Principal, Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Jalandhar, Punjab
The Punjab region was a cradle of vibrant women’s rights activism in the pre-independence era. It is ironically perceived today as an area where women are valued more for their ability to reproduce sons than for their intrinsic worth. The sex ratio (at birth) in the state stood at a startling 889 girls for every 1000 boys in 2015. Atima Sharma Dwivedi has worked in this environment, full of paradoxes, to reinvigorate among young women a spirit of resilience so that they can challenge discrimination, protectionism, and patriarchy. She has persuaded generations of young women and their families to value education, strive for economic independence, and chose vocations unencumbered by gendered expectations. Under her leadership, Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV), the oldest higher educational institution for women in Punjab, has introduced several pioneering programs that speak to the needs of an agrarian society.
The College has developed an innovative communication medium – a Radio channel named Voice of Women (VOW). The channel reverberates with success stories of alumni and current students. Prospective students of the college also receive information about diverse programs through this medium. This innovative communication methodology has increased diversity on the KMV campus and is changing the community-college relationship in myriad ways.
Atima’s zeal to enrich learning through community outreach has also led to a unique livelihood program at the Gandhian Studies Centre of the College. The Centre provides trainings and offers academic courses on rural development. Over 3000 women—many of them survivors of domestic violence, abuse, and abandonment—have benefited from its programs. Atima connects some of this work at the College to her experiences with the Indian Army, first as an officer’s daughter, and then as an officer’s wife.
In a rare display of reflexive feminist practice, Atima has motivated a core group of senior faculty to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the College initiatives and programs on women’s rights to create a campus that is diverse, inclusive and genuinely sensitive to the needs of women from rural communities.
Atima Sharma Dwivedi is the Principal of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV), Jalandhar, Punjab. An alumna of Harvard Graduate School of Education, Prof. Sharma has facilitated collaborations between leading universities in the U.S. and Europe with KMV, and has developed tie-ups with industry for skill development of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Under her leadership, KMV has acquired the status of Heritage institution of India, Autonomous College, Star Status college by Department of Biotechnology, University Grants Commission, and ranked among the top colleges in the country. With areas of interest spanning across Women’s Studies and Human Resource Development, Prof. Sharma has authored three books and is the Editor of five books and three international journals.