ZANSKAR AND SATPURA BATTLE IT OUT FOR THE TITLE

It was a match that pitted one of the favorites for the IIT football league title, against a team languishing near the bottom of the table. And the result was nothing less than expected. On Monday evening in cold weather with fog developing, Zanskar hostel took on Satpura hostel in the IIT football league and Zanskar came out on the top with a facile 2-0 victory. A lot was at stake for both the teams with Zanskar looking to maintain their title credentials and Satpura desperate to climb out of the bottom three. But in the end a goal in each half from the two strikers was enough for Zanskar to see off the challenge of Satpura. The captain of the Zanskar football team, Shubham Sandeep said, “It was a tough game as the conditions were quite difficult and Satpura had a defensive mindset. So we had to be patient and wait for the opportune moment.” Zanskar opened the scoring 5 minutes before the stroke of halftime after missing a host of chances including 3 ‘one on one’s. Sudhir Garewal, the coach of Satpura team was visibly disappointed, “The goal just before the halftime was a killer blow. I thought we were doing doing well defensively though upfront we lacked the cutting edge with our main striker out due to injury.” The match was watched by supporters of both the teams who braved the cold and were vociferous till the final whistle. Mr. Negi who is the Head of Sports, IIT Delhi summed it up appropriately, “ These tournaments are not just for pleasure but they help inculcate a sense of hostel spirit and are a breeding ground for the Institiute teams.”

When the Goddess Arrives...

Durga Puja is celebrated to commemorate the victory of good over evil. It is the most important festival of the Bengalis and is widely celebrated across India and among Indians across the globe. Spread over a period of generally 4-5 days, it is an incessant play of ceremonies, prayers, festivities, culinary delights, socialisation and cultural performances. An amalgation of all these can be fully experienced at the Durga Puja celebrations in Eros Garden, Charmwood Village, Faridabad, which is organised by the Suraj Kund Bangiya Samaj.
Here Durga Puja was celebrated for 6 days on Panchami, Sashti, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya Dashami. The festivities began on Panchami evening with the Ananda Mela, which is a culinary fair, along with exhibits of all kinds for women. Sashti, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami, followed more or less the same daily routine. There was ‘puja’ in the morning, followed by ‘pushpanjali’ (offering of prayers along with flowers). Meanwhile Brahmin women prepared the ‘bhog’ that was to be offered to the goddess. At the same time, competitions were held in the pandal for children and adults like painting competition, recitation competition, fancy costume competition and many more. In the afternoons ‘bhog’ or lunch was served that mainly comprised of the staple ‘khichdi’ or a sort of culmination of rice and ‘dal’, ‘papad’, a vegetable dish and ‘kheer’ which is a sort of a sweet dish. The evenings kicked off with the ‘arati’, followed by cultural events of sorts like dance, musical and theatrical performances. One of the most notable features of the evenings was the fact that massive crowds of people thronged to the food stalls, producing huge profits for them. Vijaya Dashami, as usual, was celebrated on the same day as Dussehra. It is a day of double celebration among the Hindus to mark the victory of good over evil; one in the form of Lord Rama’s victory over the demon Ravana and the other of Goddess Durga’s over the demon Asura. On this day, there was vermillion play among the women and people bid a final adieu to the goddess, before she was finally immersed in the river Yamuna.
Over the years, Durga Puja has become an extremely commercialized festival. Commercialization has creeped into every aspect of the festival. Apart from the fact that today, lakhs of rupees are spent on the celebrations in its entirety; it works on the major principles of a market; advertising/ publicity and maximum accumulation/ derivation of wealth from the entire process. There was sponsorship from various brands like Vodafone, Idea Cellular Company, Aircel, and Manav Rachna Institutes, which helped generate funds for the Puja. Apart from this, there were food stalls and other kinds of stalls that attracted large numbers of buyers, garnered significant publicity as well as handsome amounts of wealth. But the most notable form of competition was that among the pandals in the entire NCR region, which was organized by The Times Of India newspaper, and was called ‘Durgostuti Namostute’.
The pandal of Surajkund Bangiya Samaj has received huge acclaim over the last four years. This year the theme of the pandal was peace and it was executed in the form of a lotus shaped pandal. Prashant Mukherjee, who conceptualized the theme of the pandal, said that he was inspired by the Mumbai Terror Attacks and the dire need for the establishment of peace and non violence in the world. This year, however, the pandal failed to win any award. When asked, the President of the Puja Committee, Partha Pratim Mitra said, “Awards are not the purpose of the Puja. They are just an additional bonus. What is important is that the Puja in its entirety was a huge success and that can be gauged from the fact that there were massive flocks of people in the pandal at all times and people thoroughly enjoyed themselves.” He concluded by saying in Bengali what truly sums up the feel and the purpose of Durga Puja, “next year, we look forward to a Durga Puja that shall be even more grand, successful and entertaining as the year that just passed by”.

