The power of stree

What can a woman not do? Nothing, this collection of stories from around the country proves

Mother Teresa of Mau
By Kulsum Mustafa

Humble beginnings: It is from this small room that the Fatima dispensary was started in May 1977. (Pic: Kulsum Mustafa\WFS)

Mau, Uttar Pradesh: Dr Jude, the 67-year-old gynaecologist of the Medical Sisters of St Joseph, has dedicated her life to the service of the sick and poor u2013 never once turning away a patient. The Kerala-born doctor, who literally lives in the labour room at the Christian missionary-run Fatima Hospital in the poor Uttar Pradesh district of Mau, is fondly called the 'Mother Teresa of Mau'. Dr Jude joined the hospital over three decades ago. With the nearest government hospital being 40 kilometres away from Mau, Dr Jude's hands were full the moment she arrived. She has till date performed over 70,000 caesarean sections and has attended to an astounding 382 outdoor patients in a single day a record of sorts.
Simply terming her powers of healing as 'God's work', Dr Jude is today known across the region. "Without sleep or rest she worked day and night, never saying no to any patient..." is how Sister Roselet, the Mother Superior and one of the three founder members of the hospital, recalls the doctor's services. Dr Jude, who had left home to serve God at the age of 17, says, "I wanted to become a saint. I became a doctor instead." But for the poor of Mau she is the saint with a healing touch.

The highs and highs of an adventure addict
By Sakuntala Narasimhan
Bangalore, Karnataka: Clad in a Kancheepuram sari on her daughter's wedding, Bangalore-based Vasumathi Srinivasan looks every bit the archetypal middle-aged south Indian housewife. But leaf through record books and you will recognise her as the adventure buff who created a world record last year by leading the first ever all-woman desert safari expedition, riding a camel for 35 days across the Thar desert and the Rann of Kutch.
That's not all: Vasumathi was part of the first group of women to step into the Siachen glacier region with Bachendri Pal. Then, in 1996, she led the first army women's expedition to Kullu Pumori peak (21,500 ft) in Himachal Pradesh. She has also been to the Everest base camp five times. Amongst her many unforgettable experiences is a river-rafting incident on the Beas with Bachendri Pal during the early days of the sport in India. The party had lost their oars in the rapids and the raft had drifted towards a drop of 30 ft, even as TV cameras were filming from the banks. Vasumathi jumped into the water, carried a male member of the group on her back, and swam to safety, narrates the lady who has set up 'Adventure Zone' that organises camps for children.

Teenager spurns child marriage and gains national praise
By Renu Rakesh
Jodhpur, Rajasthan: At around 9.30 pm on April 21 last year, Asu Kanwar, a 14-year old village girl discreetly visited a public calling booth. "Some 200 people are holding a siege outside my village, Nedhana. They are threatening to kidnap me if I don't comply," she sobbed into the phone. At the other end, an official at the Rajasthan's Women and Child Development Department was already devising a rescue plan. Asu explained that she feared for her life as she had refused to marry the 40-year-old physically-challenged farmer her father had 'sold' her to for Rs 49,000 and a gold necklace.
Asu's defiance had gone against the social mores and enraged the community. A primary school dropout and the eldest of six children of a poor cattle herder, the sobbing youngster had no idea that her courage would earn her a 'National Bravery Award'. Asu Kanwar of Jodhpur received the award this January for standing up against child marriage, despite the threat to her life. Ironically, had it not been for her defiance, Asu's tale would have been nothing out of the ordinary for Western Rajasthan, especially Jaisalmer, where instances of child marriage and female infanticide are rampant.

Stitching together the fine art of patience
By Aparna Pallavi
Yavatmal, Maharashtra: "At the MP State Museum, the curator could not believe that I was actually practising the art. The specimens he had were all 150 years old or even older," says Bhopal-born Rajani Shirke, 37, one of the few practising exponents of kaseedakari u2013 the delicate ancient craft of embroidery of Madhya Pradesh, patronised by royalty over a century ago. Today, most of the kaseedakari specimens are in museums such as the Prince of Wales Museum, in Mumbai; and the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.
Despite the hundreds of hours it takes to produce a single piece of kaseedakari, not to mention the prohibitive expense involved, Shirke has not given up. In fact, she even trains young tribal women in this needlecraft in the hope that they may earn a living out of it. Rajani, who as a child was so fascinated by her mother's embroidery that she would steal her coloured threads and needles to practise sewing in secret, has been conferred an award by the MP government for her work in this area. Rajani has held solo exhibitions in Mumbai and Dubai. She is currently working on a tapestry of the Sanchi stupa, commissioned by the MP State Museum.

