Tradition, democracy and gender

Democracy replaced the rule by village republics and monarchies both of which are inimical to the inclusive growth of human societies. Village republics represented by traditional institutions have always frozen women in a time warp and clearly demarcated their gender roles. Women’s roles in all tribal societies are therefore clearly but surely circumscribed. Any attempt to get out of that role is viewed as a transgression. Some Naga men have written articles on the present crisis and claimed they are not against women’s participation in urban local bodies. They acknowledge the significant roles played by Naga women in the peace process and in other areas of development but have prefaced their arguments with the rider that the election to the urban local bodies should not have been pushed too hard and that some women activists have derived their strengths from the idea of feminism. So according to such Naga ideologues, women cannot take collective decisions unless “allowed” to by the tribal apex bodies. And the tribal bodies will continue to argue that traditional customary practices never envisaged a political role for women; hence their assertion for political rights today goes against Article 371(A) of the Constitution.

The contentious Article 371(A)says no law passed by Parliament will prevail in Nagaland unless ratified by the Nagaland State Legislature. But the Nagaland Assembly has already passed the Urban Local Bodies Bill allowing 33% reservation for women! So why the hullaballoo then? Isn’t this also an after-thought by a section of Naga politicians who want to unseat the Chief Minister TR Zeliang?

It is a travesty of democracy that Nehru listened to the likes of Verrier Elwin- the voice of ultimate wisdom at the time - as far as the tribals are concerned. Elwin suggested that the ‘tribes be allowed to develop according to their own genius.’ Verrier Elwin who had Nehru’s ears also had a romantic notion about tribals and tribal lifestyles. Elwin held the view that democracy with its western derivatives would expose the tribes to a governance system that would subsume their traditional value systems and way of life and because of which they might be ‘mainstreamed’ Elwin’s intentions might have been noble at the time but even he was paternalistic in his ideas of conserving the tribal way of life. At the time of Verrier Elwin, understanding of gender equality and equity was a big, black vacuum. Like others before him, Elwin believed that men had the natural right to head the traditional institutions and women had to act out their defined gender roles. Participation of women in governance might have seemed improbable for Elwin who saw the tribals as a little better than primitives and where it was as natural as the act of breathing for men to control women and all other socio-political institutions as well. I wonder what Elwin would say if he were alive today to witness the gender war in Nagaland.

When the Panchayati Raj (73rd and 74th Amendment ) Act initiated by Rajiv Gandhi was finally passed in 1993 the states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram were ironically kept out of its purview, ostensibly because these states had vibrant traditional institutions. The significance of the PR Act is that it empowers women to hold office in local governance bodies by giving them 33% reservation, now raised to 50%. The exemption showed complete ignorance of the politics of the three states and was based on the premise that tribal communities practice an egalitarian way of life where men and women had equal rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, those who advised Rajiv Gandhi never studied the traditional governance systems before proposing the PR Bill and taking this critical decision. Even in matrilineal Meghalaya where women are said to enjoy more social and economic mobility the truth is that women have always been kept out of politics. They may enjoy the right of lineage where children carry the mother’s clan name but beyond that women have no semblance of political participation in the traditional local governance bodies. Women are told that their voices will be represented in the traditional institutions by male members of their families. Period. Today while women can attend meetings and that is considered a great leap forward, they still cannot hold office in these traditional bodies.

The paradox about India is that those who governed us in the early stages of political history had very little understanding of the rigidity of tribal customary laws and practices which are at complete odds with post-colonial democratic aspirations of citizens. The Constitution of India provides equal rights to women and men but who follows those concepts in letter and spirit? Indian women had to fight even inch of the way to extract their rights from a system that is socially embedded in patriarchy. Politics has often failed to correct social biases. This is evident from the way the caste system in India has survived all legislations for affirmative action for Dalits and tribals. Similarly affirmative action that propose a nuanced development to address decades of gender discrimination are still largely implemented in the breach. The irony is that even among Dalits and traditional institutions across tribal societies are run by a male-centric tribal elite that believes they have the divine right to rule and also head all political institutions.

