Interacting with students at Calicut University. Students all over the world are same and very curious and wanting to explore many new things. Had a wonderful time with the students of both Political Science and Women's studies in a very fruitful discussion with them. Came to know of many facets of Kerala Society and made the students do some self questioning. Thanks Sugandha for being there and sharing your insights from Women's Studies too.
A day in Calicut University in their Department of Women's Studies, Board of Studies. I am in the Board of Studies in many Universities across the country and have attended these meetings at a regular basis but here was a meeting that was really very tough because I found every one had such strong views on each and every issue and were not willing to even compromise. I found a sense of a very strong identity and was left wondering in the end, where are the students in all this fight. Are we even thinking of the students in this issue of trying to bring about a change in a globalised world by revising syllabus, exam patterns,content etc. Each one is so strong in their view that any kind of change is difficult to even visualise. I was left wondering at the end, is this a fight on ideology or just being comfortable in what has been going on for ages and not wanting to disturb your comfortable cacoon and giving it all kind of different names. One does get such variety of experiences and I learn a little more about human beings and our society.
I was very happy to meet an old student of mine, Mahalaxmi on 20th March, 2018, at the National Seminar on Changing trends in History and Historiography organised by the History Department of Maulana Azad National Urdu University Mahalaxmi is currently a Professor at the Centre for historical studies at JNU. She gave a wonderful key note address and I enjoyed listening to her. I remember her as a very active student and who was involved in a number of activities outside the class too. We had all gone to the Gopal pally village in the early 1990's to conduct a workshop for the Girl children and I remember Maha participating with full enthusiasm. It's always a pleasure to reconnect with old students.
On 15th March, 2018, delivered the key note address on the issue of Combating human trafficking at the validectory session of the national seminar organised by the Department of Women's Studies at Barkatullah University Bhopal. This was one of the very well organized seminar that I have attended in the recent years and one that I feel was very relevant for it brought together at one platform academicians, Administrative officers, Police personnel, NGO, officers of Seema Suraksha Ball (SSB) and students. I am looking forward to a booklet coming out of this Conference which has all the names and addresses of people dealing with the issue of trafficking in different capacities and this can be the final word to look for contacts by any one looking into this subject. The subject was so engrossing that every one was seated from ten to six and had lunch around three thirty. Thanks Asha Shukla for making me part of this and it was a great feeling to see so much work happening in this area.
Participated ion 14th March, 2018, in the Panel discussion on Human Trafficking and Bonded Labour at the National Seminar on, Combating Human Trafficking : Problems, Vulnerability and Solutions. This is a very important National Seminar which has a good mix of academicians, Government Officials, Police personnel, NGO's and students. Thanks to Asha Shukla the Head of the Department of Women's Studies at Barkatullah University, Bhopal, that she managed to get the best in the field under one roof. I was very happy to meet and interact with P. M. Nair, who has done such good work in this area and I was very impressed when I read his report on the issue long time back. Today after his retirement from the Police, he is currently the Chair Professor at TISS, Mumbai. It was also a pleasure to meet Bhamathi, who is currently the Administrative member of the Central Administrative Tribune and is so familiar with the laws concerning Trafficking. Also met Roma Debabrata and Ravi Kant, who are seriously involved in the rehabilitation work with their NGO's and shared a lot of their experiences from the field. A very fruitful day and a day we'll spent.
I am in Bhopal to attend the National Conference on Human Trafficking, problems, vulnerability and solutions, being organised by the Centre for Women's Studies at Barkatullah University under the leadership of Prof. Asha Shukla,the Head of CWS. This has come at the right time when I am reading the autobiography of Abida Sultaan, The memoirs of a rebel princess, who was the successor to the Bhopal ruling family. She speaks of Bhopal during the 1920's when it is covered with forests, greenery and is very beautiful. Bhopal had huge forests surrounding it and many times royalty from other states and British Viceroy came for Shikar here. She describes in detail the life of a princess and how the Royalty perceived of the independence struggle, the loosing of the privy purses and why she decided to migrate to Pakistan leaving every thing behind.It is a very interesting autobiography and I would recommend it to every one as a must read. Today also Bhopal looks very neat and clean with a lot of green cover and the huge lake right in the centre of the town. I did not get any sense of great traffic as we went to visit the temple at Bojpur in the outskirt. This is a beautiful structure with a huge Shiva linga constructed around 1010 to 1055. The temple a stone structure stands tall amidst its surroundings and is a beautiful sight.
This was such a nostalgic trip, visiting my alma mater at Allahabad University. The place looked very neat and clean and was brightly kept with many plants. Thanks to Yogesh my class mate who is now Head of the Department of History, the place has changed a lot and I had a grand welcome. Met Lalit Joshi, Panna Lal. It was great meeting my student Harish. I went around the place and Renu Singh, Mohini, Neeru remembered all of you as we spent a lot of time sitting in the steps and discussing world issues and philosophising about life. Now a beautiful garden has come in front of this. Earlier in the 1976-77, it was just an open empty space, so after every class we would sit here in the steps. The University looked more green and as students it looked very huge but now it appeared to be small in term of distance. May be it is my eye and vision that has changed. A day very well spent and Thanks a lot Yogesh, Lalit and Harish for making me feel so welcome and strengthening my bonds with my alma mater, especially with the Department of Medieval and Modern History.
I really need to thank Lalit Joshi for giving us such a wonderful time at Allahabad. We spent a lovely day here on 9th march, 2018. Lalit is such a dynamic, versatile and well read academician that it is always a pleasure to interact with him and talk on different issues especially about the city and its old theatres and films in general. I am so happy that Lalit took out the time at such a short notice and we could really spend some hours together. Pity there was no time to listen to his music, another of his passion. Lalit you must write a cultural history of this city, its journalism, films and theatre of the early days and this would be an immense and rich contribution to Allahabad. Lalit took us to El Chico which we were visiting after nearly 39 years and we were happy to see that a new wing had been added to this restaurant. Suresh and I had been here in January 1979, just before we got married. It was great meeting Naresh Roy the owner of El Chico, whom I have met through Facebook and the Allahabad group, who came and met us and revived some history of EL Chico. Thanks a lot Lalit for such a wonderful time and taking us down to memory lane. Pity Mamta was working and we could not meet her. We will continue the conversation when you come to Hyderabad,that is a promise.
Celebrated International Women's day at IIT, Varanasi with a talk on Globalisation, trafficking and commoditization of Women's bodies. A very interesting discussion followed on the role of technology, families, state and society with regards to this issue and the comparison between India and the other countries. I was very happy to see that our stalwart technologists are so keenly observant and interested in social issues.
The second day of the Seminar on 7th March, 2018 at BHU was very memorable for me for I presented my paper in front of my teacher Prof. N. R. Farooqi, who was also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Allahabad. I was meeting my sir after nearly four decades. As Prof. Farooqi spoke on the significance of a regional perspective in history, he transported me back to his class some forty years back and I listened to him spell bound. This was an amazing experience for me. Coming to Benaras has been like a pilgrimage in a way. To me it was also going back to my student days and meeting many old friends and teachers. All pictures courtesy Suresh Pande.
