Wtf!

Just read about these incidents and am stunned!

http://www.babajob.com/person.htm?user=10041
http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/26/stories/2009022658410300.htm

It is as terrible, disgusting and frightening as it sounds.

What can we DO to make Bangalore safer for her women? That is what we are mulling about at the moment. Drop us a line, if you've got something

Updates

The Get Eve In camp has been abuzzed with activities this month. First was self defences classes at the IISc. A round of applause to all the wonderful women who attended both the days of the workshop. Thanks for making the workshop so special for us, ladies!

Then we conducted a workshop at Makkala Jagriti. Its been our fourth at MJ and yet again the energy of the girls amaze us. We did many new exercises which they most sportingly did.

Mid month we also did shooting for a tv channel. We havent got the show timings yet, so you'll have to wait a bit for details here.

And finally we're partnering with Ivol for Respect the Red. So if you're interested in improving Bangalore's traffic situation here's your chance. Drop in at the Ivol office on 1st Sept.

Address and landmark :
iVolunteer,
No. 384, 6th Cross,
18th 'E' Main,
6th Block, Koramangala,
Bangalore - 560 095

You can also mail us at geteve(dot)in (at) gmail(dot)com for directions or queries.

Take care, be safe.

When it hits too close, too damn close home

When IT happens to someone you knew. Someone you met more than once. Someone you spoke to just the day before they met with that accident or were diagnosed with something terminal. Just the day before they got mugged. Or just the day before they were conned and raped. Thats when you realise that these things just dont happen in some distant planet. That two para mention in the paper isnt something that could happen to oh somebody. It could so easily be someone you love and care about. It could so easily have been you.

When it hits too close home, you can no longer ignore it, no longer read and forget about it. No longer can you say, 'Oh but if it was me, I'd have known all along he was up to something'. When it happens to someone you knew, the air empties out of your lungs and your mind freezes. The countless ways you know how to avoid or escape such a situation make no difference, because SHE DIDNT KNOW THEM. And for her, its too late now.

More than anything else its a reminder that the knowledge we possess is useless unless we dispense it. And quick.

If there is one tip I could put out here and ask you to never to forget, it is this:

Make a commitment this very minute to protect your body with everything you have. Respect your feelings. It's not rude to move away if someone moves too close, no matter how well you know him. It's not rude to decline an invitation if you have even the slightest inhibitions about taking a drop or a nightcap, no matter how nice he is being about it. And any moment you dont feel right about whats happening, say NO. Let him call you a tease - you can deal with the labels later. And if he doesn't listen - FIGHT! And no matter what happens - DONT GIVE UP!! Don't allow yourself to feel helpless. Look around, there will be something. Grab anything you find and go for it. Dont worry about hurting him. You can call an ambulance on your way home.

Self defence classes are not hogwash. Join one today if you can. Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones. I wish we all lived in safe cities where 'these things' never happen. But we don't and they do. The best gift you can give yourself is to learn to defend yourself. I cant emphasize this enough. Learn from books, people, Internet, whereever, from whomever, but LEARN TO DEFEND YOURSELF. There's no husband is strong enough, no god good enough to save you.

Self defence with Jagruti girls

After a lull of many weeks, we were egged to some activity by an opportunity we suddenly found in a sports meet organized by Power of We, for a group of 40 girls in the age group between 16 and 22 years. These girls are a part of Jagruti, a learning centre for economically underprivileged people, primarily working towards spreading awareness on HIV/AIDS.

The meet was held on Sunday, 27^th May. Get Eve-in was allotted one hour, towards the end of the event, to impart some simple tips on self-defence. We were a tad apprehensive, especially as the clock ticked, wondering how we, just the two of us, would deal with this boisterous bunch of girls, who were squabbling over the results of a previous event. The apprehension was accentuated when we realized that this was the first time we were dealing with a group that also included victims of sexual abuse. This was our true challenge; after all, our vision is to make women comfortable with themselves, their backgrounds and removing all impediments to their freedom of expression!

So began our one hour session with the girls. We formed a circle so that we were compact and our instructions could be heard clearly. Priya started with the need for self-defence without talking specifically about eve-teasing; instead stressing on the importance of safety, say from a chain-snatcher, etc. We had to bear in mind that it was an open field and we had a lot of passers-by – mostly men – as our audience as well. We didn’t want to make it difficult for the girls and ourselves by spending our energy warding off negative forces that could’ve been stoked if we hadn’t tempered down. We started with the forearm and shin chop – a form involving repeated strikes on the forearm and shin area. While doing so, we asked them whether it hurt. We never knew that histrionics was in store for us at this point - the girls were ‘groaning’ in pain caused by the repeated ‘chopping’. “Nauvu aagthaide, aunty”, “Thumba ne nauvu aagthaide” all without a straight face. It was a funny sight. We proceeded, showing them the other forms – use of weight or the drunken fall; V-slide and finally the STING. In order to demonstrate the STING form and show other pain points, we divided them into two groups as this was one of the key tips in self-defence and also to ensure that we had their attention. The girls were smart and memorized the pain points in no time; possibly this was their favorite form, chuckling away as it was being explained.

We quickly recapitulated all the forms as we ended our session. The girls flocked Priya and I, thanking us for spending time with them and for providing some useful tips; this was probably the norm at such events, but their love was unconditional – we were moved. They invited us with excitement, to visit their community centre; took our phone numbers saying they will stay in touch. Their enthusiasm and zest for life was refreshing.

Even though we didn’t elicit their experiences of sexual harassment and how they would use these forms; even though they didn’t ask us the ways to get out of certain situations, we are sure that the session will nevertheless be helpful. Hope to see you soon, girls!