Once upon a time in a far away land, there lived a young maiden by the name of Jacinta Kerketta. But not all stories are fairy tales and our young protagonist is living proof that you need to fight in order to create your own fairytale.
Domestic and family violence is no longer an isolated issue that needs to be veiled behind walls thanks to women like Kutchina Kritika Foundation’s Jacinta Kerketta who has been crusading against such violence that women constantly endure. She now introduces herself as an award-winning dalit poet and writer. These few words themselves sound appalling yet valiant, don’t they?
Her story takes us to the interiors of Jharkhand, a village called Khudpos in Monoharpur district, West Singhbum, where life for women is not only difficult but at times realities of gender inequality make their lives a living hell. Jacinta belongs to a schedule tribe, Uraon and grew up in then Bihar. Since she was a kid, she could witness the stark gender equality difference which her mother, sisters and she faced in the family, as opposed to the male members. Family decisions were always taken by the men of the house, while the women languished in the kitchen, a culture she opposed as it was unfair and demeaning.
The community she belonged to never allowed women to step out of their houses, let alone have a say in any household or social functioning. Women were allowed no exposure, whatsoever. They were confined within the walls of their kitchen, with the only decision she was allowed to make was the number of dishes she would prepare for a particular meal.
But this did not stop Jacinta. She knew that if she had to fight for herself and her peers, she needed to take a firm step – a step that would help her to break away from the shackles of gender inequality and create a safer world for tribal girls and women.
Stay tuned to find out how she fought all odds to become an eminent tribal poet and writer.
