Breaking the mold: Profiles of brave and bold women bringing change in Bangladesh

March 8, 2017

For International Women's Day 2017, the Dhaka Tribune interviewed some of the trend-setting, trail-blazing women who are breaking new barriers every day.

Nasrin Sultana, 48
Warehouse inspector, Fire Services & Civil Defence
Rajib Dhar/Dhaka Tribune

Nasrin is a recipient of the President Award for her courageous service to people in disaster prone areas, fire victims, and fire control. 35 fire fighters work under her command at the Lalbagk Fire Station.

Who is your biggest supporter?
My elder sister Hasina Begum who gave me the courage to pursue my career.

What is the biggest obstacle for you?
I do not see any barriers. My job is risky but there is no room for excuses in my job. I am a fire fighter first and a woman second.

Why this profession?
Having the ability to save someone’s life is what made me become a fire fighter in 1984. There is also this sense of adventure which makes every day different and unique.

How do you balance professional and personal life?
My husband Yousof Ali is my support system, without him I would not be able to balance my personal and professional life. We have two sons and they all know that my work comes before everything else. They are the secret behind my success.

Fahmida Mohsin, 33
Lieutenant Commander, Bangladesh Navy
Navy staff officer of Information and Technology Department and mother of twins
Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

Who is your biggest supporter?
My parents, they were both very supportive of my career choice. I saw my mother balancing a job and maintaining a family and realised that I could do that too. My father taught me to believe in myself and have courage.

What is your biggest obstacle?
It is having to spend so much time away from home. I have to be on call 24 hours a day and spend up to nine months at sea with mostly male colleagues. My supervisors are supportive and I have not experienced any gender discrimination.

Why this profession?
The orderliness of men in naval uniforms made me want to join the Navy. I also graduated with an electrical engineering degree from Buet.

How do you balance professional and personal life?
With the support of family. When my twins were only a year old I had to go to India for three months. My husband who is also a naval officer and my in-laws took care of our children. Without them I would not be able to balance my career and personal life.

Nazia Afrin, 27
Flight Lieutenant, Bangladesh Air Force
The first woman pilot to fly the Basic Trainer Transport Aircraft L410
Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

Who is your biggest supporter?
My father (retd) Group Captain Ilyas Akhand.

What is your biggest obstacle?
I refused to let anything get in the way of me becoming a pilot. I focused on the goal and did not stop until I made it.

Why this profession?
I grew up dreaming to be a pilot just like my father.

ow do you balance professional and personal life?
I have strict divisions between my personal and professional life.

Sadia Binte Siddique, 23
Flight Lieutenant, Bangladesh Air Force
Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

She has been flying the helicopter known as Bell 212 for last two years which is mostly used for rescue and medical evacuation.

Who is your biggest supporter?
Coming from Barisal, one would not particularly have aspirations like mine but I had very progressively minded parents who supported my career choice wholeheartedly.

What is your biggest obstacle?
Men who think women should only be a housewife. It is a choice but women should be able to make any kind of career choices she wants and believes she can do.

Why this profession?
Being a pilot is exceptional. We also have very few female pilots in the force. I love the challenge and the adventure of being a pilot.

How do you balance professional and personal life?
Strict division between work and leisure time.

Parbati Roy, 29
Lecturer, North South University
Parbati comes from the indigenous Chakma community
Courtesy

Who is your biggest supporter?
My mother. My aunt, my mother and a family friend supported me during my higher education at Dhaka University which led to a scholarship in Australia that changed my life.

What is the biggest obstacle for you?
Overcoming parental disapproval and work place discrimination. My father was so conservative that he did not want me to come to Dhaka for higher studies. I had to break that barrier and prove independence. At my old work place, I did not get support because of being an indigenous woman.

Why this profession?
I found more security and safety in the teaching profession.

How do you balance professional and personal life?
With support from my mother and husband.

