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.