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VideoVolunteers uploaded a new video
(11 hours ago)
Temple in Beed district, Maharashtra follows archaic customs demeaning to basic human dignity.
About the Video: The Hindu god Shani finds embodiment...
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Temple in Beed district, Maharashtra follows archaic customs demeaning to basic human dignity.
About the Video: The Hindu god Shani finds embodiment in the planet Saturn and is regarded as a kind of dark God who can cast an ill-omen on the unsuspecting devotee. Devotees attempt to propitiate this moody deity by bathing its idol in sesame oil mixed with turmeric, kumkum, pulses and flowers. The oil offered to the idols is collected in a receptacle behind the temple.
When IndiaUnheard Correspondent Rohini Powar was visiting a Shani temple at Rakshasbhuvan village, Maharashtra she witnessed the dalits of the village scooping up the dirty oil from the pool and carrying it home in containers. They would later use it to cook their food. When she asked the dalit women why they were clearing the temple?s dirty oil, they replied that this was the custom. The Brahmin?s worked within the temple, while they carried out the remains.
The Community Correspondent says: ?My husband was born and brought up in Rakshasbhuvan so I am very familiar with the place. Ever since I first visited the temple I had noticed the dalits carrying out the oil. I realized that there was something intrinsically wrong in the way the system was working. I spoke to the dalits themselves but they were uneducated and most had never travelled outside their village. They seemed resigned to the roles conferred upon them by religion and society. I wanted to make the video so the dalits of Rakshasbhuvan village reflect upon their situation. Against hundreds of years of oppression and indoctrination, opening their eyes to their own realities seemed to be the first logical step towards change.?
The Rights of the People: 1956 was a landmark year for the dalits and dalit movements scross India. Under the guidance of the great dalit leader and intellectual Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the dalits in India and especially in the leader?s home state of Maharashtra, protested against scriptures and teachings of Hindu religion and society that propagated the idea of a caste system. En masse, they renounced Hinduism and converted to Buddhism. The act was at once a reaction, a protest, a symbol, an astute political move, a rejection, an affirmation and a step away from darkness into enlightenment. More than 50 years have passed since the act and Maharashtra continues to record some of the worst statistics for caste based discrimination and violence.
Article 17 of India?s Constitution, framed by Dr. Ambedkar, seeks to abolish ?untouchability? and its practise. Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1995 and its previous avatars have all tried to root out all forms of caste discrimination and violence but very little has translated into reality. But in places like Rakhsasbhuvan, cut away from the mainstream, underdeveloped and undereducated, reigned over by the presiding deities of orthodoxy, superstition and ignorance, neither law nor enlightenment can seem to find a way through. The shadow of Shani blacks out the sun.
Call to Action: ?My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side, I do not see how we can lose our battle. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle, not for wealth or for power. It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality.? - ? B.R. Ambedkar
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VideoVolunteers uploaded a new video
(1 day ago)
Traditional furnaces keeps Kashmiris warm in winter.
The state of Kashmir experiences cold winters. The temperatures drop to below zero and there i...
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Traditional furnaces keeps Kashmiris warm in winter.
The state of Kashmir experiences cold winters. The temperatures drop to below zero and there is frequent snowfall. (The lowest temperature recorded yesterday was -7). To keep warm in this freezing weather, every Kashmiri likes to have a warm kangri as a companion.
The kangri is a traditional furnace made from an earthern pot called kondul which is covered with a encasement of wicker. The pot is filled with hot coal or dung. When lit, the embers give out a soothing warmth. These pots are popular all over the Kashmir valley and the craftsmen who make them do brisk business in winter. Shortly before the cold season, the weaving of the basket is undertaken by farmers who have already harvested thier crops and left thier land to fallow.
The kangris are part and parcel of Kashmir's fascinating culture. Sources say that it was the Italians who visited Kashmir during the Mughal period (1526-1764) who introduced the kangri to the Kashmiris. It has since become part of the local color. At weddings, the bride offers a special Kangri to her in-laws as a gift. There are even songs in the Kashmiri language that serenade the kangri.
Kashmir is a state that faces frequent power outages in the event of which, the modern heater is yet another failed appliance. But the quaint handmade kangri which can be tucked inside one's blanket or coat proves to be a practical and affordable solution for every Kashmiri to beat the harsh winters.
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VideoVolunteers uploaded a new video
(2 days ago)
Govt. High School in Salani, Uttarakhand is struggling with inadequate computer facilities.
About the video: Due to the lack of adequate number of c...
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Govt. High School in Salani, Uttarakhand is struggling with inadequate computer facilities.
About the video: Due to the lack of adequate number of computers,every student at the Government High School in Salani is forced to
share a single desktop among twelve other hildren. The consequence of this problematic student to computer ratio is that even after
attending several classes that integrate computer education and training, the students fail to learn and understand even the basics of
computing. Most students finish school only having learnt how to switch on and switch off the machines.
The Community Correspondent says: Vipin Joshi, India Unheard Community Correspondent from Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand feels that the lack of adequate computers diminishes the students' chances once they start to pursue higher education or employment. Says Vipin, "Skills in computing have become as essential as knowing how to read, write and calculate. Learning computer skills is therefore an fundamental need for the children of today. Knowing the way around the computer and the
internet gives them the chance to achieve their full potentials."
