“Without women like her we cannot do what we do,” said Dr. Fatima Burnad of Shakila Kalaiselvan, founder and leader of the Pallur Dalit Women’s Collective.
The Pallur Dalit Women Collective was formed in 2016 when Shakila sought the help of SRED’s Dalit Women’s Movement to claim 7.5 acres of illegally-occupied common land (waste lands) in two places in their community. After series of training meetings on Dalit Rights and Land Rights, Shakila organized and mobilized 40 Dalit women to assert their entitlements at the District Administration for Land Titles.
Growing up, Shakila had a very rough childhood. Her parents were landless agricultural laborers. Her father eventually left them for another woman, leaving her mother to raise two daughters single-handedly. Shakila saw how her mother had to struggle to support them with very measly labor wages. “She worked everyday in the fields, but when it was time for harvest we always still had nothing to eat.”
At the age of 16, Shakila got married to a Sri Lankan repatriate who was rejected by her community. Between her husband’s earnings doing odd jobs and her wages from agricultural labor, they could barely make ends meet for their three children, two boys and one girl.
This prompted Shakila to approach SRED. Now, with the women’s collective farm, Shakila attests, “This is the first time in my life that I get to bring home whatever I harvest. Before I couldn’t do that with my labor wages. It is the best feeling, to know that you are tilling your own land and growing your own food.”
Women in unity and action
However, despite the law clearly stating their right to land, the women met with serious hurdles, most chilling of which was an assassination attempt on Shakila herself.
At first, the District Administrator completely ignored them, even the Village Administrative Officer refused to give them the land maps they requested. They also approached the Taluk office where they were told that it is only “natural” for land owners to encroach on common land.
Seeing no positive and helpful response from the government, the women decided to assert their rights and take matters in their own hands. They hired a JCB to clear the land but when the driver found out that it was common land, he backed out. Still the women did not falter, they persisted to toil and eventually cleaned the rocky and thorny land themselves.
SRED supported them by providing a solar water pump to irrigate both lands. They were also provided with agricultural instruments and seeds that helped them preserve their own seed bank. Through the women’s perseverance and collective action, the lands became fertile and rain-fed. They dug up a pannai kuttai (farmwater-saving pond) to collect rain water and built tanks to store water.
All these efforts were met with obstacles from the government and local bureaucrats. They were first summoned by the Revenue Officers because of a petition by caste landlords alleging that the sand quarry they made will be used illegally. The women protested in front of the Revenue Officer and successfully refuted the allegations. They demanded to get their land titles but the Revenue Officer told them that, while they can continue to cultivate the lands, no titles will be given to them because the lands were supposedly intended by the government for cattle-grazing. In the end, the women succeeded in asserting their rights. They now have claimed the lands which they have fruitfully utilized for collective farming.
The Pallur Dalit women faced their biggest challenge yet when a landlord interested in buying their land attempted to have Shakila killed. The women exposed and fought this sinister attempt by supporting each other and asking the help of SRED and their supporters. Once again, the women’s strength in their unity and collective action enabled them to fight and overcome this grave threat against one of their sisters.
As Dalit women who historically were not allowed to own lands, be independent in decision-making, and were always discriminated against due to caste and gender, Shakila and the Pallur Dalit Women Collective serve as inspiration to all Dalit women. Because of their success, Shakila was able to mobilize 40 more women to occupy another 2.5 acres of land in Pallur. The collective had also already identified some 18 acres more to claim and have started a seed bank in preparation for organic farming.
Sustainable organic farming
Through the years and presently, as a collective, the women have been cultivating and harvesting lentil, corn, green gram, red gram and millets. SRED assisted them with various training programs on natural farming methods, including the preparation of vermicompost, natural manure and pesticides. Shakila and other collective members have also started driving the tractor.
The collective members equally share the produce after harvest. They have built their own water tanks and rainwater-collecting ponds from scratch. They put up their own pipe lines for irrigation. They have set-up their own office where they keep their agricultural instruments and seeds for collective farming.
Shakila had also attended meetings and conferences in local, national and regional events to share their successful and inspiring story. She attended the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partners (RCEP) meeting in Hyderabad, the All India Kissan Movement in New Delhi, the Delhi National Conference of Women organized by Makaam, and the National Dalit Conference in Pune to represent landless Dalit women, promote organic farming and condemn corporate land-grabbing. “Agricultural land should not be given to foreign investors. Farming in this country is dependent on small tenants and landless laborers, and the majority of labor comes from women.”
Support the Pallur Dalit Women Collective!
Despite their success, the Pallur Dalit Women Collective continues to be confronted with challenges. Even Dalit men themselves are against the women owning and cultivating land. The Village Officer is always attempting to drive them away from their land at the behest and influence of caste landlords and bureaucrats. They continue to face grave threats to their lives.
Just recently, their solar panels were stolen, and their borewell and motor for water are not operational and in serious need of repair. “If we do not continuously collectively cultivate the land, we will lose the land,” Shakila said.
But they cannot expect any support from the government because they asserted their rights. They need our support.
Help the Pallur Dalit Women’s Collective Farm reconstruct their solar panels and repair their farming equipment so that they can continue cultivating their farm, and maintain ownership of their precious land. The estimated cost for all these is USD$5,000.
Comentários