Please watch this

For those of you who still haven't seen/read/heard it, this is a must watch/must see/must listen link.
Please click here and here

Less of 'their' talk and more of 'my' rant on this coming up soon... :))
Meanwhile, I want all your comments to trigger my think tank
Cheers!

For your eyes only

Picture credit: Moi

I went to Netradhama Super Speciality Hospital today in search of story ideas. I got none but I came back satisfied with a lot of information that I had assumed I already knew about. I was wrong. And I am glad I was :-)

As a young child (and even today), eye donation always interested me. I used to wonder with amusement when I thought that my eyes could give light to someone else's life. Let me make it clear that I was no philanthropist (I still don't claim to be one, by the way).
It wasn't altruistic motives but sheer pride that dictated such thoughts. My eyes will give light to someone else. Someone will be able to see the world because of me. It boosted my pride and my ego. So long as it serves the purpose, I don't think the motive matters!

Perhaps eye donations and organ transplantation was also an area of interest because death, as an event, has always intrigued as well as fascinated me at the same time. It's weird to imagine how life for others would be after your death. I have done that a million. I still do and it amuses me even today. Try and imagine how this world would be once you're dead and I gurantee you amusing thoughts. Perhaps you should read Who will cry when you die? by Robin Sharma.
P.S. I tried. But non-fiction bores me to death. Unless, of course, if it's someone like Arundhati Roy :))

So, anyways... *too much digression*
A chat with Dr. Sagar at Netradhama Hospital was not only informative but also insightful. Donating eyes is the most simplest process. In fact, today I learnt that one eye donation can give vision to 2 persons. So, I decided that, for a change, this post will be an informative and educative one.

Here's some useful information worth noting:

1. 1.5% of the population are unnecessarily blind
2. 25% live below the poverty line
3. 2.5 million children are suffering, including those who don't have the correct spectacles
4. 32% are under 15
5. 60% of blind children will not make it to adulthood. A cumulative economic loss to India's GNP of US$11.1 billion
6. 75% live in rural areas
7. There are 12,000 ophthalmologists in the country but the majorities of them live and work in the urban areas
8. 40% live in rural areas in central & northern India where there is little access to quality eye care services

Facts about eye donation

• Eyes can be donated only after death
• Eyes must be removed within 4 - 6 hours after death
• Only a Registered Medical Practitioner can remove eyes from a deceased.
• The eye bank team will remove the eyes from the home of the deceased or from a hospital
• Eye removal does not delay the funeral since the entire procedure takes 20-30 minutes only
• A small quantity of blood will be drawn to rule out communicable diseases
• Eye retrieval does not cause disfigurement
• Religions are for eye donation
• The identities of both the donor and the recipient are kept confidential

Source: Shankara Eye Hospital, Kundalahali Gate, Bangalore-33.

Picture Credit: Google Images

DID YOU KNOW?

Who can donate eyes?
Virtually anyone and everyone

-Age and sex doesn't matter; eyes of deceased can be donated irrespective of age/sex.
-Spectacle wearers, diabetics, hypertensives, asthmatics, tuberculosis, cancer patients can also donate eyes.
-Patients who have undergone eye surgery can also donate eyes.
-Even people who haven't previously pledged, can donate their eyes.

More information regarding the same can be viewed here

Happy reading! :)

Of blogging and The Mahabharata

It’s a shame I haven’t been able to update my blog for almost 10 days now.

I don’t even have any excuse for the same : o

Guess I’ve been thinking about a lot of issues over the past few weeks and been doing a hell lot of stuff too.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

One of the basic and preliminary problems I face before blogging about anything is to decide what to blog about. The ‘what’ factor dominates my head for a long period of time. It battles with my small-sized brain challenging its limited potential until I (or rather the brain) see Nirvana at the end of the proverbial tunnel. And once I see the light, I cannot rest in peace until everything is put in words. Until my fingers ache of too much typing. Until my brain complains of over-exposure. Until my eyes crib about too much monitor viewing. But it doesn’t stop. I’ve tried my best to stop it, trust me. But it doesn’t. And, I’m probably glad about it.

Now, let’s come to the other secondary (but no less important) problems faced while blogging.

