Section 6: Case studies

 1. Backache in Women (Part 1 for Tool 3)

Phalguni Devi lives in a village in the hills. She is a mother of six children. Her youngest son is about ten years old. Her own age is about 44. Her husband is a peon in district cooperative bank in a small town ten km away from her village. She has been suffering from backache for last ten years.

 

Her schedule through the day is quite busy even now, though for the last two years she has had a daughter in law to help. While Kamla, her daughter in law, brings fodder and fuel from the forest, five km away, she brings water, from a spring about 500 yards away.

 

Their village participated in a Swajal (worldbank) scheme to provide potable water and basic sanitation to all the villages; but during the initial planning phase, it was discovered that her village did not have adequate water resources round the year which could be tapped for a gravity fed supply scheme. Their village could benefit only by lifting water from a nearby river.  Swajal scheme was taking up only gravity fed water schemes at the time, so her village was bypassed.

 

Her gram panchayat every year receives small funds form District Development Office, for construction activities under Jawahar Rojgar Yojana. For last five years, these funds have been spent for repair and maintenance of the 1.5 km footpath, which links the village to the main road; This is the spot where an occasional bus stops and a few tea shops are located. The path going to the forest or the dilapidated spring, have never received any attention, even though in many village meetings two women panchayat members have mentioned it as a pressing problem.

 

Women’s life in her village revolves around water, fuel and fodder for cattle. With overuse, forest cover has been shrinking and now, they have to walk further, to fulfill their needs for fuel and fodder. Since every trip takes about three hours, women try to collect as much fodder as they can carry. Sometimes, this exceeds their “carrying” capacity and then either they leave part of their collection in some secluded corner of forest or just take more rests and carry on.

 

Once an army man in her village who was on leave, showed them how to make a harness out of broad canvas tape, to carry heavy loads on their backs, rather than head; It was adjustable and being flat did not bite into the flesh. But everyone laughed at this fancy contraption and no one used it.

 

Traditionally, men in these villages have either gone to armed forces or joined local politics or become contractors for petty government construction jobs. Even those who do not have a job, would rather go to the tea shop at the road and discuss various socio-political issues. Actually collecting water, fuel and fodder – is considered women’s job. Young boys, mostly school drop outs, help with grazing cattle in forest, at the most. Men go to forest only occasionally – for hunting wild boar or barking deer for meat, during festivals.

 

The last time when Phalguni was taken along with a group of seven women members of Self Help Group, to the nearby city, they saw a solar cooker. It had a mirror which reflected all the heat to cooking pots and cooked tasty food in a few hours with out fuel or smoke. It appeared so simple, that she thought she could handle it easily. Also, due to government subsidy, it cost only Rs 800/-. But she did not have the money at that time. Afterwards when she spoke to her husband, he advised her to wait for a few months.

 

Backache in Women: (Part 2 for tool 4)

She has been suffering from backache for quite some time. Since it was a common problem among women, she never bothered about it. Some women in the village thought that it was related to problem of “white discharge” and hence difficult to cure. Later on, she attributed it to her advancing age. Some more years passed. But one winter, it became so bad, that she could not get up from her bed.

 

This village is visited every fortnight by a medical team from a local voluntary agency. A RMP doctor (“quack” according to some) also lives in the village. But as is the custom among women, a Jagari (faith healer) was consulted. Jagari offered special worship on her behalf to Raj-Rajeshawari, the local goddess; He asked Phalguni to keep some special offered rice grains under her pillow and also gave her a thread to tie on her right big toe. In exchange he took only some rice and wheat.

 

Her husband offered to take her to the PHC, in the small town ten kilometre away where he worked, as peon. But Phalguni declined. She knew that Bhuri, her cow, would not give milk to any other hand. Her youngest son, Makanu, also was no better. He would not eat, unless she sat in front and fed him with her own hands. Even though it was only ten kilometers away, but she had heard from other women that it would easily take one whole day. There was just one bus returning to her village in the evening. PHC was located 3 km out of the town and its timings were such that she knew that last bus would be missed, and they would have to return only the next day.

 

What actually made her uncomfortable about going to the hospital, was what she had heard from Ashadhi, her friend in SHG: The male doctor there did not agree to write medicines without examining patients, even if they were women. How could she show her back to a stranger?

 

Despite all these fears, a year ago, when pain became unbearable, Phalguni decided to take her chances and go to the doctor at PHC. A day was decided. But, that very day Kamla, her daughter in law, started her labor pains! What could be done now? Nothing. She had to cancel her trip and stay back.

