Refresher Course i Osmania University

 Today, on 25th August, 2018, at Osmania University, I interacted with the Faculty from History from all over the country. There were forty participants and it was nice to hear their Director, Prof. Bala Kishan OU, tell me, "Mam, I am your Facebook friend, though I am meeting you for the first time today". Indeed Facebook has connected us to so many. Lavanya, my own student who did her M. Phil and Ph. D with me is an Assistant Professor in History at Osmania University and it was a joy to meet her and indeed there is a great sense of pride to meet  your own  students and see them doing so well and leading programmes in the department. A great pleasure was connecting to about four to five students of mine, whom I taught at the MA level and who are now working in different colleges. They told me, Mam, I was in 1993 batch,some 1996,others  1998. Except few who did not change much, it is indeed difficult to recognise many older students. When these students finish their courses and bid us good bye they are boys but today when I meet them all of them are all  men and very matured and serious. Indeed a great joy in connecting with so many earlier students.

Standing Committee meeting for Women’s Studies in St. Ann's College, Mehendipatnam,

 On 21st August, 2018, was held the  Standing Committee meeting for  Women’s Studies in  St. Ann's College, Mehendipatnam, Osmania University. I was very happy to see their enthusiasm and zeal in doing Gender Studies. I was very happy to meet their Dean Smita Astana and the young team of Poppy Nath their Director, Meeta Joshi from History, Devyani Dixit from French Dept, Soujanya from Commerce. The Newsletter for Women’s Studies and History were also released. Earlier I was associated with their Centre through Nalini and Rema. There is indeed a large pool of  faculty in different colleges that is interested in Gender issues. I only wish the UGC has some clarity with regards to the fate of these Centres.

On Mizo's and Mizoram

 Having just returned from Aijawl after my second visit, I cannot but discuss a little about Mizoram its culture and society. Unfortunately, very few Indians in the mainland have had an opportunity to go here or  interact with the people of Mizoram and there are by and large so many misnomer and biases  that are present. Three things which I love about Mizoram is the people, the discipline and the food. I have had many students from Mizoram over the years and they still treat you with so much love and affection. I have not seen this in any other  region. In MA we have so many students and we hardly get to know any one individually. We get to know and understand a student only after they become our research scholars and a close bond develops between the teacher and the taught. However, many of the Mizo students whom I taught in MA still continue to have that bond and though it was late at night and many were busy, they did come to meet me. We spent many hours together discussing and talking about different things. There is an ease of relationship even among the people and they are so friendly even if you are talking to drivers or junior staff. Even in the Department there is a friendly atmosphere. I do not find this elsewhere. I find Aijawl so neat and clean and people have a sense of civic responsibility. I am saying this because I observed the driver who came to drop me to the airport. We were traveling for one and a half hour and the roads were empty with hardly any vehicles and only jungles on both side. He ate some thing three or four times and did not throw the wrapper on the road but crumpled it and kept it in his car only. Though this is a mountainous terrain and roads are narrow and there are so many traffic jams in the city, no one uses a horn and the roads are so quiet. I really do not know where the people of Mizoram learnt this and I can compare this to Europe and America. The bonds in the family are very strong. Among the Mizo unlike the rest of India, it is the youngest son who gets the unmovable property like house, land etc and is responsible for taking care of his parents. The Mizos are still very close to nature and a very good example is the food they eat. Most of the food is boiled, with no spices or salt. May be the environment the water is responsible for making this food very tasty.They boil all kinds of leaves and the markets are filled with women selling all kinds of green leafy vegetables. I cannot imagine having vegetables here in Hyderabad only after boiling them. Indeed a great experience.

With Prof. Robin Deputy Director of the MHRD

 The second day at the Gender Sensitisation class and with the Deputy Director of the MHRD program, Dr. Robin who also teaches  in History  and my student Zuali also a faculty member in the History Department of the University of Mizoram.

Talk in History Department

 In the afternoon of 9th August, 2018, interacted with the History Department students on the Bhakti movement and women. I was surprised to see a large number of students about forty five in an optional course onGender/ Women's History being taught by Hmingthanzuali. The class rooms are beautifully decorated with huge posters. They had even put up a big posters all over  with my photograph announcing the event. Great experience and it was great to see that most of the courses are main stream Indian history courses taught in the rest of the country.

Talk on Gender Sensitisation

 Started the official program in Mizoram on 9th August, 2018, with a talk on Gender Sensitisation. There were about sixty participants at the course and most of them are from North East. Had a very interesting discussion with the participants on Gender issues in the North East and the rest of the country.

T