The Bhadels of Margao: A Waning Legacy скачать в хорошем качестве

The Bhadels of Margao: A Waning Legacy

To commemorate International Women's Day, EVESCAPE Goa's First Women Media Network attempts to document the dying legacy of Margao's unique occupation of the bhadels -- women porters. The Bhadels are a unique community of women porters in Margao, who are known for their strength, reliability, and honesty. Traditionally from the Kunbi tribal community—these women porters used to carry heavy loads, including goods for the merchants. Salient features: While the Bhadels have almost disappeared, they are still remembered as a crucial part of Margao's cultural history and for their honesty and strength. Their roots can be traced to the Kunbi community, indigenous to Goa, and their unique status as potentially Asia's only lady porters. The last bhadel: Meet Roza Pacheco, about 80 years of age, a resident of Borda, having worked as a bhadel for over 60 years, out of habit, still goes to the Margao market for a few hours in search of work. Trust & toil: Margao business establishments, especially the iconic ones, had immense trust in bhadels. They used to sit in these establishments or shops, guarding them while the owners went home for lunch followed by the traditional afternoon siesta. Fading tradition: The bhadel tradition has ended with a handful of them living, but due to old age they are unable to do the type of hard work they did for over 60 years of their lives. Extinct as their daughters have opted education and office jobs over the laborious job of their bhadel mothers. Additionally, better transport facilities & availability of cheap migrant labourers have ended the demand for their services. Recognition: In the year 2011, Goa government recognized their services by providing a one-time honorarium to the bhadels. While in 2017, a life-size stainless steel statue was installed by Goa's eminent sculptor Mr. Subodh Kerkar as a tribute to their work. Legacy will linger on: Even as this is the end of a unique occupation, the stories of these mothers providing a better life to their children through their hard labor, will linger on. - - - - EVESCAPE, Goa's first women's magazine was founded way back in 2012 and has since carved out a niche for itself in the field of women centric independent journalism. The purpose behind founding this publication was simple -- women make up half the population, yet their voices and perspectives are vastly underrepresented in the stories that shape our world. A content rich publication for the women, it is notable -- in the sense that it is a passion-driven, woman-led, and women-focused journalistic initiative, solely to combat the underrepresentation of women voices in the mainstream media and to challenge patriarchal narratives. Revitalised recently, EVESCAPE now is on digital platform, aiming to build a young team to further enable us fill the void of women's voices in media. Renamed as EVESCAPE Women Media Network, it serves not only as a safe space for dialogue but as a community for women and girls. Proud to be Goa's first women-only media organization, EVESCAPE has over the years built a niche audience in other states of the country, and abroad while serving to give women a voice on issues largely ignored by the media, while creating meaningful, practical, and useful content. Appeal: Realising that we cannot merely survive on passion, we seek your support to take this initiative forward. A small contribution will help support to build resources needed to prioritize underreported stories, and ensuring gender-responsive coverage. - - - - RNI: GOAENG00364/05/1/2012 Like, Share & Subscribe to our channel for more such stories! Edited by: Sakshi Nagarsekar