DSS continually facilitates the dalit women through trainings and conferences. Every occasion is utilized to educate the dalit women on serious topics. General Body meetings provide one such occasion for a large gathering and a brain storming debate on an important theme. This occasion of large gathering of dalit women at one place is utilized to educate them by arranging inspiring speeches by stalwarts in Ambekar ideology, dalit empowerment, women empowerment, law etc. These resource persons enlighten the gatherings about their respective field of expertise. Annual Conferences serves the purpose of educating, boosting the spirit of all women activists and also sends the message to all sections that dalit women are marching ahead. Every year DSS chooses a relevant theme to impress upon the dalit women gathering in the general body in particular and the society in general. This year we have chosen social justice as the theme and titled it as: “Dalit-Adivasi Women and Social Justice”.
It is necessary to comment on the context why DSS had chosen social justice as the theme for State conferences at both the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The ruling political elite is
continually boasting of country's advancement in all the fields like, industrialization, agriculture and wealth creation. But in the ground reality, the Dalits, particularly the dalit women, are lagging behind in all fields. All opportunities of sharing the natural, social and political resources are denied to Dalits and dalit women. Quality education is denied to dalit girl children. Dalit, Adivasi women are not to be seen in the field of industrialization, political positions and jobs. The concept of social justice and equity was articulated and vehemently advocated by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He has taken care to provide protective discrimination clauses in the constitution. But today everything is denied in practice and no one is talking about the concept of social justice. On the other hand, now a days we see anti-dalit, anti-reservation talk raising its head. Budget allocations for Dalits is meagre and even what is allocated is not spent. Unfortunately, the powerful dalit movements of the 1980s is not seen now. The overall situation during the decade is discouraging. The present generation of Dalits are not fully aware of their rights and the idea of social justice. In a situation like this it is necessary to revive the concept of social justice and motivate the Dalits and dalit women to demand their equitable share in all resources. Hence, DSS felt it is necessary to inspire and equip the dalit women with an interaction of renowned women and men on the theme of social justice. With this objective in background the General Body meetings in the States of A.P. and Telangana were organized with the theme of Social Justice. The report of the meetings is given below:
State of Andhra Pradesh:
The 18th Annual Conference was conducted at Ambedkar Bhavan, Lenin Centre, Vijayawada on 8th February 2024 on the theme “Dalit/Adivasi Women – Social Justice”. Jhansi Geddam, National Convener of DSS presided over the meeting. Sri. Gandham Chandrudu, IAS, MD, Swatch Andhra Corporation was the Chief Guest. Other Honorable Guests that spoke on the occasion were: Sri. Rajeswara Rao, IRS, Rtd, Sri. Sarala Vandanam, Special Officer, Polavaram Project, Sri. Ramadevi, Psychologist, Sri. Shivani, Manager, Union Bank, Sri. Anupama, Coordinator, Bhoomika Women’s Collective, Sri. Srinivasa Naik, National General Secretary, ST Employees Association.
All the speakers appreciated the committed work of DSS for such a long time in empowering Dalit/Adivasi women. Speakers enlightened the audience on various aspects of Social Justice, constitutional provisions and the ways forward to achieve equity and social justice.
Jhansi Geddam, explained how DSS has united, educated and empowered large number of dalit women in both states by establishing women collectives in villages, mandals and at the state level. These women were empowered through trainings and now they are able to address issues by themselves. During past 18 years DSS addressed more than 10,000 major and minor atrocities on dalit women and girl children and rendered justice to the victims. DSS subscribes to the ideology of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and propagates the ideology among dalit women, men and girl children. DSS has been working with the coordination with the government officials in rendering justice to the victims. Due to the credibility established by DSS, it carved out a niche among the government, media and is now renowned nationally and internationally. Women collectives from village-mandal-district-state levels are involved in strengthening the organization. It is very difficult to run the organization, but DSS is able to surmount all difficulties including financial difficulty in maintaining the organization during the past 18 years. Today it is necessary to advance the concept of social justice and achieve equitable distribution of all resources. There is need to increase awareness to achieve social justice and prepare the dalit women for struggles for their rights in all resources. Along with rights we should also be aware of our responsibilities.
