against discrimination

PHOTO

3. Addressing Dalit atrocities
Western Rajasthan is experiencing escalating incidences of dalit atrocities in the recent years. A large number of atrocity cases remain unreported due to the indifferent and apathetic approach of the police machinery. Even the cases filed by some victims have failed to seek justice due to legal loopholes and procedural delays. The inquiries of atrocity cases are further delayed by the police officers. Such delays provide ample opportunities to the caste elements to neutralise the inquiry by roping in political pressure. The victims also succumbed to the series of pressure created by the dominant caste forces due to delay in police probing.
Rally protesting human rights violation

Victims of cases related to Dalit atrocities are supported in their quest to seek justice. The support ranges from providing counselling services to free/subsidised legal services to the victims. Some lawyers voluntarily stepped forward and are currently extending support to the ongoing movement. The police stations of Jodhpur and Barmer district have observed sharp rise in registration of FIRs related to dalit atrocities in the recent months. Perhaps it need to be mentioned here a large number of cases related to dalit atrocity goes unreported due to lack of any concrete support from within and outside the dalit community. Around 15 cases have been addressed by our DRCs in the last four years.


B. Strengthening livelihoods of dalits

1. Linking dalits with various government schemes
The decline of poverty level in western Rajasthan is notwithstanding with the spectacular rise in budgetary allocation for poverty alleviation programmes in the recent years. The incidences of poverty are largely found among the dalit community. The government programmes meant for the socio-economic upliftment of the dalits and marginalised community is not trickling to the needy. Such failure can be largely attributed to lack of awareness among the dalit community. By and large, masses enjoying patronage enjoy the fruit of developments. The practice of corruption followed by procedural complexity further inhibits the dalits from the structured development intervention of the state and central government.

The DRCs are equipped with information from all spheres related to the lives and livelihoods of the Dalits. These DRCs disseminated information about various schemes and government programmes especially meant for dalit community at village level.

During the last five years the organisation have benefited around 1000 dalit households through various government schemes.

5. Release of land encroached by caste forces
Land alienation has emerged as a pressing problem affecting the livelihood of the dalit community (Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes) on a large scale in western parts of Rajasthan. The problems dates back to the early nineteen-century, when majority of the land (about 60 %) in western parts of Rajasthan were belonged to the dalit community. The process of alienation started when local influential caste forces forcibly occupy the land of the dalits. In some cases they purchases the lands forcing the dalits. Threats were commonly applied when enticement failed to do the tricks. The local influential caste forces in communion with political elements had played a significant role in grabbing lands belonging to the dalit community. The influential families to gain control of lands owned by the dalit community also routinely manoeuvred the Rajasthan Land Tenancy Act, 1955 created to regularise the land possession and collection of revenues.

We have taken a strong cognizance of the plights of the dalits whose lands have been grabbed by the caste forces. We have started addressing such cases at the local level in Thar desert region.

Action against land encroachment

We have been fighting in cases which involves around 1000 bighas of lands of dalits.

6. Initiating social reform process amongst dalit castes
Apart from fighting with external forces we have also started process of internal reforms amongst dalit comminities. During our experience of last five years, we have found traditional dalit panchs have been playing an instrumental role in this regard. One of the major issues of concern is internal discrimination which is a major challenge for unity and organising amongst the dalit castes. To eliminate this we have organised a community feast in Maneklav. In this feast 100 persons of different community (Meghwal, Kalbeliya, Jatiya, Natiya, Bavri, Satiya, Sargar, Dhholi etc.) participated. It was also decided to organise such activities in other villages. In this regard such feasts were organised in 10 villages. A certain corner of the society do not like the bold step and also threatened us though situation is under control presently.

One other area of concern is social illpractices like Mrutyubhoj, Child marriage etc. We look at such issues primarily as economic issues as criticising its solely on social basis hampers the process of developing positive self identity of dalits. In the villages Surpura, Jajiwal, Bhatiyan etc. such activities were resisted. Also in such cases legal actions were taken.

