Does Only A "Nirbhaya" Deserve Justice?

Nirbhaya's case has been fast tracked... the "juvenile" among the culprits has been let away with a mild sentence. The fury raged again, but died down soon. I guess, we all knew this was to happen. 

The fury has also died down over the Mumbai gang rape. All the men have been held, and judicious process begins. 

Meanwhile, yesterday's newspaper reports death of a rape victim, who tried committing suicide after the attack and finally succumbed. No, she wasn't a fighter! She lived in a small town in UP, she gave up all hope and was undoubtedly burdened by "guilt"--nothing remarkable about her--she's definitely no "Nirbhaya"! 

And so her story doesn't deserve more than three sentences tucked somewhere deep inside the newspaper, nor is anybody going to shout for justice for her. The online news has some details. It even makes a mention that "This is the third ghastly incident of crime against women in the past 72 hours."

You can easily note the difference in the tone of reporting: The Nirbhaya and Mumbai gang rape reports shouted their lungs out, blaming whomever they could blame, trying to creating that "impact" which they could proudly claim later. This, on the other hand, is as simple a news report as it can get--stating bare facts obtained on the regular crime beat. 

And you thought India has really woken up to rapes and such crimes against its women?

Mumbai Gang Rape and Our Selective Awakening

Last Friday, we in India woke up to another horror.

A young female photojournalist, who was out on an assignment to take pictures of one of the once-lively-but-now-dead-and-deserted textile mill complexes in Mumbai, was raped by a group of five men; her male colleague was bound and left helpless just a few feet away! It was a ghastly crime, one that reminded us all of an equally brutal crime that had happened in New Delhi not many months ago.

Just like "last time," Indian media has a "story" again! A gang rape--that too of a young woman from the journalism fraternity! It's definitely time to shout their lungs out, spill anger through their pens, and demand "strict punishment (read "death penalty)."

Just like, "last time" Women young and not-so-young are outraged. They are scared once again ("tomorrow, it can be me!"), but they don't like this feeling of being scared... and they are furious. They are out on the streets in protest--some with their mouths covered with black bands, others shouting slogans--demanding safety for women and justice for the victim (or should we call her the survivor?).

Yes, we in Mumbai are all shaken by this horrific incident, and it seems that everyone is woken up to the crimes committed against women.

But is it really so? What we choose to not see is that between the Delhi gang rape and the Mumbai gang rape, there have been many more rapes and there have been many even before "last time." Pick up any of our daily newspapers any day, and somewhere on the inner pages, tucked inside those tiny "crime" columns, you can find news of rape--coming from small towns and villages and slums of big cities. But no one comes out in solidarity of these victims (survivors?), no one seeks justice, no one feels the anger, no one wants the perpetrators to be hanged. We don't see such agitation in media or the public.

In a shocking development lately, the main accused of the Mumbai gang rape case has confessed of having raped four other women at the same place... only those were the poorest of the poor--rag-pickers--of whom no one takes any notice.

These are the most vulnerable group of women... no one bothers about them, and definitely not the police! They don't have the courage to walk up to a police station and file a complaint because chances are high that they will be abused even by the police.

The truth, though hard to face, is that even the citizen of Mumbai, who are all out in solidarity with the young photo-journalist--shouting slogans, asking the accused to be hanged, venting their anger--won't bat an eyelid for these other victims.

It is this selective awakening that makes me hang my head in shame. It is this bitter truth that stops me from joining the uproar, going out shouting slogans, lighting candles. It leaves me wondering... will we, as a nation, ever really care about our women--without first looking at their social and financial backgrounds?  

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Cameroonian activist Regina Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo defines herself as “a writer, social networker, digital storyteller, gender professional, and citizen journalist.”
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World Water Day 2012

I just realized what day it is today! It's World Water Day! A day dedicated to one of the most precious things in the world--water!

