Sainath decries women's plight

PUNE: Noted journalist and author of the famous book, Everybody loves a Good Drought, P. Sainath has lamented the plight of women in the country.
In the city on Thursday to inaugurate ‘Priceless Labour'', an exhibition of 50-odd black and white photographs of working women by Vidya Kulkarni, at the Balgandharva art gallery, Sainath said tremendous work pressure and social restrictions had taken a toll on Indian women.
He pointed out that 45 per cent of farmers committing suicides were women. Highlighting the plight of women in Ananthapur and Mehboobnagar villages of Andhra Pradesh, Sainath said every year, hundreds of men from these villages migrate to cities in search of a livelihood, leaving behind their wives and children.
Many of them return HIV-infected, he added. Back home, the women not only perform daily household chores such as collecting firewood, cooking and fetching water from distant wells, but also toil in the farms, he said, adding, “When their husbands return, they too get HIV-infected for no fault of theirs.�
Highlighting the contribution of women to society, Sainath said according to a report, rural women save fuel worth Rs 54,000 crore annually by making dung cakes. “However,women, both urban and rural, are still at the receiving end of society,� he lamented.
“In fact, at his last press conference, former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh confirmed that more than of half of the 26 farmers who committed suicide in a span of one month in Vidarbha were women.�
About the photographs on display, Sainath said they not only highlighted the hardships faced by rural women, but also showed their strength and spirit of survival. Kulkarni said rural women worked like mules.
“But each and every one of them evinces strength and spirit of survival beyond comparison,� she said. The exhibition, which was officially inaugurated by Vandana Vanage, secretary of the Pune Molkarin Sanghatana, will remain open till May 3.
Shutterbug Vidya Kulkarni explains a photograph to Vandana Vanage (left), secretary of the Pune Molkarin Sanghatana, and journalist P. Sainath (right) at the ‘Priceless Labour'' exhibition at the Balgandharva Rangamandir on Thursday.