ManishChand:THE STATE AND THE GOVERNANCE OF EDUCATION

In this paper, I will intend and try to explain in brief a background to the entire analysis which this article delves into. To begin with, in the name of development, there is shift always from state control towards privatization and decentralization. It may be considered as issues for developing countries wherein the education systems are facing problems. The author has tried to make an understanding base about the role of state relationship in Western countries. This paper points out that today the state’s role in the control of education has strengthened rather being weakened. Earlier it was perceived that state had responsibilities to provide education for children as public good. But now, it is changing because of two reasons. The first reason is regarding to ideological commitments of neo-liberalism. The second reason that the states have no adequate capacities to deliver education in their present social and economical context.

He explains that “due to global economy, education has been affected both direct and indirect way. The direct impact can be seen more in developing countries. Whose countries’s education system have been shaped by the lending policies of the world Bank programme(India) and demands of structural adjustment (i.e. the diminution of public sector and the expansion of the private) that organizations like the IMF make conditions of support. The impact of can also be seen in advanced countries where public funding of services related like education seems no longer feasible at previous levels. ” (Roger Dale,pp. 274). Here we can correlate this case in Indian context, SSA programme is an example.

Further, the author tells that the state’s control is form of government which is losing in its state premises. The state’s control is shifting towards governance many Western and Asian countries. According to Hirst and Thompson( 1995) “ Governance-that is the control of an activity by some means such that a range of desired outcomes is attained-is ,however, not just the provinces of the state. Rather it is a function that can be performed by a wide variety of public and private state and non state, national and international, institutions and practices”(ibid, p. 278)

The Governance of Education

There are three forms of intervention by the welfare state. These are individually different from each other. These activities involved in welfare of policy. How the policy is funded, how it is delivered and how it is regulated by the state. The author argues that it is not necessary for the state to carry out all these activities for control of education. He says that these activities have to be coordinated along with three major institutions. There are State, Market and Community. Now the field of these institutions have been expanded and formalized as the area of direct state involvement.

Governance Activities	Coordinating institutions
Funding	State, Market, Community
Regulation
Provision/Delivery

Funding

It can be understood and seen as source in education of public or private schools. The author gives an example, in private schools where fees are thoroughly funded by parents. Some schools are funded by religious or volunteer organizations or direct community funded. These private schools also get several tax reliefs through state subsidy. They also get benefit through direct state funding of the academics. There are some disciplinary mandates through which distribution of funding happens.

· Funding may be delivered to organizations or individually through scholarship or vouchers.

· It may be given subject to condition (competence and performance basis).

· It can be taken in forms of grants, loans, investment or subsidy.

Regulation

It is a major ability of the state to determine policy and sanctions through law that shapes the whole area of regulati0on. Funding and regulation combine in different ways to create the context for education policy, provision and practices. There are three aspects of the processes by which the state shapes the governance of education. These are Deregulation, Jurisdiction and the New Public management.

Provision/ Delivery

The delivery of education is basically shaped by changes in funding and regulation. The key dimensions of this governance activity regarding the way provision relates to the question of entitlement. In education, market forms of provision which have their efficiency but it excludes issues of equity. Here consumers (students) who have money and cultural capital, will receive high quality educational services. Whereas, those who do not have these forms of capital, they will receive low quality education.

Accountability and the Limits to State Action

The state has scarce resources to realize effectively implementation of education policy. The author finds out three forms of clear absolute limits these limits prevent the governmental intervention. These are regulation, manipulation of fiscal resource and the use of information and persuasion.

Conclusion

Therefore, the shift from the state control to governance in education can be visualized to be responding to three acts of different pressures. The first, due to global economy, the economical role of the state is shifting. The second, shift from welfare state (education as public good) to welfare society (education as have and have not). The third concerns that limit the state action in the modern context.

