Final Journey on My Shoulder!

People who have known me for many years know that I am seldom emotional in public, I take even the most difficult situation with less tension or worry and fully trust Destiny! 

For few months, I was worried about my father, something was bothering me all the time, I tried to get him to make peace with people who had hurt him beyond reconciliation, being the most stubborn man, I had little success here and there I felt he will not carry any bitter memories, because he had a lot of good, happy and cheerful memories that could erase his past wounds. 

True Communist at heart he lead his life on his own terms, never was attached to wealth or fame, true to Communist Ideology he spoke his mind and cared for the poor and people who needed help. 

He was no ordinary man, one of the best Volleyball player of his time, whose picture was on a full page of the sports edition whenever he played a tournament. Sacrificed his and his family comfort to educate as many as he could and also ensured no one left our home hungry! Made financial sacrifices for both his and my mom side of the family without any expectations whatsoever. When people were busy making money and getting rich he and my mom choose to educate others children, give food and shelter to anyone who came to my house and made sacrifices without thinking twice. 

He sounded rude to many, but that was he, never apologetic and the candidness that could sometime put one in a spot! Disciplined, Health freak, who could put Ramdev Baba to shame when it comes to Yoga, me and my brother grew up watching his perfect Shirshasana! 

He was never hospitalized (except for 3 days when he had to undergo a minor treatment) in his life! Fit, healthy, no medical condition and walked 4-6 kms every day even at 76 years and went everywhere by walk refusing to even take a drop in car or bike! 

22nd Sept 2017 9.00pm I rushed home after my mom's call only to see him still, few neighbors helped me to take him to the hospital and declared brought dead! I could not make a call to my brother all I did was to send a message at 9.31pm saying 'He is no more', and my brother rushed from Hyderabad with his wife and kid. 

Holding back my emotions and largely keeping calm in the face of tragedy........I gave my shoulder to take him through his last journey, he never differentiated me because of my gender, he was proud of me for what I stood for, he never praise me in my presence but everyone with whom he interacted with knew he was too proud of me. 

Giving my shoulder to carry my father was indeed my way of thanking him and also my mom for treating me equal, and making me strong enough to carry the most heavy responsibility with dignity and pride! 

My mom pulled the biggest surprise when she declared that we have to donate his eyes and also cremate him and not bury him, eye donation was ruled out as he did not have good eyesight and doctor did not recommend, but she held her nerve to re-define our practice yet again, saying that he never craved for any materialistic things and cremation is what he would have wanted. 

The man who did the funeral arrangements and drove my father's body to the crematorium was a Muslim, what more can be a fitting tribute to a man who disliked the politics of religious hate that is going on in India, till his last breathe he spoke against religious fanatics and was one of the biggest Modi critic!

In his death my father broke the tradition, showed all religions are equal with a Muslim being part of his last journey and a daughter who gave her shoulder in his last journey....just the way he wanted!

RIP....his life revolved around Water and he joined River Kaveri at the end of his journey! 

#KavithaReddyForBommanahalli

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

Click here for more pics

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! 

Nanna Olage Indira

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/saviour rather than the perpetrator of the crime, who often gets away.

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

Nanna Olage Indira, a women safety handbook is step towards making the environment safe for women, to empower them so that they can continue to contribute towards India's progress.

On the birth centenary year of the 1^st women Prime Minster of India Smt Indira Gandhi, who has been a role model for many generations of women Nanna Olage Indira aims to invoke the power of Smt Indira Gandhi in every woman to stand up for herself in the face of adversities.

- Kavitha Reddy

Nanna Olage Indira - Women Safety Handbook 

The 33% !

Affirmative action globally has been a way forward to proactively involve people across the society, thereby ensuring opportunities for the sections of the society and empowering the less privileged. Less privileged would encompass economic, social, gender, regional and is not restricted to a certain category.

In India Affirmative action is identified as Reservation, and there have been many debates for and against Reservation, but the truth remains that Reservations indeed has helped the socially background section of the society to join the main stream seamlessly. But there is still a long way to go to ensure socially backward communities to reach a level playing ground.

Reservation for Women in Panchayats, Municipality, Assembly and Parliament has been a very seriously debated issue, even though at Panchayats and Municipality level there is already Reservation for Women and it has given political identity, women in our Assemblies and Parliament is a rare sight! One would have assumed that with political empowerment at the Panchayat and Municipality women would reach Assemblies and Parliament eventually, but it has not been so.

Hence, Reservation for women in Assemblies and Parliament has now reach a point where it’s not only important but immediate requirement too. The % of women in Assemblies and Parliament has been on a decline and much lesser compared to even our neighboring countries. Empowering women politically is the most important step towards seeking a gender equal society. The push towards 33% Reservation in Assemblies and Parliament was made in 2008, but due to the lack of numbers in the Lok Sabha the Women Reservation Bill that was passed in Rajya Sabha lapsed as it could not sail through the Lok Sabha.

Now the time has come, when both the national parties has promised the passing of the 33% Women Reservation Bill in their manifesto and both have the numbers in LS & RS so the passing of the bill should be just a formality. Bill or no Bill its time political parties start with more representation for women and also consider more women candidates for Assembly and Parliament elections.

With Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress taking the lead with a signature campaign to put pressure on the BJP lead NDA Govt at the center to table the Bill and create a passage to pass the Bill, we hope to see 33% women in our Assemblies and Parliament.

 

Launch of BBMP Green App

BBMP Green App an initiative by BBMP to involve Citizens in increasing the Green cover by ordering 15 varieties of saplings using the APP, the BBMP Green App was launched on 21th May 2017 by Minister KJ George. 

BBMP intends to given away over 10 lac sapling to the citizens free of cost, there by increasing citizen participation in making the city Green.

Myself and Anil anchored the event and it's indeed a Great initiative, a 1st of its kind in the country!  

Kaagaz Foundation - CEB CSR Initiative

Bapu's quotes are an inspiration and is relevant for generations, his quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world" puts the onus on each of us to contribute towards a better society. 

Kaagaz Foundation Initiatives, Campaigns and Programs are inspired by Bapu's idea of being the change, and have collaborated across the spectrum to create a positive message and inspire participation. 

As part of the CSR #GartnerGives of CEB Systems worked with Kaagaz Foundation on two key initiatives Environment & Education. "We are grateful for the Corporates who take up their CSR activities to implement at the ground level, participation along with funding is a something which we have been advocating for all the CSR activities" says Kavitha Reddy Trustee Kaagaz Foundation.  

As part of Environment Hosapalya Nursery was selected - Clean-up, Maintenance of the Trees planted last year, Fixing the broken Fence, Planting new Saplings, Temporary Fencing were the activities taken up and completed by the CEB Systems under the guidance of Kaagaz Foundation Team. The participants tolled in the Sun and brought in not just visible change but also an impactful change, leaving behind a better lung-space for the locality.  

Education is a key focus area for the CSR activities, Thomson Public School which caterers to the aspiration of children from low and very low income group was identified. Painting of the Library, setting up of the Library with book shelves, Donating of 200+Books, Donating a water purifier unit, Beautification of the Schools with Plants, Message Boards, Photos, Fixing a Basketball board, Donating Badminton set, Skipping ropes etc was taken up during the half day event.

Over 100 Employees of CEB Systems participated in both the events with great enthusiasm and called it a day after making positive impact and being part of the change. 

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