MUMBAI, 12 May ‘06:
Noted actor Atul Kulkarni has decided to take his screen persona into real life and has extended his support to MAVA’s cause. While espousing that in the Indian society, men need to play a significant role to ensure women’s liberation, Kulkarni inaugurated the MAVA’s Counselling, Guidance & Resource Centre at Andheri East. Also present on the occasion were : Jyoti Mhapsekar (veteran women’s activist & President, Stree Mukti Sanghatana) and MAVA functionaries --- Harish Sadani (founder Hon. Secretary), Ravindra R. Pandharinath and Swapan Purukayastha (Hon. Vice President) amongst others.
The Centre was inaugurated amidst a distinguished gathering of men and women from various walks of life. Open to the lay public – esp. men for providing personalized and telephonic counseling on issues of gender and sexuality by a team of trained professionals, the Centre would also provide the much-needed space to adolescent boys and young men to ventilate, share and exchange their thoughts, fears and concerns on gender-related issues in a non-threatening atmosphere. An experienced team of trained counselors, psychiatrists, sexologist and lawyers would be providing their services at the center. Apart from Counseling, there would be periodic Study Circle held at the Center inviting people from various walks of life to share their insights and experiences on related subjects – Masculinities, Power & Violence, Constructs of Sexuality, Initiatives by Men Worldwide. Workshops on Anger Management and Dealing with emotions & dilemmas will be carried out by MAVA periodically for groups of men. The Center would also be providing reading and resource material, by way of news-clippings, posters, films, books and studies on Masculinities, Gender, Violence and Sexuality, useful to students, academicians, developmental & media professionals.
During his inaugural talk, Harish Sadani, said,’ Women’s issues are directly linked to men’s mindsets as males are part of the problems. Gender difference is a human construct and has been created due to faulty socialisation. Today, men have very little space for themselves. There is a woeful dearth of spaces for men - esp. adolescent boys -- to comfortably unwind, ventilate, share their concerns, fears about gender-related matters. Men are finding it difficult to control their anger, frustrations, dilemmas and confusions. Therefore, we have cases such as Pravin Mahajan (late BJP leader's brother) and Sunil More (the policeman who raped a girl on Marine Drive, Mumbai). Our social conditioning is such that men are not allowed to express their emotions or anguish. They speak about sports, sex and politics but not about own problems. On the contrary, women can open up even to strangers. Therefore, there is a need to get men to ‘talk’. Our Centre will address this felt need of countless men. This Centre has been realization of one of our long cherished dreams.”
Talking about the reasons for his association with MAVA, Atul Kulkarni said, “My friend Chinmay Kelkar, introduced me to MAVA’s movement when he contributed to their ‘Purush Spandan’ magazine. Violence exists in every human being and it seeks different avenues to manifest. I feel that we have been trying to become human beings for a long long time but we have not been able to conquer our animal instincts. Yet, human beings need violence and enemies in order to make their life interesting. I feel that dialogue is the best way to tackle the tendency to become violent. That’s what MAVA has been doing since 1993. Every social organisation needs volunteers, funds and space. I’m glad that MAVA has been able to acquire all this through perseverance. I share its vision of a gender-just society, where men and women live in harmony; give mutual space for growth and making their life humane.”
Ravindra Rukhmini Pandharinath, a MAVA core activist, said, “Basically, all problems in this world are problems of relationships and co-existence. For three decades, women’s lib organisations have worked for their emancipation but the results aren’t so great. This is because men’s involvement has been ignored. But the framework of society is such that men are in all the key positions (Police, judiciary, etc.) where women can get justice. There is a need for ‘man-to-man’ sessions with males. Even the United Nations has recognised this need to talk to males in order to help them solve their problems.”
On the occasion, MAVA had organized a poetry reading session wherein noted writer Asha Damle, illustrator Anil Dabhade, activist Rajeev Kalelkar and counselor Jashodhara Purkayastha read poems on gender themes.
Swapan Purkayastha summed up the function by appealing audience members to spread information about MAVA’s Counselling Centre and its activities.
Address of MAVA’s Counselling Guidance and Resource Centre:
Room No. 15, 1st Floor,
Nityanand Municipal School,
Opp. Garware Company,
Sahar Road, Andheri (E),
Mumbai 400 069;
Helpline Tel. No. : 022- 2682 6062 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon to Sat ) / 09870307748
