Latest news with #AmbedkarUniversity
New Indian Express
6 hours ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Confronting colourism and casteism
Protests in paintings Besides 'Dark or Divine', is a mixed-media work made of jute (koni pai cloth), yarn thread, and a body print. In this piece, Yazhini connects two protests that happened a century apart in different parts of the world. One is the Thol Seelai Porattam, the so-called 'breast tax' protest. In 19th-century Travancore, Nangeli, a lowered-caste Ezhava woman, cut off her breasts in protest against a tax that forced women like her to pay for the right to cover their chests. The other is a series of Western feminist protests: the 1968 'Burn the Bra' demonstration, 2007's 'Go Topless Day', and the 2012 'Free the Nipple' campaign. Lived experiences 'People often view feminism through a very narrow lens and say one is true feminism and the other is pseudo feminism,' she explains. 'The Thol Seelai Porattam was a protest for the right to wear upper garments by women from marginalised communities, while the Free the Nipple and Burn the Bra movements are often misunderstood as the right to not wear upper garments. Both are about bodily autonomy.' Born and raised in Chennai, Yazhini began her art journey in higher secondary school. She explored photography, dance, and theatre, but later chose visual art. After completing a BFA at the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, she finished her Master's in Visual Art at Ambedkar University, Delhi, in 2024. Her work is shaped by her lived experience as a dark-skinned Bahujan woman in India. 'I've always received criticism about my body — like other women — not being represented or being misrepresented in mainstream media. These things led me to create politically. Everything I produce comes from or is related to my skin and body,' she says. On her goals for Dark or Divine, she shares, 'A seventh-grade girl once asked me about it after seeing my interview, and that made me feel that my goal was working. Conversations like these need to happen in various spaces.'
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Keeping up with UP: Time for the public to lead environmental campaigns
The editor of a vernacular daily in Lucknow had published a page 1 report in the 1980s on ' Water Riots Soon.' None took it seriously in the government while a few journalists even mocked the analytical report. Almost three decades later as groundwater levels fall, his prophecy may become reality. Already, disturbing videos of parched fields coupled with brawls over a can of water have started to emerge from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and different parts of the country. VK Joshi, who retired from Geological Survey of India, has relentlessly advocated water conservation. He explained: 'People must understand the impending danger of water shortage. Groundwater is like a bank account from which water is being withdrawn without adding a drop. The crisis is bad for even water rich Ganga-Gomti plains as all the recharge areas have been concretised.' Venkatesh Dutta, who is heading the department of environmental science at Ambedkar University, is known as 'Waterman' because of his focus on saving rivers and water bodies. He said: 'Real estate is taking prominence over waterscapes and cities are eating up the remaining fragments of natural streams, rivers, floodplains and wetlands. There is no holistic regulation from the land revenue department. And then encroachment is rampant while groundwater abstraction is much more than the annual recharge, reuse still not done on a desired scale.' To those unable to fathom the pace at which the problem is progressing, here is an example. 'As visible in the satellite pictures, Lucknow in the early 1970's used to have a number of rivers as a large stream of networks were connected with the Gomti. There were big ponds, sometimes more than 100 hectares , holding water through the year. However, in recent satellite pictures, many of the rivers and the ponds have disappeared due to development of roads and colonies etc. Can you imagine eight rivers flowing through Lucknow besides Gomti,' Dutta said. Lucknow needs roads, housing and offices. But Dutta suggested planners should not transform rivers into an amenity for humans to use: rather the goal should be to protect the ecological integrity, improve the health of the ecosystem and enhance natural biodiversity, which would improve the quality of life of people. The government's priorities shift but what about the public? Campaigns are for the people and their future generations who are at grave risk of facing challenging times. Are we talking about it at home, schools and gram panchayats? What happened to our campaigns to save water like making every drop of water count, which included initiatives like fixing leaks and dripping taps, using water efficient fixtures and turning taps off while, say, brushing teeth. Come June 5, the public discourse of the day will be drowned in seminars and speeches. Tree plantation drives will follow. But the seriousness or rather impending danger to human lives demand daily celebration of Environment Day, which should be driven by the public as it does not figure prominently in poll agendas of political parties. The people have done it in the past – water conservation, car- pooling, tree plantation and plastic ban and can be revived without waiting for a particular day to celebrate the environment. There are people who are working for the cause at an individual level. I will mention a few here. Prabhat Mishra had started the 'Red Tape' movement on June 5, 2008 to save trees and biodiversity and has by now covered 100 villages in Etawah and 10,000 schools and over 30 colleges in the region. During the campaign, which encourages community participation, the villagers plant trees in a village on a specified date and tie red tape around the existing ones. This year, he is developing an antivirus park in a Firozabad school. Indore based Priyanshu Kamath, an IITian, describes himself as a 'waterpreneur' undertaking water body restoration projects using nature-based products. He is a recipient of the water hero award by the central Jal Shakti ministry. Qamar Rehman, distinguished professor, recalled how the air used to be crisp, water clean while the world today is laden with fossil fuel and biofuel. And there are several man-made causes like deforestation, mining, explosion, war and transport besides natural hazards. Rehman emphasised on the toxicity of plastics, particularly microplastics and chemicals used in their production. Why can't we stop the use of plastics even if the government has not completely banned it. Production depends on consumption. She quoted Albert Einstein who had once said, 'Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.' Are we willing to save ourselves or wait for the government to act? The success of government schemes depends on public participation. We are heading for an unbearably warmer planet with scarce water, harsh sun. Even to live in ultra-modern India, we need to save our natural resources.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