Lady Tarzan of the holiday trek
By Shuriah Niazi
Panna, Madhya Pradesh: Vidya Singh, 38, of the Gond tribe who, at the age of 16, sold kerosene in her village by ferrying the stock on her bicycle over 20 kilometres u2013 to combat abject poverty, today earns around Rs 2 lakh a year. Singh runs a trekking campsite for Indian and foreign tourists, 16 kilometres deep in to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Known as 'Lady Tarzan', Singh puts her tribal knowledge and daring to work as she treats guests campers, film makers, school children, and nature lovers to night treks across a 30-kilometre stretch of jungle between October and March.
"We are not afraid here. We have made the forest our friend," says Singh, who has ensured employment for many tribals and also divides the revenue that comes in amongst her tribal teammates. Singh who heads the Sabal Shah Eco Trekking Tourist Hut at the Jhinna trekking camp, situated 16 kilometres from the Madla gate of the reserve on the banks of Kilkila, realises that the camp has changed her life for the better. She is keen that other tribal women become associated with her venture but rues that early marriage and the lack of education among most tribal women are obstacles to their empowerment.

Superwoman wields metei magic
By Anjulika Thingnam Samom
Imphal, Manipur: Phundreimayum Najma, 35, is no stranger to discrimination. As a young girl born into a pangan (Meitei Muslim) family in a Santhel village - about 30 kilometres from Imphal - she has fought tooth and nail for education and the freedom to work. While her first marriage ended in a divorce and left her a victim of domestic violence, she has braved social ostracism to empower destitute women and victims of domestic abuse.
From establishing self help groups (SHGs) of women selling vegetables and rearing cows, and thus generating an income independent of their husbands; to fighting domestic violence and gender discrimination cases; to opening a shelter home for destitute 'pangan' women the first of its kind in Manipur Najma's journey has been fraught with obstacles and struggle. She has persisted in the face of opposition from angry men to help troubled women stand on their own two feet. Her efforts have translated into a social change, one that even her erstwhile opponents acknowledge. "One cleric approached me the other day and asked me to take in his daughter into our SHG work," she smiles in triumph.

Mama mia! Delivering babies at 80
By Swapna Majumdar
Solan, Himachal Pradesh: Nobody can accuse 80-year-old Shanti Devi of not keeping up with the times. Her 57 years of experience as a traditional birth attendant has not prevented her from adopting more modern practices. For instance, she no longer uses the sickle to cut the umbilical cord, and also ensures that her instruments are properly sterilised. People listen to her intently when she provides them with information on immunisation, birth registration and nutrition and yet she retains the wisdom of age-old practices.
When Shanti was frantically called to deliver neighboring Bimla's baby, it was absolutely still. So, she broke an earthen pitcher and put the bottom end over a charcoal-fuelled stove. Then she placed the placenta on it and by massaging the cord transferred the heat to the child. After about 30 minutes, the baby finally showed signs of life.
In rural India, where facilities for conducting institutional deliveries and postnatal care are often quite poor, Shanti Devi has made a great difference. Understandably, the sprightly lady, who has helped deliver many of the residents of this Solan hamlet and neighbouring areas, is a respected figure. And, yes, don't dare inquire about the sex of an unborn child, Shanti Devi will promptly put you in place.

In Kurukshetra,
a battle for toilets By Manipadma Jena
Kurukshetra, Haryana: Jasbir Kaur and her troupe of women in Khanpur Koliya village in Haryana's Kurukshetra district have brought about a remarkable change in their community. This won their village the prestigious government-instituted Nirmal Gram Puraskar (Clean Village Prize) in October 2008. It all began when Kaur was elected the local Mahila Mandal Pradhan in 2006. One of the first challenges the Mandal took up was to make their Gram Panchayat open-defecation free.
Kaur and her group formed 'Nigrani Samitis', or watch groups of 35 women, who fanned out to dissuade people from defecating in the open. The strategy included explaining to people how vector borne diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, worm infestation and hepatitis are the fallout of open defecation. Religious sentiment was also used Kurukshetra being the holy land of the Mahabharat.
The community soon realised that open defecation was a health hazard, but the issue of funding to build toilets persisted. Of the total 480 households, 255 Below Poverty Line households had to contribute Rs 300 each, even after getting the government subsidy. For the reluctant ones, Jasbir Kaur personally paid Rs 15,000. Over time, toilets started springing up in each house, changing the village forever.