Afrosa Hasan Bindiya, 25
Hair and makeup artist, Deepto TV
A transgendered woman who has been working in the makeup industry for the past 12 years
Courtesy

Who is your biggest supporter?
My mother and sister.

What is the biggest obstacle for you?
People’s judgement. My father made me move out of our house because of the gossip I generated in our building. When I was in school kids treated me different but I slowly grew to accept who I was.

Why this profession?
When I first moved in with the transgender community, I felt I had finally found my home. I was happy. But I realised that there was no respect in the work that we do. I went back home and overcame many obstacles to find a
Pakistani beautician, Naznin Khan, who trained me and now I am self-sufficient financially.

How do you balance professional and personal life?
With the support of my mother and boyfriend.

Banchi Khatun, 42
A hawker selling cigarettes on the street, the breadwinner of her family
Courtesy

Banchi sells cigarettes to meet ends meet. She is the only person in her family with an income.

With the money she earns, she pays for her husband’s medical treatment and tries to send her son to school.

But she does not quit.

“I walk all day to sell cigarettes. After work, I go home to do chores, cook breakfast, lunch and sometime dinner.”

Parvin Talukdar, 35
Street food vendor
Courtesy

Parvin is a street food vendor feeding rickshaw-pullers, day labourers, and drivers on the sidewalk.

Her husband is unemployed but helps with the chores.

“My workplace is not friendly and safe for a woman and I face many threats all the time.”

Courtesy: The Dhaka Tribune

How a group of six Dalit women in Andhra empowered several thousands – with journalism

March 8, 2017

Hard working, determined and feisty, these women can give mainstream newspapers a run for their money in rural Andhra.

It was 16 years ago that Manjula was asked if she was willing to travel to Tirupati from her village in Andhra's Chittoor District.

"Around 23 local women leaders who were part of a 'Mahila Sangam' (self-help group) were selected from various mandals, and we all headed to Tirupati. Little did I know that it would change my life forever," Manjula says.
In 2001, Manjula began her career as the first ever editor of Navodayam, a monthly magazine that is run mostly by Dalit women, and covers various grassroots issues in the district.

In August 2001, the quarterly magazine printed around 750 copies of its first issue, consisting of eight printed pages. Today, the magazine issues a 20-page edition every month, and has a subscription of 40,000 and a readership of 4 lakh, spread across the district.

It has been a long journey for Manjula, who has watched the magazine take birth and grow.

"Initially, we were absolutely clueless about what journalism and reporting was," Manjula says with a chuckle.

After a three day training program, the women who attended the event at Tirupati were asked to write a small piece on a civic issue in their village and submit it to a vernacular paper.

"We were all semi-literate. English was a long shot, and we weren't that well-versed with the kind of Telugu that you read in newspapers. Our language was crude and simple," Manjula adds.

In fact, even today, the magazine uses comparatively simple Telugu, as spoken by villagers in the district.

The magazine was initially funded as part of the then united Andhra Pradesh's poverty alleviation programme dubbed 'Velugu'.

"We all spread out, and began looking for stories in our own villages and mandals. We would then get all the details, and write the story. Then, we would edit it among ourselves, select a page design (layout), and then print it. Just six of us had to do all this," says Manjula.

The women also had to take care of distributing the magazine to various villages from where they reported.

Manjula says that the women were intimidated at first, but got better at the job as several talks and training sessions were organised for them during the first year of the magazine.

What about photos? At first, there were none.

"We had just learnt how to report. Photography was an even more alien concept. Instead, one of us was really good at drawing and sketching. So, we would just take our stories to her and tell her what kind of image we wanted, and she would draw it for us," Manjula says.

"It was only around three or four years after we started, that we got our first reel camera. Then we used to take photos to the studio and develop them," she adds.

The journalists with Navodayam today are even equipped to operate a full fledged video camera.

Navodayam has four major aims:

1. Give ‘voice’ to the rural and poor women
2. Place rural women in charge of news coverage
3. Reach information out to touch, influence and inspire the rural poor
4. Adapt journalism so that it becomes a tool to empower rural, poor, oppressed and uneducated girls and women.