ManishChand:UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF NCPCR ,ITS FUNCTION AND HOW IT ENVISIONS RTE

First of all, I would like to discuss about NCPCR ( The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights ) which has been mentioned in RTE (Right To Education ) chapter VI ‘Protection of Right of Children’. After that I will look into the details critically of its goal, role and functions. I will also mention how the NCPCR is working currently. Having said all, I will offer some considerable suggestions but valuable at the end which could be meaningful for further enhancement of capacity of the NCPCR.


The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008, passed by Rajya Sabha in July 2009, which defines the right to education as right to free and compulsory education for 6-14 years age group of children. This can be translated into reality through required infrastructure, good governance, trained teachers and adequate funding. Salient features of RTE Bill The Right to Education Bill comprises 37 clauses, 17 definitions. It defines the dimensions of what it means to provide for a child's right to education in the Indian context. In Chapter VI, RTE has given enough space for NCPCR for ‘Proctection Right of Children. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a larger body that monitors the right to education and there is a finance sharing arrangement also stated in the bill.


Since RTE opened the scope saying that there has to be a body to monitor the right to education. It says that appropriate governments have to ensure that no child from weaker sections is discriminated against and to also monitor the functioning of schools. There should be steps to ensure the admission attendance, completion of elementary education and attendance of records of all children up to the age of 14. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights is to monitor and to act with quasi‑judicial powers. Rules have to be made comprehensively by each state with guidelines that will be issued by the central government and all the appropriate governments will be making specific rules.


The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was made in March 2007 as a legal body under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 (4 of 2006), an Act of Parliament (December 2005). Basically, it was set up to encourage and protect child rights in the country. This commission will protect all children who come under between 0 to 18 ages. This policy gives more preference to those children who are vulnerable, marginalized and backward children. The NCPCR believes that all children should enjoy their right till 18th year according to their entitlement given in Indian Constitution.

Roles and Functions of the NCPCR

The Commission will do following activities.


(i) It will look at given under any law for in force for the protection of child rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation
(ii) It will make inquiries into violation of child rights and recommend introduction of trial in such cases

(iii) It will scrutinize all factors that become problem in the enjoyment of rights of children affected by terrorism, communal violence, riots, natural disasters, domestic violence, HIV/ AIDS, trafficking, maltreatment, torture and exploitation, pornography, and prostitution and recommend appropriate remedial measures.


(iv) It will look into matters related to children in need of special care and protection, including children in distress, marginalized and disadvantaged children, children in conflict with law, juveniles, children without family and children of prisoners and recommend appropriate remedial measures.

(v) It can also undertake and promote research in the field of child rights.

(vi) It will extend child rights literacy among various sections of society and promote awareness of the safeguards available for protection of these rights through publications, media, seminars and other available means.

(vii) It will make look over any juvenile custodial home or any other place of residence or institution meant for children, under the control of the Central Government or any State Government or any other authority including any institution run by a social organization, where children are detained or lodged for the purpose of treatment, reformation or protection and take up with these authorities for remedial action, if found necessary.

(viii) Inquire into complaints and take up motto notice of matters related to:
• If there is any deprivation and violation of child rights.
• Non compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships to and ensuring welfare of the children and to provide relief to such children.
• Non implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children.

Capacities of NCPCR

The Commission, has all powers of the Civil Court trying go under the Code of Civil Procedures, 1908 and in particular, with respect to the following matters:

1. It can give call and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining them on pledge.
2. It can requiring the discovery and production of any documents
3. It can receive evidence on affidavits.
4. It can requisition of any Public Record or copy thereof from any Court of Office
5. It can set commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents
6. Forwarding cases to Magistrates who have jurisdiction to try the same.
7. On completion of inquiry, the Commission has the powers to take the following actions:
a. To recommend to concerned Government for initiation of proceedings for prosecution or other suitable action on finding any violation of child rights and provisions of law during the course of an inquiry
b. To approach the Supreme Court or the High Court concerned for such directions, orders or writs as that Court may deem necessary.
c. To recommend to concerned Government or authority for grant of such interim relief to the victim or the members of his family as considered necessary.
8. The basic thrust and core mandate of the Commission is to inquire into complaints of violations of child rights. The commission is also supposed to take suo moto cognisance of serious cases of violation of child rights and to examine factors that inhibit the enjoyment of rights of children.
a. Complaints may be made to the Commission in any language of the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
b. No fee shall be chargeable on such complaints.
c. The complaint shall disclose a complete picture of the matter leading to the complaint.
d. The Commission may seek further information/ affidavits as may be considered necessary. (www.ncpcr.gov.in)


