The sessions on combating violence against women by standing up for what’s right have had us travel extensively in remote corners of our beautiful country. After successfully conducting sessions to combat violence against women with the youth from Pune, Kanpur, Purnea, and Kolkatta, we reached the Prayagraj aka Allahabad on 2nd September ( Blog on Assam, Boko was documented earlier since both the trips were literally back to back).
The beauty of these sessions is that it gives us a chance to absorb the sights, sounds and most importantly the cultural references unique to the region. So was the case here where a day prior we experienced the vibrant religious fervour at the Sangam or the point where the rivers, Yamuna and Ganga meet. Legend has it that a third river Saraswati also met at this point forming the holy trinity. We were waiting to witness the Arti of the river Ganges and were fortunate to be called upon to offer our obeisance with the oil-lit lamps amidst the age-old Sanskrit chants.
My gratitude for the opportunity to both JOSH TALKS and TVS Radar, for conducting these sessions. Vanshika (Interning with JOSH TALKS ) continues to manage and coordinate with the colleges ensuring all goes smoothly. She also adds the much-needed perspective of a student herself which further connects with the audience we are addressing.
The united group of institutes is an hour and a half from the main city. And since this time we were taking the train back (Bande Matram Express is the fastest train in India replete with large windows and some delectable knick-knacks) the agent booked us a hotel that was quite literally at the station. The whole night was spent listening to the arrival and departure of the trains with the automated nasal announcements.
The session the next day, more than made up for the uncomfortable night before.
We arrived early and spent a good couple of hours with the faculty before the actual session. Most were from the Human Value (a course introduced in engineering colleges in 2018) or soft skills & communication department. They shared stories of how dowry demands and domestic violence are commonplace across the belt. Stories that are actively played out in the neighbourhood or with friends and family.
The session at the UGI campus was special in more ways than one. 400 Students from the foundation course to fourth year BTech were in rapt attention through the Workshop that continued beyond the designated time to over 2.5 hours. Personal stories and anecdotes were shared and it was an emotionally charged interaction for all involved.
The fact is that after each session that we have conducted so far, the students feel comfortable enough to share their intimate experiences or unresolved queries. This time too at UGI a young girl took to the mike and shared an unfortunate incident that she had to encounter. While the B Tech students and their faculty audience seemed taken aback by the narration but this stands as a testimony both to the importance of sessions like these and the safe space that we manage to create within a short span of time. Sharing a personal unfortunate saga amidst peers who had no clue indeed takes courage.
We had a comfortable journey back on the Bande Matram Express and got the weekend to recoup as Monday we were back on the road to conduct the next session in the tribal belt of Assam, Boko.
To read about Assam Chapter click here>>
If you would like to have us conduct this 90-minute session in your college or company just drop us a mail with the details of the institution and the prefered dates at suparnaa@simplysuparnaa.com.
Links for further study
To read about the Kanpur Chapter click here>>
To read about the Purnea, Bihar Chapter click here>>
To read about the Pune experience click here>>
To know more about the online session experience read here >>
PS: if you stand for what is right – team SABERA (Annual Awards and Summit by the Simply Suparnaa © Media Network) jury is looking for you Register here>>
