An Institution for Women of India

18th January 2001: Workshop at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration on Human Rights and Women
The one-day training programme had as its participants, officials from the Indian Administrative services, the Indian Revenue Services and the Indian Police Service. The total number of trainees were fifteen.
During the programme different aspects of Human rights were discussed. The areas where women's human rights were susceptible to be abused were demonstrated through statistics like the declining sex ratio, nutritional discrimination within the family, little or no control over their reproductive health and low literacy rate. Under representation of women in government and decision-making bodies, discrimination in land and property rights and more importantly the menace of domestic violence were also corroborated through statistics.

The programme accorded a platform to discuss these issues and deliberate on the role of the bureaucracy to act as change agents.Top

26th & 27th January 2001 :Two day training programme of elected representatives of Urban local bodies at Jaipur Rajasthan
The training programme was conducted with the elected representatives of the Municipal Corporation of Jaipur. Here the participants consisted of both men and women councilors. The total number of trainees were thirty eight.
Gender was an important theme that was introduced to the participants so as to emphasize and encourage women's participation in local bodies. The importance of effective participation of men and women for governance was demonstrated through a series of exercises.

Since the 74th amendment apart from reserving seats for women had also entrusted the responsibility of planning and resource management of ULB's, exercises on leadership, planning and resource management were held. The leadership exercise was useful for the participants to not only identify the various leadership styles but also realize the importance of their role as leaders in the effective management of local bodies. At every step the importance of the participation of women was highlighted

The training programme proved useful for the participants in not only understanding their role in ensuring good governance but appreciating their role as stakeholders in the political process as well. The participants expressed the need for more training programmes at the local, regional and national level. Top

1st & 2nd February 2001: Two day training programme with balwadi teachers at HPS Foundation , New Delhi
Schools and colleges have been an important area of intervention for GTI. At the community level balwadis have played an important role to advocate the cause of literacy. As part of its efforts to mainstream gender in balwadis, the two-day training programme was held with balwadi teachers. Most of the trainees were in the age group of 16 to 22 years. Thirty three trainees were part of the two-day programme.
Gender was the most important component that was introduced to the trainees as most of them used gender and sex interchangeably. Their understanding of gender was further augmented through exercises on gender roles and responsibilities. The divergent roles and expectations were then linked to the socialization process and how they as the mentors of one of the institutions of socialization - schools, in this case, could play the crucial role of change agents.

Two of the most effective exercises of the two-day programme were the sessions on gender oppression and domestic violence as the incidence of both forms of oppression was high in the area. These sessions saw some very emotional moments, as some of the participants were victims of violence themselves. The session helped the participants to identify and analyze the other subtle forms of violence like causing mental agony and mental torture. This proved useful as most of the participants recognized violence in its most brutal and overt form like battering and physical assault. Top

24th March 2001: One day training programme at the DPS Institute Of Higher Education, R.K. Puram, New Delhi
This was a one-day training programme with the B.Ed students of the DPS Institute of Higher Education. The total number of participants were twenty seven.
Introducing Gender in schools has been an important component of GTI activities. The focus has been on highlighting gender within the structured curriculum and the role of teachers in this effort.

The training module thus consisted of a basic understanding of gender and the different gender roles and expectations associated with boys and girls and how these could be traced to the socialization process. The trainees were keen to know how gender could be incorporated in the classroom. The importance of discussion forums addressing gender issues extra curricular activities like debates and extempore on gender subjects was advocated.

It was interesting to note that most of the participants felt that gender discriminations were prevalent only in rural India and a metropolitan city like Delhi did not practice gender biases. It was only when concrete examples like statistics on the status of women in India and Delhi in particular like the declining sex ratio and increasing rate of crime against women were discussed that the biases became more apparent to the trainees. This was an effective exercise for the trainees where they understood that biases could operate at two levels - the overt and the subtle. While rural India could be an example of overt form of gender bias, the biases in the urban areas were more discreet and subtle.

The participants expressed the need for longer and more frequent training programmes on gender sensitization.Top

9th- 13th April 2001: Leadership and Management with a Gender Perspective Training Programme, Kathmandu, Nepal

Leadership and Management with a Gender Perspective is the one month correspondence course run by GTI in collaboration with AIMA. As part of the five-day contact provision, the GTI team travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal to conduct a training programme on Leadership and Management with a Gender Perspective.

