 Okay, a round of applause for my panelists, not for me. So this panel is about how communication can enable a more sensitive approach towards gender, the way we look at gender, not to normalize things which a lot of communicators do. When I say communicators here, I don't mean the PR people. I'm not talking about PR alone. I mean filmmaker, journalist, everybody who sends out information in the public domain is a communicator here. I'll begin my question with Preeti. Preeti, do you think communication actually has a huge role to play to sensitize people about creating very socially responsible behavior, especially with issues like women's safety and gender discrimination being spoken about? Sure. Communication for the longest period of time has been that platform and medium, not only for people to express their voices but also put their opinions. It's also about a platform where you can challenge the status quo and make sure that anything that has been taken wrong or taking a wrong direction, you have the ability to communicate that in a way saying that no, we as a community say no to this particular reform. Also, when it comes to communication for a country like India and specific topics on gender diversity or gender gap, I was reading this study from UN General which says that it's only gender gap which is contributing to 19% of the cost for the GDP. So if imagine an economic development that's a reform that country like India is looking at, if you were to really liberate women to a level where they have equal representation, we have the great opportunity. And from communications point of view, mass communications we all know. There are so many ways we can communicate. It's the movies, it's the radio, it's the digital plethora of so many platforms today, mainstream media, but more than that each one of us has an expression to express ourselves with all the digital social platforms that we are using today and I think that's helping us to form that opinion for our community. Arpula, as an RG, you have a, I mean you deal with public in a very large way. How important is communication to bring a certain kind of change in the way society perceives women especially? Okay, first of all I'd love to thank everybody for inviting me over here and hi to all and the best wishes to all of you. Michael is in my hands also. Coming back to the topic, communication. There are vast things through which we can communicate, but there are very few things through which we can get the feedback. Let's talk about Me Too. Why are we here to talk about women empowerment? This is the right time to teach our boys what is right and what is wrong, plus to teach our women what is right and what is wrong. So communication, the thing we have to start from our schooling and before that the best thing to communicate is our hope. We should teach our child what is good and what is bad. So at least we should start in this way. Talking about Me Too, what has happened when it started, we all felt that this is the beginning of a new moment, but later on we came to know that a lot of fake places were there. So my question is when you are out there communicating about social change, how important is responsibility? Are you responsibly communicating not maligning anybody without proof? So when you are acting as a communicator for change, how important is responsibility as a factor in that? I think as communicator it's not only the power for you to communicate yourself and express your opinions. You need to realize that it is the participation from your end and an influence that can create and that can come from just that one single voice. You have that responsibility today to form your opinions which are socially, culturally, aspirationally, morally so strong and so sounded that you have a credibility of being seen yourself. If today we see celebrities and they are really talking about something which is gibberish enough and does not have a relation at all and it is taking into a very negative direction, that's a negative influence. I think as a responsibility we need to balance that social context, we need to balance our cultural context in our conversation and make sure that everything is sustainable to a positive direction and I think that's one responsibility Rahul, we need to take up. Fine Priti, I just wanted to know what is the negative impact? I think you are talking about Kabir Singh. RJ speaking to you. Right, RJ speaking to me. So I would say anything which is harming the society, which is causing a break and a halt to progressive thinking. What's your point of view? Right, I just wanted to know regarding a movie Kabir Singh. Regarding the movie Kabir Singh. One second, how many of you think that as a communicator that will make a re-Christian the stereotype? I mean it brought back the stereotype. How many of you agree to that? Okay. So you are in favour of Kabir Singh. Not at all, no. Then few hands, I must say, just a few hands. You are in favour of Kabir Singh. Who is in favour of Kabir Singh? I'm not in favour of that movie. I'm so sorry, I didn't like that. So I think there have been clamour of so many conversations for the movie, by the movie and as a protagonist the actor himself chose to be into that role. I don't think he was financially motivated to pick up that role but he knew what is he driving the conversation for and in many realities if I may to say and put some numbers these are happening and these are happening in terms of the rage that people are carrying this. Only that he chose the medium and through this movie that this rage exists. I'm against the protagonist to be very honest but I think the medium had its own way to express that rage is happening in the society. There have been malpractices