..hope the images are visible..!
- ankur..
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Play for Peace
Play for peace
Children are vibrant, children are energy filled and their happiness is like a wild fire…it spreads and multiplies quickly.
Service for people is quite often perceived as assistance or help in the form of cash or food.
Imagine an environment gloomy because of a recent calamity…the surrounding is destroyed and everyone is making an effort to get life back to normal.
Though this takes time, every effort is taken to make the atmosphere look calm, mainly for the children around.
Play For Peace facilitates developing this positivity in the air.
Seeing children around you laugh, smile and put back all worries is what every parent looks forward to. This in turn changes the mood of the adults around.
Open space and play for peace joined hands to help us understand voluntary activity in a different dimension.
The 3 day session begun and ended with us playing different games…
We played games wherein no one goes out of it nor does anyone get punished…these are games which bring people together just through simple team work…
The following games were played :
Day 1
8-step Double count 6 Dibi dibi dappe
Dracula Zip-zap Animals 7 up/watch it Jugu jaa station Everyone is it Human overhand ball juggle Violence – non violence Penguin
Not Acceptable Non -Violence Acceptable Violence The questions asked were as follows, where each one of us had a different opinion -
Non Vegetarianism Milking a cow Eskimo Eating meet Killing in self defense Sacrificing animals for worship Euthanasia Death Sentence to a Rapist Imprisonment for contempt of court Taking Jal Samhadi to protest against Narmada Dam Doing chakka Jam to protest Fare hike Compulsory standing on national Anthem Soliciting Sex for money Soliciting sex for food School examination Leaving food in your plate Using leather products Not giving house for rent to a Muslim Using loud speakers for prayers Self flagellation for religious rituals.
Day 2
Everyone is tom Dibbi Dibbi Dappe Idli vada Nerves of steel Wink House and Tenant Commonality & differences to be or not to be Count to 13 As you like it Hariyali As you like it Hinduism is the oldest religion (what About Judaism) Hinduism is a tolerant religion (What about Gujarat riots, cast violence) Buddhist practice non violence Islam is about equality Christianity teaches compassion Sikhism is a branch of Hinduism Gods are mythological figures All religion induce violence and inequality Religion curb individual freedom Conversion is acceptable Cast system is a part of Hindu religion Reservation should be given to marginalized sections Many Gods one gods Muslims are not clean Muslims intentionally avoid family planning to increase their numbers Polygamy is only promoted by Islam Christian's look down at other religion Landlord and tenants numbers – Share ur motivation in doing this course Colors – what is the most important learning you had so far Exchange – what is the last film u saw, why? Exchange – If you were not here what you would be doing right now?
Children are vibrant, children are energy filled and their happiness is like a wild fire…it spreads and multiplies quickly.
Service for people is quite often perceived as assistance or help in the form of cash or food.
Imagine an environment gloomy because of a recent calamity…the surrounding is destroyed and everyone is making an effort to get life back to normal.
Though this takes time, every effort is taken to make the atmosphere look calm, mainly for the children around.
Play For Peace facilitates developing this positivity in the air.
Seeing children around you laugh, smile and put back all worries is what every parent looks forward to. This in turn changes the mood of the adults around.
Open space and play for peace joined hands to help us understand voluntary activity in a different dimension.
The 3 day session begun and ended with us playing different games…
We played games wherein no one goes out of it nor does anyone get punished…these are games which bring people together just through simple team work…
The following games were played :
Day 1
8-step Double count 6 Dibi dibi dappe
Dracula Zip-zap Animals 7 up/watch it Jugu jaa station Everyone is it Human overhand ball juggle Violence – non violence Penguin
Not Acceptable Non -Violence Acceptable Violence The questions asked were as follows, where each one of us had a different opinion -
Non Vegetarianism Milking a cow Eskimo Eating meet Killing in self defense Sacrificing animals for worship Euthanasia Death Sentence to a Rapist Imprisonment for contempt of court Taking Jal Samhadi to protest against Narmada Dam Doing chakka Jam to protest Fare hike Compulsory standing on national Anthem Soliciting Sex for money Soliciting sex for food School examination Leaving food in your plate Using leather products Not giving house for rent to a Muslim Using loud speakers for prayers Self flagellation for religious rituals.
Day 2
Everyone is tom Dibbi Dibbi Dappe Idli vada Nerves of steel Wink House and Tenant Commonality & differences to be or not to be Count to 13 As you like it Hariyali As you like it Hinduism is the oldest religion (what About Judaism) Hinduism is a tolerant religion (What about Gujarat riots, cast violence) Buddhist practice non violence Islam is about equality Christianity teaches compassion Sikhism is a branch of Hinduism Gods are mythological figures All religion induce violence and inequality Religion curb individual freedom Conversion is acceptable Cast system is a part of Hindu religion Reservation should be given to marginalized sections Many Gods one gods Muslims are not clean Muslims intentionally avoid family planning to increase their numbers Polygamy is only promoted by Islam Christian's look down at other religion Landlord and tenants numbers – Share ur motivation in doing this course Colors – what is the most important learning you had so far Exchange – what is the last film u saw, why? Exchange – If you were not here what you would be doing right now?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
REPRESENTATION IN FILMS
‘FILMS’ – one of our favorite, if not the favorite, was the topic which Junuka planned to explore through the 3 sessions with us. As unanimously agreed upon, a 3-day workshop would be grossly adequate to learn about film making and understanding the complexities of it. Thus this workshop was intentionally targeted to understand the ‘representations in films’.
We had an introductory session with Junuka prior to the workshop. This helped her gauge our basic understanding and interests in films. Trivial queries too, were answered. At the end, Junuka asked us to do an assignment for the session on the first day. All of us, individually, were asked to get an object which we associated with a movie we had watched. At this thought, we departed.
DAY 1:
The first day began with everyone anxiously waiting to ‘showcase’ their associations! There was a very interesting collection of objects at the end. Objects like scissors, for the Sharon Stone starrer ‘Scissors’, a colorful friendship band for ‘Rang de Basanti’, a perfume bottle ( empty!) for the movie ‘Perfume- the scent of a murderer’, a fabulous red dress for ‘ Shall we Dance’ and knives for ‘Pirates of the Carribean’. The most unique though was Mir’s who had Nisha’s ‘long nose’ as his object which he associated a movie with! What was even more interesting was the explanation which went along with the object. The exercise was meant to bring out the fact that how a film maker uses objects to give an indirect message. Also, understanding how each one of us relates and associates with different objects.
Next, we watched a documentary named ‘America, America’. The documentary was made by an Indian. The message sent out was pretty clear. It ridiculed the politics and the diplomacy of America as a nation. The film maker left nothing to the audience to try and understand. A very strong and a direct statement was made. A discussion followed. The approach of the film maker is a choice which he takes. In the documentary, it was clearly evident that his intentions were made really clear and the message of the film was stark! There was no scope of it being understood in a manner otherwise.
This was followed by the recent hit bollywood movie ‘Chak De’ a part of the movie was viewed and then taken up for dissection. A very heated discussion, rather argument, started. There were two clear sides to it. One group was in favour of the movie and thought that it was not a stereotype. It touched a lots of issues very well and did create an impact in the minds of the audience. The other group, however, didn’t quite agree. They felt that though the subject was different, it could have been handled in a more innovative manner. The debate so strong, it didn’t end. Time came to the rescue, ending it abruptly. Junuka then called off the day giving us an assignment for the next day. Each of us, individually, had to represent what Chak De meant to each of us on a sheet of paper.
DAY 2:
The session started with each of us showing our abstract piece of art of art, along with the explanation, which showed the essence of Chak De to us. There were diverse responses. Junuka liked the honest representations which were made, hence appreciated.
Junuka then took us back in history right from the period when documentation started. These were images from the Congo Valley. As we browsed through the photographs, Junuka brought to out notice how each image was meant to give a message. Most of them were of the tribes from the Congo Valley. These were taken by the colonists who came their. It was evident the colonizers had managed to lure the tribes and bow down to the culture of the colonizers, unfortunately, giving up their own.
The message here was that in an image or a movie, the photographer or the film maker executes his own choice made with an intention of representation of people. But the approach of representation can vary from each individual. This was explored with two documentaries. The first one was a documentary of the various tribal groups present in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This was made in 1971 for the Indian government. It contained expeditions to these islands which were largely unexplored. At some times it was because of the hostile nature of the tribes in that region who did not want any interaction with the outside world. The documentary showed various tribal groups and their lifestyles, rather their way of living. This is where the approach of the film maker was noticed. The tribals were portrayed as people who were ‘different’, not a ‘part of us’. The differences were highlighted, making them look primitive. This kind of representation definitely would not help the tribals cause. A sense of pity, completely unnecessary, was being generated.
The second documentary, in the same context, was ‘Nanook of the North’. This was about a person Nanook and his family and the lifestyle they lead in the frozen areas of Canada. Here the subject being talked was similar to the one in the previous documentary. But the approach taken by the film maker was a total contrast. Here, the film maker had stayed with Nanook and his family for a period before filming them. This was evident through the comfort level Nanook showed during getting filmed, unlike in the other documentary. The film maker here captured their moments of joy and happiness in his tough daily routine. It admired the way Nanook and his family enjoyed each moment inspite of being in the toughest place to live on earth. This gave a sense of admiration for Nannok. There was no putting down of the primitive lifestyles; rather a lot could be learnt from them. This was shown flawlessly. The sensitivity of the film maker was really encouraging, unlike in the previous documentary.
A third documentary, ‘Triumph of the Will’ made on Adolf Hitler was screened. This was to show how the camera, with its angles, positions and perspectives, plays a major part in representation of a person in a film. The camera highlighted the personality of Adolf Hitler and the power he possessed. The ‘hero’ of the movie was very much noticeable!
This ended the second day. The session was very well designed with apt documentaries bringing out the message out well. The finer nuisances of representation were well understood.
DAY 3:
The final day began. Everyone was exited following an eye opening second day. Junuka played a one and a half hour Iranian movie called ‘Blackboards’. The movie was about the daily struggle in the life of the people from the Kurdish tribe which lived on the Iran-Iraq border, but belonged to none of the two countries. The movie focused on the lives of the a few people who within such a turmoil, went to the villages to teach the uneducated children present their. They carried blackboards with them to every village, hence the name. It focused upon the tale of two such persons and their struggle.
The blackboards here were used for various other than what it was meant for. It became an important belonging and also very symbolic in the course of the movie. The movie ends, but the struggle remains. The film maker brought out the actual situation exceedingly well. The colors, the music (rather the lack of it), the costumes, the emotions and the expressions all were in tune with the theme of the movie.
It was followed by a discussion trying to unearth the message the film wants to leave. The movie gave a tremendous sense of hope and strength in spite of the adversities present. An important lesson to learn; one which could be applicable in each one’s case at various levels.