The participants who attended the training programme were of senior and middle level management from different NGO's, INGO's, and government bodies namely the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Nepal. The total number of trainees were twenty six.

The training programme besides introducing the concept of gender, analyzed the different leadership styles. A series of self-evaluation questionnaire helped the participants identify their leadership styles and address the need for improvement if any. Team Building and Conflict Resolution were other important sessions that evoked interesting responses. It also gave the participants the chance to reflect on their own actions both in the personal as well as professional sphere.
Gender was an important component that was introduced in all the exercises. Incorporating gender in project planning was one of the most crucial exercises, which was done through case study analysis. The different perspectives to development and the progress from WID to GAD were also discussed through the analysis of the project interventions of the trainees.
The training programme evoked enthusiastic response characterized by the full participation of the trainees as well as the trainers. The need for holding this programme more frequently with different batches was expressed and accepted by the organizers. The highlight of the programme was that the participants felt that the programme had been successful in addressing gender in a non-threatening manner, which was different from their experiences of attending other gender training programmes. The trainees expressed appreciation that the programme had not restricted gender to an understanding of only women's issue but as a societal issue that needed to be addressed by both men and women.Top

9th - 10th May 2001: Capacity building training programme for the elected councilors of Udaipur, Udaipur, Rajasthan

As part of the research project on "Strengthening Citizen government connection for effective local governance" being currently run by CSR in three districts of Rajasthan, a two day training programme on capacity building of Councilors was conducted by GTI. The Training workshop was attended by fifty councilors.

The workshop was formally inaugrated by the mayor of Udaipur Municipal Corporation. The two-day training programme was designed to build the capacities of the councilors as leaders by identifying their leadership styles. The exercise conducted for this purpose also helped the participants realize the role of the leader especially in his capacity to give direction and motivation to the people. The exercise also helped identify that special care has to be taken to ensure that women are encouraged to participate effectively in the system of local governance. Effective utilization of resources given the condition of paucity of resources was emphasized.

Differences within the members of panchayats and urban local bodies has been a major impediment to the effective functioning of the system of local governance. This has been further compounded by the political affiliations of members to different political parties. Party loyalty often comes in the way of cooperation. These and other associated facts were discussed in the session on team building and conflict resolution. Using the methodology of a game it was demonstrated how conflict situations are often a result of how we perceive a situation and how due to wrong perception even a non conflict situation can be changed into one. The participants were able to identify with the game in that they related situations from their work experience where due to confrontation postures adopted, work was adversely affected.

Lack of awareness and knowledge of the provisions of the 74th amendment has crippled the smooth functioning of the local bodies. This is particularly true for women who find themselves ill equipped to discharge their functions as elected representatives due to lack of knowledge of the legislation. This infact had been one of the major findings of the research conducted by CSR in as part of its project in Rajasthan. With a view to bridge this gap a detailed session on the provisions of the Act, the role and responsibilities of the councilors and the basic constitution of the local bodies was conducted. This proved to be a particularly useful exercise for the participants notably the women, most of whom had been elected for the first time.

Gender and urban local governance was a much-debated session. It was interesting to note that initially there was a lot of resistance from the participants, primarily the male members who felt that gender did not have a bearing on urban local governance. However the exercise on Roles and responsibilities of men and women in their personal and private lives reinforced the importance of gender which often manifested in the form of different expectations form men and women both as parents as well as elected representatives. It also highlighted the biases - the subtle and the obvious. Top

17th - 19th May 2001: National Conference on Empowerment of Women under the aegis of All India Association of Christian Higher Education, Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore

Gender Training Institute conducted a three-day gender workshop attended by college lecturer's of Christian colleges from all over the country. The programme was conducted under the aegis of The All India Association of Christian Higher Education at Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore. The training was intended to help guide the participants in charting out the curriculum of the department of Women's Development Studies and assist in opening such centres in colleges that did not have one.

