Volume: 1
April 2015
CONTENTS In Conversation
Bose Krishnamachari Director Kochi Muziris Biennale
Shethal
President, Sahodaran Community Puducherry
MALE ANGLE
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Man on the Web
Psychology of men in Online networks Dr. T. Marx
THE THIRD ANGLE
Cover Story 31 Tribal Margin
Different Perspectives on Third gender Rights
Analysing Stand Up protest of Adivasis in Kerala
34 Kaleidoscope Photo album featuring the women around us
36 Open Forum
Discussing the documentary India’s Daughter
Editor: Swathy Karthik Sub-Editor: Lei KAS Photographer: Anuraj AR Design & Layout: Habeeb Rahman Cover Photo: Anuraj AR Model: Bhagat Veera Arun, Sridevi, Adheena George Contributors: Bhagath Veera Arun Danish Sheikh Lakshmi Murthy Dr. T. Marx Subhajit Paul Tathagata Mitra Dr. Zahira Rahman Guidance Dr. Shuaib Mohamed Haneef
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Not Just His and Hers
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All Men are Equal… Really?
Danish Sheikh
Tathagata Mitra
FEMININE ANGLE
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Is Tampon a Taboo?
Re-examining the rulings, restrictions and superstitions around menstruation Lakshmi Murthy
Foreword Dr. Shuaib Mohammed Haneef
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Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mass Communication
ender is much more than what it is cracked up to be. It is not as simple and reductive as it appears in application forms. It has within it social, political and cultural meanings embedded into it. It is too naïve to even imagine that gender is a tag attached to physical configurations of body. Our society may have us believe so. However, values and beliefs of our unequal society are continually being written on bodies. At least in the last two decades, with more profound discussions on gender taking place in the last one perhaps, gender has become controversial.I am still trying to understand what one of my friends means by “there is no space for the ‘third’ gender in our society”[the term ‘third’ implies arithmetic progression, let alone the absence of progressive minds; by the way, who is the ‘second’ gender – male or female?]. Another academician friend echoed the same when he said that the transgender community does not fit in the conventional society and that they will be doing more harm than imagined. Both arguments, kind of, rile my nerves though the two gentlemen (men!) were candid about their views. Ironically, now, there are two ‘other’ – women and transgender - for the patriarchal society to harp on. This magazine TRIANGLE reveals men, women and transgender in their social and cultural setting in multiple shades. Ms. Swathy Karthik, the magazine editor, hit upon the idea of coalescing all three into one. She made an honest effort to reach out to many people and writers. The department has earlier brought out magazines and this year’s effort is no less special. All articles make an interesting read. They are light and insightful. Ms. Swathy’s choice of the title TRIANGLE is fascinating as she attempts to raise the larger question ‘do the points ever meet in TRIANGLE?’ I wish all the best to Swathy in her future endevaours. Happy reading TRIANGLE.
Editor’s Desk Swathy Karthik Hi all,
Editor, TRIANGLE
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n a universe as vast as ours, earth as a planet holds a very insignificant place. Yet, in no way are any of the life forms on earth lesser than the other. We are all part of a society that comprises people of different types – be it different races, ethnicity or culture. And different people have different choices. There are qualities that we acquire as we grow and then there are inherent qualities that we are born with. Both of which form your identity, yet they are not parameters to judge you. The way you look is not a scale of measurement for your personality. The kind of clothes you wear do not define who you are. In the same way, your sexual orientation should not affect your life in any way. In our society, co-existence is the key to survival, yet it is scarce to find. There are people who worship and celebrate gender and its varied forms whereas there are others who struggle with their gender and cry for recognition. Amidst them are the majority of people who are blissfully ignorant of the existence of gender and sex. Where sex is biologically assigned to an individual at the time of birth, gender is rather acquired by the individuals themselves. TRIANGLE is a dream come true for me. The idea of publishing a magazine first came to me while on a walk with Habi. Since the seed was sown, I was constantly thinking about how to differentiate TRIANGLE from all other magazines. I have been asked by people about the content of the magazine, especially inclusion stories about transgender people along with others. I strongly believe in humanism and therefore think that the genders are inter-connected. There is both feminine and masculine side in everybody. And the notion of a third gender is still relatively uncommon and unpopular, an area where media can step in and do a lot. A liberated society is the Utopian dream of the TRIANGLE team. As a media student, TRIANGLE is my attempt to deconstruct the stereotypes pervasively surrounding us. Stereotypes of men who do not cry, of women who are melodramatic, and of transgender who are violent, are to be broken and a society which is sensitized to the need of all of it members should come to existence . TRIANGLE was an experiment to understand how different people see and perceive gender. TRIANGLE looks at different dimensions of gender, where Danish Sheikh writes about the legal and judiciary rights of Transgender community and Tathagata Mitra shares his views on LGBT people. Lakshmi Murthy reacts upon the Dos and Don’ts instructed on women. The interview with Bose Krishnamachari exalts the relation between gender and art. The extreme motivation and contribution from many people made my dream come true. In the words of Kofi Annan, Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.I hope TRIANGLE both quenches your thirst of reading as well as sparks enough interest in you to pursue these social issues. TRIANGLE welcomes you on this journey down the less travelled path.