Women never had and seemingly would not have any role to play in governance even in the 21st century, unless they claim those rights under law. This is the crux of the matter whether we talk of Meghalaya, Nagaland or Mizoram. The ongoing tussle between is all about women claiming their rights to head urban local bodies and men thwarting that assertion by invoking Article 371(A) of the Constitution. This Article bestows special rights to the Naga people by virtue of which laws passed by parliament have to be ratified by the state legislature of Nagaland. In a sense, therefore, Article 371(A) makes the national laws subservient to the state laws of Nagaland. Is this not a dichotomy? And now the Naga Hoho an apex body comprising all tribes and their subsidiaries have forced the Joint Action Committee for Women’s Reservation (JACWR) to withdraw the Special Leave Petition filed by the JACWR in the Supreme Court, because they apprehend that the court might not take a lenient view of 371(A) and might even scrap it completely. Naga women leaders are being intimidated and their homes vandalised. What sort of democracy is this?

Socrates defined democracy as a political system that maximises two things – equality and freedom. As far as Nagaland is concerned these two attributes are only enjoyed largely by men. Even the role of the church – another male-centric body is questionable here. The recent incidents have set back the clock in Nagaland by a few decades. What surprises me is that even educated and apparently liberal minded women have taken shelter in the argument that women’s reservation in urban local bodies is an idea whose time has not come. They are all capitulating to the call for peace as if there can be peace without justice. In fact the recent violent enterprise has turned women into a collateral constituency. This should be a sad moment for women’s movements across the country!

It is unfortunate that the recent incident has claimed two lives. The question is who instigated this ugly episode and who stands to gain from it. The Naga people must not get bogged down by dirty politics!

Source: The Hindu, 10-02-2017

 Let Your Chi Flow Freely

SENSEI SANDEEP DESAI





One hour of T'ai Chi effects changes in your attitude, outlook and perception, making you stress-free. You concentrate better on your breathing, connect to your `chi' and feel grounded, physically and mentally . You also become nonjudgemental in your interactions with yourself and others. You observe and note things around you and how they affect you. We all have to deal with inconsiderate people who test our patience at work, at the bank, or other places, every once in a while. Instead of losing sleep over it and making ourselves miserable, it is better to “kill“ him with kindness. It's a powerful practice and it works. Apportion at least five minutes for your breathing, posture or a few peaceful T'ai Chi movements. Even standing in a relaxed, spine-straight position for a few minutes will make you think more clearly and see things in perspective.Life is all about right timing.There is a famous Chinese phrase, “Weigh your wu wei“, which translates loosely into “effortless effort“ or “do without doing“. Most of the time we are trying harder than we actually need to.Forcing the lid off the jar, pounding harder on the keyboard, punching the elevator button several times in rapid succession, lifting too much weight in the gym -these are some examples of trying too hard. Stop doing this. Realise that life is made up of little things. Instead of going against the tide, go with the flow.Let it happen naturally .

Know your scientist: Richard Feynman

The American theoretical physicist came up with the idea of nanotechnology and pioneered the field of quantum computing.

Richard Phillips Feynman was born in New York City on May 11, 1918. The American theoretical physicist was best known for discovering the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, and his work in quantum mechanics and particle physics. He also came up with the idea of nanotechnology and was one of the earliest pioneers in the field of quantum computing.

His academic achievements include New York University Math Championship which he won during his senior year at Far Rockaway High School, a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Ph.D. from Princeton in 1939. Despite his intellect, Feynman was an avid prankster, so much so that his autobiography is titled “Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman”.

In 1943, Feynman and Hans Bethe derived the Bethe-Feynman efficiency formula or the formula for calculating the yield of a fission bomb. Feynman also worked on the Manhattan project -- which developed the earliest nuclear weapons -- while he was still a student at Princeton.

The highlight of Richard Feynman career as a scientist was when he won a Nobel prize in 1965. He shared the spotlight with along with fellow scientists Tomonaga and Julian Schwinger. The prize was awarded based on “their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles". He also won the Albert Einstein Award in 1954 and the Lawrence Award in 1962.

Source: DNA, 8-02-2017

Students don't want teacher who knows it all

These lessons learned from my students challenge me to acknowledge the diversity in learning styles, knowledge, skills, and dispositions; consistently evaluate my teaching to meet the needs of each new group of learners

The funny thing about being a teacher is, you are schooled just as much as your students. Education isn't just one way. It, like most avenues of life, travels with reciprocity. My students have taught me some invaluable lessons during my first five years as a college lecturer. I can't help but reflect on all of the lessons I learned. It has helped me think more clearly about what I want my students to know and do, and who I want them to become. And it has made me a better teacher and a better person. And while my students (hopefully) remember the lessons I've taught them, here are some of the lessons they've taught me.