The three-day programme was attended by 27 participants. The participants were college lecturers from various disciplines from all over the country. The broad objectives of the programme were:

To identify and analyze the feelings of embracing and administering change and relate it to gender
To understand and analyze the feminism of our times
To analyze the perception men and women have about each other
To bring out the assumptions about male and female children and examine how deep rooted these assumptions are
Examine how patriarchal values determine our roles and responsibilities · Analyze the status of women in relation to men
Participants identify the different stereotypes associated with men and women and analyze how these affect men and women
Participants will be able to identify the different institutions of socialization and analyze the socialization process
Identify and analyze the different bases of power and analyze gender as an unequal power relation
To become aware of the different tools of gender analysis
The training programme elicited enthusiastic response from the participants. The three days of intensive interaction was marked by active participation and co-operation of the participants. Most of the trainees felt that the sessions were "animate, practical and thought provoking. Some of the trainees confided that in the beginning they were apprehensive of the training programme and thought that it would be like many other sessions that they had attended which was completely women oriented and at times derogatory towards the men. They admitted that by the conclusion of the programme their apprehension had been channelled into the belief that gender was about both addressing men's and women's issues with the objective of restructuring their existing relationship. The participants also opined that the training had been successful in dispelling many of the myths associated with feminism.

It was indeed a sentimental moment for the resource persons when the participants at the end of the training programme presented them with a hand made card to show their appreciation. Top

30th May 2001: Gender Awareness programme at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration, Haryana HHIPAA

A one-day awareness generation training programme was conducted by GTI at HIPA which was attended by College Lecturers. The objective of the programme was to raise awareness about gender issues both inside and outside the classroom. The role of the teachers in this process was discussed.

The programme began with an understanding of gender, its operation and its effects on people's lives. The role of the teachers in removing biases by using gender-neutral language, instructions and examples was emphasized. Stereotyping in curriculum also came in for discussion. The teachers were able to identify the stereotyping and the need for change.Top

4th June 2001: Gender Awareness programme for Restructuring Relationships at the National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics, Faridabad, Haryana

A one day workshop on restructuring relationships through gender awareness was held at the NACEN Complex in Faridabad, Haryana.

The workshop was attended by 30 participants in the rank of Deputy and Joint Commissioners in the Narcotics, Excise and Customs department. Perception is an important component of gender as most of the biases that are practiced result because of the way we perceive things. This is particularly true in the case of men and women and in the way they perceive each other. Perceptions about masculinity and femininity can act as impediments in the way of both men and women. These and other assumptions were discussed in the session, which also revealed the biases and stereotyping that occur in the constructs of masculine and feminine. The genesis and the medium through which such stereotyping are perpetuated were also discussed. This automatically helped the participants identify the various institutions of socialization that contribute to this process.

The 21st century has been marked by the subtle but the obvious change in the constitution of the workforce with the induction of more and more women. This has brought in new questions about the harmonization of work and family responsibilities. The dynamics of these were explored in the session on Roles and Responsibilities that emphasized the double burden on women to manage the home as well as the office front. Any discussion on gender is incomplete without a discussion on power as gender relations are also about unequal power relations. Herein the various bases of power were identified and gender as an unequal power relation was also analyzed. The exercise proved useful to the participants as they were able to identify the positive and negative connotations of power and more importantly as gender as an unequal power relation that was socially construed and constructed.Top

7th & 8th June 2001: Gender Sensitization Training programme for community workers of CASP PLAN, Govindpuri Extension, Delhi

A two-day training programme with the community workers of CASPPLAN, a NGO working in the urban slums of the city was conducted by GTI. 24 participants working at various levels in the community attended the training programme.

Introduction of the concept of gender and its understanding was an important exercise conducted with the participants. The different expectations that follow because of the social construct of gender from boys and girls was also discussed in detail. It was interesting to note that most of the participants understood sex and gender as the same thing. The analysis of gender and gender expectations helped the participants understand the social construction of gender and hence its changing nature.

What follows naturally as a result of the social construction of gender is Stereotyping which limits the growth of individuals and their exercise of choice. This is more acutely felt in the lower socio-economic classes that severely limit the choices of boys and girls. The exercise on stereotyping helped the participants identify the various stereotypes associated with men and women and their adverse effect on them. The participants related it to their own personal lives and related incidents where they felt that such imaging had worked to their disadvantage. More importantly the participants identified the genesis of such casting to social thought and beliefs which could be changed. The Socialization process was also discussed to emphasize the role of institutions in inculcating values into children and the need for changes in these institutions for an equitable society.

Violence against women is one of the greatest threats facing women all over the world cutting across class, caste and religion. A film on this issue was also shown to highlight the problem. The problem of violence against women proved beneficial to the participants as this was identified as a major problem with the women of that area. It was interesting to note that most of the participants understood violence as only physical violence and recognized it in its most brutal form i.e. battering and physical assault. The exercise helped the participants to identify the various forms of violence. They also identified that the solution to the problem of domestic violence lay in perceiving it as not a private issue but a societal concern that could be countered by building on the collective capacities of women.Top

18th June 2001: Gender Sensitization Training Programme with Government School Teachers under SCERT, Daryaganj, Delhi

A one-day training programme with government schoolteachers of Mathematics of higher secondary level was conducted by GTI. The programme was conducted with two batches of teachers. The total number of participants in the two batches was forty.