The movie summed up the workshop successfully. An eventful 3 days came to an end. Yet, as Junuka rightly pointed out that there was a lot more to be explored. Everyone appreciated the workshop and thanked Junuka for giving us the opportunity to understand films through a film make’s point of view. This would definitely hold us in good stead while watching any movie here onwards.
We ended by watching some of Junuka’s work, which was similar to the workshop, simply put: GOOD!
Ankur Kothari
‘FILMS’ – one of our favorite, if not the favorite, was the topic which Junuka planned to explore through the 3 sessions with us. As unanimously agreed upon, a 3-day workshop would be grossly adequate to learn about film making and understanding the complexities of it. Thus this workshop was intentionally targeted to understand the ‘representations in films’.
We had an introductory session with Junuka prior to the workshop. This helped her gauge our basic understanding and interests in films. Trivial queries too, were answered. At the end, Junuka asked us to do an assignment for the session on the first day. All of us, individually, were asked to get an object which we associated with a movie we had watched. At this thought, we departed.
DAY 1:
The first day began with everyone anxiously waiting to ‘showcase’ their associations! There was a very interesting collection of objects at the end. Objects like scissors, for the Sharon Stone starrer ‘Scissors’, a colorful friendship band for ‘Rang de Basanti’, a perfume bottle ( empty!) for the movie ‘Perfume- the scent of a murderer’, a fabulous red dress for ‘ Shall we Dance’ and knives for ‘Pirates of the Carribean’. The most unique though was Mir’s who had Nisha’s ‘long nose’ as his object which he associated a movie with! What was even more interesting was the explanation which went along with the object. The exercise was meant to bring out the fact that how a film maker uses objects to give an indirect message. Also, understanding how each one of us relates and associates with different objects.
Next, we watched a documentary named ‘America, America’. The documentary was made by an Indian. The message sent out was pretty clear. It ridiculed the politics and the diplomacy of America as a nation. The film maker left nothing to the audience to try and understand. A very strong and a direct statement was made. A discussion followed. The approach of the film maker is a choice which he takes. In the documentary, it was clearly evident that his intentions were made really clear and the message of the film was stark! There was no scope of it being understood in a manner otherwise.
This was followed by the recent hit bollywood movie ‘Chak De’ a part of the movie was viewed and then taken up for dissection. A very heated discussion, rather argument, started. There were two clear sides to it. One group was in favour of the movie and thought that it was not a stereotype. It touched a lots of issues very well and did create an impact in the minds of the audience. The other group, however, didn’t quite agree. They felt that though the subject was different, it could have been handled in a more innovative manner. The debate so strong, it didn’t end. Time came to the rescue, ending it abruptly. Junuka then called off the day giving us an assignment for the next day. Each of us, individually, had to represent what Chak De meant to each of us on a sheet of paper.
DAY 2:
The session started with each of us showing our abstract piece of art of art, along with the explanation, which showed the essence of Chak De to us. There were diverse responses. Junuka liked the honest representations which were made, hence appreciated.
Junuka then took us back in history right from the period when documentation started. These were images from the Congo Valley. As we browsed through the photographs, Junuka brought to out notice how each image was meant to give a message. Most of them were of the tribes from the Congo Valley. These were taken by the colonists who came their. It was evident the colonizers had managed to lure the tribes and bow down to the culture of the colonizers, unfortunately, giving up their own.
The message here was that in an image or a movie, the photographer or the film maker executes his own choice made with an intention of representation of people. But the approach of representation can vary from each individual. This was explored with two documentaries. The first one was a documentary of the various tribal groups present in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This was made in 1971 for the Indian government. It contained expeditions to these islands which were largely unexplored. At some times it was because of the hostile nature of the tribes in that region who did not want any interaction with the outside world. The documentary showed various tribal groups and their lifestyles, rather their way of living. This is where the approach of the film maker was noticed. The tribals were portrayed as people who were ‘different’, not a ‘part of us’. The differences were highlighted, making them look primitive. This kind of representation definitely would not help the tribals cause. A sense of pity, completely unnecessary, was being generated.
The second documentary, in the same context, was ‘Nanook of the North’. This was about a person Nanook and his family and the lifestyle they lead in the frozen areas of Canada. Here the subject being talked was similar to the one in the previous documentary. But the approach taken by the film maker was a total contrast. Here, the film maker had stayed with Nanook and his family for a period before filming them. This was evident through the comfort level Nanook showed during getting filmed, unlike in the other documentary. The film maker here captured their moments of joy and happiness in his tough daily routine. It admired the way Nanook and his family enjoyed each moment inspite of being in the toughest place to live on earth. This gave a sense of admiration for Nannok. There was no putting down of the primitive lifestyles; rather a lot could be learnt from them. This was shown flawlessly. The sensitivity of the film maker was really encouraging, unlike in the previous documentary.
A third documentary, ‘Triumph of the Will’ made on Adolf Hitler was screened. This was to show how the camera, with its angles, positions and perspectives, plays a major part in representation of a person in a film. The camera highlighted the personality of Adolf Hitler and the power he possessed. The ‘hero’ of the movie was very much noticeable!
This ended the second day. The session was very well designed with apt documentaries bringing out the message out well. The finer nuisances of representation were well understood.
DAY 3:
The final day began. Everyone was exited following an eye opening second day. Junuka played a one and a half hour Iranian movie called ‘Blackboards’. The movie was about the daily struggle in the life of the people from the Kurdish tribe which lived on the Iran-Iraq border, but belonged to none of the two countries. The movie focused on the lives of the a few people who within such a turmoil, went to the villages to teach the uneducated children present their. They carried blackboards with them to every village, hence the name. It focused upon the tale of two such persons and their struggle.
The blackboards here were used for various other than what it was meant for. It became an important belonging and also very symbolic in the course of the movie. The movie ends, but the struggle remains. The film maker brought out the actual situation exceedingly well. The colors, the music (rather the lack of it), the costumes, the emotions and the expressions all were in tune with the theme of the movie.
It was followed by a discussion trying to unearth the message the film wants to leave. The movie gave a tremendous sense of hope and strength in spite of the adversities present. An important lesson to learn; one which could be applicable in each one’s case at various levels.
The movie summed up the workshop successfully. An eventful 3 days came to an end. Yet, as Junuka rightly pointed out that there was a lot more to be explored. Everyone appreciated the workshop and thanked Junuka for giving us the opportunity to understand films through a film make’s point of view. This would definitely hold us in good stead while watching any movie here onwards.
We ended by watching some of Junuka’s work, which was similar to the workshop, simply put: GOOD!
Ankur Kothari
Monday, November 12, 2007
WITH AMAR KANWAR
They say u cannot say much about good work you just accept it but I have been given the difficult task of talking about good work and also to talk about how I accepted it .it was a privilege to attend a documentary film screening organized by open space and ftii with Mr.Amar kanwar himself. Mr Kanwar Lives and works from New Delhi.
He is the recipient of the 1st Edvard Munch Award for Contemporary Art from Norway, a Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts, Maine College of Art, USA , the MacArthur Fellowship in India, the Golden Gate Award ( San Francisco International Film Festival); Golden Conch (Mumbai International Film Festival ); The First Prize (Torino International Film Festival. Italy ) ; Jury's Award (Film South Asia , Nepal ), Grand Prix at EnviroFilm , Slovak Republic and the Golden Tree at the 1st National Environment and Wildlife Film Festival Vatavaran. Delhi. His awards can speak more than my words.
The documentary screening was held on two days, on the first day the latest film by Mr.Kanwar “THE LIGHTNING TESTIMONIES” was screened .the film explores the history of violence against women in different parts of the country then and now . Mr.Kanwar's film maps a journey of exploring our relationship with the politics of power and violence against women. It raised many issues such as the atrocities faced by women at the time of the partition and the present condition of women in different parts of India such as Nagaland and Kashmir. The film left a long-lasting impression. The film was followed by a long dialogue between the film maker and the audience.
On the second day four films were screened the first one A SEASON OUTSIDE is about the border outpost Wagah, where this film begins its exploration. A Season Outside is a personal and philosophical journey through past generations, conflicting positions, borders and time zones. It throws light on the imaginary lines created by man.
The second film A NIGHT OF PROPHECY talks about the passage of time through poetry? The film travels in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland and Kashmir trying to understand the past, the severity of conflict and the cycles of change. Through poetry you come about various situations and opinions. The different poetic narratives merge together, allowing us to see a more universal language of symbols and meanings. The third film HENNINGSVAER is about being in exile and the thin line that can exist between paradise and prison. Filmed entirely through glass, this film is located on the famous cod fishing island of Henningsvaer in Norway in the Arctic Circle. The fourth film THE MANY FACES OF MADNESS is about the ecological imbalance created by people in India .it talks about the deaf ear policy of the government in pursuing the so called modernization .The filmmaker talked about length about the film and how it was made.
It was truly an outstanding experience to watch such films of high quality and it was a privilege that the filmmaker himself was screening them. The dialog made things more interesting with lot of issues in the films being talked at length. At the end I will again like to say that good work can only be called good work and writing about Mr. Kanwar and his films for me is like showing a torch to the sun. I ask forgiveness I lack the felicity. MIR DAWAR
He is the recipient of the 1st Edvard Munch Award for Contemporary Art from Norway, a Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts, Maine College of Art, USA , the MacArthur Fellowship in India, the Golden Gate Award ( San Francisco International Film Festival); Golden Conch (Mumbai International Film Festival ); The First Prize (Torino International Film Festival. Italy ) ; Jury's Award (Film South Asia , Nepal ), Grand Prix at EnviroFilm , Slovak Republic and the Golden Tree at the 1st National Environment and Wildlife Film Festival Vatavaran. Delhi. His awards can speak more than my words.
The documentary screening was held on two days, on the first day the latest film by Mr.Kanwar “THE LIGHTNING TESTIMONIES” was screened .the film explores the history of violence against women in different parts of the country then and now . Mr.Kanwar's film maps a journey of exploring our relationship with the politics of power and violence against women. It raised many issues such as the atrocities faced by women at the time of the partition and the present condition of women in different parts of India such as Nagaland and Kashmir. The film left a long-lasting impression. The film was followed by a long dialogue between the film maker and the audience.
On the second day four films were screened the first one A SEASON OUTSIDE is about the border outpost Wagah, where this film begins its exploration. A Season Outside is a personal and philosophical journey through past generations, conflicting positions, borders and time zones. It throws light on the imaginary lines created by man.
The second film A NIGHT OF PROPHECY talks about the passage of time through poetry? The film travels in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland and Kashmir trying to understand the past, the severity of conflict and the cycles of change. Through poetry you come about various situations and opinions. The different poetic narratives merge together, allowing us to see a more universal language of symbols and meanings. The third film HENNINGSVAER is about being in exile and the thin line that can exist between paradise and prison. Filmed entirely through glass, this film is located on the famous cod fishing island of Henningsvaer in Norway in the Arctic Circle. The fourth film THE MANY FACES OF MADNESS is about the ecological imbalance created by people in India .it talks about the deaf ear policy of the government in pursuing the so called modernization .The filmmaker talked about length about the film and how it was made.
