Over and Out!

The last day of the year, the last post for the campaign. It is exactly three weeks since the 2009 campaign ended. Despite my best intentions to "take a break", this post, a roundup of sorts, has been constantly at the back of my mind, hovering over all my holiday plans and 2010 plans!

So how did the 2009 Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence go?

Honestly, rather well, even if I say so myself!

And here's why I think so -

1. We were reasonably successful at putting together a visible campaign, one that used public spaces appropriately, and one that genuinely tried to involve as many different groups of people as possible.
2. The majority of our programmes yielded substantive discussions, from which we're now hatching many new schemes!
3. We got several random emails, letters, smses, calls from people for whom this issue, gender violence, has real resonance.
4. Equally, we really believe there are many more people who didn't pick up the phone to call us or sit down to email us, but who read our factboxes, or saved helpline numbers.
5. Now that the campaign is over, we (and I speak for the Prajnya team) don't really feel like we're done! Lots of things to do, ideas to follow up on, people to meet. And really, thats the best takeaway we could ask for from any advocacy effort.

Personally, its been a wonderful, exciting, challenging, if occasionally nerve-wracking few months. The best thing really about the entire process has been meeting so many different, new people, many strangers who have or will become friends! Living in a city like Chennai, we tend to become complacent, and believe we already know who is interested in a given issue. It was great to discover how wrong I was!

I did have a long list of thank yous but since Swarna has beaten me to it, I won't do a repeat.

Except to say -

1. A big big thank you to the entire Prajnya team for being there - it was superb to work with such a committed team of volunteers, to know that at any point, I could pick up the phone and call at least three people and ask for help!
2. A equally big thank you to all our partners, donors and supporters. We really want and believe that this campaign should be, and is, a genuinely collective effort (not to just pander to the cliche), thanks to all of you.
3. Shyamala Rajagopalan: we couldn't have done this without you! You didn't just tolerate our incessant comings and goings (and mine, in particular!), you always always made us feel welcome! Years from now, when I look back at the campaign year, I suspect that tea and biscuits will be a recurring memory:) THANK YOU!
4. Finally, Swarna Rajagopalan. She left herself out of the campaign-makers list, but really, it's incomplete without her. Personally, I think I've been very fortunate to work with someone who is able to strike the perfect balance between always being there to advice, help, guide or admonish you, and giving you the space and freedom to find your own way and make your own mistakes. I also want to say, I'm awed by the depths of her knowledge, her ability to translate this knowledge into something useful and her endless commitment. Thank you, Swarna!

Finally, finally, to everyone who's been following Campaign Chronicle - thank you, Happy New Year and come back here in September 2010!

We'll be back then - and that is both a threat and a promise!

2009 Campaign PR (10/12):Public Lecture by Jaya Arunachalam

Chennai, December 10: “ Rape is the worst form of violence against women,” expressed renowned social activist and women’s rights crusader, Padmashri Dr.Jaya Arunachalam at a public lecture titled, “ Empowerment, Equity and Freedom from violence”, held here on Thursday. “Rape leaves the victim scarred, and they often don’t approach legal systems for support and action as the onus is often on her for proof,” she added.

“The media inculcates wrong values with respect to gender violence,” the Jamnalal Bajaj Awardee further added. The media is not gender sensitive, and depicts women as objects of lust while portraying violence against women, thereby increasing chances of gender violence, she opined.

Dr.Jaya said that violence against women acts as permanent road blocks in the socio-economic progress of women. “There is no exaggeration in the number of incidents of violence against women reported. They are indeed increasing and becoming more gruesome. Such violence threatens the basic rights of women,” she emphasized. Gender violence manifests itself in many ways, through the dowry system, devadasi system, and through trafficking of women, she said reinforcing that it has an averse effect in economic empowerment.

