Livelihood, Conservation, and Resistance: Mahila Mandal in the Tribal Region of Odisha

As the nation celebrates the presidential victory of one tribal woman from the northern district of Mayurbhanj in Odisha (Ms. Droupadi Murmu), this study attempts to analyse the dynamics surrounding collective agency of rural tribal women in the state with special reference to its south- western districts. In the tribal region of Odisha, women by and large have been accorded a secondary status with respect to decision-making and access to resources. They negotiate access to village common resources to sustain viable livelihoods. In recent times, the fragile ecology in this forest and mineral rich area has witnessed serious damages in the development process. While the impacts are felt across the communities, women are the most vulnerable section. This paper, drawing on extensive fieldwork, focuses on women’s collective at village level, locally known as mahila mandal, as an initiative of a well known civil society organization, Agragamee. Mahila mandal has played a critical role in collective action for natural resource management- in releasing unproductive wastes like degraded forest lands and wastelands from the control of village dominant groups for productive use and management. Further, it has led to considerable collective agency formation in the form of collective mobilizations and resistances by local women against some of the policies of the state directly affecting their livelihoods. Anti-liquor movement and hill broom movement by local women are good instances in this regard. Mahila mandal, however, is currently facing formidable challenges for its survival, especially owing to the rapid spread of self help groups (SHGs) in the region. At the same time, as my recent fieldwork shows, it is indeed experimenting different strategies to revive the old spirit and enthusiasm among local people. In these circumstances, it would not be inaccurate to say that mahila mandal is currently situated between hope and scepticism.