“I am ready for the next event!” May 21, 2013

On 28th April 2013, CHSJ helped set up and participated in a rally for Justice and Peace at Select Citywalk mall.  This is the reaction of Lavanya Mehra.

My role was to be reference point for CHSJ for the core team of Organisers. As a member of the core team, I had to be part of the phone/ mail communication, attend meetings and be part of the planning process.

During one such core group meeting, we offered to provide volunteers. On the day of the event, there was a core group meeting at 9am.  Apart from other things, the Core Group was worried about celebrity security. Therefore, we decided that the senior core team will take care of the celebrities and stage management and the rest of the volunteers will do crowd ushering, material dissemination and crowd control.

CHSJ had promised to send 6 volunteers. Eleven of us finally came, but there was some delay in other volunteers coming, throwing the planning completely out of gear. The entire day was almost uneventful, till Shabana came to the main foyer and started dancing to a popular song being sung by Usha. We were expecting this and so we all jumped in to create a human chain circle around Shabana. The crowd kept pushing against us and tried to enter the small circle but we held on- a lot of fun indeed! We had to move the circle to get Shabana back to her seat. By now the whole crowd had converged to the centre of the amphitheater and some were also on the stage- Shabana and Usha were unfazed and so were we but we had a job at hand and so we moved people away and created a long cordon at the base of the stage. This was the most fun I had because apart from being 5 feet away from Usha who was singing great songs, we were also 5 feet away from the crowd that was singing and dancing and having a whale of a time. The energy was unbelievable.

The last minute event planning was challenging because the detailed agenda and invite for the event came just a day before the event affecting our own networking and information sharing around the issue.

Other learnings included that the Flexes need to be tied to pillars/ trees as the heavy winds make them topple over.  This event’s organisation was very different from that of the OBR. There were uncertainties till the last minute. The youth group singer was finalised on the day of the event after an audition in front of the core group- but through a mobile phone kept on speaker mode! The video clip was played where a senior feminist gave a message on VAW and the need to rise in solidarity against violence. The 2- minute video stopped around 10 times during the screening and this horrified the organisers and the person who had taken troubles to get the clip. This reminded me of how anxious I get when one of my films is ever played.

In spite of a 12 hour shift I enjoyed the day a lot – also because I could call my Mother for it and see her listening to the discussions and enjoying the evening. I am ready for the next event!

“I enjoyed a lot”

On 28th April 2013, CHSJ helped set up and participated in a rally for Justice and Peace at Select Citywalk mall.  This is the reaction of Anita Gulati.

I got to know some days before that one event will happen in Select City Walk which will be organised by change.org primarily with the help of Jagori, Sangat, Action Aid and others. So Lavanya briefed us about that. As it was falling on Sunday so I was not very happy about it as we have also great home related work for which we get only one holiday and we are not free on Sunday due to this event.  But it was conflict in my mind only for some time and I again prepared myself for the Event work. Also I was excited about the event as this was the first time; I am going to see live show of some celebrity.

When we reached Select City Walk for the preparations there were only a couple of people.  They were waiting for the volunteers from other organisations also but they were continuously saying that we are on our ways from last 2 hours. So at last she briefed us about the plan for the next 1 hour and divide responsibility as we can’t wait for other volunteers anymore as time was running from our hands. She gave us responsibility in three groups of hanging banners all over the way, and arranging tables for display. First we arranged table on one side. Then we started putting CHSJ flexes on different places. As it was very light, flexes were flying so we tied them with some support. After this we put banners. And went to the other team who were arranging banners in a large area for helping them so that work will finish fast and we can have our lunch as by that time everybody was very hungry. After lunch we set up our registration table with material on both sides. We were again called for the planning meeting as by that time other volunteers also came. So she briefed us that we have to manage crowd, media persons and handle registration desks.  For celebrity, there was core team.  So she divided these responsibilities between us. My responsibility was to manage registration desk. I succeeded in disseminating knowledge to many people.  Lavanya was also helping me in this by calling people. Around by 7.30 I joined Lavanya for distributing flags and placards. Then we just sat and keeping an eye that everything is going smoothly. When Usha Utthap started to sing, suddenly Shabana Azmi came in the open area to dance. Then we immediately run for crowd management. We made a human chain around her.  That was really amazing, she was dancing very close to us. After that till the end, we managed the crowd as the place got very rowdy. That is new thing for me. I enjoyed a lot that evening.

