Family Day Event with Muskaan!

On May 15th, PJI collaborated with Muskaan and Taabar on a festival to celebrate International Family Day! The event was held at Pink Square Mall and featured folk performers, musicians, and many different activities for people of all ages. The theme of the event was "The World is Our Family."

Muskaan planned this event in order to spread awareness about family, and its connection to domestic violence and the concept of a happy family. The event was also intended to spread awareness about the importance of balanced relationships, and how the lack of balance can create critical situations in the family. "The World is Our Family" means that the boundaries of our family can include neighbors, friends, and all members of society.

Many PJI members assisted in making this event a success. Ritansh performed an original rap on this topic to help spread awareness. The event also features skits, puppets, acrobats, a magician, face-painting, and fun games.

Protest Against AFSPA: Vapas Lo!

Dozens of PJI volunteers joined the protest against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, organized by PUCL yesterday. We gathered at Albert Hall at six o'clock to begin the protest, and together with the public we watched a street theater performance by members of PUCL on this topic. Afterward, all the protesters marched together down JLN Marg, shouting our slogans of peace and handing out information about AFSPA to onlookers.

AFPSA is used in the North East and Kashmir to allow the military to engage in undemocratic activities. It gives them the right to arrest anyone suspected of being a separatist or insurgent, and even to kill based on suspicion. There have been many high-profile cases of military brutality as a result of this law. Iron Sharmila, an activist from Manipur, has been fasting for over ten years in an attempt to persuade the government to overturn AFSPA.

This issue has come to Jaipur via the play "Le Mashale", a one-person show performed by Ojas in many locations throughout the city. PJI helped to host and publicize these performances. More recently, PJI volunteer Shyam Bansal was instrumental in planning this protest with PUCL and mobilizing our members to join the movement.

Join PJI for a Peace Rally on May 22nd!

PJI volunteers are leading a peace rally on Sunday, May 22nd at 6 pm. The march will protest the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and military abuses in Manipur. Come to support the movement and Irom Sharmila's struggle against violence! The notice is below:

REPEAL THE DRACONIAN

Armed Forces Special Powers Act

STOP THE CRUSHING OF DEMOCRACTIC RIGHTS IN

NORTH EAST AND KASHMIR

LET US ASLO LIGHT A TORCH FOR IROM SHARMILA'S STRUGGLE

AND DEMAND THE REPEAL OF AFSPA

Join us at 6 pm in front of Albert Hall Museum,

22nd May, 2011

The Torch Rally will go upto Badi Chaupar.

For the last 54 years, Independent India has had a law in the North East states and Kashmir called the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. It gives extraordinary powers to members of the armed forces-to arrest without warrant and shoot to kill on the basis of suspicion-and no legal action can be taken up against the armed forces without prior sanction from the Centre. On this day in 1958, the Indian Government promulgated an ordinance much worse than its predecessor, used by the British to crush the Quit India Movement and the Naga rebellion in the North East. On the 18th of August, this draconian law got the stamp of the Indian Parliament.

In the pretext of controlling insurgency, this Act in free India has only intensified the insurgency in these regions and legitimized thousands of gross human rights violations like rape, torture, murder and “disappearances” of innocent people in the North East and J&K.

Various movements in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir and human rights groups across the country have consistently for the last several years have been demanding the repeal of AFSPA as it is anti constitutional. One protest demanding the act's repeal that has stood out for the last ten years has been the fast of Irom Sharmila of Manipur, who has refused to eat anything. She is in an Imphal hospital under arrest by the Manipur Government and been forced fed by tubes.

This act has been opposed by the Government’s own commissions and committees appointed to look into the matter. The Committee to Review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, headed by Justice B. P.  Jeevan Reddy in 2005, the Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Dr. Veerappa Moily in 2007 and several others have recommended its repeal. Internationally, UN bodies including the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and recently the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders have urged for its repeal.

If we have to save Indian Democracy, then from all over India we must support the voices of the Irom Sharmila, the millions of people of the North East and Kashmir and put pressure on the Government of India that a law like AFSPA has no place in the Indian democratic system.

On the 22nd May 2011, let us in Jaipur join hands with fellow citizens all over the country and stand up against AFSPA. Join us at 6 pm outside the Albert Hall Museum, Ram Niwas Marg and light a torch for Irom Sharmila and the people of the North East and Kashmir to express our solidarity with their struggle. We will take out a march to Badi Chaupar.    

For more information, you may contact : 

Pappu (2594131, 93151562965) and Shyam (7737757778 & 9352908580)

Khula Manch 2011-2012: Featured Volunteers

Introducing PJI’s Khula Manch 2011—a gang full of energy, drama, fun, and sensitivity. These are the people who make PJI what it is: a space where we have fun, learn, and love each other. Each is unique in their own, but are together on the journey of “Me to We”.

