THE women of Bundelkhand, in Uttar Pradesh, India, do not need superheroes to come to their rescue. They depend on a group of their own clan - The Gulabi Gang - during times of distress.
The gang members are vigilantes who go above and beyond the duties of a local neighborhood crime watch. Their chosen uniform - a strikingly pink sari. Their weapon of choice - the Lathi, a traditional Indian fighting stick. Gender - female only.
In fact, the Gulabi Gang (Gulabi: the color of pink rose), consists of over 10,000 women. And they are a blessing in disguise for many in the overpopulated Bundelkhand region, where people wage daily wars against a corrupt law-enforcement system, infertile lands and the oppressive system of caste hierarchy.
But what Bundelkhand is most infamous for is banditry. Disputes are frequently settled by manner of bullets.
A few months ago, following the rape of a dalit woman by a man of an upper caste in Uttar Pradesh, the police had not even registered the case. Protesting villagers were instead, arrested. The Gulabi Gang rose to the occasion under the guidance of Sampat Pal Devi, storming the police station. They demanded that the villagers be released and a case registered against the offender. When the policeman refused to comply, the gang attacked with their lathis. A high-level enquiry is now underway on this case.
However, the most daring exploit that the ladies-in-pink have carried out so far is the hijacking of a truck containing food meant for the poor, but instead being delivered to corrupt officials.
It started out when the Gulabi Gang received complaints that a local fair price shop run by the government (just like welfare in the US), had stopped the regular distribution of grains. Sampat Devi and her followers investigated the issue, keeping a close watch on the shop owner.                                        –OC