Kerala Needs More “Mariyakuttys†| Jos Chathukulam

Abstract

Mariyakutty is a beneficiary under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) from Kerala who used to get a small amount of Rs. 1600 under the scheme, ‘a purse of her own’ in the words of Susan B. Anthony. However, for the past six months, she has not received the entitled amount under this pension scheme. Though she filed a representation before the state government seeking disbursal of the pension arrears, there was no follow-up on it. This forced the 86-year-old woman to carry out a ‘strike’ with a ‘begging bowl’ in her hand against the government apathy. She then approached the Kerala High Court seeking the release of her monthly pension. Taking her plea into the account, the High Court, criticized the state government for not catering to the needs of Mariyakutty. She became a symbol of hope for many women who are facing a similar fate and a genuine symbol of empowered woman. The author argues that Kerala needs more “Mariyakuttys†instead of captive and pseudo-feminists. Her personal experiences are also part of her ‘politics’ and her life is viewed through the lens of “personal is political†by Carol Hanisch.

Keywords: Nava Kerala Sadas, Kudumbashree, Local Governments, Personal is Political, Purse of her own and Panchayat Feminism.

Introduction

Kerala is going through a financial crisis never before (Prakash, 2023) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led state government puts the blame on the Union government for choking the state by blocking funds. The very same government has no qualms in showing extravagance for conducting programmes to boost its political mileage. Nava Kerala Sadas, the LDF Cabinet’s outreach programme across the 140 Assembly constituencies in the state is the biggest example (Gireesan, 2023). While the Chief Minister and his Cabinet set out in the Rs. 1.05 crore luxurious Chocolate- Brown Benz Bus as part of the Nava Kerala Sadas for the past 36 days, the poor and the marginalized in the state were struggling to make ends meet. Mariyakutty, an ailing octogenarian and a native of Idukki district in Kerala is the biggest example in this regard.

“Every Woman Should Have a Purse of Her Ownâ€

Mariyakutty is a beneficiary under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS). She used to get a small amount of Rs. 1600 under IGNWPS. However, for the past six months she has not received the entitled amount under this pension scheme. Mariyakutty’s husband deserted her 36 years ago and she toiled hard to bring up her four children. Due to age-related ailments, she is not in a position to work on a full-time basis and the pension amount of Rs.1600 per month is her only source of sustenance. She depended on the pension amount for buying medicines and essential items, as it is ‘a purse of her own’ (Anthony, 1853 and Gouldin,2020). Since July 2023, Mariyakutty has not received her pension amount. Though she filed a representation before the state government seeking disbursal of the pension arrears, there was no follow-up on it. This forced the 86-year-old woman to carry out a ‘strike’ with a ‘begging bowl’ in her hand against the government apathy. As the video of her protest went viral, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-CPI(M)’s mouth piece Deshabhimani launched a smear campaign against the ailing woman by wrongly accusing her of having 1.5 acres of land in her name along with two houses. It was also reported that her daughter was living in Switzerland. The LDF government and the CPI(M) even went on to accuse Mariyakutty of being a Congress “pawn†to malign the Chief Minister, his cabinet and his Party. Through their patriarchal lens, the state capacity has failed to understand a woman like Mariyakutty who responds to public media with her natural wisdom and life experiences. The political regime and its gadget view the citizens as ‘poor -unpaid workforces’ with little or no autonomy, less competence and less relatedness. It is the manifestation of their ‘cognitive maps’ (Mehta and Walton,2012) and nothing to do with Mariyakutty. Agonized by the baseless accusations, Mariyakutty approached the local village officer, who after due process of inspection issued a certificate stating that she doesn’t own any assets and her daughter lives in Adimali and earns a living by selling lottery tickets. She then approached the Kerala High Court seeking the release of her monthly pension. Taking her plea into the account, the High Court, criticized the state government for not catering to the needs of Mariyakutty. The Kerala Government’s Pleader informed that the state has not received the Union Government’s share in the pension from April to August 2023 and it was not in a position to disburse the pension amount as the financial condition in the state is not conducive to honor the large financial commitment under the IGNWPS. The Court also observed that the government has money to spend on celebrations but not to clear the dues of the pensioners.

Kerala’s double standards on hikes in social welfare pension and irregularity in disbursal of it on time has been a serious issue. “Much of the social security content of the old age pension for the poor is robbed of its worth when such pensions are distributed once in six or eight months as is the case in Kerala. Given the fact that these poor people have no voice or representation, there is no one to champion their cause. The State has a duty to ensure that monthly pensions and similar transfer payments to the poor are paid on a regular basis without running into arrears,†(Government of Kerala - Human Development 2005, p.162). The situation highlighted in the first sentence “pensions are distributed once in six or eight months as is the case in Kerala†is still the present-day reality in Kerala even after two decades. The state has conveniently forgotten its duty to “ensure that monthly pensions and similar transfer payments to the poor are paid on a regular basis without running into arrears†(Government of Kerala - Human Development 2005, p.162). There is a false impression that Kerala government has the highest share of contribution in social welfare pensions like Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension, Disability Pension and propagates that the state does disburses it on time (Chathukulam. et.al, 2012). The truth is that states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Haryana are the best performing states in this regard. The widow pension in Andhra Pradesh it stood at Rs. 2750 in 2022 and in 2023 it rose to Rs. 3000 (YSR Pension Kanuka, Apparasu, 2022, Samdani,2023) in Goa it is Rs. 2500 (Dayanand Social Security Scheme), Telangana the widow pension stands at Rs. 2016 (Aasara Pensions), Haryana the widow pension stands at Rs. 2750 (HT Correspondent, 2023). In states like Tamil Nadu, before the 5th of every month the pension amount reaches the door step of the beneficiaries (Chathukulam.et.al, 2012)

