In one of the quintessential alleyways of Kolkata lay the surplus army equipment from the Second World War to be sold as scrap later. A woman scoured through these and salvaged bits and pieces to build the X-Ray equipment she required for her doctoral research. The first woman from Calcutta University to earn a PhD in Physics in 1956 under the tutelage of the legendary scientist Professor Satyendra Nath Bose, Dr Purnima Sinha (Née Sengupta) was a scientist who broke the glass ceiling for other women wanting to spread their wings and make the field of science their home.
“At that time, about ten of us were involved in experimental research at the Khaira laboratory. Each of us used to fabricate his or her own instrument according to individual needs. This was an unwritten rule in our laboratory. We had put together our X-ray equipment from World War II surplus gathered in the lane behind Dr. Bidhan Roy’s house. The rest of the parts were put together at the workshop in our department,” recalls Dr Purnima Sinha, in ‘Lilavati’s Daughters: The Women Scientists of India‘.
Birth, Upbringing & Inspiration
Born on 12 October 1927, in a progressive Kolkata family, Purnima grew up in a household that understood equality of the sexes. Her father, Naresh Chandra Sengupta, was a constitutional lawyer who advocated equal rights for all with an emphasis on women’s education. While her sisters went onto pursue economics, mathematics and chemistry, Purinma decided to study physics at university.
Her passion for the subject caught the eye of Professor Satyendra Nath Bose, who had joined Calcutta University as the Khaira Professor of Physics in 1945. Seeing her immense potential, Dr Bose enrolled her into his team of researchers and in 1951, she began her research in earnest.
Besides her work in physics, Dr Sinha was also a polymath who not only made the wonders of modern science accessible to ordinary Indians in their vernacular, but also embarked on outstanding endeavours in literature, art and music.
“My anthropologist father and my mother who has been as much of an artist as a physicist, had fostered an atmosphere for my sister Sukanya (now a physicist at ISI, Bangalore) and me, where learning, understanding and creating were an integral part of our lives. Visitors at home included poets, theatre personalities, filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, visual artists, musicians and scientists like Nirmal Bose, my father’s mentor and Satyen Bose, my mother’s mentor. In my younger years I had as much interest in the Fine Arts as in Mathematics,” writes Dr. Sinha’s daughter, Dr Suparana, for the Indian Academy of Sciences.
(Left) Dr Purnima Sinha. (Right) Paul Dirac in Calcutta with SN Bose and Dr. Purnima Sinha. (Source: ResearchGate & Twitter/Don’t Panik)
Research and Experiment
Dr Sinha’s thesis titled, ‘X-ray & differential thermalanalysis of Indian clays’, was submitted in 1955, although she received her degree only in the following year.
“Our efforts in the X-ray laboratory finally led to a complete classification of about fifty clay samples into categories like Kaolinite, Montmorillonite, Illite, Vermiculite, Chlorite and so on. The results of this investigation were put together in 1955 . . . Few will realise that it was S. N. Bose, one of India’s finest theoretical physicists, who first initiated research in X-ray based structural analysis of clay samples from different parts of this country,” says Dr Sinha.
Apart from creating her own X-Ray laboratory apparatus, she studied different types of clay from all over the country. Following her PhD, she went on to conduct research in Biophysics at Stanford University on their ‘Origin of Life’ project studying structures involving clay and bases appearing in the DNA double helix.
After her stint at Stanford, she worked at the Geological Survey of India and the JCB Bose Institute for the next two decades. She would finally go onto work at the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, researching on the physics of ceramic colour.
Following her mentor Professor Bose’s lead, she believed that science could be taught in the vernacular and dedicated her life to propagate scientific ideas in Bengali through an organisation he started called the Bangiya Bijnan Parishad (Bengal Science Association). She would go onto translate Erwin Schrodinger’s ‘Mind and Matter’ into Bengali and wrote multiple books of the life and works of Professor Bose.
Science and Beyond
Dr Sinha was more than a woman of science. She was equally proficient in playing the tabla learnt from the legendary Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Hindustani Classical Music and painting as well. Married to leading anthropologist Dr Surajit Sinha, who was the Vice Chancellor of the Vishwa Bharti University, she also took an avid interest in his area of expertise.
She would go on to write a book titled “An Approach to the Study of Indian Music in 1970” and chronicled India’s folk music tradition in numerous articles like ‘Jarawa Songs and Vedic Chant: A Comparison of Melodic Pattern’ for The Journal of Asiatic Society.
The couple also started an informal school for tribal children in Shantiniketan as well, where she also delivered a course on the Physics of Music and worked with potters there.
She managed all this work while raising two daughters, Dr Sukanya Sinha and Dr Supurna Sinha, without ever compromising on the attention they needed. Both daughters have gone onto pursue research in the sciences at some of India’s most prestigious institutions.
Though she may have passed away in 2015, the legacy Dr Sinha left behind is a beacon for many.
Breaking the ceiling for women in physics research, imparting scientific temper to ordinary people in West Bengal and her mastery of the arts leaves her in a league of her own.
Her life is testimony to the notion that anything is indeed possible.
(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Aparna (name changed) works in the field of social services and her work keeps her on the road very often. During these work trips, she dreads using public toilets. A few months ago, after a fairly long stint away from home she returned and started experiencing intense pain in her pelvic region and the frequent urge to pass urine. When she finally went to the doctor, she was told that she had a case of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection. About 40 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men experience at least one symptom of UTI during their lifetime while as many as 40 per cent of affected women suffer with recurrent UTI. It is also known to be one of the most common medical complications during pregnancies.
In this article, The Better India speaks to Dr Anjila Aneja, Director & HOD, Obstetrics and Gynecology – Fortis Memorial Research Center, Gurugram, who speaks at length about UTI.
What are Urinary Tract Infections?
Dr Aneja
UTI is an infection in any part of your urinary system, which includes bladder, kidney, urethra, and uterus. It can be extremely uncomfortable and painful and if allowed to spread to the kidneys, can also lead to serious consequences. Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics to treat UTI.
When asked why women are more prone to Urinary Tract Infections than men, Dr Aneja replies, “One of the most obvious answers to that lies in the anatomy of the male and female body. In women, the urethral opening is very close to the vagina as well as the anus – which makes it easy for bacteria from either the vagina or the anus to travel into the urethra and bladder causing infection. In men it is far apart.”
She continues, “Even the distance from the urethral opening to the bladder is less in women as compared to men.”
While this is one aspect of it, Dr Aneja informs that women who have multiple sexual partners and menopausal women are more prone to contracting UTI. “The change in hormones in the body can impact the levels of estrogen in the body and therefore it may become more susceptible to the infection,” shares Dr Aneja.
Can Public Toilets Cause Urinary Tract Infections?
Dr Aneja confirms that using public toilets, which may or may not be cleaned often and maintain good standards of hygiene can also lead to women contracting UTI.
“I would urge women not to use public western toilets, if you absolutely must, then use toilet seat sanitizer sprays that are available in the market. Whenever you are washing yourself do so from the front to the back and never the other way around,” warns Dr Aneja.
Having said this, Dr Aneja also adds a word of caution that women should refrain from hold their pee since that could also lead to urinary tract infections. “Exercise caution while using public washrooms, practice good intimate hygiene, and always carry a toilet seat sanitizer with you for better protection.”
Prevention
• Keep yourself well hydrated all the time. Bring cranberry juice and apple juice in your diet.
• Do not use deodorants or creams near the vaginal area – this could also lead to infections. “Use regular soap and water to wash if you feel the need, else just water is good enough,” informs Dr Aneja.
• Wear cotton panties and change them often – “If the panties are wet do ensure that you change immediately to avoid getting infected.”
• Dr Aneja also says that one does not need to frequently wash their vaginal area as doing this might rob the area of the good bacteria it has
• When you are cleaning yourself, always remember to do so from the front to the back and never the other way around
• Avoid using public toilets, especially the ones that are very badly maintained
Symptoms that you should watch out for
• Persistent urge to pass urine which, in some cases, might be accompanied by pain while passing urine as well
• Increased frequency in passing urine but being able to pass only small quantities of urine each time
• A foul smell from the urine which otherwise was not present
• Presence of blood in urine
• A fever accompanied by vomiting is also reason to visit the doctor
• A burning sensation while passing urine
• Pelvic pain in women, especially around the area of the pubic bone
“Do remember that UTI can also affect children, so one must, from a very early age, stress on the importance of maintaining good personal hygiene to avoid contracting UTI altogether,” concludes Dr Aneja.
“With lakhs of aspirants attempting the Civil Service Examination (CSE) each year, what’s most important is to have a back-up plan in case you are not able to clear the examination,” says Sonal Goel, UPSC, All India Rank 13 from the 2008 batch.
36-year-old Sonal, who is currently posted as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, grew up in Delhi and completed her graduation from Shri Ram College of Commerce.
Sonal started thinking about appearing for the CSEwhen she was in her third year of graduation.
In this article, Sonal gives a few pointers to aspirants that they should know about before attempting the paper.
1. Always have a back-up career option beside the UPSC
“It was my father, a CA by profession, who made sure that I have an alternate career option ready. Thus, I completed my CS in 2004 and soon started studying law and completed that too. Alongside this, I also started preparing for the CSE,” begins Sonal.
By the time Sonal appeared for the UPSC, CSE, she was already a qualified CS as well as a lawyer.
Sonal attempted the paper for the first time in 2006 but could not make it to the interview round. However, when she wrote the paper again in 2007, she cleared it with an AIR of 13.
2. Understand your motivation well
On duty
According to the IAS officer, aspirants must understand very clearly why they are interested in writing the CSE. “Whether it is only because of the brand value that it adds to you, or because you feel that being in the service will help you contribute meaningfully to society. Ensure that you are very clear about this.”
Speaking from her own experience, Sonal says, “I knew I wanted to make a difference, and was prepared to do that even if I did not manage to secure a position in the civil services.”
When asked about what Sonal’s motivation was, she informs, “I belong to a business family and I thought that being in the services will give me a chance to do something for the society and the nation. It wasn’t the appeal of power that attracted me to this job.”
3. Know the pattern of the UPSC – CSE
Sonal says that before you decide to write the examination, you must understand the pattern of the CSE. Changes are introduced every few years and hence it is important that one is aware of these changes. She asks the aspirants to be aware of the age criteria and the number of attempts they have according to the category (SC, ST, OBC, General) they fall under.
“There are three stages – Prelims, Mains, and the Interview stage. It is essential that aspirants keep an eye out for all the changes that are incorporated into these stages. The requirements of each stage are also very different so one must prepare accordingly.”
4. How many years to give to the exam
Sonal Goel, UPSC CSE AIR 13
“The number of years an aspirant is willing to give to the CSE preparation and attempts is an important decision to make,” says Sonal. CSE requires a minimum of two years from an aspirant— a year to prepare and one year writing the examination.
Sonal says that you must be realistic as far as the time you are ready to devote to the CSE.
“One must also draw up a schedule for preparation; especially if one is working and preparing at the same time.” Speaking from her own experience, she says, “I had planned to give it [CSE] between two to three years. Thankfully I cleared in my second attempt.”
5. Coaching or self-study?
Another important aspect to think about is whether an aspirant needs coaching or can manage with self-studies.
“An aspirant must take into consideration the cost, logistics, and time that these coaching centres will take up. Many candidates stay in areas where exposure is less and if you plan to shift to a place just to attend coaching classes, then ensure that you do your research well before taking the plunge.”
“Since I was staying in Delhi, I started preparation on my own and after a while, I joined a coaching class for particular subjects, where I felt I needed help. For me, coaching classes were supplementary and not the main thing,” she says.
6. Solving previous years papers
Sonal who cleared the UPSC in 2008
Sonal also mentions the importance of listing down the questions already asked in previous year papers especially the last three years.
She also goes on to say that while preparing, aspirants must ensure that they cover all the basic books like NCERT.
“Especially for subjects like Geography, History, Polity and Civics – the NCERT books are very useful as they not only help in clearing the basics but also brush up all the foundational points.”
Sonal herself attempted a number of past years papers and also relied heavily on NCERT books for her preparation.
7. Choosing an optional paper for the UPSC – CSE
Like many IAS officers, who have done well in these examinations, Sonal is also of the view that while choosing an optional paper, an aspirant must give weightage to what they are comfortable with vis-à-vis what they think will help them score more. Sonal says, “Think and research well before you pick the subject. Ensure that you give yourself time to choose the optional as well.”
Sonal chose Commerce and Public Administration as her optional papers for her CSE.
8. Keep yourself motivated
With President Kovind
Preparing for the UPSC exams can be stressful, and through it all, Sonal says that one must find ways to stay motivated. “There will be moments when we lose focus, feel disarrayed, and even disoriented, but it’s important to find something that keeps you going.”
“For me, listening to music proved to be a great stress buster and that, in turn, also helped me stay focussed. Another habit I took to was reading and that also proved to be beneficial.”
9. Revision
One week prior to the examination, Sonal says that aspirants must spend the majority of their time in revision. “The notes you make must be such that it does not take more than an hour to go over the syllabus. A week prior to the exam, aspirants should not go through extensive content or books.”
She goes on to say, “During the time you spend making notes ensure that you are concise and cover all the important points so that closer to the examination you find it easy to go through it.”
