Volume 6, No. 5, May 2005

It was a mass education campaign by the Nari Mukti Sangh against patriarchal oppression and for women’s liberation conducted in league with the popular cultural troupe ‘Jharkhand Abhen’ (Jharkhand Jagruti or awakening) all over Jharkhand. The campaign began from March 1st and went on till March 20th. Over 10 public meetings were held in different districts of Jharkhand coupled with extensive campaigns in the respective regions, prior to the public meeting. While intensive campaigning started from March 1st, the NMS had begun its campaigning in the villages of Jharkhand in February itself. The main political focus of the campaign was the focus on linking women’s liberation with the revolutionary transformation of society. The roots of patriarchy were traced to the existing semi-feudal system in the country, further aggravated by imperialist culture. The speeches, songs, street plays, slogans, etc, spoke of equal rights for women, women’s liberation, democracy and the need for socialism through revolution.

The campaign comprised a central programme in Dhanbad, followed by a series of public meetings in the various districts of Jharkhand. In a revolutionary festival like atmosphere the message was taken far and wide. While the Dhanbad programme was done jointly by three women’s organisations the rest were organised by NMS alone.

The three organisations that jointly organised the Dhanbad programme were the NMS, the Marxvadi Nari Morcha (affiliated to A.K.Roy’s Union) and the Mahenatkash Mahila Ekta Manch (Oppressed Women’s Unity Platform). To make the March 8 Dhanbad programme the NMS formed and ‘International Women’s Day Campaign Committee’. A team of about 100 volunteers belonging to the NMS and ‘Jharkhand Abhen’ reached Dhanbad on March 1st itself. Most were women and young girls. A commune was set up in a Dharamshalla in the heart of the city and an office was opened.

On the night of the first, a meeting was held with all the propaganda teams, including the postering teams, the wall-writing teams, the fund-collection teams, the banner writing team, the cultural teams, the street theatre team, and even the team for preparing the food for the commune. From the very next day the propaganda campaign began and went on non-stop till the sixth. About 60 meetings and cultural performances were held in Dhanbad and neighbouring townships as in Sindri, Katras, Jharria, Topchachi, Gobindapur, Baliapur, Kendua, etc. By March 7th entire Dhanbad was covered with banners and red festoons. Also at major road crossings Chinese festoons with five stars were put up. In six places decorated gates were set up with the banner saying that the Nari Mukti Sangh welcomes you.

Then March 8th arrived. The ‘Jharkhand Abhen’ troupe dance their way to the flag-hoisting ground with red banners, and bow and arrow in their hands. The people gathered to watch. The communist flag, with the hammer and sickle was hoisted by the Committes’s convenor, Asha Hembrem, while the NMS flag (which has five stars on it together with a hand holding a mashal) was hoisted by an NMS activist, Com. Chameli. This was followed by a song/dance on the red flag and a song on the NMS flag by the young girls team of ‘Jharkhand Abhen’. This was followed by laying wreaths on the martyr’s column, a song on martyrs and two minutes silence in memory of the heroic martyrs who laid down their life for the revolution.

Then the entire gathering got ready for the procession, forming into two lines. At the head was the banner of the organisers. Behind it were five women comrades with big placards in their hands. This was followed by the ‘Jharkhand Abhen’ team of hundred youngsters in two lines performing the now famous "war dance" with bow-and-arrows in their hands and sung to traditional tunes of the region. Throughout the procession it was this "war dance" and its revolutionary son that attracted the maximum attention of the public. This troupe was followed by the mass of women, many with children in their arms. And finally the procession was made up by the men participating in it. The procession, which continued for over two hours wound its way through all the main streets of Dhanbad, with the city ringing with the slogans of International Women’s Day.