School and the role of schoolteachers in the socialisation process has long been recognized. The objective of the training programme was to reinforce this and identify ways and means to make the curriculum more gender sensitive and gender neutral.

It was obvious during the training programme that there was a clear demarcation in the perception of men and women to gender issues. While most of the male teachers were content with the fact that the status of women was not as bad as it was made out to be, the women believed to the contrary. It was also evident that the male members perceived gender to be an exclusively 'women's issue' that needed to be tackled by the women alone. It was the apt forum for the resource persons to impress upon the participants the meaning of gender as a concern for men and women with implications on the lives of both.

During the training programme strong stereotypical images were associated with men and women teachers. This became obvious during the session on Stereotypes. However once the stereotyping were corroborated against the values that are inculcated in children were identified, it became easier for the participants to understand the social nature of these stereotyping. Examples form textbooks were cited to highlight how often the books contribute to such stereotyping. Gender neutral examples were suggested as alternatives to correct the imbalance. Top

20th - 21st June 2001: Gender Sensitization Training Programme with Community Members, Sangam Vihar, Delhi

A two-day training programme with adolescent girls of the community were held in Sangam Vihar. The programme was arranged by the counseling team of CSR which runs a counseling Centre in the area.

38 adolescent girls in the age group of 14-19 years attended the training programme. Children of this age group are one of the most impressionable groups. Awareness of gender issues and recognition of their implications in their lives becomes extremely important. All the participants understood sex and gender as the same thing. The differences that emanated from the different biological construct between boys and girls were also seen as the reasons for the difference in the roles and expectations from boys and girls. The understanding of gender as a social construct helped the participants identify how and where change could be brought about to restructure relationships between men and women. The exercise on gender expectations helped the participants recognize the various subtle biases that are practiced within the homes and outside.
Stereotyping often results because of the different expectations from men and women. The participants also related how these stereotypical castings often impede the growth and development of the personality of boys and girls. Since most of the girls had in various forms experienced biases within their homes and outside they also identified that the means to overcome them were in their own hands where they had to make concerted efforts to recognize the biases and challenge them.
All the girls came from the lower socio- economic background where these biases often assume a more aggravated form and manifest as gender oppression. The session was emotionally charged as most of the girls related incidents where they felt that because of their being girl children they were oppressed. The most encouraging outcome of the training programme was the identification by the participants that any change in their lives or in the larger society could be possible only when they made conscious attempts to change their own attitude and behaviour. They appreciated their role as change agents in the society. Top

6th JULY 2001: session on leadership & gender with students of "DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL", R.K. PURAM, New Delhi
A one-hour session with the students of class 11th & 12th on "LEADERSHIP AND GENDER" was conducted by GTI. The total numbers of participants were approx. 200 in number including both girls and boys.
The objectives of the session was

To explain the concept of "leadership".
To identify the qualities of a good leader.
To identify and analyse the qualities of a 'leader' and a 'manager'.
To identify and analyse the leadership styles of men and women.
Method:

The session was more of participatory in nature rather than a mere lecture so as to involve the students actively and to make the session interesting.
Initially, the students did not seem to be very interested in the topic itself but gradually they grew quite enthusiastic about it. Students were asked to analyse the social differences between male and female and how both of them are affected by the social interactions in different ways. It was interesting that many girl students responded that the social differences are because of the patriarchal society where the man dominates.
To clearly understand the concept of gender issues it was explained that how girls and boys are affected equally because of the different set of expectations from them. Some of the boy students gave examples like they are under constant pressure of earning money and taking care of the family. In a similar way girls are expected to be simple, obedient, sincere, well-behaved, dedicated, domestic etc.
From the concept of gender the session moved to establishing the concept of leadership, leadership styles, qualities of a leader and the link between leadership and gender. The students were asked to define a leader and it was observed that most of them identified political leaders as only leaders. Some of the examples they listed were
Indira Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, Atal B.Vajapayee, Maneka Gandhi -Students selected four other leaders of their choice (2 male & 2 female leaders) and listed their qualities, which helped them to analyse as what made them successful as leaders. The leaders were-
Mother Teresa, Dhiru Bhai Ambani, Kiran Bedi, Chandra Babu Naidu
Qualities of Mother Teresa listed were -

