Tribal woman denied water access, digs well in UP village

A tribal woman in Bundelkhand Uttar Pradesh was denied access to a hand pump by upper castes. What she did next will surprise you. About five years ago, she condemned the disapproval and decided to take the matter into her own hands. Today she successfully has dug a well almost single-handedly for 40 families making a strong statement against all caste prejudice.

Kasturi lives in Dudhi village and now became a hero there because all the other families have similar caste-based discrimination issues but till now no one had the determination taken a step like her before.

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"We are tribals and lived in Duddhi village. But we were not allowed to use the hand-pump by the upper caste residents. Arranging for a pot of drinking water was an everyday battle we had to face for the quest of survival," said Kasturi to TOI.

On one such occasion, when Kasturi was refused water for two days, she decided to shift as continuous insults by the upper castes were getting more and more frequent along with the denial of a basic necessity. She then built her hut in a forest and started digging a well near the area. Her own family wasn't very supportive and criticised her, but keeping in mind the acute drinking water shortage in her area she kept at her project. Soon enough, in January, realising the importance of this move, her family including her children and daughters-in law also joined her aong with almost 40 villagers.

Finally in the month of June, a 25 feet deep well was ready, but there was no water. By early July, with the rains pouring in the monsoon, the well finally had water.

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This reminds us of another similar incident which occured in May this year, in a village in Washim district of Maharashtra’s drought-hit Vidarbha. A Dalit man was furious exactly like this after his wife was ridiculed by upper caste people. Bapurao Tajne then dug a well in just 40 days for his wife-sake.

Feature Image Credit: www.indiatvnews.com

Read More Stories By Ria Das