In Conversation
The Man and the Art
An interview with Bose Krishnamachari, Director of Kochi Muziris Biennale On a scale of 1 to 10 what score would you give yourself? Zero. Zero has innumerable value. It is the ultimate answer to one. Zero, the number has got a large value. I believe in the ultimate as you know I am completely a man. And I am satisfied but sometimes I contradict myself; I say satisfaction is good and if you are satisfied, there is no point in living- it is end of your life. I understand and believe in contradiction. In that sense, I value myself ten out of ten. I am the best man among the men whom I know. I am good, I am nice, I am awesome, I am generous. I live the way I like to live. I am a complete man, it is not my ego. The best man is me, no doubt. How would you define being a man? Everything matters. Do we have to really define? Knowingly or unknowingly you should live your life as a man. So we don’t need to define anything, that’s what I believe. While, it is very important to understand yourself. It is something you
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cannot give a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. read. I am very open minded Between this yes and no, there about women, about the is a lot of space. That space third gender. You can wish needs to be understood. So for everybody being equal, self-realization is the ultimate but is impossible. Everyone answer for one’s own search. is unequal. The differences If we don’t understand that, it between gender creates the is not possible in being itself. beauty of living together on Through your experience this planet.This will reflect in you get certain kind of the art also. enlightenment. How does visual literacy How would you connect differ from textual or print your gender with your art? literacy? I am not just a man, it is Visual literacy is included because of someone I am here, in textual literacy. It is nothing I am here through my Mother. separated. It is to understand So I do respect others also, that the basics of universe. You comes out can create your of my selfown world with The respect. It’s circles, squares like you and triangles differences understand the a n d between gender darkness, and different creates the beauty the mother forms. The c o l o u r same way, of living together black. Every if you can on this planet. gradation can understand This will reflect in the be produced the primary by one who can colours, art also. understand black. t h e n There is no self-centered possibly way of looking at an art.More y o u c a n create all the importantly, I don’t think I colours in the world. The make any rules for people to visual is not just visual; it can
In Conversation answers but you will pick one which you like. Has anyone told that in your art, there is a female perspective, and that a third gender perspective is missing? If someone says so, how would you react to it? I do not know. I do not care. That is their problem. I am an artist and I believe it is my responsibility to do my work - that is my answer for any question. Biennale is also an art for me. It is our own art. Art lies within you. It is a social responsibility for me. So you always think from man’s perspective? I was born as a man. It doesn’t mean that I do not understand women. I respect my mother, I respect women, I respect my child the same way I respect men and the third gender. Being gender biased is
not a good practice in a social life. There is some masculinity and femininity in everybody. Our perspective should complement to the perspective of others also. When there is no opposition and different points of view, life will be boring. I do think as a woman, I do think as an old man, a young champ, that is how everyone is and is contextual. Do you think that art can irrupt the feelings of a civic society? Art is the most powerful medium, the most powerful medicine, but many people don’t understand art. How many people understand politics? How many people understand Economics? Art is universal. Art has got many faces. Art is like Ravanaor like a chameleon. It goes parallel with the contemporary wave
Source: Internet
be a picture for me, and a book for you. It all depends on where you are born, brought up or who taught you and what you learn, etc. All these things matter to create your own world. Difference in interpretation is the same in all languages. If you read or write a book, there will be differences in interpretation between a reader and a critic. It is the feature of all languages, visual, textual or verbal. Like I said about gender, beauty of every language also is these variations. Otherwise it would be a monotonous exercise. Here, when we talk about visual language we should know about what is good and what is bad which means an individual makes their own decision and not someone else. I can give you a thousand
The Nano car painted by Bose Krishnamachari exhibited in 2012 Kochi Muziris Biennale
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In Conversation Would that not end up in chaos? You need to understand chaos to make order. India is a place with much chaos – a place with many differences. I think it is easier for us to analyze. All these religions are institutions where we can improve our knowledge. But is it what happens here? I like to believe that I do not have any religion or I don’t believe in any caste and creed. Believing in yourself is believing in God. It is difficult to live in a world where we talk about religion and communal issues. Where is this coming from and who are we fighting for? I have seen many people being slaughtered or killed. If I pray in my home, I am not going to harm anyone. When it comes to society, we forget all these things.
Who seems to be more inspiring? The younger generation or the older generation? Inspiration is a kind of intuition. The world of mimicking is same as the world of cloning. The individuality should be preserved. Everybody should have their own voice. An interesting thing about life is that we can choose people to share it with. I like to live everyday as an actor’s life. My way of talking, my way of looking at things, every day would be new. Like Picasso said once, “If I know what the painting’s going to look like, there’s not really any reason to paint it.” It is more exciting to say I don’t know than to say that I know everything. I don’t know anything. Now, there is a possibility in receiving things. In your view, is art subjective or more objective? A: For me, art is like a human being. If you want to see it as subjective, any art work is the outcome of a personal interest. At the same time it can influence the society and people. I say that my life itself is an art. I believe in what I do, how I live. As I mentioned, just as everyone is born for a purpose, art is also made with some reason.
Photo: Habi
in the society, as everybody says art reflects society. It sometimes influences people to approach things in a different way. If you could change one thing common in all men, what would that be? We cannot give a single answer to this question. The way you live itself can be seen as a model. There are some people who believe that they follow some religion or caste. I think, the first thing to erase in this world is all these religions. Respect religion but erase all these churches, temples, and build your own temple within yourself. And search within you. Kochi could be great model, many religion, many community live together here. But I still feel that we do not need religion. The most dangerous thing is religion and caste. Everyone’s mind is so polluted with religion, so polluted with racism. If I could change something common in the society, I’d like to have a world without religion, without racism, without caste. If I could be born again I would rather chose to be a man without caste or race.
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Rear View
Macho-man – Who is He? Subhajit Paul Student, Pondicherry University Gender is not something that one is, it is something onedoes, an act… a “doing” rather than a “being”. - Judith Butler
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udith Butler in her theory about Performative Identities says that the idea of masculinity and femininity is one of Cultural Conditioning that is prone to change from time to time. In simpler terms, gender is defined by how a person behaves and does not always depend on a mere biological grouping as in the case of ‘sex’. Therefore, gender is performative. Representation of masculinity or maleness in media, traditionally has always been about portraying characters that lack distinctive feminine traits. Looking at the media texts of the 1970s and 1980s, we can quote the examples of James Bond, Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger from the Terminator series who were the
ideal Macho Men.The popular Super Mario video game shows the character of Mario, who has to rescue a princess from the monster dragon, as a male with certain acquired powers; portrays man as a protector. This might not be the case all the time. This has been established as a stereotype for a very long time, through even our fairy tales where it is always the man
The idea that "men do not cry" is also widely promoted by the Indian as well as the Western media.
who saves the ‘damsel in distress’. Of late, the trend is changing, at least in the Western Media; the characters seem to be in touch with their feminine side along with the well-established idea of ‘the ideal man’. Contemporary characters display emotions, much unlike their predecessors of the 70s’ and 80s’. The best examples could be drawn from American sitcoms like How I met your Mother, where you have the character of Barney Stinson played by Neil Patrick Harris, who (although is a womanizer) displays various sets of emotions starting from an all pumped up Darth Vader Barney to a crying breakup Barney. The character portrays a good combination
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Source: Internet
Rear View
GRIMM -- “Cupacabra” Episode 408 -- Pictured: (l-r) Bree Turner as Rosalee, Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC) of masculine and feminine traits and shows that to be a man does not mean to be brawny all the time. There are numerous examples to support this line of thought; like the character of Detective Nick Burkhardt in the TV Series, ‘Grimm’. Although the character is a police detective and such characters are usually shown to be overtly masculine, there is a lot of femininity associated with him. These characters are often referred to as metrosexual- those who are not gay but are confused by the audience to be homosexuals. Now coming back to the Indian media, the influence of the strong patriarchal society definitely leaves its imprint on the media text. Indian media
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texts have always portrayed men as overtly strong characters who do not inhibit any emotions. This trend continues to be emphasised in films like ‘Dabangg’, among many others, portraying a super human male character that is capable of eliminating hordes of thugs and saving the damsel in distress from them. Men are most often portrayed as rugged, violent and active. The idea that ‘men do not cry’ is also widely promoted by the Indian as well as the Western media. This is a problem specifically for sensitive individuals, especially in the adolescent stage because more often than not they tend to be branded, leading to a lot of psychological problems, including low self-esteem.
Media texts often have great power in defining the identity of an individual and hence pose a risk of defining ‘men’ or ‘women’ or ‘trans-genders’ in a specific way which may lead to a lot of confusion and subsequent ostracisation of individuals who do not ‘fit the bill’. Given the fact that gender is associated with biological grouping, the representation by the media plays a very important role and is very influential. The stereotypical image of ‘The Macho Man’ is actually is shaped based on stereotypical literary text. It is only a blatant image of what a man should be like and not what he actually is. And such imagery must be discouraged.
