In 2012, following the Nirbhaya case in Delhi and a slew of moral policing incidents in Mangaluru, where men from right-wing outfits attacked women in pubs and homestays, a group of women in Karnataka thought, “That’s it. Enough!”
On International Women’s Day, 2013, individuals and organisations engaged in women's rights advocacy, literature, academia, folk arts and theatre, congregated in Mangaluru to form the Karnataka Rajya Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Okkuta (KMDVO) — a federation against atrocities on women.
“The Okkuta is a movement to foster sisterhood and companionship through dialogue, cutting across caste and class barriers. When we started it, our objective was to address and create awareness on violence against women — physical, emotional, mental, even financial,” says Dr. Sabiha Bhoomigowda, the former Vice Chancellor of Karnataka State Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura, and a federation member.
Building sisterhood
In the 10 years since its inception, the federation has grown as a grassroots movement with a network of 160 women’s unions and organisations across 11 districts of the State. Built on the tenets of “autonomy, equality and dignity for all”, the KMDVO includes bodies representing Dalit and women’s groups, unions of Anganwadi workers, mid-day meals workers, ASHAs, pourakarmikas, self-help group workers, garment workers, sex workers, transgender people and pro-people’s movements.
The federation’s growing influence and power to mobilise women’s rights activists and unions is best seen during its annual Women’s Day convention which witnesses a gathering of close to 4000-5000 people. So far, the Okkuta has held these two-day events in Mangaluru, Mysuru, Bengaluru, Vijayapura, Koppal, Shivamogga, Dharwad, Mandya, Kolar and Kalaburagi.
“We tend to focus on locally relevant issues that are critical to women and women’s groups in the district where the year’s event is being held,” says Dr. Sabiha.
A non-hierarchical structure
A gathering of women at the first conclave of the Okkuta in Mangaluru in 2013. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
True to their democratic spirit, the Okkuta is a non-hierarchical structure without any heads of organisations. It does not accept institutional funding and relies on the goodwill of the public and likeminded people to fund its initiatives.
However, having over 150 groups under its umbrella, each with its own set of specific battles to wage, is not without challenges. The biggest of them all was to make the women believe that can they can unify and fight for themselves, says Dr. H S Anupama, a writer and poet.
“We have thousands of members and as many lived experiences of violence; so how do you decide a roadmap? That’s always a dilemma we face. The most democratic decision is possible not by siding with the majority but by listening to the one or two voices of dissent and arriving at an agreement through consensus,” Dr. Anupama adds.
The approach has held the Okkuta in good stead the past decade. Through sustained meet-ups, conclaves and community building programmes, the federation has enabled various women’s groups and unions to share and understand each other’s issues and speak up as one voice.
But with each passing year, forms of atrocities against women have continued to find newer, more nefarious ways to manifest themselves. “We do feel dismayed but we cannot expect systemic violence to stop overnight merely because we started the Okkuta. There is a metaphor we keep returning to: it is like sweeping our house. Every day the house gets dirty, and every day we need to sweep it. It is an ongoing process,” Vani Periyodi, a teacher and federation member.
Young people are the Okkuta’s core focus group and its flagship gender sensitivity programme, Arivina Payana, has helped create awareness regarding gender violence and gender justice among 50,000 school and college students.
What binds the Okkuta is its belief in the idea of collectivism and this is most evident in the Kaudi Holige (Quilting Project) programme. “We organise a potluck and as we stitch, we read short stories and poetry and discuss issues that concern the society. The Kaudi becomes a symbol of collectivism,” explains Dr. Anupama. The individual pieces are then sewn together to make a full quilt — much like the Okkuta itself.
Okkuta members participate in the Adhyayana Shibira (Study Programme). | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Not a political movement
Though the Okkuta originated as an alternative, political thought, the members stop short of calling it a political movement. Instead of merely engaging in reactionary politics, the KMDVO envisions building something of their own.
One such programme was Chunavane Olahorage. In 2017, the Okkuta called upon women representatives who had stood for elections at the MLC, gram panchayat, taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat levels to share the problems they faced in electoral politics – from seeking a party ticket to hold a meeting, campaigning and contesting the election. The response and learnings were overwhelming
A member sister speaks up at the 2013 Mangaluru jatha of the federation. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
On January 8, 2023, the federation will meet to celebrate and review 10 years of its activities at the ‘Oggooduva Habba’ in Bengaluru. The event will also see a Taalamaddale performance called Padmavati Kaalaga, written by Kruti Purappemane and performed by Yakshadurga Mahila Kala Balaga, Heggodu and a few Okkuta members from Bengaluru. Inspired by Naomi Alderman’s novel, The Power, and constructed using a feminist device, the prasanga holds a mirror to how women’s characters have been portrayed in the Yakshagana tradition.
Much like the past decade, while the Okkuta hopes to continue fighting atrocities against women, the big question is whether to spread its network to other districts in Karnataka or to deepen the ties that have already been forged in the 11 districts. This will be a key point of discussion at its Women’s Day conclave in Tumakuru this year.
“We want to continue doing our work in silence, without any publicity. Change also has to happen slowly and steadily. Just as one braces for war, one must prepare for peace,” says Dr. Anupama.
