Sharing for
Empowerment
Sangat Update
Issue:1November 2013
Dear Sangatis,
We are happy to announce our new Update and website on South Asian
Women’s Day. It is an initiative to share information across borders,
encourage women’s writing and facilitate cross border exchange. This we
think is a great way for women to share their work and connect with others.
Today on South Asian Women’s Day we celebrate the strength and solidarity
amongst South Asian women. This day is for remembering our collective
histories, struggles and friendships across borders, boundaries and
identities.
Contents
Articles

Kurram Agency
Sectarian Conflict and its
Impact on Women and
Children - Noreen
Naseer

Outer Peace is Only
Possible Through Inner
Peace – Shahbano Aliani

The ‘Maximum City –
Prabhleen Tuteja

Baluch women and the
long march of
their misery - Mona
Naseer
Women’s Stories
Participants at the 18th Month Long Course, Bangladesh
This year as we look back at our struggles, we remember Sunila who has left
a void in her wake. As a tribute to her, Sangat, SAAPE and People’s SAARC
are organizing the first Sunila Memorial Lecture, in Dhaka. Nimalka
Fernando from Sri Lanka is the key note speaker at this event. The Meeto
Memorial Awards in memory of Meeto, will also be declared at this event.
Ani Choying Drolma a budhist nun from Nepal will be honoured for her
work on peace and social harmony.
The One Billion Rising Campaign is also being launched today in South Asia.
Given the success of the campaign last year we hope for renewed energies, to
take forward the successes of OBR 2013 to rise and demand for justice.

Golap, a living legend Arpona Ghosh
Creativity Corner


Unseen – Shahbano
Aliani
Together We Rise ! Jayaraj Thayyil
Event Calendar
Recent Events
At the moment the 18th Month Long Course is currently going on at the
BRAC Development Management Centre, in village Khagan, Savar. 31
women from 9 countries are part of this course. It is yet another month long
journey towards Asian feminist learning and solidarity.
Through this song many of us express our deeply felt feelings
Remembering Sunila
Remembering Sunila
honouring women’s human
rights defenders – Charlotte
Bunch
Tumhaara saath milne se ahsaase Quwwat aaya hai
Nayee duniya banaane ka junoon phir hum pe chhaya hai
Being close to you has empowered me
Once again I have this mad resolve to change the world!!
Kamla Bhasin
28th November, 2013
Call for Applications
Tamil Course on Gender and Development - 19th to 28th
February 2014Last date for application: 30th December.
To apply click here
Event Calendar
Join the
ONE BILLION RISING CAMPAIGN 2014
We request you to share your initiatives, programmes and campaign events
with us. Do send us videos, pictures, campaign material that can be
uploaded on the Sangat website for everyone to access and share.
To get more details of events happening in Delhi during Eve Enslers visit in
the coming days, please click on the following links.




