Journalism of Courage
One for the ladies
The Art and Music Foundation of Pune which recently celebrated 10 years has launched a year long programme,eWe or (Enabling Women Empowerment) that aims at bringing about a development of girls and women from a rural background. Speaking more about the program,Manisha Kulkarni spokesperson for the foundation says,The eWe programme mainly aims to bring about a change in the outlook of the women of rural India.We aim to help them become confident by conducting various courses and classes to make them feel independent. For the eWe programme the organisation has tied up with the students of the Bhaskarrao Karve Adhyapak Vidyalaya. The students there will be taking various classes for 80 girls from rural areas who have a poor background. In addition to this we will also be taking up the job of helping SHG or Self Help Groups find their own feet. For the very same reason we have already adopted one such SHG in Shivapur,which has a strength of around 40 women. We will help them to start up their own enterprises, she adds.
Holi on the beach
For the first time,Indians in Los Angeles,who are also members of the Maharashtra Mandal Los Angeles (MMLA) got the opportunity to celebrate Rangpanchami on a beach. Around 40 members turned up for the Rangpanchami party despite chilling temperatures. Veena Prabhu,who takes care of sponsorships and advertisements of MMLA said,We did not require permission to play on this beach. The participants enjoyed themselves by using not just dry colours but also coloured water. The participants,smeared with colour,then played volleyball on the beach. The party lasted for about three hours,from 10 am to 1 pm and was followed by desi chaat like bhel,dahi puri,pani puri and of course puran poli.
The active young ones of the Anand Park Residents Association (APRA),Aundh,are organising a free distribution of cloth shopping bags to promote eco-friendly practices. They hope to bring back into the minds of people (the young,the old and the not so old) the wisdom of the age old practice of carrying cloth bags to shop for provisions at all times on March 22 from 10.30 am to 12 noon,outside More and Rajshri Supermarket,Anand Park. The cubs have collected old sarees,dupattas and bed-sheets from their homes,got them converted them into smart cloth bags (pishwis/thailis) through an agency and have paid for all the labour costs themselves,out of their collected earnings,through donations. These bags will be distributed free of cost to shoppers at these two locations,in exchange for their plastic bags.