Organized by Prajnya, a Chennai-based non profit centre, the lecture brought an end to 16 days of campaigning against gender violence, that began on 25^th of November. This is the second year in a row that the campaign has been held. “This year the campaign has been held in multiple formats such as workshops, symposiums and concerts, in order to appeal to different groups of people,” said Anupama Srinivasan, Campaign Coordinator, “We hope that the campaign will trigger longer conversations on gender-based violence,” she added.

2009 Campaign PR (7/12 & 8/12):Gender Sensitisation & Workplace Sexual Harassment: A Training of Trainers

Chennai: It is often an issue that is constantly pushed under the carpet in sleek glass and steel buildings. But studies that have been conducted show that Workplace Sexual Harassment is a gnawing problem in today’s corporate world. As part of their 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence, Prajnya, a Chennai-based centre for research, networking and public education, in partnership with Avtar I-Win, conducted a 2-day workshop on Gender Sensitization and Workplace Sexual Harassment, here on Monday and Tuesday.

Facilitated by Usha BN and Indhu Subramaniam from Bangalore-based Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, the workshop threw light on various facets of gender, sexuality and harassment, while elaborating on the difference between sex and social constructs, myths on sexual harassment and boundaries of sexual expression. Role play exercises, focus group discussions, presentations and visual aids were some of the elements used to steer the workshop on the first day. “There is a huge responsibility on employers, to help minimise gender bias in the workplace,” said Indhu. One needs to understand sexuality, power and gender before orienting themselves on sexual harassment laws, she added.

The second day of the workshop called for enhanced participation from the delegates, as they were required to present solutions to case studies and brainstorm on the legal aspects of sexual harassment in work places. “Cases of sexual harassment are complex as there are caste and class variables attached to them, which makes dealing with them difficult,” said Usha. “There is a need to recognize situations where sexual harassment may potential arise,” she explained.

The vibrant and participative audience, included human resources professionals, team managers and social workers. “We must not stop discussing this issue after this workshop. We will advocate for more follow-up sessions and guidance to set up Sexual Harassment Complaints’ Committee in our own offices,” expressed a participant.

2009 Campaign PR ( 6/12):Maaruvom, Maatruvom:Serndhu Sidhika oru sandarpam

Chennai, December 6: Prajnya, a Chennai-based centre for research, networking and public education, organised a public forum ‘Maaruvom, Maatruvom’ as part of their 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence here on Sunday.

The forum, conceptualised in partnership with Kalki, was moderated by poet and political activist Thamizhachi Thangapandian. Speakers discussed a range of issues including marital equations leading to household violence, the need to educate and sensitise children from a young age, traditional gender roles and the adverse effects of substance abuse on a marriage.

“Students should be given legal literacy,” said Prof. Bharathi, Asst. Prof. of History at Pachayappa's College. Advocate Sumathi highlighted the difficulties that emotional violence imposed on women. “A woman does not find a refuge even in her maternal home,” she pointed out. In a patriarchal setup, violence is accepted as part of the marriage.

The forum also discussed the role of media in portraying women and gender violence. “Women are not women's enemies; society indoctrinates us to think so,” said poet and activist Thilakabama. R. Natraj IPS insisted on the need to understand domestic violence from a judicial perspective. Filmmaker Vasanth, who recently made ‘Satham Podhadey’ on domestic violence, spoke about underlying attitudes of violence being indicative of masculinity and expressed the need for gender violence to be made a matter of shame.

Seetha Ravi, Editor of Kalki, who was also present, said gender violence was as important a problem as poverty or illiteracy. The forum discussed practical solutions to gender violence on individual, familial and societal levels. “We must also think beyond the domestic situation to others. Women's rights extend beyond mainstream domestic situations and domestic violence,” said Thamizhachi.

Other speakers included script writer Bhaskar Shakthi, psychiatrist Dr. Rudhran, Bharathi Chandramouli, and student Rizwana Bhanu.

2009 Campaign PR (4/12):Mental Health & Gender Violence: A symposium

Chennai: “Violence against Women has profound implications on mental health which are often ignored, it is a pervasive social malady with severe public health implications,” said Dr.Shantha Kamath, a psychiatrist at a Symposium on Mental Health and Gender Violence held at the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), here on Friday.

