Osmaina University

 Gave a lecture on the Emergency of grass root leadership in India, with a focus on Chipko and the Anti arrack movement leadeship. These two movements saw the emergence of many women leaders who were earlier marginalised and never center stage in decision making and had no say in matters related to the village or the community.These women got a lot of confidence through these movements and their strength came in numbers. This talk was as part of the one week Faculty Improvement programme organised by the Osmania University.

Key Note Address

 Delivered the Key note address in the one week, Faculty improvement programme on Gender Studies,  by  Osmania University. Organised by the HRDC and RUSA, this programme drew the participation of sixty faculty from different University and Colleges across the country. Many of them come from disciplines that do not discuss gender and hence this programme becomes important to bring in an awareness on gender issues. However, though this is a reality in the present day times, I will always miss the one to one interaction which one has in a class room and making people see the various bias that we have regards gender. It is certainly not the same speaking to a lap top screen and answering questions with out really seeing the facial expressions of the participants. But life must go on and this is the best that can be done in the present situation and I am glad so many faculty from different parts of the country are learning  new technology and keeping themselves update. Thanks a lot C.V.Ranjani  for inviting me and speaking such kind words about my work in gender studies.

Joined ad a Director, SEED

 

Very happy to inform my family, friends, students and well wishers that I have joined as a Director of SEED, Society for Empowerment through Environment Development. This was established in 1997,and worked informally in the Bangladesh, Nepal and the states of Uttrakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It became  formalised and was registered in 2006.I had been working with them of and on. I will now take full responsibility. Due to the pandemic, nothing much can take place and we have used this time to develop a web site. Thanks a lot to my son Varun and his friend Ankit who have developed this web site as a labour of love.Thanks to Vishal, another friend Malati TGupta son who has developed the logo. Some of my student's who have passed out of the University will be also involved.Just waiting for the pandemic to be over and start our work in the field. http://indiaseed.in/

Covid 19 and domestic violence Conference Mhow.

 Participated in a two day workshop on Covid 19 and domestic violence organised by B. R. Ambedkar University, Mhow. I am amazed at the energy of Prof. Asha Shukla, a dear friend and Vice Chancellor of this University at her energy to hold a month long programme on Gender. It was really nice to hear another dear friend Prof Annapurna Annpurna Nautiyal ,the  Vice Chancellor of H.N.Bahuguna University, at  Srinagar, give an insightful address on this issue. I wish, we have more women Vice Chancellor in Indian Universities, especially those from the Women's Studies background. They would bring in more sensitivity to issues. Great listening to other speakers, Archana, Rita Singh. I looked at how domestic violence is also encouraged by the ideological and social structure of our society. I analysed the Boris  locker room case, the film Kabir Singh which became a massive hit to talk about toxic male masculinity and increased violence  in our society.

A heartouching letter from my youngest twin Varun

 A letter from Varun my  youngest twin on my retirement.  When so many of my students are sharing their experience and emotions on Facebook, I thought I should also share this letter, which i had kept close to my heart. I had come back from my morning walk  on 30th June and when I opened my phone, I saw a mail from my youngest twin and I shed a tear or two.   As the most mischevious and a  very independent person with a mind of his own,  he had troubled me a lot for he refused to toe the line.  I still remember that in class one or two, when he would learn out loud a  wrong spelling and  I would correct him and ask him to learn the correct spelling,  he would tell me go and teach this in your University to your students. This is what my teacher taught me and this is what I will learn and kept repeating out loudly the wrong spellings, much to my great dismay and agony. 

Dear Mummy,

 I was composing this email for a while in my head. I did not know where to start. But they say its best to start at the beginning. I can’t tell where the story of your career begins. But for me, you were always a teacher before a mother.

You have had a brilliant career, with all of its most significant challenges obliterated. I cannot speak for Bittu and Tarun much but out of my own experiences. I still remember the days when you used to carry me to your office when I was sick or had a fever, and I lay down on two chairs pulled together.  I still remember playing with the water kettle in your office and looking at all the fancy stationery in your office with curiosity as if it was some new technology. The most pungent memory is the one of that stinking men’s bathroom that was a few doors away from your office in the old historic building. I remember you running to the bus station, to the auto stand, to Abids, to my school, to the top of the slope near the main road when I didn’t come home on time:(. I made you run so much you had to get your knees replaced (Sorry, but I am a good kid now).

Good Times, huh!... Any way Mummy, I am trying to keep this short, but congratulations on this lifetime achievements. I don’t have the exact numbers, but with close to 20 books published and numerous other publications, you are a true epitome of a small-town girl who made it big in this wide world.

If a feminist is someone who supports equal rights to women, then you are an epitome of I-Feminism. I hope you inspire countless girls and women in India and around the world like you have inspired me, your own son. Maybe I got the competitive nature to be the best of the best from papa, but it was chivalry and panache I believe I got from you. The real purpose of life is to pass on knowledge and experiences since you have been in academia all your life I would recommend you write your own memoir and to help you start here is a title Rekha: A-line between career, motherhood, and feminism. (We will talk about this I have a software I will install that will type as you speak)

Anyways, I know you might feel nervous or scared (maybe a wrong choice of words). But as always, you have papa by your side through thick and thin and all the noise he makes (LOL). You have three brilliant sons. Who are steadfast and strong? Congratulation on your retirement. We all love you.

Now come to Connecticut and stay in your house, your room is ready.

Regards,

Chotu

My Farewell in the University

 Looking back, Looking beyond: My histories, my Journeys. Sharing my talk on the last day of working  officially in the University of Hyderabad.Today,  I  received this video and it is very heartening to see my colleagues and students remember their time with me in the University.  I was very  happy to see my former colleagues Aloka Parasher Sen and Seshan join in.  We were all chatting as if nothing had changed and we were back to normal times as before. Bindu Bambha thanks a lot . Our interest in gender studies goes a long way back.  Inspite of voice breaks and some disturbances in the internet, this video will always be close to my heart.  Thanks 

 Sanjay, Swarupa and Anindita . Thanks a lot Bhangya Bhukya, V.J. Varghese , Vijay Ramdas and Mnrajesh Mnrajesh Rajesh for all your efforts. This is the best tribute  a teacher can get.  You all have touched the core of my heart.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X_KGll9r702Gj1yOghuTyqFcQI5rzD8P/view?usp=drivesdk

A webinar on Covid 19 and violence against women

A webinar on violence against women and Covid 19, on 2nd July.