Sri. Rama Devi:
Rama Devi highlighted on the issue of mental ill health of women. It is great that Jhansi Geddam was able to run the organization for such a long time. I will speak on mental health. There is
chance for everyone to suffer mental health issues. We approach a doctor if we get fever or some other disease, but we don't approach a doctor when we have mental ill health, ike feeling lonely, stress etc. We don't go to doctor due to stigma attached to mental health. WHO declared that it is important to take care of mental health. Why it is needed now. It is due to stress that we are suffering and we are making our children also suffer the stress in the competitive world. Children are facing lot of stress due to the pressure of studies. Students are developing suicidal tendencies. Now the mental health problems due to stress has reached 45%. Women are facing lot of stress management issues as they have to balance so many things, like running the family, doing job and caring children. I advise all women to spare sometime in doing something that they like. You should have clarity of what they want do for their enjoyment the day. Mental health affects our physical health also. Women think a lot and feel stress on various problems like financial problems and get head ache, back pain, nervous problems etc. Due to these pains' women get irritated. Everyone has stress, but there is need to find out a way to manage stress by finding and implementing solutions. If you identify your problems and their impact on your behavior and write them down, you will get lot of relief. Women should take rest and give rest to the brain. When we concentrate on a work and successfully achieve it, we get lot of relief, as it releases happy hormones. You should share your problems with others and it will help in getting lot of relief. Having pet animals also relieves lot of stress. You should do physical exercises and that also helps in releasing happy hormones. You can do meditation and worship god.
Sri. Gandham Chandrudu, Chief Guest inaugurated the 18th Annual Report of DSS. It is difficult to establish and run an organization for 18 years and I appreciate DSS for their achievement. Struggling for social justice implies that social injustice is existing. There is injustice in all spheres like, education, politics, economy etc. Women are discriminated in all these fields and this social injustice is being practiced in the country and world. In the family boys are given preference in education, property and in everything like decision making, quantum of work.
Why this social injustice is happening all over in all families and entire country. We are indoctrinated throughout in all aspects of socialization that women are frail, should be beautiful, confined to cooking, should eat after the males eat etc. while males should be strong and dominant. This has been a calculated way of social ordering since long. This indoctrination of female subordination and male domination is incorporated in religious texts and dharma sastras. In the existing social order only a very few enjoy privileges and lead peaceful life, while majority are forced to suffer for their daily life. This type of social injustice meted out to women is there on all women of all castes, but it is more pronounced to dalit/Adivasi women. Dalit/Adivasi women should be educated so that they get enlightened and organized to dismantle this oppressive system. It is impossible to achieve rights through petitions or representatives. Struggle is the only answer. What you are doing through DSS is fine but it is necessary to devise new ways of struggle. Dr. Ambedkar suggested legal and political power as the ways to achieve social justice.
Sri. Rajeswara Rao: We should learn from Ambedkar and allot at least part of our time for the service of the society. One should be mentally strong and free from mental stress. Mental illness leads to physical illness. To improve mental happiness, we should attend intellectual meetings, read good books, watch good movies. Today by attending this meeting you earned lot of knowledge, even though you might have lost a few hundred rupees earnings. Women have lot of energy and high capacity.
Women can make a nation great. Woman as mother can train the children and, in my case, also my mother was responsible for my education. The role of mother in bringing up the children is superb. It is daughters who take care of their parents. We should welcome the birth of female children. Spend one hour for your own health and do something that you enjoy. Education is the only way towards empowerment. You take care to educate the children. Girls should not marry until she completes her graduation. It is horrible that small girls are married and they bear children at a very young age. It is horrible to see a child giving birth to another child. No girl should be married before the age of 18 years.
Sri. Sarala Vandanam: After survey of lands during the British time there was no proper survey. Now a clear re-survey is being done through drones. Sketches of lands are drawn. Everyone should check their lands if they are correctly represented in the sketch and whether the actual land is same as being cultivated.
Lands given to the scheduled castes and other depressed castes can't be sold. They have no right to sell. But now the government is thinking of giving right to sell. That means in future all the government lands are going to become land with clear title to sell. Similarly, house sites are also being given conveyance deed, with registration and full rights to take loan or sell. Hence all of you should check with village secretariat if your land or house sites are properly recorded in your name. Likewise, government is examining regularization of tribal and forest lands and a committee is appointed to look in to this matter.
