In developing countries, a large section of women is vulnerable and marginalized due to a lack of education, access to resources and employment opportunities. In India, the self-help group (SHG) movement is among the most effective incubators of female resilience and entrepreneurship in rural regions. It is a great tool for changing the gender social construct in communities. SHGs are a unique model for India, and they also face a distinctive set of problems, including a lack of a formal manufacturing chain, linguistic and technological obstacles, and others.

To have a meaningful conversation in this regard, the team Swabhimaan is in conversation with Ms Smriti Lamech who’s a journalist, a writer and an entrepreneur. She is also the founder of The Smritsonian which was launched during the pandemic to provide employment/marketing assistance to local women’s sewing self-help groups and charitable trusts that were impacted by the Covid-19-mandated lockdown.

Interviewed by: Bilquis Calcuttawala

We begin our discussion with the team by providing a quick overview of MAKAAM and the Feminist Policy Collective, who worked together on this project. This helps us to better understand why this particular research topic was selected. The focus then shifts to how women farmers define the workplace and the various forms of violence they experience as agricultural workers in various sectors, whether it be from migrant workers, single women from families where suicide has occurred, sugarcane workers, or single women asserting their land rights. We conclude our conversation by discussing the impact of the pandemic and the redressal mechanisms that can be used by these women.

This is a study conducted as a partnership between the Feminist Policy Collective (FPC) and Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM), with the generous support of Society for Health Alternatives (SAHAJ), Area Networking and Development Initiatives (ANANDI), and Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM).

Access the report here

Image Source: Neetu Singh/Gaon Connection

Interviewed by: Bilquis Calcuttawala

We begin our discussion with the team by providing an overview of the ASER report 2022. We go on to tackle questions about learning and reading ability (as discussed in the report), and then delve deeper into the infrastructure facility, or more so the lack thereof and how this affects the quality of education received. Additionally, we talk about some of the projects the ant has undertaken to improve the situation in Assam, some of them include Project LEAP, Shiksha, Dolphin, amongst several others. Finally, we end our conversation with policy considerations that the government must come up with to handle the situation at hand better.

Dr. Sunil Kaul, Founder Trustee who is currently the Managing Trustee, formerly the CEO based in the ant’s campus in Rowmari, is a public health doctor who has consulted on malaria, T.B , Maternal and Child Health and other public health issues with national & international agencies; has over 10 years experience in the Army as a medical doctor and associated with Development Sector for over 25 years.

Image source: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/05/14/covid-19-in-india-education-disrupted-and-lessons-learned/

In this episode of Vichaar, the team is in conversation with Mr. Ashutosh Bhardwaj, the author of the book, 'The Death Script: Dreams and Delusions in Naxal Country.’ We look into how the actions of the Naxals have provided some support to the Adivasis, particularly in terms of protecting their land rights and fighting against exploitation by outside groups. However, the Naxals' use of violence and the targeting of security forces have resulted in retaliation and further violence against Adivasi communities, leading to displacement and human rights abuses. Vichaar helps in understanding the complexity of the relationship between the police, Naxals, and the Adivasis in central India and how the government's lack of effective governance in the region has contributed to poverty, inequality, and a general sense of marginalization among the Adivasi communities. 

The Parliament took 16 years to implement the directions issued by the Supreme Court of India in 1997, in the landmark case of Visakha vs. the State of Rajasthan(“Visakha Guidelines”) to enact a law for the prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace. The Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act, also referred to as the PoSH Act or the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013, played a crucial role in establishing a safer workplace. Every workplace must establish an Internal Complaints Committee ("IC") in accordance with the provisions of the Act and the Regulations in order to receive and investigate complaints of sexual harassment. Yet fundamentals like the right to dignity and a secure workplace remain a long way off. Many issues, including lack of knowledge, an understaffed committee, ambiguity during hearings, societal stigma, etc., provide significant obstacles to executing the Act's core principles. This is why Swabhimaan reached out to Ms Rhoma Bhatia, the Executive Director at the Spherule Foundation, an NGO based in Pune, which has a presence in 15 states across India and in 18 Thematic Areas of Sustainable Development Goals as prescribed by UNESCO. With over 16 Years of Corporate experience in various Industries currently a Certified PoSH Enabler and External Member on IC panels in various organizations across India. 

This interview entails a discussion on the aspect of ‘Gender and Mobility’ where Mitali Nikore, founder of Nikore Associates and an economist and gender policy specialist speaks of the barriers women face when it comes to their participation in the workforce and the role of public transportation systems and public spaces in facilitating the participation.

