Chillar’s inner circle

Geetanjali Gayatri in Sonepat

Advertisement

WITH fame thrust upon it, Khanpur Kalan doesn’t know how to handle the attention coming its way. Most villagers don’t know that Manushi Chillar, a second-year student of Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College in their village, is Miss World.

Other than a few village youngsters studying in the university, which shares its campus with the medical college, most of them are not even impressed. That’s essentially because they don’t understand the title or the pageant. “What does it mean for the village? Will it get anything for us?” says one of them.

That’s about a village headed by a woman sapanch, Poonam. Her face veiled, she is busy washing clothes. “Who is Manushi Chillar?” she asks blankly. She has no clue of a Miss World pageant, the laurels it has brought or its connection to the village. “I will call a male member. Maybe he would know,” she says and hurries inside to be back with a man.

Her brother-in-law, Subhash, has heard of Chillar’s feat but doesn’t believe it will translate into anything for the village. “We gave away our village land for the university and medical college but we are not even allowed on the campus. A few government officials came to the college to plan for Chillar’s welcome. The government will get a photo opportunity and that is it. We are getting nothing,” he says.

Ask the sarpanch about what she thinks, and she replies: “My father-in-law manages the village work. I only sign.” Subhash proudly chips in: “We had to name her as a candidate because my father lost the last election and the seat was reserved for a woman this election. Her role is limited to signing papers or marking her presence at government functions where he can’t stand in for her.”

Unlike most other villages, girls born this year in Khanpur Kalan outnumber boys (1,333 girls per 1,000 boys, according to the data of the state health department for this year till October), but it still doesn’t think women are “significant half.” In a village lane, as veiled women go about their everyday chores, they don’t believe a Manushi Chillar can change their lives in any way. Speaking on behalf of the women accompanying her, young Meena says: “Who is she and what do we have to do with her achievement? It is good to hear another girl has an achievement, but our lives revolve around our cattle and fields. I can guarantee our lives will carry on this way, Miss World or no Miss World.”

The outlook in most 30-plus villagers seemed pessimistic, but youngsters of Khanpur Kalan studying in university come across different. “There are posters all over the university campus announcing her achievement. Her achievement does give us a reason to believe that we can excel in whatever we want to,” says Deepika, studying in the second year MA in the university.

The youngsters find support from 55-year-old Suresh, sunning himself in the village open space. “We don’t have enough doctors in the local hospital. But if a girl has done something that puts us on the world map, it is commendable. The other girls will emulate her and study harder.” Many his age don’t share his views.

The disinterest of the middle-aged easily outweighs the enthusiasm of the youth of the village. Most of them are even unwilling to spare a minute to hear about Chillar’s achievement because they are busy with their work. For them, there is nothing to write home about, nothing to be talked of. The ill-health of the hospital and medical college is all that worries them.