10. Importance of the four P’s
Sonal believes that Passion, Patience, Perseverance, and a Positive outlook are traits that are of utmost importance for all aspirants. “No matter what stage of preparation or attempting the paper one is at, keeping these four points in mind will help the aspirant remain focussed and clear in their thought process,” says Sonal.
She also says that the intent with which one approaches these examinations is important. “Even if one does not make it to the IAS, there are so many other options available to an aspirant,” she signs off.
This article has been sponsored by MG Motor India.
From the pressure cooker to the alarm clock, each morning begins with a concert for this unique group of women, who find beauty in the ordinary and create magical verses that are more than just melodious.
United by their passion for music and the need to speak up, these rockstars are a part of Meri Zindagi, India’s first all-female mission band.
“We are a bunch of simple, middle-class women who juggle their ordinary lives with the extraordinary. We wake up early and finish our jamming session by 7.30 am, and move on with our jobs, housework or college. We sing, play and do household chores all at the same time, and we love our lives!” shares the lead singer-songwriter, Jaya Tiwari, who has a PhD in music and has been a radio jockey for over five years, in a conversation with The Better India.
‘Dreaming ke pressure cooker ki seeti ko bajney do… Kajal chudi bindi jhumke payal se sajney doo.. Mere hausalon ke shankh naad bajney do bajney do bajney do…’
A few lines from one of their songs which illustrate the daily lives of these and many more women.
According to Jaya, all her songs draw inspiration from everyday lives—the whistle of the pressure cooker is a wake-up call to dreams, to get ready and face the world head-on.
Based out of Lucknow, this band is known for its unique approach to music, whereby their songs don’t just set fire to the stage, but also invoke meaningful discussions around social issues, especially those concerning women.
Female infanticide, child marriage, girl-child education, domestic violence, and sexual harassment are some of the social issues that have found musical interpretation in Meri Zindagi’s songs.
MG Motor India and The Better India present MGChangemakers Season 2, with stories like that of Jaya, which prove that when individuals curate meaningful experiences, large scale social change can be triggered.
Check out her inspiring story here:
“In Uttar Pradesh, one out of five girls is subjected to child marriage. Their dreams and ambitions decay and die after this. We wanted to portray issues like that in our songs. These issues need to come out of intellectual circles or big conference halls into the open, amid the common people. And, we are happy that we can do so, and that our audience values our lyrics and music. In many of our performances, they even begin to sing with us, making it a more interactive experience of awareness and entertainment,” says Jaya.
With more than 70 songs, which include jingles for All India Radio, UP Mahila Police, CRS – Gurgaon Ki Awaz and Women Power Line 1090, Meri Zindagi has been successfully raising awareness.
They have also done more than 100 shows, both in rural and urban areas and have also initiated a few successful campaigns like ‘no sutta’ (anti-smoking), #humkaalehain (prejudice on colour) and #maaki (against derogatory female-centric slangs).
But, despite the major focus on female-centric issues, the band is not limited by gender and also has a substantial male fanbase as well.
“The issues we raise, affect not just women, but men as well. And that is why our band has so many male supporters. At the end of the day, gender equality is not about shifting oppression from one group to the other. It is about eliminating it,” she concludes.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
According to UNICEF, the highest number of people in the world (around 620 million) who practice open defecation, reside in India. And the hazards of open defecation and poor sanitation facilities are numerous. Disease, poor hygiene, lack of privacy and women at increased risk of sexual assault, to name a few.
Coming in with a solution which helps build a toilet in half the time it usually takes, are the engineers at AMMACHI Labs. The research centre at Amrita University (Kerala) has developed a new mould-based technique for toilet construction that makes constructing them easy, efficient and economically viable.
Developed by using 3D modelling, the key benefits of using this technique include reduction in time and cost for constructing toilets in remote rural settings. A semi-skilled group of four women can construct one unit in approximately 40 hours instead of the conventional 76 hours—cutting the total time by nearly half.
Moreover, they train rural women to construct these toilets. Thus far, they have trained more than 200 women to build these toilets across eight states. Innovations like these are crucial in developing scalable solutions to end open defecation.
Training women to construct toilets.
The Innovation
“We do not just build toilets,” says AMMACHI Labs Director Dr. Bhavani Rao, speaking to The Better India. “The empowerment model we adopt for sanitation is that we teach the women to build and maintain their own toilets. After they master these construction skills, they can earn a living from it by building toilets for others in the village. It’s a win-win solution.”
In 2015, they made a sample mould-based toilet in the University and tested it for a year. After quality control checks, they rolled it out in the field across eight states—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha.
Thus far, more than 400 such toilets have been built across 21 states.
How do they build toilets utilising your new mould-based technique?
“It’s a modular system with each piece numbered. The women assemble each piece by following and aligning the pieces, besides fixing the unit with nuts and bolts. There are only two sets of moulds — one for the foundation, and the other is the walls of the stall. There are a lot of benefits to this technique,” says S Harish Mohan, a mechanical design engineer with AMMACHI Labs, speaking to TBI.
A finished toilet.
Firstly, it needs less skill to make the toilet as it does not require to train masons to lay bricks or plaster them. The model for the toilet has been dubbed MTF Model, which translates into ‘Monday-Tuesday Finished’, and there are options to lay the hinges inside the stall. Furthermore, women don’t need to read instructions. They can follow an easy to learn video which shows the whole process of assembly and building and maintenance.
While the estimated cost of the mould is approximately Rs 55,000, the unit cost of building a toilet is anywhere between Rs 11,500 and Rs 14,000, compared to the conventional Rs 18,000-Rs 22,000.
Using mild steel for rural applications ensures long life in addition to cement, aggregate (gravel, crushed stone, etc) and sand. For the mould, they use waste motor-oil or cooking oil to grease the panels so that they easily come apart.
“The rural sector needs a concrete structure, so we went with this design. For the mould, we adopted a design which can be manufactured in sheet metal shops in rural areas. The design uses mild steel sheet for manufacturing. Once the concrete inside the mould is solidified, the mould can be unassembled and can be used to make another,” says Mohan.
The mould can be assembled in less than an hour and unassembled in the same fashion. Installation of the mould needs skills like checking the vertical and horizontal levels. Makers have to ensure the available gap in between the outer and inner mould is equal. Wall construction concrete mixture is used in the proportion of 1:3:5 of cement: sand: aggregate. The team conducted compressive strength test in the structural testing lab for which the results were positive.
Women at work.
AMMACHI Labs and other initiatives
AMMACHI Labs does not just build toilets. Through community mobilisation, capacity building, skill development, sustainability maintenance for a community-led total sanitation approach and utilising innovative e-Learning methods such as the tablet based Rural Toilet Builder (RBT) course, they empower rural women to build their own toilets. The RBT course uses videos in different local languages like Kannada and Odia, alongside 3D animations, to teach locals everything from site selection to maintenance.
One such beneficiary of their efforts is Renuka Nayak of Gupatapada village, which is located around 40 kilometers from Bhubaneswar. She was the first women mason involved in the making of the toilets under the AMMACHI Labs initiative.
“I feel so accomplished to have learned all these skills through the computer. We women are learn quick learners. In addition to housework, we also learn these skills and can do so much. Women have more attention to detail than men, and can do very precise work if given the opportunity,” she says.
Group of women at work building a toilet.
For the time being, the project is self-funded. The objective now is to empower at least 5,000 women in rural Indian communities to champion sanitation and community development, eventually reaching their entire village, or 30,000 indirect beneficiaries.
“Participating women will receive continuous life skill training, while we will continue to conduct sanitation campaigns, organise and mobilise efforts to implement key community actions to access government programs, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission that specifically promotes sanitation,” shares Mohan.
This community mobilisation and training effort is designed to efficiently reach entire communities in a short amount of time. It will also provide strength and support to the women advocating and petitioning to their local governments to address social and environmental issues in their villages.
(Source: AMMACHI Labs)
“Moreover, it is in line with the Government of India’s commitment to improving sanitation and rural development, as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” adds Mohan, while discussing his team’s future goals.
Empowering these women to build their own toilets is one method that not only addresses concerns about lack of toilets, but also helps them take ownership of these structures, maintain hygiene and take care of their health.
Smitha Varma, 39, was first inspired to grow her own produce when she was living in the USA and was bothered by the non-availability of herbs like coriander and mint, that are staples in Indian cooking. “While a variety of vegetables are available in the US, specific herbs like coriander and mint weren’t always easily accessible, and that was one of the many reasons I took to growing them,” she explains.
It also helped that her father and maternal grandmother are avid gardeners. “I perhaps have it in my genes,” she laughs.
In 2013, Smitha moved to her parents’ home in Bengaluru. “Their home has an extended balcony, and the open space was such a refreshing change from earlier, where I would grow herbs and some fruits in small pots. So, I started growing tomatoes, beans, green chillies, and capsicum in around 40 to 50 pots,” she mentions.
Soon, Smitha started growing onions, garlic, beetroot, cabbage, and even carrots. In June 2016, she moved to a villa with her husband, Vivek, and daughters, Gayathri and Chinmayi. Here, she had an entire terrace, measuring about 900 sq ft, and continued gardening.
Smitha and Vivek
“While we have a majority of plants in the ground level, we also have a terrace garden that needs to be tended to as we have planted fruit trees in large containers, there. We also grow baby corn, pumpkin, chillies, cucumber, grapes, papaya, lemon, amla, cherry, and even rambutan,” she rattles on.
For Smitha and her family, gardening is a task that the family undertakes together. “My husband Vivek and I do it all ourselves—from planting the seeds, mixing the fertilisers and tending to them.”
Some of the produce
Their daughters aged 16 and 10 years of age also help out as and when they find time from their school assignments.
When asked about how much time she devotes to the garden and also planning what vegetables to grow each season, Smitha says, “We plan as per the season and often scour through the local nurseries to get our seeds etc. In terms of a daily time commitment, it takes us a good two hours each day.”
Organic manure
Fertilizer made of banana peel and eggshells
Two years ago, Smitha decided to switch from buying organic fertilisers to making it at home.
“We started creating our own organic mixture for the garden—it includes cow dung and all the leaves that we can gather. We live in a semi-urban area, and hence sourcing of cow dung becomes easy. We make a fermented mixture that we use on our plants once in every 15 days,” she explains.
“We also make another mixture out of banana peels and eggshells that are very nutrient-rich for the flowers. Besides all this, we also have two compost tubes at home, so whatever wet waste we have goes directly into it,” she adds.
When asked about what sort of monetary investment this takes up, Smitha says, “It does depend on the scale at which you begin. We started small and would only source saplings and seeds from local nurseries; they are the plants that thrive in our conditions. Slowly we kept adding plants, and it grew. So, I would suggest that people start with 8 to 10 small pots and once they feel confident, they can invest in more.”
A few tips from Smitha:
Space is never a constraint when you chose to grow your own food.
You can use small pots, plastic containers, and even reuse egg trays to grow your greens.
Ensure that your vegetable plants get enough and more sunlight, a minimum of four to five hours of direct sunlight.
Start with the easy vegetables and herbs, that will give you the confidence to grow more and experiment.
Always source seeds and saplings only from your local nurseries, they are most well-equipped with varieties that can grow given the climatic conditions.
Do not plant exotic and imported quality of seeds and saplings.
Planting too many things very close together can end up infecting all the plants, so be aware of that.
How to deal with disappointment?
Freshly harvested
Speaking from experience, Smitha says, “I have made countless mistakes and dealt with my fair share of disappointment as well. I remember once I planted cauliflower, and when I did, I did not know that it tends to get infested with worms and insects very easily, and I lost that entire crop.”
However, in the process, Smitha says, that she learnt about various herbal remedies that would help keep the insects and worms away.
Companion planting
Smitha’s daughters – Gayathri and Chinmayi
An interesting point that Smitha learnt during her experiments is about companion planting, where different crops are planted close to each other for a number of different reasons, including pest control, pollination, maximizing use of space, and increase crop productivity.
Speaking about it, she says, “I learnt that planting garlic pods along with cauliflower will help keep the worms and insects away. So, I have planted two rows of garlic and a row on cauliflower in between them.”
Apart from ensuring farm-fresh nourishment for her family, Smitha’s garden is also helping her earn an extra Rs 5000 every month. “I sell them at the locality where I stay and have seen others getting inspired and growing their vegetables,” she remarks.
There is a growing consensus about the health benefits of growing your own food, and how it inspires people to make better choices about what they put on their plate.
“I agree. The idea of growing your own produce might seem overwhelming, but it’s actually much simpler than it sounds. And if you decide to do this, you know exactly what you and your family are consuming and have complete control over it. For me, nothing could be better than that,” she concludes.
Once upon a time lived a mighty queen who reigned her kingdom on the banks of the Sharavathi river in Uttara Kannada district. So fierce and loyal to her land was Rani Chennabhairadevi, that a 1591 CE Portuguese record about this queen read, “We must deal with her most carefully and diplomatically. We must be courteous, polite and diplomatic to win her to our side.” During her rule, the queen not only had to resist the advances of the traders from Portugal who tried to take over the ports and the trading activities but also deal with Keladi kingdom and the Bilgi chiefs in the region.
Seeking help from Adilshah, the king of Bijapur in the Deccan, the queen thwarted the Portuguese’s attempt to take control of the trading activities in 1559 and again in 1570.
