Free and Equal

The afternoon of 1st march 2013 proved to be an exciting one for Gargi college. A panel discussion of feminist activists that was held in the auditorium of the college was the reason behind the exuberance. The session was a collaborated effort of Gargi college’s women’s development cell and the NGO CREA.’ Free and Equal’ was the name given to the talk that addressed issues related to violence against women and women human rights. The session saw overwhelming attendance and participation by the students and teachers from within and outside the college. It was the combined effort of the Teacher Convenor of the society, Ms. Mudita Mohile and other panelists  Ms. Jagmati Sanghwan , Ms. Pramada Menon , Mr. Dhruv Arora , Ms. Urvashi Bhutalia and Ms. Nandini Rao that enticed the audience and made the event a success. All the panelists are working towards equal rights for women as well as other “othered” group of people . Ms. Jagmati Sangwan highlighted the fact that it is the assertion of Power by Patriarchy and not just the desire to rape that leads to violation of women’s rights and honour. She quoted the infamous Khaap panchayat’s derogatory view, ” Janana aur khazana khula hoga to loota jaega! “, and seriously condemned the idea. Ms. Pramada Menon threw light on “offline” and “online” forms of violence, that is, violence in social media Ms. Nandini Rao familiarized the audience with Justice Verma Commission’s report and how it has changed the law for the better. Ms. Bhutalia then concluded the discussion by highligting the role of media in the recent activities and protests, post the Delhi gangrape case and how media has matured now. Questions from the audience ,particularly students , raised the issues of custodial rape and position of Police in the society that were addressed by the panelists in a comprehensive manner. The session left people with hard hitting questions to ponder upon and with a ray of hope that society can change if transformation starts at the grassroots  level. The alarming need of the hour, to recognise and fight the naturalised forms of violence was a thought that took roots in the hearts of the students.  ]]>