Sri. Srinivasa Naik: It is so great that DSS under the leadership of Jhansi Geddam has been
organizing and protecting and promoting the rights of dalit/Adivasi women and girl children. Women have lot of capacities and DSS is empowering the dalit women through its continuous activities. We should be united to solve the issues of all of us.
Sri. Anupama: We address the issue of domestic violence. It is necessary to respect a woman in the family. Respecting woman in the family in the way we address them, take their opinions and involve them in decision making. This attitude of respecting woman in the family is not taught in schools, colleges and this has to be learnt from the family itself. Unless we change the way, we deal within the family our future generations can't learn to respect the women. You should keep a watch on your children and their activities and what they are watching in their mobile phones. You can dial 112 or 100 for any help in dire situation.
Sri. Satya, National Coordinator, DSS, Sri. Swapna and Sri. Rohini, State Coordinators, DSS, Sri. Roja, Sri. Mary Nirmala, Sri. Kumari, participated and coordinated in the successful conduct of the meeting. DSS women collective leaders, women from various districts attended the conference in large numbers. Action Plan for the coming year was discussed and approved in the conference.
State of Telangana:
On 22-02-2024, Dalit Sthree Sakthi conducted its Annual State Conference, at Ambedkar Resource Center, Hyderabad on the theme "Dalit Adivasi Women and Social Justice".
Ambassador Dr B M Vinod Kumar, Sri. Charulatha, Scientist, Nelli Ramakrishna, Principal General Manager, BBNC, Dr Sudha Rani, Director, GRCR&D, DBRAOU, Dr. Gopinath, Senior Cardiologist, Dr Padmakar, Senior Urologist at Apollo Hospital, Sri Vinay Kala, Lecturer and SC, ST, Youth organization Heads Sri. Maheswara Rao, Sri. Ramana, Sri. Hari Ram Naik have participated and enlightened the audience on the theme. Jhansi Geddam presided over the meeting. 18th Annual Report, SC, ST Amendment Act in Telugu, Domestic Violence Act in Telugu Books were released in the conference.
Jhansi Geddam: It is a proud moment that DSS completed 18 years of journey and stepped into its 19th year. DSS continually monitored the rights of dalit/Adivasi women and girl children and resolved umpteen cases of rights violation. We are able to successfully provide access to justice in a number of incidents of atrocities committed on these women and see that the culprits are punished as per the law.
We could mobile crores of rupees compensation to the victims. DSS continually conducted gender campaigns in a big way and sensitized the society on gender equality. For achieving social justice, it is necessary for the dalit/Adivasi women to march ahead and demand their rightful share in all resources. For this they should be enlightened and be aware of not only their rights, but also shoulder the responsibilities. Social justice can exist only in a society which adheres to shared social values. We should shed individualistic and self- centered view of what is justice. Usually, we demand justice only when we are personally affected but don not shoulder the responsibility of protecting the social values and rights of others. We should protect the constitution to forge a democratic society with social justice. She presented a brief report of the activities done during the year.
Dr. Padmakar: I am able to achieve the present status because my mother took the responsibility of
educating me through discipline. I remembered my mother after seeing how Jhansi Geddam is able
to run an organization perfectly for such a long period. Dalit women situation is highly miserable and I know my mother starved several times and sent us to school, as she knew the value of education. It is due to her efforts that I am able to serve the people as a doctor at a high level.
Dr. M.F. Gopinath: It is very important for all of us to protect
the constitution. There are poisonous serpents among the political parties and the people should be aware of such forces and vote against them. Only then we can preserve democracy. We should defeat RSS/BJP to preserve democracy. Dalit women should be fully aware of democratic values and educate their children about it. Only when dalit women are enlightened then only dalit community can get enlightened.
Sri. Nelli Ramakrishna: I appreciate the sincere and committed work of DSS in mainstreaming the Dalit /Adivasi women and girl children for the past 18 years. I am extremely happy to inaugurate the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) amendment Act today. It is necessary for us to be in the forefront of health, education and politics for achieving social justice. It is noticed that we don't maintain cleanliness in our colonies and that is affecting our health. During our childhood our mother brought 7 children in a small room in a dalit colony and educated us with discipline. Her efforts resulted in making all of us acquire good jobs and achieve high status today. She used to teach us all things that are not taught in the schools and brought us up in a clean environment.
