Welcome to #LoginGender’s inaugural Genderlogue!
Creative Dialogues on Engendering Educational Spaces
All of us interact with public spaces differently. We perceive them and access them differently – whether for work, or for transit, or for leisure. Public spaces are physical spaces that lie outside our personal sphere. They include neighbourhoods, streets, markets, shopping malls, public transport, educational institutions, police stations, hospitals, clubs, parks, and places of worship, among others. Increasingly, we also lead online lives in the public spaces of the internet. Ideally, public spaces would be equally accessible to everyone, and everyone would feel safe in public spaces – irrespective of gender identity, religion, caste, class, ability, race, or sexual orientation. However, studies show that many people feel excluded from public spaces, or cannot access public spaces freely. This is because they either experience violence in public spaces, or experience the fear of violence in public spaces – which limits mobility in and access to public spaces. We do not often collectively think about these barriers to access and mobility.
It is important to think about our public spaces: who is welcome in these spaces? Who feels safe? How can these spaces be made safer and more accessible? How can we change our practices? Our policies? Within the broader category of public spaces, we turn our gaze to educational institutions. These are spaces that are thought to be relatively inclusive as embodiments of the Constitutional values of equality and dignity. They are expected to lead processes of social transformation and examine critically on methods to counter discrimination and exclusion. But we need to reflect upon whether our educational spaces do, indeed, succeed in creating enabling, accessible, and nurturing spaces for people with a diversity of needs and identities.
How do we provide a context to articulate the needs of diverse identities that intersect across divisions of gender, class, caste, disability, sexuality, age, language, and employment status of the individuals? How do we make the vocabulary of safety and security more inclusive as opposed to exclusionary and protectionist? What could be some of the strategies to alter existing policies and practices to make campuses more accessible, inclusive and gender-just? In this context, Log-in Gender’s inaugural #Genderlogues, A Online Discussion Forum, titled ‘Creative Dialogues on Engendering Educational Spaces’ seeks to bring together young professionals to connect virtually and collectively reflect on some of these concerns.
“Walking is the ultimate philosophical statement on freedom. To walk free and without threat is to be a citizen. Walking freely is one of the greatest entitlements of freedom and citizenship. To walk without being questioned, to walk free, is virtually to dream free. When you suppress a walk, cage a body, you cage a mind. Violence begins when you destroy the innocence of walking.”
– Shiv Vishvanathan
Profiles of the Lead Discussants
Aafiya Bhat is a Research Scholar in Kashmir engaged with a project under Women’s Studies Centre, College of Education, Srinagar on the theme of harassment of female students in secondary schools in Kashmir. She recently completed her Master’s degree in Education and plans to pursue a PhD.
Anika Verma is associated with Standing Together to Enable Peace Trust (STEP).
Antara Valli Madavane recently completed a Bachelor of Design in Information Arts and Information Design Practices at Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, where she was actively involved in Students for Safety, a student-led initiative aimed at creating safer spaces and building stronger connections with the local community. She is interested in sustainable and inclusive design, particularly with regard to menstrual practices in India.
Astha Agrawal is Programme Coordinator of Youth Interventions at Pravah, New Delhi.
Arundhati Subhedar recently completed her BA in English from the University of Delhi. She is a writer and an active member of the performing arts circuit. She is also working towards creating awareness about sustainable menstrual practices.
Chintan Girish Modi is an educator, writer and researcher who is trained in queer affirmative counselling practice. He has an M.Phil. in English Language Education, and is currently a fellow with the Prajnya Trust, creating resources to sensitize teachers about LGBTQ identities, experiences and issues.
Dwani Guru recently completed her BCrA in Film from the Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology , Bangalore. She is a freelance film-maker and photographer, and is actively involved in Students for Safety, a student-led initiative aimed at creating safer spaces and building stronger connections with the local community.
Enus Shafi Khan is Youth Development Officer at Indo-Global Social Service Society, Srinagar, and Member of Kashmir Women’s Collective. With a Masters’ degree in Social Work from University of Kashmir, he is at the forefront of advocating for the rights of the transgender community in Kashmir.
Jonathan Varghese is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. He is a visual artist and is currently engaged in interdisciplinary research into the narratives and histories of the Syrian Christians as it manifests in India.
Kamalika Bose retired as the Head of Department of Mathematics at Bluebells School International, New Delhi, and has over 30 years of rich experience as an educator. Previously, she has worked as Post Graduate Teacher of Mathematics at Ashok Hall, Kolkata; Subject Matter Expert in Mathematics at E gurucool.com; and Teacher of Mathematics at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, Chennai.
Kirthi Jayakumar is an Indian women’s rights activist, a social entrepreneur, a peace activist, artist, lawyer and writer. she is the founder of the Red Elephant Foundation.
Malhar Khushu is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology at the University of Oxford. He is a writer, actor, and artist and is currently working with the Oxford Majlis Asian Society.
Mukarram Wahid is an M Phil student at the Department of History at the University of Delhi.
Pallavi Ghosh is Sub-Editor and Reporter at Gobar Times – Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. She is a Media Professional and has previously worked at Economic Times and Business Standard.
Preetham Gunalan recently completed his BCrA in digital Media Arts at the
Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, Bangalore. He is actively involved in Students for Safety, a student-led initiative aimed at creating safer spaces and building stronger connections with the local community.
Ranjan Bhattacharjee is Manager Startegic Partnership and Campaigns, PHIA Foundation, New Delhi.
Ranveer Uppal is studying towards a BS in Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Ravi Sinha is a Textile Engineer from IIT Delhi who works in the area of recreational STEM Education. He uses the power of stories and scientific toys to create educational spaces for children to learn and express through construction and ideation. He was a Short-term Visitor at Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education,Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Previously, he served as Co-Project Coordinator at Creative Learning Centre at IIT Gandhinagar.
Rituparna Patgiri is a Ph.D. student at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She is a Researcher and has previously taught at Guwahati University and Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Samuel Poumai is Director, Standing Together to Enable Peace Trust (STEP).
Shrinidhi Narasimhan recently completed her BA in History from the University of Delhi. She was Associate Coordinator of the Gender Studies Cell at her college and is a Bharatanatyam dancer.
Sidharth Singh received his MA in English from Shiv Nadar University. He is a writer from Delhi. He was a participant at the Dum Pukht Writer’s Workshop. His writing may be found at JaggeryLit.
Sitara Srinivas recently completed her BA in Political Science from the University of Delhi. She is a debater and photographer and has been associated with the departmental academic journal. She us currently working at the Social and Political Research Foundation.
Sonali Vyas is Program Manager, Safetipin.
Swastika Jajoo is a Masters student at Tohoku University and is a photographer, poet and performer.
Tarini Sudhakar recently completed her BA in History from the University of Delhi. She was associated with several college publications and is currently working as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Civil Society.
Teresa Vanmalsawmi recently completed her BA in Sociology from the University of Delhi. She is an accomplished writer and is set to pursue her Masters in Development Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She is interested in reading, the environment, and gender in tribal societies.
Tulika Bathijia is currently associated with Nagoya International School, Japan as an Additional Language (EAL) Teacher