Recasting Citizenship for Development - File UPI

90 P. THAMIZOLI AND P. IGNATIUS PRABHAKAR
(Thamizoli and Sudarsen 1998). The RDO then paid a personal visit
to the settlement to conduct an enquiry with the Irula women and men
separately regarding their cultural characteristics and ancestral linkages.
He listened to descriptions of the history of their foraging past and the
traditional hunting practices, and also witnessed a mock demonstration.
Following the visit, the RDO fixed a date and paid another visit with his
subordinates. An oormariyal (village-level ban on fishing and any other
economic activity) was declared by the village leaders to enable the entire
village, women and men heads of households, to gather at a common
place. Each and every case was cross-checked with the entire community
gathered and the community certificate was distributed by the RDO to
all household heads.
After some time, an attempt was made to elicit the different perceptions
of the men and women of MGR Nagar about the impact of some of the
elements of the mangrove management project. The different activities
were assessed at the individual, family and community levels. About
20 women and 20 men were approached to elicit the significance of the
community certificate (see Table 4.1).
The women of MGR Nagar perceived the community certificate as
the best result of the interventions, as it could bring benefits at the individual,
family and community levels. On the day the certificates were
distributed, when an elderly woman, who was also the head of her household,
was asked what she would do with the certificate, she answered:
‘What a meaningless question you are asking? It is a treasure; I will lock
in the trunk (box) that we have at home’. Agreeing that it was indeed a
Table 4.1
Perceptions of Women and Men Regarding the Significance
of the Community Certificate
Individual Family Community
Women Men Women Men Women Men
School – – 15 10 15 16
Community Certificate 19 4 19 15 20 18
Mangrove Restoration 9 – 9 5 15 10
Savings 15 9 16 13 – 5
Leader-skill 10 4 – – 6 –
Information Access 15 9 – – – –
Source: Thamizoli (1999). ‘Report of the Workshop on Social and Gender Audit’.