However, it was definitely not a smooth journey for the women.

"Around 23 women attended the first training program. At the end of it, only three of us remained. Many villagers would ask us things like why women and girls should roam around for work," says Manjula.

"Many times, we had to travel for stories and stay somewhere else overnight. This was unacceptable by many of the village elders then. People would ask us why we wanted to work, when our husbands and fathers were there. But we didn't listen," Manjula says, as she breaks into another chuckle.

Manjula says that things got serious when they used to receive death threats for writing certain stories, as the men in the villages were troubled by the sudden shift of things.

Today, Navodayam has around 12 permanent members besides other contributors. Each reporter covers around five to six mandals as part of her beat.

The magazine writes extensively on the issues that their readers can directly relate to.

"We write only about things happening in our own villages and our own neighbourhoods, whether it’s larger issues like women’s empowerment, domestic violence and child marriage or something as small as how to clear a bank loan before you get buried in interest," Manjula says.

The first batch of reporters who worked with the magazine have also gone on to address several large crowds and share the story of their journey.

The magazine, with its writings on issues of gender, has created awareness and empowered several women who are now standing up for their rights.

Navodayam, and the women running it, have also won several awards since its inception.

While mainstream dailies have a short life span and don’t get distributed to interior villages, Navodayam manages to overcome both hurdles. The paper gets read in all the meetings of women’s self help groups, says Manjula.

Fund crunch
While the magazine continues to be operational, it has been facing a bit of trouble in recent times.

Navodayam no longer gets funding from the state, and advertisements in the magazine are rare.

"We get the occasional advertisement request, but mostly our magazine goes without any ads," says Manjula.

The magazine has convinced one women’s self-help group per mandal that they cover, to pool in and pay Rs 70 as the cost of an annual subscription.

"Since printing costs have increased, we have been facing a fund-crunch recently. We may not have money to pay our salaries for one or two months every year, but we manage," Manjula says.

She adds that the magazine gets a little monetary assistance from the Zilla Samakhya, which is a district-level federation consisting of several SHGs.

"Usually, we get our subscription money in January or February, but it gets over by October or November, and then we just scrape through," Manjula adds.

However, this hasn't disheartened her.

"We have inspired a younger generation of women to join the magazine. Several new people have joined over the past five years, and I'm seeing a lot of difference from when we first started this. The next generation is much more empowered and optimistic. I'm sure they will take it much ahead. As for my 16-year-old journey with Navodayam, I have no complaints," she says.

This article was first published on The News Minute

Most women worldwide prefer to work at paid jobs; men in their family agree: ILO-Gallop survey

March 8, 2017

In India, more men than women would like to see the females in their family seek employment outside their homes

A large majority of women across the globe – 70 per cent – would prefer to work at paid jobs. This includes a majority of women who are currently not working as also women from countries, including Arab states, where women have traditionally stayed at home.

Interestingly, a majority of men too – 66 per cent – would also like to see women from their families at paid jobs.

In India, however, the situation is reverse. More men – 65 per cent – than women – 52 per cent – would like to see the female sex at paid jobs.

The above findings are the result of a global survey conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with Gallup in 2016. During the survey, 1,49,000 adults from over 142 countries and territories were interviewed.
Other highlights of the report:

Most men and women think it is acceptable for the women in their families to have paid jobs outside their home if they want to. Significantly, the response was the same in every region across the world.
Families play a significant role in shaping opinion. Among women from households in which it is not acceptable for women to be working outside, 61 per cent said they prefer to stay at home.
Almost universally both men and women said the “balance between work and family” was the biggest challenge working women are faced with. However, the nature of the challenges faced is different. While in developed and emerging economies, balancing work and family is the prime concern, unfair treatment at work, lack of affordable child care are the main problems working women face in developing economies.
Worldwide the majority of employed women say what they earn is at least a significant source of their household’s income. Over 25 per cent of the women respondents said they provide the main income for their household.
While global trends suggest that women and men share some common ground on several issues, women face unique challenges in every region and every demographic.