The Queen and her kingdom
Chennabhairadevi belonged to the Saluva Dynasty and was known to have brought prosperity in the region she ruled for 54 long years (perhaps the longest reign by any Indian woman ruler) between 1552 to 1606 CE. She was famously known as Raina-Da-Pimenta by the Portuguese which literally translates to ‘Pepper Queen’.
Source: The ‘Pepper Queen”, Rani Chennabhairadevi’s bronze statue
Her seat of power, Gerusoppa, was the capital of the Saluva dynasty between the 14th and the 15th century CE. Known as Haive, the capital flourished as a trade centre for a long time, with people coming over from across India to see its beautiful temples.
Inscriptions say her kingdom extended from south of Goa to Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and the Malabar comprising of Bhatkala, Malpe, Honnavar, Bidnoor, Mirjan, Ankola, and Karwar. Copper coins struck in her name have been found too and serve as evidence of her existence and rule.
Places within the Kingdom like Honnavar and Bhatkala flourished as international and national trading centres under Rani Chennabhairadevi’s rule with items like pepper, betel nut and nutmeg being exported to countries in Europe and in the Middle-East.
Many came to Rani Chennabhairadevi seeking refuge from the Portuguese tyranny like the skilled Konkani craftsmen from Goa and Saraswat Brahmin businessmen. And all found shelter in her land.
A follower of the Jain faith, this queen gave orders to construct Chaturmukha Basadi in 1562, a Jain temple situated in Karkala. The benevolent queen also gave grants for the construction of Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakti temples in the region.
A notable fort constructed under her rule was the Mirjan fort which is at a distance of about 62 kms from Karwar. The fort is built over an area of 4.1 hectares and is constructed from laterite stones. She is believed to have also lived in the fort for a considerable amount of time.
Source: Mirjan Fort where the queen lived for years
The Keladi and Bilgi factions, which had for the longest time, tried to assert their power and gain control of Gerusoppa, joined forces to defeat queen Chennabhairadevi. They finally won the battle after which Gerusoppa became a part of the Keladi Kingdom. The queen was taken in as a prisoner and breathed her last while held captive.
Despite this, the queen is celebrated in the region for her generosity and her resistance against external powers.
Nine years before Mary Kom won her fourth world championship after giving birth to twins, there was Pritam Rani Siwach, a hockey legend lying inside the maternity ward of a government hospital in Sonepat, Haryana, contemplating whether she would ever play another match after the birth of her son.
She had reason to worry. In India, watching women athletes compete at the highest level after delivering a child, was generally unheard of.
Pritam was a dynamic centre forward who led the Indian women’s hockey team to their first Asian Games final in 16 years, just a year before, and subsequently became the first woman hockey player to win the prestigious Arjuna Award.
The pain and anxiety following the birth of her son had left in her bout of self-doubt, but she took charge of the situation, began training with bricks in her family home backyard and finally made it for the Inter-Railways tournament in the following year (2000).
After a successful run in the tournament and scoring nine goals in the National Games that year, she was once picked for the Indian team. Not only did she make a comeback, but her speed, reflexes and accuracy also remained intact, playing for the Railways and the national team.
Three years after the birth of her first son, she was part of the team that won the historic gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.
For Pritam, the demands of motherhood were just another obstacle she had to overcome in her pursuit of success on the hockey field.
Two years later, after winning the Commonwealth Gold, she opened the Pritam Rani Hockey Academy in Sonipat for young girls who wanted to follow in her footsteps.
The daughter of a small farmer from Gurugram’s Jharsa village, she had to overcome not just financial limitations, but also societal norms steeped in toxic patriarchy and the petty politics of Indian sports administration, to make it in a sport she adored.
Her talent was never in question. In her first-ever national-level tournament at the age of 14, she was adjudicated as the Player of the Tournament. Her career just took off from there.
Despite retiring after the Commonwealth Games and giving birth to another child, there was a burning desire to come back once again. She competed at the 2006 nationals, playing in front of her children and setting a fantastic example.
While the tournament didn’t go as planned, the very fact that she could play at a high level after giving birth to two children and not playing competitively for four years, showed that she still had it.
In 2008, she was once again recalled to the team for the Olympic qualifiers to bring an “additional wealth of experience.” Although the team did not qualify for the tournament, Pritam went back to running her academy which today produces players for the national team.
“The current lot is blessed, Pritam feels, in terms of the facilities they get. But it’s the grass-roots academies and domestic players that are crying for attention. Barring the time they won the 2002 Commonwealth Games gold, (which translated into the Bollywood blockbuster Chak De! India years later) Pritam and her peers never really got the kind of attention and importance that today’s stars do,” writes Suprita Das, a media professional and author, for Sahapedia.
Through her academy, the 45-year-old is playing her own role in changing that dynamic. Despite not getting the attention the likes of Mary Kom got, Pritam is leaving behind a remarkable legacy, giving young girls the hope that they too can represent India one day.
When Nilza Wangmo wanted to start a restaurant exclusively dedicated to Ladakhi food, her idea was straightaway discouraged by everyone, including her closest friends and family. “They believed that outsiders and tourists would find their food bland and dull. But I was on a mission to introduce the world to the authentic Ladakhi cuisine,” quips the 40-year-old.
Got hunger pangs? Grab this hamper that contains all your favourite snacks, with a healthier twist!
Persisting in her resolve, Nilza, who hails from Alchi, a remote hamlet around 66 kilometres from Leh, started Alchi Kitchen in 2016.
While Ladakh is incredibly popular as a tourist destination, most eateries curiously refrain from serving authentic Ladakhi dishes. Only a handful of restaurants do so, and even they choose to stick to the universally popular mokmok (momos) and basic snacks.
Therefore, Alchi Kitchen is the first-ever eatery in the mountain territory which serves Ladakh’s traditional cuisine, along with a modern twist. Hundreds of tourists brave the uphill journey through rugged terrains to grab a bite in the quaint little outlet, which experiences a footfall of around 100 to 150 customers per day.
Skyu, a comfort food for all Ladakhis
A life of struggles
Nilza had always been passionate about cooking but never considered it as her vocation. Brought up at her maternal grandparents’ home in Stok village, she lost her father even before she was born.
Her mother, who is her inspiration and present consociate at the Alchi Kitchen, worked very hard to support Nilza’s education and upbringing. However, financial constraints at the home front curtailed her dreams of pursuing higher studies, as she had to drop out midway through college, and search for other livelihood options.
Things were already downhill for the mother-daughter duo when tragedy struck further. Her paternal family refused to allow them inside her father’s home in Alchi.
Broke and devastated, the two settled for a make-do accommodation till her maternal grandfather stepped in and helped them build a home in Alchi, the same place where the restaurant stands now.
The wonders of Ladakhi Food at Alchi Kitchen
During her college days, Nilza worked for a while as a part-time tourist guide. So, her initial plan was to start a tourist homestay in Alchi, a popular destination for the 1000-year-old Alchi Gompa or Alchi monastery.
However, trusting her instincts, she settled on the idea of an exclusively Ladakhi restaurant. “Cooking has always been an essential hobby for me. That gave me the courage to go ahead,” shares Nilza.
Sitting with her mother and family members, she spent an entire winter brainstorming the menu—unearthing lost recipes and adding modern-day twists to already existing ones. One of their bestsellers—the Tashi Tagye tea—was carefully curated by the mother and daughter with eight ingredients, signifying the eight auspicious symbols in Buddhism.
Paba – arguably the Ladakhi equivalent of Roti-Sabzi
“Another bestselling item is the Khambir—a fermented Ladakhi bread. At home, we would eat the bread with curry, soup or salted butter tea, but I decided to prepare it à-la-carte,” shares Nilza. She added stuffing of chicken, meat and an assortment of vegetables inside the bread, thereby elevating it from comfort food to gourmet dish.
Pasta is synonymous with Italian cuisine, but little known is its unsung Ladakhi cousin Chutagi. And Alchi Kitchen is the go-to place to taste these scrumptious bow-tie shaped wonders, cooked in authentic Ladakhi sauce or gravy.
Tourists have time and again labelled the apricot, walnut or chocolate mokmok (momo) platter at Alchi Kitchen as ‘little bites of heaven.’ The buckwheat and millet innovations like crepes and desserts are exceedingly delicious while kicking in the nutrition punch for tired trekkers and travellers.
Bringing Ladakhi youth back to their roots
Interestingly, the food at Alchi Kitchen is prepared over a wood-fired oven, in full public view, enriching your senses with a wholesome gastronomic experience.
“Also, we prepare every serving fresh from scratch. Other restaurants tend to prepare their soups and gravy in bulk and reheat the same throughout the day. But, in this eatery, each dish is prepared under my supervision, then and there,” Nilza asserts.
All the employees at Alchi Kitchen outlets are young rural women, who were personally trained by Nilza to cook, serve and manage a restaurant. She also conducts occasional cooking workshops for visitors and takes care of two lesser privileged children as well.
Lamb Chutagi – a local pasta dish
Alchi Kitchen’s success graph has been remarkable in barely three years since its start, and Nilza hopes that this prompts the youth of Ladakh to cherish and celebrate their traditional cuisine, rather than reaching out for junk food.
“I want to turn Alchi Kitchen into a franchise with branches in other cities outside Ladakh, so more people can enjoy Ladakhi food and culture. I want Ladakhi cuisine to become a mainstream option on the menu of restaurants.”
A sixteen-year-old B Anusha was about to get married to a 26-year-old relative when Balaka Hakkila Sangham, a child rights NGO, and the Rachakonda Police’s SHE team rescued her. Thanks to their intervention in April 2017, B Anusha went onto shine at a national level inter-school cricket tournament.
Last August, more than 30 children between the ages of four and thirteen were rescued from brothels in the temple town of Yadagirigutta and later rehabilitated.
Meet the SHE Teams of the Rachakonda Police in Telangana, whose resilient efforts are bringing noteworthy changes in people’s lives.
They address severe crimes in rural areas like human trafficking, prevention of sex determination rackets, sexual assault and child marriages,. In the past three and a half years, SHE teams have prevented 69 child marriages.
The jurisdiction of SHE teams extends to Ranga Reddy, Medchal and Yadadri districts and covers a population of approximately 42 lakhs.
“SHE Teams are primarily known for their work in preventing eve-teasing and stalking by running undercover operations in public buses, trains, bus stands and other crowded places. Wearing spy cameras, they catch their culprits with evidence. If the complainant is interested in pursuing the case, an FIR will be lodged. But if they are not interested, these SHE Teams suo moto lodge a complaint and proceed for a summary trial,” says Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat, speaking to The Better India.
Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat with SHE Team personnel. (Source: Rachakonda Police)
What are these SHE Teams?
In 2014, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao formed a special team to study the pattern of crime against women which suggested many recommendations in its report.
One recommendation was the formation of SHE Teams, a division of Telangana Police for enhanced safety and security of women. The first SHE team was established in August 2014 in Hyderabad City. Swati Lakra, who was Additional Commissioner (Crime) at the time, took charge of it.
In December 2014, SHE Teams were established in Cyberabad. On July 1, 2016, a new police commissionerate was carved out of Cyberabad East area and the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri subdivision of Nalgonda district. It was called the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, and a new set of SHE Teams began working under it.
After Hyderabad and Cyberabad, SHE Teams were established across the entire state. Now each district has a SHE Team, who work incognito armed with spy cameras and other equipment.
How do they work?
Made of male and female police personnel, the Rachakonda Police SHE Teams undergo extensive gender sensitisation training. Their only mandate is to address crimes against women.
The names of victims are always kept secret. After a summary trial, the perpetrator is subjected to a fine, following which he is sent for counselling in the presence of family members by a professional counsellor to ensure this offence isn’t repeated in the future.
For the next three-four months, the local police keeps a vigil on them. Counselling sessions conducted by an NGO called Bhumika Women’s Collective involves an expression of guilt by the accused, a promise to change behaviour and sensitisation on issues concerning women. In the past three and a half years, these teams have apprehended 2,605 culprits, of which 344 are minors.
A counselling session with the accused and his family.
Under the leadership of Additional DCP SK Salima, these SHE Teams have extended their duties beyond catching eve-teasers and stalkers.
“Our teams have busted sex determination rackets which are going on even in super speciality hospitals. Around ten highly qualified doctors have been arrested. Criminal charges were brought against them following a sting operation conducted by SHE Teams working with state medical officers. They have also raised awareness in not only schools and colleges, but also remote villages where women work in brick kilns on issues of domestic violence, child labour prevention and child marriage prevention, among others,” says Commissioner Bhagwat.
For the safety of the women and girls, these SHE Teams also patrol main roads, highways, toll plazas and known crime hot spots during odd hours of the day. Officials claim that this service is available 24×7. In the event of any emergency, women can reach out to these teams through WhatsApp control number 9490617111 or Dial 100. These teams work as civvies to remain unidentified and collect evidence through spy cameras, detain and then prosecute those engaging in these crimes.
“We receive multiple complaints on WhatsApp. As per jurisdiction, these complaints are passed onto the nearest SHE Team, where a lady constable will talk to the victim, give her confidence, meet her and depending on her requirement, resolve the problem. Yesterday, a boy who had developed a relationship with a girl threatened to post her pictures on social media if she didn’t meet him regularly. We nabbed the boy, put him through a summary trial, made him delete all her photos and videos from his phone, and now he will undergo counselling,” he says.
“For a Dial 100 complaint, the nearest police mobile van will reach the location within 5-8 minutes of receiving it. If this case is related to the SHE Teams, they get involved,” adds Commissioner Bhagwat.