City girl leads waste management movement in Arunachal valley
Guwahati: In the remote eastern Himalayas, Sangti Valley in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district is witnessing a quiet yet profound transformation spearheaded by 32-year-old Guwahati resident Ittisha Sarah . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Working independently, Sarah has been integrating traditional wisdom with modern waste management techniques to promote sustainability in the region. Home to the indigenous Monpa tribe, whose way of life revolves around agriculture and tourism, the community follows age-old environmental practices deeply rooted in Buddhist traditions. Inspired by these customs, Sarah has incorporated the tribe's beliefs into her waste management initiative, aligning clean-up efforts with the lunar calendar. Sarah said the Monpas observe five sacred days each month — on the 8th, 10th, 15th, 25th, and 30th — marked by prayers and mindful living. "The Monpas believe that no sinful or harmful activities should take place during these days. So, I dedicate three of them to cleaning and segregation, making it a symbolic and sacred act rather than just a chore," she said. On the 8th, 15th (full moon), and 30th (new moon) of each lunar cycle, Sarah and local villagers join forces to clean the community. Waste collected during these days is sent to a temporary material recovery facility, where it is segregated and sold to scrap dealers. Proceeds are distributed among female self-help groups, supporting their families while reinforcing sustainability. She has conducted numerous clean-up drives, workshops, and awareness campaigns across the valley, engaging schoolchildren, elders, and women's groups. Her deep understanding of tribal customs and commitment to grassroots engagement have earned the villagers' trust. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite limited financial support, her initiative has led to the collection of 108 tonnes of garbage since 2020. However, without institutional backing, she has shouldered much of the work herself. With proper government assistance, Sarah believes her model could be replicated in other hilly regions grappling with waste management challenges. Sangti Valley faces growing waste issues due to increased tourism and packaged goods, yet lacks a formal disposal system. Sarah and the villagers work together to separate biodegradable from non-biodegradable waste while creatively repurposing plastics. Recalling her journey, Sarah said she first discovered the valley while working as a tour instructor for Assam schoolchildren, following her social design course at Delhi's Ambedkar University. Two years later, that experience evolved into a full-fledged mission — one that continues to reshape how the community approaches sustainability.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Shivaji K. Panikkar-chaired Commission recommends overhaul of Kerala's fine arts education
An expert commission, chaired by renowned art educator Shivaji K. Panikkar, has recommended a complete revamp of the existing curricula in Kerala's fine arts colleges. Major reforms in admission processes, evaluation methods and administration structures have been recommended, along with a transition to a credit and semester framework. Prof. Panikkar, former Dean and Founder Member, School of Culture and Creative Expressions, Ambedkar University, presented the commission report to Higher Education Minister R. Bindu here on Wednesday. Kerala State Higher Education Council member secretary Rajan Varughese was present on the occasion. The commission was mandated with making recommendations to reform fine art education in the State. Under single entity A significant recommendation involves bringing fine arts institutions, currently affiliated under various universities and functioning under the Department of Technical Education, under the Directorate of Collegiate Education or a single administrative and academic authority. Nomenclature changes The commission has recommended changes in the current nomenclatures, including modifying the terminology of fine arts as visual arts. It has also proposed renaming the College of Fine Arts as College of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) as Bachelor of Visual Arts, and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) as Master of Visual Arts. New college The panel also mooted the establishment of a new visual arts college in northern Kerala, named after acclaimed artist K.C.S. Paniker. It further recommends elevating the Department of Painting at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit into a separate faculty from its current placement under Arts and Social Sciences. Several colleges are also proposed to be re-envisioned as visual arts colleges. The RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura, is proposed to be restructured as a specialised visual arts college, while the Raja Ravi Varma Centre of Excellence in Mavelikkara is to be developed into a dedicated department of visual arts. The report proposes introducing postgraduate programmes like Intermedia Practices, Curatorial Practices, Art History and Visual Studies, and Interdisciplinary Media and Design Practices. It also calls for establishing Departments for Graphics/Printmaking across all fine arts institutions.