Organised jointly by SCARF and Prajnya, a Chennai-based centre for research and networking and public education, the symposium reinforced the correlation between gender violence and mental illness through multiple presentations by psychiatrists, researchers and other experts in mental health care and rehabilitation.

In a study conducted, 64% of mentally ill women were found to have been victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives. “Prolonged exposure to violence of any sort causes physiological damage to the brain, resulting in physical, emotional, psychological and behavioural problems in children” said Dr. V. Jayanthini.

There was also a strong linkage found between alcohol and other forms of substance abuse and violence against women. “Under the influence of alcohol, the actions of a husband are often excused by his wife. In fact, domestic violence in many parts of the country is not considered a crime but a part and parcel of marital life,” said Dr. Anita Rao, Director of Medical Services, TTK Hospital, who spoke on gender violence and substance abuse.

Dr. Shuba Kumar, Founder of SAMARTH, and a Social Science researcher, highlighted distinct patterns in domestic violence, from a study conducted across the length and breadth of the country. “The prevalence of mental abuse due to domestic violence is found more in cases when a woman’s job and income is higher than those of her husband’s,” she pointed out.

Chaitali Shetty of the Banyan also spoke of the distinctive rehabilitation patterns among rural and urban women, and expressed that rural women found more acceptance in their households after recovering from their illnesses. “The most common mental illnesses among victims of domestic violence are depression and suicidal tendencies,” she observed.

The symposium was chaired by Dr. Nalini Rao from the Madras School of Social Work, and was organised as part of the Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence.

2009 Campaign PR (2/12 & 3/12):Exploring Gender Violence through theatre

For some 20 odd girls from Queen Mary’s College, Wednesday and Thursday have been about rediscovering their bodies, differentiating male gaze and societal gaze from what they really want, and in general dabbling in theatre with facilitators Mangai, Sumathi and Srijith from the Marappachi Trust.

“The workshop was largely about tapping collective experience, and providing a space for perceptions on body,” said Mangai. Exercises included role plays, body warm-ups, and even mock fashion shows. It was learning by doing, as the girls themselves realised after some exercises that it was largely patriarchal laws that governed many rules about the female body.

Even puppetry, recitation, story telling and monologues were used to get some key points across on issues like dowry and skin colour. The workshop culmininated on Thursday evening, as the girls split into groups and presented three sketches on various facets of violence against women, including female infanticide and forced marriage. That, “Women’s rights is Human rights” was the take home message at the end of the workshop.

The two-day workshop was part of the 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence organised by Prajnya, a Chennai-based centre for public education, networking and research. “This year, many of our programmes revolve around popular art forms like theatre, poetry and music,” said Anupama Srinivasan, Campaign Coordinator, Prajnya.

2009 Campaign PR (30/11):Rebuilding lives, Supporting Survival

Chennai: “Domestic Violence is the most common form of gender violence,” said a participant at “Rebuilding Lives, Supporting Survival: A Roundtable for Service Providers”, held at the Madras Terrace House here on Monday. The roundtable was organised to bring together service providers who work with victims and survivors of violence, as part of the 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence organised by Prajnya. The participants included representatives from organisations such as PCVC, Vishranti, Sahodari, Centre for Development and Women’s Studies, FORWORD and Sahodari.

The participants ascertained that domestic violence included both physical and verbal aspects, and cut across class, caste and religion. “That domestic violence is prevalent only among the lower castes is a very big myth,” opined a representative. A recent trend that came up for discussion was economic abuse. “Economic freedom is hardly found even among well employed women. It is one of the focal points for further mental and physical abuse,” expressed a participant. “Alcohol and tobacco play a major role in domestic violence,” added another participant.

