'There are men who have come forward in our support'

Straight talk

The cancellation of late nights for women residing in Jamia Millia Islamia University hostel prompted Delhi Commission for Women to issue a notice  regarding gender discrimination.

This recognition of discriminatory behaviour was a push for women across universities in Delhi to come together and form Pinjra Tod, an autonomous women’s collective in August 2015.

This collective has brought to the front many discriminatory, sexist and casteist practices prevalent in universities across India. Metrolife spoke to Subhashini Shriya, one of the member of Pinjra Tod, who talks more about their journey, challenges and future projects.
Excerpts:

What are the challenges that you are facing?

Women’s participation in a movement is itself a challenge. Many women in Pinjra Tod face difficulties at personal level. Sometimes the university hostels pressurise women to move themselves from hostels. Universities approach parents of these women and try to create a familial pressure. These women are constantly stopped by family and university authorities and have even facing constant harassment. Also, as women is not a homogenous category, so different members of the group have different agenda and we have to negotiate.

Despite these challenges, what keeps Pinjra Tod going?

We are placed in times when there is a development in the general assertion of women in society. Women want to change the society that we are currently living in. This assertion has come about after a long process of people demanding basic equality in different spheres of life, like right to education. It has come a long way and is one of the main reasons why Pinjra Tod became possible today.

Besides that within the collective, it has provided a very strong system of support to women. It is a safe space to express concerns and feelings for which one generally finds very little space outside. All these affect our intimate life, college, relationships, our academic work, our professional life. Lastly, the idea of a collective also helps. We are so isolated in our struggles that a collective, where people have similar aspirations and concerns is very helpful.

What kind of solidarities have you built over time?

We are living in times when a lot of movements are taking place. The Dalit movement for example is one where we have built solidarities. These have been more productive than anything that we could have anticipated.

What has been your biggest achievement?

It has to be the bringing up of the different voices of women as a collective, not just in one university but in the entire nation. As women students, we didn’t have a distinct political voice for a long time, which we now have. We are no longer alone, we are raising questions collectively.

How are men supporting you?

Even though it is an all women’s collective, there are men who have come forward in our support. There are also parties like ABVP that have reacted negatively but we are getting a lot of positive response.

What are you planning next?

Last year, we worked a lot on accommodation and infrastructure. We also came out with a circular which is binding on all universities across country. So lot of ground work has happened. This semester, we want to give it a stronger push and see these rules are implemented across the
country.