Finally the procession reached back to the grounds and by 4.00 pm the public meeting began. The programme began with a song on martyrs by ‘Jharkhand Abhen’ and then the meeting was conducted by a presidium, comprising comrades Salina, Namita and Asha Hembram. Com. Hembram gave the welcome address. Then the Jharkhand secretary of NMS, Com. Chandmuni Hansda, spoke on the significance of International Women’s Day in the present context. She spoke of the important role that women must play at a time when imperialism is launching vigorous attacks from all sides, as it is the women who are more oppressed. She spoke further of the necessity for the wide mobilization of the masses, particularly the women, if at all success is to be achieved in the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal struggles.

Next com. Tridev Ghosh of the PUCL, Ranchi spoke. He said that today women who are struggling is not just for their own liberation but that of entire society. He added that we must take others struggles as our own and that only if we are able to also draw in the intellectuals into the struggle will women’s liberation be possible. The next speaker was the famous Dhanbad lawyer, Satyanarayan Bhattacharyya, who traced the history of the NMS saying that he saw himself the NMS March 8th programme in 1990 and its growth since then. He added that the NMS is leading a genuine struggle for women’s rights, self-respect and equality. Also it is importance that women are in the forefront of the battle against exploitation in which the entire workers and peasants are involved. Then the convener of the Jharkhand unit of the Jan Pratirodh Manch, Jiten Marandi, spoke of the need for the women’s liberation movement to unite with the ongoing revolutionary peasant movement for the victory of the new democratic revolution with the aim of establishing a socialist system. He added that the government is cruelly suppressing this just struggle and resorting to all types of false propaganda against it, yet it is growing in strength.

Besides this there were a number of other speakers like Comrades B.P.Rakshit, Santoshi, Aloka, Aroop Chatterjee, etc. All speeches were interspersed with lively cultural programmes. The meeting finally culminated at 8.00 pm.

March 8th programmes were held in a number of districts of Jharkhand and Bihar. Many of the reports of the meetings have not yet reached as those in Gaya and North Bihar. Some are reported below.

One of the most effective programmes was held in the East Bihar district of Jammui-Jhajja which culminated in a rally and public meeting of 8,000. For the success of this programme one troupe of the ‘Jharkhand Abhen’ reached the area for campaigning on Feb.25th itself. They held over 15 programmes with cultural performances in the districts of Bhagalpur, Banka, Jammui and Mungeer. The final public meeting and rally at the Jhajja Chandramari Footbal Ground was the first ever March 8th programme by the NMS here. The public meeting had a presidium comprising comrades Salma, Vinita and Lallipadi. The speeches, rally and cultural programme went on till 12 at night.

A programme had been fixed for March.12th in Vijaygiri of Ranchi district (South Chota Nagpur region). To foil the programme a huge contingent of police occupied the ground from 12th morning itself. Seeing this, the NMS decided on a protest demonstration defying the police action. On March 13th International Women’s day was held with a public meeting and rally in which 1,500 women participated. This too was the first ever programme of NMS held in this place.

On March 15th International Women’s Day was celebrated at Rajarppa Project in Hazaribagh district. 2,500 people participated in this programme. On March 16th there were two programmes — one in Jamtalla district of Santhal Parganas, and the other in Meenas Bazar of West Singhbum district. About 600 people gathered in both places for the public meeting/cultural programme and rally. This was the first such function in Santhal Parganas.

Also on March 16th a programme had been fixed in Medninagar of Palamu district. On the day of the programme Medninagar was virtually turned into a police camp. NMS supporters had begun to reach Medninagar from the morning itself from different directions. The police resorted to a cane charge in various places and arrested about 200 women activists. They were detained for two days. On the third day the women gheraoed the police station in protest against the repression and threw stones at the police officials, in which some were injured.

On March 19th a programme was held in Palganj of Girdhi district. Here the cultural performance went on through the night. About 1,000 people attended the public meeting and rally. This programme was coordinated by Comrades Salma, Pinki, Santoshi and Mahesh.

Every year the Nari Mukti Sangh has been holding such programmes all over Jharkhand and Bihar on the occasion of International Women’s Day. This has been going on since the year of its formation in 1990. In the process it is able to widely propagate its views and draw more and more women into the revolutionary movement for change. Also it has helped spread the significance of March 8th throughout the area and increased the consciousness of women regarding their rights.

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