The Rights of the People: In 2007 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh introduced the 11th five year plan that focuses on the improvement of education. Its aim is to increase the overall education to achieve continuing growth. Part of the plan is the "Integrated Computer
Technology Plan" (ICT Plan), which was implemented in 2006. Each school received 4 to 6 computers to teach the children basic computer
skills. The Government High School in Salani received 4 computers and has 335 students visiting the school. Looking at the learning outcome, it becomes apparent that the amount of computers is out of proportion with the number of students. This severely affects the quality of education.
Call to Action: The students, teachers and parents of Salani Govt. High School ask the government to provide the students with an adequate number of quality computers so that every students has the opportunity to learn the basics of computers.
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VideoVolunteers uploaded a new video
(2 days ago)
A video made by Sarita Biswal, IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent from Kochila, Odisha inspires the people of her community to speack out and act...
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A video made by Sarita Biswal, IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent from Kochila, Odisha inspires the people of her community to speack out and act against the oppression and menace of the timber mafia. Below is the account of the impact her video made within her community.
In the village of Kochila, Odisha, a three minute Community Media video, by the virtue of being screened at the right place and the right time, has snowballed into a grassroots movement by the people against the timber mafia. The video titled ?Deforestation Wreaks Havoc on Climate? produced by the local Community Correspondent Sarita Biswal vividly brings together the sounds and images of ecology, lives and livelihoods being destroyed by the incessant and wanton cutting down of forest trees. Sarita was holding a community screening of the video when the local timber mafia were found making their way through the village towards the surrounding forests.
?How can you sit and watch when these people brazenly walk in and destroy our villages and forests?? asked Sarita to the crowd gathered at the screening.
The visuals they had witnessed and the pointedness of Sarita?s question stirred the crowd into action. They got on their feet at once, apprehended the gang and handed them over to the police. It was just the beginning of a sweeping movement that threatens to expose and uproot the menace of the timber mafia. By working together, the villagers who had long grown weary of living under fear and oppression, and the law which had till now always been one step behind the gang for the lack of witnesses and proof, found the solution to their problems. Sarita held the centre together by co-ordinating between the people and the government with her camera acting as a redoubtable witness to the entire process.
It has been a time of vindication for Sarita whose dogged belief in community media had been met with much scepticism for her community. She speaks of times where people refused to speak on her camera, times when they referred to it as a ?toy? and a ?device of whimsy?. But she stuck steadfast to the process. She would produce her videos, giving voices to the most vulnerable groups in her community ? the widows, the tribals, the landless and make sure that she screened it back to her people when she received the DVDs.
?Deforestation Wreaks Havoc on Climate? was a powerful document on her community struggling against the phenomenon of climate change. Changing rain patterns were resulting in crop failure. Farmers were losing their livelihoods, the tribals were losing their forests. Reports were coming in describing her state of Odisha as one of the worst climate change hit states in the country. The Chief Minister had famously proposed the Climate Change Action Plan for the State. An atmosphere of anxiety was already awaiting and as the timber mafia walked across the community screening, the tipping point was reached. The people would be quiet no more.
The all-powerful timber mafia seized by panic and angered at the sudden fall of their awe attempted to threaten Sarita into calling off the movement. But Sarita stood her ground and this time, she stood among her community. The law promised protection and the people helped by identifying members of the gang. The illegal loot of precious teak and sal wood was raided and seized. The mafia was forced to withdraw from Kochila. Even today, a few months after the first incident every bit of timber carried away from the forests are inspected by the villagers before being allowed to pass.
Sarita hopes that her video and the people?s efforts inspire other villages who are threatened into silence by the timber mafia to speak out and act. With the tools, the process and the belief to go through with it and the uncanny ability to seize the moment when it come and run with it, Sarita has turned the tide against fear and destruction in her village of Kochila. A village of 75 families have reclaimed their forests and its trees. They now pray that their efforts will help bring the rains on time.
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VideoVolunteers uploaded a new video
(4 days ago)
Kinnaur?s identity is expressed in Colors and Patterns.
In October 2010, intricately patterned woollen shawls hand woven by the indigenous community...
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Kinnaur?s identity is expressed in Colors and Patterns.
In October 2010, intricately patterned woollen shawls hand woven by the indigenous community of Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh for generations was recognised under the Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999. With it, the rightful title and heritage of the ?Kinnauri shawl? was restored to the custody of the indigenous artisans of the region.
The beautiful natural landscape of Kinnaur and its eclectic cultural mix of Hinduism, Buddhism and native shamanism find expression in the colours and patterns of a Kinauri shawl. The colours represent the elements and the patterns are religious motifs and prayer symbols. In the 45 days it takes to weave a single shawl, colour and texture come together in geometry and mythology forming a tapestry of chants.
The Kinnauri shawl is popular in both domestic and foreign markets. Registering the ?Kinnauri shawl? as a geographical indicator of the region has curbed unauthorized production and misuse of the brand name. It has empowered the local artisan and protected the local economy. In an age of power looms and outsourced sweat shops, the artisans of Kinnaur still retain the choice and the time to weave on a traditional pitloom.
Kinnaur is one of the most sparsely populated districts in the country. Nestled among the high mountains and heavily snowed on during the long winters, the inaccessibility of the region has contributed to its mystery and mysticism. It is a place of solitude and quiet. Chances are you will hear the looms. The sound of hands and eyes working together. Plucking and spinning coarse wool into the tune of a prayer.
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