The analysis from the movie Bawander

Caste, is a term that sociologically can be defined as stratified system of

categorization based on a status conferred at birth (ascribed status) due to a
persons descent in which individuals do not have mobility due to custom or
law. Caste not only discriminate among people socially but it also effects people
in every ways possible. It even decides who would get justice and who would
not. Similar example can be seen from a well-known Hindi movie named
Bawander.
Bawandar (The Sand Storm) Indian film produced in the year 2000.The movie
is based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a rape victim from Rajasthan,
India. The film depicts the personal trauma, public humiliation and legal
injustice that Bhanwari Devi went through, while pursuing justice in the Indian
courts.
The story is introduced through first-person narration by a foreign reporter
called Amy, who has read about Sanwari's case in a newspaper. Amy and her
friend-cum-interpreter Ravi visit Sanwari's village to investigate the matter, five
years after the gang-rape incident. Upon their arrival in Rajasthan, Amy and
Ravi meet a rickshaw-puller named Sohan by happenstance, who helps them on
their way to a village where they encounter Sanwari's rapists. Sohan turns out to
be Sanwari's husband, and tells the tale of Sanwari's rape case.

Sohan and Sanwari are a married couple belonging to a low-caste Kumhar

(potter) community. The couple live with Sohan's parents and have a two
children, a young girl and a boy. Sanwari makes pots whilst Sohan plies the
rickshaw for their subsistence. While working at a local quarry, Sanwari stands
up for her rights to the corrupt supervisor. The news of her bravery reaches
Shobha Devi, a social worker who works for the Government of India. Her job
involves creating awareness amongst the illiterate villagers against social evils
like child marriage, oppression of women etc. In Dhabri, she recruits Sanwari as
a Saathin, a grassroots worker employed as part of the Women's Development
Project run by the Government of Rajasthan.

As part of her job, Sanwari educates the womenfolk in the village against child
marriages and oppression against women, and invites ire of the conservative
village elders. Most of these villagers belong to the Gurjar community, a higher
caste. To subjugate Sanwari, five members of the Gurjar community order a
social and economic boycott of Sanwari and her family. The villagers stop
selling milk to her family or buying the earthen pots they make. When Sanwari
informs the police about a child marriage happening in the Gurjar community,
five men from the Gurjar household where the marriage was supposed to
happen decide to teach Sanwari a lesson. Having had enough of her shenanigans
and what they perceive as her affront to their male ego, they collectively beat up
her husband and two of them take turns in gang-raping her.

Despite the horrific nature of the incident and the stigma attached to it, Sanwari
and Sohan muster up courage and go to the police station to lodge a FIR (First
Information Report), but the corrupt inspector refuses to lodge the FIR in
absence of a medical report. The doctor refuses to issue a medical report in the
absence of a court order, explaining that he cannot do so because it's a rape case.
Shobha helps the couple finally manages to get a court order. With the court
order, they get a medical test done in Jaipur, and a complaint is lodged two days
after the incident.

However, the rapists are not arrested and roam around freely, boasting about
their lustful experience with Sanwari. Sanwari's case gets nationwide attention
after the head of a women's NGO in Delhi gets involved and tries to help
Sanwari. The Prime Minister of India himself entrusts the investigation to the
CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and offers Rs. 1 lakh as support to
Sanwari from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

The accused are arrested and tried in the court, but they are backed by the local
MLA Dhanraj Meena. Meena hires a lawyer called Purohit to defend the
accused. A Gurjar lawyer defends Saanwari, but faces pressure from his
community to favor the accused. The judges handling the case are transferred
multiple times, and the final judgment goes against her, with all 5 of the accused
walking away scot free.

The movie ends with a lady talking about how Bhanwari Devi has refuses to
give up her fight for justice, in spite of unhelpful villagers and relatives, an
incompetent police force, and a corrupt judicial system, and is today active as a
rape activist who helps provide help, counseling and inspiration to women who
have suffered such injustices as well.

The most ironic part was, in the accused were been charged with the
justification that Sawari belong to lower caste thus rape by the upper caste men
is not possible. The touch from Sawari would make them impure thus they
wont even let Sawaris shadow fall on them.
If we look close into our daily life, similar examples are easily visible in our
daily lives. For instance Joyti Singh rape case in Delhi vs double teenager rape
case in Uttar Pradesh. In one case the whole of Delhi were awaken because she
belonged to upper caste and there were a feeling of connectivity among the
people and in the other case the same people took the case as an article from
newspaper and remained silent, Is that only because the girls belong to lower
caste and class.

The Utter Pradesh double teenager gang rape incident: On 27 May 2014, an
alleged gang rape and murder of two teenage girls was reported in the Katra
village of Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was widely reported in the
press in India as well as overseas. After an extensive investigation, CBI
concluded that there was no gang rape and suspects were released.

According to reports, in the evening the girls had gone out into a field that was
used as a toilet area and did not return. The police were notified, but initially
took no action. Villagers searched for the girls throughout the night and they
were found the following morning hanging from a tree.

At last I will conclude by mentioning the idea on the basis of Andre Lordes
Sister Outsider that When a upper caste, class, superior race women sees
herself she sees a women but when a lower caste, class, inferior race women
sees herself she sees a lower caste, class and inferior race women

References:

Bawander directed by Jag Mundhra and Jagmohan Anand

Lorde,A.(1984).Sister Outsider.United Kingdom: Crossing Press

By: Poulami Saha

SKG162E0450

Introduction to Gender[SUS1FC041]