It is significant to make a note of that at the time when the bureaucracy was preparing the groundwork for introducing the much diluted bill in Parliament, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had passed a resolution for the abolition of child labour and realisation of right to education, adhering to three non‑negotiable core principles: (a) any person below 18 years of age is a child; (b) all forms of child labor need to be abolished; (c) all children who are out of school are child labourers and all work whether hazardous or non‑hazardous is detrimental the growth of a child. The NCPCR looks to the State to subscribe to these recommendations as guiding principles while formulating policies and legislations towards abolishing child labour and realizing the right to education.

But it is the biggest paradox that the core recommendations made by the NCPCR, which is a national level body having the mandate to monitor the implementation of the new Act. If it comes through, were not even taken note of leave alone incorporated into the text of the new education bill. Further, inclusion of the NCPCR recommendations would have altered at least certain important definitions such as ‘child’, ‘working child’, ‘child labour’, etc. But its opposite , even the definitions that were there in the February 2008 draft bill relating to ‘working child’, ‘out‑of‑school child’, ‘migrant family’, etc. were removed by the government in the education bill tabled in the Rajya Sabha.


We find that the structure has to be constructed in a particular manner. Another point that needs to be mentioned is that the whole exercise of making education justifiable rests upon the fact that a child must first have a lawyer to take a case to a court. For this, a lawyer must be sensitive to the fact that the child is being deprived of education. Those children who cannot afford a teacher can hardly afford a lawyer. The entire exercise of justifiability is depending upon the idea that a lawyer would come forward to take the case for the child's right to education. Yet there are hardly any lawyers fighting public interest litigations for the right to education. The absence of a follow up of legislation is not material, as there is nothing to prevent lawyers from taking cases to the higher courts. So it interprets the Constitution in harmony with convention on the Rights of the Child.


Now we can see that how NCPCR is working through its public hearing in villages. No doubt, there is demand among poor parents for education throughout the country. For them, education is an important tool to break the cycle of poverty and marginalization. They see education bringing in equity and justice. They are willing to make enormous sacrifices to get their children educated. About six months ago, a team from National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) visited the residential bridge course (RBC) set up by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in a remote tribal pocket at Jhajha (Jamui district) of Bihar. At the public hearing it was heard how an intense programme of social mobilisation with active role of the local youth and the gram panchayat members motivated over 400 tribal girls who had never been to school getting ready to join the RBC. However, the government had place only for 50. It was decided by the community that all the girls, aged 14, would go for this bridge course as once they turned 15 they would lose their educational opportunity.


Similar case, after the meeting and a drive of two kilometers, a group of tribal women stopped the procession and told the NCPCR team that they wanted their children to complete at least class X but had no school after class V in the vicinity and their children, had to walk 16 kilometers to go to the nearest school which was only up to class VIII. The NCPCR team asked them why they had not raised this issue at the public hearing and the women answered quite strongly whether the authorities have to be told and did not know that their children too required education up to class X and more. This shows that the conventional wisdom that tribal parents are not interested in getting their children educated and especially they do not want their girls to go to school.


Another case we heard in, Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh is an area that has been caught in a situation of civil unrest with the presence of naxals as well as the police, making it impossible for the local population to articulate their difficulties in accessing their entitlements. In the last six months, about five gram panchayats in the Sukma block have mobilised children in their villages to join the local schools with support from NCPCR and in coordination with the district authorities and NGOs. The news of children going to schools in these gram panchayats spread around in the neighbouring blocks. Finally, several tribal parents sought education for their children to take out them from adversities once and for all. They did not want their children to suffer the same fate as they did.