The participants also spoke of the various services their organizations offered including counselling, shelter homes, rehabilitation, sensitisation, training programmes and job placements. In a unique initiative of sensitising an entire community, one of the organizations has worked with specific socio-economic groups such as auto drivers. Heightened awareness and public campaigns aimed at children and adolescents were felt to be the need of the hour in addressing this issue.

A common problem faced by most organisations is that victims don’t come forward to declare their problems, because of social taboo. “In our culture, violence against women is looked at as a private problem,” said a representative. Some of the common problems of distress that is found among gender violence victims include low self esteem, a neglected childhood, lack of parental support, etc.

Prajnya, a Chennai-based non-profit centre for research, networking and public education will launch a directory of service providers on 9 of December, the penultimate day of the 16 Days Campaign. This directory will include information about specific services as well as relevant contact information.

2009 Campaign PR (29/11):Collaborative cooking: Recipes against VAW

Ever wished you could whip up a magic dish that could destroy all the evils in the world? Well, here’s your chance to suggest ingredients to counter violence against women. From self defense training to gender neutral textbooks and banning gender violence in movies and television soaps, there are scores of ways in which we can sensitise ourselves and others around us.

Prajnya, a Chennai-based non-profit centre for research, networking and public education has launched an initiative, “Collaborative Cooking: Recipes against VAW”, to put together a giant recipe to end violence against women. All you have to do is log onto http://prajnya-16days.wikispaces.com/Recipes+against+VAW and add your recipe or ingredient.

Recipes can also be dropped off at paanais in Planet Yumm outlets at Spencer Plaza and Besant Nagar and in the traveling paanai, at the campaign’s public programmes.

Collaborative Cooking is an initiative of the Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence, which began 25 November and ends 10 December. To find out more, visit www.prajnya.in/16days.htm.

2009 Campaign PR (28/11):Not silence, but verse: Poetry reading

As part of its 16 Days against Gender Violence Campaign, Prajnya, a Chennai-based centre for research, networking and public education, held a poetry reading titled, “ Not Silence but Verse” at a bookstore Full Circle, here on Saturday.

Poets Susan Hawthorn, Sivakami and “Kutti” Revathi read out some of their work to a spell bound audience. While feminism was the recurring theme in each of the three poets’ works, it was the distinctive approach that each had that made the reading an engrossing one.

Moderating the reading, Professor K.Srilatha from IIT-Madras said, “Feminist poetry is like a double edged sword. Pointing outwards, the sword speaks out at the propogators of violence and those who cause hurt to women, however, pointing inwards, it is like a surgical knife- that heals and soothes.”

Susan Hawthord, a feminist activist and poet from Australia spoke about her interest in the ways in which women were demonised, much of her work revolves around this sphere. Her poem about women prisoners, “In the prisons” struck a chord with the audience. “Women find themselves criminalized for who they are and not always for what they have done,” she said.

Sivagami who is also secretary of the Chennai Poets Circle won the hearts of the audience with her passionate recitation of some of her poems like “An Unaccustomed Custom” and “The Doom of Silence”. Much of her poetry were from scenes she had witnessed in real life, or things she had read about. “ If I don’t read anything, I tend to not find anything to write about!” she confessed.

Tamil Poet ‘Kutti’ Revathi’s poems were a revelation. Mostly revolving around the politics of the female body, her poems have always been subjected to controversy and criticism. “A woman’s body takes the shape of the structure that men allot,” she opined quoting examples from advertising and films.

Earlier, a 2-hour long creative writing workshop held for college students was facilitated by K. Srilatha. It aimed at triggering thought processes and ideas for fiction and poetry writing.

2009 Campaign PR (27/11): Celebrating women, all the way

Chennai: November 27: It was an occasion to celebrate women all the way. A recital in praise of womanhood and organisations working in the area of women’s rights marked Prajnya’s ‘In Concert: Celebrating defenders of women’s rights’ musical evening held in Chennai on Friday.
The concert was organised as part of Prajnya’s 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence. Representatives from four women’s organisations – Centre for Women’s Development and Research, Forum for Women’s Rights and Development, Feminist Association for Social Action and Pennurimai Iyakkam – were felicitated for their contribution to social justice and women’s human rights. Their work over the years was highlighted in a short presentation prior to the concert.