It's a day to remind us that we are lucky to have that running all the day--there are millions around the world who live their lives by the bucket... literally. They walk miles to fetch that pail of water. Many others stand in long queues every morning and fight for that bucket of water before the tap runs dry for the day. And what do they get after all this toil?

"The pond water I was forced to get water from was very dirty and had a bad smell. Due to my distant walks to collect water, sometimes I was late to work. My daughters and I would also suffer from diarrhea, jaundice, dysentery and skin diseases because of the dirty pond water. We are able to get safe water much more quickly and we don't have waterborne diseases anymore!" So says Banu, a Bangladeshi mother of two daughters. (Read more of this story here.)

So do count it as a blessing that you have enough clean water to keep that tap running while brushing your teeth or to take a nice long shower. You are definitely the lucky one!

Violence Against Women - What Would You Do?

When it comes to violence against women and people's reaction to situations we have seen that in most cases people are silent witnesses.
That's why we need campaigns like Bell Bajao (=Ring the Doorbell) which encourages people to get and do something when they witness domestic violence in their neighbourhood.
But what about the situations when it's not happening behind closed door? What would you do if you see a woman being manhandled in a public place?
Here's a very powerful video that I recently watched.

16 Days of Activism - Day 1

It's 25th November! The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign has begun and a lot is happening in websphere!

Here are somethings that I have done today:

Signed a petition asking the European Nations to sit up and take note of FGM... here.

Read a wonderful news here about a female condom with razor-sharp teeth! Read more about this amazing weapon against rape.

These should be made available worldwide... and soon... and should be distributed free to women in low-income or no-income pockets.

And of course, following the blog posts by Bell Bajao and Prajnya

BTW, if you are still wondering what this '16 Days' is all about, you can read all about the campaign and its origin here and more about it here.

Would love to hear what you have done today :)

Diwali Greeting Cards And The Days Gone By

Today I suddenly remembered the days when we used to send paper Diwali Greeting Cards to everyone. It suddenly seems like those were distant ages! And it wasn't more than, maybe, ten years ago!

It was a whole process, sending those cards to send all your near & dear (and far & not-so-dear) ones "Season's Greetings" and "Wishes For a Happy And Prosperous Diwali", or simply "Shubh Deepavali"!

It began with a trip to the book shop, which was a simple process. But it would suddenly grow complicated when we would be standing in front of that aisle of table showcasing all those Diwali cards from - BNHS, WWF (NOPE, NOT the wrestling thing) Help Age, CRY any many other such organization. I usually ended up buying 2-3 of each!

Then came the most painful part of it all. Writing messages on all the cards, writing addresses on the envelops, making sure that each card goes in the write envelop and then sticking the stamps on them all. Remember, cards were sent to many people - parents and brother topped the chart of course, then all the aunts, uncles, cousins, school friends, college friends, pen friends and then some important ex-colleagues. By the time this whole process was over, the enthusiasm would have waned considerably.

We thanked the internet when it came and we could send e-cards... at least to some people from that huge list. Then life caught us over, the list began thinning. Telephone calls became cheap, mobile phones came and those paper greeting cards disappeared from our lives.


And today, suddenly, they appeared in my memories... out of nowhere. And then curiosity took over, so I did some googling and found the I can buy my paper Diwali greeting cards online, at least I found two of my favourite organisations selling them online - BNHS and CRY. Sadly I couldn't fine WWF India's online store. It would be great if some one could locate it for me. Also, if you know of any organisations that sell Diwali greeting cards online, please add the link.

Meanwhile, here are some great Diwali reads that you can check out.

Arab-Israel Peace - There is Hope

Do a Google search for Jayyous and you will find all about this Palestinian village. It's one of those villages which is now divided by a wall built by the Israeli government.

While Israel calls this a 'security wall', the International Court of Justice has declared it illegal years ago. 

Google will also tell you how the people of Jayyous are suffering, how the land is suffering. 

According to the website of Jayyous Charity Society 83k olive trees were chopped down apart from thousands of others to make way for this gigantic wall.  