SHE Teams—engaging the community and beyond
Another interesting facet of SHE Teams is community involvement. Take the example of the Rachakonda Police ‘She For Her’ initiative, where one or two proactive girls from each college are chosen. They are trained in various women’s safety initiative, and become the eyes and ears of the police. Communicating via WhatsApp, they report what’s happening inside the college premises or just outside, and inform the nearest SHE Team. Thus far, they have registered 24 cases thanks to their intervention.
SHE Team awareness drives in colleges.
Next is the Margadarshak Program with assistance from the Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC), a collaboration between industry, police and government, which seeks to drive greater safety for women, infrastructure safety and cyber security. Across IT companies, government offices, media channels and other private companies, active and capable women employees are identified as Margadarshaks who act as a facilitator between the victims, management and police.
They are trained in women’s rights laws, sit through sessions from the police and non-profits on how cases of domestic abuse, dowry violence, sexual harassment at the workplace, sexual abuse and child abuse are dealt with by the system. Primarily, they are trained to understand how the entire law and order ecosystem works for them in these cases.
Take the example of Pratyusha Sharma, the HR Head for one of the business units in Cognizant, who is a Margadarshak in the Cyberabad area.
At a Margadarshak orientation session.
“We are not problem solvers but guide women in distress. If I’m suffering abuse, I may not directly call the police. I’ll call a Margadarshak, speak to her and she can guide me to counsellors, other organisations or direct me to the nearest SHE Team,” she says.
Since their inception, the public has mostly responded well to SHE Teams.
“Public response has been good. We are available on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter at all times. The reason why we are popular amongst many young women is because of our ability to keep their identities a secret and on occasion heed to their wish of not informing their family members or parents,” says Sub Inspector Veerabhadra, who, for the last one and a half years has been posted with the SHE Team.
However, working undercover comes with its share of risks, particularly for lady constables.
“In decoy operations, we maintain a regular eye to eye contact with our lady personnel and follow them on spy cam footage to ensure they are not in any great danger,” adds Sub Inspector Veerabhadra. Going beyond risky working conditions, there is also a question of workforce shortage that afflict all police departments in this country.
“We would like to have more personnel in SHE Teams,” says Commissioner Bhagwat. It’s a sentiment that Sub Inspector Veerabhadra shares too. It’s imperative that these teams are strengthened immediately.
SHE Team awareness drives in rural districts.
“To address crimes against women, we have also brought about infrastructural changes like illuminating dark spots on the street. Moreover, there is an application called Hawkeye. Regular commuters can download this app. There is a Safe Travel section in the app, where they can state their journey route, whether they are travelling by cab or auto, take a picture of the vehicle and upload it. The police will monitor them, and there is an SOS emergency button on the app. If you press the button, the police control room will receive a signal, and a mobile patrol van will be immediately dispatched. Since the horrific gangrape in Hyderabad, there has been a manifold increase in downloads,” says Commissioner Bhagwat.
Despite taking these steps, convictions across a whole range of cases related to violence against women stood a little over 30 per cent last year, he adds. Nonetheless, things are already improving.
He claims that in the last three months, the police have obtained 100+ convictions over a range of cases.
“We have enough laws. What is required is proper implementation, fast track trials and better conviction rates so that men will not dare repeat these offences. Instead of telling girls not to go here or there and restricting their movement, we must also, as a society, do a better job of raising our boys. We must teach them how to respect women,” he says.
Cries for public lynchings and castration of rapists by our lawmakers do absolutely nothing to solve the problem of violence against women. A fundamental building block of any deterrent against these acts of violence is a functional law and order machinery and at its heart is responsive local police.
SHE Teams have made it their mission to enhance the safety and security of women. Covering an area of 5091.48 sq km, they have their task cut out.
“What you are running here is not a factory, it is a zoo. But in a zoo, there are many types of animals. Some are monkeys who dance on your finger-tips, others are lions who can bite your head off. We are those lions, Mr Manager,” retaliated 44-year-old Jayaben Desai.
She made this bold statement when her manager compared her and her colleagues to ‘chattering monkeys’.
For the workers at the Grunwick film processing factory in North London in the 1970s, working conditions were harsh.
Predominantly comprised of South Asian women, including a sizeable percentage of Indian immigrants, workers had to toil extra hours at less wages and the authorities would subject them to regular overtime duties, mostly unpaid.
Women would have to seek permission for using the restroom. One single word of protest would often result in immediate termination. The gross violation of worker’s rights at Grunwick reached its pinnacle, often compromising basic human rights.
The exploitation continued till one woman dared to raise her voice.
Jayaben Desai confronting a police officer
On 20 August 1976, Jayaben, a woman of Gujarati origin and a worker at Grunwick, was ordered to do unpaid overtime, for perhaps the umpteenth time in her tenure. But by then, she had had enough.
The mother of three refused to abide by the irrational instructions. She surrendered her employee card and walked out with her son Sunil who also worked at the same factory.
Strikers in a Sari
Born and brought up in Gujarat, India, Jayaben Desai migrated to Africa following her marriage to Suryakant Desai, a manager at a tyre-factory in Tanzania. Later, in 1969, she moved to Britain trusting the widespread belief that Britain had lots of decent jobs for Asian and African women.
Only upon joining these British factories that Jayaben and her coworkers realised the grim truth – these establishments were recruiting women from developing countries merely as cheap labour.
After Jayaben staged a walkout on 20 August, she was joined by more and more women who were rapidly quitting. Jayaben, her son Sunil and four other women started picketing the front gates of the Grunwick factory, persuading the workers inside to come and join. Soon, there were 137 workers outside the factory protesting for better wages and working conditions.
Jayaben leading a strike
The existent trade unions in Britain were not known for lending their support to black or brown workers before. But now Jayaben Desai advocated the formation of a factory union to present their grievances in a more organised manner. She and her supporters joined a trade union but the stubborn factory management refused to acknowledge their union membership.
The movement solidified when other local trade unions started joining hands with the Grunwick protesters – identified as the ‘Strikers in Saris’.
Their war cry – “The Workers United, Will Never Be Defeated” – resonated all over the London sky.
During a protest, a BBC journalist asked Jayaben how long would she stay here (at the front of the factory). Her curt reply was “Until we finish this dispute.” She went on to add that she could wait even a decade. The reporter, startled by her stern determination, wanted to reaffirm. “You’d stay?” he asked. “We will stay,” she corrected him.
The Spread of the Movement
Word spread and so did the movement beyond Grunwick, becoming the voice of all overworked and underpaid women workers as well as the Asian & African workforce. They voiced their outrage against exploitation, poor working conditions, pay disparity and institutionalised racism.
Jayaben became the face of the movement and led thousands of strikers from steel mills, car factories, engineering and aircraft factories. In fact, within almost three months, the delegation of strikers led by Jayaben successfully motivated workers across 2,000 factories to join their cause.
Strikers in Saris
By July 1977, the factory premises across Britain were thronging with over 20,000 protesters.
In the November of the same year, after a brutal episode of police violence on 2,000 protesters that left many injured, Jayaben and three other male leaders sat on a hunger strike. But the protest movement lost its soul due to the intervention of the high-ranking politicians and the police force.
Many participating trade unions withdrew their support in fear. The dynamic movement that once stirred the whole of Britain finally ended in a defeat for the workers in 1978.
However, though some of the larger demands of the movement remained unfulfilled, the localised impact of the movement cannot be overlooked. For example, the Grunwick factory was relocated to a better area and workers were now provided several perks including daily transport. The retired employees finally enjoyed pension benefits.
Jayaben Desai went on to become an icon of South Asian women in Britain. But, the prolonged strike took a toll on her health, forcing her to retire soon after. Jayaben passed away on 23 December 2010 at her London home, survived by husband and three sons.
Ease of use, ability to share media links, product photos and videos and a secure system for one-to-one and one-to-many messaging services – Whatsapp has become an important tool for budding entrepreneurs to spread their business and make profits.
What’s remarkable about this platform is the increasing number of women across India who have started using it to further their business interests.
The Better India caught up with a few women entrepreneurs who share their success stories with us.
In 2014, Abhilasha decided to start her own home-based food service, which she called Marwadi Khana.
“I loved to cook and was active on social media platforms. I would often see other women doing so much and that was a source of motivation for me as well.”
One fine Sunday, Abhilasha sent out a Whatsapp message to people on her contact list about the lunch she planned on making – and voila, the orders started coming in.
“When I started my business, Whatsapp was just growing in India. Once I learnt about the ‘broadcast’ feature there was no turning back for me. Here was a feature that allowed me to communicate with several people at the same time without any issue,” she says.
Today, five years since she launched her brand, Abhilasha manages 10 Whatsapp broadcast groups with 250 members in each group.
What about message overload? “If I am told by a particular client that they do not wish to be part of the group, then I immediately remove them. I am also very mindful of how many messages I send out – not more than once a week.”
When asked how much of the sales she attributes to Whatsapp, she informs, “While I cannot give you an accurate number, I can say that 60 to 70 per cent of my customers are returning customers and they all use Whatsapp to reach out.”
Abhilasha is reachable at +91 9958983606 and via her Facebook page. If you happen to be in Delhi/NCR do try her food.
2. Prianka Dam Ganguli – Chitran
Prianka Dam Ganguli
Though Prianka became an entrepreneur during the pre-Whatsapp time, she credits Whatsapp for making things a lot easier than before.
“When I started my business, mobile phones were a rare commodity and it was the time of Orkut,” says Prianka whose brand Chitran revolves around handcrafted sarees and accessories.
She started painting sarees during her first pregnancy when she was advised bed rest. Prianka sold the first five sarees she painted almost immediately and thus began her journey as an entrepreneur.
Prianka uses Whatsapp extensively to keep in touch with her clients and the weavers from whom she gets the sarees.
“It is impossible for me to constantly keep travelling back and forth but with the advent of Whatsapp, a lot of that has changed. Everytime my weavers get new stock they send me the images and once I choose the sarees, they courier it and I transfer the money immediately.”
Prianka now has a steady stream of clients who use Whatsapp to check the saree prints and order them.
Prianka also uses the broadcast feature that Whatsapp offers. “I have one big group in which I have people from New Jersey to Bengal and many in Gurugram. If I had to put a number on how Whatsapp has helped me I would peg it at between 60 to 70 per cent of the total sales I make.”
“Whatsapp has most certainly eased the way I do business and it being free and having no message limit, have all been great plus points.”
Gunjan designs and produces ethnic and quirky home décor products under Shabari – a brand she conceived three years ago.
“I primarily use Facebook and Whatsapp to promote my work. While most of it is still word of mouth, I do get many queries via Whatsapp.” She adds that she does not have any website or other social media presence.
“I have always been creatively-inclined, but I was pursuing something totally different for almost 12 years before I decided to give this a shot,” she says. Gunjan spent close to 12 years with an international airline and was with an advertising firm prior to that. “Launching Shabari has given me far more satisfaction than any other job I was doing so far.”
Gunjan uses Whatsapp to send the images of her products to potential customers. And as Facebook may lead to copies of her designs, she relies more on Whatsapp.
Gunjan says that almost 70 per cent of the sales she makes comes through Whatsapp and about 30 per cent from Facebook. “I do also have a broadcast group but do not push my products. I post once in three weeks to once a month with some of the new launches,” she says.
Gunjan can be reached at +91-96505 87253 or via her Facebook page.
4. Shanmuga Priya – Unique Threads
Shanmuga Priya
Having forayed into entrepreneurship five years ago, Priya’s entire business is powered by WhatsApp and other social media channels. She has a network of 16 groups with 250 retailers and over 86,000 resellers.
In an interview to TBI, Priya said, “Life had come to a standstill for me, but the circumstances were such that I had to immediately quit my job and shoulder responsibilities that my mother-in-law had been overseeing. At the time, my baby boy was three months old, while my husband, Hari, was undergoing work-related training in Delhi. Having worked since the day I graduated from college, I wasn’t used to sitting idle at home and this only added to my misery.”
In 2013, with an initial investment of Rs 30,000, Priya started her business of selling sarees. “Most of my clients are homemakers, college students and sometimes, small-scale entrepreneurs, for whom reselling my sarees would bring home a decent income. What worked in my favour was the uniqueness of my products, which I’d personally selected and styled.”
Today, Priya has a monthly income of over Rs 1 lakh and is supported by a staff of six, who operate from the first floor of her home in Kovur, Tamil Nadu. You can look up Unique Threads on Facebook here. You can also reach out to them on Whatsapp at +91-9710402535.
5. Preeti Sinha – Greens and More
Preeti Sinha with her team
In an interview to TBI, Preeti says, “Childbirth took a toll on my health as I became overweight and all my worst nightmares came true as I dealt with breathlessness, body pain and fatigue on an everyday basis. I was unable to fit in my old clothes, and that affected my self-confidence and esteem.”
It took her months of research to understand the value of raw and natural versus processed food and it was this that helped her lose almost 15 kgs of weight in a few months. Her weight-loss journey inspired Preeti to share her recipes among her peers in the fitness class. She distributed the salads she consumed for reviews during the morning class, and by evening Preeti’s WhatsApp was chock-a-block with messages.