The event then took a musical turn as eminent vocalist S. Sowmya rendered compositions paying tribute to womanhood. Though she followed the traditional structure of a carnatic recital, she chose songs of Bharatiyar, Devi and women composers in keeping with the theme of the event. Describing her association with Prajnya, she said: “I am a little child as far as my involvement with Prajnya is concerned, but I am an active child.”
Lauding the efforts of Prajnya, Bhavani of FASA said the organisation was very innovative in its honouring of the women defenders, as the representatives of each organisation felicitated each other.


Members of the public who attended the concert contributed ‘ingredients’ into the ‘paanai’ in keeping with Prajnya’s ‘Collaborative Cooking: Recipes against Violence Against Women’ initiative.

2009 Campaign PR (26/11): Accounting for accuracy - reporting on gender violence

Chennai, November 26: How does one report a case of gender violence without sounding sensational, callous or careless? Why do certain crimes get reported over some others? These were just few of the questions discussed at the ‘Reporters’ Roundtable: Gender Violence and the Media’ organised by Prajnya, a non-profit think-tank, in Chennai on Thursday.
The roundtable, held as part of Prajnya’s 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence, had mediapersons debating norms in reporting cases of gender violence. The session was mediated by Ammu Joseph, a Bangalore-based independent journalist.
Ms. Joseph writes on issues relating to gender, human development and the media. She is a recipient of the UNFPA-LAADLI Media Award for Gender Sensitivity 2007 and a founder-member of the Network of Women in Media, India.

In her short talk prior to the discussion, Ms. Joseph pointed out numerous drawbacks in existing media coverage of gender violence such as lack of accuracy, consistency, insensitivity and speculation. The media, she said, tended to veer between routinising violence against women to sensationalising reports.
The participants discussed the lack of a clear definition of gender violence, both globally and in Indian laws on domestic violence. The roundtable also drew attention to the pressures of competition among media houses in getting to the story ‘first’ and the packaging of news as entertainment. This often led to inaccuracies, ‘single-source’ reports on gender violence and journalists flouting rules on sensitive reporting.

The participants felt that the focus needed to shift from the victim of a crime to the perpetrator. They also mutually agreed that to have a greater impact, follow-ups and trend stories linking the crime to the bigger picture of gender violence were crucial.
The session yielded practical suggestions for reporting on stories of gender violence.

2009 Campaign PR (25/11): Fighting domestic violence, together

Chennai, November 25: “We should not let ourselves be controlled by men and should spread the word about domestic violence in any way we can,” said Suguna. She was one of the sixty-five women from Self-Help Groups across the city who attended the ‘Responding to domestic violence’ workshop organised by Prajnya, in association with the International Foundation for Prevention of Crime and Victim Care (PCVC) and Sornammal Educational Trust on Wednesday.


Discussion, queries, answers and suggestions dominated Day One of Prajnya’s 16-day campaign against gender violence. The interactive session covered a range of topics such as the components of domestic violence, different forms of violence within the family, forms of threat and control and how affected women could speak up against it. Male chauvinism, archaic traditions and a male-dominated outlook in parenting style focussing on the preferences and dictates of the father of the family were discussed as contributing to the prevalence of domestic violence.
The importance of trust in a relationship and mutual respect for each other’s feelings and opinions were highlighted over the two-hour session. “The solution to a case of domestic violence is not by abandoning the husband or the family; it is to learn how to face it,” Bhuvana, Welfare Officer, PCVC, told the women gathered at the SET Centre at Vyasarpadi. A large part of the session also revolved around the effect of domestic violence on children within the family, in terms of adversely affecting their social behaviour and concentration and performance in school.


