However, of late, certain administrative initiatives taken by the Centre and efforts made by some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have started showing some results. As at any time in history, this wind of change, too, has been facing stiff resistance from the entrenched class and vested interests. Foremost among such initiatives is the implementation of Panchayati Raj Law and 33 per cent reservation for women.

No one can deny the single-most important contribution of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) — i.e., 33 per cent reservation for women — towards women empowerment. Thousands of women, who had been confined to their hearths, are now involved in solving issues in their neighborhood, block, district, and even in the state. This was the justification given by the Minister for Panchayati Raj, Mani Shankar Aiyer, to critics of PRIs. "Even if they have many drawbacks, the panchayats are involving thousands of women in the planning and development process", he said in Chennai, recently.

Ordinary women, some even without any formal education, are becoming successful administrators, managers, planners and executives. They become agents of change and pillars of democracy in our villages where real India lives.

In Tamil Nadu, this has been happening in a special way. There are over 12,000 village panchayats and as many presidents of the local bodies in the state. Over 4,000 of them are women. Many of them who are illiterate or neo-literate, have never moved out of their villages, have never worn a pair of slippers in their lifetime. Some of them work as farm labourers, like Mani — president of a panchayat in Madurai district. The 38-year old woman explains: "I come from a poor socio-economic background. My husband, three sons and I work as agricultural labourers. Only my seven-year old daughter goes to school. My family does not have any other income".

Then, there are women who are under-graduates or graduates and hail from economically and socially better-off families.

After the first panchayat elections in 1996, in most meetings of panchayat presidents, organized by the rural development department or NGOs, it was interesting to note the men stating: I am Kamala, or Mahalakshmi, or Shanti. The explanation given was that they represented the ‘elected women panchayat presidents’, who never moved out or took part in official functions. All they did was to sign or leave the thumb impression on the dotted line.

But the scene is different now, though not totally. In Tamil Nadu, there have been efforts to educate and empower the panchayat presidents, especially women and dalits. They are told that they have the power, responsibilities and privileges pertaining to governance and management.

The efforts of NGOs, like Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation (HRF) in Chennai, Society for Integrated Rural Development in Madurai and Legal Aid for Women (Neythal), Nagapattinam, have been able to form The Tamil Nadu Federation of Women Presidents of Panchayat Government (TNFWPPG). "It was a tedious task to meet them individually, talk to them, convince them and force them out of their homes", admits Ozie Fernandes, director of HRF. TNFWPPG has a membership of over 1,800.

Another important source of inspiration, ideological support and education for elected members and panchayat presidents was Dr Palanithurai, Rajiv Gandhi Chair for Panchayati Raj Studies, and head of the department of Political Science and Development Administration, Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI). The state rural development department has also been conducting training programmes and leadership camps for panchayat presidents.

Addressing a training camp for women panchayat presidents in Gandhi Gram recently, Dr Palanithurai said: "It was the general expectation that the critical mass created through the reservation would bring the needed transformation in the society in many aspects. In the same it is general apprehensions that how can women representatives respond to the challenges in the context of increasing violence against women. In spite of numerous obstacles, the women presidents in the grassroots institutions have achieved a lot".

However, the women presidents’ experience as administrators of the panchayats has not been all that pleasant. They had to face dominating family members, authoritarianism of upper caste men, non-supportive government officials, some of whom having the power to dismiss any panchayat president.

Official apathy is one of the worst hurdles the women face. J Kala, president of a village panchayat in Trichy district, said: "I submitted petitions and photographs to the district officials regarding 21 barrels of tar meant for laying public roads, being smuggled and hidden in a thicket. There was no action.... This and similar other incidents convinced me that the law enforcement officials are meant to support only the rich and powerful and the state law is meant only for the rich." Most of the women presidents had similar stories to tell.

Jaya Jayabalan, president of a panchayat in Vilupuram district, who decided to take on the illicit arrack lobby, had to face an unwilling police and a menacing liquor lobby. In the process, she lost her house.

But the emerging women power in villages cannot be ignored. Some among the empowered and liberated women have begun to nurse higher political ambitions. They want to contest for block panchayat or district panchayat, municipal, or corporation elections.