 

Over last one year, a strange thing has been happening. Phalguni has been getting visitations from the local goddess – Raj-Rajeshawari, every few months. She throws her limbs around, makes strange sounds. Then she collapses on the ground and sleeps for the rest of the day. These episodes of visitation by the goddess have come in close proximity with the bouts of backache. They have left her dazed but somewhat better and relieved. Many other women, suffering from backache, touch her feet during these episodes and have claimed improvement.

 

Better sex ratio in a mountain village? (Part 1 for tool 3)

If you live in Kuthalgaon, there is a fair chance that you will not celebrate your 50^th birthday – if, and this is an important if, you are male.

 

Sometime back, a local NGO did a census study in this village of 2400 people. They were happily surprised that unlike the plains, in this mountain village, there were 1014 females for every 1000 males. Some people were suspicious of this finding and wanted to look deeper. It was discovered that 15% of female population was 50 yrs or older, while only 11% of male population was in that age group.

 

This entire region has poor land and irrigation resources: soil is rocky, uneven and agriculture is dependent on rain exclusively. There are no practical alternatives to rain. So, agriculture here has never produced surplus, which could be sold in distant markets. Some small farmers are able to produce only about six month’s grain requirement from their fields. To fulfill the needs for cash income, every family tries to send a son to the army. Those who can not qualify for army, become drivers on the narrow tortuous mountain roads.

 

Then, there is a third category of men who follow adventurous path to big money. Some of them collect rare herbs - jhoola illegally from forest. Jhoola sells for Rs2000 to 3000 per kilogram in places like Delhi. It is a fungus, which grows on the high branches of Oak and Cedar trees in dense and moist forest. Sometimes forest department guards arrest them. But what can really spoil or end their career, are accidents: attacks by wild animals and slipping & falling from a tree. Often when this happens, they are 2-3 days trek away from their villages.

 

In this category, there is another group, which traps wild animals for their skin and other parts (like bear’s spleen, tiger’s teeth) for smuggling. Last time, Ramesh got caught in a trap set by some other hunter, was mauled by a bear and was brought half dead to the village on the third day.

 

Among all these occupations, the most honorable is joining the army. But there too lurks the danger. In last Kargil war, Kuthalgaon alone lost five young men. Two received Gallantry awards and three received Battalion honors. The region has the tradition of honoring its brave. A fair – Kargil Mela- has been instituted in the memory of these five young men, to be held on the first of Ashadh, every year. Still most young men dream of studying up to class ten and then enroll for Garhwal Rifles (Army).

 

Drivers come next in the scale of desirable professions. You don’t need much education. First, one has to be a cleaner on some vehicle and work hard for at least 3-5 yrs. Then, one gets a chance to get the steering and drive on some unfrequented path. For about Rs 3000, you can get the commercial vehicle driving license without a proper driving test!

 

Drivers are notorious for drinking. Some drink when they get a major booking during marriage or “yatra” season. Suddenly, they are rich and the occasion has to be celebrated with friends. Some get drunk, after finishing a long and hard drive on bad roads. And there are others, who feel that without a couple of pegs they would not have courage to drive at all. Then there are also cases of drivers being forced by the merry making marriage party to have a peg or two, before driving the Barat (bride groom’s party) to the bride’s village. No wonder, accidents occur.

 

 

Better sex ratio in a mountain village? (Part 2 for tool 4)

When Ramesh was brought half dead from the forest last year, the village quack who had worked in the city, saw him and said – if he is to be saved he must be taken to the Trauma hospital in the city, 40 km away. At least Rs ten thousand must be sent along with him.

 

Ramesh was hesitant since he knew that trapping of wild animals is a legal offence and if the hospital authorities informed the nature of his injuries to the police, he could be questioned. But his brother took the initiative and took his (Ramesh’s) wife’s ornaments and raised a loan of another Rs five thousand from the village.

 

It was evening and the last bus had already left. Gopal the taxi driver, from the next village was contacted, who offered his services free since he and Ramesh used to go to the same village school as children. They were fast friends.

 

Ramesh was admitted in the intensive care unit. During the night, doctors decided that his left leg must be amputated below the knee to save his life. Ramesh gave his consent for the doctors to go ahead.

 

After two weeks in the hospital, Ramesh returned to the village, on crutches but alive. Gram panchayat, decided to allot him a grocery shop in the village square, so that he can generate at least his own pocket expenses.