Spurred by this personal victory she decided to help others seeking nutritious home cooked meals in Hyderabad. She began her venture – Green and More with an initial investment of Rs 2,000. One can subscribe to the meal plans either via the website or through WhatsApp. Preeti is part of seven WhatsApp groups through which people can order food.
Her team today comprises of nutritionists, health experts, chefs and farmers who make healthy meals based on a client’s personal goal like workout, weight loss, inch loss, pregnancy, fertility and disease type.
You can reach Greens and More at contact@greensandmore.in
If you have an interesting story to share about how you use Whatsapp for business, we’d love to hear!
It was the mid-1970s. A young Jasuben Shilpi had received a sculpting assignment with the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.
The Ahmedabad resident could have easily taken a bus or train to cover the long journey. Instead, she set out on her scooter alone and drove 250 km to reach Rajkot.
Popularly known as the “Bronze woman of India,” Jasuben Shilpi was hardly someone who adhered to societal norms. Almost always seen in her characteristic denim dungarees with sculpting tools in hand, this feisty artist broke into the male bastion at a time when women sculptors were a rarity.
In a career spanning nearly four decades, Jasuben had made 225 life-size statues and 525 busts in bronze.
“But there was more to her. She was not simply an award-winning sculptor, she was a businesswoman and a doting mother—a true versatile genius,” shares her son Dhruv, an accomplished sculptor himself.
Always a rebel
Born a year after Independence, Jasuben had nurtured an inclination towards arts and aesthetics since childhood, and this landed her in the CN College Of Fine Arts, making her one of the only five women in her class.
While she displayed equal expertise in almost all aspects of art, she preferred sculpture—specifically in the mediums of bronze, metal and stone—and decided to turn it into her profession.
After her marriage to fellow sculptor Manhar Shilpi, Jasumati came to be recognised as Jasuben Shilpi or Jasu Shilpi.
“Their marriage itself was a rebellious act. My father was an orphan from a poor background, and my family was against the match. But, my mother stood firm on her decision and got married to him,” shares Dhruv.
The period following their wedding presented Jasuben with a series of struggles. To make ends meet, she forsook her passion for a while and taught at a school as an art teacher.
The days of struggle
Dhruv Shilpi attributes his mother’s remarkable zeal and hard work for turning her passion into a fortune. He is Jasuben’s firstborn child, after whose birth she purchased a plot of land thinking about the future of the family. However, she had resorted to loaning substantial amounts for buying the land, and the debts now had to be repaid.
While Manhar preferred working from the comfort of his studio, Jasuben went from place to place doing a lot of mural work across cities and towns.
Almost every day, she would set out in her scooter for distant locations and work on massive murals from dawn till dusk. In addition to this, she was also at the forefront of their sculpture studio and managed all the business transactions for her and Manhar’s work.
In the early years of the eighties, Jasuben slowly started gaining popularity and earning a decent income. Little did she know that life had another blow in store for her.
“In 1984, my father was diagnosed with cancer. My mother now had to devote time additionally to take care of him while being the family’s sole breadwinner. My sister and I were young; little did we realise the insane amount of hard work she did daily.”
With the Hanumana statue – her largest creation
Manhar passed away in 1989, leaving a vast void in Jasuben’s life. She lost her closest companion, but found solace in art and continued to shine in her vocation.
Her immortal creations
Jasuben’s largest creation is a 28-feet-tall Hanuman statue, which clinched the world record of being the tallest bronze statue created by a woman. It is now stationed at Sumerpur in Rajasthan.
Her other notable works include four statues of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, at different locations in India, Rani Chenamma statue in Karnataka, and statues of Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Each one of these statues evokes awe with their precise perfection and sheer elegance. The magic of her hands has infused life into these metal figurines.
Legacy
Jasuben Shilpi’s works have made it to the Miracles World Record Certificate as well as the Limca Book of Records. The Lincoln Centre of USA awarded her with Abraham Lincoln Artist Award. International Publishing House had chosen her for the Best Citizen of India Award. She gained a steady admirer base in international quarters as well.
The veteran artist passed away on 15th January 2013, while working on her dream project of a museum of bronze statues, on the lines of Madame Tussauds.
While that dream could not be realised, her children, sculptors Dhruv and Dhara Shilpi, have now started the Jasu Shilpi Art Foundation in her name, which aims to protect her legacy by supporting and uplifting more sculptors across India.
“It is no use multiplying sickly, ill-fed and illiterate children at the cost of mother’s health. To stop this evil, every woman should consider this question (of birth control) seriously and should act soon. To solve this problem, female education on an extensive scale is essential.”
Many of us may have read the above lines and nodded in agreement. In the second-most populous country with 1.3 billion people, this statement is relevant, important and most essentially, bold.
But, what if I told you that these line were uttered not in the recent past but 77 years ago by a Dalit woman — Sulochanabai Dongre — during the historic All India Depressed Classes Women’s Conference (AIDCW) on 20 July 1942.
One of the first Indians to start a nationwide discourse on advocating birth control, Dongre’s contributions might have been lost in the pages of time yet, her beliefs continue to resonate across the world—especially in the debates on a woman’s right to her body.
The AIDCW ushered in a new wave of Dalit Feminism, women emancipation and shed light on the social hierarchy that positions a Dalit woman as the lowest of all.
And at its helm was the conference President, Sulochanabai Dongre.
Dr Jayshree Singh and Gargi Vashistha, in their research paper, A Critical Insight On Status Of Dalit Women In India (2018), write, “Dalit women in India have been living in silence through the centuries . . . They do not have control over their own bodies, earnings, and lives. Instead, somebody else controls them . . . Dalit women are bearing the burden of double-day caste and the division of labour based on sex . . . They are poor, illiterate, sexually harassed, face caste violence and exploited.”
Like Sulochanabai, Social activist Periyar EV Ramasamy was one of the first few to talk about women’s right to their bodies. In 1932, Ramasamy spoke along similar lines in his article on birth control in Kudi Arasu, a magazine that focused on Dalit rights and female emancipation.
Sulochanabai was a member of the All India Women’s Congress, just like other dalit women leaders such as Ramabai Ambedkar. Soon, she along with Ramabai and other Dalit feminists, chose to leave the conference. This mass disassociation of Dalit feminists from nationalist women’s movement was an outcome of internal caste-based discrimination.
For instance, at AIWC conference which was held in 1937, educationist Jaibai Choudhuri had set up separate seats for the Dalit women during meals.
Ideologically too, there was a stark difference between the Dalit Feminist nationalist movement and the upper-caste women’s cultural nationalism. The latter drew inferences from Hindu traditions that glorified Sati and Savitri and supported caste hierarchy. While, the Dalit women led by Sulochanabai, were fighting a larger cause — whereby sexual and social abuse of women was fueled not just by patriarchy but also casteism.
Hence, unlike their counterparts, they did not associate their struggle with aspects of chastity and purity but chose to drive the battle with focus on education and sexual and economic independence.
Dalit Mahila Federation
The mass exodus of Dalit women from AIWC eventually paved the way for the founding of the Dalit Mahila Federation. It was a part of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation in 1942, which was chaired by Sulochanabai.
She then led the All India Depressed Classes Women Congress and presided over the July 1942 conference in Nagpur, that reached out to over 25,000 women with a new narrative for the Dalit struggle.
The prominent presence of these women in fighting for sexual and reproductive rights of their fellow sisters played a significant part in the larger Dalit movement driven by Dr B R Ambedkar. Hence, this conference also positioned Dr Ambedkar as the leader for the voices of the Dalit community, especially those who could not align themselves with Gandhi.
But one of Sulochanabai’s most revolutionary contributions to women’s history includes her discourse on birth control. Her multi-pronged address not only shed light on birth control but various other important women’s issues like education, freedom, choice.
Touting education as a driving force, Sulochanabai spoke about the need for Dalit women to rise above the shackles of religion or tradition.
“In the matter of education, we are still very backward. The girl of today is the mother of tomorrow. She who rocks the cradle liberates the world. So it is important to educate the girls. The girl must know how to bring up children. If there is no education, one’s virtues and talents cannot be developed. Our women must be represented in every district and tehsil local board. Among the 20 legislative many have been uneducated men. If some of these seats had been given to our educated women, our situation could have been improved,” she said.
Thanks to her speeches, these issues found prominence in the mainstream freedom fighting women’s organisation.
The AIDCW conference headed by Sulochanabai made history with several revolutionary resolutions on women’s rights, some of which continue to echo in the contemporary world too. These were:
Call for better working conditions for women labouring in mills, bidi industries, municipalities and railways. Focus on their right to a casual leave, sufficient compensation for accidents and other benefits.
Appoint female supervisors for female workers in the mills to ensure a better working environment.
A step against polygamy by uplifting a woman’s right to divorce her husband. A resolution to acknowledge this by a statute was important to monitor such an occurrence, and abolish unfair treatment of women.
Establishment of the All India Scheduled Caste Women’s Federation.
Call for reserved seats for women from depressed classes, in all legislative and other representative bodies.
Emphasis on improving the education of women from depressed classes by urging the government to enact laws that enforce mandatory primary education, along with the provision of scholarships for secondary and higher education.
These resolutions of the Dalit feminist movement were rooted in the Ambedkarite ideologies of self-assertion. It also underlined how one’s right to body transcends any identity markers of caste.
Leader of a powerful women’s movement, Sulochanabai, in every sense of the phrase, was indeed, ahead of her time. She is one of the few unsung sheroes of the freedom struggle.
Irregular periods are a pain in the . . . well, you know where. They are especially troublesome when you have a special event or trip planned but have no way of predicting when you might get your periods.
We hardly ever get time for exercise, our diets are unregulated and a sedentary lifestyle are all detrimental to our health. For women, the consequences of such a lifestyle may manifest in irregular or painful periods. Some superfoods may help you get them back on track.
Warning: We are not claiming that these foods are a foolproof way of ensuring your periods arrive on time, but the inclusion of emmenagogue in your diet can help regulate your system. Another point to remember is that if you think your period may be late due to pregnancy, then the use of emmenagogues to induce your period may terminate your pregnancy.
It is not advisable to induce your periods every month. Ideally, your cycle should start every 26-30 days but if they are consistently delayed or advanced, consult a gynaecologist.
What are Emmenagogue Herbs?
An emmenagogue (or emmenagog) is a herb that stimulates blood flow to your pelvic area and in the uterus. In some cases, this increased blood flow can also stimulate menstruation. Beware: an overindulgence of emmenagogues is not healthy and these herbs or foods should not be used regularly to specifically induce menstruation.
With that in mind, let’s discuss 7 foods that can help regulate periods and induce menstruation.
1. Jaggery to Regulate Periods
Known for its hot nature, jaggery is a preferred sweetener during winters. Regular consumption of jaggery may help regulate irregular periods. Enriched with nutrients, jaggery is known to make period cramps less painful.
2. Vitamin C to Induce Menstruation
One hack that I had tried once was to have a lot of papayas a couple of days before I wanted my menses. The ascorbic acid (vitamin c) in the fruit may stimulate oestrogen and can lead to the onset of periods. Similarly, pineapple, mangoes, oranges, lemons and kiwis too can prepone your periods.
3. Ginger for regular periods
Regular consumption of raw ginger can help regulate your periods. If delayed menses or periods that are too frequent bother you (as they should), try having some raw ginger with organic honey every morning. It can help balance your hormones and will soon regulate the blood flow, making your periods arrive regularly.
4. Turmeric
Is there anything turmeric cannot do? From whitening teeth to stimulating blood flow to your uterus, turmeric is one amazing go-to solution. If you want to prepone your periods naturally, try having turmeric with warm milk and honey.
5. Coffee before your periods
High in caffeine, coffee stimulates oestrogen and increases blood flow in your pelvic area. This can result in early arrival of your periods. Furthermore, caffeine may help relieve period cramps too.
Speaking with NDTV, gynaecologist Sarita Gupta says, “There are certain foods that are recommended during menstruation to relieve pain. Coffee is the most prominent among them because of caffeine and its migraine and headache relieving properties.”
6. Beetroots to beat the pain
Have you experienced bloating during your periods? Although it is completely normal, bloating can give you terrible stomach ache. That’s where the iron, folic acid and calcium of beetroot may help. It also helps that beetroot is an emmenagogue.
7. Carom seeds (Ajwain)
Try this: Boil one teaspoon of ajwain with 1 teaspoon jaggery in a glass of water. Have the warm concoction early in the morning on an empty stomach. Ajwain will not just induce your menstrual cycle but also relieve cramp pain.
We live in a world that is obsessed with labeling and differentiating between people.
From the clothes you wear, the beliefs you hold, the languages you speak, the colour of your skin, or even your choice to love, someone else is always trying to define your identity for you.
Yet, amid this clutter of broken identities, there exists an inclusive community of individuals who bravely fight to establish a genuinely equal and empowered society, for themselves and those around them.
These are people just like you and me, but what sets them apart is their perseverance towards positive change.
The Better India presents the stories of 10 such changemakers and their exemplary work that has made a lasting impact on thousands of lives.
1. Uthara Narayanan
Seven years ago, Uthara Narayanan asked herself a question—How can people lift themselves out of poverty?
This question has perturbed many, but only a few have been able to address its root cause and find a substantial solution. Uthara, in this case, was one of the few.
“The biggest injustice in the world is not a lack of wealth, but the lack of opportunity,” says Uthara to The Better India.
