Ganesha Festival Weekend - Aug 2017

Politics in India is not easy, more so if you seek change and worst if you are a woman! Very few dare to break the barrier and stay firm in the heat and dust of Indian Politics. As the Women Reservation Bills gathers dust, women Leaders who dare to make a difference are fighting to be counted and working 10 times harder for every opportunity than their male counterparts. Competency, Skills, Talent, Work all takes a back seat when it comes to women and they are seen as someone who lack money power. 

But the fight to be go on, the fight to make a mark, the fight to enter Assembly or Parliament should go on undeterred! A B.PAC study that was conducted recently showed that women how have taken to politics are much more active compared to the male counterparts, numbers many be less but ability to work was more stronger than men. 

I met Shri Rajeev Gowda RS MP along with the B.PAC team to hand over the famous Misogyny Speech Apron, that was sent by the Australian Women Elected Representatives as promised during an event in Bengaluru. We also got to talk about women in politics and how there is a need to bring in more women into the mainstream.

I used the occasion to share my detailed profile, as I aspire to contest from Bommanahalli Assembly Constituency on a Congress ticket. He shared insights and was impressed with the work I have done, and about the active digital engagement I am already active in.  

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On 26th Aug 2017, I also participated in a unique Ganesha Festival event which along with all the festivities focused in cultural activities by Children, Painting competition on locality issues, Eco-friendly theme and also raising awareness about the issues that are impacting the lives of the residents. My team also used the occasion to do a voter registration drive. 

I was happy to join Shri Kupendra Reddy RS MP, Shri Ugrappa MLA and Shri Vasudev Reddy T Ward President to show our solidarity for the cause and for the people. 

Later in the day also attended a meeting at KCDC regarding serious Environment, Health and Social problems which the citizens are suffering due to the badly managed KCDC unit. 

Women Safety Workshop

                  Women Safety Workshop for 200+ Female Students of Govt Degree College, HSR Layout

Incidents of crime against women have been on a rise in India for last few years. More and more women are joining the urban workforce and safety of women continues to be a critical area of concern, in spite of many laws laid down by the Government.

In key economic hubs like Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, there has been a steady increase in the number of cases of harassment and molestation being reported. However, the conviction rates are poor because of the poor judicial system, lack of awareness, faulty methods of collecting forensic evidence and limited use of modern technology.

Most cases of sexual harassment at home, work or public places are often not reported due to cultural inhibitions in many parts of the country; where the stigma is attached to the victim/survivor rather than the perpetrator of the crime, who often gets away.

Sadly an increase in brutal crimes against women across the country (both rural and urban) is going to have a huge impact on women playing a major role in the economy if the country. One can debate and nuance the cause of increasing crime against women, but mobility and freedom are indeed a key factors that determines the level of participation of women in the economy, politics and social structure. The fear is that the increase of violence against women will deter participation of women in all fields and will end up pushing India 15-20 years backwards.

Yes there is a lot that the Governments have to do to create a safe environment for everyone irrespective of gender. Our society should indeed take more responsibility in not just condemning the crimes against women but also grooming the boys in their homes to respect women and treat them as equals, and more importantly as humans.

Is that enough? No, women need to start taking control, unless they become confident about themselves and be prepared at all times, they will end up being curtailed with restrictions and fears. 

At Kaagaz Foundation, we have been propagating the concepts of women's safety which increases awareness to deal with any unsafe situations, also also teach women how to protect themselves against a physical attack using commonsense and basic self-defence techniques. 

Kaagaz Foundation in association with B.PAC #BSafe programs has been organizing Women Safety Workshops in Schools and Colleges collaborating with organizations like Parihar, Durga, Enfold etc. 

Nanna Olage Indira, a women safety handbook is a step towards making the environment safe for women, to empower women so that they can continue to contribute towards India's progress was also distributed free of cost to the participants of the workshop. 

- Kavitha Reddy
Trustee Kaagaz Foundation

5th Edition of HSR 10K Freedom Run

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The 5^th Edition of the HSR 10K Freedom Run organised by Kaagaz Foundation that was to be held on 15^th Aug 2017 was postponed due to heavy rains and was held on 20^th Aug 2017.

This year the Run had two important objectives, awareness & campaign for Greener and Safer Bengaluru. Kaagaz Foundation firmly believes that greater citizen participation will force necessary attention on the set objectives, and would result in getting the relevant authorities to take affirmative action for a Better Bengaluru.

Kavitha Reddy, Trustee Kaagaz Foundation said 'HSR 10K Freedom Run is dedicated to campaign for a cause, the 1st Edition was to Save Agara Lake and since then we have taken up two causes each year and have worked for the cause to make a positive impact. This year the cause is Greener and Safer Bengaluru, along with our various Environmental initiatives we will be doing Safety workshops for Children & Women to create awareness and work with the Govt to strengthen laws and implementation of the policies'.

On the occasion of Independence Day and the 5th Edition of HSR 10K Freedom Run by Kaagaz Foundation, five Heroes of the Neighbourhood who have shown a relentless dedication for the betterment of the locality where honoured, which include:

Shri. Anis Padela & Team of KHHSP - RWA

Hon. Right For Road Team

Shri. Anil Benni

Dr. Sunil Kumar Hebbi

Smt. Arathi Aleya

The Run was flagged off by Sunanda V Reddy, President Mythri Mahila Koota at 6.30am, due to the postponed date only 300+ of the 600+ Runners made it to the start point. The Run also had Runners from African Nation for the 1^st time.

10K Women’s Winners with Time

1st Place - Neera Katwal 45:36.675

2nd Place - Parul Yadav 51:09.611

3rd Place - Vandana Arora 52:16.110

10K Men’s Winners with Time

1st Place - Michael Biwott 32:35.445

2nd Place - Santosh Shet 36:49.747

3rd Place - Deepu T M 39:03.115

The event was extremely environment friendly, coffee/tea was served in the mud cups to reduce waste, in all the editions water was served in re-usable cups keeping in mind the environmental aspect.

Jigna Modh, Trustee Kaagaz Foundation said, 'We have been doing many Runs to create awareness on various issues, HSR 10K Freedom Run is our prime event, and have always ensured that all our events are Eco-friendly, we do not mind spending more to keep all our events  Eco-friendly'. 

The Run time and e-Certificates were shared to the Finishers right after the event. The Runners you could not make it have an option to run in the next race that is scheduled on 1^st Nov 2017!