Why Nakushis will always have a pot over their heads

Earlier this month, after wandering for hours to fetch some water, 22-year-old Nakushi Ahire saw some in a well a few kilometres away from Sarde, a village in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. While drawing it, she lost her balance and fell in. Ahire died on the spot. This was the first death of a ‘Nakushi’ this year. More are certain to follow, of Nakushis as well as Dhondabais.

There are thousands of girls with these names traversing Maharashtra’s parched landscape searching for water. For, in the drought-prone regions of the State, the responsibility of getting water for the household rests on them.

In Marathi, the name Nakushi means unwanted , while Dhonda means stone — a Dhondabai is thus a woman who is considered a burden. Many girls in drought-affected areas have these names, with their families grudgingly accepting their existence.

“Right from birth, we are told that we are unwanted. We grow with this tag, which we carry life long, with a pot of water. We are either Nakushi or Dhonda,” says Dhondabai Nimbule from Osmanabad.

Sarde village gets its supply of water on alternate days, and a majority of villagers depend on intermittent supply through tankers. Women and girls set out early in the morning to search for water. Nakushi Ahire was one of them.

A routine event

Her death has not shocked the villagers or the administration. “These deaths are considered routine. This reflects the mindset of the people,” says Beed-based activist Manisha Tokale.

“Many parents who expect a son and get a daughter name the child Nakushi. Earlier, parents used to name their third or fourth daughter Nakushi as they expected more than one son; but today, every girl is named Nakushi,” says Sunita Lohar from Satara district, where thousands of girls bear the name.

The Satara district administration, with the help of social activists, has launched various drives to rename the girls, but the list of Nakushis in the district only seems to get longer.

These girls rarely get to go to school. When they do, it’s not for long. Kalpana Chambulwar from Wardha district says that when the drought becomes severe, almost all girls abandon school in search of water “Here, girls are born to fetch water. From childhood till death, we have to do the same work,” she explains.

“Anyway, not many parents admit their girls in schools and the majority wants to get rid of them as soon as possible. Child marriages are common, and after marriage, girls continue to shoulder the responsibility of getting water for the family,” she adds.

Dhondabai Nimbule is the exception. Her husband committed suicide due to farm debt, but she is determined to move forward. She has a daughter, but has not named her Nakushi. “I am educating her. Her name is Pallavi — and for me she is not a Dhonda or a Nakushi.”

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