Mariyakutty: A Genuine Symbol of Woman Empowerment

Mariyakutty is a representative of the agony and humiliation faced by marginalized and downtrodden sections of the people in the state and a victim of the neglect, apathy and iron fist of the state government. Kerala’s Kudumbashree is dubbed as the “the biggest empowering machine for women†in the state. Unfortunately, no women in Kudumbashree or any of the so-called women collectives expressed their solidarity and support to Mariyakutty. There are women in Kudumbashree and across Kerala who receive social welfare pension like Mariyakutty and have not received their pension dues. However, none of them showed the courage to fight for their dues and dignity. Where did the scores of “empowered women†from Kudumbashree and local governments go? It is the need of the hour to introspect and measure the real status of empowerment of women in Kudumbashree and local governments, which has been captured by the LDF government in the name of political and administrative hegemony (Chathukulam and Joseph,2023). In India, Kerala stands out as one of the states that have taken a significant step towards gender equality in local governance. Kerala has made legal provisions to ensure 50 percent reservation for women, leading to a substantial increase in their representation (Navaneeth, 2020). However, the quotas in local governments alone are insufficient for ensuring women’s political visibility (Chathukulam and John, 2003). The presence of women representatives in local governments did not result in any significant changes to the overall political landscape, particularly within the political parties. These women found themselves under the influence and control of the local party machinery, especially within the leftist parties, which hindered their ability to act independently or in a non-partisan manner while addressing development issues. Merely having quotas for women in local governments is not enough to ensure their political visibility. It is crucial to implement more substantial changes in order to establish a political environment that is more supportive of women. This is especially important for cadre-based organizations and supposedly progressive political parties, who often resort to patriarchal methods of domination in order to control women panchayat members, all in the name of party discipline (Chathukulam and John, 2003). It is found that even 50 percent presence will not lead to the development of a critical mass capable of changing the norms of politics from its masculine moorings. Instead, the elected women have been socialized into the male political styles and priorities. The absence of representation or critical mass at the party level is crucial because, in many places, particularly in the leftist strongholds, the party alternates as a patriarchal institution under its supposedly gender-neutral label.

Although women’s participation has increased both in absolute terms and as a share of the total participants, this has not been translated into influence in plan-related decision-making. For gender planning "a major obstacle is the way in which women’s development is conceived"(Nair and Moolakkattu, 2014). The political parties in Kerala obviously relegate women members to a subordinate women’s wing. Party discipline prevents women and feminists from working across party lines to advance women’s rights. Yet, it is seen that some kind of a non-challenging "panchayat feminism" has emerged in Kerala at the gram panchayat level (Chathukulam and John, 2007). This type of ‘panchayat feminism’ does not have the potential to expand the political space for women by securing more party nominations than the mandatory requirement of seats. The focus of the ‘panchayat feminism’ is more on livelihood related issues without crossing the precincts of women’s received domestic roles, and hence there have been very little efforts to address the strategic gender needs.

“The Personal is Political†for Mariayakutty

The story and life of Mariyakutty, who became empowered through her life experiences and hardships needs to be celebrated. Mariyakutty does not have support of any political party or women collectives, still she had the courage and determination to fight against the injustice meted out to her by those in power. Mariyakutty became a symbol of hope for many women who are facing a similar fate like hers. Kudumbashree and similar women collectives hailed as “models of women empowerment†could not move a little finger against the government when such injustice happens. Kerala needs more “Mariyakuttys†instead of captive and pseudo-feminists. Mariyakutty’s personal experiences is also part of her politics and her life should be viewed through the lens of “Personal is Political†by Carol Hanisch. Mariyakutty’s achievements, her struggles, her hardships and the determination to strive against all odds is “her politics†. The notion that "the personal is political" asserts that women’s personal concerns, such as sexuality, childcare, and their discontentment with their domestic lives, are inherently political, and require political intervention to bring about change. This perspective shed light on a previously unrecognized connection, emphasizing that “politics permeate even the most intimate aspects of life and relationships†(Hanisch, 2006). The “Personal is Political†challenges the perception that women possess a universal identity unaffected by factors such as ethnicity, race, social class, culture, marital status, sexuality, and disability. Instead, it encourages individuals to view personal experiences through a political lens as in the case of Mariyakutty.

(Author: Jos Chathukulam is former Professor, Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru and currently the Director of Centre for Rural Management (CRM), Kottayam, Kerala. Email: joschathukulam[at]gmail.com)

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