The farmers of this Palestinian village have limited resources now. Very few people can visit the village, that too, during certain hour and on permit. 


Amidst all this darkness, however, there is a glimmer of hope... a glimmer of peace. There are many dedicated groups of Israelis who are working towards. They are gladly extending helping hands to their Palestinian counterparts.

Irit, one of the lovely ladies I met at my virtual office of WFAC, is one such Israeli. She has been involved in all things peace. And she has also been to Jayyous, to help the olive farmers of this village during harvest season. And she was not alone; there were 80 of them, who visited the village. 

Irit says, the farmer whom she helped, told her,"you are the handkerchief for our tears."No compliment can be more fulfilling.

And to read more about  Arab-Israel peace check out this link.

Bibi Ayesha Gets A New Nose

Remember Bibi Ayesha, the young Afghan woman whose nose was cut by the Taliban? She got her nose back, and is looking as beautiful as ever!

It was the TIME magazine that brought world's attention towards Ayesha and now, after being flow into the USA, getting a prosthetic nose and being honoured with Enduring Heart Award, Ayesha is all set to live a new life.


I just hope she is not lost after all the excitement dies.

Meanwhile you can read her story here and watch the video too.

And if you want to know about the power of TIME magazine, check this out!

Mutilated Afghan Woman - Bibi Ayesha

As I struggle to cope with my new environments... here's some one who tells me to be strong -



Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws. Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan, many of whom have flourished in the past few years.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007269,00.html#ixzz0wGrtgxOw

Domestic Violence and Safe World For Women

It was almost a year back when we at WFAC, started our journey with A Safe World for Women - a campaign aimed towards making the UN and the nations across the world sit up and realize that NOW is the time to take their women seriously... NOW is the time to show responsibility towards women and children and NOW is the time for the world to come together and demand strong action, not just empty words.

The reason we felt the time was NOW is that the year 2011 is fast approaching... it's the year that marks completion of 100 years of ’s movement. The very first International Women's Day was celebrated 100 years ago.

The time is now almost on us. And looking back, I am proud of our wonderful team, which has done so much of work in such a short time. Though most of the time they have been busy with the campaign to free the Three Hikers - Sarah Shourd (who is, finally free), Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal - they have still managed to do a whole lot more. Considering that it's a tiny team of four!

Domestic Violence is something that the whose team is greatly passionate about (among many other things). So research has been going on and a lot of info is now available on the website. What is startling is that DV is not just prevalent in under-developed, poor countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, but even in the so-called 'developed world'.

You can read it all at SWW's page on Domestic Violence. Meanwhile, take a look at this video too...

Davos: Charitable enterprises can learn from business - Times Online

Davos: Charitable enterprises can learn from business - Times Online

I came to know Julia after my association with Women For A Change Foundation. And then I was introduced to the horror called FGM (Female Genital Mutation). Julia is passionately working towards creating awareness about FGM. She is in Davos right now, at the World Economic Forum, after winning the YouTube Davos Debates video contest.

I love her gutsy ways... see how she managed to make Bill Clinton promise a follow up on her request to introduce her to the Clinton Foundation :)

justice for ruchika - Gender-neutral law...

justice for ruchika - Gender-neutral law...

Continuing with its measures to make the country's legal system women-friendly, the government is set to amend the "gender- biased" laws.

It wants to send out an effective message after the Ruchik...read more...

I'm back

With that promise to be back I disappeared!

The Worldwide Moment, apparently, was quite successful. 1,283 Photos were submitted from 62 countries. There were some really beautiful images and some that I found plain silly. You can view them all here.

As for me, I couldn't get a camera. The Moment guys wrote me that they were trying some camera companies to donate some low-end cameras but guess that didn't happen.