It was truly an outstanding experience to watch such films of high quality and it was a privilege that the filmmaker himself was screening them. The dialog made things more interesting with lot of issues in the films being talked at length. At the end I will again like to say that good work can only be called good work and writing about Mr. Kanwar and his films for me is like showing a torch to the sun. I ask forgiveness I lack the felicity. MIR DAWAR
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Making the news
We had two great sessions with Rahul Chandavarkar. with the aid of a powerpoint presetation, he gave us insight on how a news agency is actually run. we did a detailed analysis on the layout of the newspaper - right from the first page to the last. he also gave us an in-depth account of news as well as feature writing. we studied the slightly different formats of the two leading newspapers of Pune - the times of india and the indian express.
we learnt the basic news formula - 5 Ws and 1 H i.e. who, what, when, where, why and how. the answers for these are the backbone of any news article. it is essential that most, if not all, of these be answered. it definitely gave us a headway for the OS newsletter.
Rahul even told us about the various sources for news and how news is gathered. it was a real eye-opener for those of us who hadn't ever worked with a newspaper or done any writing before. we got all our doubts cleared and questions answered by him. he ended by telling us about the structure of heirarchy in the agency and the role of each person.
it was a much needed session as media is an important tool in a country like ours.
the next day we had an 'editorial meeting'. some of us became the editors of the OS newsletter while the rest of us were reporters. there were discussions on how we were going to go about doing our projects. it was a session of brainstorming where all of us gave our ideas and inputs about each project.
we enjoyed as well learnt a lot about writing from these sessions.
we learnt the basic news formula - 5 Ws and 1 H i.e. who, what, when, where, why and how. the answers for these are the backbone of any news article. it is essential that most, if not all, of these be answered. it definitely gave us a headway for the OS newsletter.
Rahul even told us about the various sources for news and how news is gathered. it was a real eye-opener for those of us who hadn't ever worked with a newspaper or done any writing before. we got all our doubts cleared and questions answered by him. he ended by telling us about the structure of heirarchy in the agency and the role of each person.
it was a much needed session as media is an important tool in a country like ours.
the next day we had an 'editorial meeting'. some of us became the editors of the OS newsletter while the rest of us were reporters. there were discussions on how we were going to go about doing our projects. it was a session of brainstorming where all of us gave our ideas and inputs about each project.
we enjoyed as well learnt a lot about writing from these sessions.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Biodiversity – Our most vital Resource.
If all the Biodiversity on this planet was to be wiped out, Human life would last for just three minutes! A powerful statement, but did a shred of doubt cross your mind? Do you feel this statement is over-rated? Think again.
When the esteemed Mr. Ashish Kothari from Kalpavriksh, Pune came to give us a discourse on Biodiversity, it certainly proved an eye-opener for all of us. The basics, interesting facts, stories of hope and stories of despair were all rolled into one into those tow hours. The fundamental question of what Bio-diversity is was taught to us. The simple classification of:
Species
Ecosystems and,
Genetic Diversity
- Would make everything from the air we breathe to marine algae (which is incidentally the atmosphere’s key source of Oxygen) to the Tiger –all a part of bio-diversity. We learnt of how diverse and rich our own country was – with 10 biogeographic zones to over a 1000 species of Mango!
Reasons to protect the Earth’s biodiversity was then enumerated on various grounds- ethical, economic and aesthetic. Why does the loss of biodiversity continue to elude us was next explained which was followed by the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
After having realised that we all came from different backgrounds, he connected the topic to each of the various disciplines we follow e.g. The Convention on Bio-diversity for me or the Eco – budgeting for all our Third year Economic Major students. This definitely ignited our interests every time one of us felt our thoughts drift!
All of us unanimously agreed that the most interesting aspect to Mr. Kothari’s lecture was the fact that his hard-hitting facts were coupled by very interesting and encouraging stories of how communities have taken upon themselves to protect their environment. This made each of us think positive but more importantly, set us thinking and realizing that a simple change in strategy, a good plan and a strong will could work wonders for our planet’s health.
We understood that Man was part of this huge cycle of life that surrounds us, we alone are responsible for Nature’s fury and that as the youth and future, it is our survival at stake if man’s unsustainable actions continue.
By – Chiteisri Devi
When the esteemed Mr. Ashish Kothari from Kalpavriksh, Pune came to give us a discourse on Biodiversity, it certainly proved an eye-opener for all of us. The basics, interesting facts, stories of hope and stories of despair were all rolled into one into those tow hours. The fundamental question of what Bio-diversity is was taught to us. The simple classification of:
Species
Ecosystems and,
Genetic Diversity
- Would make everything from the air we breathe to marine algae (which is incidentally the atmosphere’s key source of Oxygen) to the Tiger –all a part of bio-diversity. We learnt of how diverse and rich our own country was – with 10 biogeographic zones to over a 1000 species of Mango!
Reasons to protect the Earth’s biodiversity was then enumerated on various grounds- ethical, economic and aesthetic. Why does the loss of biodiversity continue to elude us was next explained which was followed by the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
After having realised that we all came from different backgrounds, he connected the topic to each of the various disciplines we follow e.g. The Convention on Bio-diversity for me or the Eco – budgeting for all our Third year Economic Major students. This definitely ignited our interests every time one of us felt our thoughts drift!
All of us unanimously agreed that the most interesting aspect to Mr. Kothari’s lecture was the fact that his hard-hitting facts were coupled by very interesting and encouraging stories of how communities have taken upon themselves to protect their environment. This made each of us think positive but more importantly, set us thinking and realizing that a simple change in strategy, a good plan and a strong will could work wonders for our planet’s health.
We understood that Man was part of this huge cycle of life that surrounds us, we alone are responsible for Nature’s fury and that as the youth and future, it is our survival at stake if man’s unsustainable actions continue.
By – Chiteisri Devi
psycho- geography........phew!!!!
yaeh....... you read it right, the sessions on the 9th and 10th of october, taken by our very own Renu were on psycho-geography. nah...... it isnt as heavy as it sounds and was basically about expressing violence through art... simple, right? well, not so for some of the interns who had a mortal fear of painting. the session was flagged off on day 1 by discussing what exactly is violence and we managed to come up with a pretty concise definition that it is simply an act of aggression against a person who resists.it is about power equations but then again power is never static, its mobile and is a networked phenomenon. depicting violence through art is a means of testing social codes whether symbolic, realistic or ritualistic.
renu started by showing us a series of images she had put together so that we got a general idea of what she was planning on putting us through... the images ranged from 17th century post renaissance to modern. some were subtle, where it was difficult even to figure out instances of violence while in some it was disturbing to even look at the images because they were too graphic.well..... this was the easy part with Renu doing all the work now we had to start. which we did by jotting down 10 words we associated with violence and then 10 colours we associated with those words.. an eg of this would be war-olive green or torture-purple. the 2nd half of the session saw the interns writing a story based on chits they drew out of a box. well. they put on their thinking caps and came up with 3 brilliant stories, an eg. of which is given below:-
THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE:-
i remember this day as if it were yesterday ven though i was just a boy of 8 then. a bomb exploded somewhere near the army camp. i could hear the blast echo through the many valleys and hills surrounding our village. the deathly silence was now filled with screams and cries of the jawans. somewhere in the background i thought i heard my sister crying softly."our brother was the bomber", she said." they will soon come for us-we should run, but we have nowhere to go!".we tried to gather our thingsand make a quick exit; but it was in vain. in what like a quick flash of lightning the military forces arrived in their jeeps, driving so fast, hurtling dust and stones in all directions. soon our village was on fire-all i could see was red and yellow flames leaping into the dark,dark sky. the men in green and black started spilling out and beating up the men in our village, dragging them out of their homes with sheer vehemence and force. i did not need to see what was happening to feel-their screams echoed louder and louder, they were being assaulted and tortured brutally and yet our fellow villagers did not tell them about our brother. my sister pulled me away and hid me in a secret attic which was once our brother's room." stay here!" she said "and do not move , no matter what happens!". the jawans came to our doorstep; looking for some more men. seeing my sister cowering alone in the corner did not deter them. their faces changed, they were smiling but in an evil, malicious way and then they said something to each other in a language i did not understand. one of the jawans left but the other stepped towards her and dragged her by her long, dark hair. my sister was howling now, beggibg, pleading, writhing trying to escape. his face was indifferent and by sheer brute strenght, he slapped her till she was unconscious, tore out her clothes and raped her. i lay above, helpless and watched as he violated her. even in her unconsciousness i could ense her mind, body and soul crying in pain. my mind was turbulent, in a rage, but my limbs remained still as death. numb. the memory is fresh in my mind, the scars still show, her screams still wake me up after nightmares and each day i know that soon, i will have my vengeance.
then came the part we were all scared of, yes you guessed it , painting!!!!! we had to individually paint our idea of violence. it didnt turn out to be as difficult as we had initially imagined and the paintings turned out to be quite acceptable with some you could even classify as good. really wasnt as difficult as we thought.... you guys should also try it.............!!!!!!!!!!!!!
renu started by showing us a series of images she had put together so that we got a general idea of what she was planning on putting us through... the images ranged from 17th century post renaissance to modern. some were subtle, where it was difficult even to figure out instances of violence while in some it was disturbing to even look at the images because they were too graphic.well..... this was the easy part with Renu doing all the work now we had to start. which we did by jotting down 10 words we associated with violence and then 10 colours we associated with those words.. an eg of this would be war-olive green or torture-purple. the 2nd half of the session saw the interns writing a story based on chits they drew out of a box. well. they put on their thinking caps and came up with 3 brilliant stories, an eg. of which is given below:-
THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE:-
i remember this day as if it were yesterday ven though i was just a boy of 8 then. a bomb exploded somewhere near the army camp. i could hear the blast echo through the many valleys and hills surrounding our village. the deathly silence was now filled with screams and cries of the jawans. somewhere in the background i thought i heard my sister crying softly."our brother was the bomber", she said." they will soon come for us-we should run, but we have nowhere to go!".we tried to gather our thingsand make a quick exit; but it was in vain. in what like a quick flash of lightning the military forces arrived in their jeeps, driving so fast, hurtling dust and stones in all directions. soon our village was on fire-all i could see was red and yellow flames leaping into the dark,dark sky. the men in green and black started spilling out and beating up the men in our village, dragging them out of their homes with sheer vehemence and force. i did not need to see what was happening to feel-their screams echoed louder and louder, they were being assaulted and tortured brutally and yet our fellow villagers did not tell them about our brother. my sister pulled me away and hid me in a secret attic which was once our brother's room." stay here!" she said "and do not move , no matter what happens!". the jawans came to our doorstep; looking for some more men. seeing my sister cowering alone in the corner did not deter them. their faces changed, they were smiling but in an evil, malicious way and then they said something to each other in a language i did not understand. one of the jawans left but the other stepped towards her and dragged her by her long, dark hair. my sister was howling now, beggibg, pleading, writhing trying to escape. his face was indifferent and by sheer brute strenght, he slapped her till she was unconscious, tore out her clothes and raped her. i lay above, helpless and watched as he violated her. even in her unconsciousness i could ense her mind, body and soul crying in pain. my mind was turbulent, in a rage, but my limbs remained still as death. numb. the memory is fresh in my mind, the scars still show, her screams still wake me up after nightmares and each day i know that soon, i will have my vengeance.
then came the part we were all scared of, yes you guessed it , painting!!!!! we had to individually paint our idea of violence. it didnt turn out to be as difficult as we had initially imagined and the paintings turned out to be quite acceptable with some you could even classify as good. really wasnt as difficult as we thought.... you guys should also try it.............!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Human Rights and Law
Being the only Law student at the internship, the write-up for the two heavy sessions on Law and Human Rights has been 're'delegated to me !