Rear View
Man on the Web
Dr. T. Marx Associate Professor, Pondicherry University
Over centuries, history stands proof to the fact that the world that we know today with its structured societies and communities was in fact comprised only nomadic people at the beginning. From nomadic, we shifted to an agrarian society and from there to an industrial society, to where we are today – an information society. The mammoth advancement in electronic technology in the last few decades has seen the entire world become a “global village�. Most of the developed and developing countries have seen the emergence of Network society especially after globalization. Information explosion has given rise to Social Media which enables people to communicate openly from all over the globe with no spatial and temporal constraints.We are living in a society that is in transition because of the emergence of the social networking sites. Here, young adults engage themselves in various activities which in turn determine their self-identity. In a way, social networking sites have re-conceptualized the notion of a community.
An average man cannot think of a day without Facebook, WhatsApp or Twitter without knowing the fact that these create an illusory world and causes anxiety and restlessness.
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Rear View
Social networking sites indeed provide a space in new ways and means that a common man in earlier times never had. For example, the pivotal role of social media in the recent gang rape case in Delhi, and in the formation of anticorruption movement leading to the emergence of Aam Aadmi Party, cannot be undermined. In issues of common interest, people from various walks of life use sites like Facebook as a huge platform to vent their outrageagainst social injustice. A lot of web pages related to social issues including rape, female foeticide, corruption are created on various social networking sites. Men claim that they use online social networking tools as a means to gather information and increase their status whereas women often
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use them to make connections and share items from their personal lives. Most men, especially young adults feel their confidence level declining after comparing their own academic or job performance with those of friends who are more actively online. It is rather shocking to see the addictive power of internet, with the growing number of young men feeling tense and worried when they are unable to access their Facebook or WhatsApp accounts. Men tend to deactivate their Facebook as they admit it has an addictive power. The desire to befriend more girls on WhatsApp, chatting with multiple girlfriends at the same time, the pressure to type the message faster, etc., causes too much pressure. Men and perhaps women too
are conditioned to project an unrealistic, camouflaged digital image of them. Often they will enjoy all kinds of flatteries and respond emotionally but will not tolerate a single negative comment which damages their ego. Nowadays an average man cannot think of a day without Facebook, WhatsApp or Twitter without knowing the fact that these social networking sites create an illusory world and causes anxiety and restlessness. Most of the time, middle aged men and old men join social networking sites more as a status symbol and not necessarily to make new friends or renew existing friendship(s). The negative aspects of social networking sites overweigh the positive ones. None would deny that they have caused
Rear View potential harm to our society. Men become victims of social networks more often than anyone else. The more time a man spends on these, the less time he will spend socializing in person with other family members and friends. The overuse of these sites on a daily basis has many negative effects on the physical and mental health of men making them lethargic and unmotivated. But these social networking sites confine men to stay indoor thereby ruining their physical health. Most of the time, they tend to keep checking their accounts again and again, to check their inboxes as they develop the urge to be always online. Worse, any restriction on theiruse leadsto a feeling of aggression and frustration among them. Quite often, men become sexual perverts due to the continuous downpour of erotic messages and sexually explicit videos. Late night chats border on obscenity. It is seen that men are also tempted to send indecent messages or explicit materials to someone through social networking sites because the person at the other end cannot react directly. They are becoming net savvy and use technology without knowing its misuse.
Despite good effects of social networking sites, there also is a process of cultural erosion which promotes ‘individualization.’ A modern society is more flexible and open to changes in an era of globalization. But, it is very unfor tunate that such an open, flexible a n d liberal society has social networking sites aided crime and deviant b e h a v i o r. Any scientific invention can be used, overused or misused. One should understand that freedom with fence is always better.
Social Media Anxiety Disorder
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syndrome acquired when social media participation affects the mental and physical health of an individual. Persons with SMAD avoid practical interaction with people for fear of being judged or evaluated as inferior, thus leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment and depression. Symptoms of SMAD include anxiousness, nervousness and discomfort in social situations; fear to speak in front of groups; intense fear, racing heart, redness, excessive sweating, trembling,
swallowing with difficulty, and muscle twitching. A person with SMAD is likely to spend at least 8 hours a day on a social networking site, add random strangers to Friends’ list while constantly finding opportunities to increase these numbers, excuse themselves in social situation to check on Twitter or Facebook, feel great and unusual sense of attachment to their phone or computer and likely to interrupt conversations to merely inform about a comment on their page.
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Cover Story
Not Just His and Hers
Danish Sheik Core Member, Alternative Law Forum Bangalore
This opinion piece first appeared in The New Indian Express
Photo: The New Indian Express
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peaking of the persecution of transgender individuals in India, the Supreme Court observes that the “moral failure lies in society’s unwillingness to contain or embrace different gender identities and expressions”. With this opening acknowledgment, the court proceeds to craft a charter of transgender rights in its recent judgment in National Legal Services Authority (Nalsa) vs Union of India. I’ll elaborate on one strand of the decision in particular — the legal recognition of transgender identity. At the outset, the judges clarify that they are talking of two kinds of identity claims: one, where transgender may be treated as a third gender, and two, where they may decide their gender within the male/ female binary, regardless of their biological sex. There are two major ways in which non-recognition happens. First, when a transgender individual is refused recognition in the gender of their choice. This is largely a question of burdensome procedure: how many medical, psychiatric and administrative hoops should a person have to jump through in order to be accurately recognised as a legal citizen? The court goes through a lengthy recounting of
Cover Story law relating to the recognition of transgender identity, starting from the infamous Corbett vs. Corbett, with its complete emphasis on biological sex, to the New Zealand case law standard requiring surgical and medical procedures to effect a transformation. The court rejects the idea that gender should be based on biology, holding that the test to be applied is a psychological one. The second recognition issue appears wherever the notion of third gender is absent in the law, which it is at just about every level that matters. The law places third gendered part are unconstitutional. In communities in a unique articulating this as an equality double bind. Criminal law is claim, the court first put largely gender neutral, mostly forward an Aristotelian logic: using the word “persons” the “treatment of equals as to indicate perpetrators of unequals or unequals as equals crimes. Personal laws, on will be violative of the basic the other hand, are chiefly structure of the Constitution”. gendered, so that various state But then it goes on to firmly b e n e f i t s o r legal reinforce that the statuses equal protection such as The third guarantee marriage, under Article gender is thus adoption, of the hyper visible when it 14 guardianship Constitution a n d comes to criminal law, yet involves a su c c e ss i on “positive will take the completely invisible when obligation male-female it comes to the benefits on the state… binary into accruing from by bringing account. The in necessary family law. third gender is social and thus hyper visible economic when it comes to criminal changes, so law, yet completely invisible that everyone including when it comes to the benefits transgenders may enjoy equal accruing from family law. protection of laws”. While the With Nalsa, the Supreme court stops short of declaring Court has maintained that these that the inequality of noncumulative silences on the law’s recognition is by itself a harm,
what it does do is provide all the instances in which nonrecognition leaves transgender persons vulnerable. These include harassment and violence in both public spaces and the home, as well as institutional discrimination, whether at the workplace or in the educational sphere. These proclamations largely adhere to non-recognition in the second sense. What of the first, that is, where individuals want to transition from one gender to another? The court’s sharpest move here lies in an implicit recognition of its institutional limitations to craft actual policy decisions for the transgender community. Thus, instead of trying to mandate its own recommendations for operationalising legal recognition, the court defers to an executive body. In 2013, the ministry of social justice and empowerment constituted an expert committee to
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Cover Story provide an in-depth study of the problems faced by the transgender community and suggest governmental measures. The committee report provides a voluminous set of recommendations for addressing transgender discrimination at various levels. The court holds that the recommendations in the report are to be examined in light of the legal declarations it has made and implemented within six months. Again, this is a master stroke, because the report, for the most part, excels in
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crafting a nuanced set of recommendations. When it comes to legal recognition, it takes a position that grants the maximum autonomy to transgender individuals: so a person has the option to identify as “man”, “woman” or “transgender”, a choice which can be made independent of surgery or taking hormones. This combines the best components of different jurisdictions: Argentina allows for self-identification without medical intervention but not a third gender; Pakistan and Nepal recognise a third gender
Celebrating Love and Death
oovagam village is famous for its 15-day annual Koorthandavartemple festival between April and May. Transgender and transvestite individuals from across the country and abroadcongregate at the temple to celebrate love, death, sacrifice and life. Participants marry the temple’s principal deity Koothandavar (who they regard as their husband) while featuring a re-enactment from the The Mahabharata where Lord Krishna transforms into a woman. Basic rights of these individuals and health care are also discussed here in seminars and beauty pageant and singing contests for the transgender people are held.
