OF STRUGGLES AND SOLIDARITY 2003

OF STRUGGLES AND SOLIDARITY

Protests, Posters, Songs and Slogans mark Women’s Day 2003

Newsletter Jan - Apr 2003

The night is ours!!

“I take myself back, fear.

You are not my shadow any longer.

I won’t hold in my hands.

You can’t live in my eyes ,ears, my voice

My belly or my heart my heart my heart

But come here, fear

Iam alive and you are so afraid of my dying.”

Joy Harjo, I give you back.

Over the last many years, Delhi University has had a vibrant struggle to make the campus a safer place for women. Yet 2002 witnessed an increase tin incidents of sexual harassment, molestation, stalking and other forms of sexual violence against women. After the gang rape of student in broad day light, the campaign gained greater momentum. And Saheli came together with forum against sexual harassment, WDC-KMC, Miranda House, WDC- Satyavati College, Stree Adhikar Sangathan, All India students Association, Democratic students’ Union, Progressive students union to form the coalition for safe university(CSU).

Rallies, memorandums, petitions to get the University establishment to respond, to get the police force to do their duties, And the Municipal corporation to provide basic amenities…. the year has seen them all. Among the many problems of students has been constantly fighting against is the lack of adequate street lighting n many roads around the campus, where most of the harassment take place. So women students in the university especially those staying in hostels, in or around the campus are unable to move about freely.

To focus public attention on the gravity of the situation, CSU organized a “Take back the night” event with the resolve to make the area in and around the college campus, free of fear on 7th March )3, the eve of international women’s day. That evening, armed with posters and songs, play cards and resolve, all 200 women, men and children came together to voice their disgust with the university authority’s lack of commitment to breaking the darkness of sexual harassment’.

In most areas in north campus, there are no street lights at all. And those that are there, don’t work. The absence of street lights has an inherent relationship with vulnerability and insecurity of women who study and teach in North Campus. After dark, the lanes and bus stops become completely deserted and one doesn’t know who lurks in the dark corners. Since the campus is not a closed campus any body can drive in cars or on motorcycle and create troubles for women, without even being identified. Even the car plate number can’t be read in the dark and the girls’ mouth is shut, forever. The libraries and laboratories remain open till late in the evening, but students find it difficult to avail of these facilities, because of their fear of having to go back home alone in dark. Worst hit are the students of law faculty who have evening classes. More over, there are about 11-13 hostels in that area and woman students living here, as it is, feel in secure, living away from their homes, and nights only make it worse. And yet the approach of the administration remains shockingly casual.

At the event which was held outside the post Graduate Women’s Hostel in the university campus, students teachers, members of women groups, students unions and many more joined up to speak out for “A campus that is safe for women ; A country that is safe for women; A world that is safe for women…..WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN1’

Tripta Wahi spoke of the long battle that women had to wage on the campus…. a battle that continues, with an arbitrarily nominated body which will soon be formed to receive students’ complaints. Nandita Narain of DU taking on from there, delivered and energetic and poignant speech on the self defeating way in which the DU policy on sexual harassment is being formed. She emphasized the urgent need for a progressive policy that would recognize this offence as a crime. Then she followed it up by old hindi film song” Kuchh aur zamanaa kehta hai, kuchh aur hai zidd mere dil ki” (The world expects something from me, but heart is set on some thing else…) Which she sang, in her tireless, dulcet voice. Then, Neeraj Malik read out some touching pieces of post war poems by the Chilian women and a powerful satire by Pakistani poet Fahmida Riaz. Deeksha a student of Miranda House Who has been a key member of CSU, addressed women students, calling on them to come forward in efforts like these to combat regressive polices and ever increasing violence. And Rajni Palriwal drew out the connection between struggles of women in a place like the university, and the larger global scenario of war that is looming large These were interspersed with songs against sexual harassment, communalism and war. Lots of students then joined in and sang songs, danced too, full of the positive energy that is required to fight all forms of violence.

Walking with the candles of freedom and hope, burning despite the strong wind, marching with banners reclaiming their space on the streets at all times ( stopping traffic to read the posters and hear them loud and clear!!!) shouting slogans that would have made the patriarchs fear their oblivion, singing songs, reading out poems, sharing the marginal yet threatening space that belongs to women. One could see the moving body of light that passed from front of the university hostel for women and Patel Chest, back to Chattra Marg, with the resounding echoes of slogans like: “Pitra Satta se AZAAD! Shohann se AZAAD! Darr se AZAAD! Le Ke Rehenge, AZAAD!”

Freedom from Patriarchy! Freedom from oppression! Freedom from fear! We will take our FREEDOM!

In preparation for this event, there was also a poster making, song writing, slogan composing workshops held in Saheli on 1 March, where energetic gathering of 20women poured out their ceativity on posters banners, slogans and songs.Banners lke women without Fear-morning, afternoon, evening night.” That powerfully stated their resolve to live and act without fear and ensure that other women could do so. Another encapsulated powerfully, by merely stating, “Enough is enough”. Songs against communalism, oppression and sexual harassment were also rehearsed with gusto.

Endnote: This powerful event was marked by the dark irony of several women students having to rush back to the PG Women’s Hostel by 7.30 pm, a time set to cage them for their on safety. Yet many of them said enthusiastically before leaving,” next year we won’t rush off”, giving cause for worry we hope, to those afraid of our fearlessness!