After deciding the ‘what’ factor comes the ‘how’ factor. Now that I’ve FINALLY decided what I’m going to blog about, how do I put it in coherent, simple, understandable words? That’s quite a task, to say the least. To tell something in simple words is a rare art. I may not possess the same (as you might have even noticed at some point in the middle of my rants) but I am working towards developing it. That is precisely why books written in simple language interest me the most. This is not to say that I dislike the canon or the plethora of writers who insist on using flowery language or bombastic words. It’s good, in a way, because it forces me to grab that dictionary and gobble up the meaning of the new word I just read. It increases your vocabulary which is good as it’s most likely to help you in the long run.

But, I would probably prefer Tagore over any one else for the sheer simplicity of his writing. What makes some authors stand out, for me, is the way they express extremely complicated issues and themes in the most simplistic manner. Khaled Hosseini is another author that comes to my mind when I talk about simplicity of expression and language usage. There are probably many more…half of whom I’ve never read and the other half I cannot recall.

Hmmmmm….

So, after having figured the ‘what’ and the ‘how’, is the job over?

Nope. There is still the ‘why’ factor. But, I think, that may be temporarily ignored as long as your what and how are strong. Sometimes you don’t need a reason to blog about something and sometimes you do. Since blogging, by its very nature, is very individualistic, it is also very subjective (like most other things in life which is what makes life so interesting *winks)

Ok.

We’ve had enough of blogging/ (creative) writing lessons for the day. I certainly do not wish to sound like one of those teachers trying to instill the (eluding) skills in the ever-curious pupil.

Since I’ve ranted so much about reading and writing, I think I’ll end this post with what is currently on my reading-list.

My uncle recently gifted The Palace of Illusions (2008) by Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni

I have just begun reading it and I am already getting a feeling that this one’s going to be a good read. Usually, if I get such a feeling so early on, the author has done his/her job of holding the interest of the reader (in this case: me)

"Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to the time of the Indian epic The Mahabharat—a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Through her narrator Panchaali, the wife of the legendary five Pandavas brothers, Divakaruni gives us a rare feminist interpretation of an epic story.

The novel traces Panchaali’s life, beginning with her magical birth in fire as the daughter of a king before following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at the brothers’ sides through years of exile and a terrible civil war. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her stratagems to take over control of her household from her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husband’s most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female voice in a world of warriors, gods, and ever-manipulating hands of fate."

Source: Here

They say that the two Indian epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata are supposed to be the most intriguing stories ever written and composed. Though mythology is an area that doesn’t interest me per se, having read parts of The Mahabharata in my college years and listened to all those mythological tales from my mother and grandmother in my growing years, the epic still manages to hold its charm. The epic’s real ‘hero’ is still a debatable concept which is great as it encourages you to think, question and ponder over the very concept of who a ‘hero’ or a ‘villain’ is.

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Banerjee’s earlier work The Vine of Desire (2002) is a novel I vaguely remember. But I do recall that it was about relationships and marriage—a topic that has interested me for a long while now. And I do remember having recommended it too to a few of my friends

Yes. By now, I think, you might have figured that I love flaunting whatever limited knowledge I possess!!

After all, shouldn't knowledge be shared? * ;-)

Pictures courtesy Google Images

The day I was the editor…and survived it

They made me the editor today of The Weekly Observer



No. Don’t kill yourself if you haven’t heard of this paper. It’s an in-house publication that is circulated within the four walls of IIJNM in a small village called Kumbalgudu.
Never heard of Kumbalgudu? That’s roughly 20km from Bangalore city.
Never heard of Bangalore? DIE.

So far, about 8 people have asked me the same thing: “How was it? How did it feel do be an editor?”
I only have answer: It’s over. PERIOD.
____________________________________________________________________

LESSONS LEARNT TODAY:

• Never think that an editor’s job is to simply boss around. It’s not.
• Never think that an editor has a ‘fixed’ job. It’s never EVER fixed.
• Never think that once something’s edited, it’s over. It’s never over.
• Never assume anything. Anything.
• Always carry Moov. It will come in handy.
• Sleep well the day before. Or be prepared to have at least 3 cups of tea/coffee(depending on the individual’s preference/situation)
• Recharge your cell well in advance.
• Adjust. Be flexible and open to all ideas. Listen. Breathe in and out. Listen some more. Be open. After having done all of these, YELL. Things are usually fine after that.
• Remember the golden words: “This too shall pass”
• Learn stress management techniques. Do Yoga. Listen to Rehman instrumental. If nothing works, follow Step 6 (almost always works)

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Simple, isn’t it?
Wait till you be one…

Citizen Matters, Bangalore

Check out Citizen Matters, Bangalore: Protest against global tobacco meet to be held in Bengaluru
Cheers!