Meanwhile life has taken up such a lovely course. I'm completely immersed in my work with Women For A Change. We planned a Worldwide Tree Planting event in support of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. Sadly not many people came forward to join this event, but it was a good beginning :)

And then we were so caught up with planning our event in support of the 16 Days of Activism. We planned, and we changed plans and as usual everyone came together with a huge vision.

So now we are running a global campaign - A Safe World For Women which will go beyond the 16 days, in fact, it will culminate on the centenary of International Women's Day.

More on it very soon.

Yes, this time it will be soon :)

Worldwide Moment - Simultaneous Photo Shoot for Peace

This is called irony! My camera (nothing fancy; just your very regular Nicon Coolpix) has conked off and here I am, finding one photography event after another. Time to buy a real good camera? But where is the money, honey!

Anyways, here is something I would love to be a part of. So many people clicking for a single aim, at a single moment, across the world!

On 9th September, at 09:09 (+9 GMT) people will be taking photographs for world peace and international collaboration. As I write this post the website announces participation of 850 people from 67 countries. There are still fifteen days left for the event and I'm sure numbers are going to shoot up as the word spreads.

In India, the 'Moment' will be on 9th September at 5:49 AM; a little tricky time for a sleep loving soul like me. But you know what; they are offering to give you a camera if you don't have one but want to be a part of the moment! I'm going to give it a try NOW. Will keep you all posted.

Meanwhile, here are the details.

The Legatum Center at MIT Announces Its 2nd Annual Photo Contest

Another photo contest opportunity – The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT invites amateur and professional photographers from around the world to enter its second Annual Photo Contest.

This year’s theme is Women's Entrepreneurship: Empowerment through Innovation. The contest is open to all photographers globally, and in addition aims to spotlight photographers from India, Kenya, and Mexico.

Four winners will receive $500 each, be announced at the Legatum Center’s Annual Conference in October, and have their photos featured on the Center’s website.

The deadline for submissions is September 13, 2009, 5 pm EST. Please check out the photo contest website, http://decompetition.mit.edu, for more details, or go to http://legatum.mit.edu to learn more about the Center.

Here are last year's winning image:

For All You Photographers - UNESCO Photo Contest 2009: Promoting Gender Equality in Education

I was just doing some 'roaming around' the web world and found that deadline is fast approaching for UNESCO's photo competition. Here are the details:

Through 31 July 2009
Host / Sponsor: UNESCO Bangkok and UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Bangkok along with the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) and South Asia (SA) is holding a photo competition as part of an initiative to promote gender equality in education

Competition Details

Theme: Reversing Realities: Seeking Gender Equality in Education

Awards: 13 contest winners will receive official certificates of merit. The winning photographs will also be featured in the UNESCO Bangkok and UNGEI (EAP and SA) “Gender in Education Calendar 2010”, which is to be distributed widely throughout Asia and beyond. The winning photographs will be posted on the organizers’ respective websites.

Submission Deadline: 31 July, 2009

More Details here.

Kingfisher Airlines Pilots - How Loyal?

Read this news in today's Mumbai Mirror, according to which "Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines has the dubious distinction of having the maximum cases of pilots found under the influence of alcohol before take-off." Hope they were, at least loyal, to their big boss - Vijay Mallya and his Kingfisher beer!

And hope they are not like this pilot:

Quote of the Day

An inspiring quote always makes the day, but then there are some quotes that completely stump you with their stupidity. Like this one from the 'renowned' Bollywood 'actor', Shakti Kapoor.

While everyone is opening up to live-in relations and everyone is giving their own reasons on this 'sensitive' (at least in India) issue of marriage Vs. live-in, in comes the great Shakti Kapoor with his pearls of wisdom, "I don’t believe in arranged marriages. It’s like a dish. You have to try it first. You are expected to taste wine from a bottle in a restaurant. If you like it, it is fine, but they change it if you don’t like it."

And then, to clarify his stand and to prove that he is all 'serious', he adds, "I'm not telling you to taste each other, I’m saying you need to get to know each other."!!!!

Watch it to believe it!