SAFECITY- A unique mapping platform

“UN Women states that 1 in 3 women face some kind of sexual assault at least once in their lifetime. But in our experience, the statistic in India seems to be extremely high. A rape occurs every 20 mins in India.Yet most women and girls do not talk about this abuse for a multiple of reasons – fear of society, culture, victim blaming, fear of police, tedious formal procedures etc. As a result women keep silent and this data is not captured anywhere but the perpetrator gets bolder over time and we accept it as part of our daily routine. This leads to under communication and under reporting of the issue”speaks Elsa D’Silva,founder of SafeCity when asked about the role of this mapping site.

SAFECITY is a a platform that crowdsources personal stories of sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces and the data which is anonymous, gets aggregated as hot spots on a map indicating trends at a local level. The idea is to make this data useful for individuals, local communities and local administration to identify factors that causes behaviour that leads to violence and work on strategies for solutions.Since its launch on 26 Dec 2012 it has collected close to 10,000 stories from over 50 cities in India, Kenya, Cameroon and Nepal.

It is known that women aren’t safe when they are moving, traveling, commuting or sometimes even near their own houses due to various factors of harassment. There hasn’t been any such kind of initiative in India which led to an united platform to act against this kind of behaviour.

Read about the whole report on https://www.worldpulse.com/en/community/groups/leadership-group/posts/69663

For any kind of emergency ,contact the helpline links

Twitter for discussion – @pinthecreep

Twitter for reporting sexual violence – @SafecityIndia  #SafecityIndia

Facebook – www.facebook.com/safecity.in

Instagram – pinthecreep

Missed call (India) – +91 9015 510 510

 

What type of artist are you??? Have you ever wondered?

Where has the ink of conscience vanished? The zeal of expressing the social injustices done on humanitarian grounds , which always found its way through the fine nib of a writer’s pen is somewhere lost.

Novels and stories spoke about the prevailing conditions of society and brought about many changes in the mindset of people ,by instigating them to think about the rights and wrongs. Often stories from such novels were considered to be of revolutionary thoughts, thereby reflecting the ideas and character of writers of those times.

Indian literature has been one of the finest and richest ,depicting true facts from the intricacies of life. Being diversified in languages and culture ,although within a single country, we had variety of literature. Besides the intense romantic poems , poetry has seen another facet ,which was revolutionary. The true replica of historical and political scenarios were expressed with precise manner , written with a flame to create an utopian world. That zest and zeal has got lost somewhere . Artists still create art, brushes move on the canvas, pens scribble much often on the blank pages,yet the essence of truth and reality is absent.

The efforts aren’t enough to create a change nor adequate to inspire the dreaded people of a nation. As artists we have the responsibility of infusing into people and society alongwith depicting the true picture of life and politics.

Controversy is the child of today , but controversies are more materialistic. There is a thin line between controversial and revolution . One attracts attention due to erratic behavior ,disposition while the other raises voice against injustice and iniquity.

What type of artist are you??? Have you ever wondered?

“LET US LOVE THE WORLD TO PEACE”

Peace is the most precious word which every individual,society, country, nation, continent, religion wishes to talk about, but do we really make any sincere efforts in eradicating the seed of hatred to disseminate peace ? Our words, speech, thoughts and action make this impossible. Lets strive to make this world a better place to live in by changing our perception.

“LET US LOVE THE WORLD TO PEACE”

Not less than a realm of chaos and disarray is today’s world. Through centuries, human race has evolved and moved a step forward according to the “Origin of Species”. Physically, mentally, intellectually humans have excelled far more ahead than expected and at a much faster pace.

But wait for a second,think ! Is this the true progress in terms of evolution of mankind? We boast of technological advances and economic empowerment of nations, yet we have fallen back years and years behind in the girths of insensitivity and hatred.

Look around and you can see, hundreds of incidents which crumble the world peace in pieces. #BokoHaram episode, # Syria #Gaza, continuous ongoing conflicts which are still unnamed and yet unknown even in our country. What have we achieved so far by such progress and evolution? Are we really moving ahead or losing our ground?

