Christian, Hindu women stress reconciliation in India
(March 10, 2010) Some 4,500 Christian and Hindu women marched in Orissa’s Kandhamal
district on March 8 demanding interfaith harmony and development. The march in Balliguda
was to mark International Women’s Day. Participants demanded justice for the survivors
of sectarian violence and the proper implementation of government welfare schemes.
Kandhamal was the centre of anti-Christian violence in 2008. The women, most of them
Hindus, called for reconciliation between Christians and Hindus and the rehabilitation
of women affected by the violence. They also spoke out against the state government’s
alleged apathy toward women trafficking and demanded a ban on cheap locally brewed
liquor. Several speakers urged the marchers not to fall prey to forces that try to
divide the community along religious lines, or agents of globalization who try to
displace tribal and low caste people under the pretext of industrial development.
“The violence showed how fanatics use us to fight each other. We forgot our dignity
and our womanhood and wanted to see other women in ruins,” said Sibani Behera, a teacher.
She told the gathering comprising mostly tribal and dalit women to stop their dependence
on men and fight for their rights and place in society. Namita Majhi asked women to
press the government to work for rehabilitation and reconciliation among women. Some
men backed the women leaders. Chita Behera, a lawyer and the chief guest, encouraged
women to keep away from Hindu radical groups who try to divide society along religious
lines. Rashmi Pradhan, a Catholic tribal woman leader, said the march was a “positive
signal” as it involved Christian and Hindu women.