THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam University, Mallika Sarabhai, has asked women to bring justice and dignity to their homes. She was inaugurating the 13th national conference of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
She said that unless they abide by this, they won’t be able to bring in changes to their lives.”I would ask the woman who believes in justice and dignity to take that to your home. Do you bring up your sons not to become rapists? Do you teach your daughter to treat other women without any contempt? If you don’t abide by this, that is the answer to why we didn’t change,” she said.
Mallika said, had ‘love jihad’ existed hundred years ago, she would not be able to stand here. “My grandparents had married from another religion. My parents were also from different religions. However, today there is ‘love jihad.’ Looking into a mirror, how many of us could say that we are living the life that we preach. You should ask yourself. If you can’t see you in your neighbour’s eye you are not living a world you had cherished,” she added.
The conference started with the hoisting of flag by AIDWA All India president Malini Bhattacharya. Over 850 delegates, observers and special invitees from 26 states are attending the conference. In her keynote address, AIDWA patron Brinda Karat criticised the BJP for communalising crimes against women.
The participants of the conference were greeted by Aleida Guevara on behalf of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC). In her address she described the revolutionary role that was played by Cuban women.
Six symbols of resistance were honoured at the event. They were Sanjukta Sethi of Odisha, who fought against bonded labour and the oppression of microfinance institutions, Revathi of Tamil Nadu, who fought for justice after her husband was killed in police custody, Fullara Mondal, of West Bengal, who fought against the false cases slapped by the state government, Kamalesh of Haryana, who led the struggle of anganwadi workers, Sheela, of Haryana, who organised women farmers in solidarity with the historic farmers’ movement on the Singhu border, and V P Manziya, a dancer from Malappuram, who braved communal and conservative forces who ousted her from the community for her pursuit of art.
I FELT FEAR AND LONELINESS; ONLY SOLACE WAS LETTERS POURING FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY: TEESTA
T’Puram: During her two-month-long imprisonment at Sabarmati Central jail, she felt loneliness and fear. And the only relief came in the form of letters she got from across the country, said rights activist Teesta Setalvad. She was speaking at the inauguration of the 13 national conference of All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
“I used to feel fear and loneliness at Sabarmati central jail. But one thing that was with me besides my friends and family was the lovely letters that I got from across the country. I received 200 to 500 letters daily. A total of 2007 letters were received. These letters were given to me after censoring by the jail authorities. I used to read these letters taking three to four hours a day. My fellow prisoners used to ask me the secret behind getting all these letters. The workers of the All-India Democratic Women’s federation, Communist party and the All-India Forest Working People were sending it”, she said.