Intolerance is the word that defines each one of us in today’s world. The constant echo of the suppressed and destitute, silent cries of hunger and bloodshed from the gory of wars, the continuous conflicts between different faiths and the forever greed of power has saturated the atmosphere of this planet. Every individual wishes to speak about the need of peace in this hour, yet the words remain obsolete and fruitless.

Nations organize summits, countries hold peace seminars, authoritative of religious sects announce the importance of peace, yet “PEACE” merely remains as a word throughout. What does it lack? It lacks the enthusiasm, the urge and the will to go forth in this state of bedlam by removing all the inner fears, jealousies, hatred behind and embrace each other with respect and love.

Money and power cannot suffice the need for such a kind of dialogue that is needed to be done amongst people, faiths, societies and nations.

“One needs to respect and accept everyone else’s existence, irrespective of his caste, gender, creed, faith and status”.

We all on this planet have an equal right to sustain and survive, then why crush the identity of another by force or influence? When each person starts thinking on these terms and removes the pre conceived notions of his mind, his efforts begin to show results and the amicable bond starts developing from the grassroots level.

We need to cleanse our hearts and mind first from the fallacies of insecurity, money, greed and power to work in unity towards building a peaceful surrounding and an atmosphere in harmony. When we consider every other person as a human being and not recognize by any labels or tags, we have respected humanity.

“For thousands who died in the unnamed conflicts

and proxy wars,

on the border of countries … which demarcate

and divide

nations

but cannot human hearts

sheds a tear every mother ,

in which place is my child born?

Will the echo of explosions and fumes of hatred

silence the

gaps between societies and faiths

or castes for long?

then why doth not one exude peace in emotions

through eyes and love

for every soul

residing on earth

and embrace with respect

every person?”

Nothing else can change or save this world except the bond of humanity. Our humaneness shall revive the flame to bring peace and spread the compassionate voice to every corner of the world.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
—–Martin Luther King Jr.

photocredit: www.pinterest.com

“FUTILE DEBATES” ON TIMES NOW

When  slept the human through his dark nights, the world still remained the same. Nothing changed in the morning even after lot of protests staged .

Life has become insensitive and no one really cares or bothers to make an effort for the change.

Sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee in hand surely does instigate many thoughts ,but which are only criticism and remarks of analytical confusion.Its an entertainment which gives an illusion of an excitement when people hear those stupid , nonsensical conversations and debates on television.

Far away from reality, those who conduct or are a part of such debates are actually untouched by the pangs of poverty and hunger.

Had they seen and experienced the real trauma of struggling through the austerities of life for years , losing out all on everything, never would they tried to such a gimmick out of nothing and holding the national audience for a ransom emotionally.

For those who watch and intently get involved in the so-called debates from their homes , are fools who love to live in the illusory world. Those who really care about the day today  issues are the ones who give in their efforts to make a difference through their work, commitment ,sincere ways and diligence.

A country known for the love of gossip can never progress unless this kind of superficial debate stops. Debates where one screams and other just laughs away is hypocritical in all respect. When trying to highlight something of national or social importance, stress should be given on conveying the message and to create awareness to bring a change and not create a melodrama out of the facts to cater the audience with a spicy update on the news-hour.

* P.S: These are strictly my views and I wish to hurt no one by giving my opinion , instead I feel , if there is an urge to bring a change in the people try sincerely with real efforts.

Being Humane

photocredit:sharepicshub.blogspot.com

 

Cost of being a human is pretty higher these days.The identity of a human‘s existence is categorized by his country, religion, his not so known caste and the known gender and lastly by his name.Every such nomenclature brings a tag along with it.The tag has its own positive and negative effects depending on the place where it is being used.

Centuries later since the Stone Age had started; we all are again lost in the crisis of identity and existence.Being a speck in this world, our nonexistent identity tries to reach atop through several means. Such efforts right or wrong are not considered, when the result is achieved.In the process, we tend to forget that we are offspring’s of mankind and not species of any animal kingdom.

