24
FEMAIL MAGAZINE
Mail Today, New
/ Chandigarh,
MailDelhi
Today,
New Delhi, Thursday, October 23, 2014
FEMAIL MAGAZINE
Delhi /Thursday,
Chandigarh,
Thursday,
October 23, 2014
Mail Today, New Delhi,
October
23, 2014
25
femail MAGAZINE
PHOTOS: HUSAINA PARVIN
Seeking
their fair
and right
space
WHAT do most of us do when we hear
stories on rape, molestation or eve-teasing?
Curse our plight, grind our teeth or even tweet in
anger to express outrage. But Mumbai-born
‘
Our vision is to alter the way
people think about gender, sex
and sexuality. Apart from
workshops and corporate events
we also conduct social media
campaigns. We are planning to
launch a curriculum aimed at
gender sensitisation in schools
Shreena Thakore felt that wasn’t enough.
A student of Brown University, U.S., the 19-year-old
along with her friend Ria Vaidya began ‘No Country
For Women (NCFW),’ an orgnisation aimed at changing the “problematic attitude” of a patriarchal society
towards women.
The idea was borne out of Thakore’s own bitter
experience as a teenager. She was molested by her
dad’s colleague when she was 13. The oppressive culture of silence that followed after the incident made
her think. Though she moved to Hong Kong with her
grandparents, after her mother’s death, the oppressive environment continued every time she came to
— Shreena Thakore, Founder, No Country For Women
India for holidays.
“Every summer, I would feel the restrictions growing
more and more stringent. It was either the watchman would stare at you or comNCFW took shape.
the solution. This thought process
ments like ‘how will you get a good
is wrong. And in a way it only adds
The project became a hit and
husband.’ Gradually I realised I did
to the problem. We are educating
not know anyone in India who has
started getting calls from schools,
not been molested at least once.
these people,” says Thakore.
colleges, activists and even corpoBut the attitude was ‘if it is not
rate houses from across India
“Tinted windows don’t lead
rape, it is not worth talking about’,”
after a video of their workto rape nor does absence
she says.
shop for schoolchildren,
of CCTV cameras.
NCFW
held in Bangalore,
In fact CCTV camwent viral. Since then
eras only help to
became a hit
there has been no
increase
moral
after a video of
turning back.
policing,” she adds.
Years of contemplation finally
their workshop for
turned into action once she landed
“A lot of people
Thakore has now
schoolchildren, held in
in Brown. There she got to analyse
whom I have met
taken a break from
the issue on various levels includknow that rape
Brown to devote
Bangalore, went viral.
ing social, political and cultural
is wrong. But it
more time and
Since then there has
and on different platforms. It was
ends there,” says
energy for NCFW.
been no turning
at the university that Thakore met
Thakore on the releThe organisation has
back
her future partner in crime Vaidya.
vance of her organisaa lot of young men and
tion. According to her,
women working for the
“We had conversations about
many anti-rape camcause in different capaciwhat India needed but we never
paigns strengthen the notion
ties, right from developing
thought we would be the impleof hyper masculinity.
content to designing graphic.
menters,” says Thakore. She then
stumbled across a fellowship that
“Instead of making public spaces
“Our vision is to alter the way
offered $10,000 to undertake a
accessible to women they ask
people think about gender, sex and
social justice project. And in 2012,
them to stay away, thinking that’s
sexuality. Apart from workshops
THOSE who live or work in
Noida and frequent the DND
route would remember the
chaos that arose with the
repair of Kalindi Kunj Bridge a
few weeks ago.
In the peak of Delhi’s heat,
cars jostled for space on the
highway, constantly mindful of
the small gaps between the
next vehicle and theirs. Amidst
this confusion and under the
blazing sun worked Asmita
Dutta, a 22-year-old Civil Engineer, from morning to night,
jotting down notes and other
details on the crowded high-
‘
I sit on-site with
all the labourers
every day so that
they too see me
sweating it out with
them and get the
motivation to work
on. I don’t want my
team to ever feel
that I am dictating
orders from a comfy
room while they do
all the hard work
— Asmita Dutta,
Civil Engineer
way, single-mindedly orchestrating the show so that the
route can be opened as early
as possible.
She is one of those women
who are more interested in
building bridges than worried
about the SPF on her sunscreen.
“It was after class X, I decided
that I want to pursue this profession,” she tells FEMAIL even
as she supervises a construction site. “While there are only
a handful of women civil engineers out there at present, I
knew this was the correct
vocation for me,” she adds.
Perhaps it was an extension of
what she saw at home, with
her brother being an electrical
engineer. But her path was not
entirely smooth. Hiccups and
reservations about selecting
such an unconventional career
soon came from her concerned
relatives
and
well-wishers.
‘
THE ORIGINS
by Radhika Bhalla
‘
by Adila Matra
Shreena
Thakore’s
organisation
intends to
change the
way we think
and behave
towards the
fairer sex
HIGHWAY ON
HER PLATE
and corporate training programmes, we have digital and
social media campaigns.
ROAD AHEAD
We are planning to launch a curriculum aimed at gender sensitisation in schools. We will also collaborate with Alternative Law Forum
in Bangalore to develop awareness
on laws against rape,” she says.
Thakore has already conducted
talks in six cities including Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, Pondicherry,
Trichy and Chennai in a short
span of one month.
“In the next few weeks I will
cover Gwalior, Mumbai and
Pune,” she says with pride.
It is this dedication to seek
new answers to entrenched
patriarchal challenges that
makes Shreena Thakore an
agent of change.
FAIR- AND-SQUARE
Shreena Thakore (top, top-left and above) wants
to develop awareness on laws against rape in India
“My mother was my biggest
rock in helping me deal with
this situation. She has always
given unconditional support,
and that’s what keeps me confident,” Dutta states proudly.
However, commanding a
team can be a challenge even
for senior officials. But Asmita
ensures that she plays fair-and-
Asmita Dutta is one of those women who are more interested
in building bridges than worried about their sunscreen
“Because I have wonderful
bosses and colleagues who look
out for me all the time. I get
dropped home in case it gets
late, and I reach the site as
early as possible and leave by
7pm.”
Her work calendar is already
marked with postings across
the country. Her master plan
“I sit on-site with all the for life ahead too is sorted out.
labourers every day so that “I’d like to do my post- graduathey too see me sweating it out tion after a few years of experiwith them and get the motiva- ence so that one day I make a
tion to work on. I don’t want my name for myself in the field,”
team to ever feel that I am dic- says Asmita.
tating orders from a comfy
As for the M-word, the
room while they do all the hard possibility is distant. “Marriage
work,” she says. “This hands-on will take place after I properly
approach has helped me win settle down, four to five years
respect as well, and I can effec- down the line.” With such clarity
tively communicate orders
of vision, it will only be
and suggestions to the
a matter of time before
team,” says Asmita.
Asmita
becomes
But is she woran authority in her
Dutta’s
ried about workfield. “It’s tough,
ing alone in an
definitely,”
mother was her
environment
she
admits
pillar
of
support
in
dominated
“but it can be
realising her Civil Engi- done.” And we
by men? “No,”
she
replies,
believe her.
neering dreams
square to win the respect of
her colleagues at Hercules
Structural Systems Pvt. Ltd, a
civil engineering company,
which hired her after her graduation from the Tamil Nadubased Annamalai University.
SORTED OUT