What is Equality? What is violence ?
How does the Law treat the perpetrators and victims of Domestic Violence ? What are the differences between Criminal and Civil Law? Where would you file a complaint and can a layman ever actually seek legal redressal with the confidence that the Law presupposes?
These were just some of the very potent questions that Ms. Rama Sarode tried to answer in two back-to-back sessions . Whereas the first day was spent disucussing the very basics like Civil and criminal law - Sources of law and more importantly, the ABC of penal Law viz. The Indian Penal Code,1860, The Criminal Procedure Code,1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. - the second day had the shraing of the advocate's personal experiences with handling the law (eg. cases on Domestic Violence and the problem of implementing the new Domestic Violence Act,2005 and the famous Armugam case where an alleged rapist was wrongly convicted for 12 years!)
If there was one point that was made clear during the sessions was that- even the basics of law requires much to be simplified!
Being a law student , I could vouch for the fact that our Guest had made all of it seemingly easy and interesting and yet many of the interns felt that most of it 'flew over their heads'!
However , it was not all in vain as our minds felt 'enlightened' on our basic "Rights"!
By - Chiteisri Devi
What is Equality? What is violence ?
How does the Law treat the perpetrators and victims of Domestic Violence ? What are the differences between Criminal and Civil Law? Where would you file a complaint and can a layman ever actually seek legal redressal with the confidence that the Law presupposes?
These were just some of the very potent questions that Ms. Rama Sarode tried to answer in two back-to-back sessions . Whereas the first day was spent disucussing the very basics like Civil and criminal law - Sources of law and more importantly, the ABC of penal Law viz. The Indian Penal Code,1860, The Criminal Procedure Code,1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. - the second day had the shraing of the advocate's personal experiences with handling the law (eg. cases on Domestic Violence and the problem of implementing the new Domestic Violence Act,2005 and the famous Armugam case where an alleged rapist was wrongly convicted for 12 years!)
If there was one point that was made clear during the sessions was that- even the basics of law requires much to be simplified!
Being a law student , I could vouch for the fact that our Guest had made all of it seemingly easy and interesting and yet many of the interns felt that most of it 'flew over their heads'!
However , it was not all in vain as our minds felt 'enlightened' on our basic "Rights"!
By - Chiteisri Devi
Monday, October 15, 2007
missing in action
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays took on a new meaning for me when open space started, and have taken on a still newer meaning ever since the dratted exams loomed in the not so distant future.
so this is basically a request for an update as to whats been happening at the 'work place'. paint me a pretty picture the rest of you hues!! i really wish this rut would end and the beginning of the week would resume its usual fun self!
special message for megalakshmi: i totally understand now why you were so worked up about the dates of the sessions..
don't keep me waiting on the news/gossip/learning!!
janhavi
so this is basically a request for an update as to whats been happening at the 'work place'. paint me a pretty picture the rest of you hues!! i really wish this rut would end and the beginning of the week would resume its usual fun self!
special message for megalakshmi: i totally understand now why you were so worked up about the dates of the sessions..
don't keep me waiting on the news/gossip/learning!!
janhavi
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
On Global Warming
1).When wet garbage i.e. organic matter is simply thrown away; it releases methane into the atmosphere which is twenty times more dangerous than Carbon dioxide- try recycling this waste through composting and a person’s gardening needs are taken care of, not to mention the soil is replenished with Nitrogen content.
2).Simply switching off the mains of Television sets and Computers at night reduces up to 10% of a house’s power consumption.
3). Turn off your vehicle’s engines at traffic signals that require you o stop for more than 10 seconds. It can reduce 20% of your car’s daily emissions of Carbon dioxide.
These are just a few of the many things an individual can do to reduce Global Warming.
When the former Mayor of Pune, Mrs. Vandana Chavan came to give us a discourse on Global Warming and Climate Change, it was not just the scientific dimension to the seriousness of this environmental hazard (for more – Watch “An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore) but also to emphasize the Power of ONE. The Power of ONE to initiate, conserve and heal.
Mrs. Chavan is part of a campaign called ALERT- a citizen’s initiative to a better Pune. She is an advocate by profession, and confesses that she has “no scientific degree on Environment.” But it was after her visit to a Conference in Montreal on Global Warming in 2005 that she knew that it was ‘her duty’ to spread this message.
The slideshow was a detailed yet lucid presentation – informing us on how India shall be the worst affected by Global warming, why the spread of diseases through mosquitoes shall be more potent due to rising temperatures and how the planet is slowly losing valuable species that are known to sustain life on Earth.
Our session concluded with what was most important – what we could do? Buy CFL lamps, segregate organic garbage, use carpools, recycle plastic … the list could go on.
In fact the session not only put back the little knowledge into our minds, it gave us a ‘renewed energy’ and outlook to do our bit towards this cause.
The message is clear, the blog is short – but believe me what we do ahead to follow shall go a long way – for it is not our thoughts here, but our actions that shall count.
By - Chiteisri Devi
2).Simply switching off the mains of Television sets and Computers at night reduces up to 10% of a house’s power consumption.
3). Turn off your vehicle’s engines at traffic signals that require you o stop for more than 10 seconds. It can reduce 20% of your car’s daily emissions of Carbon dioxide.
These are just a few of the many things an individual can do to reduce Global Warming.
When the former Mayor of Pune, Mrs. Vandana Chavan came to give us a discourse on Global Warming and Climate Change, it was not just the scientific dimension to the seriousness of this environmental hazard (for more – Watch “An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore) but also to emphasize the Power of ONE. The Power of ONE to initiate, conserve and heal.
Mrs. Chavan is part of a campaign called ALERT- a citizen’s initiative to a better Pune. She is an advocate by profession, and confesses that she has “no scientific degree on Environment.” But it was after her visit to a Conference in Montreal on Global Warming in 2005 that she knew that it was ‘her duty’ to spread this message.
The slideshow was a detailed yet lucid presentation – informing us on how India shall be the worst affected by Global warming, why the spread of diseases through mosquitoes shall be more potent due to rising temperatures and how the planet is slowly losing valuable species that are known to sustain life on Earth.
Our session concluded with what was most important – what we could do? Buy CFL lamps, segregate organic garbage, use carpools, recycle plastic … the list could go on.
In fact the session not only put back the little knowledge into our minds, it gave us a ‘renewed energy’ and outlook to do our bit towards this cause.
The message is clear, the blog is short – but believe me what we do ahead to follow shall go a long way – for it is not our thoughts here, but our actions that shall count.
By - Chiteisri Devi
On Superheroes
We have all dreamt of being superheroes. Even if it was not a recurring fantasy, our childhood imagination would have perceived the sheer power and awe of being one.
How did I see it? Perhaps, as a chic woman with a perfectly toned body in the smartest of clothes who is a combination of physical strength, mental agility and the knowledge of all that surrounds me. Every relic, myth, religion, scientific and historical fact, Geography, Earth sciences, Maths, Weapons and Ammunition, even the Psychology of the opponent would be at my fingertips. I’d see myself being adored, loved, and even lusted for by many.
Yet it is strange how I forgot that even superheroes had homes, had families, had friends and also had to ‘battle’ with the mundane, yet ever challenging tasks life never prepares us for!
It’s was Sunday evening and I decided that I shall try to make the stir fried babycorn in the microwave, after all the recipe seems to be pretty simple. I mix all the ingredients required and suddenly realize that ‘1 tomato ‘cut into thin strips’ must also be added. I stare at the tomato and wonder how this is supposed to be cut. I proceed in a manner which I presume to be correct. Soon, there is this huge blob of some semi-solid red mass lying between my hands and I somehow manage to scoop it into the dish and put it into the microwave.
I see that my finger got a tiny cut in the process, and between cursing away, washing my hands and waiting anxiously for the food to get cooked, I ask my self why I never tried learning this earlier. When learning has been my sole desire for the past twenty years, how did I overlook this – cooking, tidying up after a mess, balancing time and all my ‘meaningless’ ways to let the very same time, pass.
I prize myself for being my mother’s daughter and my grandmother’s grandchild. I like to think I am less dependent and hopefully more responsible than the others esp. amongst my peers. (After all, I hear “Omigod! You live all alone- how do you manage?” at least every day.) I wish to be like Ma someday, to be able to handle a home, a family, a job etc so efficiently that nobody can deny that she is a perfectionist. While I would slouch in front of the TV and she would return from a hard day’s work, (that includes screaming at least five times a day to get the most incompetent staff to work) I would ‘sweetly enquire’ if I could join her for an evening cup of tea. Now I wonder why I never did learn how to make that tea, arrange the tray, wash the remaining dishes within five minutes- whereas Ma would do this and yet patiently listen to whatever silly thing I was saying!
I sometimes ask her – How do you do it? How does one multi-task without breaking down into a torrent of excuses, emotions and tears? Bear in mind, that there is no trace of her office disposition once she comes home. Her answer is always the same – “You just do it because you have to!”
And, suddenly I realize why the superheroes I imagined do not exist. Superheroes and Mothers have one thing in common – Responsibility. However, while the former is often glorified, the latter is often ignored. While the responsibility borne by the superheroes becomes their power, the responsibility borne by our mothers becomes their virtue.
While we never see our “superheroes” and dream of meeting them or being them, we meet our heroes everyday but never see them as they truly are- Our mothers, our heroes, our responsibility.
Our chance to become the very superheroes we dream of lies in an ability to first recognize them, then understand the enormous responsibility that they bear with those smiles and finally, to learn “how to do it!”
By - Chiteisri Devi
How did I see it? Perhaps, as a chic woman with a perfectly toned body in the smartest of clothes who is a combination of physical strength, mental agility and the knowledge of all that surrounds me. Every relic, myth, religion, scientific and historical fact, Geography, Earth sciences, Maths, Weapons and Ammunition, even the Psychology of the opponent would be at my fingertips. I’d see myself being adored, loved, and even lusted for by many.
Yet it is strange how I forgot that even superheroes had homes, had families, had friends and also had to ‘battle’ with the mundane, yet ever challenging tasks life never prepares us for!
