Is using a mobile phone a symbol of independence? Is it a simple tool of communication or a medium that provides rights? Why do women lag behind among those who use cellphones? Why do women have to take permission from men before buying a mobile phone that connects them to the world out there? The answers to these questions may seem to be self-evident to many people, but remain relevant as ground reality in much of India. Some recent news reports reveal the bizarre restrictions on women using mobile phones in rural India. In Bihar’s Phulwaria— the ancestral village of Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad— the panchayat has imposed a blanket ban on the use of mobile phones by women. In Rajasthan’s Garariya village in Barmer district, the panchayat has called the mobile phone a social evil and banned its use by Muslim women. In Bihar’s Sunderbadi village in Kochadham block of Kishanganj district, the panchayat imposed a penalty of Rs.10, 000 if an unmarried girl was found using a mobile phone. Interestingly, for married women, the fine would be Rs.2, 000.

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