By Aaron Flanagan
Phoolan Devi was born into an abysmal, pre-ordained fate on the wrong side of India’s caste system.
Indians having their slum homes razed to make way for Commonwealth games infra-structure share Devi’s misfortune in being born unlucky.
The caste system, like Hinduism, is largely peculiar to India. The Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, organises Indians into four categories: Brahmin (priests), Kshatriyas/Rathaestar (warrior-kings), Vaishya (traders-craftmen), shudra (workers-labours), and then outside this, the Harijan (untouchables). The Harijans are typically slum dwellers. So ingrained is caste in Indian consciousness, no matter how brilliant a Harijan, they would find it near impossible to transcend their societal moniker and explore a potential beyond that of street beggar.
Devi fought back, defying her grim birthright. Riding with a posse of rebels, she extracted bloody revenge on those who had administered the cruelest implications of caste. She and her gang killed 22 men who she claimed had systematically raped her since she had been ‘given,’ aged 11, to a man in a neighbouring village.
After years evading capture, despite massive police effort, Devi, in 1983, negotiated a conditional surrender with the Indian government and was sentenced to 11 years jail. Her amazing story of survival and malevolent retribution caught the attention of Indian society. When she was released, she ran and was elected to parliament.
In a 1999 interview, she explained her political objectives;
“My main goal is that things that only the rich and privileged have enjoyed until now should also be given to the poor: for example, drinking water, electricity, schools and hospitals… I’d like there to be seats reserved for women in government posts. Women should be educated in schools. And people should not be forcing them to get married at a very young age…the most important thing is equality. So that people can get employment, they can get proper food and drink, and also to be educated. And especially women – now they are really treated very lowly, like shoes! They should be treated on an equal basis. And like other countries that have progressed and have comforts, I also want my country and people to progress that way.”
Phoolan Devi was assasinated, aged 36, in 2001.
