There is no right time or age to don courage and
conquer the battles that life throws at us. Rajasthan's Usha Chaumar's journey
is a testimony to this. The 42-year-old, who was once relegated to a
marginalised position in her village in Alwar, located 150 km north of Jaipur,
because of her profession as a manual scavenger, has managed to brave all odds
and become an inspiration to an entire community of women. At 42, she has been
recognized by the Indian government for her outstanding social work and efforts
to pull herself and others out of social ostracism and the inhuman practice of
manual scavenging. She was awarded earlier this year with the Padma Shri, the
fourth highest civilian award in the country.
Today, Usha is undoubtedly a beacon of hope for the women and the Dalit
communities of Alwar, who for decades have been subjected to discrimination and
deemed as "untouchables". Her journey, overcoming social malpractices and
finding her place in the society, hasn't been easy.
A manual scavenger from the age of seven
"If given an option, who would want to clean toilets and latrines, it's the most dirty and disgusting jobs possible," Usha tells us adding, "Because of this, not only do others in the society ostracize us but also they don't want to mingle with the people in our community."
Manual scavenging, which refers to the manual cleaning and disposing of human excreta from dry latrines and sewers without any safety or precaution is a social malpractice that has been prevalent for ages. Despite the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 classifying it as a non-bailable offence, this practice continues to be in existence. In the remote pockets of India, where education and social awareness struggles to make its presence felt, this profession begins to takes charge of the future of people right since a young age. Usha herself was a child when she was inducted into this heinous profession in her hometown of Deeg, near Bharatpur, in Rajasthan.
"I have been working as a manual scavenger since the age of seven," she says. "I followed my mother into this field, in our community it is important for us to learn this work as even after marriage, we are supposed to continue with manual scavenging."
Her struggles continued. She was just 10 years old when she became a child bride, and by the time she was 14, she found herself shifting base to her in-laws' house in Alwar. Even as places changed and she took on a new role as a married woman, what didn't change was her position in the social hierarchy.
"People still considered us as the untouchables of the
society," she says.
The tryst with DrBindeshwar Pathak They say, the best things in life come
unannounced. With Usha, something similar happened when she met Dr. Bindeshwar
Pathak, the founder of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation
(SISSO). A strong believer in Gandhian philosophy, Dr Pathak, in the last
50 years, has worked tirelessly for the human rights of the manual scavengers
who clean dry latrines.
All his initiatives, in fact, have been aimed at rehabilitating manual scavengers, restoring them to a place of dignity by providing them with alternative employment channels through skill development. In 2002, Pathak happened to visit Alwar, where he met Usha and the other women in the community engaged in the work of manual scavenging.
Recalling that first encounter, Usha tells us, "Sir asked us, 'why
are you still working as a manual scavenger?' This made me think, I used to
believe that this is the natural order of progression for us. My mother had
done this work, and so had the generations before her. Traditionally, our
community has been working as manual scavengers for ages now." For Usha, the
thought of having an alternative lifestyle and a source of employment was
nothing short of a dream, one that came true with the inception of NaiDisha.
The local NGO, was set up by Pathak with Dr Suman Chahar, the Senior Vice
President of SISSO, overlooking its operation and the training of the women at
the institute. New beginnings Since Usha took the leap with NaiDisha, several
other women in her village have also found the courage
and followed in her footsteps, learning a slew of new skills and craft in the
hope of a better life. Says Suman, under whose guidance the women of Alwar have
discovered alternate employment channels today, "At NaiDisha, these women have
learnt to prepare pickles, papads, noodles and other eatables." "Now, the
people in Usha's village, who treated her as an untouchable, are willing to buy
the food products made by her. This has
also increased her income substantially," she adds. Usha, who
earned Rs 230 a month as a manual scavenger, struggling to make the ends meet
for herself and her family, feels financially stable today. And that's not all.
She has even ascended to the position of the President at Sulabh, an honour she
was conferred with in 2007. In her newfound role, Usha is one of the
leading ladies of the community, a globe-trotting social worker, and an agent
of change. More importantly, her indomitable spirit in the face of struggles,
continues to inspire countless women.
Source: Your Story
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