User:Drabkin247/Sampat Pal Devi/Purplelily21 Peer Review

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(provide username) Drabkin247
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 * Link to draft you're reviewing User:Drabkin247/Sampat Pal Devi:
 * Link to the current version of the article (if it exists) Sampat Pal Devi:

Evaluate the drafted changes
(Compose a detailed peer review here, considering each of the key aspects listed above if it is relevant. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what feedback looks like.)

Second Review

I can tell that you have made improvements to the draft. However, there are still places that need further revisions before it is ready to be moved to the main space. There are some places, marked in the text, where your wording is confusing or unclear or could include more information. Additionally, your organization needs improvement. Some sentences do not seem to connect to one another or paragraphs contain multiple focuses. Some sections contain information that doesn't seem to fit in that section or that could be combined with another section. Let me know if you have any questions! - Sara

Lead[edit]
(Will be taken from existing page) (Make sure that the lead is added correctly when you move everything over to the main space then)

Leadership of the Gulabi Gang[edit]
Due to witnessing incidents involving domestic violence as well as sexual oppression against women in the Banda District within Uttar Pradesh India, Sampat Pal Devi created the Gulabi Gang in January 2006 and assumed a leadership role. (Do you have more info on this founding? Who else was involved? Maybe mention the meaning of the name) Pal Devi and other members believed that villages in India failed to educate them and coerced them into marrying young. Since the women (The women in the group?) were socioeconomically poor and devoid of resources, they became known as the “untouchable” caste, where they face discrimination and oppression. Women looked up to Sampat Pal Devi as a leader because she had leadership experience as the secretary of a nonprofit organization called the Tribal Women Development Society. (Perhaps elaborate here on this group?) Pal Devi believed that women should fight back against oppressive men by standing firm against those who abused or abandoned their wives. In doing so, they learned how to defend themselves with a long Indian stick made of bamboo called a lathi. Pal Devi once stated that "Yes, we fight rapists with lathis [large bamboo sticks]. If we find the culprit, we thrash him black and blue so he dare not attempt to do wrong to any girl or a woman again." An additional way that Pal Devi and the Gulabi Gang aided women was by providing them the resources that were necessary to apply for government aid and by providing them access to education. Hoping to raise more awareness about the oppression they faced, they also protested around government buildings for their cause, which exemplifies an alternative mode of action, one of nonviolent resistance through protests and public demonstrations.

Alternative Tactics[edit]
Members also utilize non-violent methods, such as helping women get access to education, financial freedom, and politics. To draw even more attention to their cause, they also protested around government buildings. In one instance, the Gang showed up to a police station with pink dogs in order to humiliate the police and to let them know that dogs were on their side more than the police. In an additional protest in 2008, the Gang locked government officials in an office until they agreed to restore electricity in Banda. (This section repeats some of the info from the end of the last one. I think you should just combine it with the last section, as it doesn't really seem like a substantial enough section on its own)

Activism[edit]
Utilization of Pink Saris

Sampat Pal Devi and the Gulabi Gang utilize and represent the color pink in their choice of clothing. The group relates the color to powerfulness and strength. Linguistically, pink is representative of the word "gulabi", as it's dictionary definition in the Hindi language translates to a rosy color or pink in English (Wording is a little awkward - maybe: Gulabi means pink or a rosy color in Hindi instead. Also might want to mention this in the section discussing the groups founding). Within the Gulabi Gang, Pal Devi has each member uniformly wearing a pink sari. Since the beginning of the movement in 2006, over 20,000 women have taken part in this (In wearing the pink sari?). Through the unification of the Gulabi Gang, they have fought the Indian government for critical changes to combat the existent oppression present within India's regions. (This is important information but doesn't really fit in a section about their pink saris? Maybe add another section? Same for next few sentences)Although many within the Gulabi Gang did not receive a traditional education, they became quite knowledgeable on community issues through their first-hand experiences. In her leadership role, she has attempted to initiate improvements in various aspects of society for women to feel significant and involved within their communities. Wearing pink saris function as a uniform to empower and bond the members. Despite the pink sari not being mandatory to wear, Pal Devi believes that the article of clothing establishes a feeling of community for women. An example of the Gulabi Gang's nature and Pal Devi's leadership was displayed when, along with a police officer, Pal Devi pointed out that the roads were in poor condition, but he responded by calling her poor mannered. As a result, the women reacted by passionately proclaiming their feminist slogans, making him apologize and stay true to his word of getting the street fixed. (Again, doesn't seem to fit in this section and doesn't flow from previous sentences. Need to work on organization)

Gulabi Gang Scandal (Maybe this should be its own section? Not under activism?)

