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Veiled Truths: What The Women In Phoolan Devi바카라™s Village Do바카라”And Do Not바카라”Say

More than two decades after Phoolan Devi바카라™s death, the women in her village, in Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh, cut a complex picture: confident and diffident, assertive and shy, hopeless and hopeful. They said contradictory things about their safety: yes, it has improved; no, it has not. Some kept quiet. Many girls hadn바카라™t finished school, refusing to divulge the reason. Many hid their faces with veils. But such gloom also accompanied optimism: women feeling proud of their work, not discriminating between their sons and daughters, and hoping for their bright futures. Over the last few years, at least three women from the village have joined the forces, relaying a clear message: that, like Phoolan, we don바카라™t need saviours바카라”we are enough on our own.

Phoolan Devi Village
Phoolan Devi바카라™s nephew Nishant | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Phoolan Devi바카라™s nephew, Nishant, standing in front of her aunt바카라™s statue in her house.

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Phoolan Devi
Phoolan Devi | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A Sheikhpur Gudha resident wearing a t-shirt with a message demanding a CBI inquiry into Phoolan Devi바카라™s murder.

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Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Women from Phoolan Devi바카라™s village stand on the banks of the Yamuna River. The village is largely inhabited by members of the Mallaah community.

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Pooja Nishad, Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Pooja Nishad | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Pooja Nishad, 17, watches over her goats grazing on the banks of the Yamuna outside the village.

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Ganga Devi
Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Ganga Devi sits outside her home, close to Phoolan Devi바카라™s house that functions as a shrine for the local villagers.

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Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

An overview of the centre of Sheikhpur Gudha, which seems to be stuck in time since Phoolan Devi바카라™s death.

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Shilpa Nishad Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Shilpa Nishad | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Shilpa Nishad uses an umbrella to shield herself from the sun as her buffaloes graze on the riverbank below.

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Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Ramesh Nishad and his sisters studying outside their home in Sheikhpur Gudha. The village takes great pride in its identity as Phoolan Devi바카라™s home and many children know her stories.

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Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A woman descends the banks of the Noon, a seasonal river that meets the Yamuna near Sheikhpur Gudha.

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Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh
Sheikhpur Gudha, Uttar Pradesh | Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A boat with fishing nets on the riverbank outside the village. The Mallaahs, belonging to the OBC community, are traditionally boatmen and fishermen found all over north and east India as well as Bangladesh and Pakistan.

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