The NCPCR team found during its visit to the northeast that at the relief camps of displaced persons in Tripura and Assam there was a crying demand for education. In Manipur too, where despite suffering from HIV and AIDS children want to be educated. Among the migrant child labourers from Rajasthan to Gujarat, Orissa to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra to Gujarat, Bihar to Mumbai, it has been found that if only the education system had the capacity to reach out to each of them, these children would not have joined the labour force. In all the public hearings, the NCPCR heard voices of rescued child labourers yearning for education and struggling hard to win their battle for schools. It is clear that education alone can realize the possibility for the poor to change their future.

Suggestions
1- Regular supervision of schools to protect the child rights by NCPCR
2- Regular public hearing
3- Promote and encourage the RBC(residential bridge course) schools
4- Provide freeof cost lawyer take up the case of victim(child)
5- Need to do publicity for awareness of NCPCR like RTI(right to information)

CONCLUSION
In this way, we see that the successful accomplishment of ensuring that children's right to education is guaranteed would need a wholehearted attempt by all forces/institutions, both within the government and those that lay outside. We need to strengthen and publicity of NCPCR in our country do that people can get benefitted. Having sensitized, people will not engage their children in domestic or send to hazardous work. Eventually, the dream of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act can be realized in proper way without drop out and absenteeism.


REFERENCE
www.ncpcr.gov.in

Banerjee et at (2007) Can Information Campaigns raise awareness and local participation in Primary Education ? EPW April 14,pp 1365-1373.

Subrahmanian, Ramaya (2003), Community at the centre of Universal Primary Education Strategies: An Empirical Investigation, in Kabeer et an (edited) Child labor and the Right to Education in South asia : Needs versus Rights? Sage, New Delhi.

Combate Law ,May-August 2009, Volumje 8, issue 3& 4

ManishChand:ASSESS THE ROLE OF AUDIO VISUAL AIDS IN EDUCATION

Audio-visual aid is the best tool for making teaching effective and the best dissemination of knowledge. Audio –visual material can be included tape recorder, radio, movie, projector method etc. If we use the audio-visual material for elementary education as curriculum, the objectives would be followings.
Augmented Instruction
This is one of the important objectives of using audio visual material, using the application of slides and films in the classroom. Here teachers can use the audio visual aids to reinforce their teaching in the context of a lecture or activities based lesson. Thereafter, teachers can demonstrate any motivational movie according the needs of situation and relevant topic.
Independent Learning
In the classroom, films, audio tapes and video tapes can be used instead of personal student teacher contacts. This forms of instruction can be used in continuing government schools where the teachers are not available adequate. Typically, informative and motivational films on selected topics and video tapes transmitted via various TV networks are typical of these types of material.
Self-assessment, Evaluation and Role playing
At the elementary school, the introduction of video tape recording equipment which does not require elaborates production facilitates stimulating the use of television for the self-assessment of children. Tape recorders can be replayed for the purpose of self-analysis by the children or peers analysis with their classmates.
Therefore, “small group is an integral part of the Problem Based Learning approach, used consciously and conscientiously to achieve the learning outcomes”. (Benson et al., 2001).


Enhance capacities for learning

It is argued that purposefully designed and successful small group learning facilitates learning through the development of audio-visual material that supports and promotes both cognitive and meta-cognitive development. Teachers may show some movie, cartoon and slow-motion animation for the use of teaching. Having finished, teacher can instruct children to sit in small group and tell what they saw. The ‘structures’ in small group can be applied as problem based learning, along with the tutorial process and the use of scenarios, help the students to learn how to learn in groups and learn how to anticipate, prevent, cope and deal with the difficulties that they will experience working in this way.