happening in the society. There has been lack of understanding that even if it's two couples they can really relate to the community without a talk message. So movie could be one, there are other movies like Arjun Kapoor playing a role where he's actually half taking care of the domestic health. I think that's another positive change that we can really look at. So there are things which are happening in right ways in the wrong ways. To your question, what is negative impact? Anything that puts a halt to the progression for me is a negative impact. I will ask one more question then. The trick is I want to open up right after I have 12 minutes left, after that I want some questions if anyone has questions. My point is, do you think it's up to the communicator itself to bring in the change because what about the social setup, for example? Are you limited by that? You can just put something out in the open but how that is seen by the masses is a different ball game. So the communicator is not there. Be all and end all of the change. Do you agree to this point? I mean, how do you see this? There's a conflict also. Okay, fine. You are asking about the communicator role. I'm saying it's not only up to say you want to make people sensitize to a gender and you have a show on it, but how people receive it also, that's also a factor, right? How they look at your communication. Look, it's everybody's mindset. There are many people who are in favor of Kabir Singh. There are many people who are not in favor of Kabir Singh. Everybody's mindset. We can communicate with you, with a group of these people and a group of these people. But everybody's mindset is different. Someone will agree with me and someone will not agree with me. The thing is that I kept my words in front of you in a very good way. Now, how much will you understand 10%, 20%? It's up to you. Fine. Now, let me talk about the house that Kabir Singh and Arjun Kapoor's movie is about. It's up to us what we want to show our children. Which movie we will prefer and what will their mindset do. Talking about myself, I'm blessed with twins. I have two sons and they are right now in second year. They are both 19 years old. And with me, they talk about each and everything. When do they know that? I also know that they went to see the movie and their girlfriend had periods there and my son gave her a pad. I'm feeling very proud saying this, that yes, my children talk about each and everything regarding condoms and each and everything they talk to me. So why don't you start from home? After the woman empowerment, why are we sitting here and doing it? It's a time to teach our boys what's right and what's wrong. It starts from home and this panel discussion where you go out and act or watch a movie or give it an A grade. It's not a thing. Nothing is going to happen to it. Brilliant point. I would open up if anyone has questions since we have another 10 minutes. You are the only one. This is for who? Sari's policy something something here. The entire entertainment industry and maybe I'm generalizing please forgive me for that is based on the concept of and yet exactly as you say we come to these panel discussions and we talk about these larger issues but how is it that the entertainment industry actually intends to communicate the fact that things need to be a little safer taking away the take away from the previous conversation or make or prop it out of speaking about women issues and safety because otherwise same as any other industry whether the change will come out or not is a Okay, fine. I just wanted to say where does the start start? When you think that you have to walk two steps from home you talked about Haider you talked about other movies you talked about songs people also dance on these songs and some people don't like them so you have to walk two steps file an RTI ask them you can there are many things social networking, Facebook, Insta you have to oppose it Why don't you do it? What is the meaning of this song? Why did you write it? You have to do it again Sari, sitting here nothing will happen Thanks for the question I'll take this conversation slightly away from the popular media from movies and because entertainment is wide from advertising course share the load hashtag, right? Such a beautiful narrative to express that it's a load that everybody needs to share it's between the couples together to take it up and so many such nice narratives and campaigns are already existing and it is it is a way to really bring that change culturally, socially connected again and therefore as communicators our responsibility is to keep up through those narratives narratives could be stories like movies but also about you know what is that one thing which can really make our societies look more progressive and slightly more relatable all those stories which relates to us becomes famous to us and we keep talking about them I don't know if you remember the names and to the me too movement that happened to be in Japan called Kutu movement where women is not allowed to wear heels and they're not allowed to wear spectacles and not allowed to put lipsticks right? For an environment like this I think there should be voice against because it's an equality at the end of the day and such narratives has the right way our job is to bring that narratives to the people let it see whether it's relate or it fades its own journey This irony is that that particular song was a massive hit and what does it tell about the audiences the culture that we live in it's also about the society that they also pointed out the filmmaker has done it maybe something wrong but how we accept it and popularize it is also a factor right? Anyone else? I think that used to be a