Women empowerment and gender justice would have remained a concept for a long time if Savitribai Phule had not intervened and challenged patriarchal oppression of girls and women in Indian society. She reformed the society and championed the cause of gender justice and women empowerment by educating girls and providing shelters to single mothers and widows. As a tribute to her on her 189th birth anniversary India Peace Centre organised a workshop on “Gender Justice and Peace” inviting students and youth from various colleges and universities at Nagpur on 11th January 2020.
The workshop was facilitated by Leona Moldenhauer and Leonie Kuehl from India Peace Centre, who conducted it in various ways, aiming to give the participants knowledge and a critical view on the topic. Opening the workshop Dr. Yugal Rayalu enlightened the participants on the achievements of Savìtrbaii Phule. As the workshop progressed on, the audience had been animated through educational games, a quiz and critical questioning, in order to build an opinion on the topic and express it.
Ms Piyali Kanabar highlighted issues focussing on the term Gender Equality itself, expressing it’s meaning, need and the necessity of men stepping up for gender issues influencing their lives too. Throughout the workshop, facilitators emphasized the importance for the participants to come to the conclusion by themselves.
Towards the end of the program, Kasta Dip, the Director of India Peace Centre oriented us on how our preamble takes us to peace and gender equality even without the mention of the words “gender” and “peace” in it because peace or equality is not a commodity but a sense , a feeling which happens when justice, liberty, fraternity cumulatively work together.
All in all, the program was an educative evening spent, a beautiful “take away”, that was carried along and reinforced by reading out the preamble and pledging for a better tomorrow. The presence of more than 60 students, lawyers, psychologists and people from major walks of life made the workshop a humongous success.