Writing Obituaries

OBITUARY

obituary [əˈbɪtjʊərɪ]

n pl -aries

a published announcement of a death, often accompanied by a short biography of the dead person

[from Medieval Latin obituārius, from Latin obīre to fall, from ob- down + īre to go]

obituarist n

Source: Here
_____________


Obituary is the word of the day...or maybe the talk of the town.

We’re learning to write Obituaries for (dead) people.

RF said that his father preferred to write his own obituary. That is, ideally, one of the wisest thing to do. Well, maybe it will not be ‘objective’ enough but I think to write one’s own obituary would be a fun exercise. We’ve been asked to write obituaries of people we know and people we don’t know as part of our assignments. That set my thinking mode in action (as if it’s ever off). I thought of writing my own obituary. Well, to be very frank, I wouldn’t want/like anyone else to write mine. Blame it on my narcissism or plain arrogance and indifference towards anybody else attempting to get an insight into my life and penning it down into 500 words flat. But, the opportunity of writing your own obituary and listing what you have achieved and accomplished so far in your life is just too tempting to be shared with anyone else!

So, this post is going to be a fun exercise of writing my obituary.

P.S. The obituary below has no lead (I don’t want to speculate on how I died…I’ll leave that to your wild imagination)

Disclaimer: The contents of this obituary are purely fictional and any resemblance to any person, living or dead is co-incidental.

Let’s assume that Deepa died at the age 22 just after completing her Masters at IIJNM.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Deepa Ranganathan was a journalism student at IIJNM when she breathed her last. Though she preferred to be identified more as a student of literature, she enjoyed her limited stay in the professional world of journalism. Born in New Delhi, Deepa spent her growing years and completed her schooling at her hometown Jamshedpur, a small city located in the state of Jharkhand. She graduated in BA (Hons) English from Miranda House, New Delhi where she spent 3 significant years of her life.

“Though she stayed in Jamshedpur for 18 years, she always felt a sense of belonging with Delhi as that was(is) her birth place,” said her mother.

Her parents insist that her three years of studying literature contributed a lot in not only shaping her personality but her ideology, perspective and the way she perceived things around her. Deepa chose to shift from Science to Humanities while pursuing her Honours degree in Literature.

“She was never satisfied with studying Physics, Chemistry or Math, though Biology interested her up to a point until she flunked the subject in her eleventh grade and consequently decided to quit Science,” her mother said.

Though it was a huge risk, her stubborn and adamant behavior (that she carried till she died) was something that her parents never disturbed.

After completion of her graduation, Deepa did her PG Diploma from the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore, specializing in Print medium.

Her parents inform that apart from them, her extended family was largely not happy with her decision to pursue journalism, citing safety and security reasons for their disapproval. But, once Deepa had made her decision, there was nothing stopping her from pursuing her dream.

“We knew she wouldn’t listen to anybody. The best we could do was to support her. And that is exactly what we did, “her father said.

Deepa was also a published author. Her published books include The Theory of Atheism (2008), Relevance and irrelevance of Marriage in India (2009) and a novella entitled Fly Away (2009). Her novella was a bestseller, particularly among teen-aged students.

However, her writing took a backseat when Deepa started devoting her time entirely to reporting and writing, while pursuing journalism.

During her 1 year stay in Bangalore, Deepa did as many as 185 local stories, 159 of which got published on Citizen Matters, a Bangalore focused, citizen-oriented newsmagazine, covering city public affairs, community and culture.

“Her relentless pursuit for better and newer story ideas is responsible for those astronomical figures. We’ve never had a reporter reporting on such a wide variety of topics before. Her death is a huge loss for true, professional journalism in India,” Vaishnavi Vittal, staff journalist at Citizen Matters, said.

Before her stint with Citizen Matters, Deepa also interned with The Hindu as a Sub-editor for three months, where she learnt her basics of reporting, writing and editing.

"She was a journalist till her last breath", concluded a former colleague at The Hindu, on condition of anonymity.
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(Personal) long rant aka Necessity

It was one of ‘those’ days yesterday.

I cannot breathe in ease until I pen it all out.

I do not believe in editing (yes…despite the fact that I am being taught that day in and day out)

Or maybe…I do not believe in editing when so much has to be said. So bear with the length or find something else to do!

I’ll try and be as objective as possible here but no apologies if the exact opposite happens on the way!