The full report may be viewed here.

Our “hormonal outbursts” will be your nightmare! Pinjra Tod

March 8, 2017

Statement and image by Pinjra Tod

On the eve of International Working Women’s Day, Maneka Gandhi has given a deeply patriarchal, casteist and classist statement to a media channel saying that hostel curfews are necessary as “laxman rekha” for controlling women’s “hormonal outbursts”, that the question of “women’s safety in colleges cannot be solved with just two Bihari guards with dandas”, that there should be separate days for men and women to go to the library at night.

Its clear to us that she has said this today in response to the fact that women students across the country from Benaras to Mumbai, Delhi to Patiala, Lucknow to Hyderabad, Chennai to Ludhiana, Roorkie to Cuttack have come out strongly to assert their presence in the university space and claim over public resources.

Maneka’s allusion to hostel curfews as “laxman rekhas” exposes wonderfully what we have been saying right from the beginning, that these rules are not mere archaic rules, that underlying them is an elaborate system of brahminical control over women’s lives and decisions. It only further proves the fact that what we are fighting against is a massive structure, from the family whose opinion is sought by the administration to legitimise these rules, to the structures of state power that seek to build their manuwadi edifices through regulation of women’s bodies and sexualities.

Our “hormonal outbursts” disrupts their constructions of “bharat mata”.
Our “hormonal outbursts” rips apart their attempts to control our desires and dreams!
Our “hormonal outbursts” will not be fooled by your jumlas of ‘safety’!
Our “hormonal outbursts” refuses to be reduced to anatomy and biology!
Our “hormonal outbursts” will be your nightmare!

JOIN PINJRA TOD for a demonstration outside the UGC Head office at 12pm tomorrow to demand strict implementation of the Regulations 2015 on “prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutes”, which the government that Maneka belongs to, was forced to issue last year. One of the clauses in this circular clearly states that discriminatory regulations cannot be imposed on women students in the name of ‘safety’.

For more details, please check
https://www.facebook.com/events/884984631641256/

As part of the demonstration, we will also proceed to the Ministry of Women and Child Care Development at Shastri Bhawan around 3pm, to tell Maneka Gandhi that these “laxman rekhas” have been and will be transgressed again and again!
https://www.facebook.com/events/234950333575472/

Courtesy: Kafila.online

Trump warns annexation of West Bank will cause ‘immediate crisis’ between US and Israel – Lieberman

March 8, 2017

The announcement today by Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman at the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, that the Trump administration warned Israel that imposing sovereignty over the West Bank would cause an “immediate crisis” between the U.S. and Israel, is spreading like wildfire.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman addresses Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, March 6, 2017. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Newsweek reported the warning pointed to “a red line for the Trump administration in its relationship with the Israeli government”:

“We received a direct message… imposing Israeli sovereignty [on the West Bank] would mean an immediate crisis with the new administration,” Lieberman told the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “The coalition should clearly state that there is no intention to impose [Israeli] sovereignty.”

The warning came after Likud KM Miki Zohar, who advocates annexation, stated on Israeli television Channel i24 last night that the two state solution was “dead” and Palestinians, while not having full citizenship, would nonetheless enjoy rights like every citizen, except for the right to vote for the Knesset — unless they serve in the army or to “serve the country” which he hastened to assure viewers they would not do.

Lieberman noted he’d been getting calls from “all of the world wanting to know if this is the position of the coalition,” continuing,

“[W]e need to separate from the Palestinians and not to integrate them. The decision to annex Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] would mean the integration of 2.7 million Palestinians in Israel.”

Rather confusing messaging from the Trump administration. Just last month Trump said he’d be “happy” with a one state solution “if Israel and the Palestinians are happy”. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley later walked that back, saying that the policy was still, two-state solution. Maybe Trump heard Palestinians are not happy. We may be hearing more on this latest development soon as Lieberman is due to meet with top U.S. administration officials this week in Washington.

