Two Dalit women in race for Nobel

PATNA: Two women from the underprivileged class America Devi and
Tiliya Devi of Madhubani district have been nominated for 2005 Nobel
prize.

Tiliya Devi (40) and America Devi (35) are among 92 women from India
and 158 in South Asia to have been nominated for the Nobel Peace
Prize.

Non-violent struggle

Tiliya, a mother of six children and a farm labourer, led a
non-violent agitation to `free' the land from clutches of powerful
local people in her village Lakhanpur Khairi.

She fought opposition from all corners, including her home, for
bringing a change in the life of the downtrodden community. In course
of her struggle, she mobilised women in favour of her struggle to free
156 acres of land belonging to the Mushars (Scheduled Caste) forcibly
captured by the upper caste people.

Sharing her experience Tiliya Devi told newspersons here today that
she had successfully freed 13 acre of land from the upper caste
people.

America Devi is also a peasant labourer of Sohraiya village in
Lakhanpur block. She opposed former minister Roop Narayan Jha, who had
forcibly taken control of a pond spread over seven acres of land. In
her struggle, America Devi faced strong objection from her husband and
villagers, however, the situation did not dampen her spirit. -- UNI