***************

Students of IIJNM were cordially invited to attend the discussion on “Paid News” Who will watch the watchdog?—a seminar that was held in Bangalore International Center on September 2, 2010, chaired by many prominent people from the Press. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, member of the Press Council of India.

*goes blank in the middle*

Ok. I have to write an ‘objective’ report on the event anyways. So, I’ll cut the crap and get to the point.

*****************

As mentioned earlier, we, as students of IIJNM, got the opportunity of attending this discussion (unaware of what was in store for us). Those interested were asked to give their names to the concerned faculty. I wanted to attend this one because I found the topic interesting as I had done a fair bit of reading owing to regular reading of Mr. P. Sainath’s articles on the same topic in The Hindu.

And so I gave my name, indicating my interest. Many students (about 15-20 of us) submitted our names to the faculty. A day later we got a mail saying that the BIC (Bangalore International Centre) does not have enough space to accommodate so many students, because of which the faculty had to cut down the list to mere 5. Thankfully (and surprisingly), I was one of them. It was surprising because it was hard to believe that I had been short-listed. More so, because I wasn’t sure on what grounds had the selection been done. Possibly and in all probability, it was random but I do not wish to go into the details right now while I am thanking my stars for the experience yesterday.

We left for BIC only to see that we were one of the youngest members of an ‘elite’ audience. By elite, I do not mean the social or economic status, but elite in terms of the amount of experience these veterans had. A lot of well known journalists were in the audience, I was told. The problem with journalists and reporters (Print not electronic), I feel, is that you often remember their works, their reports, their articles and if you have a very good memory (I don’t have one), their names too. But, more often than not, you do not remember the faces of these hard-working people. So when I entered the hall, every face seemed vague and every voice seemed “somewhere heard before”.

Lost in the crowd of these experienced souls, curiosity got the better of me when I caught a guy in red Kurta sitting right in the front row. Somehow, the face and the voice looked familiar. I knew I had seen this guy before. But where? How? I had no clue. T

P.S. This has happened to me a zillion times before. Often, I forget to remember/recall my own relatives’ faces and my relation to them. So, it wasn’t the mistake of the Kurta guy.

My friend pointed out that it was Girish Karnad.

My first reaction was that of disbelief, disapproval and skepticism as I thought the possibility to be next to impossible. Firstly, what the hell was a theater personality of his stature doing in a discussion on “paid news”? Secondly, what was he doing in Bangalore? Didn’t he have a play to perform in NSD? And thirdly, how can I possibly be so fortunate?

I had to get these answers. When my faculty assured me that it was Karnad, I was too numb to even react. It’s a shame that I haven’t read any of his plays (I probably would have had I continued with my MA but that’s not an excuse). It’s also a shame that my only remembrance of him is through Malgudi Days (he played Swami’s father) and of late, the movie Pukar.

P.P.S. I am going to make it a point to read his plays this week.

Anyways,

Ammu Joseph, the first woman journalist from Kerala, was also present in the audience.

And so were many other prominent personalities, most of which I had never known/seen before *let’s be honest here

In the picture above: Paranjoy Guha, member of the Press Council of India, addressing the audience. Front row, in red Kurta: Girish Karnad. Lady sitting next to him: Ammu Joseph

In the picture above: Me and Prabhu taking notes diligently (like 'true' reporters. lol)

Back row: Our faculty members: Ms. Kanchan Kaur and Ms. Surekha Deepak

And then ‘it’ happened.

Someone entered the hall. This time I did not make any mistake of recognizing him (I am surprised at my memory actually). Mr. Nandan Nilekani, ex-head of Infosys, entered along with his wife.

I was too speechless to formulate my own thoughts. I decided to let my mind not be distracted anymore and concentrated on the discussion hereafter.

The talk was great. One of the most informative ones I have attended personally. Paranjoy and the other speakers made it very engaging. With his wit and humour, it never felt boring or abstract. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience

*more on this coming up soon. This is a personal rant. Don’t expect too much*

After the talk got over, all 6 of us went up to Mr. Nilekani to have a small chat with him. By small chat I mean roughly 3 minutes which I consider to be more than any one of us could have asked for. Since the discussion was on “paid news”, the talk had ended on a rather cynical and pessimistic note with respect to the future of Indian media that had literally sold itself to corporate houses. Nilekani asked us if we had been depressed after the talk as we had voluntarily chosen to get into a profession whose image is increasingly on the decline. When no one managed to open their mouth, I broke the ice saying that the talk had actually achieved the contrary; that it had simply fuelled our passion to work harder and excel in this profession. I had a hell lot of more things to say but I was tongue-tied at that time for no apparent reason whatsoever. So I decided it was better to shut up. And, trust me, that is, by far, the BEST decision one can possibly make in situations like these.