As during this desperateness of being known or getting attention, we follow a path which takes us in a complete different direction.

Like the youngsters and the religious fanatics drive themselves to the edge of extremism to flaunt their views and try to enforce those on the rest of the world. While doing this, they tend to forget that extremism in any case has never been beneficial and has led to conflicts, killings, wars.

How can a race so called as human allow such gruesome incidents under the name of religion?Being human is a somewhere lost in today’s world, where we have lost the essence of kindness and humanity.

The First World is busy in reestablishing its position and trying to recover from the slumping economy, whereas the Second one is getting over the glitches of slow progress and finding new ways to get through . The assumed  Third world has never existed in the picture of the global map, unless some calamity or unrest is heard of in these countries and the rest of the world flocks in to show sympathy by aiding these.

But never have humans tried to lend a hand to the weaker, poorer, unstable sections of mankind or nations, it has always been dominated by the powerful and the hypocrites section of the society.

photocredit:sharepicshub.blogspot.com

To live and survive in this kind of world, the lone human has lost his identity and is now known by the tags he has been born with. His nature, character, disposition remains irrelevant and so to overcome and get noticed, he has shed the skin of being human.

He now dons an animal skin and slowly getting into the instincts of those creatures, forgetting the characteristics of humanity.

The imbalance whether ecological, financial, economic or of progress always has been a threat to the mankind.

Cutting off these edges from the society and trying to make it even, shall reinstate the humaneness in being human.

Nations prosper ,when women have power !

She who makes your family, she who rears you since childhood has every right to get connected to the strings of learning.When every household thinks alike as such and tries to introduce the basics of learning internet to the women of the house, knowledge shall spread and countries will prosper.
Barring her the freedom of choice and her right to learn , we can see many nations fallen to their fallacies in the grits of poverty and misery.

Read my article about this on Worldpulse: Nations prosper when women have power

 

WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE?

A perspective can change everything. A particular situation can have different meaning for different people.

SCENE: “A BIRD FLYING HIGH IN THE SKY”

photocredit:ibc.lynxeds.com

A painter exclaims, “Wow! What an amazing contrast of colors in life”.

A scientist deduces,” This is the basic fundamental of aerodynamics and fluid mechanics. We should learn all the pros and cons from this bird’s flight, before designing a better aircraft.”

A poet wonders, “What a beauty, the scene depicts, the bird soaring amidst clouds trying to reach the peak.”

A woman sings, “Oh! How I wish I could fly as high as the bird with my wings spread by, without any destination.”

A politician screams, “Ah! That silly bird, how far does it think it can fly. It doesn’t know me, what can I do to the blue sky.”

A prisoner laments, “Hope I get to see the clouds moving and can fly freely as this bird under the open sky.”

A hunter whispers, “O!  an easy prey for me today. Wait until I catch you, there’s a net ahead to trap you.”

A follower of spiritual path, “O! How great is my Lord! He who can color the sky azure and make the tiny bird fly.” It’s his creation, how blessed I am to witness his grace before I die.”

A child gazes at the beautiful bird flying above in the clouds and smiles with innocence. It neither thinks nor analyzes but instead enjoys the moment of happiness.

So what is your perspective when you look at things?

ACT BEFORE EVERYTHING ENDS

Last year during autumn, when the trees over the nearby hills wore a deserted look, life too went through the dried landscape of certain situations.

Rishi had lost his job due to the adamant nature of being straightforward and true. He stood by the line of truth always and got into a mess everytime.This time it was nothing different.

Manisha confronted him ,”Why do you need to poke your nose in every matter and that too of others. “?

Who are they and for whom you invite troubles ,so often?

“But Manisha, it was really needed .You know ,that.The boss was lying .”

He cannot be just unscrupulous and let things go away so easily.

“I could not see the condition of the poor assistant.”

Manisha grumbled, “ You spoke up ,Satyavadi Harishchandra and lost the job.Guess,you ever learn to handle the social ways of living a normal life.”