The challenge I faced was management of works of my home and baby as only Sunday is the day when we can do our own works and can give time to the baby. So managing that was really a challenge for me. But I managed it successfully.

“One memorable day of my life”

On 28th April 2013, CHSJ helped set up and participated in a rally for Justice and Peace at Select Citywalk mall.  This is the reaction of Nibedita Phukan.

The lovely music and poetry became the way of expressing the fight against women and girl. It was one memorable day of my life spent in support of peace, justice and non-violence. The poetry recitation by two eminent personalities had mesmerized me and the ever energetic Indian pop diva Usha Utthup had won me over with her singing. The volunteering work in which we were involved had given me the opportunity to learn crowd management, media management and well coordinated stage management. I hope this experience will be helpful in our future work.

“Only love is the tool which will help us to erase the violence”

On 28th April 2013, CHSJ helped set up and participated in a rally for Justice and Peace at Select Citywalk mall.  This is the reaction of Poonam Singh.

My role was as a volunteer to manage the crowd and placing banners so people could easily understand what really was going on over there.  I liked the whole discussion on violence and patriarchy and poetry by Syeeda Hameed, Shabana Azmi and singing By Usha Uthup. Beside this, I liked the people who were present there because they looked very serious on the issue of violence against women and patriarchal system and they were seriously listening to the whole discussion. People were very excited to see Shabana Azmi and Usha Uthup and they enjoyed Usha Uthup’s singing very much. I saw Shabana Azmi and Usha Uthup as I had seen both of them only on TV screen before that. I enjoyed the singing and music by Usha Uthup. I placed the banners in the mall’s balcony for the first time with the team. My lesson was that we cannot erase the violence itself, only love is the tool which will help us to erase the violence. So, we should use this tool in a right way so as to we can change the mentality of each and every person on violence and patriarchy and also I think that we should teach the lesson of love because we want peace and love and nothing else in our society, in our country and also in our world. My challenge was crowd management but as far as I think actually there was not much of a congestion problem during the program.

“My feet still ache”

On 28th April 2013, CHSJ helped set up and participated in a rally for Justice and Peace at Select Citywalk mall.  This is the reaction of Shreeti Shakya.

It was another successful event and my feet still ache. Day started past noon wondering how I’d manage under the hot sun. After reaching the venue, it all began with an orientation by the organisers to all of us volunteers. Understanding our role we got going into putting up banners in every nook and corner of the mall and later being upset on being asked to remove those which were draped down from the 1^st floor balcony. The heat didn’t bother us as much as hunger and thirst did, yet we chose to complete the display work before sitting down to eat.

This event was much different from that of OBR, planned in a short time span but yet went well. The crowd was less in the beginning but increased as the event progressed or I should say when the dynamic singer went on stage. My role in the evening was to be at the registration desk and I spent that evening explaining to the known, familiar and the unknown about the cause for which all of us were present there. Met all kinds of people- some wanted all the material available on the table, some just wanted to register themselves, some did both and some ran far away when I tried to reach out.

It was nice to hear from many men that they believed in the cause and were in support of all that was being said. Some young school boys even came back to take extra stickers, posters and pamphlets for their teachers and the school principal.

At the end of all the excitement there was anger too. Could not figure out if the organisers had inadequate water provision for their volunteers or was it that my desk was in a corner (the marginalised one).  It was great to learn that teamwork has once again proved to be successful in organising an event with a cause as within so less time respected organisations did their bit of work which made the event a successful one. It was nice to hear the role of men and families to speak up and spread the awareness.  Many men were interested in the cause of the event and some men were interested in getting themselves involved, we could provide them that space. For a change upper class women shared about violence in their families.

“A necessary step”

On 28th April 2013, CHSJ helped set up and participated in a rally for Justice and Peace at Select Citywalk mall.  This is the reaction of Phillip Perl.

For the event, I came to the office around noon and helped transport and set up banners/tables, etc. ahead of time, and sat at the table distributing FEM materials as people came. The event itself I thought was incredibly energetic and successful.  All the performers were emotional and talented, and the crowd was glued to the stage. I know this kind of awareness-raising event is only the first step in making a societal difference, but it is a necessary step, and couldn’t have gone better. I had a lot of fun dancing towards the end, and I know hundreds of others did too, and we all left with a feeling a greater purpose. We were dancing together as a response to the ongoing VAW in the news, and that together as a society we can will our way to a more gender equitable city and country.

