Photos: Masan Jogi woman battles caste to become sarpanch in Maharashtra | Hindustan Times
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Photos: Masan Jogi woman battles caste to become sarpanch in Maharashtra

Updated On Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

Tulsabai Sankhwad is the first woman sarpanch from the Masan Jogi community, in Maharashtra. Belonging to one of the denotifed tribes of India, Tulsabai and her community battle centuries of caste and custom, decades of red tape and patriarchy to finally have their voices heard.

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Tulsabai Sankhwad poses for a portrait at Arjapur village in Nanded, Maharashtra. Voted her village’s sarpanch in October 2015, Tulsabai is the first woman, and the first member from the Masan Jogi community -- a de-notified tribe -- to hold this office. Masan Jogis have traditionally been keepers of funereal rites, living in cremation grounds and graveyards, and surviving on alms –shunned in society and shrouded in superstition. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

Tulsabai Sankhwad poses for a portrait at Arjapur village in Nanded, Maharashtra. Voted her village’s sarpanch in October 2015, Tulsabai is the first woman, and the first member from the Masan Jogi community -- a de-notified tribe -- to hold this office. Masan Jogis have traditionally been keepers of funereal rites, living in cremation grounds and graveyards, and surviving on alms –shunned in society and shrouded in superstition. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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Tracing origins to the erstwhile Nizam kingdom of Hyderabad, Maharashtra’s Masan Jogis were earlier located in Nanded, Parbhani and Aurangabad districts. Worshipping ‘Masan’, the deity of the cremation ground, and ‘Jwalamukhi’ the all-consuming flame, the use of kitchen fire was banned to them. In the 2011 census, their population was estimated at 27,000. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

Tracing origins to the erstwhile Nizam kingdom of Hyderabad, Maharashtra’s Masan Jogis were earlier located in Nanded, Parbhani and Aurangabad districts. Worshipping ‘Masan’, the deity of the cremation ground, and ‘Jwalamukhi’ the all-consuming flame, the use of kitchen fire was banned to them. In the 2011 census, their population was estimated at 27,000. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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A local tea stall in Arjapur village. Tulsabai’s victory in the election came as a shock to her village. But confidence to take on centuries of caste and custom, came from Vadde (the regional coordinator for the Resource and Support Centre for Development (RSCD), an NGO working with women sarpanchs under the Mahila Rajsatta Andolan project), the stories of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, and the words of BR Ambedkar. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

A local tea stall in Arjapur village. Tulsabai’s victory in the election came as a shock to her village. But confidence to take on centuries of caste and custom, came from Vadde (the regional coordinator for the Resource and Support Centre for Development (RSCD), an NGO working with women sarpanchs under the Mahila Rajsatta Andolan project), the stories of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, and the words of BR Ambedkar. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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“We used to stand with folded arms, waiting to be fed, eating bhakris made of bhoosa (cow fodder) and leftovers rotted by heat… We would keep standing for hours, shoulders bent, hands folded, thinking ‘food will come now’. Our lives were like those of stray dogs,” Tulsabai recalls of customs and days past. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

“We used to stand with folded arms, waiting to be fed, eating bhakris made of bhoosa (cow fodder) and leftovers rotted by heat… We would keep standing for hours, shoulders bent, hands folded, thinking ‘food will come now’. Our lives were like those of stray dogs,” Tulsabai recalls of customs and days past. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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First, her father became a member of the gram panchayat, later her uncles, but being a community of wanderers, they still did not have the coveted address proofs needed for caste certificates once the legislation came through. “I didn’t even know how to apply for one,” she says. The RDSC helped Tulsabai with paperwork, and obtaining signatures of the police for her nomination. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

First, her father became a member of the gram panchayat, later her uncles, but being a community of wanderers, they still did not have the coveted address proofs needed for caste certificates once the legislation came through. “I didn’t even know how to apply for one,” she says. The RDSC helped Tulsabai with paperwork, and obtaining signatures of the police for her nomination. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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Tulsabai was married at the age of 12. “We didn’t know that you shouldn’t marry a girl off before 18.” With her success, young women in the community now want to enter politics as well. She tells them, “Go be collector and tahsildar, go further than me. I couldn’t study so this is all I could be. Surpass me.” (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

Tulsabai was married at the age of 12. “We didn’t know that you shouldn’t marry a girl off before 18.” With her success, young women in the community now want to enter politics as well. She tells them, “Go be collector and tahsildar, go further than me. I couldn’t study so this is all I could be. Surpass me.” (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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The Masan Jogi ‘galli’ was a place to be avoided, smelling of arrack, consumed copiously by both sexes after sundown. Tulsabai’s ‘galli’ only received electricity and water this past year, after she became the sarpanch. Her community understands, if they are to participate in a new India they must let go of old ways. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

The Masan Jogi ‘galli’ was a place to be avoided, smelling of arrack, consumed copiously by both sexes after sundown. Tulsabai’s ‘galli’ only received electricity and water this past year, after she became the sarpanch. Her community understands, if they are to participate in a new India they must let go of old ways. (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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The caste that marginalised her is also what now propels her. Tulsabai says, “The same politicians who tell there is no difference between castes are the ones who only see us when we have a caste certificate. The only way to counter it is to win votes, and for that you need the support of community. Caste is a sword, caste is a gun, caste cuts the way. There should not be caste, but caste is what protects us.” (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Jan 18, 2018 11:54 AM IST

The caste that marginalised her is also what now propels her. Tulsabai says, “The same politicians who tell there is no difference between castes are the ones who only see us when we have a caste certificate. The only way to counter it is to win votes, and for that you need the support of community. Caste is a sword, caste is a gun, caste cuts the way. There should not be caste, but caste is what protects us.” (Anshuman Poyrekar / HT Photo)

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