These volunteers are at various stages of their journeys, but have all been with us for at least the past three months. This list will continue to evolve over time, as we are joined by new friends and old ones go to pursue their next opportunity in life. 

Our Active Citizens, in alphabetical order, are:

A member for the CVU team, Abhishek Chawariya is very mature for his age and very committed to his work. He always looks forward to learning. Given some work, you can count on Abhishek to finish it. He is very genuine, honest, and open to feedback.

Ankita Rawat is one of the liveliest volunteers at PJI. Although she has only been around for the past few months, she is already a crucial part of PJI with her heart and soul. She is a people person and ropes in everyone around her. Ankita was very helpful in developing the PJI facebook page for us. It has been a pleasure to have her in PJI, and we shall miss her and hope to see her here back!

Aprajita Sharma loves to learn and is keen to know as much as she can. She is always asking questions, which we love about her. She has been volunteering with the NGO Faith for some time and it is great to see the way she has engaged with the kids there. She is someone who is really passionate about making a change in the society.

Ashish Khandelwal is sensitive and committed. He has been involved with Faith through the UVP Program for a while and his commitment, love for the children and the space is something to aspire to. We love seeing Ashish around and are always delighted to hear his stories. 

Ashutosh Nandwana has been with us for a long time and has grown beautifully over the years. His ability to receive feedback and move on through struggles is an inspiration for all the volunteers. In his journey from “ME to WE,” he has now gone to next step and starting his new venture “SHARE A SMILE.” He makes us proud and gives everyone smiles.

Banwari Bhamaniya is one of our older volunteers, who has been coming on and off to PJI but is nevertheless a core part of the space. He is our Self Defense champion, and has taught many of us how to defend ourselves and mobilized youth through his self-defense workshops around Jaipur. With always a smile on his face and lots of passion for this place, he deserves much praise.

Bhavya Soni, one of the older volunteers, is always supportive and had been a backbone for PJI. He writes beautiful poetry, plays the fiddle expertly, and is really passionate about these and other talents. Soft spoken, he is always helping us with his creative thoughts.

Bhomik Jain’s quest to explore self and his desire to share that with all gives us a lot of excitement and knowledge. An adventurer, he is always open to new avenues. Though he studies engineering, he is a master of many other skills. A Khoji to the core, always exploring more!

Deepa Jhangyani is our interior designer, and has been working very hard to make the space livelier and prettier. She is a hardworking girl with a sweet smile always on her face, whatever happens. You see her everyday working to get funding and discussing the new design with volunteers. It has been a pleasure to have Deepa around, and we are looking forward to the renovation of the office. 

Our Jolly Dolly wins our hearts with her smile. Her dedication and love gives us a lot of energy. She is Ssensitive to everyone’s need, soft spoken but with a determination to go on. One of the member of our Trimurthy gang who also takes PJI as her second home, she is someone everyone misses when she’s not around. 

Gunjan Thakur is a bolt of lighting that comes into PJI and spreads smiles and laughter all around. With so much love and energy, Gunjan calls PJI her second home and this home is definitely incomplete without her. Her inquisitiveness is contagious. She is our Chota Bomb.  

A true volunteer in the heart, Jaiveer Rathore brings a lot of joy and fun to PJI.  He is always open to feedback and change. Jaiveer is a gem of a person, loving and friendly involving everyone around him. It has bee great seeing Jaiveer growing, becoming a leader, and discovering his newfound love for theatre. We look forward to seeing more of his plays and the growth of his Action Project PUKAAR!

Jimmy Potter has given us “ANOKHA MOKA” and brought Kabir and Kabir ke dohe into the space. He is a great singer and the best thing in him his willingness to accept and try out new things—for example, his fluency in Hindi. Every time Jimmy is in PJI he brings a lot of smiles and happiness.

Jitendra Sharma is a passionate singer and poet. He is wonderful at articulating life’s experiences in words and through music. PJI is full of his fans of his poetry and singing. Jitendra has been with us for a while and is always around to support us and be with us.

Joey Stromberg is from the U.S. and taken a year off to volunteer in India. Professionally he is a journalist and an environmentalist. Joey has been with us for the past year and has been a big support in keeping us updated on our Blog and FB. He has loved and lived India and PJI to the fullest. He is someone eager to learn new things and especially Hindi. He is a favorite of all in PJI.

Keshav Modi is Pravah’s computer champion, but his skills go far beyond. He is someone who knows a lot and is always there in PJI wherever required. A blossoming entrepreneur, Keshav is on the way to success already. We hope to continue seeing him and his creative ideas in PJI.

