ABSTRACT
The term devadasi is a Sanskrit word which means “one who dedicates oneself to the deity for eternal service.” The dedication of girls is done prior to their attaining puberty. Initially the system had religious sanctity with societal acceptance and had wider respect. With the passage of time, caste, class and gender together became a source of oppression, as most of the devadasis hail from poor Dalit families. The mode of dedication took a commercial turn, when persons with vested interests, especially from the rich and/or dominant castes began encouraging the continuation of the dedication of girls for their personal pleasures. In addition, people who were running brothels or prostitution houses from big cities also started sponsoring the dedication of girls. To end this menace, the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD), Government of Karnataka, formulated the Rehabilitation of devadasi Program, which is being implemented through Karnataka Mahila Abhivrudhi Yojane (KMAY) for empowerment and rehabilitation of devadasis. The scheme intends to help devadasis come out of their rather difficult profession and empower them to become self-reliant and live life with dignity. The present study is an initiative to evaluate and analyze the performance of the government-sponsored schemes and come up with possible recommendations for improving the rehabilitation and empowerment programme so that the objectives of the programme are met effectively. The study will follow methodological triangulation to maintain balance between qualitative and quantitative data.