Manner of Using Audio and Visual Aids

Learning of children can be influences effectively by the audio-visual aid. Teachers can use television or projector method to explain the scientific phenomenon. It will take less time in describing the minute details of the things comparatively traditional method. Through television children can watch the big image of the object such as solar eclipse, use of water cycle , vermi composting, vermiculture , stories , drama, and composting in elementary education text book etc..
Audio visual will very useful and meaningful for those students belonging to literature background. All the genre of literature (novel, drama, tragedy, comedy etc.) can be shown easily through this device. Students will learn to understand it very soon without reading. Reading may seem little boredom but audio visual aid will maintain and hold the interest of students. The impact of television would be hundred times more than book.
Nature of learning

Audio visual aid will serve effective method in disseminative knowledge even in overcrowded classroom. Without this technical device, poorly teacher prepared cannot hold the class properly. If teachers use the help of audio visual in class such as projector, which would definitely stimulate imagination and catch the attention of students. Teachers often give instruction heavily loaded abstract verbalisms which seem meaningless sometime. So in case, teaching should be in simple and lucid manner. Hence, use of audio visual aid in classroom, will lead towards learning with understanding, learning by watching and learning as fun not as burden. Teachers should know which things of it are relevant and which are irrelevant, specially which how audio visual aid may contribute to an understanding of the lesson being taught. Therefore, it is essential for any teacher who wants to be successful teacher, must plan carefully and worked out in advance.

Benefit of Audio Usual Aid

Teacher may demonstrate in many types of slide and movie in the classroom. It will enrich their understanding and vocabulary about the uses of language. Through recording, radio and tape, teacher can tell telecast many interesting and informative news, history and story. These will build a creative environment in elementary class children. Apart from that “an understanding of the arts-painting, sculpture, the dance, handcrafts-can readily be taught by means of television. And both radio and television are valuable media for teaching musical forms”. (R. Murray Thomas,chapt. 4 p. 116)

There is no doubt that technical device have greater impact and dynamic informative system. No other than this, can excel in providing knowledge. education, informative, knowledgeable, and motivation movie may be the milestone in imparting the quality education in lowers classes. Audio is a very effective medium of communication, which catch the heart and mind of people. audio visual aid may also lead towards wrong path way if it is misused. If children are shown excess movie, it could also bring serious repercussion in the life children. Therefore, teacher should not totally dependent upon audio visual aid. They should also encourage and promote self learning and textual culture.

It is needless to say that in certain area of schools at elementary level, the use of audio-visual materials is essential to the dissemination of the information and the skills or technique which is being taught the children. When audio- visual material are compulsory for the teaching –learning process, then it is obvious that the teacher could be replaced for these schools by a well-trained projection , functioning equipment and well-prepared self-explanatic material, such as audio visual software materials. When such areas of curricula can be identified in advance, it is clear that a great saving of time and talent of the teacher can utilized in another creation of innovative work.

It is important to note that utilization of audio-visual aid is very much dependent upon the ability of the teachers to be aware of their ability and have access to them.

Limitation
Due to use of audio visual aid in the classroom, many teachers feel fear making embarrassment errors. They do not feel comfortable. Using of audio visual aids decreases teacher’s autonomy in the classroom. They find themselves as motor which is run by remote control. It also creates frustration and panic fear of committing more mistakes. They do not find natural environment where they deliver their knowledge. This technical device leads disappointed performance. “ Electronic equipment may frighten teachers with its apparent complexity. At least part of this fear comes from the expectation that something may go wrong during the lesson causing the instructor the embarrassment of appearing inept, unable to control the teaching situation’’(R. Murray Thomas, Chapt. 4,p.118)

Regarding facilities, equipment and capabilities required for extend use of audio-visual materials in schools will differ depending upon a wide variety of factors like space, funding and electricity. The biggest factor is to note that it is not problem of hardware or software but the educational objectives of the teachers and the motivational issues of the children. Audio-visual aid is necessary to be typically and regionally in order to assist in gaining optimum learning. It is somewhat hard to achieve such learning if there is only one centre it is because of schools locations, educational objectives differ from place to place.