“ I cannot,this is my way of living”. I cannot be blind to everything around me.

“Then we part, if you remain such , Rishi. I worry about my career and goals. I cannot risk everything like you do for others.”

As you wish, but take care of yourself in the never-ending rat race.sighed Rishi.

His watery eyes bid Manisha a warm farewell ,but she was too busy attending a business call to even look back.

The next morning had a terrible news in the headlines of the newspaper. His hands trembled and he ran out. Hurriedly, Rishi reached the premises of the City hospital and managed to locate her.

As he entered the ICU of the hospital, he found Manisha lying on the bed helpless .She was breathing her last.

The scoundrel had yet another prey to his hunting. Culprits like Mr. Shah can never amend their thoughts or actions.

Had Manisha listened to Rishi for leaving the job ,she would have not been here such. Had she realized what his assistant Vidya went through while ,Mr.Shah exploited her,Manisha could have saved herself?

Rishi sat next to her, holding her hands and said, “ I had complained against him and had  lodged an FIR then ,but you saved this wolf under the human skin by giving a false statement. Wish you could ever trust my truth and the power of being true?”

Her beats stopped ,but before leaving ,she had listened to Rishi’s words. She had left a written statement with the local police about Mr. Shah’s act. He was arrested and the fast track court ordered him life time imprisonment.

It was a lesson to be learnt, for everyone.

For the wolves that they will never get spared, for the innocents that they need to voice strongly and for the onlookers , “You could be the next victim.”

Act before everything ends.

FAILED SYSTEM !

 

When the wet soil of the unkempt village turned muddy, it became very slippery and small puddles formed everywhere. The slope of the broken huts had many holes and gaps those which allowed the raindrops and then the gush of rainfall to go inside the breaking houses…

People awaited for the rain to stop and the continuous downpour had started playing havoc. Destroying the fodder of the cattle, the harvested stock too had got wet and had been damaged.

What could they all do? They couldn’t stop or control arrival nor could decide the departure of the showers.

Science has progressed a lot says everyone; the lone farmer never understood what it meant. If anything can’t be in control of ourself,what advancement is it? Since centuries, he has stood there like other farmers praying for the stopping of the rainfall.

Had the government helped him in shifting the harvested stock to a safer place ,it would not have got wet . Does constructing a cemented or pucca warehouse to stock the grains of the whole village a huge task to do, that till today the heaps of gigantic livestock is kept in the open on the mercy of the rain gods. And when it rains suddenly, it is covered by the soiled torn sheets of polythene and tarpaulins which remind of the torn condition of the country.

What a shame! When governments change, much is talked about policies,amendments ,regulations and enquiries,basic few things if done by individuals and their  collective effort can change the condition of the country forever.

The smallest unit of administration thus which has been created at the Panchayat level of village doesn’t help nor initiate,or the higher levels do not coordinate to let such changes happen in the society leading to complete failure of the whole system of administration.

But government nowadays is run by politicians, who play politics first and then take a step for the welfare of country and humanity.

Little Sonu was yet to understand all this dirty filth of life and he was making paper boats to let the white boats sail in the puddle. His tiny sails floated and went through small puddles, like a ray of hope in the darkened night of the storm.

 

Do you have any thought to share on this?

17th January 2013

There has been a change in scenario in the past few days in Indian politics. Let it be the new power packed speech by Rahul Gandhi, or the storming invasion by the law minister of Delhi of  an area,which allegedly was running a sex and drug racket, for which he didn’t get any police support. The sudden death ofSsunanda Pushkar wife of Shashi Tharoor after few days controversy on social media about hacking accounts and stalking her husband. Be it the demise of the spiritual leader in Mumbai and the stampede that occurred during his funeral or the death of an old actress Suchitra Sen . The day in Indian history will be surely important for days to come which shall remind us of this day when we look back after few months from now. The fate and the future of India when  be decided in the forthcoming elections will remind us back of this particular day which marked its presence by so many colours and shades of politics so intensely.