Imphal, December 23 2009: To improve status of the Kabui women who are mostly engage in brewing local liquor in their homes, 62 year old G Athen, the first woman among the community who passed MA is efforting even after she retired from her government job.

To keep away Kabui women from remaining in the house engaging in wine brewing profession, improve their status by imparting education and work in other profession outside their world is the only hope of the Athen who future life is short compare to her past life.

G Athen wife of late Thambousana of Sangaiporou Kabui Khul was the first woman among Kabui (Zeliangrong) community of the state who passed MA.

She was born on July 19, 1947 at Kakhulong, Imphal.

She has two sons and two daughters.

She work as sub-post master in the postal department for 15 years and after retirement from the job, she is involving in the development works of the locality with keen interest.

In an interaction with Hueiyen Lanpao, Athen said, she study career at Kakhulong High School.

She studied there from class-I to VI.

For further study, she attained at TG Higher Secondary School and cleared HSLC exam from the school in 1964 .

She continued her study at Pre-University (Science) DM College and completed BA from the GP Women College.

She completed MA at Gauhati University in 1971.She got scholarships during her study periods.

She struggled for study amidst the then social ideology of restricting girls going to school.

Even her family was not willing to study.

Hence, they did not interested in buying her text books apart from not getting admission on time.

As she was interested in study, she overcome all the hindrances in front of the her and faced all the restrictions to girls at that time to complete her study to become the first woman among Kabui who passed MA.

Even during her studenthood, family tried to marry her but she somehow overcame all the efforts.

According to Athen, when the developing and developed society women study upto higher level even going abroad, women of the Kabui are in a very low status.

They are still engaging in brewing wine at their hope which is inherit profession for the women.

Very less number Kabui women go outside and earned family income.

They hardly engage in the market for selling vegetables or other wares.

In order to bring a change in the status of the Kabui women, she set up a NGO called Community Library and Research Centre and imparting skill of cloth weaving and other vocational training.

She founded the NGO with the funding of the Read Global With India, an America based funding agency with the objective of improving the status of the Kabui women.

She also expressed hope that the NGO will able to free the women of the community from the clutch of depending on their husband.

Policies of imparting education categorizing women section and children section and distributing text books free of cost are undergoing.

She is also conducting campaign for getting donation from door to door.

.

Comment