She co-founded Buzz Women in 2012, with a mission to make low-income women the drivers of change and prosperity in their communities. From empowering and enabling themselves, to their families and finally the whole community, her project has been creating a ripple effect of change across Karnataka.
With a bright orange bus, that is a classroom-on-wheels, Uthara has managed to change the lives of almost 2 lakh women in 5,000 villages, through short-term training sessions on financial, business and personal growth.
“Initially, we focused on financial, business and personal growth. Over time, our understanding or deepening of the issues changed, the module remained the same. Now we have an economic, social and psychological slant to it, which is based on feedback by the women,” she adds.
Uthara hopes to touch lives of at least 1 crore women in Karnataka by 2025.
“I will never forget the feedback that Bhagya, a woman from Bagalur, gave us. To all those who questioned her decision to take the training programme, she said that it not only made her financially independent but also taught her more about herself and her potential. This self-awareness is what I hope to see in all the 2 lakh women we have helped. And we are ensuring that through constant follow-ups and feedback. Because it is not just about money but about your relationship with money.”
A PhD in Physics from Cambridge University, Sunita Gandhi quit her job with the World Bank to dedicate her life to a broader mission—100 per cent literacy all over India.
In 2015, she began a one-of-a-kind literacy programme, the Global Dreams Literacy Mission (GDLM), funded by her NGO, Devi Sansthan.
An exponentially scalable model, GDLM started with educating 22 women in Karauni, UP, who then turned teachers to 180 others in just a few months. Now more than 800 women know how to read and write thanks to her efforts!
“The general idea is that it takes a long time to make someone literate. Our literacy programme, however, busted that as through our model, we successfully helped women become literate after just 1 or 2 months of training,” she says to The Better India.
In addition to the unique model, what adds to the programme is the outstanding Global Dreams Toolkit (GDT) that can cost to a maximum of Rs 50 per learner.
“Besides the quintessential slate-chalk-duster, it contains around 30 carefully curated storybooks, plastic letters, tactile boards, pictographic flashcards etc., along with a rug for sitting,” she explains.
Additionally, they are also going to launch a learning app, called the Global Remap by March 2020, to further close the literacy gap by enabling individuals to learn at their convenience.
“India needs to realise that education is the biggest impact investment any country can make. It shapes an individual and a nation, and that is why we are dedicating all our efforts in mending this gap. And with patience, time and relentless effort, we hope to make it come true.”
Even as India’s transgender community continues to grapple with prejudice and stigma, Samyukta’s story of success is truly refreshing and inspiring.
Born to a lower-middle-class family in Pollachi, she says that her family has been her greatest strength.
“I always knew that I was a girl, and my parents never imposed any kind of gender roles on me. My father worked as a men’s tailor while my mother was a homemaker, and they treated me with love and care, just as they did to my two brothers. I was allowed to wear make-up and even dress the way I wanted. I even learnt Bharatanatyam, and they were very proud of all my accomplishments, on and off stage,” recalls Samyukta who not only excelled in dance but also academics, graduating top of her school and then engineering college.
She was also the student who graduated from college with the highest placement package in her batch.
But, life changed for the better, when she moved abroad, with a job at Amazon.
“Back in 2012, when conversations about the transgender community or the LGBT community were not encouraged in corporate India, the situation outside was very different. I remember going for an office get-together, where I saw my manager arrive with her female partner. Even her manager was a gay man married to his partner and living with two adopted children. The environment there instantly put me at ease,” she says to The Better India.
In 2016, with the support of the transgender community within Amazon, Samyukta completed a successful transition and was able to make a smooth recovery.
However, the opposite situation in India bothered her, so, she quit her job to move to India and establish a fashion startup called TouteStudio, a Bengaluru-based Indian-wear boutique.
It offers collections on rent, while also upskilling trans individuals in the areas of fashion design, make-up, customer service, etc.
While she continues to run her startup with the help of her family, in 2019, she also joined foodtech company Swiggy as the first transgender employee and the Principal Program Manager with a responsibility to build an in-house LGBT support group.
“Once I joined the company, I was invited to join the Women in Tech group and Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council. I am also working on starting an in-house LGBT support group. It’s important to start increasing visibility of the LGBTQ community in companies across India and to encourage diversity hiring in the entire Indian corporate industry. These communities can truly be empowered only with social and financial support and independence.”
4. Dr Harshindar Kaur
While on their way to serve at a medical camp in a remote village on the Punjab-Haryana border, Dr Harshindar Kaur and her husband, Dr Gurpal Singh, suddenly heard strange shrieks.
They followed the cries and reached a dumping area reserved for the carcasses of animals. To their horror, they saw a pack of stray dogs tearing apart a newborn girl, who eventually passed away.
The gory scene pushed the duo to shift their focus from free medical camps to fight female foeticide and advocate for the rights of the girl child.
“Even if a girl child is “allowed” to be born, she is neglected from her early years—with regard to vaccination, nutrition and even medical care in cases of illness,” adds Dr Kaur, a child specialist.
Her journey began with a small village near Patiala, where she was instrumental in improving the sex ratio. In five years, from 845 girls per 1000 boys, it increased to 1013 girls per 1000 boys.
This success encouraged her to continue, and in the last 25 years, she has saved thousands of young lives. In 2008, the 53-year-old also started the Dr Harsh Charitable Trust to further help provide quality education to the underprivileged girls of Punjab.
“We started this work on 25th December, as it was a long weekend that year. And in all these years of work, there have been several ups and downs. We have faced incredible resistance, and have had doors shut on our faces. It was so normalised that sometimes people would also show us the family well where they have been throwing their daughters for decades. They didn’t feel guilty and pushing them to care was a big challenge. Sometimes, I even felt disillusioned hearing such cases, but then some good news would help me pick up the pieces and keep at it. I will continue to work towards it as long as I can.”
Hasina Kharbhih is a resident of Shillong, and since 1993, she and her organisation, the Impulse NGO Network (INGON), have been battling the plague of human trafficking in the Northeast.
She began INGON as a rural livelihood initiative for the artisans in the East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya. But, with the historic 1996 Supreme Court order, which banned the felling of trees in the Northeast, their focus shifted.
“The forest resources ban forced the rural communities, who had lost their livelihood, to seek employment in urban areas, and that eventually led many to become victims of human trafficking. Meanwhile, the conflict situation in the Northeast around that time also added to the frenzy of mass migration,” says Hasina to The Better India.
But with migration, cases of missing children also increased. Upon investigation, it was found that the children were being taken away by recruiters with promises of better-paying jobs and then forced as tea stall helpers, miners, domestic help or even sex slaves.
Hence, in 1999 the organisation was restructured and re-registered it into a professional organisation as Impulse NGO Network (INGON) under the Meghalaya Societies Registration Act (1983) and pursued the issue of addressing human trafficking.
Owing to her continuous efforts, INGON has successfully saved almost 74,000 lives and empowered more than 30,000 women artisans.
“When it comes to social issues, the prevailing idea is that it happens to ‘others’ and not ‘me.’ We had to fight that for people to take notice and care. After working for several years on this, we have crossed the first step so now out focus is on tackling the matter, while working collectively with various state-bodies and communities.”
While it is hard to believe that Huli Timmapura, a village near Chikmagalur, Karnataka, is silently helming the cause of social inclusivity and breaking stigmas surrounding the transgender community, it is all true.
And this has been made possible by a group of transpeople who moved away from the norms and adopted a mainstream occupation—farming.
Anju, Spoorthi, Premam, Harshitha, Bhagya, Kavya and Abhishek have worked towards breaking the cycle of exploitation and injustice, and are leading their lives on their terms.
They were able to find their true potential thanks to the help of Megha Malnad, a transgender social activist.
“We have been helping the community members utilise government-sanctioned loans to kickstart various small scale businesses as well to learn skills such as make-up, fashion designing, and weaving bags. Sadly, the lack of scope for these skills in small villages has been a major obstacle for us. For now, the main source of income for the community is the practice of badahi (where the transgender community is offered money for their blessings at auspicious occasions),” Megha explains.
But, owing to the grit of these transpeople and Megha’s support, things are gradually changing for the better.
“A few years back, Anju’s father passed away, leaving behind 2 acres of land to her. Instead of letting it lie unused, she thought of taking up farming and along with some of her friends, reached out to us. We guided them, and they picked up the basics very easily,” adds Megha, who runs an NGO, Madilu, which has helped many from the transgender community find their way to independence.
Despite facing several losses in their agrarian journey, they have persevered, and today they farm across a plot of 4 acres, after receiving the additional two acres on lease from her relatives and are doing well according to Megha.
The biggest success, however, has been a change in the mindset of villagers. From a time when they were being looked with suspicion to a state of acceptance and inclusiveness, is noteworthy!
“The change has been gradual, but it is happening. We wish this kind of change also begins in the urban areas as well,” says Megha who has tirelessly worked to help hundreds of transgender work their way out of the stigma, and Anju and her group is a shining example of that. She hopes this reality soon resonates throughout the country!
Two years ago, Neelam Jain was 23 and a fresh B.Com graduate from Chennai’s Stella Maris college.
She joined a leading investment banking company as a financial analyst, but wanted to do much more so, she quit and dedicated her time to help the trans community by creating a sustainable model of livelihood for them.
This model eventually materialised into a startup, PeriFerry—an organisation that strives to create equal opportunities for the LGBTQIA+ community through training and education, employment and entrepreneurship free of cost.
“A major portion of the Indian transgender community earns their living through begging or sex work. Families often reject them from home; employers reject them from the workplace. With our approach, we wanted to provide a sustainable solution to truly uplift the socio-economic conditions of the community. We do not charge money from those who come to us for help because they are in no position to pay us. Instead, we sustain our model by charging for the services we provide to our clients,” says the 25-year-old entrepreneur.
From training programmes to providing counselling services with professional experts, to even sensitising companies on LGBTQIA+ issues by holding workshops, PeriFerry believes in providing 360-degree solutions.
In their two years of existence, they have already trained more than 250 people from the trans community and placed over 90 people in software jobs, HR jobs, banks, in the hospitality industry among others.
“The most important and difficult step was to gain the trust of a community which has been culturally, emotionally and politically abused and exploited for years. Many of them continue to be their shell fearful of the consequences. But, with patience and care, we are slowly helping them understand their true potential by successfully placing them in jobs where they are truly valued and respected. But in the next five years, I hope an organisation like PeriFerry does not have to exist or to work on this anymore. Which means that I hope that by that time, this is no longer a problem and that we grow to be an inclusive society.”
As children, Nishi, Rishi and Ravi Kant would be disturbed to hear or witness incidents of domestic violence, because the environment at home was the complete opposite—their parents raised them to treat women as equals and with respect.
And is this lesson that helped them find their purpose in life.
Once the boys grew into men, they set up an NGO, Shakti Vahini, to protect women and children from all forms of abuse and violence.
From working to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS, preventing honour killings, human trafficking, to rescuing young girls and women from brothels, they have been a constant support for the women in the state.
“Rescue is just the beginning but seeing them through the journey of transformation, providing them with the avenues through education, skill development, etc., so that they are genuinely empowered individuals is what we being true ‘shakti’ is. And so far, we have rescued more than 6,000 women and girls and have continued our support to them,” says Ravi Kant, the president of the NGO.
Additionally, they have managed a total of 141 convictions to date.
“The problem is so deeply rooted in the culture that men simply don’t realise that they are committing a crime when they assault a woman. So when we teach them to respect women, raise awareness about the harmful effects of the imbalanced gender ratio and tell them about the benefits of educating a girl child, they begin to understand. Many people have thanked us and said, ‘No one has discussed these issues with us before.’”
Swetha Sudhakar has many identities—she is a counsellor, a trainer, a friend, a social activist, and the founder of Born2Win Social Welfare Trust.
But most importantly, she is a role model for not just her community but the entire country, because of her exemplary work in empowering hundreds out of the pit of exploitation and discrimination.
“I feel proud to say that I am a transgender woman. And this happiness comes from within.”
However, the journey of attaining this happiness was not easy. From being ridiculed and bullied in school, to being shunned by society, Swetha has had to go through a lot to reach this stage in her life.
“I discovered myself at the age of 14, but it took me years to recognise the kind of discrimination faced by others from the community,” says Swetha who began her journey by joining a community-based organisation which worked towards scaling HIV Intervention Programs for the MSM communities.
The realisation that she was not alone in this gave her strength, and in a few more years she started Born2Win in 2013. But, even this had its own share of challenges.
“Typically, these are people who leave their homes at a very young age and join the transgender communities. If you tell them, study for 16 years and then earn a living, they are going to say, when I can earn quick money by doing these tasks, rent an apartment, buy jewellery and live a comfortable life, why should I?” she explains.
But to break this chain and prove that the community makes a meaningful contribution to society, she had to create strong role models like herself. And since then, with a team of 243 members, Born2win has changed hundreds of lives.
“I have come to know that every path to empowerment is through struggle, so it is never wise to avoid it. Because it is after that struggle that you will discover your empowered self, tell yourself that you are empowered and be proud of yourself. No need to wait for anybody else’s approval.”
‘Meri nahi ho sakti, to kisiki nahi hone dunga (If you can’t be mine, then I won’t let anybody else have you)’ is what a 28-year-old man told 16-year-old Pramodini Roul when she and her family spurned his marriage proposal.
Unwilling to give up, he persisted, often resorting to stalking, teasing, and even disturbing her family. And when she refused to budge from her decision, he resorted to force.
