Training proxy sarpanches

Col DS Cheema (retd)

VARIOUS state governments have set up institutions for the training of their employees. Yet, training remains a low priority as it is a slow, cumbersome process and politicians have the habit of expecting immediate gains from any kind of investment. As a trainer, I had the most memorable learning experience while working with the department of Panchayati Raj.

On the first day, when I was ushered into the classroom, I was surprised to see the seating arrangement of the participants. Women were sitting in the first row and the second row was occupied by the men. I remembered my schooldays, when the girls sat on the front benches and the boys occupied the benches behind them. In any case, I was happy to see so many women sarpanches and was eagerly looking forward to interact with them. I started by asking their names and the villages they represented. The women hesitantly answered my questions about the work they were doing in their villages and the problems they faced. I understood their hesitation as they were undergoing training for the first time. After completing my enquiries with the women, I moved on to the men.

The first man whom I addressed said he had served his village for many years, but was not the sarpanch anymore. When asked why he was present in this class, he pointed towards a woman and said he was accompanying his wife, who was the sarpanch at present. I turned my attention to the man sitting next to him. Pointing towards another woman, he also informed me that ever since the sarpanch’s post in his village had been reserved for women, his wife had been at the helm and he was here only to be with her. I was flabbergasted to learn that all 10 men in the row were the husbands of sarpanches.

I then asked the women whether they needed their spouse’s help in performing their responsibilities. I was taken aback when all of them told me that their husbands were performing the duties, while they only signed the official documents. Half of them stated that if their husbands were not able to accompany them to a meeting for some reason, which happened on rare occasions, they were given instructions which they duly followed. The husbands believed that they were best suited for the job; they felt that the law regarding 50 per cent reservation for women was a bad idea. I told them that the quota was actually 33 per cent, but they were least interested in getting their facts straight.

I lamented the state of our democracy, which had become deformed, distorted and diluted.