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but don’t have clear procedures for gender transition. The report is also sensitive to the pernicious practice of limited recognition of transgenders as “others”: this, it says, cannot be allowed. Finally, it ensures that the gender certification bodies that are to be set up by different states include members of the transgender community. With the judgment as a guiding tool filled in by the substance of the report, we finally have a meaningful right to transgender recognition under law.
Held in the village in Villipuram, Tamil Nadu, this festival is known to be one of the many bizarre and strange customs of festivals observed in India. Similar festivals are observed in nine villages in Tamil Nadu including Puducherry, Nagarcoil, Dindivanam, etc. It is also believed that this Koothandarkoil festival in Koovagam began as a village festival and with the increase in the number of transgenders visiting this place. The sudden media hype of these festivals has only attracted more men to this village ensuing harassment to transgenders.
Book Review
Truth About A Hijra
Swathy Karthik Editor, TRIANGLE
“We got stared at a lot. People asked out loudly—some out of curiosity, others out of malice—whether we were men or women or ‘number nines’ or devadasis. Several men made bold to touch us, on our backs, on our shoulders. Some attempted to grab our breasts. ‘Original or duplicate?’ they shouted and hooted. At such moments I felt despair and wondered if there would ever be a way for us to live with dignity and make a decent living.” - Revathi (The Truth About Me- A Hijra Life story)
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ll over the world, the sexual minorities suffer different forms of prejudice and discrimination. In India the plight remains unknown to the heterosexual majority. ‘The Truth About MeA Hijara’s Life Story’ enjoys the distinction of being the first ever book written by an Indian transwoman. In a patriarchal society like ours, geometry of
gender is perceived in a in a circular shape. We place male gender in the center and the female gender in the periphery. Feminist’s protests date back centuries, which seek for a shift of position from the periphery. With the liberation of the third gender concept (Lesbian, Gay, Queer, Transgender) disturbed and challenged is this centerperiphery binary. Sex is
biologically determined and gender is socially constructed. Though people argue for equal rights they fail to notice the struggle of this third gender to be identifies and recognized the way they are. The Truth About Me is a courageous autobiography of a hijara. In this, Revathi- a transwoman activist - based in Bangalore recollects
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Book Review her horrible life and her transformation from Doraiswamy to Revathi. As many gay men feel, Doraiswamy also felt comfortable playing, dressing and doing works that generally girls do at home. He fought ridicule, persecution and violence not just within her family but also from the outside world, to find a life of dignity. Most of the times Doraiswamy faced the deep unease of being in a wrong physical body. It
uneasy feeling of living as a man. Doraiswamy had no option since he was brutally hurt by his family, and at his teens he fled to Delhi alone. The journey empowered Doraiswamy to understand that world is not small like his village, and people are not the same everywhere. There are people who could accept him, but some could not. He started to live as member of a hijara group, observing various beautiful functions and
threatening from people and constant abuses from strangers. Most of the hijara community in India end up in doing prostitution, as they face extreme poverty. Revathy talks about how her community was out casted and denied of employment. Her many experience in Northern India refracts the traditional Indian society where the hijaras are invited to bless the new born, bride or in any other special occasions.
Most of the hijara communities in India end up in doing prostitution, as they face extreme poverty.
haunted his childhood and teenage. This femininity in him created a lot more complications in identifying himself. His life took another phase when he met a group of transgender people in his place. The feeling of loneliness slowly melted away as he understood that he was not an odd character but there were many like him in the world. A fact which gave him hope to live was when he got to know that it is possible for a boy to transform as a girl, or more correctly a hijara, a eunuch. He wanted to quit the
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rituals they practice. The book describes how she becomes an adopted daughter of the hijara household by undergoing a castration surgery. Finally Doraiswamy was converted into a ‘woman’ that he always wanted to be felt, knew, and was! Thus his new life begun as Revathi. Being a woman was not easy for Revathi. The life was terror- filled, tough and even more cruel. She talks about the silly fights to the big quarrels which even lead to the sexual and economic exploitation,
Meanwhile, Revathi discovered her sexual desires as a woman. Like many other hijaras she also forced to do sex-work to survive and also in a hope that someday she will find her love. This was another transition phase of her life story- Which is described in the book, as brutal as it was – Life of a hijara as a sex-worker. She became the victim of brutal sexual actions of rowdys and drunk men in Mumbai. Her body and mind were tired of doing that and wished to go back to her village. She did not
Book Review expect any kind of consideration, love or comfort from her people, who had actually nearly beaten her to death once for being a ‘poti’. Revathi’s inner voice was confident enough to fight back, when people insulted and abused her. A hijara, for that matter also deserves respect and should tell her tormentors to lay off. Revathi’s life witnessed a drastic change as she shifted from her village to Bangalore, where she worked for a time selling her body. She met with an activist who worked for the rights of the sexual minority community. The organization offered her a decent job and she found it as an escape from the brutalities she faced while doing sex work. She started doing small jobs but her enthusiasm and intelligence won her more responsibilities in that NGO, where she understood that an alternative is needed for people like her. The later phase of her life shows how she became an activist, how she attended different meetings, voted and stood for election, studied and was employed, and married and adopted children and finally to ‘kill the prejudice’ of the heterosexual majority. She also started mobilizing her fellow hijaras. Revathi’s new found joy of being liberated from sexwork and begging did not last so long. Her Guru and Chela (the transwoman who adopted her as daughter) both murdered in different
incidents. She again becomes alone as the man who married her abandoned der despite of her profound affection and dedication to him. At this phase, she decided to write her autobiography to tell the world about what life for hijaras was all about, and to insist the society must give them their due respect. The book is translated from Tamil to English by V. Geetha, a feminist activist based in Chennai. Throughout the book Revathi tries to explicitly tell the difficulties and terrors she faced in her life. People like her never get empathy from anyone, though they do not plead for pity from anyone. Two important things can be found in her writings are frankness and fearlessness. She discusses her intimate experiences of her life as a hijara- her sexchange operation, sexual encounters, the assault and abuse from many men and so on – and the narrative style is striking and breathtaking. The book is a memento to criticize the dominance of masculinity over the sexual minority. It upholds the life values of people who are underestimated and deprived of basic and fundamental human rights. The book awakes a radical thinking of considering gender, sex and identity in a different and real dimensions based on experience. This is perhaps a new way of looking at the geometry of gender as a triangle.