staple part of movies QB years back that they need to have a song I mean what does it tell about gender sensitization by communicators it's not rigid maybe we have normalized this word I think keeping all the sensor boards in place and keeping all the filters in place I think everybody is doing their portion of bit and sensitizing what is the right word to be brought to the society but to the contrary look at what the generation is we immediately go to the hacks and we look out for the Netflix story we don't want to see the censored movie we want to see what was censored so that we can see what it is so there are two side of generations to a lot of it and it's really sad that we are saddled with an imagery of calling women with such titles I've never seen item boys who are they? I don't know if they exist but therefore women portrayed into many such cast is really sad something that happened at Sabrimala a woman considered to be the goddess that's a state country like India say but on the same side stopping them at the gateways it's really sad I have a question what happens when the communicator gets poisoned in a way not the poison poison I mean for example we see the TV channels polarized totally polarized throwing poison in the society I mean do we need a regulation to kind of control it what is the way how do we address this when the communicator who has access to the platform misuses it that's what I said now you can file an article this is the simplest way you can do that you file an article plus the social networking sites where you can down their rating system and they will ask you what you don't like nowadays you will see whether they are supporting a BJP or a party any channel within 5 minutes you can get out which party you support so it's better you can switch off the switch switch off is not the mudda you are a cat eating a pigeon you closed your eyes you will have to change your mindset and if you want to reach the destination you will have to take two steps sorry to say I am moving back to the question of that person I am talking about the mindset you said item numbers are bar dancers are too there they are in Mumbai if there was a bar dancer sitting here you would have thought how they would wear these clothes wearing these clothes you have to change your mindset sir I have a question as a man only man on the panel congratulations to you do you think that the men have also been misunderstood suppose you said that they would always perceive a women in a certain way only maybe they respect the bar girl who is sitting on the panel but the men misunderstood also exactly that's the thing I am saying atleast to the children your daughter will leave the house at 5pm first you will see the time this time she is going why will she come back at 8pm she is going to the scooter then you will see the time and then you will say she is leaving at 5pm my son is not allowed outside at 7pm he is sitting at home so that my girls in the area can roam easily great so my final question is this is there a hope that communicators will be actually removing whatever the stereotypes are be able to lessen the stereotypes the way we perceive women for example we talk about male gaze in films in communication can we have a gender neutral approach to communication when everybody is respected sure I think as a communicator and as an individual myself as a commentator to all these subjects I really find myself close to women empowerment topics I take great example of Winfrey Opera I take great example of Sheryl Sandberg who started Lean in Circle it's a positive psychology that we can offer to women may that be socially aspirational physically, morally and if as responsible communicator I can bring that narrative to the world I think that's one thing that we have to take care of and balancing the communication in the positive side make sure that it's too sustainable we have very mature audience here and I'm sure everybody can differentiate that there is a behavioral change communication process and mass communication they've been here for a longest period of time the new wave of communication that's coming today it's called participatory communication where you have inroads directly into reaching to the stakeholder it is participatory in any shape and form it's just not about putting the writing or putting reading something it's about expressing your opinion through using those right channels you asked about poisoning companies like Facebook they're putting policies on hate speech so if it is an RTI at one place the community is also absorbing that yes we understand there is a hate speech commentary going so enough and more final words final words, yeah sure being Anarjit, I have to tolerate a little more I have written something that I have brought please thank you so much don't hit me few lines from my side I don't feel ashamed when I am raped I don't feel ashamed when I am raped maybe we have explained ourselves whether it is a child or a grown-up, they all look like things they all look like things I don't feel bad maybe we have explained ourselves don't wear small clothes don't go out late at night don't cross the road alone don't cross the road alone don't feel bad maybe we have explained ourselves but now we will also answer we will also turn we will also go out late at night and wear small clothes because now we have explained ourselves that we have to fight our own battle we have to fight our own battle no one can stop us if the person in front of you is bad then we have to perform a lesson if the person in front of you is bad then we have to perform a lesson we also take breath this is to explain we do not have any material this is to tell everyone Thank you so much. Thank you so much.