It is difficult to presume had Sarita Hansda not been rejected by her husband on the very first night she would not have been selling Handia under the thick shadow of a Jamun tree. Most of the others in the league of around eight women at the roadside ‘bar’ have their husbands or sons to take care of but still find themselves in the business to run their homes, send children to schools and buy medicines. Handia, the homemade rice beer, is in its hindsight, is also making homes of the lakhs of impoverished tribes.
“I don’t even know him. He brought another lady and left me on the first day of the marriage. I had to come to my father’s home. How long they could have fed me. Then I decided to make Handia and sell,” says the just 18-year-old sitting prettily with all-women-run-business. Fragile marriages like hers are the most common phenomenon among the Santhals, leaving women often at receiving ends all the time.
The easily available means of livelihood has been taken hand in hand in Santhal Pargana and also in other parts. Sights of groups of women serving the intoxicated liquid with cheap chakhna (snacks, often socked gram) to predominantly male customers are omnipresent. Though it is established as bane for tribal society due to other evils associated with alcoholism but it seems more a necessity for the women ‘entrepreneurs’, especially when they are deprived of most of the benefits of social security schemes.
“I do not get old age pension nor have home under Indira or Birsa Aawas Yojana. My son has removed me from the home and I am living in a hut. If I do not sell this what will I eatIJ I have nothing to feed myself,” says Fulmani Tudu, 65, of Balijor village falling under Modyam panchayat of Shikaripara in Dumka.
Fulmani is aware about ill-effects of the homemade alcoholic drink but find no other way amid abuzz political season and even before and after this.
Male family members of the Santhals do not find jobs other than cutting tree branches, making leaf plates or occasional labour jobs in towns. “These are not sufficient to meet two ends. We have land but without irrigation facility. Not other than paddy is grown. This forces the ladies into this,” said Arjun Tudu.
Ironically, most of the women and their family members have job cards given under MGNREGA but hardly get any work. There are many who have worked under the rural job scheme, intended to cater exactly this section of society, but still awaiting the payments to be made.
“None of us go to work in NREGA. They do not pay on time. Sometimes they pay after two-three months,” said Fulmani Tudu who denounces the flagship scheme terming it unfriendly to women, especially of her age.The only assistance comes to the women in the form of Antyodaya scheme but that also in curtailed manner. “I get a bucket of rice which contains 32 kg only against the entitlement of 35 kg. Even that rice is taken away by my son,” adds Fulen Tudu who is in her 70s.
Pushed from all sides, the hosts of women are left with no choice but to buy rice at Rs 16 per kg from open market and continue. “Handia requires khuddi (broken rice). Generally three bottles of Handia is made from one kg of rice. Besides, it requires ranoo (a local herb used to ferment the mixture) and firewood. After spending not less than Rs 20 we hardly make three bottles,” informs Sarita. A bottle of Handia is sold for Rs 10.
Frustrating is to know that Santhals were brought in the region by the Britishers to tame Paharia tribes and went on controlling major parts of their lands in the Santhal Pargana area. Top leaders of Jharkhand, including Shibu Soren and Babulal Marandi belong to this very tribe and are fighting to get Santhali votes in Dumka this time. But for the likes of Sarita Hansda Handia seems to be only companion to float or sink with.