It was challenging that many of the other volunteers arrived late, but I was very impressed by the event’s organizers staying calm and facilitating tasks efficiently, and getting everything set up properly. Many people deserve credit for a successful event!

Where Are They Learning This Behaviour? May 13, 2013

I was in Ranchi for the quarterly review meeting of FEM- Jharkhand. It was here that I had a discussion with Kalyani Meena, Director of Prerana Bharti and a feminist working in various districts of Jharkhand.

Kalyani initiated the reaction on the minor’s (5 years old girl) rape in Madhopur, Devghar district under the banner of “Nagariq Sangathan, Madhopur” on 24^th and 25^th April 2013. After her call, many organisations and also men participated in the protest. The question still remains- why does it fall upon feminists and women to take initiatives? Why men as individuals and groups are not able to observe or able to sense the depth of problem? It was expected that FEM – Jharkhand will become one such group of men who are not comfortable in a social norm where silence is maintained on the incidents of violence against women. I strongly feel that FEM and other men’s groups that believe in equality and human rights have to come forward and say loudly that they are against any type of human rights violation, especially sexual assault and violence against women, at all places, whether it is in the family or public sphere.

Another discussion with Kalyani took place around the root cause and reasons for this type of violence. Kalyani was very upset about the increasing number of cases of violence. I am still not clear whether the cases are increasing or the reporting is increasing. This needs more reflection and analysis. Another issue is why it is the youth and adolescents that are increasingly involved in such crimes. One argument is the ready access to pornography material through the internet that helps them want an opportunity for sex with any girl at any cost. However, the difference between exploring and exercising our “sexuality” is deferent from sexual violence and brutal crime. My whole worry is about wanting sex at “any cost”. I feel it is very dangerous that boys are learning the term “any cost”. Men and boys who are perpetrators of violence cannot be segregated on the basis of caste, class or ethnicity. There are also tribal men and boys who are becoming similarly violent although their socio-culture set-up does not approve this. We have to stop and ask where they are learning this behavior.

We cannot lay all blame on these boys alone.  We have to think about and analyse the whole socialisation process. I am convinced that all institutions involved in socialisation like media, family and education is responsible for promoting violence. But the State has a bigger role in this process. In middle class and urban communities, children do not spend time with other children playing and learning to respect each other or developing emotional bonds with each other. Children come from school and are sent for tuition or are engaged in home work or playing indoors. They do not have time to interact too much with parents and parents also don’t have time for children. Parents also feel very happy to see the child occupied and feeling they are safe. The schools, especially private schools are more concerned with getting better results and marks rather than teaching children to respect human rights, and respect women and girls. Children in rural area or from poor families are neglected in schools. There are few teachers in school, most are absent, and time is invested in monitoring the mid-day meal, which again has very poor quality. In rural and remote areas, the primary schools are even more neglected. Parents struggle for wages and often have no time for children. These children may be sensitive but their ambition and competition affects them as well as seeing children of middle class and other communities. Adolescents are more interested in leaving home as soon as possible and want to be involved in earning money and being free. The time when boys should be in school is actually spent by them for earning a living and they are easily caught up in the process of crime. Then the whole question is where and how these adolescent boys will learn the ethics and social norms of a democratic society. Who is responsible and accountable for this situation?

I am quite convinced that all social institutions and especially the educational institutions have to take the responsibility and become accountable for teaching ethics and social norms. There is need to stop a socialisation process, which produces aggressive and hegemonic masculinity. The celebration of such masculinity has to be stopped. If adolescents learn sexuality through IT based pornography then they will learn a more violent form of sexuality. Opposing the sex education also creates opportunities for pornography. We have to provide quality sex education to adolescents. If violence and sexual crimes are increasing, then all of us have to take the responsibility and make efforts in the socialisation process and making the State mechanism accountable. If teachers are absent from school, there is corruption in mid-day meals, there is violence in family, school and community- then boys will learn violent practices and become unafraid of the law. In such situations, the only lesson they will learn is that “they must get what they want at any cost” and this will become very common for them. 

By Satish Kumar Singh in Jharkhand in April 2013