We are aware of high-profile women candidates contesting the lok Sabha election. There are other brave ones
Smriti Irani, fighting the lok Sabha election from Amethi, has hogged the limelight for challenging Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, considered to be the undisputed winner from this constituency. Ms Priyanka Vadra is in the news virtually every day for challenging the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition party. The long and impressive list of dignitaries also has Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalalithaa, Sushma Swaraj, Shazia Ilmi, Uma Bharti and BSP leader Mayawati.
Added to these famous names are numerous other women political leaders across the country who have made it large in a field dominated by male leaders. They have fought at a level where their struggle was supported by the public and the media. Thousands of miles away from the metropolitans, a silent struggle has been on for several years now, fighting societal norms that are even more patriarchal and more rigid. This struggle demands no limelight but the support of its own people.
Two hundred and thirteen kilometre from Srinagar lies Kargil. Otherwise invisible from the media glare, Kargil has suddenly popped up on the media scene during the ongoing lok Sabha election and is, of course, likely to vanish as predictably soon after the election is over. In this hinterland, politics and patriarchy have always been partners and blatantly biased against equal rights for women. Defying all norms, 51-year-old Hajia Marzia is among those women pioneers who have pulled their weight in the challenge of governance. Hailing from the small hamlet of Tumail, 25km from Kargil town, this zealous woman ventured to step out of her secure domestic domain into the world of politics.
Out there, in the region made famous by the war of 1999, women were scarcely seen in political bodies like panchayats and other local political organisations, until the recently-mandated reservations gave women space in panchayat elections. Viewing it as an opportunity, Hajia nominated herself in the 2002 panchayat election from Tumail Colony. But the unsupportive environment and harsh verbal accusations compelled her to pull out from the proceedings.
Her hopes received a new direction in 2003, when the ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council election was introduced in Kargil. The Hill Council, as it is commonly referred to, is a 30-councilor team. The objective of the Hill Council is to record punctual surveillance of the development work by ensuring transparency and accountability in the district administration. Work plans are made at the grassroots level, taking the councillors, panchas and sarpanchas into confidence. The model of the Hill Council was first adapted in leh district in 1995 on the pattern of Darjeeling Hill Development Council. later in 2003, Kargil district was brought in the realm of the lAHDC for the border development of the people of the area. Hazia couldn't resist herself from taking the chance to become a member of this newly-formed council as she knew this was her chance to bring change in society.
“It is only when you have political power that no one questions your ability to make society a better place to live”, she believes. Yet, her struggle continued, for she was constantly targeted for reasons which had no rational roots and judegment. The two setbacks did not deter Hajia who, after spending several years in Iran, was distressed on her return to India to see that there was only one primary school in her village, and that too in a dilapidated state. To contribute her bit for the betterment of society, she converted the ground floor of her house into a primary school where she taught for almost 17 years.
This was not all. She wanted to involve her community in this initiative too. She tried to convince the villagers to donate an unoccupied piece of community land to build a proper school. Despite her continuous struggle, she couldn't convince the local authorities or the villagers to help her in this noble task. It was because of lack of knowledge that people failed to understand the importance of a school and education. It was during the second general election of lAHDC in November 2008 that her efforts finally paid off and she became the first woman member in the history of the council. “Everybody has the right to participate in politics and make judicious use of one's legal authority. I have never believed in materialism. I have always led my life on the tenets of social work and bringing progress in the community”, shares Hajia, with a defined measure of strength
Hussain, a local, states, “She is one strong woman we have ever seen. She doesn't hesitate to voice her opinion, especially when in minority among the men in the office. She feels strongly for the society's betterment. She is standing for the right cause and has the ability to get the work done in time.”
Already an inspiration for young Kargili girls, Hajia has refuted many men and also women who are made to internalise the very false assertion that women have only limited roles to play. She has proved that women can rub shoulders with men in every walk of life and can be far more proficient than their male counterparts. What she has achieved for Kargili society is far more commendable than what today's leading political figures are claiming publicly for their position and fame.