It’s was Sunday evening and I decided that I shall try to make the stir fried babycorn in the microwave, after all the recipe seems to be pretty simple. I mix all the ingredients required and suddenly realize that ‘1 tomato ‘cut into thin strips’ must also be added. I stare at the tomato and wonder how this is supposed to be cut. I proceed in a manner which I presume to be correct. Soon, there is this huge blob of some semi-solid red mass lying between my hands and I somehow manage to scoop it into the dish and put it into the microwave.
I see that my finger got a tiny cut in the process, and between cursing away, washing my hands and waiting anxiously for the food to get cooked, I ask my self why I never tried learning this earlier. When learning has been my sole desire for the past twenty years, how did I overlook this – cooking, tidying up after a mess, balancing time and all my ‘meaningless’ ways to let the very same time, pass.
I prize myself for being my mother’s daughter and my grandmother’s grandchild. I like to think I am less dependent and hopefully more responsible than the others esp. amongst my peers. (After all, I hear “Omigod! You live all alone- how do you manage?” at least every day.) I wish to be like Ma someday, to be able to handle a home, a family, a job etc so efficiently that nobody can deny that she is a perfectionist. While I would slouch in front of the TV and she would return from a hard day’s work, (that includes screaming at least five times a day to get the most incompetent staff to work) I would ‘sweetly enquire’ if I could join her for an evening cup of tea. Now I wonder why I never did learn how to make that tea, arrange the tray, wash the remaining dishes within five minutes- whereas Ma would do this and yet patiently listen to whatever silly thing I was saying!
I sometimes ask her – How do you do it? How does one multi-task without breaking down into a torrent of excuses, emotions and tears? Bear in mind, that there is no trace of her office disposition once she comes home. Her answer is always the same – “You just do it because you have to!”
And, suddenly I realize why the superheroes I imagined do not exist. Superheroes and Mothers have one thing in common – Responsibility. However, while the former is often glorified, the latter is often ignored. While the responsibility borne by the superheroes becomes their power, the responsibility borne by our mothers becomes their virtue.
While we never see our “superheroes” and dream of meeting them or being them, we meet our heroes everyday but never see them as they truly are- Our mothers, our heroes, our responsibility.
Our chance to become the very superheroes we dream of lies in an ability to first recognize them, then understand the enormous responsibility that they bear with those smiles and finally, to learn “how to do it!”
By - Chiteisri Devi
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
This session was meant to be an open session with no specific agenda for the day. I guess this was the best time for a free session particularly after the two HEAVY sessions by Hans on Sex, Sexuality and AIDS. The reason being anything today would have been a little difficult to digest. Appropriately Rakesh started by getting a feedback the sessions taken by Hans. As expected, as if everyone was waiting to explode, the answers began to flow.
It started with Nisha who said that as his language and the approach to the entire topic was so simple and direct, it made everyone comfortable about the topic. For Davar, one of the important things from the sessions was that a number of his myths were quelled. One of them was that HIV was being spread by people putting infected needles in the seats of the theatres. Hans had replied to this by saying this was all rubbish as no one would have the time to go to theatres and insert needles in the seat. Also if someone did, there is an element of time which came into the picture, which made the entire effort almost impossible. Also Davar felt that the entire exercise of Hans asking us to put the condoms on the dummy penis was really helpful, rather might prove to be helpful! Mahalaksmi though had a slightly different take on the sessions and the way they had been conducted. She felt it was a little too much on the face. It was a bit uncomforting for her, maybe because something like this had come a little early for her. But the positive thing for her was that it helped her to understand one’s own body and sexuality better than before. The body mapping exercise proved really helpful. Jahnvi mentioned something really important. She said that whatever we discussed a major percentage of it was something we already knew. Just that the way it was brought to us was something different. Also she realized that most of the times, our take on such sensitive issues is more or less the society’s perspective which had been knowingly, unknowingly forced upon us. For me, the sessions were one the most interesting sessions till now. I liked the way Hans put forth the entire topic to us, you could not take your ears and sometimes the ‘eyes’ off what was being discussed in the two sessions. Personally, I felt that the first day was made us prepared what was coming in the next session. Unless and until we were comfortable with the word ‘sex’ and the parallel words which come alongside it, we wouldn’t have been able to discuss sensitive issues like sexuality, the trans-gender community, and AIDS. For Aditi, who could not attend the first session, it was a bit of a shock when she first came in on the second day. But slowly she was able to absorb what the session was meant to be for. Later she was comfortable talking about it.
Meanwhile Rakesh had been listening to all our feedbacks carefully and also giving critical inputs as and when needed. He told us that they had taken a risk by inviting Hans because this approach might not work with every group. But at the end of it, he thought it was worth taking the risk. We then moved into a discussion on whether this approach would work with every group. The answer was definitely ‘no’. The simple reason being that the approach should vary keeping in mind the backgrounds of the group involved. At the same time we were sure that Hans is mature enough to take care of this while interacting with the other groups. Also Rakesh mentioned an important feedback that in most of the sessions on sex, HIV becomes the concluding topic. This should not be the case as ‘sex’ and not ‘HIV’ should be the concerned point. He then went into nostalgia into his college days where they had to do a study on sex-related issues and how they found it really difficult to get through the entire experience. Looking back, he felt the times have changed a lot, and now people are relatively more open about discussing about sex and related issues.
We then moved into a discussion about the current situation of the trans-genders in India. The focus was more on the Hijra community. There were two sides of the argument. One emphasized on the fact that it is society who is responsible for the position in which the Hijra’s find themselves in. Rakesh put the entire perspective in the famous line used in a number of hindi movies which goes, ‘ Mein mujarim nahi hu, mujhe samaj ne mujarim bana diya hai!’ The other side of the argument said that it was the Hijra’s also who were to blame as they themselves have been creating a bad name for themselves in the manner in which they potray themselves.we the discussed about their history. During the mughal raj, the Hijra’s were equally respected and also served the queens. But after the British came into the picture, things began to change for them.
Slowly we shifted to the trans-genders: the gays and the lesbians and their situation in the current society. The most interesting debate on this started when the question, ‘How does someone became a gay or a lesbian’. The answer was it is either by birth or else by the social conditioning one goes through. Here is where the debate started. The counter point to this was why should someone justify that he is a gay? Do we find a reason to explain why I am a man or a woman? Similarly a gay should be, rather expected to be, and treated with a similar respect. This was the highlight of the entire session today.
After this, all of us dispersed into our respective groups for the projects and began to discuss the agenda of the project and the time frame in which to achieve it, thus putting a sedate end to a rather eventful series of sessions!
ankur kothari
It started with Nisha who said that as his language and the approach to the entire topic was so simple and direct, it made everyone comfortable about the topic. For Davar, one of the important things from the sessions was that a number of his myths were quelled. One of them was that HIV was being spread by people putting infected needles in the seats of the theatres. Hans had replied to this by saying this was all rubbish as no one would have the time to go to theatres and insert needles in the seat. Also if someone did, there is an element of time which came into the picture, which made the entire effort almost impossible. Also Davar felt that the entire exercise of Hans asking us to put the condoms on the dummy penis was really helpful, rather might prove to be helpful! Mahalaksmi though had a slightly different take on the sessions and the way they had been conducted. She felt it was a little too much on the face. It was a bit uncomforting for her, maybe because something like this had come a little early for her. But the positive thing for her was that it helped her to understand one’s own body and sexuality better than before. The body mapping exercise proved really helpful. Jahnvi mentioned something really important. She said that whatever we discussed a major percentage of it was something we already knew. Just that the way it was brought to us was something different. Also she realized that most of the times, our take on such sensitive issues is more or less the society’s perspective which had been knowingly, unknowingly forced upon us. For me, the sessions were one the most interesting sessions till now. I liked the way Hans put forth the entire topic to us, you could not take your ears and sometimes the ‘eyes’ off what was being discussed in the two sessions. Personally, I felt that the first day was made us prepared what was coming in the next session. Unless and until we were comfortable with the word ‘sex’ and the parallel words which come alongside it, we wouldn’t have been able to discuss sensitive issues like sexuality, the trans-gender community, and AIDS. For Aditi, who could not attend the first session, it was a bit of a shock when she first came in on the second day. But slowly she was able to absorb what the session was meant to be for. Later she was comfortable talking about it.
Meanwhile Rakesh had been listening to all our feedbacks carefully and also giving critical inputs as and when needed. He told us that they had taken a risk by inviting Hans because this approach might not work with every group. But at the end of it, he thought it was worth taking the risk. We then moved into a discussion on whether this approach would work with every group. The answer was definitely ‘no’. The simple reason being that the approach should vary keeping in mind the backgrounds of the group involved. At the same time we were sure that Hans is mature enough to take care of this while interacting with the other groups. Also Rakesh mentioned an important feedback that in most of the sessions on sex, HIV becomes the concluding topic. This should not be the case as ‘sex’ and not ‘HIV’ should be the concerned point. He then went into nostalgia into his college days where they had to do a study on sex-related issues and how they found it really difficult to get through the entire experience. Looking back, he felt the times have changed a lot, and now people are relatively more open about discussing about sex and related issues.
We then moved into a discussion about the current situation of the trans-genders in India. The focus was more on the Hijra community. There were two sides of the argument. One emphasized on the fact that it is society who is responsible for the position in which the Hijra’s find themselves in. Rakesh put the entire perspective in the famous line used in a number of hindi movies which goes, ‘ Mein mujarim nahi hu, mujhe samaj ne mujarim bana diya hai!’ The other side of the argument said that it was the Hijra’s also who were to blame as they themselves have been creating a bad name for themselves in the manner in which they potray themselves.we the discussed about their history. During the mughal raj, the Hijra’s were equally respected and also served the queens. But after the British came into the picture, things began to change for them.
Slowly we shifted to the trans-genders: the gays and the lesbians and their situation in the current society. The most interesting debate on this started when the question, ‘How does someone became a gay or a lesbian’. The answer was it is either by birth or else by the social conditioning one goes through. Here is where the debate started. The counter point to this was why should someone justify that he is a gay? Do we find a reason to explain why I am a man or a woman? Similarly a gay should be, rather expected to be, and treated with a similar respect. This was the highlight of the entire session today.
After this, all of us dispersed into our respective groups for the projects and began to discuss the agenda of the project and the time frame in which to achieve it, thus putting a sedate end to a rather eventful series of sessions!
ankur kothari
Monday, September 24, 2007
Visit to the Tribal Art Exhibition
Thursday 20/09/2007
India has the largest tribal community anywhere in the world ,except perhaps in Africa ,which boasts of a rich distinct culture. However given the knowledge about them in available to us about them in class I cities, they are mostly perceived as people clad in leaves living in far off jungles..
Open Space, in an attempt to bridge this gap, along with city based writer Randhir Khare took an initiative to give the city a glimpse of this heritage.,Randhir khare ,a teacher ,at the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy in Pune travelling all over the country for a year procuring tribal artifacts .This journey culminated into a 4 day exhibition at the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy . The exhibition featured 14 different types of samples of tribal art forms , from like Madhubani paintings, Pithoro paintings, bhil tribe of rajasthan, shawls from nagaland, and many others. This was one rare opportunity to get familiar with a culture so close yet so distant from us.
