Devadasi women struggle to make ends meet

Rekha (name changed) lives in a village 10 km from Koppal town, the only place where ration or vegetables are available. In the absence of public transport, her family is unable to get the two months’ ration supply assured by the government, living off of leftover supplies.

“Our village Hiresindogi,is around 10 km from Koppal.

With no public transport, autos ask Rs 100 to ferry us to the town, which is unaffordable. Hence, we could not get ration. Forget other vegetables, we do not even have onions. We are plucking greens from nearby farms. We have no soap, oil or basic supplies,” Rekha said.

Belonging to the Devadasi community, Rekha’s family and several like hers, face added challenges during the coronavirus-driven lockdown: Many of them are women-only families with no personal vehicles. They are unable to make it to the fair price shops at the prescribed hours.

They are daily wagers whose livelihoods have been snatched by the pandemic, leaving the already marginalised community struggling.

The government had also announced village-level supply of vegetables. But both accessibility and affordability, have remained a problem: Firstly, the ration and vegetables are not reaching all villages; Second, not all villages have a fair price shop, curtailing accessibility; third, even where vegetables were sold, majority of them can’t afford it, members of the community told DH.

Another case in point is Dharanamma, daughter of a Devadasi, in Asagodu, Davanagere.

“There are eight of us in our family and all are daily wagers. In the absence of employment, we’re dependent solely on my mother’s pension, which is Rs 1,500 per month. They are yet to distribute ration here. Vegetables are supplied,but we can’t afford it,”she said.

Access to healthcare is another issue faced by them. In Raghunathahalli, Yalburga taluk, a 50-year-old woman from the community has been diagnosed with blood cancer.

“The family is unable to take her to Bagalkot for treatment. Both ambulances and cabs are asking nothing less than Rs 3,000-5,000.

The family is unable to even replenish her medicines,” narrated Sowbhagya S D, Koppal district coordinator of Dalitha Manava Hakkugala Vedike.