She never dictated
She worked for the cause of humanity
She was unselfish Qualities of Kiran Bedi -
Strong conviction § Visionary
Self confidence
She had strong belief in what she did. Qualities of Chandra Babu Naidu -
He is a visionary
He is a good manager § He is close to the masses § He is a grass root politician Qualities of Dhiru Bhai Ambani -
Hard working
Selfish
Enthusiastic
Confident
Acceptance
Projection of self
Therefore we can conclude that leadership is situational and can be differ from situations to situations. But some basic qualities is applicable to all situations like -

A leader has to be visionary.
A leader should be compassionate
A leader should understand the feelings of others
A leader should be inspiring
He should be accepted Top

10th July 2001: Half-day session on Gender Sensitization at Indian Social Institute, New Delhi

A half-day session on gender awareness was held at ISS, New Delhi. The participants were from varied backgrounds like Academia, Social Development sector and Government agencies. The total number of participants was thirty.

An understanding of the concept of gender was the focus of the session. The different Roles and Responsibilities that are assigned to men and women was first identified by the participants and then analyzed. It was interesting to note that most of the participants understood gender as the biological difference between man and woman. When the different roles that are performed by men and women was analyzed in the societal context, the definition of gender as a social construct became clear to the participants. Most of the men identified their roles as decision-makers and the primary earners. The women participants on the other hand identified their role as the supplementors of income and the "nurturers". The men also identified women with obedience and compromise. The different roles that were identified were then analyzed in the context of social beliefs that reinforced them. This helped the participants understand gender as not a biological but a social construct. Since the participants could identify the social aspect of gender they also identified the changing nature of gender relations and their role as change agents in this process.

30th July 2001: Half day training programme of police personnel on Public Grievances and Police Behavior for Crime Against Women Cell, Nanakpura, Delhi

The participants were both men and women who were attached to the crime against women cell. The participants were asked to first come up with the mission statement of the CAW cell. It was stated as, "Protection of married women against atrocities committed on them". This statement led to further discussion on whether the cases dealt with were only of married women or also unmarried women. Mission statement was finally stated as, " Protection of Women in distress".

Analysis of Police behavior was done through a case study. Police behavior in the case study was identified as follows:

Insensitive
Rude
Gave wrong information
Misbehaved
The expected behavior was identified as follows:

Comforting
Sensitive
Gentle communication
Not imposing
Offer water and seat
The reason for the performance gap was identified as follows:

Woman was poor and not informed
Many similar cases were registered earlier so it was assumed that the case was false
The inspector on duty may not be available so the delay in registering the case
Rude behavior could be because the person concerned may be over worked
The conclusion drawn from the session was that there is a need for improvement in police behavior and the present behavior is not different form the general public as the police are a reflection of the society. The need is to improve ones attitude towards women in their homes, their workplaces and towards victims. Top

9-10th August 2001: Two Day Capacity Building Training programme for the councilors of Urban Local Bodies, Jodhpur , Rajasthan

A two-day capacity building training programme for the councilors of the urban local bodies was held in Jodhpur, which was attended by 55 municipal councilors. Awareness generation about the 74th Amendment along with an analysis of leadership styles and conflict management were the main objective of the training programme. The importance of planning, effective participation and resource utilization was also analyzed.

During the discussions on the 74th Amendment it was evident that the councilors were dissatisfied with the fact that some of the provisions of the Amendment had not yet been implemented. The tussle between the bureaucracy as well as the councilors also became apparent. The participants appreciated the fact that though they had some idea about the provisions of the Act, the session helped them understand the true meaning and spirit of the provisions.

The session on leadership and leadership styles impressed upon the participants the need for democratic functioning especially given the public nature of their responsibilities. The exercise also analyzed the important issues of planning and resource utilization. It was interesting to note that the most underutilized resource was human capital especially women. The analysis helped the participants understand the inherent disadvantage of such an approach. The analysis of resource utilization also helped the participants understand that given the constraints of time and the paucity of resources it was in the interest of all to make maximum use of the available resources.

The session on conflict management proved to be of immense relevance to the group as the members were divided on party lines. The session helped the participants identify the losses associated with conflicts in the absence of team spirit. The members readily related this with their work experience where opposition was often based on party lines rather than critical thinking.

