By Nazish Hussain

Jaipur, May 2, 2020: A senior rights activist has overcome the entrenched casteism as well as deep-seated patriarchy as well in Rajasthan, one of the five Indian states with the worst record for atrocities against Dalits.

Suman Devathiya is a part of Dalit Women Fight, a movement to strengthen the voices of the marginalized for justice.

Commenting on the importance of Dalit History Month, Suman, as the activist is popularly called, says to know one’s correct history is very important for everyone.

“In the mainstream, there is no Dalit history. There are youth who are collecting Dalit history. Maybe our future generation will benefit from our small contributions,” she told TwoCircles.net.

Talking about the social media campaign for Dalit History Month Suman says that their objective was to acknowledge and take inspiration from the contributions of Dalit sisters and mothers who have contributed positively towards the society.

Dalit History Month was launched in 2013 by Sanghapali Aruna and Thenmozhi Soundararajan. The idea was to celebrate Dalit contribution to history and April was dedicated for this.

April is a significant month among Dalits as two great Dalit leaders – Dr BR Ambedkar and Jyotirao Phule — were born in that month. Dalit History Month is dedicated to bringing out stories from marginalized communities and to acknowledge their experiences to change the existing dominant narratives.

Suman says she feels happy that there are many great personalities from the Dalit community who have done inspiring work. “Why can’t we do the same? The sharing of these stories gives us motivation and we feel strong,” she says.

Suman grew up in a humble family in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. She was married at the age of 15, when she was a tenth grader.

Despite being married at an early age, Suman had only one thing in mind: to complete her education. Determined, she completed her Bachelors in Arts from Rajasthan University.

Soon after graduation, Suman started working for the education of girls in the backward regions of Rajasthan.

According to Suman, Dalit women in Rajasthan are not able to attain education. “Casteism and patriarchy are the major obstacles in the path of Dalit women to attain education. The economic backwardness of the Dalit community is another barrier for Dalit women,” Suman says.

As a Dalit rights activist, she has become an agent for the advocacy of the Dalit community.

Over the years, Suman has been instrumental in bringing forth the issues of Dalit women in Rajasthan before the government.

Suman attributes her work to the larger Dalit movement in the country.

“When I got involved with this movement I got to know about the history of our forefathers. If there was no movement, I would never have known about our history. As I am a part of this movement, I have the opportunity to help my fellow sisters,” she says.
In Rajasthan, Suman is regarded as one of the prominent Dalit women leaders.

In her 17 years of working for Dalit rights, she has worked with multiple organizations.

An abiding interest for her has been her close work with women survivors of domestic abuse and rape survivors.

“There have been many women who lost hope and suffered from low morale. We gave them confidence and we helped them,” she says.

Suman has also been taking up Dalit women issues which are ignored by the mainstream feminist movements and also by the larger Dalit movement.

As part of these efforts, Suman has independently led Dalit women self-respect marches across more than 20 districts of Rajasthan.

The fight against casteism and patriarchy has not been without challenges. “In my working experience, I have observed that casteism or patriarchy work together. Patriarchy is not ready to accept a woman’s leadership. And if you look at Rajasthan, it is because of patriarchy and casteism that we have not seen any women leadership,” she says.

Suman says that every time she had to fight for her rights as a Dalit woman she looked up to Ambedkar for moral support and strength.

“We Dalit women have no one other than Ambedkar. He is the only one we look up to. When we read him we feel that safe space,” she says.

Suman believes that Ambedkar is not only a Dalit leader but he also has a feminist viewpoint.

While in school, Suman would read little about Ambedkar or the Constitution.

“It is only after connecting with Dalit movements that I came to know about Dalit personalities,” she says.

At home either, Suman didn’t receive any education about the great Dalit personalities. She ascribes this to lack of education and awareness among the older generation.

“These personalities always inspire me as my forefathers,” says Suman, who is now conscious and aware of her history.

Other than Ambedkar, Suman is inspired by Savitribai Phule, India’s first social reformer who established a school for girl children. “You must read Savitribai Phule and how she gave importance to education and Jyotiba Phule supported her,” she says.

Suman believes that there is a lack of consciousness and knowledge of Dalit history in the remote villages of Rajasthan. “The women in the remote areas are not formally educated or aware of the Dalit movement,” she says.

Suman has been working relentlessly to change this scenario.

She does this by sharing her knowledge with them. She has become a link to disseminate the Dalit history among women who are not conscious or aware of their rights. “I think when I have learned so much, I should bring this knowledge to the larger Dalit community and I take pride in doing it,” she says.

Her journey has not been smooth.

During difficult times, Suman says, “It was my mother who remained by inspiration and gave me strength.”

“We Dalit women have each other only. We have to be there for each other and support each other,” she says.

Source: twocircles.net