Dalits are attacked and discriminated everywhere. Even employees are discriminated and suppressed. I had to fight myself for my service matters when problems were created in my career. When the advocate refused to entertain my case, I myself fought my case in the court and won. Now all others come for my advice in service matters. We should raise our children as useful citizens with knowledge and awareness.
Sri. Vinod Kumar: It is a great achievement that DSS under the leadership of Jhansi Geddam completed 18 years of committed service to dalit women. Definitely, DSS would have faced many
problems and successfully surmounted all such problems in the long journey. From the childhood I concentrated on education and achieved 100 out of 100 in all subjects. As a young boy I dreamed of reaching a high position. It is very important for all of us to realize the importance of education. Education is a big weapon and one can achieve anything through education. Now it has become difficult to get good jobs and the present governments are not in favor of reservations. I studied as a challenge and became a doctor. Later as an ambassador I went around the world and succeeded in the tasks undertaken. All this I achieved due to hard work and commitment. During the tour of the then Prime Minister in Germany, when I was ambassador there, he appreciated my talent. When I told him that I belong to S.C. community, he was surprised to see such a talented person among S.C.s. Then I told him that the world-renowned intellectual Dr. B.R. Ambedkar also hails from S.C. community and that it was he who drafted the constitution for the country. I appreciate DSS for their commendable work in the field of rights and I suggest that they also work on development as well. You are all well aware of the laws and you are courageous to protect your rights with such a knowledge. I wish you all march ahead towards further successes.
Sri. Sudha Rani: I congratulate Jhansi Geddam for successfully leading DSS for 18 years and stepping into 19th year. I always owned DSS and to the best of my ability I have associated with
DSS activities. It is a challenge to run an organization for such a long time without diluting commitment. Sometimes, when I see how DSS is being run, I feel if Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is guiding Jhansi Geddam. As far as slavery is concerned, as said by Tolstoy 100 years ago, it is abolished only in words and not in actual practice. The caste system is operating in such a way that even today all the resources are enjoyed by only a few castes while we are condemned to stagnate as deprived forever. I recollect what Ambedkar said in a meeting of women, when he pointed out that 'you have not understood what is slavery, otherwise you would have fought against it'. DSS has translated published important laws in Telugu which is very useful and a challenging task. There is oppression on dalit/ Adivasi women within the community also.
Religion is spreading even to remote villages and corrupting the minds of people. Recently the religious forces have distributed holy rice (akshintalu) and even tribals received it with devotion. The consecration (prana prathista) of Sri Ram's idol in Ayodhya was made a national event, but the President of India was kept away from the event. We should be vigilant against the forces that are attempting to replace the constitutional values with the manuvada culture. NCRB statistics show how the violence is increasing but the media is failing to focus on people's issues, but is propagating superstitions. Even the FCRA permits of human rights NGOs is cancelled to suppress them. It is unfortunate that 90% of the oppressed castes are being controlled by 10% of dominant castes and we all should reverse this situation through unity of dalit/Adivasi and backward castes.
Sri. Charulatha: We should all strive to be articulate and I wish that each one of you be a leader as
Jhansi madam in your local area. You should realize that women are multi-talented and the only need of the hour is taken out this latent talent and transform as articulate leaders. Age is not an obstacle and we should keep learning about the society and wherever we are, we should try to do our best to the family and children. We should break the barriers of kitchen and transform into social activists.
All of you should focus on the education of your children, because only with education one can get various opportunities. It is pathetic to see that the atrocities are being committed on Adivasis in a big way. In the name of mining, setting up factories etc. Adivasis are displaced and their lands are being given to corporates for exploitation of resources. It is really great that DSS is able to carry on its activities even in remote villages.
Sri. Vinaya kala: There is all-round gender discrimination in our country. Violence on dalit women is going on unabated and every minute atrocities are taking place. Development is taking place
everywhere but the slums are remaining the same. Education has become a challenge. Now there is a trend to take away reservations. Practically now there is no benefit from reservations as government jobs are not being filled up. Government also acting like a private employer and is getting work done through outsourcing. Future appears to be bleak without reservations. We should improve our talents to survive in the competitive world and sharpen our latent talents.
Other speakers, Sri. Maheswara Raj, Sri. Ramana, Sri. Hariram Naik and O.U. student leaders participated and expressed their views on the theme of the conference. State coordinator, Swapna and Women Collective members discussed the action plan and took oath to continue committed work in the coming years.
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