by Anuradha Bakshi | Oct 8, 2007 | women centre
When are you opening the school is the question I am asked by eager children every time I visit our about to open women centre.
It is amazing and touching how children break all barriers and adopt you without any misgivings and with complete trust.
In a week from now I hope we will be able to open our centre and start the first activities that have been spelt out for us: a creche for small children and various activities for the older ones.
There is another question, albeit a more hesitant ones, that is asked often obliquely by adults. It is normally the women who come by and ask for a job for their husbands or some work for themselves. The reason that permeates these queries is always the same: lack of money to survive in a ruthless and heartless city. The men often have temporary jobs a formula perfected by employers to beat the wage laws. The women who may have worked in fields in their villages, are not geared to work in urban realities where the work they could get would not be socially acceptable. So they eek out a living as best they can.
This then becomes the moot point for our work at the women’s centre: empower the women to take on a larger role in their lives and break out of the stifling time warp in which they are locked. It is a challenge and one that will not be easy as once again we will have to face the wall of traditions and mores. Underprivileged urban women have to reinvent themselves and move beyond the stranglehold of what I have often called the government job syndrome. Something each migrant to India’s capital city seems to suffer from.
by Anuradha Bakshi | Oct 4, 2007 | women centre
It is the time of the year when in India we are meant to remember the dears ones that have left us and gone to another world. Normally people feed the poor or give alms; some have elaborate pujas (religious ceremonies). For a few years after the death of my parents I too made such offerings till the day I decided to break the mould and honour my parents in a different way. That is when project why began or rather the Trust in my father’s name.
Somehow mama got forgotten: papa had always been the flamboyant one as mama perfected the art of being almost invisible.
But life has its own ways and for the past few months my world has been filled by a plethora of incredible women and their lives that led to the setting up of the why women centre. Somehow it seemed destined that I dedicate this centre to Kamala who was an incredible woman who today dares me to jump without a parachute and see whether I have the wings to fly.
The why women centre is my offering to a very special mother.
by Anuradha Bakshi | Oct 3, 2007 | women centre
Amidst friendly quipping about choice of room and placement of things interspersed with exclamations of delight and horror so typical of women notwithstanding their age, the final shifting to our new premises was completed yesterday.
Things settled and work began in earnest this under the oft exasperated eye of Dharmendra the sole man and coordinator of the project. Fans were bought and fixed, plumber and electrician called and long ‘to do’ lists made.
A persusal of the pictures in the picture gallery vindicate the initial reaction of the women now in charge of their lives but the potential is great and a few coat of paint and some repairs are all that is required to make this a very special centre.
Unconcerned by appearance a bunch of eager eyed kids arrived soon after wanting to know what was going on. When we told them that this would be a children centre they broke into huge smiles asking us when they could start coming. And in true pwhy style my answer was: now! The now was maybe a tad Pollyannaish but I know that in a day or so a simple mat and few books and toys will be sufficient to begin classes.
There are many creases that still need to be ironed, but it was heartwarming to see that even in this new place the children had adopted us and that was all we needed to know that this centre will be another blessed one.
by Anuradha Bakshi | Sep 22, 2007 | women centre
The recent demolition of the Lohar basti is a harbinger of days to come. We have, over the past five years, witnessed many a demolition drive of this very basti. Bulldozers came, tenements were brought down, but each time they were rebuilt as money changed hands and eyes turned away. But this time was to be the right one as no one was allowed to rebuild their destroyed homes and in spite of the fact that the families doggedly remained in situ for two days, braving rain and sun, they ultimately realised the inevitable fact that after thirty years they were once again homeless.
Demolitions and sealing drives have become commonplace as one has seen over the years and each til date end in some sort of reprieve or the other. However the raising of the Lohar basti proves that the writing is an the all and that sooner or later many of the slums we work in will face the bulldozer.
With the raising of the Lohar basti we have lost one primary centre and we too feel somewhat orphaned though we knew this day would dawn and I had tried to prepare ourselves for it, albeit unconvincingly. But life has to go on and we need to remember that there many children who still need us.
So once again we had to make a course correction and as luck would have we were still on the lookout for a place for our women’s home. So instead of finding a place to house a creche and activities for women, we have decided to also include a primary outreach. We have been able to find a place in Madanpur Khader, a village in South Delhi near a slum resettlement colony and will be opening a new centre there very soon.
So a new journey begins and with it new challenges. But we will miss our Lohar children and their free spirit.
by Anuradha Bakshi | Aug 24, 2007 | women centre
Welcome to the why women centre!
Though the why women centre was born out of necessity it truly came alive last night when Firdaush our energetic volunteer from Paris decided to spend a night with the girls. It was a fun filled night but one where plans were made, dreams redefined and, beleive it or not, serious work initiated.
Bags and jewellery was designed keeping in mind parisian taste, creche activities planned, time tables set, but what was most important was that the spirit of the centre was defined: one of trust and understanding, laughter and gaiety and motivation and determination.
These women have come a long way and made a jouney many would have given up half way. The beat all odds and overcame many obstacles with no bitterness or anger. Somehow during that night the past was buried and healed once in for all and only tomorrow mattered. A morrow where they would reinvent themselves and prove to the often unforgiving world outside that nothing is impossible as long as someone is wiling to give one a second chance.
We invite to a sneak view of that incredible night
