Community Cafe: Exploring GV - Where Freedoms End

Why are we squeamish to talk honestly about sex? Why are we so apathetic to the violence that surrounds us? Where do we draw the line between personal freedoms and our duties and responsibilities - as individuals, citizens, professionals and members of a family unit? And why are these lines harder to blur for women that they are for men? 

These are some of the questions that were raised in our 2 hour conversation on the 7th of December with our GEM Jayanthi Karthikeyan and members of her Reiki Satsang. Even as the group debated existing realities, the focus was on prevention and response and what each of us can do, as individuals, to change the status quo. In this sense, it was a conversation that mirrored the larger purpose of the campaign itself.

An important point that was raised during the course of the conversation was about how we learn. When we are in school, while the content is the predominant focus, the real learning is the acquiring of schemes that help us process information a certain way and the cultural norms that influence this. Violence as a learned behaviour follows the same patterns and is influenced by the same norms: How can we change the way we raise and teach our children? And how can we treat girls and boys equally?

Thank you Jayanthi Karthikeyan, for being such a wonderful host!

Meet Our GEMS: Jayanthi Karthikeyan

Bringing Peace and Harmony

by Meera Srikant

Jayanthi Karthikeyan, a homemaker, experiences fulfillment in networking with people for a social cause that needs attention. She is Coordinator of the DOS (Dal Oil Sugar) Movement, Chennai, since 1998, inspiring people to give and share a little of their little. She is founder of Reiki Sadhana Kendra, Chennai, Trustee of Sri Ramacharan Charitable Trust, Chennai, for implementation of Montessori Method of education in Kindergarten sections of 10 Chennai Corporation schools and 7 Balwadis. Sadguru Gnanananda Social Citizenry Award 2011 was conferred by Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani Trust Chennai in recognition of her commitment and dedication in collecting dal oil and sugar for the last twelve years. She shares with Prajnya her concern for gender violence and her reasons for conducting a community café.

Why is this issue important to you?        

                                                

The issue of gender violence is important to me as any kind of violence is not acceptable to me. I believe that I am responsible and accountable as a being in this universe, to make efforts to bring peace and harmony whenever it is disturbed by an act of violence in the society, whether in the community or neighbourhood or family. In my younger days I never had the confidence to face the eventualities of gender violence.  Based on what I have observed and experienced, my attitude towards men was that of mistrust except the ones close to me in my life. Over the years after Reiki coming into my life as a spiritual practice, there has been healing of the fear that I carried towards gender violence for that matter any kind of violence.

What is it you feel most strongly about?

I feel that there is a need within me to connect to individuals, organizations who meaningfully and actively work in the field of gender violence to understand the various aspects of dealing with it. By this I intend to heighten my awareness towards this issue.

Tell us about your activity for Prajnya campaign and what you hope to do with it?

I am involved in the Prajnya campaign as an individual to facilitate a space for conversation about gender violence among the Reiki practicing group that meets every week for satsang. It is the beginning and will make efforts to take forward the learning I get out of this participation.

Three things you would suggest to keep these individual actions going

I intend on engaging with other individuals to facilitate conversations on gender violence.

I intend to create awareness in my social circle about your organization.

I intend to learn practical ways and means to deal with gender violence