Purpose of learning
It is matter of fact that still teacher have old notion regarding use of audio visual instruction as only entertainment. They do not proper use of these modern technologies and its implication. They are out of sympathy with modern educational philosophy and psychology, both of which stress the vital part interest plays in learning. For those teachers, any electronic devices are made to reduce learning difficulties and make it more “soft pedagogy” entertainment and not education. But it’s real use and purposes something different. Audio visual aid not designed to amuse the pupil but to increase his interest in and their comprehension of the topic being studied by presenting several different slants on it especially through his most used senses-sight and hearing.” (Mckown and Robert, 1949,p.6)

Audio visual materials have always been used for instruction in hope of reducing the heavy teaching loads that have been increasing stress for children . it is seen that audio visual materials has been teacher oriented mechanism. It is not good thing. In such atmosphere, teacher either projects the visuals or plays the audio from a central position at his/her desk. After that, students are supposed to look or listen to the programme presented. It should not be like that rather teacher should encourage among students for healthy and fruitful discussion in the classroom. For growth of learning, interaction is dire of between students and teachers.

Specific subjects
As for as specific subject is concerned in schools’ curriculum, in practical there is no separate subject included for audio visual By and large, audio visual aid is part of teaching method which is designed to assist in the classroom along with presentation of material (concept, knowledge, and ideas). Audio visual aid is basically admired for best in the literature, mathematics, science, shopwork and other field, both as curricular and extracurricular. In these fields, with the help of technical device, children can have understanding and replicate it.

Age of students
Audio visual aid may be used by after 6th old age. Children can play play games and learn computer, typing functions. Children can learn at early age, faster than later period of their life. Children find computer as toy and like to play with it. Use of electronic device, can make learning fun and easy for children under 6-14 old age.
Socio-cultural context of learners

It is an important factor which impinges upon overall personality. It is very necessary for the use of electronic devices such as, tape recorder, television, computer, and radio, children‘s family must be educated and sensitive towards implication of these operation. After that, it is possible to make best use of these electronic devices in purposeful and meaningful way. Otherwise, it may bring complex repercussion for children. Children belonging to WSS (weaker section of society) may not be able to facilitate these things at home and send their children in decent school where these modern technologies are equipped.

Conclusion
In this way, we understood that audio-visual aid is the best tool for making teaching effective and the best dissemination of knowledge. Audio –visual material can be included tape recorder, radio, movie, projector method etc. Not to say that it has also some limitation that all schools cannot afford this modern technological devices because it is difficult to adopt this approach in government schools where still no adequate teachers, funding and proper infrastructure of classroom and water,toilet facilities. If this audio visual material is provided to govt. school, it will be a only show piece because teachers are also not very acquainted with it. Audio-visual material can be afforded by elite schools and also its use can be realized truly.



References

Benson, G., Noesgaard, C. and Drummond-Young, M. (2001) Facilitating small group learning. In Rideout, E. (ed.) Transforming Nursing Education through Problem-Based Learning. Sudbury: Mass, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 75–102.

Thomas, M, Kobayashi, (1987), Educational Technology-Its Creation, Development and Cross-Cultural Transfer, (Chapter 4, “Educational Radio and Television-Their development in advanced countries” and Chapter 5, “Educational Radio and Television-Their transfer to developing societies and Chapter 10 “The meaning of Educational technology in the modern world” Pegamon Press.(two articles)
Mc Known C. H 7 Roberts B. A (1949). Audio-Visual Aids to Instruction, Mc Graw Hill Book Co. Inc

ManishChand:EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INSTITUTION IN THE LIFE OF DALIT WOMAN, URMILA PAWAR'S 'THE WEAVES OF MY LIFE'DAILY LIFE' AND SCHOOLING EXPERIENCE.