In early 2014, four days before a film based on the Gulabi Gang was to be released, Sampat Pal Devi was ousted from her leadership position in the Gulabi Gang. This action was done on the basis of accusations against Devi which included the misuse of money, Devi’s pursuance of her own career in politics to the disservice of the Gulabi Gang, and her authoritarian nature. Members of the Gulabi Gang believed that Devi had turned the group into a political organization rather than a social group. Jai Prakash Shivhare, the National Convenor for the Gulabi gang, stated that Devi had begun to wander from the group’s goals, that she had become obsessed with publicity, and that she had forgotten the purpose of its creation in 2006. Shivhare’s evidence for this included Devi contesting the 2012 Assembly Elections without notifying members of the Gulabi Gang, participating in the “Big Boss” show on her own, and pressuring group members to campaign for her run for Congress. There had also been unproven claims that Devi had taken money from donations made to the group and that she was in cahoots with the makers of the “Gulabi Gang” film because, unlike other group members, she hadn’t made an effort to request compensation from the filmmakers for the creation of the film. Later in 2014, Devi was involved in a physical altercation with her former aides, Jaiprakash Shivhare and Mitthu Devi. Pal Devi alleged that they attacked her but later reports alleged that she had physically retaliated as well. The police official who came to the scene reported that both sides had filed complaints against one another. It is widely believed that this particular altercation was a result of Pal Devi and Shivhare’s resentment towards one another, as Shivhare led the meeting that ultimately ousted Pal Devi.

Community Contributions and Media Appearances[edit]
Several years after forming the Gulabi Gang, in 2008, Sampat Pal Devi created a school for children. Through Due to her belief in the crucial nature of education for young girls, most students were female. In her words, girls were historically subject to the fields and her school was changing that, as she believed that education was important in shifting societal norms in India. Pal Devi has also been a voice for others in regards to the power supply of regions and eroding roads within the region.

A documentary was released in 2012 called Gulabi Gang, which displays the everyday conflicts and complexities that Pal Devi and these women face in India. Notions of resistance, gender equality, and the overall landscape of gender relations in India is explored. At the heart of the film is her and the Gulabi Gang's relentlessness in their pursuit of their goals. After viewing the film, Pal Devi was unhappy with the potrayal of the Gulabi Gang members as individuals bearing arms and instead contended that in their activities, the members only utilize lathis; bamboo sticks.

Pal Devi made an additional media appearance in the Indian television reality series, Big Boss, where she participated with the principal aim of utilizing the large-scale platform to advance her core ideals and points of contact on the matter of women’s rights. She additionally desired to generate an understanding among the viewership through her leadership voice.

Political Efforts[edit]
Sampat Pal Devi was ultimately ousted from the Gulabi Gang in 2014. She has ran as a Congressional candidate several times. In 2007, she failed to win a seat as an independent candidiate within the Naraini electorate. After several additional failed attempts throughout the subsequent decade, Pal Devi ran again in 2022, and faced with a denial of her candidacy ticket for the subsequent elections, she withdrew from her Congressional candidacy.

You have a good start to the article with a lot of interesting information but your entry still needs more work to be ready to be published. I think in general the organization of the information could be improved and you could include more information in some places. Sometimes the sections feel disjointed and like they jump around. Your writing and tone can also sound a little too informal and not neutral at times, so be sure to revise your writing. Also look out for clarity and grammar. Be sure to format the entry correctly, as right now it does not use headers as wikipedia entries should and it lacks a lead section that goes over the most important information and gives a roadmap to the rest of the article. I've left comments throughout the text in parenthesis and in bold. Let me know if you have any questions! - Sara

Lead

The Gulabi Gang, or “a gang for justice,” was created in January 2006 by Sampat Pal Devi in response to the sexist, violent, and racist conditions of one of India’s poorest cities, Banda. The majority of Gulabi Gang members are Dalit, the lowest caste of people in India. Women in Banda do not have access to education, are forced to get married young, and constantly experience the pressure of dowry demands. Both non-violent and violent methods are used by the gang in order to combat the oppression they face.

Sampat Pal Devi

Women looked up to Sampat Pal Devi because she was a natural leader. A notable accomplishment of hers was in 2006 when she saw a man beating his wife and asked him to stop. Instead of stopping, the man proceeded to beat Pal. In retaliation, she brought together a group of women to help her beat the man with their lathis. After this incident, the Gulabi Gang increased in power and numbers. Additionally, in 2007, Pal brought the gang together to secretly observe a government-ran fair price shop that was withholding food and grains from the villages. They discovered that the open markets were holding the shop's grains and reported the incident to the police. Despite the police not doing anything to address their concerns, the Gang started to be taken more seriously by society.

Violent Measures

After abusive encounters with men, the Gulabi Gang learned to defend themselves with a long Indian stick made of bamboo called a lathi. Every member must carry a lathi and know how to use it. However, the Gang only uses violence in worst case scenarios or if their life is danger. For example, the Gang will only hit the abusive husbands of women when the police fail to do their job in protecting these women and when the abuser refuses to stop.

