Submergence Village Kundia, Madhya Pradesh
“Even the women had to join the struggle, if they didn’t, if they just sat at home, nothing would come of that. We may fare well, but the coming generations would have to bear the consequences, since this government wouldn’t have yielded. Women also needed to join, understand and see what is going to happen next. The movement gained a lot of strength because of the involvement of women. If women are there, men would feel that the police won’t be very aggressive because of the presence of women. So the movement in general, and the men in particular gained a lot of strength from women…Once they had arrested us from Badwani itself…The agenda of the program was that the construction of the dam should stop, and the issue of rehabilitation should be addressed first. That is, what is to happen? Which land would be given to which oustee? This was the issue initially, that first the construction of the dam should stop, and where is the land (for rehabilitation) for all? So they arrested everyone from there and took everyone to Maheshwar-Mandleshwar…I remember, it was the first time I was arrested…There were women police. They picked each of us one-by-one…. initially we did feel apprehensive about what could happen and what not? But it was okay. They arrested us in the morning…and freed us around 8-9 pm at night. They came to the village to drop us. So the fear reduced. We thought that we have to wage this struggle, and if we were to entertain fear, we won’t be able to carry on. If we have to fight this struggle, being afraid wouldn’t be of any help. If we feel fear, they would make us feel more afraid, so we conjured up courage in our hearts…Earlier, the daughters-in-law were supposed to be inside the house, they were not supposed to step outside, or were not supposed to talk with everyone. Or not talk in front of the elders. There was much restriction in the village in speaking before elders…Nowadays, you can talk to everyone. And since we traveled around, there is more knowledge also, so we can (converse) with anyone…”
This fascinating journey of Bhagvati bhabhi, is representative of women in the Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh who not only were just participants in the NBA but played important and diverse roles in the movement. This interview helps understand the transformation in women’s lives for being part of NBA, from a restrictive life they had in the patriarchal society of Nimad earlier to becoming free to the extent of confronting the state and even being jailed as a consequence.
Interview Duration: 0:52:49
Language: Audio in Hindi. Subtitles in English
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