BIHAR WOMEN

Day to rejoice rise of Bihar & its women

AAROHI KESHAV

Patna, March 7: The unprecedented number of women voters turning up at the polling booths during the Assembly polls last year took even the political parties by surprise. It was a sign that the women in Bihar had finally decided to step out of the four walls and become a part of the social, economic and political structure. This Women’s Day is special for all women in Bihar because after years of suppression and fear, they have finally tasted freedom and recognition. Even chief minister Nitish Kumar recognised their contribution in the thumping majority that the NDA clinched in the Assembly polls. The new regime, on its part, has given enough reasons to women to smile and celebrate their new-found freedom. The special government schemes announced for women have boosted their morale and confidence. With growing literacy and financial independence, women feel more empowered today to assert their right to a life of dignity and self worth. Garima Anand, a development sector employee, said: “Women here have witnessed a tremendous change in attitude of people towards them in the past five years. Be it any caste or class, women are being treated with much more respect now. When I completed my graduation some years ago, my mother was not ready to allow me to work in Bihar because she thought the atmosphere here was unsafe for women. Today, the situation has changed and so has the attitude.” She further added: “As part of my job, I have to travel a lot to remote areas. This was a major concern for my family earlier but now I feel no fear even if I am travelling alone to the remotest parts of the state, including in the Naxalite belt. I can say that I have witnessed drastic change in the law and order situation. I have seen Bihar changing and women getting more and more freedom in the past five years.” Not just the working women, even the homemakers expressed happiness over the change in scenario. Anamika Roy, a homemaker, said: “Bihar has now become a women’s state with more and more women becoming active in all spheres, including economical, social and political. They are ready to change for good.” Renu Ranjan, a mother of two daughters, said: “Earlier when my daughters would go out and not return on the said time, I used to get anxious as the situation was very bad. Now things have changed completely; my daughters go out without fear and we don’t panic when they say they will be late. There are days when they are out till 9pm. That fear of them getting abducted or raped is fast declining.” Swati Verma, an engineer working in Pune, said: “I was allowed to travel alone all over India, but every time I would come back to Bihar, I was always escorted by someone because travelling alone in Bihar trains was considered to be dangerous. Not just my family members even my relatives would fear for my safety when I would return home.” On being asked what change has she witnessed in the past five years, she said: “Women can now be seen travelling alone even around 10pm which is very surprising for me. Earlier, all families observed a self-imposed curfew in Bihar after the dawn. The picture has changed completely. The women here are more empowered than even the developed states in the country.” There has been tremendous rise in the number of working women in the state in the past five years. This development can be seen more in remote areas of Bihar where several government programmes have been launched to facilitate women empowerment. Reena Devi of Sherghati village in Gaya said: “Earlier, I was confined to the four walls of my house, but now the development and empowerment programmes have made me aware of my rights and given me a chance to become self-dependent. I now roam freely and attend self-help group meetings which earlier was a dream for women like me.” She further added: “In the Assembly polls last year, I cast my vote fearlessly and felt proud of my decision.”