Mobile Phone and Tribal Women

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Mobile Phone and Tribal Women

(A study of use and impact of mobile phone on Gond women of Madhya Pradesh)

Narayan Mohanty

Senior Research Fellow

Rajiv Gandhi Chair in Contemporary Studies

Bhopal-462026

Abstract

The mobile phone is an extension or new Avatar of communication technology has substantially adopted in between

people irrespective of their social and demographic background. Not only the elites but also bottom beings use it.

This is one of the globalism Indicator. In India, around 70 per cent people having the mobile phone while among

tribes this figure has arrived at 31 per cent. But we can be noticed a mass gap on use of mobile phone in between

sexuality. This is the pessimistic side but positively its impact can be perceived among the tribal women. The centre

of attention of the study is tribal modernism and threats to tribal identity based on role of tribal women. The study

was conducted in a Gond tribal village of Madhya Pradesh adopted of census technique and group discussions. The

study argues that mostly working women having the mobile facilities irrespective of varying income and occupation.

The women mobile users have developed non-tribal attitude, behaviours and adopted modern patterns of lifestyle

and means of entertainment in comparison to mobile non-users tribal women. However, the tribal women indicate

for tribal modernism on the basis of non-tribal beings in which non-tribal malevolence have been noticed in tribal

behavior and it often force to them obviate from tribalism.

Perspective

Since the setting up of globalization, technological extension has been widely dispersed across

the world from larger parts to smaller landmasses. Broadly, this recognizes that technology is as use as

a human supporting hand in respect to communication, transports, nuclear, space science etc. Out of

these numerous innovations, the communication technology like mobile phone is a new avatar of

connection between people irrespective of their social and demographic background.

Telecommunications, as a means of sharing information, is not simply a connection between people,

but a link in the chain of the development process itself” (Hudson 1995). This has not only

encompassed among the elites but also it has arrived at grassroots society, which emerges some

anticipation among them.

Since 1997, the growth story of telecom especially mobile technology in India has been

playing an estimable effort to reach as second largest mobile users with over 960 million subscribers

in the world, next to China (TRAI 2012). This is plausible to observe that the largest residents of

Russia are using the mobile phone up to 155 per cent followed by Italy 147 per cent, Brazil 134 per

cent, Germany 130 per cent, Iran 130 per cent respectively. In this queue, India and China pertain 79

and 75 per cent, in which both countries are more or less lagging with respect to mobile multiple users

(Wikipedia).

On the other hand, the mobile story of rural and tribal India tell that about one in every two

rural households own the mobile phone while this placement pertain in rural tribal areas around 27 per

cent. Accordingly, male and female hold about 53.3 and 44.3 per cent of mobile phone in India while

in the tribal areas the male holds 72.8 per cent and female having 27.2 per cent of mobile phone

(Census 2011). This figure reveals that not only among non-tribes but also among tribes a discrepancy

can be seen towards women's contribution.

This is well-known that many of tribal communities serve equal individuality to women

though it varies from tribe to tribe (Sashi, 1978). Majumdar (1973) reveals a higher status of tribal

women on some indicators while lower on another. Furer Haimendorf reveals about the Naga women

in the Northeastern states “many women in most civilized parts of India may well envy the women of

the Naga Hills, their high status and their free happy life and if you measure the cultural level of the

people by the social position and personal freedom of its women you will think twice before looking

down on the Nagas as savages” (1933, p. 101). Hutton (1921) articulates that among the Nagas women

enjoy considerable freedom and high social status. Naga women have the right to choose their

husbands and are never forced to marry against their will. Similarly, Elwin (1961) alludes to the

freedom enjoyed by Naga women and contended that the latter exercised significant decision-making

power within their societies. Generally, tribal women have enjoyed greater freedom and higher status

than Hindu women (Maharatna, 1998). Rivers (1973), Dalton (1872) and Grigson (1938) have

reported low status of women among Todas, Kharies and Mariya Gonds with reference to certain

taboos during certain periods and ceremonies. Many tribal societies are matrilineal and women in such

social structures enjoy inheritance rights and privileges that are absent in patriarchal societies. Women

in patriarchal societies often do not have economic independence and are therefore subjugated to

lower household and social status. Decisions regarding marriage, fertility, and divorce on the women’s

part are severely constrained (Mitra, A, 2007). In this order, Gonds community is patriarchal in nature

and men are key decision makers in a family though women having the equal privileges in terms of

marriage, work participation, inheritance rights etc. (Singh, 1994, p. 353).

Though the tribal women are having more fortunate in comparison to non-tribal women, yet

long disparity can be seen among tribal women on the basis of education, health, employment status

even in household amenities in comparison to tribal men. This is even more or less in every tribal

community (Singh and Rajlaxmi, 1993). Considering these variances if we see the status of mobile

phone among tribal women then this shows a similar tendency as patriarchal point of view compared

to national and state figures. On the other hand, many studies have been conducted on tribal women

and their status though few have focused on communication and tribal women. Pertinently, if we see

then some of Information communication technology (ICT) related projects viz. S. Swaminathan

Research Foundation (MSSRF), Warana Nagar Rural Network Project, IndiaShop.com, SEWA,

TARAhaat.com, e-greenstar.com, SIRIDI ICT project in Betul etc. have been attentive to tribal

communication development. Nevertheless, none of the study has focused on mobile impact on tribal

women especially among the largest tribal group of Gond. Moreover, tribal characteristics diversify in

traditional heritage indeed it distinguishes tribe to tribe. Since each study has their unique outcomes.

On the basis of the above studies and particularly focus on tribal woman's identity, this study

argues on some pertinent questions. These are - though the tribal women having the equal rights to

work participation, marriage, and inheritance rights yet the varying status have observed in terms of

mobile phone uses between male and female. Why it is so? What the key purposes promulgate to tribal

women to use the mobile phone irrespective of non-users women and male counterpart. What

alteration can notice in between them? What are impacts of mobile phone on tribal women? If there

has any impact of mobile phone for tribal women then what the trend has been followed among them.

Whether are they following non-tribal patterns regardless of their tribal identity? If yes what are the

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Mobile Phone and Tribal Women (A study of use and impact of mobile phone on Gond women of Madhya Pradesh) Narayan Mohanty Senior Research Fellow Rajiv Gandhi Chair in Contemporary Studies Bhopal-462026 Abstract The mobile phone is an extension or new Avatar of communication technology has substantially adopted in between people irrespective of their social and demographic background. Not only the elites but also bottom beings use it. This is one of the globalism Indicator. In India, around 70 per cent people having the mobile phone while among tribes this figure has arrived at 31 per cent. But we can be noticed a mass gap on use of mobile phone in between sexuality. This is the pessimistic side but positively its impact can be perceived among the tribal women. The centre of attention of the study is tribal modernism and threats to tribal identity based on role of tribal women. The study was conducted in a Gond tribal village of Madhya Pradesh adopted of census technique and group discussions. The study argues that mostly working women having the mobile facilities irrespective of varying income and occupation. The women mobile users have developed non-tribal attitude, behaviours and adopted modern patterns of lifestyle and means of entertainment in comparison to mobile non-users tribal women. However, the tribal women indicate for tribal modernism on the basis of non-tribal beings in which non-tribal malevolence have been noticed in tribal behavior and it often f ...
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