“One day, while I was returning home from school when he approached me on a bike and tried to force me to come with him. My friends and relatives were around, and we resisted, so he drove, only to make a U-turn and return towards me. I could see him opening a green bottle but couldn’t understand what it was. In a few seconds, he threw it on me and sped away. My body began to burn, and the skin started to peel away,” she recalls.
The next few years were a blur. From delayed medical help to being discharged due to lack of funds to losing her eyesight and even becoming paralysed, Pramodini braved it all but never lost hope.
In 2016, things, however, began to change when she met Saroj Kumar Sahoo, a medical representative, through a nurse who brought him to see the problems the young girl was going through. Moved by her courage, Saroj quit his job and began to support her heal not just her physical but also emotional scars.
With time the two fell in love, and Saroj proposed to Pramodini in 2016, despite facing opposition from his friends and family.
“But I rejected it. I wanted to at least get back my eye-sight before taking this big step. I wanted to be independent and help many more survivors like me, and all that with his love and support,” she adds.
Her dream finally came true after a year, when she gained eyesight in her left eye, after a transplant. The same year, she dedicated herself working for acid attack survivors under the Stop Acid Attacks (SAA) campaign.
Currently, she works with a similar venture, the Sheroes’ Hangout. Helping over 18 survivors transform their lives, Pramodini has emerged to be a beacon of inspiration for many. Additionally, she took her attacker to court and is expecting justice in a few months.
“Most survivors hide their faces and don’t come outdoors in shame, but it is not their shame, it is the attacker’s shame, and as a society, we need to make that clear. By hiding yourself, you are letting the attacker, the criminal win, so don’t let that happen. I want to be for them, what Saroj was for me—an unwavering pillar of support, love and strength.”
Women in science – the phrase in itself is empowering, especially when it comes to the context of India, a nation plagued by its inherent patriarchy.
Almost one-third of graduates and postgraduates in the field of science are women, says this 2016-17 report by the NITI Ayog. As for tenured faculty positions in the Indian research institutes and universities, women account for 15-20 per cent of the posts.
Undoubtedly, these are doing an incredible job in redefining the scientific makeup of the nation.
The Better India (TBI) presents a list of Indian women in science making history with microscopes, test tubes, circuits or algorithms every day, away from the limelight.
Gagandeep Kang
Dr Gangandeep Kang (Credits: Researchgate)The current Executive Director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Gagandeep Kang, dominated the headlines in April 2019. She became the first Indian woman to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in London.
A clinical researcher by profession, 57-year-old Kang deserves special mention for developing the first indigenous vaccine against Rotavirus (Rotavac) which causes diarrhoea in lakhs of young children every year. Kang has also done remarkable research on enteric infections, gastroenteritis and child-centric viral diseases.
Kang’s father was an engineer who introduced her to the world of science at a very early age. Later, Kang, who loved Biology, pursued a degree in MBBS from Christian Medical College, Vellore. She then shifted to higher research on public health as she felt that it would impact more lives in a better way.
Kang has openly spoken about existing microaggression and gender-based discrimination in the field of science.
Rohini Godbole
Padmashri Dr Rohini Godbole (Credits: rmgodbole.in)
The 67-year-old Physicist working at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 2019, for her outstanding contribution in Physics over the past thirty years.
After completing her doctorate in Particle Physics from the State University of New York, Godbole returned to India in 1979 to pursue research, at a time when Physics laboratory had only a handful of women. Godbole went on to publish over 150 papers and make several marvellous discoveries, in diverse aspects of Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM).
Her research on the hadronic structure of high-energy photons influenced the design of next-generation electron-positron colliders.
Godbole is also an elected fellow at the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), Academy of Sciences of the Developing World, TWAS and the Indian National Science Academy.
With an illustrious career spanning three decades, Godbole is an ardent advocate of more women pursuing careers in science. She has even co-edited the book ‘Lilavati’s Daughters’ – which chronicles the lives of noted women scientists of India.
At 50, Sarawagi heads the Computer Science and Engineering department at IIT-Bombay. Her area of research is data mining and machine learning. For two decades, Sarawagi has been a leading scientist of India working on information extraction. She found her calling in Computer Science in the late 1980s.
Hailing from Balasore, Odisha, Sarawagi got into IIT-Kharagpur, ending up as the only girl in her undergraduate batch. After completing her PhD from the University of California, she spent two years as a scientist at the Google headquarters in California. She pursued her research in India when the internet boom was skyrocketing in the USA.
Today, she is a key figure in machine learning research in the country and envisions to impart the technology someday in the primary education sector.
In 2018, Quantum Scientist Aditi Sen De became the first woman to receive the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in the category of Physical Sciences. A professor at Harish-Chandra Research Institute in Allahabad, De won the prize for her remarkable research in the field of quantum information and communication.
45-year-old De, with a Masters in Mathematics, decided to delve into the world of Quantum Computing at a time when it was still a nascent domain, with only a handful of women pursuing into the subject.
De pursued her PhD in the same field at the University of Gdansk in Poland.
Though India still has a long way to go with regards to Quantum Communication, De’s research is providing a solid stepping stone for her successors to execute advance research on the same. She is also a staunch advocate of gender equality in science and urges budding women scientists to hold on to their passion in the face of all social obstacles.
A leading researcher on Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft Research India, Bali is presently working on Speech and Language Technology. She says her research primarily focuses on – “the use of linguistic models for building technology that offers a more natural Human-Computer as well as Computer-Mediated interactions.”
Bali pursued her graduation in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Linguistics from JNU, followed by a PhD in phonetics from the University of York. It was one of her papers on speech technology that grabbed the attention of a European speech technology company, who recruited her in their R&D. Later, Bali moved on to work with Microsoft.
Through Project Mélange, Bali works on code-mixing of multiple languages for both text and speech which aims to enable AI to operate in more than one language (eg. English and Hindi), similar to common human speech.
Another one of her projects – ELLORA (Enabling Low Resource Languages) works on ways of collecting data to build language technology for better conservation of resources. She has also partnered with NGOs working with tribal communities, to experimentally integrate tribal languages with Hindi and replicate the model with all major languages of India.
Devapriya Chattopadhyay
Dr Devapriya Chattipadhyay (Credits: ResearchGate)
She is at present an Associate Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences at IISER, Kolkata. The 39-year-old paleobiologist has been studying the evolutionary patterns of molluscs to identify the prehistoric ocean circulation and its effect on ecology. Her research broadly aims to discover ways from prehistoric paleoecology to solve the modern-day biodiversity crisis.
Dealing with fossil specimens from Kutch in Gujarat, Chattopadhyay is trying to identify the present environmental triggers and aftermath of climate change on coastal and marine biodiversity. Her mention-worthy discovery includes how the melting of icecaps is lowering the salinity of the sea, thereby affecting many marine lives.
Chattopadhyay also admits to the existence of gender bias in the scientific sector of India. She condemns how women often blame themselves for being victims of gender discrimination and hopes the research sector in India becomes more conducive for women.
An alumnus of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and the University of Yale, Vaidya is a neuroscientist with a knack for molecular psychiatry. Her mother is an endocrinology researcher, and her father is a clinical pharmacologist. No wonder then the enthusiasm for neuroscience runs in her genes. Ardently inspired by Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey, Vaidya always wanted to become a scientist. She completed her postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford.
Her main research includes the study of neurocircuits which regulate human emotions, and how mental health issues like depression, anxiety stem from changes in these neurocircuits.
At present, 49-year-old Vidita Vaidya is a faculty at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai – the institution where she had set up her first personal lab at the age of 29.
In 2015, Vaidya won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for her contribution to Medical Sciences in India.
Vaidya believes gender equality and welcoming more women into academia should start at a basic level – through open discussions and decisions. As a young student abroad, she was admittedly amazed to see women researchers balancing work and personal lives, even motherhood, thanks to the inclusive workspace, which she wishes to see in India.
A rocket scientist at ISRO who has worked on over 14 space missions in two decades, Harinath’s first and foremost exposure to space science was through the popular TV series Star Trek. She was one of the leading brains behind India’s successful Mars Orbiter Mission – Mangalyaan, serving as a Deputy Operations Director. She also headed as the Mission system leader of NISAR – a joint satellite venture of NASA & ISRO, slated to be launched in 2020.
A mother of two, Harinath ascertained that gender bias had always taken a backseat at ISRO, where women scientists comprise over 24 per cent of the workforce. However, she admits from her experience that women across the world have to battle the socio-cultural stigma of being ‘weak’ in Maths and Science. She had also cited a study which revealed that often male scientists were promoted based on their potential. In contrast, their women counterparts had to prove actual accomplishments to attain the same positions.
For all these women, challenges had been aplenty – be it in the personal or professional front. But these women triumphed over social stigmas, sexism, gender discrimination and patriarchy with their intellect, hard work and mettle. They continue to serve as symbols of inspiration for millions of young women across the country to take a bold leap into a career in science.
In response to the gruesome gang-rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, Telangana, the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh recently passed the Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act in the State Assembly. Known as the Disha Act, it envisages, among other things, the completion of an investigation into especially heinous crimes against women and children within 7 days and trial in 14 working days, and reducing the total time for conviction in court to 21 days from the existing 4 months.
Two women civil servants, Dr Kritika Shukla and M Deepika, have been appointed by the State government as Special Officers to implement the Disha Act, 2019.
“Dr Kritika Shukla, presently the Director of Women Development and Child Welfare, has been given an additional charge as DISHA Special Officer. M Deepika, who is the Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) of Kurnool, has been transferred and posted as DISHA Special Officer,” an official statement read last week.
Speaking to The Better India (TBI), M Deepika (IPS), who will operate at the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) in the Disha Cell created within the state’s Crime Investigation Department (CID), talked about the responsibility before the administration in addressing the public’s anger.
“We have started working to ensure that a robust framework is in place to complete investigations within seven days. The government is appointing special public prosecutors to help with the drafting of chargesheets, improving the capabilities of forensic labs, hiring quality medical doctors, particularly gynaecologists since we have trouble getting timely reports and enlisting quality cyber experts. In essence, the state administration is trying to enable the creation of an ecosystem to speed up investigations,” says the 2014-batch IPS officer.
She adds that every district will have a special team, headed by an officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank, which can focus solely on heinous crimes against women and children. They have also started a programme along the lines of a neighbourhood watch group, called the Mahila Mitra Committee.
“It will include local women residents and a Mahila Mitra coordinator from our side, and bring to the notice of the police any serious crimes against women,” she states.
To ensure complaints are registered in cases of violence against women, victims can file a Zero FIR. Instead of making the victim jump through hoops to file a complaint, she can register a complaint in any police station without bothering about whether the case falls in their jurisdiction.
The police officer concerned just has to register the FIR and transfer the case to the station concerned. Also, there is a Disha Station in every district, which will take up the responsibility.
“This shift in responsibility will ensure that police personnel are more forthcoming in registering FIRs. Our Director-General of Police has also started a sensitisation programme for all personnel to ensure they understand the gravity of such crimes and how seriously it’s being reviewed. We regularly hold video conferences in all the districts, and he has been stressing that crimes must be registered. Also, we have women Mahila Mitra coordinators at every station, and they are responsible for ensuring cases are registered. The system in place seeks to ensure greater accountability,” argues Deepika.
The state has three regional forensic labs in Andhra Pradesh—Vijayawada, Tirupati and Vizag. For DNA, serology and cyber analysis, these labs need better equipment and the state government has already earmarked budget for it, and experts are being hired accordingly.
For a collection of forensic evidence on the police’s end, special teams are being formed. In each wing of investigation, specialised people will oversee their responsibilities.
Protests against the horrific gangrape and murder in Hyderabad. (Source: Facebook)
A critical issue which many have highlighted with regards to the Disha Act, 2019, is its watertight timeline. Is it possible to investigate every rape case within 7 days?
“The 7-day period is for cases where substantial and conclusive evidence is available. For example, in cases where CCTV footage is available or the accused can be clearly identified beyond doubt. So, if it’s a whodunit, the Act does not say that you have to investigate the case within seven days. In cases where the accused is not identified, there are no clues available and the victim is either deceased or not in a state to identify the accused, we have more leeway,” says Deepika.
Similarly for the courts, judgements have to be reached in 14 days only in the event of substantial and conclusive evidence.
Another point of confusion is the death penalty for crimes against women and children. The death penalty only applies in cases of especially heinous crimes and not for every rape committed in the state.
Moreover, each Disha Station will seek to address specific crimes. Not every case of sexual assault, dowry deaths, or domestic violence will be overseen by them; the standard law and order machinery will investigate these cases.
Only grave and heinous crimes committed under Sections 326A (acid attacks), 354A (sexual harassment), 376 (which includes gang-rape) and POCSO Act, among other provisions, will be taken up by Disha Stations.
The new law also has provisions for harassment of women in cyberspace, where jail time extends from two to four years. Besides, the state will now establish, operate and maintain an online register called the ‘Women & Children Offenders Registry.’
Calling it a huge responsibility, that brings with it high expectations, Deepika mentions that she is nevertheless, fired up about the experience.
“The initial months are very crucial to see whether this Act makes a difference to the system. The timelines afforded to us poses a great challenge, but I am looking forward to it and hope to do my best.”