“In the garden of love Was planted the seed of grace Watered with goodness A plant sprouted Tender, caring flower – a flower That does not adorn Sacred sites and prayer rooms.”
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Photo: Anuraj AR
Call them Number 9, Hijra and give a disgusting expression. Do you know their life? Their story? Or anything about them? They clap, they sing They ask for money. Is that their sin? Is that why you complain? They deserve to live like me and you. A life with rights, at least the right to be treated as human.
In Conversation
Swathy Karthik Editor, TRIANGLE
M
Voice for the Voiceless A talk with trangender activist Shethal
(President, Sahodaran Community Puducherry)
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any of the transgender across India are forced to do begging and commercial sex work for their daily bread. Amidst all the stigma and discrimination, this community has beenrecognized as the sexual minority or the third gender by the Supreme Court. There are around 1300 transgender people in Puducherry, among them is Shethal. A transgender activist, who is working for the empowerment of this sexual minority community. In my conversation with her on her 26th birthday, she shared many a things with me. Shethal is the first transwoman in India to enroll as such in the Unique Identification Code. Shethal’sparents are from Kerala, who migrated to Puducherry. Shethal’s schooling was in Puducherry, andshe later went to Goa for her graduation in B. Tech. Like many other transgender people, she has had to face bullying and harassment from her peers and family alike.Shethal was confused about herself and her sexuality and she was felt a deep uneasiness to live among others.During her college days, she learned a lot about her sexual orientation and how she is different from others. After years of opposition and restriction from the society just because she is different, she took the courageous decision of living the way she is.When she came back to
In Conversation her studies, she assumed she being of the homosexual men was the only transwoman here. and transgender people. The Soon, she found many like her; services and programmes she understood the common are aimed at sexual and problems they face. She mental health, human rights, travelled across the country education, counseling and skill to learn about the problems building. SCOHD is also a they face and how to derive a shelter for their free expression, solution for this. Finally, she support and education. understoodthat it is important Shethal turned animated for people to have a platform when she talks about the to interact with each other and rights of ‘her people’ and how share their feelings; transgender important it is for them to get people needed it too. She wanted to avoid the loneliness they felt, and wanted to support them in their fight against stigma and discrimination. That is when ‘ S a h o d a r a n’ was born. An organisation for transgender people in Puducherry and Members of Sahodaran organization nearby areas. Saho daran Community Oriented Health the acceptance and love from Development (SCOHD) the society. She talks about is a registered non- profit the importance of education organization dedicated to with respect to gender the LGBT community of differences for everybody, Puducherry and surrounding including the transgender areas. It was founded in 1998. people. She recollected her past SCOHD has grown from a experiences, and told that in seed to a tree today. The staffs earlier days people were more and the volunteers are entirely ignorant about the transgender composed of transgender community. They treated people and serve different gender differences as some roles in the organization. disease. SCOHD now has over 1200 “Education can change the members of the community. mindset”, Shethal hopes. The The organization is concerned younger generation is more with the health and wellliberal and do not hesitate
to talk about transgender or homosexuality. The liberation of mindset could be achieved due to the new media outlets and social platforms. Education isone of the fundamental rights of all citizens in India,it is appalling to note that transgender community are denied of a very basic right. Lack of proper education will lead to unemployment. Thus for their livelihood expenses, they will start doing what the society demands from them. Unfortunately, that is begging and sex work. Shethal says,“Most of the transgender people up in doing sex work not because they love to do that, but they do not have any other choice.” Shethal is that one distinct voice that could be heard from the noise made by thousand others. There are many, who face oppression, discrimination and harassment from the different levels of patriarchy. Shethal is just an action, which comes out of resistance. She hopes for recognition of the gender not only from the government, but also from the society. She wishes for a future where no children face discrimination based on their sexual orientation. She hopes for a future where people coexist respecting the differences.
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Perspective
All men are equal‌ Really? Tathagata Mitra
Student, Pondicherry University Harvey Milk is one of the most premier gay rights activist political figures in the history of America. Who is the same for India? Let’s think for a second over here‌ no one! Yeah, sure we have the AAP, the INC and the CPI(M) supporting the decriminalization of the homosexual relations. But is that real enthusiasm for a just cause or are they just playing tug of war with the ruling party over a serious issue, thereby reducing it to another subject of their political war. We are a nation of more than 1.2 billion and we have hundreds and hundreds of role models in our society. We have cricketers, tennis and badminton players, film stars, singers, musicians, political figures, opinion leaders and the list goes on and on. But
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really, how many of our role his entire reputation which models have come to the open took him a lifetime to build. to declare themselves as gays Have you heard of Alan or lesbians or bisexuals or Turing? Those of you who are transsexuals. fans of Benedict Cumberbatch No, this is not an issue of and have seen his new film The blaming our role models for Imitation Game will know that not having the Alan Turing is the man because courage to do of whose creations our right by so digital world is many of their what it is today. Homosexuals fans. I mean Long story either have to hide their what is the short, the point? Until identities from the world and reason why we have a become something they are you can sit society who down on a not, so much are ready to computer accept their so that they grow to hate and access other homosexuals. role models data on a as being queer, virtual world pun intended, is because then why would a Alan Turing reputed man come out and w a s good at admit himself as a member of breaking codes. Having that the LGBT community, staking knowledge, perhaps it would
Perspective come to you as a shock that Turing was prosecuted in his lifetime for engaging in homosexual activities. If you are a social media junkie, you must have had come across posts on the Internet in support of LGBT rights saying that it is not something we borrowed from the Western World. And that is true. What we did borrow from the west, particularly the puritans is the attitude of looking down upon certain habits of human nature, for example homosexuality. If you read English literature through the ages, you begin from the Elizabethan era, move into Jacobean, then‌. Then you will find allusions to homosexuality till even about 200 years ago from now. It was this Puritan spirit of propriety that admonished something that
was so natural and at a time when they were ruling over the world, as a result of which, the whole world borrowed the mindset, the outlook and the discourse towards homosexuality. Let us take a look at some of the popular homosexual men from the history of this country. We mostly have people from the media industry, be it journalism or filmmaking. Among them are names such as Ashok Row Kavi, Parvez Sharma, the well-known film producer Ismail Merchant whose partner in life was his partner in work James Ivory. There is the Bengali filmmaker Onir, who directed the film on AIDS and homosexuality, ‘My Brother Nikhil’. And then there is Vikram Seth, the award winning poet and storyteller. What do all these people