Women and Vocation

Even after 60 years of independence, India continues to follow the education system that was introduced by the British during their rule. Over the years, there has been an accelerated growth in the number of colleges for general studies while institutes for vocational studies, have been increasingly sidelined. Vocational education in India aims to develop skilled manpower through a host of professional courses that would enable students to venture into the unorganized sectors and at the same time, inculcate self- employment skills through a variety of self employment oriented programs. As a result, by the time students complete these courses, they are well equipped to attain a job. In India, vocational training is majorly imparted by Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) or institutes called ‘polytechnics’.
In a patriarchal society such as India, women are attributed a position, subordinate to that of men. The services rendered by women are heavily ignored, moreover they are expected to be chaste and modest about any characteristics that may enable them to perform exceedingly well in the work place and even outperform their male counterparts. While the women from the elite and upper middle class of society have gained ample exposure to the global scenario, women from the lower class, are confined to their domestic sphere and denied any opportunities to hone their talents. A lot of the times, these women from the lower strata of society, who are doubly handicapped by class and gender, are uneducated and work as unskilled manual labor at construction sites, as domestic help, washer women, vendors of small shops and so on.
However, there is one such organization that dares to transcend the traditional boundaries laid by the socio- cultural context of India. Adharshila, is a non governmental organisation, situated in New Delhi, which aims to build foundations at the grass root levels of society with dedication and sincerity. They aim at uplifting the under privileged in society by offering them a plethora of development programs. For this purpose they offer three kinds of vocational training programs for women; computer and informatics training, health and beauty care, and sewing and dress designing, all absolutely free of cost. Ms. Neena Jolly, who established the organization in 2004 along with Ms. Geeta Arora, says, “We set up this organization with the aim of ensuring tangible benefits to women of the slum communities. Our projects are designed to cater to the needs of these women and empower them through these programs. Even though we do not charge any money for these courses, the fact that we are able to secure these needy women bright futures by educating them, is quite rewarding. Today, we hold a record of having trained more than 1000 women in various vocational courses, and helping them obtain well paying employment opportunities.”
In 2005, Adharshila established its computer centre in view of helping women from slum areas cultivate vocational skills. The computer centre is sponsored by Bharti Foundation, a leading telecom brand in India and after completing the course which is nearly 12 weeks long, graduates receive certification directly from Jana Shikshan Sansthan, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. With 20 computers at the centre, students are taught essential concepts in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, DOS, internet usage, along with resume building and speedy typing. Teachers, who teach at the computer centre says, “We enroll about 15 to 20 women and girls in each batch. Over the 4 years that I have been teaching here, I have seen more and more women seeking admission in the course and the determination among these women to prove themselves is remarkable”. Shilpa Anand, a graduate of the course says while recounting her experience, “Before joining this course, I had absolutely no knowledge about the computer. As I come from a poor family, I could not afford any fancy institution for my training. So I joined Adharshila and the experience here was extremely enriching. Today I work in an electrical equipments company and the knowledge I gained here has helped me widely.”
Adharshila also conducts a course in beauty and heath care which is scheduled for six months, after which graduates receive certification from Jana Shikshan Sansthan. Nearly 40 students per batch are given basic education in nutrition, yoga, massage therapy, skin care and various kinds of beauty treatments. Kaynaad, a student of the course says, “I have always wanted to build a career in beauty and health care. My family was not very supportive of my education as I come from a poor family and my education would have been an added burden on my parents. The best part about Adharshila is that I am learning so much here but am not required to pay anything in return. Today, my family is also encouraging me in all my professional endeavors. I hope that after completing this course, I can realize my dream of being a successful beautician and owning my own beauty salon.”
Apart from these, Adharshila also offers vocational training in sewing and tailoring, which enrolls 20 students per batch and here too graduates receive certificates from Jana Shikshan Sansthan on completion of the course. One of the teachers, says “Most women joining this course are aged between 20- 35 years. Since most of them are married and are tied by various domestic responsibilities, the classes are held in the afternoons, to suit their convenience. We teach them various kinds of embroidery and designing and by the end of the course, each student has an impressive body of work to boast of”. Sunita, a graduate of the course says, “I hail from a small village in Haryana and I came to Delhi after I got married. Since my husband’s income was quite meager, I decided to work, but lacked the skill to perform any job well. So I joined this course here and today I have my own boutique. My husband and I run the boutique together. Sometimes I even come and teach students here. This place has given me a new lease in life and I feel this is my way of thanking Adharshila.”
Adharshila gets most of its funding from voluntary donations by corporate institutions and philanthropic individuals. The expenses of the computer course are borne completely by Bharti Foundation. Since the teachers work on a voluntary basis, the organization makes up for some of the expenditure, by saving up on their pay. Neena jolly adds, “Even though finances are really scarce at times, what drives us is the satisfaction we get, when we see the growth that each woman charts out here. In times of crises, we all stick together like one big family and help each other surmount all obstacles. It’s not about financial benefits, but about providing someone with adequate opportunities for a well rounded life. It’s about making people realize that nothing is impossible, if they have the determination and courage to follow what their heart desires. It’s about helping these under privileged women realize their dreams.”

A Boon to the Handicrafts Industry in India

Indian handicrafts form an extremely important part of not only Indian culture but also, Indian economy, especially rural economy. About 70 % of the Indian population stays in rural areas and a major source of their livelihood is the manufacture and sale of their handicrafts. In spite of showcasing a steady growth of about 15% per annum in the last decade, handicrafts industry remains one of the most neglected industrial sectors in India which becomes evident from the fact that while the global handicraft industry is pegged at US $ 400 billion, India’s share in it is only 2%.
In a situation like this, the annual Surajkund Mela, organized every year from 1st to 15th February, by the Tourism department of the Haryana government, acts as a respite for most handicraftsmen and artisans. Since, most of these handicraftsmen are settled in rural areas, this fair gives them the opportunity to exhibit their work to an urban audience, which today has inculcated that sense of aesthetics to appreciate their art. Moreover, people in the urban areas have greater purchasing power and are therefore more willing to contribute monetarily to this industry.
Dilip, who is from Bundi, Rajasthan, is a puppet maker. For the last 17 years, his family has been involved with this form of art. They make puppets by weaving cloth and stuffing it with cotton or wool. These could be in the shape of human or animal figures. The faces of the puppets are generally made out of wood and then painted. The cloth used is typically bandhani, a traditional tie and dye form of clothing in Rajasthan, and is embroidered with glass and thread work.
Dilip maintains that his family being involved with puppetry over the last so many years, has seen very little growth in this industry. He attributes several reasons for this. He says, “Earlier, puppetry was a major form of communication and entertainment for the masses. Today, with the advent of so many improved forms of the media, this art is slowly dying. Since it is rarely used for these purposes today, it is majorly used for purposes of decoration. It is assumed that the government has done quite a bit to develop the handicrafts industry, but in reality, it has provided very little funds to puppetry and puppet makers, which could provide it the impetus to grow.”
For craftsmen like Dilip, that Surajkund Crafts Mela is a boon. He says that he has been coming for the mela, for the last 6 years, and over this period of time, he has seen a steady growth of about 5%- 7% in his trade and income generation. He finds more takers for his art here, especially foreign visitors who say that they find his puppets really colourful and attractive. Moreover, he admits that though he sells them for a higher cost here than in his village, people generally are willing to pay that much. A puppet he makes could cost anywhere between 150- 700 rupees. On an average he sells about 10- 15 puppets, amounting to an average income of 3000-4000 rupees per day, which he says he “can not even dream of earning in his village”.
There are many like Dilip, who look forward to the Surajkund Mela, every year, for the reasons that this festival provides a real boost to their trade. They find here a lot of encouragement for their art, which is translated in the huge number of buyers who are willing to spend a decent sum of money on their works. For them, this is like blessing in disguise that accounts for nearly 35-40% of their annual earnings.