It was the students of the school who presented these artifacts to other students explaining them how tribal values, stories and symbolisms manifest themselves in these art. The exhibition displayed not just some rare artifacts collected but also had quiz sessions and graffiti for the visitors to interest them and help them connect with something that they had only seen or heard of only in books or discovery channel.
The exhibition also included the screening of "Guabolombe -- Our Island " a documentary on the Onge tribes of the Andaman islands. This half-hour documentary by Kaushik Ray Gupta focused on a dying tribe with only 51 surviving members.
.
India has the largest tribal community anywhere in the world ,except perhaps in Africa ,which boasts of a rich distinct culture. However given the knowledge about them in available to us about them in class I cities, they are mostly perceived as people clad in leaves living in far off jungles..
Open Space, in an attempt to bridge this gap, along with city based writer Randhir Khare took an initiative to give the city a glimpse of this heritage.,Randhir khare ,a teacher ,at the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy in Pune travelling all over the country for a year procuring tribal artifacts .This journey culminated into a 4 day exhibition at the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy . The exhibition featured 14 different types of samples of tribal art forms , from like Madhubani paintings, Pithoro paintings, bhil tribe of rajasthan, shawls from nagaland, and many others. This was one rare opportunity to get familiar with a culture so close yet so distant from us.
It was the students of the school who presented these artifacts to other students explaining them how tribal values, stories and symbolisms manifest themselves in these art. The exhibition displayed not just some rare artifacts collected but also had quiz sessions and graffiti for the visitors to interest them and help them connect with something that they had only seen or heard of only in books or discovery channel.
The exhibition also included the screening of "Guabolombe -- Our Island " a documentary on the Onge tribes of the Andaman islands. This half-hour documentary by Kaushik Ray Gupta focused on a dying tribe with only 51 surviving members.
.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
SEX and Sexuality contd
Today's 8th session at OPEN SPACE ,was the 2nd and last day of the two day long session on Sex and Sexuality. We started the session by not answering Hans's questions but instead by throwing a volley of questions at him about him, where he came from, why did he come to Pune etc.. etc.
Then we moved on to talk about the third gender or transgender(in India called the 'Chakkas'). Hans told us that there are three levels of euneuchs:
1) Hemaphrodite- They are the ones born with both male and female sex organs. I t is a very rare case.
2) Transsexuals-They are people who feel they are in a wrong body i.e a man in a woman's body and a woman in a man's body .In rich countries the men pump in estrogen to grow in breasts.The other way is by operation .In operation method there are two types:
a) Theatre method
b) Wire method .Both are equally painful methods.
3) Transvestite: These are the people who feel they are living in the wrong body but do not undergo operations and live with those organs.
Eg: A man who is mentally a woman ,does not undergo any operation but he wears female clothes.
We also talked about how the Asia Pacific Network Of Sex Workers (APNSW) which works with these transgenders. We also discussed about Indian Penal Code 377 which puts a ban on anal sex( sodomy) .
Then we were shocked when next, Hans removed a condom packet and with that a dummy penis and vagina .We all looked at each other and wonderd what it was for .
I actually saw how a condom looks for the first time .We were all shown a demo on how to use the condom and practically had to do the same.
We also spoke about HIV and AIDS . HIV as we all know is the virus that causes AIDS and targets the immune system.But let's be clear of one thing, being infected with HIV does not mean that person has AIDS.We learnt how HIV is transmitted and also about the 4 stages of HIV ie: Asymptomatic, Clinical Stage 1 , Clinical Stage 2 and the fourth stage of HIV is AIDS.In India, we have 5.7 mn HIV + people ( something we cannot be proud of) and globally there are 40 mn HIV+ people.
HIV is linked only to sex which makes it shameful .There are other ways also by which HIV can be transmitted but in all our minds only the word 'SEX' gets associated with HIV and AIDS.
Then we came to the last topic of child sexual abuse , where we were given excerpts from Pinky Virani's book " Bitter Chocolate" . We took turns in reading the story about how a three month old child was sexually abused by a 17yr old boy ( isn't the age shocking!!!)
Child sexual abuse includes :
1) An adult exposing his or her genitals to a child or persuading the child to do the same.
2) An adult having oral, vaginal or anal intercourse with a child.
3) Any verbal or other sexual suggestion to a child by an adult.
The definition of child sexual abuse is " any sexual behaviour directed at a person under 16 yrs of age without that person's informed consent".
The session ended with Hans tellingus to be informed , talk to people and participate in the campaign .
It is upto us youth and educated people to spread the right message about HIV and AIDS, sexual abuse to people we know so that we can in our own way create a difference to the world and remember: RESPECT YOUR BODY AND SEXUALITY.
Posted by : MAHALAKSHMI.G
Then we moved on to talk about the third gender or transgender(in India called the 'Chakkas'). Hans told us that there are three levels of euneuchs:
1) Hemaphrodite- They are the ones born with both male and female sex organs. I t is a very rare case.
2) Transsexuals-They are people who feel they are in a wrong body i.e a man in a woman's body and a woman in a man's body .In rich countries the men pump in estrogen to grow in breasts.The other way is by operation .In operation method there are two types:
a) Theatre method
b) Wire method .Both are equally painful methods.
3) Transvestite: These are the people who feel they are living in the wrong body but do not undergo operations and live with those organs.
Eg: A man who is mentally a woman ,does not undergo any operation but he wears female clothes.
We also talked about how the Asia Pacific Network Of Sex Workers (APNSW) which works with these transgenders. We also discussed about Indian Penal Code 377 which puts a ban on anal sex( sodomy) .
Then we were shocked when next, Hans removed a condom packet and with that a dummy penis and vagina .We all looked at each other and wonderd what it was for .
I actually saw how a condom looks for the first time .We were all shown a demo on how to use the condom and practically had to do the same.
We also spoke about HIV and AIDS . HIV as we all know is the virus that causes AIDS and targets the immune system.But let's be clear of one thing, being infected with HIV does not mean that person has AIDS.We learnt how HIV is transmitted and also about the 4 stages of HIV ie: Asymptomatic, Clinical Stage 1 , Clinical Stage 2 and the fourth stage of HIV is AIDS.In India, we have 5.7 mn HIV + people ( something we cannot be proud of) and globally there are 40 mn HIV+ people.
HIV is linked only to sex which makes it shameful .There are other ways also by which HIV can be transmitted but in all our minds only the word 'SEX' gets associated with HIV and AIDS.
Then we came to the last topic of child sexual abuse , where we were given excerpts from Pinky Virani's book " Bitter Chocolate" . We took turns in reading the story about how a three month old child was sexually abused by a 17yr old boy ( isn't the age shocking!!!)
Child sexual abuse includes :
1) An adult exposing his or her genitals to a child or persuading the child to do the same.
2) An adult having oral, vaginal or anal intercourse with a child.
3) Any verbal or other sexual suggestion to a child by an adult.
The definition of child sexual abuse is " any sexual behaviour directed at a person under 16 yrs of age without that person's informed consent".
The session ended with Hans tellingus to be informed , talk to people and participate in the campaign .
It is upto us youth and educated people to spread the right message about HIV and AIDS, sexual abuse to people we know so that we can in our own way create a difference to the world and remember: RESPECT YOUR BODY AND SEXUALITY.
Posted by : MAHALAKSHMI.G
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
sex and sexuality...ahem!!!!!!
The 7th session of the Open Space internship held on Monday, the17th was a truly fun filled 3 hrs. Hans, from the Deepgriha society kickstarted the 1st day of the 2 day workshop asking 7 of the '13 hues' to hold down Daawar(while he lay on the floor in the crucifixion position giggling) and introduce each other. The session was on .........umm...........yeah....... it was on sex and sexuality. Not an issue easy to talk about, is it? Thats because you guys havent had a chance to interact with Hans.
With the help of various interactive and funfilled activities like analysing newspapers for sexually suggestive material, listing 20 words we associated with the word 'sexy', body mapping(we came up with mostly conservative body maps) with reference to where we feel pain, pleasure(physical) and shame(psychological).Hans definitely helped us get more open to talking about it.
The discussion began with what we mean when we talk about sex and sexuality. Initially, we were hesitant to openly list out words (Hans doesnt like silence by the way.........) we managed to come up with a few conservative responses such as male/female, copulation,intercourse,act for sex while sexuality was referred to as the manisfestation of one's sex, sexual characteristics, appeal, drive and the sexual organs.
We also overwhelmingly felt that sex is in the individuals themselves while sexuality is in the conditioning.Hans then proceeded to divide us into 3 groups, each with a separate newspaper to analyse:-
SAGA-Sneha,Aditi,Geeta and Ankur with the Times of India
RAGA-Daawar,Chitteshri,Nisha and Soni and with the Indian express and
BAGA which included our surprise guest Mrs. Verghese( who was supercool about the topic being discussed and actively participated in every activity),Anu,Janhavi and Mahalaxmi with the Maharashtra Herald. Our analysis of the newspapers revealed shockingly subtle suggestive references such as the Corolla ad(touch corolla, feel happy), ads for body contouring services, massage ads to supposed 'news' like Daniel Radcliffes 1st kiss......the fact that these references are so rampant sets your grey cells thinking.....what exactly is fuelling ads such as these? are we creating the demand? are we a nation of covert sexuality?
Add to these questions, if sex and sexuality is all around us why did the Bombay legislative council come up with with a statement saying-" No sex education please! This is Maharashtra.....",not a very good stand when estimates project 53.22% of children in India face severe sexual abuse?????
With this as our food for thought Hans came up with another activity(yes, he is full of learning by expereiencing...... something that had died in all of us a long time back thanks to our lacklustre education system.....). Here we were all given chits with a reference to whether we were male or female or references where it was difficult to decide on. He then proceeded to make us stand in 3 groups:- Mars for the Men , Venus for the Women and Earth for characteristics exhibited by both the sexes and left us with a lingering question.......................where does the trans gender fit in all of these?????
Unfortunately, all good things like the session had to come to an end and you better believe this one,we got homework for the next day.. yeah, you read it right.... homework i.e finding out the meanings of sex and sexuality from different sources. Nothing tedious na????
More tomorrow...............
With the help of various interactive and funfilled activities like analysing newspapers for sexually suggestive material, listing 20 words we associated with the word 'sexy', body mapping(we came up with mostly conservative body maps) with reference to where we feel pain, pleasure(physical) and shame(psychological).Hans definitely helped us get more open to talking about it.
The discussion began with what we mean when we talk about sex and sexuality. Initially, we were hesitant to openly list out words (Hans doesnt like silence by the way.........) we managed to come up with a few conservative responses such as male/female, copulation,intercourse,act for sex while sexuality was referred to as the manisfestation of one's sex, sexual characteristics, appeal, drive and the sexual organs.