To read Charlottes tribute
to Sunila, click here
For Sunila –
Tehani Ariyaratne
I met Sunila a little less
than a year ago in Nepal,
where she was doing a
session for us on conflict
and feminism. I remember
seeing her sitting in that
circle of incredible women
and being so proud that she
was one of our own, the
finest example of a Sri
Lankan woman. Read more
Creativity Corner
Unseen - Shahbano Aliani
30th November to 16th December – Delhi
12th December :The Power of Love and Justice to End Violence
Against Women
14th December: Feminist Dialogues on Envisioning Justice
Articles/ Reports
she had known always
where to go
Pakistan Conflict Ridden Region Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (Case Study of Kurram Agency Sectarian Conflict and its
Impact on Women and Children) - Noreen Naseer, Pakistan
Kurram Agency is a Federally Administered Tribal Areas, it’s a beautiful
and lush green valley takes its name after Kurram River which passes
through it1. The Agency is surrounded on the north and west by
Afghanistan (the provinces of Nangarhar, Khost and Paktia), on the east by
Orakzai and Khyber Agencies, on the southeast is Hangu and on the south
is the North Waziristan Agency. Read More
Outer Peace is Only Possible Through Inner Peace – Shahbano
Aliani, Pakistan
Most of us want peace in our world. It appears, however, that the more we
yearn for it, the more it eludes us. Families and communities across the
world are increasingly torn apart by domestic violence, armed conflict and
wars. Many people, therefore, from different ideological perspectives and
walks of life, continue to work tirelessly for peace – researching it, studying
it, campaigning for it and devoting their lives to it. Read more
The ‘Maximum City’ – Prabhleen Tuteja
Contemporary societies offer a range of opportunities and choices through
their physical infrastructure. Modern cities seem to promise the maximum
of everything, from needs to luxuries and from demands to desires. What
certainly is also characteristic of these spaces is a fragmented, highly
exclusive and patriarchal social milieu.. Read more
Baluch women and the long march of their misery - Mona
Naseer
Women and children who walked 400 miles on foot starting Oct 27,
from Balochistan to Karachi to raise awareness for the thousands of
kidnappings and unsolved murders in Pakistan. Read More
Women’s Stories
Golap, a living legend
- Arpona Ghosh,
World Vision,
Bangladesh
Golap, never dreamt
that one day she would
maintain accounts of
Taka 125 crore or US$ 16
million every month.
She has made it possible
with her honesty and
hard work. Read more
1
known always
what to do
how to open that door
i never saw
and walk in silent
confidence
to take the space
meant for her
since there was a
beginning,
or even before
the space no one,
nothing else could fill
to go deep,
deep within
unwind as outward
expansion
from therein
cause everything inside
to turn and twist
fall apart
allowing space to be
show her face to me
in glimpses of beauty
such that i am gripped
with fear of death
filled with awe,
with dread,
with longing
with pain, joy
and drunkenness
with every emotion,
every sensation
i have ever felt
and those
never felt before:
the slicing twisting
pain of separation
and of astounded breath
sucked in
the tears of total loss
of unreserved joy
and the calm of
utter surrender
made each moment
rich and new
bursting with the
radiance of a million moons
In 1892 British Administration formed this agency and gained control of Kurram route leading over Paiwar Kotal to
Ghazni and Kabul. It is also the only agency that has a land settlement and revenue record . According to 1998 census
total population is 448,310, (with 58 % Sunni and 42 % Shia) covering area of 3,380 sq.km.
Recent Events
Empowering women for Mediation
Participants from the course
Women from 24 women from 14 countries participated in this course. They
ranged from age 22 to 67, working on a variety of issues from the grassroots
level to working as mediators at the Track one level. The course was
designed to create a space for sharing experiences and learning from the
pool of expertise and skills each of the participants brought to the course. To
watch the video made by course participants click here
never ending
kisses of ocean breeze
vast stretches of sand
dunes
like tidal waves
star studded canopies
of sahara skies
rivers, brimming
full of fragrant flowers
intoxicating melodies
that soar from shrines
the silent mind of utter
peace
as weightless vastness
only emptiness can be
growing and glowing
deeply,
in secret
unseen, beyond the finite
of this form
she is the love for You
which has always been
that no one else can hear
or see
but the deepest part of you
knows
like me
watched from the corners
of our dreams
read more
Together We Rise!
Jayaraj Thayyil
We are not brittle,
we the vigor of this world
together we rise,
together we rise
Steadfast for parity and
throw away the dogmas
together we rise,
together we rise
Celebrating International Day of Peace, 21st September
Mobilising women’s concerns for a secure future
Aishani Gupta
A recent presentation by The Women’s Regional Network (WRN) on
No more fire tests to prove
our chastity
and no more veils to
suppress our self
Do remember and pass it
on to them
That they owe us ten
months to form their self!
We are not brittle,
we the vigor of this world
‘Community Conversations’ documented several women’s voices in the
conflict zones of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The conference brought
out the misgivings faced by women following the militarization, extremisms
and corruption in the war zones of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Read
more
together we rise,
together we rise
Steadfast for parity and
throw away the dogmas
together we rise,
Together we rise!
Special Thanks to Noreen Naseer, Mona Naseer, Shahbano Aliani, Jayaraj Thayyil, Tehani Ariyaratne, Arpona
Ghosh, Sunita Maharjan, Mahabir Singh, Prabhleen Tuteja, Uma Tanuku, Geetha Nambisan and all those who
contributed to this update. To contribute to future updates please send your contributions to
sangat@sangatsouthasia.org .
Sangat, A South Asian Feminist Network
B – 114, Shivalik, Malviya Nagar
New Delhi -110017
+91 11 26692166
sangat@sangatsouthasia.org
www.sangatsouthasia.org