Umila Pawars’s Aaydan, is translated by Maya Pandit into English as The weave of My Life, denotes the as testimony and weaves of complex relationship between official forgetting, memory and identity. ‘Aayadan’ is generic term used for all things made from bamboo. The other meanings of aayadan are ‘utensil’ and ‘weapon’. Outside the Konkan, the job of weaving bamboo baskets has traditionally been assigned to nomadic tribes like the Burud. In the Konkan region, it was the Mahar caste which undertook this task. Her book is forgetting a right to speak both for and beyond the gendered individual. It is contesting clearly the official forgetting of histories of caste oppressions, struggle and resistance. At the same time, this book is a self-consciously dalit feminist testimonial which is against the brahmanical and neo-liberal practices of the state, The weave of My Life violates both bourgeois individualism and communitarian notion of the singular dalit community( dalit panther).

Urmila ( Manjula) challenges views that see caste as a social institution frozen in time. She restates the intellectual contributions and agency of dalit women. She brings together private lived experience and the public practices of anti-caste struggle. The Weave of My Life in the classroom is empowering for subaltern students. It also allows the dominant to interrogate their complicity in deep-rooted privileges without freezing in guilt.

Urmila (Manjula) father died when she was in the third standard, in 1954. He was just fifty-eight. After her husband’s death, mother involved herself in weaving baskets. Urmila’s baba took on a lot more work. He was prone to jaundice. But he told Urmila’s Aaye ‘ Educate the children’. Urmila had great interest to school. She was youngest child in the family. The next day was a Saturday. She had morning school. She said, I don’t know but I packed my school bag and asked Aaye, ‘Shall I go to school today?’ (pp.31).). Uremila’s bhai got a job at the age of eleven at Lucknow in the railways. That time she was enrolled in the pre -primary school. Urmila’s Aaye used to live in very dilapidated state like torn saree, unkept hair and cracked feet. Urmila always maintained some distance with her so that when her classmate of her, Shyamala Chavan asked her, Who is that women in your house who looks like this? She replied,’ ‘Oh that women? She is our maidservant! (pp.43). Urmila liked her mother to wear clean saree but it was not possible due to poverty and that was the reason she had to feel emrrassment in front of her friends..

When she grew up as adolescent. Aaye began to urge her Bhai in letter to look for a good boy for Urmila. Her tai wanted her husband to be a lawyer who would later climb to the position of a judge. Aye used to say about Urmila, “This daughter of mine will count even the feathers of a flying bird.”(pp. 139). Later she enrolled herself in a college. At the same time she did a few temporary jobs. She got married with Harishchandra, a working person. The name Urmila was given by her husband. Both shifted to Mumbai because it fascinated them. And also they believed that what Ambedakar had said: ‘Leave the village, the village will never help you progress. Go to the City’. (pp.158). She joined job and grew her interest in writing stories. She would keep pen and paper near the pillow and write whatever came to her mind. Thus she continued her progressive literary career. She was first invited in Sahitya Sammelana at Vikroli.She had completed B.A. and ,M.A. with second class. Then she joined Maitrini-female friends-in dadar. After joining, she started looking from dalit feminist perspectives. She usually began her speeches with a few quotes from Krantiba Phule besides citing babasaheb ambedakar’s Hindu Code Bill. She said that “ the manusmriti has imposed many restrictions on women and built the caste system. That is why Ambedakar said that women is the gateway of the caste system.(pp. 263).

Memories of food, culinary skills and meals times draw a picture of the moral economy of dalit families in the Konkan region. Being born in low family and caste she had to face many times public humiliation. Once she went to attend a wedding at her sister-law’s place, along with two of her nieces. When they stout girls sat down to eat and began asking for rice again and again, the cook got angry. ‘Whose daughters are these anyway?’ he burst out. ‘They are eating like monsters.’ (pp. 116).

She mentions in this book, memories of labor, camaraderie’s and tension between women who used to climb hills daily to take their wares to the market. Their pains and labor within the homes presents an archive of complex relations between sexual and caste-based division of labor. Memories of humiliation and resistance to reproduction of caste ware as a form of modern inequality both in the village and the city. For example, people would first purify the aaydan, the basket woven by dalits by sprinkling water on it. Even in Mumbai, children of Urmila experienced caste inequality through their interaction with friends invited home to eat the cake on the birthdays. When the children who were invited would describe the figures of the Buddha and Dr. Ambedakar they had seen to their mothers. The latter would be quick to take action. They warned the dalit families that even if their children did visit them they were not to be given any eatables.

