Rekha Rose Dukru.
Chakhesang Public Org inducts first woman as member of executive council
Vishü Rita Krocha
Phek | January 11
For the first time in the history of the Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) — the apex body of the Chakhesang tribe, a woman has been inducted as a member of the executive council. Rekha Rose Dukru, an entrepreneur from Zhavame village was nominated by a Search Committee to be the treasurer of the tribal apex body for the tenure 2022-2025.
Since its establishment in the year 1979, the CPO has not had any woman in the executive council. The only women representation in the past was that of the post of ‘Women Coordinator’, wherein two women are included as part of the team under that tag. Besides the two women coordinators, the team of CPO office bearers comprise of nine members including one President, two Vice Presidents, one General Secretary, two Secretaries, one Finance Secretary, one Publicity & Information Secretary, and one Treasurer.
While it is relatively rare for women to hold any post of the executive council in the apex body of any tribal organisations, Rekha Rose Dukru’s election has exuded hope for better representation of women in the community. “We have been waiting for this” was a comment from a woman leader during the installation of the new team at Zapami village yesterday.
“In any organisation, there will be a president and general secretary but that does not mean I stick to being a treasurer. Whatever the CPO office decides as a whole, every member has a say,” Dukru related to The Morung Express in an exclusive interview.
“It might be a small thing”, she said of her new assignment, but observing how many people around her were jubilant over the news of her election, she added, “the assignment given is a constant reminder of my responsibility.” “I feel like I am not only representing women but also the youth because when it comes to tribal bodies like these, people usually picture senior members of the community in the executive body,” she went on to say.
When she agreed to being part of the new team, she was not even aware that she would be the first woman to be inducted in the executive council of the Chakhesang Public Organisation. She further impressed upon that when the Search Committee nominated her name, they might not even have realised that they are including a woman as an office bearer. Regardless, she said she was grateful to tread on a road less travelled.
When it comes to the poor representation of women in tribal apex bodies, she felt that maybe men tend to forget while pointing out that very few women are present in such gatherings. “Women representation starts from the grassroots level and when you don’t have women holding important positions at the village level, then they are not visible even at the higher level,” she pointed out.
However, she is elated to be part of the new team while putting across that “I am excited to be part of the decision making body for the tribe.”
Vipanyi Krome, who was the former Publicity & Information Secretary of CPO felt that the Search Committee has made the right decision in including Rekha Rose Dukru in the executive council and went on to say that “it’s an honour for CPO as well as for women in general.”
Impressing upon that it is path-breaking for women leadership, he further expressed, “I feel that it is the right way to include women in the apex body. Women coordinators are there, but ‘office bearers’ is different. It will definitely make a difference.”
He went on to say, “Rekha is truly representing women” while pointing out that she is very sociable and capable. “I am very confident that she can represent our (Razeba) area well,” he said although it’s for the first time that a woman is being represented as an office bearer and would pose to be more challenging. “It’s not a small responsibility to represent our area, Secheku area and our women,” he articulated.
Rekha Rose Dukru is a graduate of St. Aloysius College, Mangalore (Autonomous) and further received a PG Diploma degree in Mass Communication from Nagaland University (in collaboration with IIMC, New Delhi). She has done a lot of documentary films and has also been actively involved in farming at Eden Farm, a family venture that began functioning in the year 2001. She was also one of the five women candidates in the last state general elections.