Listen

There are a lot of things that distract our attention, no matter how outlandish, silly, or absurd the story is, just listen. Everyone needs to be heard; and know that their words are important. It helps to build self-esteem, it allows making real connections, and it helps to learn how to interact with others. In a world where many of us simply communicate electronically, nothing replaces real world connections of the heart.

Challenges are the spice of life

Students are eager to learn. There is a 'bring it on' attitude which keeps things interesting. They always try to come up with new ideas if you challenge them. This helps us to be focused and motivated in everything that we do. The adventure of life is to learn and grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome.

Patience is a virtue

Naturally, as instructors, we want our students to succeed, but sometimes learning comes slowly. Not all students learn at the same pace (nor do they all learn in the same way). But I have learned to take it easy. The majority of students will get to where they need to be eventually, and I am often surprised by 'growth spurts' that occur along the way. Learning is not linear and can't always be measured by the clock. Everyone is unique.

Never judge a book by its cover

Time has a way of revealing someone's true character. The student who seems like a slacker will sometimes surprise you with creativity. We tend to make judgments about people based on their appearance and a few scraps of knowledge about them. Sometimes these impressions turn out to be wrong as we get to know the person and their story. I have learned to believe in people no matter how unproductive or dull they seem to be, No matter what stage of life they are in, supporting them and encouraging them is crucial. After all, that is what teachers do.

Improvement through feedback

'What can I do to make myself better?' and 'How can I improve?' are questions that my students ask me frequently? I have learned that sometimes we're afraid to ask for honest feedback because we'll hear something we won't like. But if we can set aside our insecurity, people will often give us great insights we couldn't receive any other way.

It's okay to say I don't know

Teachers are supposed to be the 'Experts'. They are supposed to have all the right answers. Any teacher will tell you the three hardest words to say are 'I don't know.'

True learning is not just about gaining knowledge. It's about having a curious mind and a willingness to change and grow. It's about the excitement of searching for answers, not the security of feeling like you already have them all. Students don't want a teacher who knows it all. They are looking for guides and coaches who can provide feedback, direction, and motivation.

These lessons learned from my students challenge me to acknowledge the diversity in learning styles, knowledge, skills, and dispositions; consistently evaluate my teaching to meet the needs of each new group of learners. Although I'm sure there are much more lessons to learn, these lessons continue to transform my thinking.

(The author has worked with DAVV University Indore as a Management Faculty. She has also been associated with The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India as a Soft Skills Trainer and has conducted various seminars for students motivating them to overcome their weaknesses and develop their strengths.)

Source: DNA, 27-01-2017

Project Khel: For him, education is just a child’s play

Akshai Abraham to start Project KHEL (Kids Holistic Education and Lifeskills), after working for around eight years in the development sector.

While mugging up for almost every exam, I wondered when in life I would use what I learnt about kinetic energy, or which career would require me to draw an obtuse-angle triangle. I’m not against learning History or Geography, but what about knowing how to resolve conflicts, or communicating effectively?

It was thoughts like these that led Akshai Abraham to start Project KHEL (Kids Holistic Education and Lifeskills), after working for around eight years in the development sector. Having studied in a boarding school where sports were given much importance, Abraham realised that his personality and character were shaped by what he learnt outside the classroom. That’s where the idea of sports for development came from.“After college, I worked for a year in Austria and living in a developed country motivated me to return home and work in the social sector,” says Abraham. Since 2012, Project KHEL has been helping underprivileged children reach their potential through play.

Abraham and his eight-member team work with around 1,200 underprivileged children, between 8-18 years, from slums, shelter homes, orphanages, low-income schools, and with children of domestic and migrant labour, of rickshaw pullers and paan shop owners, across 19 locations in and around Lucknow. Using the concept of play, “we use team sports (football, volleyball, handball, basketball, kho kho, kabaddi), games, theatre, music, dance, and art, to teach them life skills,” shares 38-year-old Abraham.

Each of the hour-long sessions, conducted twice a week, comprises two parts. Out of 60 minutes, 25 are devoted to playing a sport, after which “we have a debriefing for five minutes. As facilitators, we observe and encourage the kids to talk about their behaviour and what they’ve learnt. For example, when we’re playing dodgeball, the boys generally have a tendency to reach for the ball, even if it’s headed toward the girl standing next to them.

