Gulabi Gang
The Gulabi gang (from Hindi गुलाबी gulabī, "pink") is a group of Indian women vigilantes and activists originally from Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh,[1] but reported to be active across North India as of 2010.[2]
History
The Gulabi gang was founded by Sampat Pal Devi, a mother of five and former government health worker (as well as a former child bride), as a response to widespread domestic abuse and other violence against women.[3] Gulabis visit abusive husbands and beat them up with laathis (bamboo sticks) unless they stop abusing their wives.[1][4]
In 2008, they stormed an electricity office in Banda district and forced officials to turn back on the power they had cut in order to extract bribes.[5] They have also stopped child marriages and protested dowry and female illiteracy.[2]
The group, which the Indian media portray positively, was reported to have 20,000 members as of 2008, as well as a chapter in Paris, France.[1]
In popular culture
The Gulabi gang is the subject of the 2010 movie Pink Saris by Kim Longinotto[6] as is the 2012 documentary Gulabi Gang by Nishtha Jain.[7][8]
Initially, it was reported that the Bollywood film, Gulaab Gang, starring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla as leads, is based on Sampat Pal's life, but the director denied this, saying that he is obliged to her work but the movie is not based on her life.[9][10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fontanella-Khan, Amana (19 July 2010). "Wear a Rose Sari and Carry a Big Stick: The women's gangs of India". Slate magazine. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Krishna, Geetanjali (5 June 2010). "The power of pink". Business Standard. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ↑ Biswas, Soutik (26 November 2007). "India's 'pink' vigilante women". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ↑ Cochrane, p. 218
- ↑ Prasad, Raekha (15 February 2008). "Banda sisters". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ↑ Melissa Silverstein (2010-09-17). "Trailer Alert: Pink Saris | Women & Hollywood". Womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
- ↑ "Gulabi Gang". Dubai Film Fest. Retrieved Aug 17, 2013.
- ↑ Gulabu Gang at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Singh, Renu (10 March 2013). "Will take 'Gulab Gang' makers to court: Sampat Pal". The Times of India.
- ↑ Chandra, Anjali (10 May 2012). "Madhuri Dixit's comeback film in trouble!". The Times of India.
Bibliography
- Anne Berthod (2012). Sampat Pal, Warrior in a Pink Sari: The Inside Story of the Gulabi Gang as Told to Anne Berthod. Zubaan. ISBN 978-81-89884-71-0.
- Kira Cochrane (2012). "Banda Sisters". Women of the Revolution: Forty Years of Feminism. Guardian Books. ISBN 978-0-85265-262-6.