P anchayati R aj in T ribal A reas Kalavati, a Dalit by caste was apprehensive about standing for elections. She is a Panchayat member and realises that her confidence and self-esteem has grown ever since she became a member of the panchayat. Most importantly ‘she has a name’. Before she became a member of the panchayat she was only called as ‘Ramu’s mother’ or ‘Hiralal’s wife’.
If she lost the election for the post of the Pradhan she felt ‘sakhiyan ki nak kat jaye ’ (her friends would lose face). Source: This was recorded by Mahila Samakhya, an NGO working towards Rural Women’s Empowerment.