Nodding and agreeing in approval of my over-ambitious statement, Prajwala (my fellow classmate) suggested that we take a picture with him

Damn! I had lost my basic common sense at that time *not that I boast of possessing it too much

In the picture above: With Mr. Nandan Nilekani, ex-head of Infosys, at BIC
From left: Prajwala, Prabhu, me, Nilekani, Shreya, Shoumit. Tendar in the front
Photographer: Mrs. Nilekani

*******************************************

It was a tiring day.

To call it memorable would be an understatement.

But I would like to say that I felt the enormous responsibility of my profession for the first time yesterday. And, to be very frank, it feels great.

:-)

More Pix on FB :)))

Of men and patriarchy

This is a MUST read for all men.
It is an interview of Mr. Harish Sadni, founder of Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA), one of the first men's organization in India, based in Mumbai, directly intervening against gender-based violence on women.
Source of the article is here

Men also need to be liberated from patriarchy

Efforts to tackle gender-based violence against women in India have concentrated on empowering women to assert themselves and prevent violence. Men have been insulated from the process of transformation, says Harish Sadani of Men Against Violence and Abuse. Until men are seen as part of the solution, the status of women will not change significantly.
In the male-female equation, women are clearly the victims and the problem is clearly men. Yet more attempts have been made to change women than to change men. Empowering women, discouraging discrimination and violence against them, setting up women’s organizations, legislating to protect women’s rights and ensure their protection have been some of the steps taken in this direction. But surely the biggest change of all must come from the perpetrator rather than the victim?

“Changing the male mindset is a key aspect to women’s liberation. Men also need to be ‘liberated’ from the shackles of patriarchy,” acknowledges Harish Sadani. To do this, he founded Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA) in 1993, one of only a handful of organizations in India that are trying to change men’s patriarchal,chauvinistic and often violent attitudes.

What motivated you to try and change men’s thinking?

I was born and brought up in community housing, and was exposed to gender-based violence, even in my own family. Being a reticent boy, I was often teased about being bailya (girlish) which I thought was less of a comment about me, more about the status of women vis-à-vis men. But it was clear to me in my growing-up years that being different and socially and economically vulnerable was difficult. So, people who questioned cultural stereotypes inspired me. I realized that it is these people who present an alternative to closed value systems. They are the people who keep the dialogue alive.

How did MAVA come about? What methods do you use?

While doing my Masters in Social Work at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, my volunteering experience with a leading women’s organization in Mumbai made me uncomfortable with the male ostracisation approach that they adopted. So when a Mumbai newspaper appealed to men to come together to prevent violence against women, I responded, and that eventually led to MAVA. The focus of the organisation has been to enable men to examine the underlying causes of violence against women and, in the process, challenge gender stereotypes. The methods used to engage men have been varied, innovative and youth-friendly. There is no set format. In
some places, wall newspapers and focused group discussions are an effective medium, in other places, like Satara, street theatre has been used to communicate messages. In Mumbai, a telephone helpline providing counseling and guidance to distressed youths is being promoted among collegians. The young men are from different socio-economic backgrounds, largely from the middle and lower middle classes. Yuva Maitri was our first long-term focused initiative that used a range of tools to engage young men and promote a healthy dialogue on gender, sexuality, masculinity and related issues. We began with 33 male students in the 16-17 age-group, from six rural and semi-rural colleges in Pune district, who had some leadership skills and creative potential. We trained them as ‘communicators’ for a year, using interactive workshops, awareness songs, posters, film screenings, street theatre etc.
In the second year of the initiative, 17 trained student communicators began communicating with their peers on gender, healthy relationships, masculinity, etc. Wall newspapers were displayed on varied themes like healthy male-female friendships, ban on sex education in schools by legislators, farmer suicides, performance anxiety among men, sex-selective abortions leading to declining sex ratio etc. From time to time, trained communicators also took specific stands on incidents of gender-based violence against women in their area. The initiative gradually spread to four other districts in Maharashtra.

What did you learn about male attitudes?

