Karnataka: Devadasis Echo Demands for Social Security and Livelihood

On March 14, devadasi women protested against the discrimination and financial exclusion unleashed by the state government in Bengaluru's Freedom Park. Amid the ongoing budget session in the Karnataka Assembly, the Karnataka Rajya Devadasi Mahileyara Vimochana Sangha (KRDMS), along with Karnataka State Devdasi Women's and Children's Struggle Committee, mobilised a two-day protest of devadasis, rallying them across 10 districts of the state. The protest concluded at around 10 pm when the state's Women and Child Development Minister Achar Halappa Basappa met the protestors.

Around 1500 devadasis from districts of Kalaburgi, Vijaypura, Vijaynagara, Raichur, Davengere, Bagalkot, Ballari, Yadagir and Koppal gathered at the heart of Bengaluru city with demands of rehabilitation. U. Basavaraju, the honorary president of KRDMS and Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary, told NewsClick that for long, they had been appealing both the Central and the state government to rehabilitate the devadasis in Karnataka, but demands have fallen on deaf ears. Basavaraju said that although their relentless struggle since mid-2006 compelled the state government to roll out measures for the socio-cultural victims of the society, that is not sufficient.

Karnataka Rajya Devadasi Mahileyara Vimochana Sangha, which has been leading the struggle for the rights of devadasis in the state since 2006, took up the survival crisis of devadasis on to the streets. In 2008, the state-aided pensions of Rs 200 for devadasis were rolled out for the first time, which stands at Rs 1500 today.

The memorandum of demands placed to the government includes-

• Raise of monthly pension from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000

• Inclusion of left out devadasis in the renewed list of census

• Immediate rehabilitation of devadasi women and their children with financial assistance.

• Education facilities for children of devadasis

• Debt relief should be availed to all in the wake of natural disasters such as flood

• 5 acres of land to engage in agricultural activities and sustain livelihood

• All sorts of help to agrarian activities to devadasis by the agriculture department

• A house in 300 sq. ft.

• The loan amount given to devadasis has been reduced from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 30,000. This should be increased to Rs 5 lakh.

• Free and direct access to higher education of children of devadasis

• Unemployment allowances

• Inclusion of Devadasis in Anganwadi centres

• To prevent discrimination and malpractices in the selection of beneficiaries

Devadasis hailing to Davengere and Kalaburgi

Anjanamma (40), a devadasi, had to cover 650 km from a village in Kalaburgi to Bengaluru's freedom park with food and bedsheet packed in a bag to participate in the protest to voice her demands. Belonging to Scheduled Caste, she had led the life of a devadasi for more than a decade as the servant of God, which later she resisted being part of and was rescued by KRDMS, the only state-level organisation in the country to defend the rights of devadasis.

In Karnataka, old devadasis are called 'Jogati', and young devadasis are `Basavi'. The term Devadasi translates as "servant of God", and as a socio-cultural practice, it has a long history.

A 2012 research paper on "Devadasi Practice in Karnataka" by Dr L Srinivasa and Prasannakumar Shivasharanappa held that devadasi is a religious practice that consists of the votive offering of girls to the deities in Hindu temples. The dedication usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become sexually available for community members. Traditionally, it is believed that these girls are "serving" society as "ordained" by the goddess. In other words, "the devadasis are courtesans in God's court." Due to her sacred condition and her belonging to the divinity, a devadasi cannot be married to one particular man. In the traditional idea of marriage, women are transferable property gifted to husbands. Instead, she is a property of a divinity that benevolently concedes her to the whole community. This concept is well summarised by a saying: "a devadasi is the servant of God but the wife of the whole town".

TV Renukamma (59), in an exclusive conversation with NewsClick, said that thousands of devadasis belonging to the lowest social strata are in a painful existence and they are protesting to demand pending relief measures from the government.

TV Renukamma, President, Karnataka Rajya Devadasi Mahileyara Vimochana Sangha

The Karnataka Devadasi (Prohibition of Dedication) Act, 1982, which came into effect in 1984, mandates every devadasi's right to get married. Still, superstition and sociocultural pressure don't allow them to marry as society believes tragedy would entrap the village and the family. No man agreeing to marry a devadasi is the biggest tragedy. Renukamma's journey began by undergoing the harassing years of devadasi practice at the early age of 18. She later resisted the outlawed inhuman practice by refusing to be part of it. She also believes that no political party except the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had fought against the ongoing regressive system that essentially forces women into a lifetime of sexual slavery. She is the state committee member of the party.

All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) state leader K Vimala lamented the government for passing a bill to raise lawmakers' salaries and not prioritising the fund allocation and expense on the emancipation of devadasis.

U. Basavaraju informed that the state Women and Child Development Minister had assured consultation with the Chief Minister to fulfil their demands by the end of the ongoing budget session. If things do not move in the desired direction for devadasis, the union would be resuming the protest from March 25-29 at the taluk level.

The writer is a freelance journalist.