We also overwhelmingly felt that sex is in the individuals themselves while sexuality is in the conditioning.Hans then proceeded to divide us into 3 groups, each with a separate newspaper to analyse:-
SAGA-Sneha,Aditi,Geeta and Ankur with the Times of India
RAGA-Daawar,Chitteshri,Nisha and Soni and with the Indian express and
BAGA which included our surprise guest Mrs. Verghese( who was supercool about the topic being discussed and actively participated in every activity),Anu,Janhavi and Mahalaxmi with the Maharashtra Herald. Our analysis of the newspapers revealed shockingly subtle suggestive references such as the Corolla ad(touch corolla, feel happy), ads for body contouring services, massage ads to supposed 'news' like Daniel Radcliffes 1st kiss......the fact that these references are so rampant sets your grey cells thinking.....what exactly is fuelling ads such as these? are we creating the demand? are we a nation of covert sexuality?
Add to these questions, if sex and sexuality is all around us why did the Bombay legislative council come up with with a statement saying-" No sex education please! This is Maharashtra.....",not a very good stand when estimates project 53.22% of children in India face severe sexual abuse?????
With this as our food for thought Hans came up with another activity(yes, he is full of learning by expereiencing...... something that had died in all of us a long time back thanks to our lacklustre education system.....). Here we were all given chits with a reference to whether we were male or female or references where it was difficult to decide on. He then proceeded to make us stand in 3 groups:- Mars for the Men , Venus for the Women and Earth for characteristics exhibited by both the sexes and left us with a lingering question.......................where does the trans gender fit in all of these?????
Unfortunately, all good things like the session had to come to an end and you better believe this one,we got homework for the next day.. yeah, you read it right.... homework i.e finding out the meanings of sex and sexuality from different sources. Nothing tedious na????
More tomorrow...............
Of 13 hues and the Majma
13/09/2007
It was the 6th open space pioneer internship programme .The session was our 2nd session on Gender fecilitated by Rakesh. The session commenced a bit late with our “blog-naming ceremony " wherein all of us had to come up with different names for our blogspot . Here came in the drama of the day when there was a heated argument on Abdul Kalam and nuclear weapon testing or energy (not yet clear). After a round of eliminations and from whatever limited choice google gave us, we finally zeroed down at “13 hues”. (not bad considering the fact that there were suggestions like "diaries of horror" “spicy 13” and “salad bowl”.) So our blogspot is now called “13 hues”.
We then had a screening of a documentary called “Majma” by Rahul Roy. Majma , essentially is the story of Aslam who sells medicines for sexual problems on the pavement of Meena Bazaar in Delhi and of Khalifa Barkat, a veteran wrestler who presides over an akhara (traditional training gym) in the adjacent park and puts a group of young men through the moral and physical grind of wrestling. This movie basically seeks to explore the instability and insecurity of working class lives in Old Delhi and how attitudes towards masculinity and male sexuality affect them. The screening was followed by an interactive session where we dicussed a little bit about the documentary. Some of us were shocked whilewhile some felt it was too "in- your- face".Then came up the topic of perspectives.
Dawar told us about this photograph in which the photographer captured a man set aflame
this snap won a prestigious photography competition. Some of us thought it was ridiculous and ‘wrong’ on the part of photographer while Rakesh explained it was not. Basically he told us how we could look at it from different perspectives both positive and negative . and then Renu took over the session for the last 15 minutes wherein we again talked about gender .
It was the 6th open space pioneer internship programme .The session was our 2nd session on Gender fecilitated by Rakesh. The session commenced a bit late with our “blog-naming ceremony " wherein all of us had to come up with different names for our blogspot . Here came in the drama of the day when there was a heated argument on Abdul Kalam and nuclear weapon testing or energy (not yet clear). After a round of eliminations and from whatever limited choice google gave us, we finally zeroed down at “13 hues”. (not bad considering the fact that there were suggestions like "diaries of horror" “spicy 13” and “salad bowl”.) So our blogspot is now called “13 hues”.
We then had a screening of a documentary called “Majma” by Rahul Roy. Majma , essentially is the story of Aslam who sells medicines for sexual problems on the pavement of Meena Bazaar in Delhi and of Khalifa Barkat, a veteran wrestler who presides over an akhara (traditional training gym) in the adjacent park and puts a group of young men through the moral and physical grind of wrestling. This movie basically seeks to explore the instability and insecurity of working class lives in Old Delhi and how attitudes towards masculinity and male sexuality affect them. The screening was followed by an interactive session where we dicussed a little bit about the documentary. Some of us were shocked whilewhile some felt it was too "in- your- face".Then came up the topic of perspectives.
Dawar told us about this photograph in which the photographer captured a man set aflame
this snap won a prestigious photography competition. Some of us thought it was ridiculous and ‘wrong’ on the part of photographer while Rakesh explained it was not. Basically he told us how we could look at it from different perspectives both positive and negative . and then Renu took over the session for the last 15 minutes wherein we again talked about gender .
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Mass Culture
Day 3
A very distinguished guest was amidst us today, Ms. Jeroo Moolah.
Well we started with an audio recording of a Rajasthani folk song... to be honest; it was confusing and sounded strange to our ears.
As the song progressed the singer started singing something, which sounded like a film song… and that’s when we realized that it was the Original Sound Track of the “Nimbooda Nimbooda” Song. She proceeded by telling us about the kind of exploitation done by various Bollywood movie Companies when all they do is create a remixes of old Indian Folk songs!
Next we were given an introduction to terms like “Culture”(on which we had a good deal of knowledge), High Culture, Mass Culture or Popular Culture, and also Folk Culture. It has been seen as a trend in today’s entertainment sector that High Art is rarely showcased on Television and folk art has been swallowed largely by Mass culture which has gained popularity among the masses.
At the end of this talk we were shown some ads from TV, which widely promoted Stereotypical images via mass communication. What struck us remarkably was the kind of images portrayed for women in the ads as they were shown more as objects of fascination than human beings; they are shown as loose in character, blonde brained, made for housework exclusively, easy to attain… the list can go on and on…
We had a good time screening the movie “ Veer Zara” which was loaded with clichés, stereotypes, and obvious suggestions. We were made consciously aware of the usage of sound effects; lighting angles focus on characters, their postures, clothing, and voice modulation techniques to make a clear difference between the Hero & Villain (the Good Guy and the Baddies).
Overall it was an eye-opener to the vast Capital produced from a profit oriented consumer market. An exhausting yet incredibly wonderful session
Sony Varghese
A very distinguished guest was amidst us today, Ms. Jeroo Moolah.
Well we started with an audio recording of a Rajasthani folk song... to be honest; it was confusing and sounded strange to our ears.
As the song progressed the singer started singing something, which sounded like a film song… and that’s when we realized that it was the Original Sound Track of the “Nimbooda Nimbooda” Song. She proceeded by telling us about the kind of exploitation done by various Bollywood movie Companies when all they do is create a remixes of old Indian Folk songs!
Next we were given an introduction to terms like “Culture”(on which we had a good deal of knowledge), High Culture, Mass Culture or Popular Culture, and also Folk Culture. It has been seen as a trend in today’s entertainment sector that High Art is rarely showcased on Television and folk art has been swallowed largely by Mass culture which has gained popularity among the masses.
At the end of this talk we were shown some ads from TV, which widely promoted Stereotypical images via mass communication. What struck us remarkably was the kind of images portrayed for women in the ads as they were shown more as objects of fascination than human beings; they are shown as loose in character, blonde brained, made for housework exclusively, easy to attain… the list can go on and on…
We had a good time screening the movie “ Veer Zara” which was loaded with clichés, stereotypes, and obvious suggestions. We were made consciously aware of the usage of sound effects; lighting angles focus on characters, their postures, clothing, and voice modulation techniques to make a clear difference between the Hero & Villain (the Good Guy and the Baddies).
Overall it was an eye-opener to the vast Capital produced from a profit oriented consumer market. An exhausting yet incredibly wonderful session
Sony Varghese
BLOGISM
Day 4:
The idea of a common 'blog' for the 13hues had been floated around only to receive a half-hearted response. Well, this was only obvious taking into consideration the fact that we were quite alien to this concept. We'd scratched the surfaces of many 'isms', but one eluded us- blogism. But hold on! Have no fear, inhouse techie, Kaustubh is here!! (But hey, don't be too quick to typecast him as a geek, he begs to differ!)
Although some of us already were a little familiar with this blogging business, Kaustubh definitely cleared the air when it came to our never ending list of 'hows', 'whats' and 'whys'. Although the trusty computers surely put us to task when the systems were slow, the session was definitely a relaxed and fun filled one.
The fag end of the three hour session on blogging brought us face to face with the challenge of weilding the weapon of the web. The ten million things we can do to one blog left us quite bemused. So finally we just settled with the straight and narrow. A black template and a simple format.(credits to chiteisri for actually working on the blog while we watched a film)
Well, in the end all's that left to say is that blogging is a learning process. I think its fairly safe to say that we'll figure it out in due time and then maybe it will probably signify what we stand for. So with that being said, keep watching this space!!
Janhavi
The idea of a common 'blog' for the 13hues had been floated around only to receive a half-hearted response. Well, this was only obvious taking into consideration the fact that we were quite alien to this concept. We'd scratched the surfaces of many 'isms', but one eluded us- blogism. But hold on! Have no fear, inhouse techie, Kaustubh is here!! (But hey, don't be too quick to typecast him as a geek, he begs to differ!)
Although some of us already were a little familiar with this blogging business, Kaustubh definitely cleared the air when it came to our never ending list of 'hows', 'whats' and 'whys'. Although the trusty computers surely put us to task when the systems were slow, the session was definitely a relaxed and fun filled one.
The fag end of the three hour session on blogging brought us face to face with the challenge of weilding the weapon of the web. The ten million things we can do to one blog left us quite bemused. So finally we just settled with the straight and narrow. A black template and a simple format.(credits to chiteisri for actually working on the blog while we watched a film)
Well, in the end all's that left to say is that blogging is a learning process. I think its fairly safe to say that we'll figure it out in due time and then maybe it will probably signify what we stand for. So with that being said, keep watching this space!!
