It may appear strange but it’s true that people living in poverty often spend money freely on liquor even if they do not have the financial resources to make both ends meet. Liquor is the bane of poor families, as they often become victims of the harassment and violence by the men addicted to alcohol, says 63-year-old Sumani Jhodia. In 1995, Sumani was appointed an advisor on tribal development and anti-liquor movement by Biju Patnaik, then Chief Minister of Odisha. In a tete-a-tete with Sunday POST, she spoke about her crusade against the manufacture and sale of handia (fermented brew) and the success of the self-help groups for women formed by her.
Hailing from Siriguda village in Kashipur, Rayagada district, Sumani has been waging a battle on multiple fronts. She has been crusading against the sale of liquor in rural areas, demanding that tribals be given their right over minor forest produce, and challenging the government’s decision to lease out tribal land to private companies for setting up industries. Around 23 years ago, Sumani’s life took a turn when she met Biju Patnaik, then Chief Minister of Odisha. Biju Babu, who was on a visit to Kalahandi district in 1991, was also supposed to visit Rayagada district. However, he changed his plans and sent the tehsildar of Kalahandi district to Rayagada instead.
Therefore, the villagers of Siriguda, who had launched a campaign against the government for giving licences for country liquor shops in the area and were waiting to have a discussion with the CM, sent him a 10-point charter of demands through the tehsildar. On receiving the memorandum, the CM asked 25 women from Kalahandi and Rayagada districts to come to Bhubaneswar for a discussion. During the meeting with the CM, it was the illiterate but fearless Sumani who stepped up and spoke about how alcohol had taken a toll on their families.
“Sir, alcohol has destroyed us,” she told the CM. “We are forced to live in penury. We have lost our gold, our lands and other belongings thanks to the alcoholic men of our families. Domestic violence and other social ills are rampant. Why do you grant licences for country liquor shops? If you cannot stop the sale of alcohol, you have no right to be our Chief Minister.”
She then stated: “For decades, the people of the tribal belt have suffered the consequences of the menfolk’s addiction to country liquor. Even as many died of starvation and families were torn asunder, illicit liquor shops thrived in the area. The men simply couldn’t kick the habit despite the havoc it caused in communities.”
Though other tribal leaders like Andari Majhi and Sabai Majhi were present, Sumani spoke at length on the liquor menace. She finally said: “Sir, if you grant licenses to people to set up liquor shops or to sell mahula, we will not budge an inch from here.”
Impressed by the lady’s courage, the CM decided on the spot to appoint Sumani as his adviser on matters related to the state’s emerging anti-liquor movement. She was given the powers of a police officer. District collectors and the superintendent of police of the district were officially instructed to comply with her orders. Overnight, Sumani became the poster girl of the anti-liquor movement all over India.
The impact of the movement spearheaded by Sumani was felt across Rayagada district. Along with a band of female volunteers, she would picket country liquor shops to stop their sales. The strategy worked and locals joined her movement.
Sumani says, “When the Chief Minister called us for a meeting, a group of eight men and 20 women left for the state Assembly. In Bhubaneswar, we spent three days preparing for the meeting. No one expected that the CM would pay any heed to us. We were told by the CMO officials in Bhubaneswar that he would ignore us. His bodyguard advised us to choose a smart woman who could speak confidently before the CM. Mingiri’s wife fumbled when she came face to face with Biju Babu. I stood up to speak on behalf of our group. I said, ‘We had organised a meeting in our village and had invited you. As you did not come, we presented you a memorandum with our ten demands. We have come here to find out whether our demands would be fulfilled or not.’ Everybody thought that the CM would not spare more than five minutes for us, but we spent almost five hours with him.”
She continues: “We told him all our problems. Biju Babu first told us that he cannot stop the liquor trade. But he said he would help if we took up the fight against the trade. At first, I was reluctant to take the responsibility. When he insisted, I agreed. He appointed eight tribal women as my advisors. He gave me a jeep that I later handed over to a hospital in our area to be used as an ambulance.”
“I still have the police uniform that Biju Babu gave me. I remember how he introduced us to the district collectors and SPs. He even told the officers that if they failed to support us, they would face the music,” says Sumani. “He helped tribal women wage a fight against liquor traders. He instilled a sense of confidence in us by saying that the entire administration would support my colleagues and me in our endeavour to stop the trade of illicit liquor.”
Subsequently, a group of tribal women led by Sumani ran several campaigns against the brewing and sale of liquor. They mobilised women from the villages and held meetings. At many places, liquor brewing was stopped, but in Dongasili, the practice continued. She says, “We planned to smash the liquor pots at Dongasili. We approached the chief of the village who misled us. But eventually we managed to stop liquor sale in the village by smashing the dens.”
“Many times, we encountered strong protests from tipsy men, but we went ahead with our mission. We formed an organisation and managed to close down all toddy shops. Earlier, young men would go to village dormitories and get drunk. This practice has now stopped.”
Danger lurked at every step and Sumani was targeted by goons. The hooch mafia even attempted to eliminate her. As many as eight criminal cases were filed against her and she was dragged to court repeatedly. But nothing could deflect Sumani from her chosen path. Gradually, her movement bore fruit and nobody in the area dared brew illicit liquor.
Sumani recollects one incident in particular. “We went to Mandibisi to hold a meeting with the villagers before smashing liquor pots. On our way back, a drunkard called Minju Majhi of Pipalpadar village tried to attack us. We tried to talk to him, but he would not listen. He came forward to attack me with an axe, saying, ‘I’ll kill you today.’ Finding no other go, we had to beat him black and blue. Later, we went to the police station in Kashipur and filed a case against him. The police kept him in custody for four days.”
Sumani set up Pragati Mahila Mandal, a self-help group of tribal women, to make and market brooms made from raw material collected from the forest. This marked the start of the self-help group movement among tribal women in Odisha. The economic power and freedom that they got emboldened them to start a social movement against the evil practice of consuming liquor prevalent in their community.
A member of the Jhodia Paraja community, Sumani has been in the forefront of many struggles, fighting for rights, entitlements and justice. She has fought for the tribals’ rights over land and minor forest produce, tribal self-rule, right to information, and development with dignity for her community. A recipient of the prestigious Stree Shakti Award instituted by the central government, she refused an award by Nalco in protest against the Maikanch police firing in December 2000 at Rayagada which claimed three innocent lives.
Apart from Biju Babu, Sumani attributes her success to Agragamee. “It is a group of activists and thinkers committed to working with marginalised and underprivileged communities in the tribal districts of Orissa. Association with Agragamee helped me get publicity and empowered the women of our locality.”
Meanwhile, Sumani has been running from pillar to post to get back tribal status for her community, Jhodias. Due to a conspiracy by some promoters of industry, they had lost their tribal status.
Sumani says, “Historically, we are a sub-group of the tribal clan of Paraja – also spelt as Poraja, Paraja and Parja – and are referred to as “Jhodia Paroja” in various historical documents and reports since the British period. A tribe of endogamous culture, Jhodias are scattered across the Koraput and Kalahandi districts of Odisha. A forest dwelling community, members make their living by collecting forest produce and through cultivation. Though we have been fighting to get the status of tribal people, the administration is yet to accept our demand. We met Sonia Gandhi and many Union and state ministers seeking the status of tribal people, but in vain.”
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP