Flex Mentallo

As I recall this book looks even better in person.

I blame the teachers!

Or maybe not!

Such well-behaved children!

...and yesterday was Teacher's Day!

Mission and Vision Vision To enable people to take responsibility of their own multifaceted vulnerable situations and thereby enabling them to realise their full potential. Mission To make people discover their potential for action and change. To enable peoples' collectives and movements encompassing diverse segments, to pledge their particular strengths, working in partnership to secure, protect and honour the Constitution of India. Values- What we believe in Human rights and justice – All of our work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and the rights that follow from this understanding. Transparency and accountability – Roshni provides and expects to access clear, accurate and up-to-date information. We are willing to hold ourselves to high standards and seek to hold others to similar standards as the ones we set for ourselves. Sustainability – Roshni is committed to youth development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their multidimensional needs. By empowering members, developing networks and the communities we serve, we believe that the benefits of our work will be enduring. Cooperation and partnership – We respect the wishes and requirements of our members and networks – and the communities we serve – and we endeavour to create a shared voice, working together in a manner that enables us to achieve our shared goals and live our shared values Peace – Roshni recognises that peace is about more than the absence of conflict. Roshni strives for concord, harmony and tranquillity – a balance of power. Equity – Roshni shares it own resources fairly and wants to see that the natural and intellectual wealth of the whole world is also distributed fairly, so that everyone is able to gain their share. We know that the success of development can be measured by how the least powerful people and the smallest minority groups are faring.

Though it is a small non profit organization with no money and resources in their hand but good their fighting spirit and good intention which grew in a two by two lane of Rajabazar slum nurturing a big dream like this to change the life of underprivileged youth (mainly girl child, adolescent girls and women) living in the area. Their approach is simple thus effective and already has moved more than 50 deserted and distressed women living in the slum with their untiring efforts. The core team has now grew to eleven from seven as new girls with the same vision joined their team.

However, the good belief and intention of this organization created the much needed trust among the slum dwellers. It is like a revolution that girls themselves are doing something and that is for the society where even participating in outside events are strictly prohibited by the community itself.

Roshni is the only ray of hope and support to the distressed and tortured youths residing in the area. However, in the midst of current scenario where women are facing all sorts of hindrances to live a peaceful life a NGO like Roshni is the need of the society. That is the main basis of Roshni when it first take birth with the help of seven most courageous girls of the area.

Primarily Roshni had chosen adolescent girls and boys as the targeted group but later incorporated all the age groups below twenty. This makeshift is an alternative strategy to catch them young to fight against domestic violence and gender discrimination in the slum as Rajabazar is famous for its notorious criminal activities, human trafficking and drug peddling.

Given what Purnabha describes, it will not surprise you, gentle reader, to learn that women and girls there have little in the way of recreation. I sent a little extra money over so that Purnabha, Lucina, Shahina, Sharma, Farheen, Thasina and others could have a night on the town. They went to see a movie called 'Akira', which Sharma reported was 'supper-duper hit movie'. Read on for more of Purnabha's report...

In the community women are considered as the child bearer or male child bearer machine. Further analysis of the situation with the core group of Roshni revealed that factors reinforcing these inequalities are quite complex and layered. Firstly, as because women are not organized they could not speak with one voice and be heard. Awareness and skills to take on their issues as part of the community is lacking. There is no common platform that propels their concerns and promotes their rights as members of the community. This is continuously compounded by the strong mesh of local beliefs and cultural systems that promote ignorance and wide spread misconceptions about roles women can or cannot play in the community. For example, it is considered a taboo for a woman to be seen near the place where major community decisions are taken. The men believe that they will lose their rights, well being and properties once a female participates in decision making, as they believe it is mentioned in their religious scriptures. This critical situation and misconception over the years had come to be respected and instituted by the patriarchal elites and this had perpetually widened the vicious cycle of poverty, promoted low self- esteem, aggravated ignorance, promoted illiteracy and powerlessness and increased fear and resignation to fate among the women.

In this context mainly with the support of Ms. Sahina Javed, 28, an unmarried woman residing with her family of 3 brothers and parents in the Rajabajar slum Roshni grew up. She has lived all her life in Rajabajar area and has this to say: “Right from when I was born, men have always been the only ones to take decisions in the family and community. If a man has only female daughters, he has to immediately look for another wife that can bear him a male child. If not he even deserted his family members and settle elsewhere.” According to her female members of the family consider wife battering, sexual harassment are the legal rights of the men. Female members of the family denied good quality education and early marriage is a common phenomenon for them. Even she faced the same when she was only 16. She was taken to Pakistan by her father to one of their relatives house and almost settled her marriage. However, due to her presence of mind she escaped the situation but still struggles everyday for empathy in her own house.

Women do not have any voice in the family or in the community and neither can they inherit any property or own space anywhere in the slum. They are just used as a commodity and sometimes they were sold by their family members. They do however have to take care of many responsibilities, such as preparing meals, looking after the home, raising children, fetching water, and working in the small factories to earn their own meal, work which remains unvalued by the dominating patriarchal society. This means that many issues specifically affecting women and children, including access to water, healthcare and education, are not deemed important by the community decision makers: the men.

Here, like in most parts of economically backward region of India, women are the most discriminated, even though they form about 50% of the over 39,000 population. Majority of the slum dwellers were Muslims and their so called religious leaders of the Mosques consider women and girls as the weaker part of their community.

Rajabazar slum is situated in the 28 no ward of Kolkata Municipal Corporation(KMC) and an overpopulated as well as neglected slum of the southern periphery of KMC, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Prime problem of the area is living space and basic amenities. However, they have access to electricity but limited water, no drainage system and missing other facilities required to survive in a metropolitan city. Their major economic activities include working in the tannery, petty trading (including drugs), handicrafts as well as flesh trading and smuggling arms. However, pirated shoe, designer bag and hand embroidery production also plays key role in generating income for the poor families living in that area. Each family share a 8 ft by 10 ft room dividing it to two parts - upper and lower to give it a two stories feeling for the dwellers. They share everything and have no private space not only for adolescent boys or girls but also for the adults. Importantly, literacy rates are well below the average of Kolkata and education above the higher secondary schools is a luxury for the pupils.

Progress Report: April '15-August '15 Prepared by Purnabha Dasgupta Development Coordinator, Arc With Active Support from Core Team, Roshni

For what it is worth, I think you did okay. Prices have been higher. For a long time grades above fine were impossible. that no longer seems to be the case. But you can expect anything over, say 6.0 to go high.

Glad you decided to dive in Jason! Sounds like you were able to talk him down on the asking price!

Great colours and gloss on that one! Exceptionally pretty copy - and it is one of the strongest issues, art and story-wise!

now you're just rubbing it in Ahem. Snake oil? Venom?

Rare book - great colors!

Yep, me too. Josh from Gosh!

I hope to be at the November event. Meanwhile, Purnabha tells me that Roshni's web site is nearly ready to launch.