have in common? If you take a closer look, all of them are from well to do families, with good educational background, and have spent quite a lot of their lives outside our country. But what about popular lesbian women from our nation? Is there any one? Outside of some lesbian themed films such as Fire, do we see any lesbian cultural subjects in our mainstream media? Even someone like Karan Johar who thrives on his popularity among the masses, is yet to come out as a homosexual. He jokes about it in AIB events, he mentions it in chat shows on again off again, he even made a film about being secretly gay in his segment of Bombay Talkies. Let us look at some of the epics of our world. There is the Iliad and the
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Perspective Odyssey. Both have a huge number of characters who are homosexuals or bisexuals. For example, a lot of scholars agree that Achilles’s cousin, Patroclus whose death brought about the rage that killed Hector, was also his avenger’s lover. In our own mythology, the love between Krishna and Arjun have been argued as beyond that of friends, and we all know about Sam Gamgee’s love for Frodo Baggins. In our mainstream media, people of the LGBT community are always portrayed as the weird or the funny. We either laugh at them, or we pity them for being different than the 90% people of this world. Their portrayal is always as gay or lesbians or bisexuals or
homosexuals. Their identity is no more than their sexual orientation. But that only goes to show how in our society we are still to accept on a large scale these very ‘human’ beings with ‘human’ virtues and ‘human’ vices.That is something which we need to change. Why can’t there be more magazines like Pink Pages? Why can’t there be openly gay people from the middle class society, the very crux of the Indian way of life. The other day I was talking to one of my friends from Kerala, who almost proudly and without hesitation inform me of his gayness. When I asked him whether his parents knew, he laughed and said that they would commit suicide if they find it. He was right, I
thought. Homosexuals either have to hide their identities from the world and become something they are not, so much so that they grow to hate other homosexuals. Or they come out and get persecuted by our society. He is the only gay guy I personally know. I have always been in support of homosexuals but I always wondered how my reaction would be if I found out one of my friends was gay. I am almost proud to say that I didn’t even flinch once when he came out to me. And since then we have laughed together, eaten together, had amazing intellectual discussions, and even shared the same cigarettes. But I honestly don’t feel any different.
The Indian Big Wedding
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happy love story will always bring smile on our face. Wedding of Sandeep and Karthik is such a one. The story is set in California, and in February 2014, both of them were engaged to be married. These men in their early 30s could pick up the harmony in their shared future. Though the wedding held on January 2015, it is very recently the photos of their marriage become so viral in social networks. Sandeep and Karthik have their roots from Kerala and met on an online dating space. The beautiful pictures of their wedding ceremony had been a topic of discussion in closed
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online homosexual groups in Kerala. Though the wedding happened in faraway California, it could spread some cheer to the queer community in Kerala. Deccan Chronicle reports as “Acceptance of homosexuality has been embraced by modern thinkers, but these two decided to celebrate the acceptance of their families in the most Indian way they could think of - the big Indian wedding.” As the couple and their families celebrate the happy moments in their life, ‘Triangle’ wishing Sandeep and Karthik a bright future ahead.
Upfront
Is Tampon a Taboo? Reexamining the rulings, restrictions and superstitions around menstruation
Lakshmi Moorthy
Country director and Honorary Secretary International Rural Network “A cat visited the local temple and started living there. It often disturbed the pujariin the middle of the puja, upsetting the puja vessels, drinking milk and eating the Prasad items. This became a daily affair. The devotees advised the pujari to tie the cat. The pujari thus began a system, tying the cat, later releasing and feeding it after the puja was done. A few years later, the pujari died. When the new pujari took over, the devotees now advised him to tie the cat and he continued the routine. One day the cat died. The devotees and the pujari had gotten so used to a cat; they got another cat for the temple. The tradition continued for many years and to this day there is always a cat at this temple and it is tied before the puja begins. Local people say that it is bad luck to not tie the cat before a puja.” – Anon
T
he story is about how a situation turns into a practice which turns into a superstition. A practice may start with logical reasoning, but when it is followed without any thought or questioning it evolves into a strong belief. This is how a superstition is born. India has many superstitions, taboos and rules around the subject of menstruation. It is one area that is shrouded in mystery, silence
and shame. There are some common practices across the different states of our country. - You are impure at this time, do not touch the tulsi plant, it is pure. - You emit negative energy and so should not go to a temple, read religious books or light lamps. - Do not sleep on the mattress, you will pollute it, sleep on the floor. - Do not let men see the menstrual cloth – they will go
blind. - Do not take bath during this time; bath once in for all after 4 days. - Have some shame, hide matters about periods. - If you are not married – do not wear a tampon or menstrual cup Where did all this come from? When and how did it start? In the areas where we work, we asked young women where they had heard these
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Upfront
do’s and don’ts from. They said it is from their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, other female relatives and friends. There was no scientific explanation because no one had any logical answers to give. In India, young people are not entitled to argue with or question their elders, so they remain silent. Thus before long the same thought or belief is internalized and practiced and then passed on to the next generation. In southern Rajasthan, women choose a dark coloured cloth to use during their periods, which they put out to dry in a dark corner. In their perception it solves many issues, stains do not show, and men will not see. But this is detrimental to health. Stains never get completely washed off while using dark cloth, putting it to dry where there is no sun means the cloth is not properly sterilized. Societal acceptance is considered important over one’s own health, thus their health gets compromised. Many scholars and activists have examined the roots of these blind beliefs around shame, pollution, stigma and patriarchy around
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way. Patriarchy dictated that women live separately at these times, a power move designed by men. Thus the system of isolating women from the rest of the household began. Menstrual huts in Africa, the ’goat’ in Uttrakhand in India, the Chaupadi in Nepal are forms of shunning, stigmatizing that still exist. As societies grew, isolation took on other forms, staying away from the kitchen, being banned from attending menstruation. Some of these religious functions, restrictions thinkers and scholars have on touching religious books explained this in a simple and others. way. People from early What is the medical story civilizations could not fathom behind the occurrence of this occurrence of bleeding. menstruation in adolescent While it was easy for them to girls and women? It is a perhaps understand urinating biological expulsion, just like and defecating, they could not any other body expulsion like understand how bleeding could perspiration, saliva, tears, urine occur every month and that or feces. Menstruation is a too without any visible signs of flow of blood that occurs for injury. The source of the bleeding 3 to 7 days every month. The was a mystery, as t h e y only unique feature about had limited this is that it happens knowledge only to the female a b o u t If this blood species. Blood anatomy and was indeed dirty emerges from internal organs. an organ in the or filthy Thus they body, began to fear as it is believed, the female the uterus. this blood, growing baby If pregnancy and in turn were to occur, will surely not feared women this same during these days, survive! b l o o d feeling that women cushions had some power that the fetus and men did not possess. Blood protects it for nine months. began to be considered dirty If this blood was indeed dirty and touching someone who or filthy as it is believed, the was bleeding was believed to growing baby will surely not lead to contamination. What survive! this contamination was - was Education has clearly not nebulous and notional. changed mindsets. Indian This fear of bleeding society still finds it difficult manifested itself in a different