She had been discriminated in her school life. At school, teachers would pick on dalit girls to clean the dung on the school verandah when it was the turn of their class to undertake the clean. Urmila was very bold girl since childhood. “One day Gurruji asked Urmila to clean the mess. It was not even the turn of our class. Still he told her to clean because she was late. It so humiliating that she refused even to budge. Guru ji ordered her again. But she did not move her place. Guruji came close and slapped her hard. Then he told her to get out. Howling she ran home when she told to her aaye she was enraged. She said,” Let’s go to your school.’ I will see him’. Her she quoted a proverb! When it is the widow’s son turn to receive alms, the giver gets a boil on his palms!’.(pp.68). Aaye’s complaint against Guru ji became problem for Urmila. Guru ji shouted and announced her name as ,Fail’ ! Guru ji told her that “Show that progress card to your mother !” (pp. 70).

She mentions that when she was in the fifth standard, she had a Brahmin teacher called Biwalkar madam. She used to make all students stand in a line and closely examine their nails, figures, teeth, eyes and ears and nose. Clean students received a pat on their backs whereas dirty students got scolded by her. Another issues, children began to refuse, risking beating and swoolen cheeks. When schoolmates planned meals, dalit children would be asked to contribute money instead of food stuffs and were not allowed to touch the food that was being cooked.

After marriage, she joined nad became acquainted with dalit literature, dalit movement and participated in Maître Sangadana. She would give speech and encourage women’s to join them. She also made awareness among women about women’s issues and rights. She used go lecture in slums so that woman can get self-awareness. Many people of society belonging to non-dalit tried to creat hurdle in her way but she faced boldy. She has achecved several awards like, Priyadarshani Award(2004), Padmashre Vikhepatil Puruskar(2004), Maharastra Foundation Award (2004).

The process through which dalit women agitated into the Ambedkarite publics of the 1970s and 1980s are archived in memories of Hira Bansode, Urmila Pawar’s friend and well-known poet, who came up with the idea of a dalit women’s literary conference. In may 2004, in a letter to the Maharastra sahitya Parishad (Marathi Literary Conference) shows her political stand in refusing the Laxmibai Tilak award for the best published’autobiography’. She refused it taking because ceremony was to be happened by Saraswati Worshing which is ritual of Hindu religion.

We find that this book draws upon dominant disciplinary understanding of caste an ideological system based on a conflicting binary of the principles of purity and pollution as against testimony like The Weave of My life. It reflects with rich experiential documentation of power and material exclusions of the structures. Similarly, the practice of caste and patriarchy reduce these supposedly objective models of what they are: brahminical views from ‘top to down’ (Chakravarti 2003).

Conclusion

The Weave of My Life is a self-consciously dalit feminist testimonial which is against the brahmanical and neo-liberal practices of the state. This book as a Dalit memoirs presents to the readers a records of meanings and values of dalit modernity as it is figured in the interweaving of nostalgia and critical memories of the three generations of dait men, women and children. She has been greatly influenced by her Aaye’s weaving of basket. Her family (aaye, tai, and brother) always encouraged her to educate. Urmila herself never felt disappointed before humiliation and discrimination of caste during school days. Her political journey with ambedakarite philosophy gave her own stand in the society. As she believed what Ambedakar had said: ‘Leave the village, the village will never help you progress. Go to the City. It is in true sense, changed her life. Had she been in city, she would never been able to get such opportunity to grow and stand herself. Therefore, Urmila Pawar’s memoir represents the struggle of dalit women who has travelled on a long journey from a small town to huge metropolis and became one of its leading intellectuals and writes. And who tried successfully to make values like justice, equality, freedom, rationality, citizenship, progress and democracy from her dalit feminist imagination.

REFERENCES

Chakravarti Uma .2003, Gendering Caste: Through a Feminist Lens. Street: Kolkata.