Jacinta Kerketta fought all odds and is now an eminent dalit poet and writer. Her story takes us to the interiors of Jharkhand, where life for women is not only difficult but at times realities of gender inequality makes their lives a living hell. Jacinta belongs to a schedule tribe 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. 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.
But 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. She worked toward creating a strong voice for tribal women and girls in the tribal heartland of Jharkhand.
Jacinta is working with the female inhabitants of a small village called Kachabali in Khuti Zilla, in order to help them stand up against gender inequality. She has organized numerous cultural programmes, with participants from 20 villages, addressing the importance of women empowerment and the need for preserving the local language.
Jacinta had always been passionate about expressing her thoughts through writing and presenting them to the world. She has penned down a book in her local language and it has been translated to Hindi and German by the Adivani Kolkata and Bhartia Gyaan Pith publication houses. Her next book in due in 2018 and will be translated into Italian from the University of Turin’s publication house.
Heroically, she has recently been honoured with an award from Germany, in acknowledgment for her amazing work on literature among tribal and adivasi women in Jharkhand, at the ‘Wisdom of the Adhivasi Seminar’. She has also been awarded the ‘Ranchi Aparajita Samman’ by the Government of India. Now, this is truly commendable isn’t it?
Her profound interest lies in enabling girls to express themselves through writing, thus letting the world know of their stories. Through her endeavours she is trying to build the writing and photography skills of adolescent girls by providing them with the required guidance and training. With the help of Kutchina Kritika’s financial aid she has been able to take up the responsibility of female education in Khuti Zila. Kutchina has also taken the responsibility of the higher education of 5 more girls.
Jacinta firmly believes that this project will make such neglected girl feel independent and provide them with an occasion to be able to express themselves without restrictions. It’s such a pity that such skills are barely tutored amongst girls and women, who have so much potential within themselves. Jacinta wants such opportunities to be easily accessible to all, so that the girls and women can make their mark in the chosen field, and on the world that conveniently chooses to pay no attention to such talents.
Though it is sad that fairytales do not actually exist in today’s real life, women like Jacinta are proving that with a strong will and powerful dedication, you can definitely beat all odds, to create your own fairytale.