Krishna Kumar comes into PJI quietly and is always in his own way sensitive to all. He has been learning to play flute and we are looking forward to hearing him play.

Over the past six months, Maneesha Singh has become a central part of PJI and we are all so sad to see her go. Her friendliness, enthusiasm, and energy makes her a big sister figure to everyone at PJI. For planning exciting new events, meeting new volunteers, or being a leader to help the group overcome challenges, no one is better than Maneesha. We wish her the best of luck in Delhi and thank her for being such an amazing presence in PJI!

Meenu Pareek, a member of the CVU team, is a hard worker and very kind as well. Whenever we need anything in PJI Meenu is the person to ask and she strives to help everyone. She is our perfect resource person and a crucial part of the space.

Mohamad Khalil strives to change the future of his community through the lens of camera. He is always one of the first to meet all new volunteers with a smiling face and very passionate about filmmaking.

Praveen Garg is always courteous and one of the sweetest boys around. He is always ready to help and have fun. His help in our database renovation is worth applause. Off to become a teacher, he will be a great one with a lot of patience and love.

Rahul Aggarwal is new to PJI and is already seen frequently. He is someone who takes on new ventures and has all the skills to complete them. Rahul is always ready to help out and is a valuable part of the PJI crew.

Rahul Sharma is part of the CVU team and is one of the CPs who is closest to our volunteers. He is someone who is open to new ideas and a good learner. Always smiling and dancing, he brings in a lot of energy to PJI every day. He aspires to become a filmmaker, and his technical skills give him great potential for accomplishing his dream.

 

Rajesh Khotiya can be quiet, but when he speaks, he is very observant and provides very clear analysis of the discussion. He is a big asset for PJI. He wants to continue to work as a filmmaker and want to make documentaries on issues related to marginalized communities.

Ravi Saini is one of the oldest volunteers of Pravah and the most frequent. His newfound love for jewelry-making and ‘Kabaad se Jugaad’ shows his creativity and we love it. Ravi’s down to earth attitude and sensitivity towards all the volunteers make him a good friend to everyone.

Ritansh Pandey, our rapper, wins everyone’s heart wherever he goes. For him, rap is a passion, as is using his musical skills to address social issues. His journey is an inspiration for all the new volunteers, as he brings a different side of music to the table. His passion and dedication towards his music is mind-blowing. We hope to see him in PJI more often and have him teach us how to RAP!

Sangeeta Deshwal enters PJI every time with a determination to do something. Once she has a job—be it calling volunteers, or messaging about an event—we know it will be done. She has been with us for over a year and has always been a support to us in whatever way possible, constantly ready to take on more. 

A singer and lyricist in making, we met Shivang Shukla during this year’s Fly Peace Campaign, and he won a lot of hearts through his singing. His simplicity and honesty is one of his strongest assets. Shivany is open to new ideas, and seeing him more often at PJI brings in fresh air for us. 

Shivangi Dadhich is a breath of fresh air for PJI. Her energy lights up the space every time she visits. She is always enthusiastic to try and learn new things. Though she has been here for only a few months, she has become an integral part of PJI and takes full ownership of the place.

Shyam Bansal has been with us only a little while, but has already brought in a lot of energy to the space. His ability to take different initiatives and readiness makes him an invaluable part of PJI. He is always ready on call and brings in new ideas for the growth of PJI. Shyam is truly a passionate young man with a lot of potential.

Bubbly Sonia Yadav is someone you know if given responsibility will always get the job done done. She is always ready to volunteer for PJI and gives us the support to go on. She makes tasty Maggi and feeds all of us with love. Our happy-go-lucky girl is always ready to accept her challenges and is always positive.

By The Way (part 3)

By The Way (part 3)

CONFUSION can lead us to solution. When we deeply think of a problem, we go into the bottom of it. Sometimes we realized our confusion is just nothing or if it’s real then why it has been raised. Sometimes this confusion combating struggles can force us take serious or disastrous or may not be disastrous steps in our lives. Again this disastrous word is also very confusing because whatever is disastrous for me might be good for someone else’s life or it’s just the matter of perception.

I thought to write about the confusions coming into young people’s lives how well or how not so well, they are dealing with it. “The Meenu” has decided to take a break from a confusing chapter of her life. “The Rajesh “and “The Rahul” are also winding up one confusing tale. “The Seema” has already taken big step and moved forward. It will be too early to say whether they ending a confusing tale or starting another. Well I always wish good luck to them.

But then suddenly a twist happened into the story. “The Rajesh “decided to stay back. I guess this is the heights of confusion.

