Recasting Citizenship for Development - File UPI

Transgressing Political Spaces and Claiming Citizenship 69
Table 3.1
Changes in Maa Maninag Jungle Surakhya Parishad’s
Governing Structures over Time
1997–2000 2000–02 2002–05
GC SC ST GC SC ST GC SC ST
Body M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W
Working Body 24 0 2 1 1 2 33 11 1 3 4 5 49 12 1 8 2 11
Executive
Committee
6 0 1 1 0 1 9 1 1 1 0 1 13 1 0 2 0 2
Advisory Body 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 0 0
Note: GC: General Category; SC: Scheduled Caste; ST: Scheduled Tribe; M: Men;
W: Women.
working body, constituted in 2004–05, has 84 members, including
31 women. Thus, there has been a dramatic increase in the membership
of women in the working body. Similarly, the representation of tribals
and Dalits in the working body has been increasing. The initial ninemember
executive committee had only two women. In early 2006, there
were four women in the current executive committee of 17, but no women
office bearers.
THE ATHRAHA TARIKH MEETINGS
As mentioned earlier, women’s meetings are held on the 18th of every
month. This is a fixed date for an ‘open house’ for women who want to
come in. The meetings provide an open space for discussion on various
issues. The degree of ‘openness’, in terms of women being able to bring
different issues forward, depends on the presence or absence of strong
facilitators. From 2000, these meetings have been presided over by women;
usually it is the same person who is invited to chair every time. While a
woman presides over the meetings, when the male leaders of the Parishad
are present, they end up doing far more facilitation. From my own participation
in and observations of these meetings, it appears that the
absence of the male leaders of the Parishad and that of a strong facilitator
usually helps women to take on the task of ‘facilitating’ or managing
without too much of facilitation. Participation of women is freer when
the space is left open to them, with the facilitators either absent or taking
a back seat. Such situations tend to create an environment that is less