Gender and urban governance as an issue was discussed through the exercise on Roles and Responsibilities. The exercise reinforced the importance of gender, which often manifested in the form of different expectations from men and women, both as parents as well as elected representatives. It also highlighted the biases - the subtle and the obvious.

At the end of the two day programme the participants felt that the training programme had for the first time helped them experience team spirit which otherwise was found lacking due to their divergent party affiliations. The programme they felt had helped them transcend party loyalties to work as a team. The participants also felt that the training had helped facilitate the non-vocal members, particularly women to participate and more importantly air their views.

All the members were of the opinion that the duration of the training programme should be increased and that similar programmes be conducted at the ward level for greater reach and efficacy. Top

6-8th September 2001 :Three day gender workshop with the staff of Development Alternatives, Orchha, Jhansi

A three-day gender workshop was held with the staff of development Alternatives, in Orchha, Jhansi. The participants were from different projects being run by the organization in the district.

The programme began with an understanding of the concept of Gender. It provided an opportunity to discuss the subtle and the overt influence of gender in the lives of people. The participants could also relate it to their work sphere where it was often a constraining factor for both men and women. Stereotyping as a natural fall out of gender construction helped the participants analyze the ramifications of gender in the lives of people. The use of case studies to identify stereotypes in development projects and their impact on project goals proved critical. Gender as a social construct was discussed through the Socialization process. The identification of the institutions of socialization and their role in the process proved useful. It also reinforced the need for change. The participants appreciated the change that was taking place through and within these institutions, emphasizing their role in the process especially as development workers.

The gender tools, the Activity Profile and the Access and Control Profile helped to strengthen the understanding of the participants of gender and development. The tools were used to analyze the projects being currently run by Development Alternatives in the district. It would be interesting to recount here that during the analysis of their own project using the tool of Access and Profile, the participants identified that the project though affecting both men and women, affected them differently. The men had greater control over the resources and hence greater control over the benefits that accrued from them. This helped the participants understand the importance of increasing the control of women over resources and hence their benefits.

The gender tools were applied in the field on the third day which reinforced the importance of incorporating them in all development projects. The Activity profile with the rural women demonstrated how women were overworked and overburdened but hardly acknowledged. The Access and Control profile re4vealed how women had little access and even little control over resources. They also had less control over the decisions that affected their family and their lives.

At the conclusion of the three day workshop both the participants and the facilitators were of the opinion that the duration of the workshop should have been of more days to do full justice to the theme of gender which affects our lives so very intimately. Top

Training on Gender for Swashakti project October :16th to 20th 2001

The training module was designed to enable participants to arrive at a clear understanding of gender and its related concepts and analyse their projects from a gender perspective. This is the first time that an attempt has been made by GTI to facilitate the process of developing a module by the participants. Participants will test the module prepared by them on the field and the necessary changes to be incorporated will be discussed in the follow up program scheduled for January 2002. The follow up workshop with the co- operation of NIPCCD and GTI would provide the participants an opportunity to develop a final gender training module that could be used by the Swa Shakti Project Trainers in the 9 states that the project is currently running.

16th October 2001
Participants from different states were introduced to each other in a friendly environment. This set the right tone for the training. All the participants worked very hard and it was worth all the effort. The expectations and anxieties related to implementation of design on the field were many. The day ended on a lighter note with all the participants letting down their hair. It seemed as if we were let free from our 'gendered' prisons eager to explore the blue sky above.

News Headlines
At the end of the first day our confidence in the trainers grew, the biases in the system and within us were identified, but we realise that constant attempts have to be made to remove all the biases. We will draw inspiration from history and its actors like the relentless attempts made by Prithiviraj Chauhan to defeat the enemy.

17th October 2001
We met each other on the break fast table, there were also some who were catching up on their sleep as if they had miles to go to bring about change not in themselves but in others. The training was useful and the urge was to loose oneself in the process but we were constantly brought back to reality by the trainers. The communication system in the country is disturbed, so we decided to start our own courier service and Mr. Sahdeo volunteered to be the communicator who would ensure the effective working of the communication network among the participants.

News headlines

We became active participants of the socialisation process. We created our own trees. We climbed them. We shook the branches. We lost some leaves, we gained some fresh ones. We realised that the process is difficult and awesome.

18th October 2001
Third day brought some apprehensions regarding the long trudge ahead, but the path was sweet and refreshing. The stories we wove brought us back