Upfront to speak about reproductive health. Menstruation still causes people discomfort and embarrassment. In case of commercial products, shaving creams and toothpastes are purchased and bought openly, but with sanitary napkins it is a different story. The shopkeeper puts the packet in a black opaque plastic bag. How many women can actually carry pads openly like they carry shampoo? The shopkeeper alone is not at fault here. It is a change of mindset that is required. The reality is that there is too much secrecy around the subject. A child is taught how to say ear, nose, eye, teeth, but never taught to say vagina or penis, so the code words begin at this stage – families have their own code words for reproductive organs and gets referred to as ‘susu, ‘toto’ ,’titi’, ‘that part’ etc. At an infant stage, children pick up that these are secret spots and no one must speak about it. The recent incident in Kerala is an exemplar in case of
In case of commercial products, shaving creams and toothpastes are purchased and bought openly, but with sanitary napkins it is a different story mindsets. A bus conductor did not allow a woman to enter the bus as it was full of pilgrims going to Sabarimala saying that it was reserved for men. The Kerala transport authorities later confirmed there is indeed no such thing as bus reservation for male pilgrims, the facility is for everyone. Take the other cases of the many temples across India with notice boards outside saying women are not allowed when they have their periods. Who decides this? Temple authorities? But who
Rural women drawings on reproductive health
are these temple authorities? Have they forgotten to realize that urine and feces stays inside the body for long hours? Have they ever thought about goddesses who also must have menstruated? Thinkers and activists have been addressing some of these issues for the past many years, but change is slow, and can occur only when communities put thought into what they hear, before blindly following meaningless concepts. There are many NGOs, Government programmes and funding agencies in India that support and work in the area of adolescent reproductive health. Their philosophy is that education and awareness initiatives must begin with young people. The interventions that are designed are a combination of raising awareness, giving the correct medical facts and helping young people to think critically about their own bodies. MacArthur Foundation,
Source : Vikalp designs
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Upfront UNFPA, Chetna in like tampons and cups do not Ahmedabad, CINI and get any approval. The reality Thoughtshop Foundation in is that these products can Kolkata, TARSHI in Delhi, be used even if a user is not JatanSansthan, Vikalpdesign, sexually active. Multinational ARTH in Udaipur, Sahyog companies through very clever in Lucknow, Sangath in Goa advertising reinforce notions are agencies that have been of disgust, smell and shame. working for many years in Advertisements tell you how the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights. The government of India has adolescent health initiatives through the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) programme. The question however is what you can do? How can you be an agent of change? It begins with us. The first step is re-learning about menstruation. Once learn you will be able to understand the subject clearly and judge what is good or bad and make informed choices. The second is to think about the taboos and superstitions, the rules that one is supposed to follow, and apply some reasoning to Godess kamakya of Assam during menstruation those practices. Not all rulings are bad, many things you will stink during your that our grandmothers said period if you do not use their wereindeed sensible. perfumed sanitary napkins. Going further with what can If a menstrual product is you do, is the use of products changed at least four times a to manage periods. Due to day, there will be no smell, the deep rooted discomfort around advertisements will not tell you issues of sex, sexuality and that! Other advertisements will reproductive organs, menstrual tell you cloth is old fashioned. products that require insertion Old fashioned is good, cotton
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cloth is good, it is soft to skin, gives no rash, boils or allergy, it can breathe unlike the high technology disposable sanitary napkins made of polymers, gels and chemicals discharged. Cloth / fabric based menstrual products must be washed well and dried in the sun. T h e r e are strong movements in India now looking at reusable and sensible options for menstruation. Reusing is always sustainable as it does not put massive negative impact on the environment like use and throw products do. Prestitched cloth pads are available online and in stores. Thinkers have very wisely said – re-think, re-examine redo, re-work, re -use, re-cycle. These ideas have barely scratched the surface of the complex issues of menstruation. It is our responsibility as young people to question, to take responsibility and to take charge of our bodies. Change the rules of menstruation. Instead of ‘no, do not, cannot, must not and be quiet’ – let us change it to “yes, do, I can, I must, I will and I will speak!”
Tribal Margin
The Displaced and the Regime
Forest Dwellers in Spring It‘s yet The season of spring When twigs hold the fragile green And the fragrant tree Decked in wedding colours Grass and the dew and fleecy airLife celebrating births. The forest is on fire in tribal margins Shocked festive green And the moaning grass Blood smeared mist Blood of babies: disposable sewage Filthy, unkempt, smelly; Life saving smiles and eyes Now outlawed, and beasts of the land in boots Trampling afoot Dying blooms under foot Scattered like dead leaves in the storm Like flying rock in the floodsGlistening black stains. When the fury dies A rustling gust of wind Will rush past Over the trembling earth Hiding her children In the womb Of her red glowing haven. (In memory of the Muthanga firing)
Dr. Zahira Rahman
Head, Dept. of English MEA SS College Areakode, Kerala
T
he large scale eviction of ethnic communities and destruction of bio –diverse eco systems ushering in a monoculture of the rich and the powerful spells death –knell for life on earth. The Earth, the soil, the land has always been the most significant fact concerning life on earth. The right to live, grow and care for natural resources has been the concern of those whose survival depended on it: therefore the role of adivasis and women in the struggle to preserve nature and natural resources against the assault of greed and profit gains significance. The Adivasis or the indigenous tribes around the world have always borne the brunt of violence in the name of development. What is happening in Orissa, Jharkand, Bihar, Chattisgarh ,in the Northeastern states and in the other tribal regions of this vastly diverse nation state held together by sheer will of corrupt political structures and corporate propaganda, is a mowing down or repression of the rich mineral and natural resources and with them the ancient communities which have guarded them for centuries. The Muthanga incident in Wayanad Kerala in February 2003 is an instance of the workings
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Tribal Margin enactment of laws that facilitate protection of minority ethnic community rights were dealt with shoddily. In 2014 the Adivasis at the end of their tether, frustrated by long drawn out legal proceedings and bureaucratic conundrums reaffirmed their belief in the power of the solidarity of common people beginning the Nilpusamaram (standing protest). It is rather seen as a blend of Ecofeminism and many other human interest issues. Ecofeminism is a movement which brings together the elements of feminist and green movements. It expresses feminism in the view of humanity gendered in ways that, subordinate, exploit and oppresses women. Poet and activist Leena Manimekalai shows her solidarity We began to see that the of a repressive state apparatus. also projects drawn up to set relationship and possession of The Adivasis evicted from their up a self –rule programmes nature by men, and an exploitive natural habitats in the name of and practise subsistence and oppressive relationship development and the ‘good’ of agriculture. Following the between men and women, and common humanity entered the protests, government agreed to prevails in most patriarchal Muthanga forest and built huts the disbursement of land and societies. This form of protest in the Muthanga forest reserve rehabilitation of the adivasis. is familiar to the modern under the banner of Adivasi However the government world through choreographer Gothra Maha Sabha or AGMS. orders regarding these and Erdem Gunduz’s protest in The Muthanga forest, the Istanbul’s Taksim square homeland of the Adivasi comagainst repressive policies of The Adivasi munities in Wayanad was dethe government. He stood clared a sanctuary in 1960s and Nilpusamaram in unmoving in the centre of the later in 1980s to make way for Kerala was more square until thousands joined mono culture eucalyptus planorganized and had a marked him and the message turned tations. The Adivasis, forcibly viral . evicted were torn apart by female representation. C.K.Janu, The Adivasi Nilpusamaram starvation, disease and death. the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha in Kerala was more organized leader and scores of Adivasi The Adivasis in 2001 and had a marked female had sought to reclaim their women stood protesting in representation. C.K.Janu, the traditional rights over the front of the Secretariat in Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha Muthanga forests and revive leader and scores of Adivasi Trivandrum. the natural eco- systems women stood protesting in especially the water bodies front of the Secretariat in and vegetation. There were Trivandrum. Medha Patkar