C. Other activties

1. Initiative with Kalbeliya community

Kalbelias are the snake charming community who are based in the different areas of Jodhpur division. The districts covered are Jodhpur, Jaisalmir, Barmer, Pali, Sirohi and Jalore. In Jodhpur district they are settled in almost all the 9 blocks. The population of the Kalbelia community in Jodhpur district ranges between 5000 to 6000. Apart from snake charming by playing flute “bin” the other major economic activity is carried out by the women belonging to the community. The girls can dance to the lure of the flute and can charm people. The Kalbelia dance is famous throughout the world. Very few of the Kalbelia people have land and as a result, they cannot carry out agricultural practices. The community is a nomadic one. They migrate to different places and earn their bread either through snake charming or through begging.


The major issue with them is their identity crisis. They are considered in the Other backward caste while they should be included in the Schedule caste. The reason why they are included in the OBC is that they use the title “Nath” at the end of their name and the “Nath” are included in the OBC. The problem thus lies in the fact that they are not streamlined with the Government programs meant for the scheduled caste. Another major issue was that since they are considered as the OBC their land was purchased by the OBCs and general caste people. Had they been under the SC community their land would not have been sold because there is a legal provision that the land belonging to the SC cannot be purchased by anyone.
The other major issue with them is that the girls belonging to the community travel even to abroad to perform their dance. The dance programs are organized by the agents and as a result there are exploitations with the girls.

Dalit Resource and Information Centre raised the issue of their identity. From September 2002 onwards the members of the DRIC carried out a survey in the Mandor, Osian, Bilara and Shergarh blocks of Jodhpur district listed down the names of the 50 families who do not have a “Jati Praman Patra” in the Scheduled caste category. During the survey it was found that in the Rampura Gram Panchayat of Osian block , Momnath Sardarnath Kalbelia was already given a Jati Praman Patra for SC by the district administration. Therefore, it was apparent that the Kalbelia community are entitled with the SC Jati Praman Patra.

Presently the organisation is involved in addressing the issue at both local level through organising and advocating at administration level.

2. Community based monitoring of drought related schemes

“SAT KAL, SATIAS JAMANA, TIRSATH KABAKACHA BAKI TINGHESAN” (– in every hundred years, there are seven years of acute drought, twenty seven scarcity years, sixty three manageable years and three normal years) – This is a local maxim highlights the prevalence of drought in Rajasthan. During the drought conditions, people have to face acute shortage of drinking water, fodder, food grain and employment.

During the drought situation the organisation response to the existing needs of the people. Overall objectives of our intervention are two fold; one – building capacities of civil society institutions to combat drought and two - providing relief to the most vulnerable sections of the society.

Government initiates special drought related schemes and programmes for food security like Antyodyay Yojna, gratuitous relief programme, Annapurna Yojna etc. for vulnerable sections of the society. Also government initiats drought relief work to generate employment at village level. Most of these schemes were implemented through Panchayats.

Many times these schemes are not reaching to the most vulnerable sections of the society due to lack of information, poor accessibility and lack of political will. Usually the list of vulnerable families developed through panchayat. But at times, needy vulnerable families are not listed due to lack of proper orientation on vulnerable analysis by panchayat representatives and Gram sabha.

We are making efforts to ensure vulnerable families to access these these benefits. In this regard, village level meetings are organised to identify vulnerable families.

3. Strengthening Panchayati Raj instituions
We believe that a tranperant and accountable local governance at local level could make significant different in the lives of poor sections of the society. After the 73rd amendment, weaker sections have got opportunities to participate in this democratic process.

We have been making efforts to strengthen local governance through gramsabha/ward sabha mobilisation and providing support to dalit and women panchayat representatives. Also we undertook a campaign for free and fair election during the last elections.

Also these institutions are instrumental in the linking various government schemes to dalits and other vulnerable sections of the society. We have developed a positive linkages with the institutions.

FUTURE PLAN

We are planning to initiate following actions for broader and more intense role of Marudhar Ganga Society.
1. Close monitoring of health and education service provided by the government: Health and education are two basic services which are critical for any community. Presently because of administrative attitude and lack of awareness both the services are in a very poor shape. We are planning to launch a campaign to mainstream both the services through mobilising and organising dalits. Though we have bee doing this work for years, we now want it to make more proactive and focussed. In this regard we have also undertaken a field level study to understand and know the field realities of the services.
2. Linkages with like minded institutions at local and regional level: We do believe that one single organisation is not enough to raise issues related to basic rights. We need to develop positive linkages with various civil society institutions and activists to promote our cause. This would also help us in mutual learning process. During the future this efforts would be strengthened.