This article was first published on Mondoweiss.net

Dear Prime Minister Modi, here’s what you could learn from Harvard

March 7, 2017

'Mocking economists and credible academic institutions will only isolate us from the world.'

Dear Prime Minister Modi,

I am currently pursuing my master in public policy from Harvard University. I am from a middle-class family and my father is a public servant just like you. Before this, I have worked for over six years towards reforming the education system in India both as a teacher in a municipal school and as a policy implementer for various non-profits. I hope this proves my credentials as a hardworking nationalist.

Your remarks at an election rally at Maharajganj last week that “hard work is more powerful than Harvard” are startling. The very fact that you mentioned Harvard while campaigning in front of people who are mostly uneducated shows that you have been rattled by the observations made by some of the most influential economists in the world.

Let me tell you a few things we learn here at the university. We are trained in the “evidence based learning” approach, which helps in designing and implementing policies effectively so that disasters such as demonetisation can be avoided. We assess the pros and cons of a policy in advance and prepare an operational plan that causes minimum disruption while maximising the outcome. Your demonetisation plan could have benefitted from this approach.
We are also taught statesmanship here at Harvard, which not only builds character but also leads to bi-partisanship. A true statesman knows how to respectfully disagree and engage with an opposing ideology. Our professors always tell us that while it may be acceptable to campaign in poetry but it is always prudent to govern in prose. The vitriolic political discourse in India would do well to remember this.

While you were making these remarks in Uttar Pradesh, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan was addressing us at Harvard and he specifically asked the university and the students to collaborate with your government. Another senior member of your party and MoS for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, is a graduate from Harvard business school. The Prime Minister’s Office has officers on special duty who are alumni of Harvard university. I am sure your comments must have come across as a surprise to all these hardworking people as well.

To develop a country as diverse as India you will need the help of people who bring a different perspective to the table. Mocking economists and credible academic institutions will only isolate us from the world. People like me hope to return to India after graduation and want to join you in your quest to develop the country but such remarks will only push us away. History will be kinder to you if only you are kinder in the present.

Jai Hind!

Prateek Kanwal

This article was first published on Scroll.in

When Jethmalani told Jaitley, “Take my advice, you only answer what I asked”

March 7, 2017

Veteran lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, grilled Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the second day in a row in Rs 10 crore defamation case the latter has filed in the High Court.

Jaitley, according to NDTV, alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had commited an act of libel by alleging that his wife and daughters were linked to fake companies.

He said, “Mr Kejriwal has committed a serious act of libel and malicious also, by alleging that my wife and daughter are recipients, are linked to fake companies… (it is) not only false but taking public discourse to a very low level,” he said.

Jethmalani, who’s representing Kejriwal, reminded him that the Delhi chief minister had merely retweeted the tweet posted by journalist Madhu Kishwar.

To which, Jaitley said that many people made irresponsible statements on social media “but when a Chief Minister endorses them, it becomes a grave and serious offence”.

Jaitley, who contested Lok Sabha polls unsuccessfully in 2014, was asked by Jethmalani if that was the first time the finance minister had putting his ‘great reputation’ at test.

He said that an election result was the outcome of “several factors in the constituency and not merely a test of a candidate’s reputation.”

“Considering that (Mr Kejriwal) lost the same Lok Sabha election in 2014 by three and a half lakh votes…” Jaitley added before being interrupted by Jethmalani.

Kejriwal’s lawyer said, “You take my advice, don’t get into irrelevant matters and only answer what I asked.”

Jaitley was also asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew that he will filing the defamation case against Kejriwal. The finance minister replied in negative.

Jethmalani on Monday had cross-examined Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who has filed a Rs 10 crore civil defamation suit in the Delhi High Court against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five AAP leaders for accusing him of financial bungling in DDCA.