Non-Violent Tactics

Members used non-violent methods, too, such as helping women get access to education, financial freedom, and politics. To draw even more attention to their cause, they also protested around government buildings. In one instance, the Gang showed up to a police station with pink dogs in order to humiliate the police and to let them know that dogs were on their side more than the police. In another protest in 2008, the Gang locked government officials in an office until they agreed to restore electricity in Banda.

The Power of the Color Pink

The color pink has traditionally been associated with femininity and weakness, however, Sampat Pal Devi has played a role in changing that by relating the color to powerfulness and strength. She modified the way in which women have been treated in India as well as the rest of the world through using pink. The word “gulabi” in the Hindi language translates to a rosy color or pink in English. In the Gulabi Gang, Pal Devi has everyone wearing a pink sari. Through the vigilante group she has put together, they have fought the Indian government for critical changes. She proved to the world that while this female group did not get a traditional education, they became quite knowledgeable through their experiences. Pal Devi does not feel that she needs to change herself to fit in with the male dominated world. (A lot of this section seems unnecessary and not specific enough. Perhaps this should be a subsection under the first? Try to focus on concrete details and less on subjective aspects. This should not so much make an argument or feel persuasive but should be neutral and balanced) Therefore, she strived to make improvements in various aspects of society for women to be included and feel significant. Wearing pink saris acted as a pretty uniform to empower and bond the women. During an encounter with a police officer, Pal Devi pointed out that the roads were in poor condition but he responded by calling her poor mannered. The women reacted by passionately saying their feminist slogans, making him apologize and stay true to his word of getting the street fixed.

Gulabi Gang Scandal

In early 2014, four days before a film based on the Gulabi Gang was to be released, Sampat Pal Devi was ousted from her leadership position in the Gulabi Gang. This action was done on the basis of accusations against Devi which included the misuse of money, Devi’s pursuance of her own career in politics to the disservice of the Gulabi Gang, and her authoritarian nature. Members of the Gulabi Gang believed that Devi had turned the group into a political organization rather than a social group. Jai Prakash Shivhare, the National Convenor for the Gulabi gang, stated that Devi had begun to wander from the group’s goals, that she had become obsessed with publicity, and that she had forgotten the purpose of its creation in 2006. Shivhare’s evidence for this included Devi contesting the 2012 Assembly Elections without notifying members of the Gulabi Gang, participating in the “Big Boss” show on her own, and pressuring group members to campaign for her run for Congress. There had also been unproven claims that Devi had taken money from donations made to the group and that she was in cahoots with the makers of the “Gulabi Gang” film because, unlike other group members, she hadn’t made an effort to request compensation from the filmmakers for the creation of the film. Later in 2014, Devi was involved in a physical altercation with her former aides, Jaiprakash Shivhare and Mitthu Devi. Pal Devi alleged that they attacked her but later reports alleged that she had physically retaliated as well. The police official who came to the scene reported that both sides had filed complaints against one another. It is widely believed that this particular altercation was a result of Pal Devi and Shivhare’s resentment towards one another, as Shivhare led the meeting that ultimately ousted Pal Devi.

Community Contributions

Several years after forming the Gulabi Gang, in 2008, Sampat Pal Devi created a school for children. Through her belief in the crucial nature of education for young girls, most students were female. In her words, girls were historically subject to the fields and her school was changing that, as she believed that education was important in shifting societal norms in India. Pal Devi has been a voice for others in regards to the power supply of regions and eroding roads within the region.

Media Appearances

A documentary was released in 2012 called Gulabi Gang, which displays the everyday conflicts and complexities that Pal Devi and these women face in India. Notions of resistance, gender equality, and the overall landscape of gender relations in India is explored. At the heart of the film is her and the Gulabi Gang's relentlessness in their pursuit of their goals. After viewing the film, Pal Devi was unhappy with the portrayal of the Gulabi Gang members as individuals bearing arms and instead contended that in their activities, the members only utilize lathis; bamboo sticks.

Pal Devi made an additional media appearance in the Indian television reality series, Big Boss, where she participated with the principal aim of utilizing the large-scale platform to advance her core ideals and points of contact on the matter of women’s rights. She additionally desired to generate an understanding among the viewership through her leadership voice.

Political Aspirations

Sampat Pal Devi was ultimately ousted from the Gulabi Gang in 2014. She has ran as a Congressional candidate several times. In 2007, she failed to win a seat as an independent candidiate within the Naraini electorate. After several additional failed attempts throughout the subsequent decade, Pal Devi ran again in 2022, and faced with a denial of her candidacy ticket for the subsequent elections, she withdrew from her Congressional candidacy.