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Doctor ki kya zarurat hai? Main toh experience se doctor hoon. Paisa bhi achha milta hai. Mene toh hazaron bachcho ki delivery ki hai (Why do you need a doctor? I am a doctor by experience. I get good money too. I have delivered thousands of babies)
— boasted a drunk ward boy who was carrying the equipment needed to conduct a delivery. While speaking, his hands shook, screaming his inebriated state.
The worst part? The words were true.
“This was in Banswara, Rajasthan. I have these words on record. He boasted about delivering thousands of babies in the past. In most of the hospitals, doctors or nurses did not perform tasks like changing glucose drips or conducting deliveries. Instead, Class IV workers like ward boys, sweepers, male peons and compounders were conducting deliveries,” says social activist Tara Ahluwalia based in Bhilwara, Rajasthan.
She unearthed this pathetic state of affairs in hospitals across the state during a series of sting operations she conducted in 2019.
A piece of news about a botched delivery acted as the catalyst propelling Tara to find out what exactly was happening in the government hospitals across Rajasthan.
The team of four—Tara, Dainik Bhaskar’s Special Features Correspondent, Anand Chaudhary, photographer, Anurag Bhasida, and a teammate who requested anonymity—embarked on a mission to uncover the horrifying truth behind the labour rooms in the state.
Tara Ahluwalia
And what they found out haunts them still.
The Horrifying Truths of the Labour Rooms
(Caution: The following incident may be disturbing to some. Reader discretion is strongly advised)
24-year-old Deeksha Kanwar went into labour in January 2019. Her family took her to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Ramgarh, Jaisalmer.
But they could not have expected the horrors that awaited them.
Tara tells The Better India (TBI) what happened that night:
Instead of the doctor, Deeksha’s delivery was performed by two untrained male staffers. She went into labour two months before her due date. And it was a breech delivery. A breech delivery is a case when the baby’s feet, knees, or buttocks appear first. The male staff pulled the baby hard with such brutal force that it severed the infant in two parts. The body up to the chest came out and the head remained stuck in the uterus.
And instead of letting the parents know what had happened, the male staffers hid the body of the baby. As Deeksha started bleeding profusely, they told her family to transfer her to a secondary healthcare centre in Jodhpur which is six hours away.
“The road from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur is a sandy one, where the patient was at a high risk of infection,” continues Tara. “When Deeksha arrived at the Jodhpur hospital and underwent a scan, the doctors were horrified. They managed to figure out that the head was still inside the mother’s womb.”
According to an Indian Express report, her family filed a police complaint, which led to a case being filed under IPC sections 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety) against the two Ramgarh hospital staffers.
“After Deeksha’s case came out, I did not sleep for days. After the case came to light, the many rural women I had been working with opened up about the abuse they had faced in these government hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC). While some complained of being hit, others spoke about botched sterilisations where despite undergoing tubal ligation, they still got pregnant. That was my trigger point,” says Tara.
So started an investigation that caused a media frenzy with thousands of people screaming for justice for these women. It also forced the state government to launch an enquiry into the poor state of maternal health care in Rajasthan’s government hospitals.
The Investigation and Sting Operations
Representational Image
With a target to cover 92 government hospitals in 13 districts within 28 days, the team of four meticulously planned their course of action.
The team focussed on the following parameters:
-To check if the staff in charge of deliveries and post-natal care was trained/qualified.
-To check how they behaved with the new mothers.
-The state of hygiene in the labour room and the practices followed at the time of delivery.
The month-long sting operation brought to light some spine-chilling tales. Tara spoke of how the women were taken into the labour room alone, with no family, female relatives or even their spouses allowed to enter.
“In places where I entered under the guise of being a helper, I recorded the appalling behaviour of the staff. When the woman in labour cried in agony, the nurses and class IV workers would slap them, muffle their voices and hurl the worst abuses you can imagine.”
Speaking to TBI, Anand Chaudhary who was part of the sting operation, adds how the team faced several challenges in setting up spy cams in these labour rooms.
“We recorded 10-12 hours of footage on our spy cams that reveal the physical assault and verbal abuse. Mistreatment and abuse in labour rooms are very common in these remote tribal belts and PHCs. The sad state of affairs is that abuse against women is so generalised that no one bats an eyelash when they ask for help.”
When asked why women don’t complain about the abuse, Tara says, “They fear for their own lives and that of their children. It takes them quite a lot of time to get over the trauma they face. Many of the compounders who handle the deliveries have even sexually abused these women and later threatened them. Lakhs and crores are being spent on maternal healthcare in government hospitals, yet hundreds of women suffer in silence behind the shut doors of the labour room.”
Lack of Hygiene and Rampant Bribery
Snippets from the sting published in Dainik Bhaskar
“The state of hygiene was nauseating. A woman in labour and a newborn child need to be kept in a highly sanitised room, but that was far from what we found. In many of these hospitals the cots/beds looked like they hadn’t seen any form of cleaning or sanitisation in years. The biomedical waste, blood and dirt from the previous delivery was not cleaned until the next woman was rushed to the labour room. The staff used the patient’s clothes to clean the blood off the cot that she lay on. The labour rooms were infested with rats. Imagine a newborn baby in a labour room at the risk of being bitten by these rats!” exclaims Tara.
Highlighting the postpartum issues that many of these women deal with due to the mistreatment, Tara adds, “The amount of pressure placed on the pregnant stomach is brutal to the extent that many of these women also suffer uterine prolapse, a condition where the pelvic floor muscles and ligaments stretch and weaken and the uterus slips down into or protrudes out of the vagina. Women fail to take the required treatment and push it back in with their bare hands, which increases the risk of further infection.”
Another snippet
Tara further adds how the corruption in the labour room is at an all-time high. If the woman requires two injections, the staff will order four. While only two are administered, the other two make it back to the hospital’s medical inventory.
In Banswara, where the team pretended to be relatives of a patient, they alleged that the female security guard outside the labour room demanded them to visit the gynaecologist’s home and bribe him to ensure that delivery was done properly. She demanded a commission for herself too.
“The extent of corruption was sickening. And so when we ran the footage and story as a front-page news series for a week, the reaction from across the state was tremendous. We received over one lakh calls and messages from enraged people demanding for perpetrators to be put behind bars and justice for these women. The response from the state-level policymakers was quick after we presented the evidence,” adds Anand.
After the Release of the Sting
State of hygiene
When the news ran on the front page of Dainik Bhaskar, the then National Health Mission Director, IAS officer Dr Samit Sharma, immediately got in touch with Tara and Anand. Sharma is the pioneer of the generic medicine project that made affordable health care, medicine and surgical items accessible to millions of poor people in Rajasthan.
“There were state-wide meetings with top authorities and the matter was discussed in detail. When we presented all of our data, photographs and sting operation videos, Sharma immediately ran a large scale investigation. Many of these officers conducted surprise visits to the hospitals to check the state of affairs and service in the hospitals. While many doctors and nurses were fired, cases were filed against class IV workers found guilty. Similarly, several transfers took place,” says Tara.
The administration also formulated and enforced the initiative—Prasav Sakhi (Your friend during childbirth) which it made mandatory not to isolate a pregnant woman.
“To help her feel safe, she is allowed to call a family member of her choice inside the labour room. This is also helping curb corruption because if the staff orders medical supplies, the person in the room can keep a track if the ones that are ordered are administered,” shares Tara.
Anand backs this up, “After the story came out, more than 3,000 women got in touch with us to narrate the tales of labour room horrors. The state administration, especially Samit Sharma was instrumental in bringing about a major change. Within four months, the situation of the labour rooms changed with hygiene standards improving. Strengthening labour room laws and guidelines, surprise investigations and system of feedback.”
Did they face any abuse or were they at the risk of their cover being blown?
“We put our own lives on the line. One doctor got highly suspicious and sent guards to monitor our every move. If we were caught on that sting, we would have been assaulted.”
Representational image
Talking about the repercussions of their work, Tara says, “Several nurses in Bhilwara went on a strike and raised slogans against me. They tried to claim that we made this up. But the administration supported me because they had evidence against them. It was exhausting dealing with the hostility. But I regret nothing.”
The fearless activist stands by her convictions. “These healthcare facilities are set up spending crores for our women, and if they fail to make us feel safe, then how things work needs to change. We have to impact change and break down the silence. I have never backed down from unveiling the truth in the past, and I will not back down. No matter what.”
Receiving the ball from the flyhalf’, Sweety Kumari runs wide past the outstretched arms of the first defender, steps infield dodging a rival winger, whizzes past two more defenders who fall helplessly as she zooms past them before two more defenders attempt to bring her down. But Sweety powers through and scores a try, leaving both defenders clutching at her ankles.
It was thanks to this stunning try versus the Philippines at the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship on June 19, 2019, that Sweety, a 19-year-old explosive winger from Nawada village in Barh Tehsil of Patna, caught the rugby world’s attention.
🚀Wheels and power! Sweety Kumari is some player – check out her second try for @rugbyindia in their defeat to the Philippines! pic.twitter.com/r5bvxXwKud
The try reminded me of the first time I saw New Zealand All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu on television during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, whose speed and power often left rival defenders helplessly holding onto his T-shirt or ankles as he scored a try.
Although India lost that match to the Philippines 32-27, Sweety’s hot form carried onto the next fixture versus Singapore three days later, scoring two tries and helping India win their first-ever international women’s 15s victory with a 21-19 win.
Once again, her incredible power and speed were on display. In one instance, she left four defenders in her wake.
“The match versus Singapore was probably my favourite experience playing for India, starting from the wonderful facilities to overcoming the pressure of scoring tries and winning the match for India. It’s something I’ll never forget,” says Sweety, in an exclusive interview with The Better India.
“My favourite part of the sport is running fast with the ball in my hands, deceiving defenders with subtle movements, stepping in and out at full speed, making my opponents look silly and showcasing my ability on the pitch,” she adds.
Sweety Kumari in action. (Source: Sweety Kumari)
Even though this is a phone interview, the joy in Sweety’s voice over being selected as the “international young player of the year” by reputed women’s rugby website Scrumqueens is palpable.
“She impressed from the start, but it was this year that she started making a big impact scene in Asia at both sevens and fifteens. Described by Asia Rugby as the continent’s fastest player, her explosive pace and power has resulted in her top-scoring at most of India’s sevens tournaments, as well as scoring two outstanding tries their first ever test match win against Singapore,” wrote Scrumqueens.
Need For Speed
Growing up in a household with five sisters and two brothers, Sweety first made her mark in track and field in her early teens.
Running for her government school, district and eventually state, she ran 100m under 12 seconds during one particular track meet in Patna. However, a year after getting into track and field, she was introduced to rugby by Pankaj Kumar Jyoti, the secretary of the Bihar Rugby Association, during a state athletics meet in Siwan.
“Pankaj Sir told me that I had genuine speed, and convinced me that I would do really well in rugby. Although it doesn’t elicit major crowds today, the day isn’t far away when massive audiences will watch us play,” mentions Sweety.
“Just 14, she single-mindedly found out all she could about the game, created and organised a team, and entered the state championship. Within three years she was in the national U17 team, and last year the senior national team,” wrote Scrumqueen.
(Source: Sweety Kumari)
“Initially, all I learnt was to pass back and run forward during my first junior pre-camp. But, thanks to my coaches, I learnt how to run wide on the flanks, get past defenders and think about the game. While I am blessed with great speed, I consistently train every day to improve my running rhythm and ability to step in and out,” she says.
After playing a series of national-level tournaments, she eventually got noticed. Just two years after first picking up the game, she was selected to play for India in the Youth Olympic Asia Qualifier match in Dubai sometime around November 2017.
Interestingly, for the longest time, her parents had no idea that she was a rugby player.
“They thought I was still into athletics. However, that changed when I was selected to play for India and needed a passport to travel. In fact, my father was bemused when I told him about playing rugby. He asked me, “What is this sport?” Instead of explaining the sport and all its nuances, I told him he would one day watch me live on TV. Seeing my confidence, he helped me. Thankfully, I have received a lot of love and encouragement from my family,” she says.
(Source: Sweety Kumari)
Despite playing with real confidence, Sweety was very nervous before her debut.
“There was trepidation about how women from other nations would tackle me or use their physicality. Thankfully seniors in my team calmed me down. As I played one match after another, those fears disappeared. Today, instead of me fearing them, it’s the opposite. I have learnt how to dodge and step better, besides learning new techniques to beat these defences. This year, you will see a completely new Sweety, although the speed will remain,” she asserts.
Indian Rugby Legend in The Making
Today, she has fans around the world, particularly in the rugby-crazy Pacific Islands. Even at home, the state government has elevated rugby’s profile, offering jobs to talented players.
(Source: Sweety Kumari)
For Sweety, however, it’s all about raising India’s game on the world stage and getting girls from her village to pick up the sport.
“There are girls in my village who want to play rugby, but their parents won’t allow them to leave home and play in shorts. I have tried to explain the many advantages of playing sports at the highest level like experiencing the world outside, meeting new people, tasting different foods, visiting new countries and meeting celebrities. But some parents don’t see these benefits. They fear that their daughter might get hurt, break her foot and won’t get married,” she adds.
“India’s hopes of playing outside Asia appear limited with at least half a dozen better resourced and more experienced nations competing for Asia’s one or two spots in world tournaments…but if any one player can take her team to a higher level its Kumari,” wrote Scrumqueens.
There is no doubt that Sweety is a definite Indian rugby legend in the making!