Jaitley’s cross-examination by Jethmalani, who is representing Kejriwal, remained inconclusive and will continue on May 15 and 17.

During the proceedings which lasted nearly two hours in a packed court room of Joint Registrar Amit Kumar, a variety of questions including allegations made against him by veteran cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi were put to the Finance Minister.

Jaitley refuted the allegations of financial bungling in DDCA, saying “a letter of Mr Bedi was written in 2015 and I had left the post of President in DDCA in 2013.”

“I strongly deny the contents of this letter in so far it pertains to me… To the best of my knowledge, the contents of the letter are untrue in so far as it relates to my tenure in DDCA,” Jaitley said after going through the letter which was shown to him.

During the cross-examination which was full of drama, lawyers of both sides opposed various questions and answers and Jaitley’s counsel – senior advocates Rajiv Nayar, Sandeep Sethi and Pratibha M Singh – termed some of them “scandalous”.

The Finance Minister, who was put several controversial questions by Jethmalani, maintained calm and said “Mr Kejriwal has committed a serious act of libel through his malicious falsehood. Alleging that my wife and daughter are linked to fake companies was not only false but taking the public discourse to a very low level.”

Jaitley has filed a Rs 10 crore civil defamation suit in the High Court against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders – Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai – for accusing him of financial irregularities in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) of which he was the president for about 13 years till 2013.

Jethmalani had fired 52 questions to Jaitley in his bid to prove that the lawsuit on defamation by the senior BJP leader was unfounded and should be dismissed. However, 11 questions of the noted senior lawyer were disallowed by Joint Registrar Amit Kumar on the ground that some were matter of record and irrelevant to the case and others were questions of law and not fact and some could be argued during the hearing before the regular court.

The Finance Minister, who headed the DDCA for 13 years, has already tendered evidence in support of his civil defamation suit against Kejriwal and five AAP leaders — Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai.

However, Jaitley, facing a barrage of questions from his former BJP colleague who was expelled from the party in 2013 for six years, refuted Kejriwal’s claim that the December 2015 CBI raid at the Delhi Chief Minister’s office was “purely” aimed at removing files related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in which the Finance Minister was allegedly named.

(With PTI inputs)

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter

Right Wing’s Holl-ow Fame

March 7, 2017

Right Wing turns blind to it's own 'standards of morality'.

Ramjas Protest, 22nd February, 2017

We recently witnessed how ABVP unleashed violence in Delhi University. This does not come as a surprise as the ideology they uphold is inherently violent and discriminatory. The parent body of ABVP being RSS sets the example by action for them. Newsclick invites you to take a walk in RSS’s Hall of (ill) Fame.

Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Chief, batted for ‘Gender Equality ’ in November 2016. He went on to emphasize on more involvement of women for change in society. As surprising as it may seem, this bearer of the gender equality flag, was seen getting his feet washed by tribal women in March 2012.

A Tribal woman washing Mohan Bhagwat's feet.

RSS’s sahprachar pramukh Kundan Chandrawat announced a bounty of Rs. 1 crore on the head of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. Let’s have a look at the background of the boastful man who takes pride in giving such threats.

Kundan Chandrawat’s father , Lakshman Chandrawat lives in destitution. He struggles for his daily bread. He has been living alone for the past 5 years in a small one room house that belongs to the Bohra community, situated in Nayi Sadak. At 70 years of age, he makes his own roti and when not able to, he begs for it from the neighbors. He has only one set of ragged clothes and lives off of Rs 500 a month, given to him by his son. Lakshman Chandrawat asks where his son will get the money that he has awarded for Pinarayi Vijayan’s head. Adding to the anger for his son, he said that Kundan Chandrawat will reap what he sows and will get punished for his wrong doings.

When asked about his wife, Kundan Chandrawat’s mother, he said that even she has been abandoned by the son. The mother, Kasturibai stays in Nanakheda district in Ekta Nagar district. Reporters had tried to find her, but were unsuccessful. This son is willing to give away Rs. 1 crore for a man’s head but cannot spare more than Rs. 500 for his own father. All this is happening when there is a law in our country against the mistreatment of senior citizens known as the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.