Parimala, a participant, felt it was the responsibility of women aware of the problem to intervene and help others suffering from violence. Women were also informed about PCVC’s 24-hr helpline 43111143 over which they could personally speak to a counsellor to discuss their problems. “This session has made many women aware of the existence of the helpline, which will be useful to them,” said K. Murali, Project Manager, Vyasarpadi Project Area.
The women also dropped off their ideas on how to combat domestic violence into a ‘paanai’ as part of Prajnya’s Collaborative Cooking initiative. Participation certificates were awarded to the women at the end of the session.

16 Days Campaign Voices: Prajnya

Cross-posted from the Centre for Women's Global Leadership website.

"Voices from the 2009 16 Days Campaign: Prajnya"

Over the 16 Days, we have 16 different programmes, each with a different partner (including educational institutions, other not-for-profits, civil society groups, corporates), in 16 locations across the city and in cyberspace. Each programme is tailor-made and designed for a specific group of people; the majority of them call for active participation. Our formats include workshops, symposia, a poetry reading, training programmes and an open forum, among others.

We’ve tried to maintain a balance between programmes for specific groups and those for the “general public”. In actuality, the latter have been hardest to conceptualise: what will this abstract group of the “general public” find interesting, exciting, a worthwhile activity to participate in? We’ve found some answers, or so we hope: a celebratory concert, an open mic session and a collaborative cooking exercise (adapted from takebackthetech.org) to construct a giant recipe against VAW.

I must emphasise that Prajnya is not a service provider organisation; we ourselves do not offer counselling or support services for those who have experienced gender violence. Our main objective therefore is to facilitate sustained conversations between professionals in various fields, by creating a platform for debate and expression. One of our closed programmes, for instance, will bring together representatives from organisations that offer support services, to discuss the daily challenges that they face.

We’re also keen to reinforce the idea that we cannot look at gender violence in isolation, and must consider its consequences. Through the campaign, we are looking to reinforce the irrefutable linkages between gender violence and public health, through a training programme for nursing students and a symposium on mental health and gender violence.

Apart from the 16 programmes, we have planned several information initiatives as part of Prajnya’s campaign. In association with our media partners, we will disseminate information about helpline numbers, shelters, safe-houses and legal aid centres. On the penultimate day of the campaign, we intend to release an easily accessible directory of service providers.

This year, we’ve also taken our first baby steps in initiating Prajnya’s research agenda on gender violence, through the publication of a pilot study, “Gender Violence in India: a Prajnya Report”. We hope to considerably build on this in the coming years, through a sustained research agenda that can then help shape the advocacy efforts.

What impact do we hope this campaign will have? For us, making an impact means three things. One, obviously, we reach out to larger and larger numbers of people through the campaign, people who have never discussed or thought about gender violence. Two, we really hope that people who are living with abuse everyday start identifying their experience as violence and not as punishment they deserve. This is why we have public programmes as well as focused training and dialogue sessions. Three, we stop talking about gender and sexual violence through euphemisms and use the real words: we say the word rape; we say street sexual harassment and not eve-teasing.

Despite the increasing visibility of crimes against women, despite the fact that most of us know someone who knows someone who has been abused, people still ask us: why are you doing this campaign? Is this (gender violence) really a problem? And in a sense, that has become our catchphrase for the year: we do this campaign because people ask us if gender violence is really a problem.

I must admit that through the months of planning for this year’s campaign, we’ve managed to all but put together a wish-list for next year! Even 16 days doesn’t seem enough to do everything we want: I suppose we are just greedy. So, on 25th November 2009, all the very best to all of us! And don’t forget to participate in our online initiatives, wherever you are!

Exploring Gender Violence through Theatre

Catwalks. Rhyme. Couplets. Role plays. Skits.Puppetry.

Wednesday & Thursday was about letting go, rediscovering bodies and staring back at the male gaze for 23 chirpy girls from Queen Mary's College.

Mangai, Srijith and Sumathi from Marappachi Trust were the star facilitators as some of the girls discovered a hidden talent: acting!

Ribbon Plants!

Our ribbon plants at Ode and Kipling Cafes!

