Ilina Sen, a political activist and a feminist scholar, was recently in Boston to discuss about women's voices in India and their roles in social change and democratic movements.  Sen is a teacher at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She also manages an NGO called Rupantar in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.  Rupantar, which was set up by Ilina and her husband Dr. Binayak Sen, is a community-based non-governmental organization that has trained, deployed and monitored the work of community health workers spread throughout 20 villages. Rupantar's activities include initiatives to counter violence against women, preservation and promotion of indigenous seeds and food crops, and to promote food security. Ilina and Binayak have worked for more than three decades among rural and tribal peoples on issues of health, livelihood, and civil liberties for the marginalized.

Dr. Sen has authored several books including, "A Space within the Struggle: Women's Participation in People's Struggles," "The Migrant Women of
Chhattisgarh," and "The Women's Movement in India."

Lokvani had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Sen about the women’s movement, its future, the role of government and law, and her message to young people growing up in a globalized India.

Lokvani: What is the future of women’s movement in India?

Sen: I see a great future for the Women’s movement.Women are conscious of the need for change. This is visible in all classes. Changing the mindset of people is however, more important. The law needs to change too. The recent demands and protest by women show that women will be a major force of democracy in India.

People’s consciousness has changed. The Nirbhaya rape incident is a testament to this changed consciousness.  For the first time, marital rape is discussed in the Verma Commission’s Report. This is a landmark. For the Hindu Marriage Act up tothe 1970s allowed divorce on grounds of denial of conjugal rights. Rape in the context of marriage was not even part of the male consciousness.  So there is some progress.

However, the government only picked up a few things. It has not helped that the State has become more undemocratic. India is strong but insecure. The state can’t handle criticism and sees all criticism as sedition and anti-state. It is worse in the tribal areas. The militarization of these areas shows how repressive the state continues to grow. The media in India no longer cares to highlight these as the media is biased and controlled by vested interests. It is no longer the fourth estate of democracy.

Lokvani:  Do you see a difference in the women’s movement in the urban versus rural contexts?

Sen: There is certainly a difference.  The urban upper class women struggle for individual space and identity.  The urban slum women struggle for economic freedom. For the tribal women, the struggle is for survival and equitable access to opportunity.

Lokvani: How is violence against women viewed by women?

Sen: Working class women and Advasi women cope with rape better than urban middle class women. For the Advasi woman, life does not end with rape as it does in middle class India. The middle class woman faces stigma and obstacles in social institutions such as marriage. Whereas in the tribal areas, it is accepted as an unfortunate fact of life. The raped woman continues to live integrated into larger society, life goes on, has to go on. In tribal society rape victims are not stigmatized and shunned as is the case in urban middle class India, and therefore more tolerant in that respect.

Lokvani: What is your message to young women in India?

Sen: Young women are treading a slippery path – the path of consumerism. They have not had the opportunity to witness movements like my generation did. Women’s issues are understood by many as somewhat narrow issues  of identity and sexual choice alone. The urban India bubble will burst sooner or later, but meanwhile if young women seek inter-connections with the struggles of their less fortunate sisters in tribal and rural India, they will enrich their own lives and understanding. The true meaning of women’s solidarity can only be understood from a lived experience.

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