Janhavi
Thursday, September 13, 2007
gender
Since childhood education was always indoctrinated but it was impressive to experience how information could be extracted from individuals and reorganized to have a last longing effect. The session started with the brain storming exercise with each individual contributing about his or her idea of gender and how effects an individual and some of the ideas were:
roles in the society
behavior
norms
Choices, perspectives, conditioning.
career options
opportunities available
how people perceive you
position in the family
asset-liability (status from birth)
freedom,movement,security,obligations
duties
upbringing
violence ,laws are subjective
religion
social economic position
power equations
interdependence
identity
socialization
We came to the conclusion that gender means the state of being male or female .in social context it refers to social differences between man and women .these norms are reinforced through social structure, community and social institutions .The term gender is different from the word sex which refers to biological categories of male or female however gender is fluid rather than fixed. We talked about various gender issues in religions and came to the conclusion that religion has two sides theological and philosophical and most of the religious theology takes it for granted that patriarchy by its virtue of power will appropriate other institutions and systems. Most of the discrimination happens in relation to women .
compiled by mirdawar
roles in the society
behavior
norms
Choices, perspectives, conditioning.
career options
opportunities available
how people perceive you
position in the family
asset-liability (status from birth)
freedom,movement,security,obligations
duties
upbringing
violence ,laws are subjective
religion
social economic position
power equations
interdependence
identity
socialization
We came to the conclusion that gender means the state of being male or female .in social context it refers to social differences between man and women .these norms are reinforced through social structure, community and social institutions .The term gender is different from the word sex which refers to biological categories of male or female however gender is fluid rather than fixed. We talked about various gender issues in religions and came to the conclusion that religion has two sides theological and philosophical and most of the religious theology takes it for granted that patriarchy by its virtue of power will appropriate other institutions and systems. Most of the discrimination happens in relation to women .
compiled by mirdawar
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Day 2 : On Culture
Religion, attire, food, color, caste, language, belief systems, customs, traditions etc all add up to one thing : culture. Culture is so deeply ingrained in every one of us that without it we are incomplete. One cannot imagine life without culture. It is so closely linked with ourselves that, to a certain extent, it gives us a sense of identity and belongingness.
However culture is so diverse that each and every aspect of it is capable of creating rifts and conflicts between individuals. This was the central theme of the session on Tuesday.
The session began with a short film called ‘Cosmopolis” by Paromita Vohra. It depicted, in a nutshell, that even a seemingly trivial thing like food can act as a barrier between people with different tastes. The movie was not only informative but humorous as well.
It showed how educated and ‘sophisticated’ people could use being non-vegetarian as the grounds for discrimination and non-inclusion in their community as is did not fit in with their strong beliefs. There were mainly two characters in the film- the goddess of food and the goddess of wealth who were sisters. The fact that they were constantly criticizing and bad mouthing each other sends a strong message across.
Following the movie was a discussion on the same. The film was unanimously enjoyed by all. Quite soon the discussion turned to one of the most pertinent issues facing the world today: religion. There were some heated discussions on the ‘peacefulness’ of religions. It was then agreed to by everyone that all religions preach peace and brotherhood; however, it is the people who cause conflicts in the name of religion. Economic gain is the sole purpose of this violence.
There was an interesting argument on why people seek homogeneity and not heterogeneity. Most felt that a homogeneous group is secure and stable while heterogeneity might not be as comfortable a situation. It was argued that homogeneity curbs creativity and individuality. Heterogeneity gives one a chance to explore the unknown.
Rakesh informed us that multiculturalism began in the UK and initiated words like ‘pluralism’, ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’ into the discussion. Every individual considers the group he or she belongs to as the in-group and people who are not included in the group is the out-group. These terms are subjective to every individual.
An interesting interaction on the present generation being more open to change ensued. This is the result of us being exposed to the constantly changing technology and education that helps us in understanding the working of gizmos and gadgets.
We ended the session with an activity that tested our geography and general knowledge. We were asked to draw out the outline of the map of India with chalk on the floor. Then we had to stand on the approximate place on the map where we were born. Then each one of us had to announce the food, clothing and festivals celebrated special to that place. We were supposed to be the place itself and had to send a message to the rest of the country on behalf of that place. It was interesting to note that the group was so diverse that we had someone coming from Kashmir right down to someone from Kerala. Then we were asked to stand on the place that we are currently studying in and of course all of us landed up in Pune. We again had to state the same things that we were asked to earlier; only this time we were ourselves and not Pune itself. It showed us that although we live in Pune we deviate from the culture and form smaller sub-cultures, which are quite different from the dominant culture of Pune.
The session was the perfect mix of fun and knowledge. It helped us think about the complexity and importance of culture.
- Aditi S
However culture is so diverse that each and every aspect of it is capable of creating rifts and conflicts between individuals. This was the central theme of the session on Tuesday.
The session began with a short film called ‘Cosmopolis” by Paromita Vohra. It depicted, in a nutshell, that even a seemingly trivial thing like food can act as a barrier between people with different tastes. The movie was not only informative but humorous as well.
It showed how educated and ‘sophisticated’ people could use being non-vegetarian as the grounds for discrimination and non-inclusion in their community as is did not fit in with their strong beliefs. There were mainly two characters in the film- the goddess of food and the goddess of wealth who were sisters. The fact that they were constantly criticizing and bad mouthing each other sends a strong message across.
Following the movie was a discussion on the same. The film was unanimously enjoyed by all. Quite soon the discussion turned to one of the most pertinent issues facing the world today: religion. There were some heated discussions on the ‘peacefulness’ of religions. It was then agreed to by everyone that all religions preach peace and brotherhood; however, it is the people who cause conflicts in the name of religion. Economic gain is the sole purpose of this violence.
There was an interesting argument on why people seek homogeneity and not heterogeneity. Most felt that a homogeneous group is secure and stable while heterogeneity might not be as comfortable a situation. It was argued that homogeneity curbs creativity and individuality. Heterogeneity gives one a chance to explore the unknown.
Rakesh informed us that multiculturalism began in the UK and initiated words like ‘pluralism’, ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’ into the discussion. Every individual considers the group he or she belongs to as the in-group and people who are not included in the group is the out-group. These terms are subjective to every individual.
An interesting interaction on the present generation being more open to change ensued. This is the result of us being exposed to the constantly changing technology and education that helps us in understanding the working of gizmos and gadgets.
We ended the session with an activity that tested our geography and general knowledge. We were asked to draw out the outline of the map of India with chalk on the floor. Then we had to stand on the approximate place on the map where we were born. Then each one of us had to announce the food, clothing and festivals celebrated special to that place. We were supposed to be the place itself and had to send a message to the rest of the country on behalf of that place. It was interesting to note that the group was so diverse that we had someone coming from Kashmir right down to someone from Kerala. Then we were asked to stand on the place that we are currently studying in and of course all of us landed up in Pune. We again had to state the same things that we were asked to earlier; only this time we were ourselves and not Pune itself. It showed us that although we live in Pune we deviate from the culture and form smaller sub-cultures, which are quite different from the dominant culture of Pune.
The session was the perfect mix of fun and knowledge. It helped us think about the complexity and importance of culture.
- Aditi S
THE BEGINNING
We came, we saw, but we didn't conquer! Instead we talked, interacted, discussed, deliberated and even planned ahead. "We" are the thirteen- odd bunch of youngsters who have 'come' into Open Space's maiden internship programme. We soon 'saw' that this is far from the conventional internships one would expect for budding lawyers, psychologists, journalists, architects etc. yet – it does somehow cater to not just our varied interests, but also to our career plans!
Little cliques were formed almost instantly, which was precisely what our coordinator Rakesh Ganguli did not want, so he got us to do an 'ice-breaker' session. We all had to pair up with someone we did not know and were given ten minutes to find out about each other. Then, with only our memory retaining skills to aid us, we had to introduce each other. Whereas it was easy for the group to differentiate between the first pair i.e. Rakesh and Mahalakshmi, we decided that for all the other almost 'all-girl' groups, things would get quite mixed up if we literally 'stepped into the other's shoes'. So followed the other introductions which all began with "My friend's name is …" with hilarious little anecdotes and at times, successful attempts at prompting!
We discovered that each person had to something unique to offer, be it in Music (quite a few guitar players!) dance, public speaking, experiences etc.
The next exercise was that of 'The World Café'. What could possibly unite a bunch of youngsters from Kashmir to Kerala, Gujarat to Manipur with interests ranging from football to Human Rights? What motivated all of us to join this internship? To find out we were divided into groups of four or five which were delegated to discuss it. One person in the end was to summarize the group's and each individual's cause. 'Gender Rights' 'Environment' 'Human Rights' 'Open mind' 'learning experience'- were some of the phrases that were frequently heard.
A discussion and a reading of our tentative schedule followed this. Apart from our 3x3x3 schedule (3 hours a day for 3 days a week for 3 months!) our sessions had to be planned bearing in mind our exams (esp. for Mahalakshmi) our holidays (for every person who loves a break!) and organizing the various resource persons (For Rakesh).
Lastly, our project topics were told to us. We are to be again divided into 3(!) groups where each shall select any of the following topics:
i) Document the lives and livelihoods of the informal sector
ii) Document the lives of prominent individuals who have made a difference to Pune, and
iii) Bring out a tabloid centered on cultural diversity in India’s, esp. Pune's youth looking into consumption patterns, norms and pop culture, languages etc.
So, here we are – set out to explore (not conquer!) the many complexities of Art, film, drama, Gender issues, cultural diversity, Mother Nature, the disadvantaged sections on our society, Human Rights, Information, Youth, Development or to put it more simply …Life in itself!
By – Chiteisri Devi
Little cliques were formed almost instantly, which was precisely what our coordinator Rakesh Ganguli did not want, so he got us to do an 'ice-breaker' session. We all had to pair up with someone we did not know and were given ten minutes to find out about each other. Then, with only our memory retaining skills to aid us, we had to introduce each other. Whereas it was easy for the group to differentiate between the first pair i.e. Rakesh and Mahalakshmi, we decided that for all the other almost 'all-girl' groups, things would get quite mixed up if we literally 'stepped into the other's shoes'. So followed the other introductions which all began with "My friend's name is …" with hilarious little anecdotes and at times, successful attempts at prompting!
We discovered that each person had to something unique to offer, be it in Music (quite a few guitar players!) dance, public speaking, experiences etc.
The next exercise was that of 'The World Café'. What could possibly unite a bunch of youngsters from Kashmir to Kerala, Gujarat to Manipur with interests ranging from football to Human Rights? What motivated all of us to join this internship? To find out we were divided into groups of four or five which were delegated to discuss it. One person in the end was to summarize the group's and each individual's cause. 'Gender Rights' 'Environment' 'Human Rights' 'Open mind' 'learning experience'- were some of the phrases that were frequently heard.
A discussion and a reading of our tentative schedule followed this. Apart from our 3x3x3 schedule (3 hours a day for 3 days a week for 3 months!) our sessions had to be planned bearing in mind our exams (esp. for Mahalakshmi) our holidays (for every person who loves a break!) and organizing the various resource persons (For Rakesh).
Lastly, our project topics were told to us. We are to be again divided into 3(!) groups where each shall select any of the following topics:
i) Document the lives and livelihoods of the informal sector
ii) Document the lives of prominent individuals who have made a difference to Pune, and
iii) Bring out a tabloid centered on cultural diversity in India’s, esp. Pune's youth looking into consumption patterns, norms and pop culture, languages etc.
So, here we are – set out to explore (not conquer!) the many complexities of Art, film, drama, Gender issues, cultural diversity, Mother Nature, the disadvantaged sections on our society, Human Rights, Information, Youth, Development or to put it more simply …Life in itself!
By – Chiteisri Devi
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