When a boy does this, but realises it and gives the ball back to the girl, we appreciate it. It is this behaviour that moulds character and teaches things like gender sensitivity”. In the next 20 minutes, the kids learn life skills, such as empathy, through an activity-based curriculum, followed by a debriefing session once again. There are four levels, and as “we go higher, these kids who would not even play with the opposite gender, later have heated discussions on serious topics,” says Abraham, who plays all sports except golf and is now falling in love with ultimate frisbee, a mixed-gender sport with no referee that closely matches with what Project KHEL tries to teach.

“At stage four, we had introduced the concept of ultimate to other sports, including kho kho, kabaddi and volleyball. With this variation, they have to learn to communicate and resolve their conflicts,” he says.

Talking about the way in which the programme is customised to a high degree, Abraham says, “We assume that different groups will progress at different speeds. Even within groups, since every child does not learn at the same pace, the fast learners are given leadership opportunities as peer leaders, who help the facilitators conduct sessions, while the slower ones are given more time to learn.”

“A lot of people think, ‘what are kids going to learn from playing?’,” says Abraham, who believes that if we let boys and girls play together today, we might change things 20 years from now. Through these interactions, the children learn to follow rules, teamwork, discipline, strategies, communication, leadership, gender sensitivity, and to win and lose gracefully, which can’t be taught in a classroom. “There’s no need to lecture about women empowerment when a girl, who is otherwise not allowed to play with boys, kicks a ball in a mixed-gender team. They realise that girls can play as well as boys, and if she can’t the guys give up their game to coach them,” says Abraham, whose favourite sport is basketball.

With state, national and international-level players on team Project KHEL, the kids learn rules, techniques and enjoy the game, albeit not with the aim of creating sportspersons. It’s not just the children who learn; the team members undergo a facilitator-to-facilitator learning programme too as well as intensive weekly trainings on Sunday mornings.

Role play

Project KHEL also conduct workshops across the country. “Ours is a preventive approach. In a menstrual hygiene session, we talk about myths and restrictions, such as not eating or touching pickle, not sleeping on the bed, not entering the kitchen... They can challenge these myths once, but if they live in a joint family they shouldn’t suffer. We ensure they understand that one day when they’re mothers, they shouldn’t let this continue. When we do role plays, the boys take up women’ role and understand what the women in their homes go through.”

Source: DNA, 10-02-2017

A besieged life of the mind

Attacks on Nivedita Menon, Rajshree Ranawat show the decline of state universities, perversion of student politics

The reports of attacks and a hate campaign in the form of agitations and police reports against academic Nivedita Menon of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Rajshree Ranawat of the Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur, must concern us all. We cannot simply shrug it off when the university administration itself is filing criminal reports against academics for their “anti-national” remarks on its premises. FIRs have a life of their own and can have serious consequences. Books have been pulped, recalled from shelves, writers and artists have apologised for something they have not done, jobs have been lost. So, it is not amusing to learn that teachers are facing a “popular” agitation, bad press and possible arrests for their scholarly work, be this in a lecture at a seminar, an article or a book.

This attack is not an exception. A similar assault had taken place at the Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, some time ago when the organisers and speakers of a seminar in the department of philosophy were targeted with criminal cases and a “popular” agitation. The case of the teachers in Haryana Central University, attacked for staging a play, is still fresh in our minds.

In these cases, nationalism is used as a weapon against knowledge and free enquiry. This article, however, is not an attempt to defend Nivedita Menon and Rajshree Ranawat or the English department at JNVU, which invited Menon to speak at a conference on “History Reconstructed Through Literature: Nation, Identity, Culture”, where she made allegedly “seditious” remarks questioning India’s claims over Kashmir.

Menon has since clarified, in great detail in a post on Kafila.online, that statements attributed to her are falsehoods and half-truths. She is not a coward, so she does not disown her remarks. But clearly, most of what is being blamed on her is not what she said but what the agitators imagined she had. This is an occasion to deliberate on the sad decline of state universities, the perversion of student politics and the irresponsible reporting by the Hindi
media, which borders on instigation and hate campaigns.

We know the sad story of the destruction of the once-outstanding Jodhpur and Jaipur Universities. They have been killed by starving them of funds and the non-appointment of faculty. Reduced to examination machines, they lack even the ambition of contributing to knowledge creation.

The divide between the state universities and central educational institutions, in terms of finances and knowledge, is huge and daunting. The sheer insensitivity of state governments and political parties towards the young is demonstrated in the way they treat and maintain universities. Vice chancellors are selected not for their ability
in academic leadership, but their loyalty to the government of the day. Departments are empty, libraries impoverished and laboratories non-functional.