It’s been 2 years since these young people have been working in a team of 6 people and making documentary films for community. They were seemed to be happy with their job roles. All of a sudden they felt off from this. The reason; I received confusing answers.

I tried to dig out the confusion and in the depth of this dark confusion there was an answer (or may not be an answer but something leading towards finding answer). This answer is a reflection for all of us who speak a lot on the welfare of underprivileged and marginalized people and pretend that they can change their lives.

These people came here having a dream in their eyes. It proved a fancy world to them. Before coming here they lived in their own world where everyone was equal to them. It’s a simple psychology that we relate with similar people who have similar set of life style and similar set of issues in their lives.

Then they came out of that nest and came among a different set of people and environment. It was proved a fancy world for them. They started liking it. Soon they started dreaming, that they can change theirs as well others’ lives by their work. A big dream to chase….. I’m not demoralizing such people by saying that, it’s just a practical statement.

Well, they really tried hard to make this dream come true. But external factors pulled them downwards. AND these external factors came from nowhere but from all of us who brag to be social workers. We really need to rethink how we treat these people. Are we making them see false dreams? Are we expecting too much of them? Are we forcing them to perform beyond their limitations? Are we considering them as investment commodities or simply whoever they are realistically?

Let’s be honest this time. Our own confusion can create confusions for others, the people who look up to us for inspiration.

By the way, it’s time for accepting that more than them, we are confused.

Ankita's Letter to PJI

In my words, PJI is a space where there are no boundaries. It's an open space, and it's the world I've always dreamt of. Here, I live the way I want to. There are no restrictions, nothing positive or negative, no failure and no comparisons. PJI loves me the way I am and I don't have to be fake. 

In my family, when I have to decide my goals, I have to think twice (thrice actually a number of times) and it keeps bugging me. And there are a lot of questions in my mind, like whether I have chosen the right path, if I will be able to follow it, and what my parents and family will say--will they be happy with my decision? A number of questions are due to the fear of failure.

But PJI is the family which has supported me and my goals and pushed me to go for the things I wanted. It has taught me that failure and victory are part of life, and given me courage to face the failure. With PJI, it has been a productive journey, teaching great lessons and introducing me to real life. I feel like I have spent a decade here.

Meenakshi Bhanj Deo is a mentor, a friend, and a mother figure. She’s the best lady I have ever met in my life. I really want this beautiful bond to go on till death. She’s open to ideas that are given to her, and has never made me feel like a fool. She always supports me for the ideas I have and I am really thankful to her for being so generous.

Whenever I used to speak my mind, people laughed at me. But Meenakshi saw the hidden part of me and pushed me to go forward, no matter whatever the result will be.

Maneesha a great mentor and is like a elder sister, who has always been supportive.

She taught me how to maintain stability in life and also to make a comfort zone between me and my parents. She’s just like a potter that keeps a supportive hand inside but a tough one outside so that the pot takes a good shape. 

Amreen, I want to thank you for the love you given me. I admire the way you speak with volunteers. The softness and clarity in your speech and the way you make others understand things are remarkable. 

This place has given me lots of good friends and the only thing I regret is joining it so late. I will miss every single person associated with PJI.

Gender Workshop

PJI hosted an eye-opening workshop on gender, perceptions, and stereotypes yesterday. We were lucky enough to host a pair of young activists who designed this innovative program, Nandan Latwal and Sundeep Choudhary. They have also worked with the comMutiny Youth Collective and Pravah Delhi. About 20 PJI volunteers attended the session and came away with many new learnings and reflections on the topic.

The session started with participants being asked to express themselves on a sheet of paper, and then try doing so while imagining themselves to be another gender. Afterward, the workshop moved on to discussing various gender stereotypes with the use of creative short films on the topic.

We discussed what sorts of expectations and identities we are given as a result of our gender--things like, "you are a boy, so you should focus your career on earning for a family," or "you are a girl, so you can't stay out late or speak too loudly." We also got an education on the difference between gender and sexuality, the various genders that exist, and other clarifications on this important topic.

"In a place like Jaipur, where the gender issues are very untouched, it was actually very moving for us to see the individuals participating in the entire process," said Nandan. "It's a very serious issue, which is generally not talked about, so we should promote such efforts."

The volunteers who participated in the workshop learned a lot. Keshav Modi said that he had been unclear about different terms, including transgender, and understood better after the session. "I always thought boys are just lucky, but seeing the films and having spoken about the topic, I realize that there are expectations and difficulties for guys as well," said Shivangi Dadich during the workshop.

We want to thank Sundeep and Nandan for enlightening us on this topic and hope to continue engaging on this important issue in the future!