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Tribal Margin
Medha Patkar and C.K. Janu in Stand Up protest joined them on the 158 day and was vehemently critical of the indifference of the State government to the lengthy protest staged in their vicinity. She had pointed out they are ‘Adivasis’, the original inhabitants and everyone else has come to encroach upon their land and that they were displaced unjustly, unconstitutionally and undemocratically and none of the acts enacted by the UPA government, the New Land Acquisition Act, Forest Rights Act 2006 or PESA, none has been fully implemented. PESA ideally would allow tribal advisory councils to oversee tribal affairs and also gives extrajudicial, extraconstitutional powers to the Governors of each State to intervene in matters where they see tribal autonomy be-
ing compromised. When it was enacted, PESA was seen as a legislative revolution however in reality the petitions of tribal activists have never been looked into and legal intervention is an impossibility. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are at logger heads and the implementation of many a tribal welfare programmes get caught in the bureaucratic mesh. The plight of the 44 children who went to jail with their mothers who were arrested in the 2003 Muthanga police action is now settled with paper notes- one lakh for each child. When the Nilpusamaram was called off after 162 days and the government agreed to the demands to initiate disbursement of land and
rehabilitation programmes and implement PESA, it must be seen as a triumph of the spirit of the minority groups who have endured against great odds to bring a losing struggle against the powerful state colluding with the rich corporate and the land mafia to its conclusion: Adivasis are closely watching the developments and are doubly cautious of the traps both the government and the NGOs might set . However what is heartening is the diehard stance of the empowered tribal women who have forever been torch bearers of fecundity whether it be of the environment or the human community.
Ecofeminism is a movement which brings together the elements of feminist and green movements. It expresses feminism in the view of humanity gendered in ways that, subordinate, exploit and oppresses women. We began to see that the relationship and possession of nature by men, and an exploitive and oppressive relationship between men and women, and prevails in most patriarchal societies.
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Photo Album
Kaleid Photographers shutter the
The perspectives behind the black veils Deepan Kumar
Fishing ain’t only a man’s profession afterall Subhajit Paul
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A bucketful to be sold Habeeb Rahman YP
World in her eyes Sarath AK
Photo Album
oscope women around for TRIANGLE
Nandi hears all her prayers Prabha Bharathi
They cook, they serve, they smile Prabha Bharathi
Together till the sun sets Anuraj AR
That hand of the better half Deepan Kumar
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Discussion
Open Forum
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Our question - your answers
India’s Daughter
A
mid all the discussions and disturbances, ‘India’s Daughter,( the documentary directed by Lessle Udwin) had telecasted in BBC on 4 March 2015. The film received applause from many, whereas some criticized it. Do you think ‘India’s Daughter’ disturbed the social fabric of India (If there is one exists) and why? I do not think that the documentary disturbed the “so called” social fabric of India. But the documentary need to be shared if we want to strive for gender equality not only in India but across the world. Haris Najib (Student) Jamia Milia
The documentary definitely brought out the insensitivity and immorality of certain section of people, both men and women. It proved India is run and outlawed by bunch of illiterates. Definitely stirred and shook the fabrication of the society, where rape is justified by anything but liberation of women is nullified by immorality. Anwesa Sarkar (Student) Pondicherry University Lessle Udwin went deep and tried to highlight the other side of many victims. It was the thread of poverty and lack of proper education tied them together. The social fabric of India is an imagination which most of the policy makers carefully use to restrict the freedom of speech. . Abhilash John (Recruitment Consultant ) IMS Gujrat
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Discussion The fear of negative effect on India’s image in international communities and it’s negative impact on Tourism sector lead to the banning of India’s Daughter in our country. We are currently living in a dark age which oppresses reach of the voices. It is necessary for us to react before they pull out our tongues. Rape must be banned, patriarchy must be abolished. Not a documentary. Arundhathi Nalukettil (Actor, Activist, Student) Hyderabad Central University Mukesh Singh was voicing the opinion of many Indian men who to a very patriarchal society. They share the common patriarchal view towards women. India’s problem lies in its reluctance to introspect and its refusal to criticism. Does ‘India’s Daughter’ disturb social fabric of India? It’s rather funny, as we are honest enough in the analysis of our society, India’s social fabric is in tatters. Muhammed Nisam KP (Student) Kerala One rape every 20 minutes in this country cannot be explained as a conflict of illiterate versus literates, the middle class versus slum- dwellers, the English speaking versus regional language speaking, even men versus woman, as the film implies its convoluted way, but is intricately connected to deep- rooted patriarchy, caste, inequalities, religious chauvinism, state terrorism, crony capitalism, and economic oppression. Leena Manimekalai (Poet and activist) Tamil Nadu India’s social fabric is not tarnished by foreign media or film makers. We are responsible for the damage we cause. We no more feel proud of a culture which worships women and which upholds the legacy of Indian women leaders. Instead, majority of us obediently devour the fallacy that our culture places women inferior to men. Violence against women is a global pandemic, yet, what is an Indian’s contribution to make Indian crimes more alluring to the rest of the world is the more pertinent question in my mind. Devi Sajith (Doctoral student) The United States of America The creation of and the ban on India’s Daughter’ definitely caused ‘tears’ on the social fabric of India. The partisan white view, that gendered violence is inherent in the ‘sick’ Indian society populated with promiscuous women and men with myopic mentality, questions our cultural integrity. A very relevant question in this context - are Indian women in dire need of global saviours? Do we need external cultural forces to patronise us? The ban on the film in India cannot be justified either , as it is an encroachment on our freedom of thought. C. Sree Kala (Associate prof. Retired) Kerala
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Our Team Editorial
Swathy Karthik
Lei KAS
Krishnaveni I
Sunitha Devi S
Renza Iqbal
Photography
Anuraj AR
Deepan
Prabha Bharathi
Sarath AK
Layout & Design
Habeeb Rahman YP Tinsu Sivasankaran
Thanks to Romila Indira Sudhakar | Dr. S Arulselvan | Samarjit Kachari | Leo Joseph | Bhagyasree P | Manjusaranya MM | Aswanth G Krishnan| Kavya M | Thirunavukkarasu | Rama Moorthy (Dinamani) |Bhagalavan Periar (The New Indian Express) | Pandiarajan (The New Indian Express) | Yamini Lohia (The New Indian Express) | Sahodaran Community Puducherry
Subhajit Paul