In such a dismal scenario, conferences like the one Ranawat and her colleagues organised are audacious acts, pulled off in extremely adverse situations. They also serve as oases, a rare opportunity for students and faculty to be exposed to and interact with the best minds in the academic world. Such conferences provide an opportunity to the faculty and students to break free from mechanical, examination-driven classes. But it is clear that the university authorities are ready to sacrifice them at the very first provocation.

The quality of the corporate life of a university is something we need to think about. When unions of teachers and non-teaching staff members turn against their own colleagues, it gives a signal to other teachers that they cannot be adventurous and would be left alone to fight their battle. The behaviour of the ABVP, in such cases, has been
uniform. Instead of engaging intellectually with its ideological opponents, its members have indulged in threats, physical attacks, destruction of public property and public agitation. One expects student organisations to promote a culture of dialogue. It is disappointing to see some of them using their physical prowess and proximity to power to make their point.

The role of the Hindi media in the JNVU and other such cases has been dangerous. It does not engage in a balanced reporting of the facts. A team from the editors’ guild, which investigated Hindi media’s role in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, found that it has turned into a propaganda machine for Hindu right-wing politics. The reader and viewer solely dependent on Hindi media are not only malnourished, they are being fed intoxicants in the name of news and opinion.

The cultural life of what is known as the Hindi heartland is becoming dangerously narrow. This is definitely a loss for teachers, but more so for young minds. As socioloist Satish Deshpande argues, universities are the only spaces, in our otherwise highly segregated and hierarchical society, where the youth get a chance to participate in intellectual discourse in an egalitarian manner. This is an opportunity for them to experience a freedom which is unavailable in wider society. This applies especially to first-generation college and university goers.

To restrict or close down such spaces is to deprive them of their only source of intellectual and cultural nourishment. Here, they learn the art of dealing with differences and the art of persuasion. When a Rajshree Ranawat organises such a conference, or a Nivedita Menon speaks in it, they do not do so merely to exercise their right to free speech, but more out of their sense of responsibility towards the youth. They are being told that this is a soldierly duty, fraught with real risk, that they have been in the line of fire from the enemies of intellect, who, by being so, become enemies of equality, freedom and humanity.

The writer teaches at Delhi University

Source: Indian Express, 10-02-2017

Bowing down to patriarchy

e of the success stories of affirmative action in India has been the implementation of reservation of seats in local body elections for women, to the order of 33% or more. The importance of democratising the public sphere by inclusive participation of women in a largely male-dominated society cannot be stressed enough. In rural areas the quota has helped improve local governance, enhancing outcomes in delivery of civic services related to drinking water supply, sanitation and irrigation, among others. In urban local bodies, the visible impact has been more quantitative in terms of representation rather than qualitative, with success being linked to emphasis on gender sensitisation by civil society and political parties. It is therefore unfortunate that the Nagaland government, after initial steadfastness to hold the long-delayed urban local body polls on February 1, declared the elections as “null and void” after some tribal bodies, opposed to reservations for women, sought to disrupt the process. Rather than bowing to this pressure, the State government led by the Nagaland People’s Front should have enforced the rule of law. That a substantial number of towns participated in the elections despite a bandh called by the tribal bodies reflects public support for affirmative action as mandated by the 74th Amendment to the Constitution.

Article 371A of the Constitution secures a special status for Nagaland. But as the civil society groups striving for reservation have argued, urban local bodies are not part of traditional Naga society, and ULBs are constitutional bodies to which customary Naga laws cannot be applied. The conduct of the long-delayed elections was achieved after a protracted legal struggle led by women’s groups. Arguments against women’s reservation invoking Naga customs have been consistently quashed by the courts, ultimately paving the way for elections to be announced for February 1. The State government later submitted to pressure exerted by the Naga Hoho, an apex group of 16 tribal groups, which smelled blood and sought Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang’s resignation. The State government then wrote to the Centre seeking exemption for Nagaland from Part IXA of the Constitution — which is clearly untenable. The Centre, meanwhile, sees Nagaland merely through the lens of the still- pending peace accord with some insurgent groups. This milieu has emboldened patriarchal forces to assert themselves and deny women their constitutionally guaranteed rights of representation in local bodies. Civil society and women’s groups now have their work cut out in realising their just demand for electoral representation. Denial of women’s rights cannot be a measure of the State’s autonomy.

Source: The Hindu, 10-02-2017