The One-Billion Rising (OBR) Campaign to end violence against women and girls

Event Page : A performance by Parvathy Baul for the Rising for the Power of Love and Justice to end Violence against Women at Bipin Chandra Pal Auditorium, A-81, Chittaranjan Park > 6pm on 2nd January 2014

New Delhi, 2 January 2014: The One-Billion Rising (OBR) Campaign to end violence against women and girls witnessed today a stirring of a different kind in the Capital. Parvathy Baul, the renowned singer of Bengal, expressed her solidarity and oneness with the Campaign using the spoken words as epitomized in the Baul songs to kindle in everyone’s heart the feeling of love “devoid of caste, class, gender, religion or any kind of human made boundaries”.

She performed at the Bipin Chandra Pal auditorium of Chittarajan Park.

Incensed at the brutal gang rape and death of a girl in Kolkata, Ms. Kamla Bhasin, South Asia Coordinator for the One Billion Rising Campaign, stated that “as Indians we are ashamed of this ongoing violence by Indian men of Indian women and are rising on the Second day of the New Year to continue our protest against violence.”

  

Upholding the spirit of the event, she remarked that the Cause of Zero Tolerance to Violence against women and girls would not only be enriched by this “amazing woman, singer-seeker of the caliber of Parvathy Baul” but through the music “enabled us to commit ourselves once gain to the Power of Love.”

Supported by over 30 civil society and women’s organizations of Delhi, and by students of two leading universities -Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia, the OBR campaign was today resonating across the city, with the C R Park Resident Welfare Association stepping forward to host and mark the event at their colony and space and with the women spearheading it.

Speaking about this Ms. Gopa Basu, an executive member of Purbashree Mahila Samiti of Chittarajan Park, stated that the main reason for hosting this event at Bipin Chandra Pal auditorium of Chittarajan Park is to “break the silence on incidence of violence rampant among middle class and the so-called educated women.”  Such events, Ms. Basu believes, will not only “make the women aware that they are not alone in their distress, give them the courage to speak up but also convey to the perpetrators that we are no longer willing to take it lying down, we will get together and fight such injustice.”  

As a core member of the OBR campaign, Ms. Meenu Vadera from Azad Foundation who played a critical role in forging the collaboration with Purbashree Mahila Samiti of Chittarajan Park, organized a candlelight march from Market No 2 to the Auditorium at Chittaranjan Park, to bring in everyone together in the common fight for women’s right to safety and justice  

Explaining the partnership with the local women’s association, Meenu Vadera stated that the key challenge before all women is to re-define public spaces by breaking all boundaries -physical, emotional and social- that deny women their rights as citizens. “We know that violence against women - at home, in communities and in public spaces -is a means to continue the control over women's lives and their bodies, and denies them opportunities to live a life of dignity, to exercise their own choices and to their freedom,” she added   

The One Billion Rising Campaign to protest against domination, mindless and brutal violence and the determination to act, resist and strike has been expressed in millions of creative ways. Every citizen-woman and man-celebrities, artists, politicians, trade unionists, religious leaders, students, housewives have joined the Ever RISING Campaign. The solidarity and networks have grown by leaps and bound and deepened in ways we never imagined.

The following organizations from Delhi are involved in this campaign - Sangat, Jagori, Action Aid, CHSJ, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, CFAR, Azad Foundation, Kriti Foundation,  Save the Children, Breakthrough, Change.org, YWCA, VSO, Cequin, Maitri, Samarthyam, Marg, Ithought, Deepalya, IGSSS, EFRAH, PFI, Plan India, Pardarshita, Arth India, THP, OXFAM, Workers India, Action India