In India, traditional efforts to tackle gender-based violence against women have concentrated on empowering women to assert themselves and prevent violence. This approach totally isolates and insulates men from the process of transformation, and keeps them embedded in the patriarchal mould. Patriarchy, apart from disadvantaging women, brings with it a set of behavioural norms and responsibilities that hinders men from expressing their fears, problems and vulnerabilities.
Men often become violent, aggressive and uncaring due to patriarchal modes of socialisation. Images of masculinity are linked with being strong and violent and to notions that men with ‘power’ are ‘real men’. We need to address how men analyse perceptions of masculinity and create appropriate alternatives. There is a woeful dearth of safe platforms to talk about problems that give rise to violent behaviour, including those relating to issues of gender and sexuality. There is also a need for positive male role models who are gender sensitive and can engage young men in the discourse. While the importance of changing norms and attitudes related to masculinity is widely accepted, there have been few sustained efforts at doing so. We must challenge perceptions of dominant forms of masculinity in men at a young age.
Our trained communicators provide safe, non-threatening platforms (physical and psychological) to young men to comfortably unwind, open up, communicate, share their fears, thoughts, dilemmas and concerns, become exposed to newer ideas on men and masculinity. And in the process of collectively addressing gender issues, they have been evolving and promoting alternative, positive models of masculinity that are gender equitable. The project taught us some interesting things. Masculinity is intrinsically linked to men’s ‘performance’ at various stages in life. One aspect of performance is the shouldering of responsibility to earn and sustain the family. In rural areas of India, the constant pressure to perform this role at an early age, even before completing their studies (compared to urban areas), and an inability to express these pressures, was evident among many students at the project. ‘Opening up’ in men is much more difficult and complex than with women. Men often do not have any experience, confidence, or even vocabulary to describe their innermost feelings related to sexuality and other related issues. By involving a pool of experienced men who were willing to share personal insights with the
young men through the initiative, we facilitated this process of ‘opening up’, featuring in an annual magazine the firsthand experiences of men opening up and communicating their dilemmas, anxieties, vulnerabilities and other issues related to masculinity. Overall, the motivation behind the men’s movement is comparatively weak. It takes guts to renounce obvious patriarchal privileges and step down from a dominant position in order to win moral self-respect.

Would you say that most of the men you have encountered, or who come to your sessions, are chauvinists? Do you discern any pattern in their thinking as regards violence against women? For example, that it’s okay to slap/beat up women, or that women invite such violence, or that they are inferior in some way…

Not all, but some men we have encountered have been chauvinists. There is a tacit acceptance of violence, including against women, in all spheres of society. While there may be men who say they are not violent with the women in their lives, they would still like to control and dominate them. Two years ago, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) highlighted the finding that 55% of women didn’t consider it wrong if the men in their homes resorted to beating them; 51% of men felt that they had a right to beat the women. These findings are symptomatic of the tacit acceptance of violence to resolve conflict, rather than dialogue and peaceful means.
During our interactive sessions with youth, an oft-repeated argument by boys is that girls who wear transparent clothes invite violence by men. Our youth communicators take pains to refute this argument by posing counter questions and sharing their insight about how girls as young as five and older women too have been raped while wearing traditional Indian dress, underlining the fact that clothes are just a pretext; the real issue is men’s inability to control their sexuality.

Would you recommend gender education (sensitization) as part of a value-teaching curriculum in schools, in the same way as environment education is now compulsory?

It should definitely be included. In many schools it has been introduced as a value that needs to be instilled. However, there is lack of effective teacher training on the subject and a dearth of child-friendly methods. A key aspect of any effective gender sensitization programme is sexuality education, which teaches girls how to assert themselves and say ‘no’ to unwelcome sexual advances, and teaches boys to gracefully accept the ‘no’. But we have seen how, over the years, our politicians have been stalling efforts to provide meaningful integrated sexuality education (even now, it’s officially called ‘adolescent life skills education’), even objecting
to visuals used in proposed manuals suggested by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT). There has been no serious effort to evolve a curriculum that takes into account all the key aspects mentioned above.
Men are seen as part of the problem, but unless they are seen as part of the solution and the process of transformation no significant change in the status of women will occur. Changing the male mindset is key to women’s liberation. Men too need to be ‘liberated’ from the shackles of patriarchy. It calls for a paradigm shift in viewing the ‘women’s issue’ as a ‘gender issue’ (equally, a ‘men’s issue’) by all concerned.