Lakshman Chandrawat

Delhi University Student Union’s ex president Satender Awana made the headlines in March, 2016 for a dowry harassment case . The complainant, who was married to Mohit Awana (brother of Satender Awana), in 2015 reached out to the police. Nine members of the Awana family, including Satender and his father, had been named under six counts in the dowry harrassment case.

A month before this ill famed news, he was in the spotlight for roughing up women journalists of The Quint . The story they were pursuing was for a campaign The Quint has spearheaded, called #MakeOutInIndia – an open celebration of sex and sexuality, without any euphemisms attached. The then DUSU president disrupted their interviews and accused them of being morally loose. Maurice Nagar police station’s SHO Aarti Sharma came to their rescue and shut up the rowdy bunch immediately, reminding them that we live in the 21st century where we have the right to talk about sex.

Satender Awana with the SHO and Quint journalists

Satender Awana’s abominable tales are unending. A video went viral on YouTube in December, 2016, in which the former DUSU president and Satender Awana were seen threatening Prof. Ved Kumari , the Dean of Delhi University Law Faculty, even as the police officers stood on silently.

The most recent scuffle in Delhi University also involved the ex DUSU President and his student organisation ABVP. English department of the college, along with Wordcraft – the Ramjas Literary Society – had organised a two-day seminar exploring representations of dissent. Umar Khalid was one of the speakers on 21st February, 2017. ABVP students vandalised the event, objecting to Umar Khalid’s invitation. They surrounded the seminar room and locked up the faculty and students forcing a cancellation of the event. To protest the disruption and violence by the ABVP, the students and teachers of DU organised a protest march on February 22. The march was disrupted by the ABVP, and they attacked students, teachers and journalists alike. More than 20 people were injured badly. Few got hospitalized.

In links to the above case, Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of a Kargil martyr was threatened for speaking up against ABVP Violence. The Delhi University student from Lady Shri Ram college, started a social media campaign on Facebook against the violence caused by the ABVP in the university’s North Campus on 22 February. She was then constantly given death and rape threats by the right wing trolls for supporting ‘Anti-nationals’.

Gurmehar Kaur's brave response to trolls

In RSS’s most recent scandal, former Delhi BJP MLA Vijay Jolly has been booked in a case of rape after a woman alleged that he drugged and assaulted her in February, 2017.

In other allegation that is bound to mar the reputation of Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and RSS, the Party’s Mahila Morcha leader Juhi Chowdhury has been booked in child trafficking case, in March 2017. A key accused in the case in Jalpaiguri, Chandana Chakraborty, had been arrested earlier who, in her testimony, alleged that BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya and MP Roopa Ganguly were also involved in the racket.

Juhi Chowdhury arrested by police

While the RSS has been pointing fingers at other on the question of Nationalism and Morality, what they don’t see is their own three fingers pointing back at them.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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Breaking the mold: Profiles of brave and bold women bringing change in Bangladesh

For International Women's Day 2017, the Dhaka Tribune interviewed some of the trend-setting, trail-blazing women who are breaking new barriers every day.

How a group of six Dalit women in Andhra empowered several thousands – with journalism

Hard working, determined and feisty, these women can give mainstream newspapers a run for their money in rural Andhra.

Most women worldwide prefer to work at paid jobs; men in their family agree: ILO-Gallop survey

Our “hormonal outbursts” will be your nightmare! Pinjra Tod

Trump warns annexation of West Bank will cause ‘immediate crisis’ between US and Israel – Lieberman

Dear Prime Minister Modi, here’s what you could learn from Harvard

'Mocking economists and credible academic institutions will only isolate us from the world.'

When Jethmalani told Jaitley, “Take my advice, you only answer what I asked”

Right Wing’s Holl-ow Fame

Right Wing turns blind to it's own 'standards of morality'.

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