If you haven't already, please tie a white ribbon for every person you know who has experienced and survived abuse/violence.

Plants at Amethyst, Anokhi, Ode and Kipling.

The half-way point

Yesterday, it suddenly struck me that we were at the half-way point of the campaign! Eight days down, eight to go. And very honestly, when people ask me, "how's it going?", I find it very hard to know how to respond. My instinct, gut, spontaneous response is to say "its going really really well". But ask me to qualify that and it gets tricky. I suppose one reason, the main one, really, is that its incredibly difficult to assess something you are in the thick of.

Ask me the same question today though and I have a ready answer. We've just returned from Queen Mary's College where twenty three students have spent the last two afternoons in a theatre workshop, facilitated by the Marappachi Trust. It was wonderful, incredible to see the enthusiasm with which they got invovled, the genuine introspection, the willingness to share. And above all, personally, what I found most satisfying was their ability to relate their workshop experiences to their daily lives.

At the end of the workshop, as always, we asked for feedback. This is often an iffy exercise - often, participants feel obligated to tell us how wonderful it was. But not this time. Well, they did say how wonderful it was:) But more importantly, they shared with us stories from their lives, told us about their relationships with their families, and spelled out how they intended to tackle some of the more problematic ones.

No magic solutions. But a wonderful wonderful two days, and an inkling that somewhere, doors are beginning to open (forgive the cliche!).

Day 7: A workshop on Public Health

It was an early day on Day 7, as the team went all the way to Avadi for a workshop in Omayal Achi College of Nursing on "Public Health and Gender Violence", attended by around 40 budding nurses from the III B.Sc Nursing Class.

The two charming ladies, Dr.Prasanna and Nancy from PCVC and Tulir respectively, were the facilitators , and were superb with their presentations, films and anecdotes.

What was established?

• Injuries/ health complications arising out of gender violence is a genuine public health concern.
• Health care officials like doctors and nurses have a huge role to play during the process of treatment to a victim of gender violence.
• Nurses are the first point of contact in the case of a medical emergency, and awareness of gender violence, can go a long way in facilitating treatment, and later, recovery.

Day Six: Rebuilding lives, supporting survival

We held a roundtable conference for service providers at the Madras Terrace House. The roundtable had a good turn out of representatives from organizations like PCVC, Vishranti, Sahodari, Centre for Development and Women’s Studies, FORWORD and Sahodari.
Moderated by Vasughi of Prajnya, it was a vibrant discussion revolving around the service providers' first hand experience of encountering victims of gender violence.Domestic violence was identified as the most common type of gender violence, alcohol and tobacco play a major role in it.



Violence against Women(VAW) is often looked at as a 'private problem'.
Prajnya, will launch a directory of service providers on 9th of December.

Day Five: Collaborative Cooking!

Our online initiative, "Collaborative Cooking: Recipes against VAW" is now up and running!

All you need to do is take a minute to visit http://prajnya-16days.wikispaces.com/Recipes+against+VAW and add your magic recipe or ingredient to end violence against women.

For all our friends outside Chennai: this is your chance to join in on the campaign! And please spread the word!

I must also mention that Prajnya is not going to moderate the contents of this giant recipe, except in the case of particularly obscene posts. We may not agree with all the suggestions, but we will not delete them, as this defeats the purpose of setting up an open-edit page in the first place.

We only request that you refrain from posting irrelevant comments on the page.

Happy cooking, everyone!:)

Day 4: A Matter of Words

Writing can be a tool for self discovery, healing, teaching and learning. On Saturday at the lovely Inko Centre, Prof Srilata turned writing mentor for a bunch of college students at a Creative Writing Workshop!

As they were encouraged to think and reach inside for questions like "What does writing mean to you?", the participants searched long and deep for answers.

The workshop was like a stimulant- triggering on ideas for poetry and fiction in participants.

At the end of it said a participant: " I generally don't write fiction, but the workshop has been a good starting point, and I might just go back home and try a fiction piece!"