Interviewed by: Shreeya Bhayana and Ishani Sharma

In this episode of Interlinked’s sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we hold a book talk that explores a recent report published by the ILO on the “Deficits in Decent Work: Employer perspectives and practices on the quality of employment in domestic work in urban India”. For this podcast, We are joined by Dr Neha Wadhawan from the International Labour Organisation and Dr Divya Ravindranath and Ms Rashee Mehra from the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. The authors of the report take us through the methodology they adopted and give us a brief into their findings around the factors that determine the nature of domestic work in India from the perspective of employers. Dr Neha also provides valuable insight into the reasons ILO commissioned such a report and they hope the organisation has for exploring domestic work in the future, both in India and globally,

You can find the report here.

Dr Neha Wadhawan is a National Project Coordinator with the International Labour Organisation and is a political scientist by training. Her research interests centre around issues of mobility, gender, labour and citizenship in South Asia. Rashee Mehra is part of the School of Human Development at IIHS. Her research focuses on the issues of inequalities and activism, urban planning, informal work, social protection and gender. At IIHS, she works on creating research on social movements to support the work of activists and practitioners who engage with marginalised urban geographies. Dr Divya Ravindranath studies informal work, social protection, gender and urban health. She has worked with several not-for-profit organisations in urban and rural India, where most of her work focussed on issues of common pool resources, urban infrastructure and livelihoods.

Image Source: https://theleaflet.in/situation-of-domestic-workers-in-india-what-needs-to-change/ 

Interviewed by: Ishani Sharma

In this episode of InterLinked's sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we hold a book talk on the book "Social and Economic Transitions in China and India: Welfare and Policy Changes" with two of the book's editors, Prof Keerty Nakray and Prof John Clammer. The guests first gave a glimpse into the book and the rationale behind choosing the social and economic transition in China and India as the point of focus for their book. Following this, Prof Clammer discussed in depth the role played by religion and religious institutions in social policy. Prof Nakray shed light on the different approaches adopted by China and India in addressing the issues related to their ageing population along with talking about the importance of artisanal production in India and the struggles faced by the community. Concludingly, the guests gave their views on the way forward for the socio-economic trajectory of India and China. 

Dr Nakray is a professor at the Jindal Global Law School and has edited multiple books along with publishing in leading journals on gender budgets, child-sensitive budgets and comparative social policy. She maintains a keen interest in research ethics and establishing linkages between academic research and policy. Dr Clammer is a Professor of Sociology at the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities. Prior to that, he was a Professor of Comparative Sociology and Asian Studies at Sophia University, Tokyo and then professor and advisor to the Rector at the United Nations University. He currently works mainly on the interface of culture and development, the sociology of the arts, and issues of sustainability.

Image Source: https://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-3323-a-tale-of-two-economies-india-and-china.html

In this episode of Vichaar, the Team is conversation with Miss Smitha Murthy, the Managing Director of the Ant a voluntary organization that is registered as a public charitable trust in Bongaigaon, Assam since October 2000. Over the past few months, the field researchers as a part of an ethnographic project undertaken by  the Centre for New Economics Studies’ visual storyboard team, O.P. Jindal Global University, witnessed an all women weavers organization Aagor, registered as a separate trust, under the Ant. Aagor, a Bodo word that means "motifs," not only has a connection to the tribe in its name but also in its craftswomen and administration. Started as merely a livelihood project, Aagor gives work to over 140 women weavers and runs a training center for building up capacities of other NGOs in Assam and other northeast states.

Interviewed by: Ishani Sharma and Shreeya Bhayana

In this episode of Interlinked's sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, Ishani and Shreeya conduct a book talk around Prof Maini's recently published book, "Humanity Amidst Insanity: Stories of Hope and Compassion During Indo-Pak Partition", which looks into heartwarming experiences of brotherhood during the Partition. Prof Maini also talked about the role played by his own personal experiences in increasing his interest in the Partition. He also delves deeper into the exciting idea of a Punjabi Identity that permeates the Indo-Pakistan border and discusses its prevalence in the present day. Finally, Prof Maini concludes by talking about the intercommunity bonds across borders and gives his take on the increased hostility between different communities. 

Prof Maini is an associate professor of diplomatic practice at the Jindal School of International Affairs. His research interests include India’s ties with neighbouring with specific reference to economic ties and the role of sub-regions in bilateral relations. Prof Maini is also a regular contributor for The Hindu, The Millenium Post, The News, The Friday Times, The Global Times and The Diplomat. He has also published in Academic Journals including Asian Ethnicity. Thank you for joining us today, Professor.

Image Source: https://thedailyguardian.com/indias-partition-and-the-reign-of-terror-and-horror/