Irom Sharmila - Redefining Peace

[Praveer Peter JHARKHAND India]

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Standing in Defence of Human Rights - Support to Irom Sharmila

During the fortnight to end gender based violence various events took place in Ranchi in support of Irom Sharmila's struggle against Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur.

 

  

 

 

Some of the events were 

• Screening of Sharmila - The Iron Lady in Student Christian Movement's workshop on Human Rights organised in Don Bosco on 29th Nov 2009.
• Screening of Kavita Joshi's Tales from the Margins amongst the Education students of St Xavier's College on 4th Dec 2009.
• Signature Campaign amongst students of rural management in XISS Ranchi during the Quiz-Elocution organised on the issue of violence against women on 5th Dec 2009.
• Film Screenings on Human Rights Day in HPDC Bahu Bazar during the Women's Rights Convention organised by Mahila Hinsa Pratirodh Pakhwara Aayojan Samiti (Speakers - Prof Rose Kerketta and Malancha Ghosh) and in International Library organised by the Ranchi Film Club (Speakers - Stan Lourdswamy and Dayamani Barla) on 10th Dec 2009.

Fragrance of Peace - Irom Sharmila

When life comes to its end
You, please transport, My lifeless body
Place it on the soil of Father Koubru
To reduce my dead body, To cinders amidst the flames
Chopping it with axe and spade, Fills my mind with revulsion
The outer cover is sure to dry out, Let it rot under the ground
Let it be of some use to future generations
Let it transform into ore in the mine
I'll spread the fragrance of peace
From Kanglei, my birthplace, In the ages to come
It will spread all over the world.

How many more rapes, how many more killings, how much more suffering would it take? And more importantly, how much more patience are the people of the northeast expected to have? “I must be patient”, says Irom Sharmila , “For the time being, I must endure.” Already in her tenth year of fast, she displays the endurance and patience of a true yogi. In her poems she writes in an almost mystical vein of a “place with no birth and death"; a “place where truth is lucid and pure.”Engaging an immoral State in moral battle, Irom Sharmila has today become a symbol of hope not only for the people of Manipur but for people everywhere suffering State tyranny.

(Please go to www.manipurfreedom.org to know more about the movement against AFSPA)

Posted by Praveer Peter at 11:57 PM 0 Response Links to this Post

Labels: 'redefining peace', film screening, gender, human rights, irom sharmila, VAW, XISS

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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Redefining Peace - Young Women and Men Countering VAW / GBV

The 16 Days Fortnight event at Xavier's institute of Social Sciences (XISS) on 5th Dec 2009 comprised of Film Screening, Quiz and Elocution.

KP Sasi's Redefining Peace a documentary was screened on Indian women leaders who were nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 2005- Medha Patkar, Teesta Seetalwad, CK Janu, Irom Sharmila etc

The inaugural Address was given by Shravani and Dr Rose Kerketta, who have been part of the women's movement in Jharkhand and bring out a women magazine 'Adhi Duniya'.
Quiz Contest on Women and Violence Issues. There were five teams - Peace, Justice, Freedom, Equality, and Development. The Peace team comprising of Aastha Singh and Abhishek Chakravorty won.

Elocution Contest on the issue of 'My Perspective and Strategy for Countering Violence against Women' had 12 speakers, belonging to different streams of the Institute like rural management, marketing, personnel management and information management. The winners were Soumya Rani Gouda (first), Soumyojjwal Dutta (second), Reeti, Isha and Anupam.


The guests who also judged during the competitions were Dr Usha (Psychologist), Dr Kiran (Sambhava Women magazine) and Sarjeet Singh.The program was organised under the banner of Mahila Hinsa Pratirodh Pakhwara Aayojan Samiti which is collective of many women organisation and networks (GLRF, NAWO, Mahila Garima Abhiyan, etc)

Dr Kiran said it is very much wrong to say that domestic violence is promoted by women, as it is the patriarchal attitudes in which the society has been cultured. We need to hit at patriarchy, which might be present in women too, not solely a men issue.
Students expressed various opinions ...

• It is time for men and women to act beyond just talking about it. Boman Irani's (Bell Bajao) video spot which showed how people in one neighbourhood knock the door of someone engaging in domestic violence, need to be implemented.
• Men have looked at women just with eyes (concentrating on her beauty aspect) but now they have to use brains to look at women's other mental qualities too, which has been shown by Kiran Bedi and Arundhati Roy.
• Women should have the freedom to choose what they want to do as an individual, she should get dignity as a human being.
• There should be a policy of 'zero tolerance'. At least we students should feel it from our hearts and hope this effort kindles a new ray of hope amongst women.
• To counter violence against women, men need to be sensitised. Young men need to stand for women's human rights. 
• The film has helped asserted and help us realise that women issues are beyond 'reproduction', to contribution in production and efforts to create peace.
  

The Quiz involved questions related to Syeda Hameed, Smita Patil, Mother Teresa, Sarojini Naidu, Meerabai, Roop Kanwar (Sati), film Provoked (on Kiranjeet Ahluwalia case in England), Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen), Arundhati Roy, Aruna Roy, Pandita Ramabai, Simone De Beauvoir, Deepa Mehta film Water (on widows), Mahasweta Devi, Kalpana Lajmi's Rudaali, Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma), PCPNDT Act, Vishakha Sexual Harassment Guidelines, Tasleema Nasreen's book Lajja, Jharkhand Archer Dola Banerjee, etc

The event was coordinated by Elina Horo, Vandana Tete, Sweta Kujur, Praveer Peter, Anima Baa, Shravani and Prabha Lakra. INTREND, the XISS club of students with Anupam, Anupriya, Rajat, Tuhin and Khushboo expressed that they would like to have more of such student activities and be in touch through blogs www.lifeatxiss.blogspot.com and www.openspace-ranchi.blogspot.com.

Posted by Praveer Peter at 12:12 PM 0 Response Links to this Post

Labels: 'Bell Bajao', 'redefining peace', domestic violence, film screening, gender, GLRF, human rights, irom sharmila, XISS

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Praveer Peter
Solidarity Centre
c/o Sajjad Khan, 331 Sarna Toli, Kadru, Ranchi 834002.
Jharkhand (India)
Phones : +91-651-2341780, 09430367949
Email : solidarity.c...@gmail.com