The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Spotlight on the hardships faced by women

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Spotlight on the hardships faced by women

Staff Reporter

Conference on women’s role in emerging Indian economy concludes

‘There is need to draw attention to the lives of women’
‘Self-help groups work better
with women’

BANGALORE: When P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu, said that the common man in India is a woman, he referred to the fact that in every society it is the woman who carries the burden of society, whether it be the modern woman in her glass cubicle or the village woman on the farm.

The two-day international conference on “Women in emerging Indian economy” explored the role of women in the urban as well as the rural context.

Over several plenary sessions and lectures by eminent mediapersons and non-governmental organisation workers from across the world, the conference tried to reflect on the hardships faced by women.

The event organised by Centre for Social Action (CSA) in collaboration with Fredskorpset India Partners Network, a Norwegian government organisation, and Drik India, had participants from 45 countries and all over India.

“A conference like this provides a platform to understand different issues. Every place may have its own way of dealing with a problem; this helps one break out of the shell and think differently,” said Padmashree Mary Patricia, a media activist and one of the keynote speakers.

The second day hosted a plethora of eminent speakers including Dulal Chandra Kar of Grameen Bank and Smitha Premchander of Sampark, who spoke about women making changes in rural economy. Ms. Premachander said self-help groups worked better with women and 90 per cent of them had only women workers.

Speakers from China and Tanzania made presentations about the state of women in their respective countries.

Booming economy

“Amidst the booming economy and other glamorous images one needs to draw attention to look at the lives of women and take stock. The purpose is to see where we stand and recognise the grey areas,” said Antony Raju, Programme officer of CSA.

“Back home, women are restricted to their homes and dependent on the men folk. Such a conference inspires us to look at solutions,” said Bal Kumari from Nepal.

The seminar concluded with film screenings by documentary makers Gauri Gill and Ananya Chaterjee.

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